Mt. Kinabalu Park

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One of the biggest attraction in Sabah, Borneo is Mount Kinabalu. It is one of the taller mountains in SE Asia at 13,435 Feet. Many people come to Sabah just to hike the mountain, but I jus took some time to explore the park surrounding the mountain.

I strolled over to the bus station after landing from a flight and didnt really have a plan. I found a bus that said it would leave in an hour, another that said 30 mins... This is one of the disadvantages of traveling alone, you always have to wait for a group before buses, boats, etc will leave.

Lucky for me I ran into another person trying to figure out what was going on as well. I asked if he was going to the mountain and he and his wife were. We were able to share a bus and ended up hiking together all day and going to dinner that night. They were great company, both were my age and from Vancouver.

The hiking was really relaxing. it was good to get out, get some excercise and see nature. We hiked for a few hours and then checked out the botanical garden, it was a dissapointment. Basically we paid to see the exact same plants that we saw on the trail for free.

The park closed at 5:00 so we thought if we started looking for a bus back to town around 4:00 we would be in good shape...but it wasnt that easy. We basically started to think that we would be stranded or have to take a taxi for almost two hours. We did meet two more guys that were also in the same situation, a guy from Austria and one from Holland. Eventually a bus just showed up even though the last one was supposed to be 45 minutes prior. We got very very lucky.

After the ordeal we all went out for some fresh seafood and drinks at the KK night market. The seafood was amazing. A little scary to see it all laying on tables not on ice but I didnt get sick so it must be fine. I had a huge tuna steak and some squid that was thrown directly on the grill. Also, grilled corn on the cob and fresh fruit. I think it may have all cost about $6, love the markets.

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Photos

Mt Kinabalu Park
This might be my only picture of myself in borneo...finally someone to hang out with

Crazy bug
This bug looked fake, the colors and design on its body are incredible

The peak
Only advantage of getting stuck with no ride home is the clouds cleared so we could see the mountain for a few minutes

Market
Stand where I got the tuna steak. I think it was $2 and at home would have been at least $25, it was huge

Hiking group
Daniel, Paul and Erin

Comments

[Heather]

I enjoyed your post. I have always wanted to go to Kinabalu. My blog is looking for travel photos. If you have the time, email us some at [e-mail] or come check us out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com. Continued fun on your travels, Heather