A different view of a city second time around

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Day 287: Sunday 12th April - I can’t make my mind up

Since reading a Borneo guidebook yesterday I have thought about going to Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park tomorrow (that’s a mouthful so from now on I will refer to it as the islands off KK) rather than follow my original plan which was to travel on through to Brunei. I need to do some washing urgently after the jungle - half my bag is now full of sweaty, stinky clothes. I could carry them to Brunei and get it done there but I know it will be cheaper to do here. Most of all though, the decision comes down to whether I really want to do the islands. When I’ve asked other people their opinion of them, I’ve received responses along the lines of “they’re touristy but very nice” or “if you’ve just come from Indonesia, perhaps they’ll not be anything special for you”. Not exactly a glowing recommendation, and more ‘nice’ than ‘stunning’. Nevertheless, after a long journey today and the prospect of another one to Brunei ahead of me, a day chilling on the beach still has some appeal. My mind is finally made up when I bump into Steve, my South African friend, who I first met here in the hostel in Kota Kinabalu a week ago. He has been to the islands already, and liked them and this is a guy whose opinion I value so that’s it, I’m staying another day in Kota Kinabalu.

Steve’s wife has flown back to the UK, leaving him to do a month travelling in the Philippines and Indonesia. He ends up being in my dorm along with an American guy, whose name I now forget, but who was a valuable source of information on Sarawak (the Malaysian State I’m heading after Brunei) and in particular the Mulu National Park. The three of us walk to the market area on the waterfront to pay the night food stalls a visit. There is a real buzz in the air and a definite atmosphere around the packed night food stalls. I share a plate full of calamari and king prawns with Steve for 11 Ringgit each (£2). Bargain, and the seafood is good, but we do have concerns that we are going to get food poisoning.

Maybe now is an appropriate point to discuss Malaysian food. I expected an improvement on Indonesian cuisine but it is largely the same - ayam, nasi and mee (chicken, rice and noodles). Just wanted to show off my improving Malay language skills!!!! (In fairness I have a head start as the language is almost identical to Indonesian). So, up to this point I’ve been disappointed with the food. What is good, well for a chocoholic like myself, is that for the first time since South America I can buy a bar of chocolate for closer to 50 pence than a pound. On the downside beer is more expensive than Indonesia, and especially in comparison to soft drinks. I suppose, you can’t have it all.

On my return from the hostel I call home to wish them a Happy Easter. It is good to speak to family and friends about what each of us are doing rather than the unpleasant events of last week, which is what my last few conversations back to the UK have been. Fittingly, I fall asleep to the Beatles ‘Let it Be’, that a band is playing downstairs a few doors down. Relevant, and exactly what I am determined to do.

Day 288: Monday 13th April - 2 beautiful islands off Kota Kinabalu

I was looking forward to a lie in but the damn air conditioning has been cranked up in the dorm so it feels like a fridge forcing me out of my bed. I chat for a while with Steve. He flies out to the Philippines today and this will be the first time he has travelled solo. I pass on what advice I can, and try to reassure him that there is nothing to worry about. I also talk to him about Java, where he plans to spend two weeks. I tell him about the places I enjoyed and tell him I will pass on the contact details of Ibrahim, my Indonesian friend who has a travel agency. I am sure he can help him out much more than I can. It feels good to help Steve along his way. In some respects I am returning the favour he did me a week ago when he was that friendly face I needed to talk to. We part vowing to stay in contact.

With mid-morning approaching I decide I had better get a move on and go to the islands. There are five islands within half an hour’s boat ride of KK. Not many cities can boast they have a tropical island to escape to when the pressure of city life gets too much, KK has 5! I opt to go to Manukan as it is supposed to have the best beach and Mamutik as it supposed to have the best snorkelling. At Jesselton Point (KK used to be known as Jesselton until it was renamed after the nearby mountain post independence from the British) ferry terminal I come across Mikkel and Anne. They are the second group of people I didn’t expect to meet on my return to KK. They’ve been to Brunei for a few days whilst I’ve been on the Kinabatangan and are heading to Manukan for a few hours sun before they fly home later today. We catch the ferry together to Manukan, and I arrange for the boat to take me to Mamutik at 1pm and then I will return with Mikkel and Anne on the 3pm boat back to KK. They need to get back for their flight and I don’t want to be on the beach when the usual late afternoon rain comes.

Nice is a good word to describe Manukan. Stunning would be too strong a word, especially in comparison to some of the beaches and islands I’ve seen lately, but others may disagree. Whatever, beaches and islands of this quality is not what I expected of Borneo. Wild jungle and Longhouses, yes, but not beaches. I spend my time on Manukan snorkelling in the strong currents before getting lunch with Mikkel and Anne. Whilst I am snorkelling I meet the Swedish family from the Kinabatangan River. It seems that everyone I’ve met in Sabah is now back in Kota Kinabalu, it is a small world! At 1pm a boat picks me up and shuttles me the short distance to Mamutik. Mamutik is not as big as Manukan so doesn’t have the same level of facilities, but is less touristy. The beach isn’t as good as Manukan, but the sun has disappeared behind the clouds so that isn’t really an issue. The snorkelling on this island is a big improvement on Manukan. There is at least some coral, albeit not very colourful and I see a flowery cod which is pretty cool. There are much more fish in the water than at Manukan, but all in all the snorkelling doesn’t compare to some that I’ve done in Indonesia and Australia. The rain comes early at 2:30pm and it is a miserable last half hour on the island and then on the boat back to the mainland.

It has been a relaxing day and I have no regrets about heading to the islands. Sometimes you need a holiday from a holiday or a break from travelling, and today has helped me recharge my batteries. I was still fatigued after climbing Mount Kinabalu and chilling out on a beach was what I needed. I don’t know if I would go as far as recommending the islands.....definitely worth a visit if you’re in KK but not worth a detour if you’re not would be a fair summary. For me, as well as being like a day off, it has been good catching up with Mikkel and Anne again. They’ve passed on some useful information on Brunei which is my next destination tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed KK so much more the second time around. My head is in the right place this time and I’ve discovered the night food stalls and the islands, the gems of KK.

I return to the night food stalls for dinner. I love the atmosphere and feel of this place and the food is good and cheap as well. As I am leaving I decide to try the Malaysian dessert ABC. This has been described to me as both disgusting and good, so I am interested to give it a go. I don’t know why it gets its name from, but I think A to Z would be more appropriate given the array of ingredients that go into making it as I watch on. Jelly cubes, what looks like granola, beans, evaporated milk, and various other colourful ingredients I can’t even begin to describe, or rather my brain can’t keep pace with the stall holder as she reaches for the ingredients to make this concoction. When she hands it to me, it resembles a very sweet drink rather than a dessert. You drink it through a straw, rather than eat it with a spoon. My verdict: bloody disgusting!!!

After a week in Sabah, tomorrow I will leave it behind for Brunei. I will remember this Malaysian state in Borneo more for the people I’ve met than for the mountain I’ve climbed, the wildlife I’ve seen in the jungle or the tropical islands I’ve visited. That’s not discounting the quality of the scenery, which has indeed been as impressive as I imagined Borneo to be, but is a reflection on the people I’ve met over the past week. I have met some great people on my journey, but I don’t remember meeting such a concentration of lovely people, one after another. Steve, Tony, Mikkel, Anne, Nicole and Daniel have been the main protagonists, but there have been many others. I can’t recall meeting one person who hasn’t been very friendly. This week has highlighted how much the people you meet on your travels matter. I came to Borneo expecting the scenery to clear my head of the events in KL, but it was the people I met that did this without them even knowing it, thanks heaps!

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