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Kota Kinabalu... Read more
Kota Kinabalu is a growing city of around 500,000 inhabitants. Recent economic growth has resulted in the urbanization of the city reaching adjacent districts of Penampang and Putatan with a total population of almost 800,000. Recent growth and importance is due to being the administrative capital, a major transportation hub, growing port, manufacturing hub, growing tourism as well as being the major gateway into Sabah and East Malaysia. Kota Kinabalu was granted city status in 2000 becoming the sixth city and also currently the sixth largest urban/metropolitan area in Malaysia.
Kota Kinabalu was previously known as Jesselton while under British colonial rule from the late 1800s until 1963 when the British left and after Sabah became part of Malaysia. Most of the town was destroyed due to bombings during World War II hence there are not much pre-war historical sites around the city. Before the British arrived, the area was also known by a number of other names such as Deasoka (below the coconut tree), Singgah Mata (pleasing to the eye), Api-Api (fire!) and Gaya Bay.
The people of KK consists of Chinese, Kadazandusun, Bajau, Brunei Malays, as well as the significant migrant population from Indonesia and Philippines, many of which are naturalized citizens. There are also many migrant/expat population from India and a growing number from Korea.
Central Kota Kinabalu is often referred to as Kota Kinabalu City Centre or the Central Business district (CBD) or simply Downtown KK and is located on the narrow coast overlooking Gaya Island. This is where most hotels, travel agents, transportation bases and most of the action are found. Most of the city center lies on reclaimed land due to a shortage of land in the area as it is blocked by Signal Hill (Bukit Bendera). Areas which lie within the city center includes Kampung Air, Api-Api, Segama, Sinsuran, Bandaran Berjaya, Gaya Street, KK Port and towards the south are Karamunsing, Sembulan, Tanjung Aru and Sutera Harbour.
Due to the lack of land in the city center, other important commercial areas have sprouted outside CBD. Some of these areas have been long in existence as small townships (pekan) such as Luyang, Inanam, and Menggatal and in adjacent districts of Penampang (Donggongon) and Putatan while some are recently developed residential-commercial areas such as Alam Mesra, Kingfisher and 1Borneo near Menggatal; Lintas, Penampang Baru and Bundusan.
The climate in KK is characterized by a uniform year-round temperature of 32°C (avg. high) and 22°C (avg. low). Rain falls quite often with occasional dry streaks. Low rainfall begins in January till April, increasing in May till August, intensifying in September till November and slows down in December.
The city center is quite small, and you can walk from one end to the other in less than 30 min. Safely crossing the street can be an issue, but most streets are at least equipped with sidewalks. You can also walk to and from the airport (1-2 hr each way). Even the highways outside of town usually have a walking path or a wide grassy shoulder to walk on.
Haggling is absolutely vital in order to get a fair price. Many taxi drivers in Malaysia are infamous for raising their fare prices, even after a price has already been determined by thorough prior negotiation. They frequently attempt to manipulate and deceive unknowing tourists by feigning ignorance and delivering tourists to the wrong hotels, which sometimes provide kickbacks to the drivers. Mentioning a call to the authorities may resolve the situation quickly.
The main depot for buses and minibuses from the city center to the suburbs such as Putatan, Tanjung Aru, Kepayan, Luyang, Penampang, Likas, Inanam and Menggatal is the Wawasan Bus Terminal opposite Wawasan Plaza. All buses coming in from the suburbs can only stop in this depot to avoid congestion in the city center.
Wawasan Bus terminal also serves as a depot for long-distance buses towards the south of Kota Kinabalu. A new southbound long-distance bus terminal has been planned for construction near Terminal 1, KKIA in Kepayan. North- and east-bound long-distance buses departs from the North Bus Terminal in Inanam, 25 minutes from the city center. There are shuttle buses between the terminals.
To travel within the city center, the City Bus is used. The green and yellow City Bus departs from Wawasan Bus Terminal and circles the city center using 4 routes: Route 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. City Bus fare cost RM0.50 and are quite frequent. However the conductor and driver often encourages more people to get on the bus until totally crowded before it leaves.
Sabah State Railway recommenced operations in February 2011 using new air-conditioned trains on a single 134 km route from Tanjung Aru south of the city centre to Tenom in the interior via Papar, Kimanis and Beaufort. Four trains operate daily except for Sunday, when there are only two trains, running between Tanjung Aru station ☎ +60 88254611 and Beaufort, where you change trains if you want to continue your journey to Tenom. Journey time between Kota Kinabalu and Beaufort is about 2 hr, making it more attractive for travellers to take the bus for part of the journey. The train stops the following places: Kota Kinabalu (Tanjung Aru), Putatan, Kinarut, Kawang, Papar, Kimanis, Bongawan, Membakut, Beaufort, Saliwangan, Halogilat, Rayoh, Pangi and Tenom.
A leisure train service known as North Borneo Railway caters to tourists and uses an old steam train and designed to resemble trains in the colonial era. This is a joint venture project between Sabah State Railway and Sutera Harbour Resort. Currently trains only travel up to Papar. Tickets cost RM270 and RM170 for children and includes breakfast and lunch.
Try dives, leisure diving, technical diving, and snorkeling are all available from Kota Kinabalu.
