TopCat: Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu or KK is the capital of Sabah. After two nights on the mountain, we spent the better part of three days puttering around KK and having a thoroughly enjoyable time.

One of our first stops was the Sabah State Museum. First, let me state that I used to work in a museum and secondly I can sometimes be a bit critical. The museum was interesting and informative but needs updating badly. I don't think the main exihibit, "History Tunnel" had been changed since the mid-70's. It had lots of good information but like most things in Malaysia they spent a ton of money building it and allocated no budget to maintain it. The secondary exhibit was on the "Kaamantan" or harvest festival and all the pictures showed the date as 1996, nearly 11 years ago. Don't even get me started on the lighting!

A short aside: Possibly due to its reputation as "wild" it was easy to find interesting books on flora and fauna in Sabah. The museum store had several volumes I would love to have on my shelves. I keep resisting that dragonfly book but I don't know if I can keep up the will much longer. Still holding out for the nudibranch book. :)

On the hill below the museum were several traditional houses. The Murut longhouse was the coolest. It has rooms for the families and then a big common area. In the centre was a trampoline-like mat, slightly sunken. Maybe someday the museum will add signage to explain the purpose of the trampoline. Pictures in the longhouse make me guess it was used for traditional ceremonies.

KK is not a big city. The main area is about 1 km wide and 2 km long. There are backpacker hotels galore. We stayed at Tourist Hotel by Wisma Merdeka. If you are looking for a clean, newly remodeled hotel for cheap, stay there. I highly recommend it.

Down by the docks there are two areas of interest, the first being the handicraft market and the second the esplanade. The handicraft market reminded me of a tiny Chatachuk Market (which is in Bangkok). My question was why every stall in the market was selling the same goods? This often happens in Malaysia. You will find six stands selling pineapple right in the same area. Or pomelo. Or corn. Or handphones. You get the idea. How do you choose one stall over the others?

The esplanade is right on the water and a great place to see a sunset. You can get the typical "ikan bakar" there (barbecued fish) but there are other places such as English pubs, trendy bistros and karaoke bars.

KK is a great town and the people, in my estimation, were friendlier than those I typically encounter in peninsular Malaysia. You don't need a week to explore the town, because it isn't that big, but it can occupy your interest for two or three, especially if you venture out to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, which we didn't have time to do. Next time!