Sabah, Malaysia

Flying to the Land Below the Wind

Before our flight from London Heathrow, we booked a day room in the Hilton, which included a buffet breakfast and spa. The Hilton Hotel had a walk through from the airport directly, so we didn’t need any transportation which made everything easier. We flew from London Heathrow airport transited through Brunei then to Kota Kinabalu – this cost £450 pp via Sky Scanner. However, I would preferably fly from Cardiff to Kuala Lumpur, then to Kota Kinabalu in the future.

Be aware of the seasons in Sabah as, after all, Borneo is a rainforest. The dry season is March to October which tends to be hot and humid, which I struggled for the first few days. Let’s say jetlag and humidity do not go hand in hand.

Accommodation

Once we landed to Sabah, it was only a 10-minute drive to Aeropod. This Airbnb made my stay in Sabah easy. The access was excellent; the rooms were spacious, elevators and walk-in wet-room showers. It is also safe & secure, as there are security on-site 24/7, and you can only use the elevators with your room key. This room also included fast Wi-Fi, TV, and a provided cleaner came in every week, they supplied water and essentials. There is also a gym on-site, which kept me fit and mobile. Although there are significant steps at the front entrance, so I advise being dropped off at the car park instead. Paid £380 for the full month which works out £12 a night; can’t fault the price with the facilities and service you receive. This is the link to my Airbnb if you’re interested, https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/25097276?s=67&unique_share_id=025e0df5-138b-433b-a789-f8f5c3707d10 .

I strongly recommend Aeropod as you have everything you need and more in one building. COF, an urban coffee shop which was just next door. A convenience store, Damn Good Burger (DGB), a Malay food restaurant which was decent as well. Plus, the town was only a 10-minute drive which worked out about £1.50.

For the last few days in Sabah, I booked a room in Jesselton hotel, paid £35 per night, which was placed in the heart of KK. The Jesselton Hotel had, by far the best service I have ever received. The general manager, Michelle Chong, was incredibly helpful. She upgraded us to the Victorian suite to accommodate our needs. This suite included a living room and a bedroom which had a TV on each, a large ensuite bathroom with an accessible shower but, I treated myself to the king’s bath instead. It was in a brilliant location; conveniently located on Gaya Street, right smack in the town of Kota Kinabalu. Everything was within walking distance, restaurants lining up in every building — open at all hours of the day and night. If you’re a wheelchair user, you will fly around the streets. I’m looking forward to visit again. Take a look via @theweakleypost‘s Instagram highlights.

Recommended spots to go

• Mari-Mari Cultural Village: £18 pp — At the start of the tour, we had to walk across a rope suspension bridge. So if you’re a wheelchair user, I recommend you have someone with you as not everything is accessible, but it is still manageable as I held onto Laira’s shoulders to walk across. Our tour guide helped take my frame. Bring your own mosquito spray and a hat, you are in the jungle so be mindful of that. The tour guide gave us a walk-through on 5 distinctive tribes (Dusun, Rungus, Lundayeh, Bajau, Murut) in Sabah, two of them practised head-hunting (which obviously have stopped — hopefully). It wasn’t easy to go into the huts themselves as they mostly were hand-carved bamboo stairs, but I managed to climb up the stairs with the help of my girlfriend.

• Pacific Sutera: Must be a guest to have access – Laira and I spent a lot of time here swimming and drinking Pina Coladas, we had so much the bartender started spicing the drinks up for us.

• Observatory Hill: This was shown in the first few seconds of my vlog, but it was best at night.

• Graffiti Abandoned Building: It’s a ruin of nearly a 200-year-old British Colonial Building, although it survived the bombing during WWII, it was blazed by fire in 1992. The artwork is unreal. A group of artists drew a mural for the remembrance of the victims in the Sabah Earthquake 2015. Don’t go in the morning without sunscreen, I learnt that the hard way.

• Sunday Market: It was a bit westernised for me, more tailored to tourists than embracing to their own culture, but according to Laira, it was not like this before. Though it was still enjoyable. You can get everything from souvenirs, branded clothing (I packed one, two many clothes), Tenom coffee, handicrafts and local foods. There were also caged puppies and other animals to sell as pets, which were sour to the eye. Be wary of pick-pocketers.