Several interesting dive sites can be enjoyed as day trips from Kota Kinabalu with nearby World War II wrecks accessible for scuba diving. Some are in the 24-45 m depth range whilst other wrecks are only suitable for technical diving. Advanced and basic diver training courses are run from Kota Kinabalu by several dive center operators.
Kota Kinabalu is also one of the best and cheapest places in Malaysia for exciting deep sea fishing trips. Boats depart from the makeshift jetty next to the Kota Kinabalu Central Market, the boats are to be found behind the small night market/parking lot.
Trips of all kinds can be arranged with the charter operators. Most boats take around 10 persons per trip. Locals usually head to the Mengalum and Mantanani islands or near some oil rigs that are all a few hours away from Kota Kinabalu. Beginners can also opt for shorter trips to fish in a shipwreck off Gaya Island. For the very adventurous and advanced anglers, there are also several fishing competition held annually. The most popular one is the Labuan IGFA Competition which is usually held around the Layang Layang island (Swallow Reef) area.
The boats are mostly pretty rudimentary medium-sized wooden fishing vessels, don't expect any luxury or too much comfort for those prices. Basic toilets are available on board, but you won't be able to shower for the duration of the trip. Basic meals are also usually available and included in the hire price. Rental of fishing equipment can also be arranged by most of the boat charter providers. Do ensure that life vests are provided for all occupants well before setting out.
If you want to check out the boats before you head out, just drop by the open air parking lot near the Central Market and Hyatt Hotel, most of the fishing boats for hire are parked there. You can also see some of the catch for yourself when the boats return from their trips at around 2 PM. You will probably see more boats coming and going on Sunday or Monday.
The boat is berthed in one of the most beautiful marinas in South-East Asia - Sutera Harbour Marina.
The nearest place for rafting would be in Kiulu River, Tamparuli, about 1 hour away (by coach and 2 open-door trains) from KK. The white water is classified Grade 1-2 which is suitable for beginners. A more adventurous rafting experience is Padas River near Tenom which is about 2-3 hours away from Kota Kinabalu. Padas is classified as Grade 3-4. There are many tour companies offering day packages for rafting in Kiulu and Padas and would normally include return transfer and meals.
Klias River is located within the Klias Wetland Mangrove Forest Reserve which is located near Kuala Penyu district about 1.5 hours away from town. The cruise offers visitors a chance to see various wildlife including the proboscis monkey and fireflies. There are also other river safaris nearby Klias in Garama and Weston which are also interesting in their own right albeit slightly further away from KK.
The main starting point for sailing or boating is in Sutera Harbour Marina which has 104 berths. Yacht charter is offered by North Borneo Yachting. Tel: +60 88-318888 9 Kinabalu Yacht Club in Tanjung Aru offer various boating activities. Tel: +60 88 240070 10.
Kota Kinabalu is a cultural melting pot. Here Chinese meet Malays and Bruneis, Javanese, Filipinos and even a couple of Europeans, all of whom have brought along their own cuisine. Try out the many specialties offered at the various kedai kopi (often in buffet form making it easy to order) and shun fast food chains.
For meals, head to the outdoor food stalls fronting the sea or coffee shops along the streets. The less adventurous could make a beeline for fast food outlets in the Centrepoint shopping center while those with deeper pockets could try the pier-side restaurants just after the open air fish market. The promenade restaurants between the Filipino Craft Market and the fish market are poor value and only frequented by tourists. Try SEDCO Square in the evening for top value.
The main entertainment areas in Kota Kinabalu can be found in KK Waterfront (opposite Warisan Square) and Times Square. Other areas include Beach Street, Jalan Datuk Salleh Sulong and Tanjung Aru (First Beach). There also smaller bars concentrated in the areas of Inanam, Lintas, Donggongon and Penampang Baru. Types of drinking places popular in Kota Kinabalu are coffee shops (kedai kopi), cafes, normal bars, karaoke joints, and nightclubs. Most nightclubs and some bars would have live bands performing almost every day except Mondays. Some karaoke joints have private rooms for big groups who prefer some privacy. Some nightclubs and karaoke bars have hostesses especially for male customers in exchange for buying them 'ladies drink'. Intuition would be needed if you need to look for or avoid these establishments as they are not explicit.
Like most other Malaysian cities, Kota Kinabalu is a melting pot of various cultures. Almost all locals are able to understand and speak at least basic English. There is an emerging community of educated locals who are able to converse in fluent English and, in fact, speak English as their first language. As almost 50% of Kota Kinabalu's residents are of Chinese descent, visitors who speak Chinese will not encounter any language problems. The main dialect spoken by Kota Kinabalu's Chinese community is Hakka, but Mandarin and Cantonese are also widely understood and spoken. Unlike many other Malaysian cities with substantial Chinese communities such as Kuala Lumpur and Penang, the Hokkien dialect is not in common use among Kota Kinabalu's Chinese residents. In addition to English and Chinese dialects, Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) is also widely spoken, albeit with a distinct Sabahan flavor. Some residents also speak the languages of native Sabahan races such as Kadazandusun and Bajau, but these are not commonly used in daily conversation. Additionally, a small number of the younger generation speak limited Korean and Japanese.
LOCAL TIME
9:00 am
May 22, 2022
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LOCAL CURRENCY
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