Second trip to Kota Kinabalu
It has been three years since I last visited Borneo and nothing much have changed since then. Walking in the familiar streets in town center of Kota Kinabalu was nostalgic, as if I have walked on the same streets not too long ago.
We took advantage of the long weekend. Months months ago, Kuya Erik, Mica and I, booked the Kota Kinabalu trip after Air Asia offered the three tickets for PhP 5,200+. It’s even cheaper than going home to Davao.
Since I was very busy with work and Kadayawan these past weeks, we never had a chance to plan the activities we’re gonna do when we get to Kota Kinabalu. All we (Mica) did was to make sure we get a decent place to stay when we get abroad. Through the recommendation of our wandering friend Nina, we booked for a couple of rooms in a place called Lavender Lodge.
We were lucky that the hotel staff can arrange tours for tourists like us. We’re even luckier to have lots of Pinoy staff in the hotel. Because we haven’t prepared any plans for our KK vacation, the hotel receptionist suggested several options that we could take.
On our first day, we opted for a whole day trip to Mt. Kinabalu Park and to its nearby attractions. The trip to Mt. Kinabalu took us around two hours. The nature trip that we had was the highlight of the entire trip. We were brought to the Kinabalu Botanical Garden where we saw the different flora that can be found in Mt. Kinabalu. They have transferred several types of plants and orchids that can be found in the deepest areas of the Mt. Kinabalu rainforests to the Botanical garden. Some of these species are endemic to Mt. Kinabalu.
The fun part of the nature trip to Mt. Kinabalu was the tour within Poring hot springs. Within the poring hot spring park lies the longest and first of its kind rainforest canopy available to the public. We have experience walking on a canopy across the luscious forests of Mt. Kinabalu. After the canopy walk, we took a short hike before we arrived in one of Mt. Kinabalu’s small waterfalls. Our tour guide, Ben, informed us of the Dr. Fish that thrives in the cold waters of the waterfalls. These Dr. Fishes are small fishes which eat the dead skins from your foot/legs. These are the same type of fishes that are used in Manila Ocean Park’s Fish Spa.
The second day of our stay in Kota Kinabalu wasn’t as fun as the first one. We went to Gaya Sunday Market where we purchased some of our pasalubongs. The Sunday market was done in Jalan Gaya where they converted the long stretch of Gaya street into a flea market. A lot of local products are being sold. Also, if you wish to try some of Kota Kinabalu’s comfort foods, several stalls also serve these.
The last lakwatsa we did was the island hopping. It wasn’t as fun as the ones we had in the Samal beaches in Davao City but it sure gave as a lot of opportunity to camwhore. We didn’t enjoy swimming and snorkeling as much as we did in our hike the previous day.
Here are some of the photos we took that day:
Though we only stayed for roughly four days in Kota Kinabalu, it was definitely a fun experience for us. I’m even thinking of going back to Kota Kinabalu and plan a trip to Brunei from there, just like what I did three years ago. But before I forget, I still have to replace my green passport.
33 Responses to “Second trip to Kota Kinabalu”
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- Red Trellis: Seafood Dining in Gensan - [...] what? Mica and I didn’t have enough of seafoods from the our Kota Kinabalu trip that we had to ...
- Lavender Lodge: A Backpacker’s Best Friend in Kota Kinabalu | SENYORITA - [...] we arrived in Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Daniel was already outside waiting for us. Winston, Erik and I, together ...
Originally sharing his experiences of being a "yagit" in Davao, he now tries to find his luck in the busy district of Makati. He still finds time to blog and go on weekend trips despite his hectic schedule. Join Batang Yagit, now that he has developed from "rags" to a more abundant supply of rags.
Mas maganda pa rin talaga mga beaches sa Pinas. Mas maganda nga lang facilities sa marine park nila :(
Which islands did you go to?
We went to Pulau Mamutik and Pulau Manukan. hehehe
How was Mamutik? I only went to Manukan and Sapi
a smaller version of manukan lang. hahaha
Great weekend trip indeed. Feeling ko nasa Palawan + Subic combined ako hehe. I really had fun at our Nature trip tour especially when we reached the beautiful falls (diba friend? FRIEND!). I prefer our beaches here in the Philippines, though yung kanila is specially designed for families.
Na-enjoy ko talaga siya kahit bitin. I want to climb Mt. Kinabalu the next time I go there. Gusto ko na rin i-take yung River tour :D
Hanep yung river tour! Super peaceful, tapos ang daming cute na tourista hahahahahaha. Oh, and may mga monkeys nga pala sa puno.
Wow, suya ko sa nature trip
naay bird watching sa Mt. Kinabalu. hahaha
Frieeeeend! Hi, it was really nice (incidentally) touring with your group! Great photos, by the way :-)
Oh. On our way back to Manila, at the airport we saw frieeeeend’s group. Hindi na nila kasama si frieeeeend! Baka iniwan na sa Mamutik Island? Hehe.
Frieeeeeeend! I’m wondering if we would ever see our ‘Friend’ here in Manila. Hahaha.
It was nice meeting you all too. :)
So that’s where you’ve been! Nice photos as yush! :)
Uy pa cross-process yung mga pictures. :D
FRIEEEENNNDDD!!! :) it was nice meeting you, mica, and erik!
Friend! Add mo kami sa Facebook hehe :P
wow pinaluma mo pala lahat ngp ics here. :D hehe
Lovely tour you had. I’m amazed by the mood of the pictures you’ve taken; the quality is like that of a motion picture or a still music video. You’re such a great photographer. More Power! :-)
How much is the budget for a couple, going on a five day trip to KK.
I wish I could come to this place. Lovely.;-)
nice colors.. vintage effect right?
thanks. :D cross-processed. :D
ahh.. yun pala yun.. prime lens ba ginamit mo?
Hi Winston. Im trying to contact you on your “contact page.” pero u might be busy so d2 ko na lang sasabihin yung link na request ko sa blogroll mo. Your link from my blog has already been on my blog for over a month.
Hope you’ll accept my request. Thanks a lot and it would be a great honor to include me on your blogroll. Thanks ulit.
wow, love the place.. it’s awesome.. nice to know you’re from Davao!
wooot! Thanks for reading. :) Are you from davao too?
I hope makapunta rin ako dito…^_^
:mail: kuya batangyagit? salamat po sa pag dalaw sa blog ko… isang karangalan po! ^^, sana maging kaybigan din kita
kuya winston? ask ko lang po pano yung sinasabi mo po sa comment? di ko po kasi alam ai… Saka ganda po ng site mo panu po mag lagay ng smiles sa comment?
kuya BatangYagit… pano po ba yung comment na sinasabi mo po> yung ganito ba…
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Yung ganyan po ba? pano po ba yun? Blogspot po kasi ung akin,,,
yeah nakita ko sa blog mo. ok na yun! ^^
yung smileys pala. hehehe. plugin siya ng wordpress :D
hahaha. walang anuman ^^. natuwa lang ako sa post mo tungkol kay jehjeh. hehehe. :D
hehe salamat po kuya winston… Pwd po ba ako mapabilang sa blog roll mo po? Salamat po ulet sa pangalawang pag dalaw.
sure. ilalagay ko na. :)