Kota Kinabalu, A Destination That Promises' A Difference

By Fadzli Ramli KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Celebrated chef, writer and traveller Anthony Bourdain once said it is better to "be a traveller, not a tourist". With those words in mind, this writer visited Kota Kinabalu for two days intent on exploring as many interesting locations as possible. The flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Kota Kinabalu International Airport (LTAKK) took two hours and 10 minutes, crossing the South China Sea over a distance of some 1,600 km. Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton,is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. FRESH AIR As soon as the flight touched down and this writer alighted from the plane, he felt as if he were in a different dimension, as the air at the airport was much fresher and the atmosphere more tranquil than the hustle and bustle in Kuala Lumpur. This writer was greeted by at LTAKK by Luis Fidelis, 22, an employee of the hotel where this writer was to put up. On the way to the hotel, this writer asked Luis about the collision between a train and a tanker-lorry in Kota Kinabalu last October. Luis said the site of the crash is not far from LTAKK, a mere 2 km away, and this writer was informed that he would be passing by the spot on his way back to the airport the next day. "The sound of the explosion was very loud as the ground reverberated from the collision. Many people fled the area in fear that a nearby petrol station would also explode," he said. ATTRACTIVE SPOTS Among the usual questions from visitors: "What are the attractive sites here?" And that was the same question that this writer posed to Luis. "There are many such sites here," came the reply. Among them are the Filipino market located not far from the hotel, and Teluk Likas, which is among the most beautiful beaches in Sabah. "The night market here is a must. In the Peninsula, the night market is held once a week but here it is held every night. There is a seafood market next to the Filipino market, where the seafood is cheap and delicious," said Luis, referring to Sinsuran night market. KOTA KINABALU AT NIGHT After checking into the hotel, this writer decided to explore Kota Kinabalu's night life. The first destination was the Sinsuran night market, which was crowded and filled with smoke from the grilling of seafood at the stalls. Chairs and tables were provided for the patrons, albeit in a very simple way. A trader here who wished to be named as Joshua from Chini, Pahang, told this writer: "Here it is easy to get food. I grill the fish every night and get good returns from the trade. The seafood is cheap, as the catch is landed near this place," Joshua said, pointing to the jetty nearby. Joshua has been staying in Sabah for the past 10 years. The seafood stalls here are different from those in the Peninsula. In the Peninsula, the seafood is sold by the weight, in kg, but here the seafood (fish) is sold by the "tail", at between RM5 and RM50 each. Cheap indeed. This writer later moved to the night market near Jalan Fuad Stephens, not even one kilometre away from the Sinsuran night market. On the way, he came across several peddlers who offered cigarettes carried in plastic boxes. This writer had been informed earlier that fake cigarettes are available in abundance in Kota Kinabalu. With that in mind, this writer approached one of the cigarette peddlers. "There are various brands, the imported ones are RM8 (for a packet) while the local ones are only RM5," he told this writer. JEANS, TRADITIONAL MASSAGE Declining the offer, this writer moved to the night market located near Jalan Fuad Stephens. There, this writer was attracted by the various wares sold there, including garments. Various garments on offer included branded jeans offered as low as RM40, which raised doubts about their authenticity. On the way back to the hotel, this writer was approached by green-shirted man who offered traditional massage services that drew further enquiries from this writer. "This is the Sabah traditional massage, good for blood circulation," said the man. TELUK LIKAS, DRIED SEA CUCUMBER The next day, this writer attended the launch of a beach cleaning project at Teluk Likas. Teluk Likas has one of the most scenic beaches in Sabah but unfortunately the coast is littered with rubbish. When this writer questioned Kota Kinabalu Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir, he said: This (garbage dumping) is an old issue, we DBKK (Kota Kinabalu City Hall) are trying very hard to overcome this problem and are always looking for ways to carry out the clean-up work. We cooperate with other parties and work hard to clear up this garbage issue. "Because of the efforts of all parties, our tourism industry is not affected, but we must remember that all quarters should do their work, including the government and private agencies and the people themselves, who must not simply discard rubbish anywhere they like," he said. After the function, this writer went to explore the Kota Kinabalu general m arket, which is no different from general markets in the Peninsula. This writer later proceeded to the salted fish market and was fascinated by the various wet and dried seafood sold there. The attraction was the availability of high quality dried sea cucumber at RM650-RM750 a kilogramme, depending on size and type. SABAH PEARLS A visit to Kota Kinabalu is considered incomplete without a sojourn to the Handicraft Market, more popularly known as the Filipino market, the hub of Sabah’s pearl industry. Sabah is renowned for its high quality pearls, which are exported abroad and in great demand in Japan. The area near Pulau Bohey Dulang, some 18 kilometre from Semporna town, is the breeding zone for the world-renowned pearls. At the Handicraft Market, there was barely enough room for visitors to w alk, as the stalls were located very close to each other. This writer was greeted by Aseh Jamaat, 25, who offered various products made from Sabah pearls. "The price is cheap. If you buy more you will get more discounts. We have two types of Sabah pearls, one is the marine type while the other are the freshwater pearls," he said showing this writer various pearls. According to Aseh, the difference between these two types is that the marine pearls are more rounded than the freshwater pearls. He also showed how to differentiate between genuine and fake pearls, by rubbing them against the teeth or throwing them in the air to gauge their weight. "Another method is to burn them. With genuine ones, nothing will happen, but with fake ones, the outer layers will peel off one by one just like the skin of an onion," he said. After spending 30 minutes with Aseh, this writer decided to buy some pearls from him. On the way back to LTAKK, this writer felt rather melancholic upon seeing the site of the train and tanker-lorry crash pointed out by Luis a day earlier. -- BERNAMA