• Clippers and Scissors: The barber, Melvin couldn’t understand English, so Laira had to translate barber language into Malay/Chinese, but he gave me a really good fade for just £3. Follow him on instagram @clippers_and_scissors .

• Shopping malls: Suria Sabah, Imago, Centre Point, Oceanus; All these shopping malls have all British, European and Asian outlets, ranging from H&M to Uniqlo.

• Massage & Acupuncture @ JQ Blind Reflexology: With the humidity and jetlag, it took its toll on us the first week, so I booked myself in for a weekly massage and acupuncture. Massages and acupuncture are so cheap and well-executed. Some of the best massage therapists I had experienced tend to be deaf, blind and/or mute. These are roughly the prices for the massages in this reflexology.

  • £5.50 (RM30) – 1 hour reflexology

  • £9.30 (RM50) – 1 hour body massage

  • £3.70 (RM20) – 1 hour neck and shoulder massage

• Benefits of massage & acupuncture: Massage therapy is a well-known treatment of muscle tightness and soreness. Besides that, it can be used to increase circulation and minimise the effects of inflammation. People with disabilities; this is needed, acupuncture reduces back pain, neck tension and relieve joint pain in the hands and arms and improves the immune system. This was very beneficial while I was away and kept me mobile throughout my trip. Many disabled people will be able to relate to the aches and pains suffered daily, this is a significant help.

Under the sea

• Island hopping: Roughly paid £15 pp — This included boat trip to both islands, snorkelling equipment, life jackets and lunch. We went to Sapi and Manukan Islands. Manukan Island had the best view, in my opinion, water was clear and blue-ish green. However, Sapi Island was better for snorkelling, as you can see in the vlog. The views were incredible, but it was frustrating to see how much litter there was hopping between islands.

  Local boat drivers are mad, they don’t care about safety or sea-sickness, but it’s all part of the experience at the end of the day, life jackets are provided, and we got to our destination anyway. Monkeys were roaming around the island, so take care of your belongings, don’t be stupid enough to wear expensive clothes and jewellery. There is an island fee, so make sure you bring cash; tourists tend to pay more than locals. I struggled to walk into the sea with the spiky corals sticking into my feet, but I got on with it anyway; so make sure you bring your own water shoes. I managed to go into the sea by holding Laira’s shoulders while bickering, trying to get both of our balance as she’s horrible with hers as well. It all paid off with the sights I have seen.

  I wanted to do the Coral Flyer Zip-Line, from Gaya Island to Sapi Island. It looked sick but, the health and safety of the tour company wouldn’t allow it. I also wanted to scuba dive as Sabah is in the top five best scuba diving spots. However, PADI course wasn’t available because a few Chinese tourists died a week before as they were killed by a fish bomb, so they stopped scuba diving without a license.

  The boat staff and local Sabahans do deserve a mention. Getting in and out of the boats weren’t easy for me, so a couple of of them have carried me over to get to the other side.

• Jellyfish seasons: Be wary of jellyfish seasons before you plan to go island hopping or go to any beach. Laira didn’t have the best last few days in KK. The jellyfish season started that the first week of July. We checked before, but we didn’t realise it came back until Laira got stung. None of the island workers warned us, and I don’t think they were planning on it as other tourists got hurt on the same day, including a child. Don’t rely on island workers or tourist guides of this as it affects their business, so look out for yourselves. Luckily, I got carried out by an Australian and locals. We had to pay off a boat driver just to drive us back to the mainland earlier than expected. A private clinic was just nearby the pier. `Laira was given medical assistance immediately via drip and injections for £30, definitely a faster service than the A&E in the UK.

Money, Money, Money

For the 5 weeks, the currency exchange allowed us to live like kings. You can buy a good meal for as little as £2.50 like most places; basically spending less than £10 a day for food and drinks. One pound equals to 5 Ringgit Malaysia (RM5). Obviously, this will vary, but you’ll get good value for money wherever you go in Sabah. We used a Monzo card which helped us to get around, but we should’ve brought Pounds to change in Sabah as the rates were much better than in the UK. Although, Monzo helped us to keep an eye on our spendings and it only started charging interest after a month.

