Kota Kinabalu

After an unexciting week in mainland "Lame-aysia," I couldn't wait to get to Sabah, Borneo where my two friends Keeler and Chris (and his sister, Lauren) were meeting me. We went there just to climb Mount Kinabalu, although I heard that other parts of Sabah are great for scuba diving and for seeing orangutans. They didn't have time for those other activities, and I didn't sort it out to head there on my own, unfortunately. 


Our first day together, we got a speed boat to an island near Kota Kinabalu called Manukan. We were all expecting a nice beach with soft sand and beautiful views, but Lame-aysia continued to disappoint. We had to pay a beach fee upon arrival, and the sand was essentially rocks and uncomfortable to sit or walk on. The beach was pretty short, and there weren't many people nor places to get a snack. The one minimart was part of a resort and obviously was expensive. We had to entertain ourselves there for four hours as our return was pre-scheduled for 5pm, and it started raining at 4. 

Finally, we were picked up and dropped off at the seafood market in KK. The market was awesome with all kinds of fish in all sizes and colors. People were yelling at us from every direction to buy some fish as they chopped away, spraying fish guts in the air. We tried some random street foods from nearby vendors before checking out the night market and searching for a restaurant for dinner. We ended up eating for less than $2 a person. KK is a pretty quiet town without too much to do, so we ended the night with some card games at the hostel - a nice, quiet night.