Nightlife

• Beer Pong @ iPong: A more elevated/electronic way to play beer pong, best pre-drinks you’ll ever have.

• 69 club: There were stairs, and the staff weren’t happy at first due to health and safety, but they didn’t refuse me after some convincing by an angry Laira. The staff were accommodating in the end. They also carried me down the stairs at 2 in the morning when they closed. Music was good, mainly RnB, sometimes have a band playing, and cheap drinks.

• Marriott Hotel: The Marriott Hotel looks over the South China Sea, and the views were unbeatable. I advise you to reserve a table, especially for the sunset and check the weather. Yes, the drinks here are more expensive, but we went during Happy Hour from 2pm to 6pm. You’ll enjoy one of the best sunset views of the Waterfront from the 15th floor. I recommend the mojito and espresso martini.

• Waterfront: Having a few beers and looking across the view here was the best. You can order shisha as well. Food and drinks are a bit more expensive, but you’re paying for the scenery so well worth it. Food ranges from Thai to Korean.

Second round?

• 家传板面 (Jia Chuan Ban Mian): It’s a family-owned noodle shop, all hand-made noodles, all cook to order.

• October: An urban coffee shop that makes high-quality coffees.

• Biru-Biru: They hold jazz and band music occasionally, they serve cheap cocktails, it’s a hot spot for travellers.

• Tanjung Lipat market: This is a must-go-to for all travellers to KK. The smell of freshly cooked peanuts, the vibrancy and variety of fruits lined up on each stall market and the sizzling of different meats on the barbie. This is the best place to try the local food as the Sabahans let you try before you buy. KK is renowned for their sunsets, and I couldn’t disagree. I’m still craving for a fresh mango smoothie. The local Sabahans cut fresh coconuts for you to drink and try. Coming here will give you a real taste of Sabahan culture.

• Nok Thai, Damai: In my opinion, the best and cheapest Thai restaurant in town. As seen in the picture above.

• Langkahsyabas Beach Resort – If you’re feeling homesick, it’s best for Sunday lunch. The Australian owners are very welcoming. Cora, the owner’s daughter, sings with a guitarist, giving you Sunday blues. View more at @theweakleypost ‘s Instagram highlights!

• Damn Good Burger (DGB) – We would walk down from our Airbnb, into the back door of DGB – let’s just say we were regulars. Good quality food for a good price, perfect hangover cure.

• King Hu Restoran: It’s an authentic Chinese restaurant. Don’t be fooled by the grumpy waitress, great food though and very cheap. I recommend the fried ‘man tao’, and duck wraps.

• Indo Padang: Authentic Indonesian food. Just a short walk from the Jesselton Hotel.

• Little Italy: Western Italian food, highly recommended.

• B Side: Different kinds of pasta and some with quirky adds, rice with Japanese/Korean toppings, meat dishes, great choice of desserts & variety breakfast menu. Highly recommend their soft-shell crab pasta.

• Restoran Meeran: 24hr open Indian restaurants, also known as ‘Mamak’. Its a proper Indian food experience compared to the UK. A lot of these types of shops are in every corner of the city. So, be adventurous and try them all. The electric in Sabah sometimes goes off, which is nothing unusual for the locals, but candles are there to save the day.

  As you can tell from our vlog, the food in Sabah can be very adventurous at times. Laira’s friends brought us to a Kadazan cuisine that serves either cooked or live butod worms aka coconut worms, ‘allegedly’ known to have health benefits. I definitely would not recommend this.

  Finally tried the king of fruits, Durian, and it will definitely be the last time.

I personally want to thank Laira and her friends for making my trip more comfortable and memorable. I made friends in the process who all shared the same interest as me, so their advice was valuable and made the trip unforgettable. This is my first Asia journey, and it won’t be my last. Terima kasih Sabah!

Please check out more photos in the Sabah Gallery!