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| We quickly found out that there was lots to love in KK! |
As is often the case, we had no real plan for Kota Kinabalu. We both thought that we’d simply get off the ship, look around for a bit and head back on board. After all, this was our nineteenth consecutive day of being in a port. That’s a lot of touring (and blogging) with little rest in between.
We were off the ship shortly after our 10:00AM arrival, hoping to beat the heat. We learned quickly that the heat had already arrived and that there was much more to see in Kota Kinabalu (often referred to simply as KK) than we imagined.
Malaysia is divided into thirteen states. KK is the state capital of the Sabah state. The city is located along the South China Sea and has a population of just under 500,000. With beaches, nearby rainforests and as the gateway to Kinabalu National Park it is a popular tourist destination. By all accounts, the city and the economy are booming. It’s Malaysia’s fastest growing city, and after spending a few hours there we can see the attraction.
For a city its size, KK was extremely clean and quiet. The city center was just a twenty minute walk from the ship. Our pace for the day was slow and relaxed. We meandered along the waterfront, visited several outdoor markets and took time to enjoy a nice iced coffee float at a coffee shop called White Coffee.
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| Old Man and The Sea! |
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| Along the City Center. We’ve got to know a nice couple, he’s from Australia, she’s from Malaysia. They hadn’t been to KK in ten years. They couldn’t believe how much it has grown and how nice it looks. She said “none of this main road or buildings were here on their last visit”. |
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| At a small city park just off the main road through the City Center. |
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| Coffee Ice Cream Float! |
We ended our day doing something we don’t do very often. We went to the mall. This wasn’t just any mall, it was a mall that still had stores in every space, many of which were very “high end” stores. It was also full of people with shopping bags full of merchandise. Neither of us are shoppers, but we enjoyed seeing all the people with their treasures.
The highlight of the mall was that there was a bridal show going on. From the looks of things, weddings in Malaysia are like weddings in the US….big deal$. We really enjoyed the wedding dress fashion show (yes, I enjoyed it as well). We couldn’t understand everything being said but several of the models were introduced as former Miss Malaysia and Miss Malaysia Universe winners.
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| Rice Art! |
We were counting on a couple of hours roaming around. Five hours after disembarking we headed back to the ship, having had a great day and thankful that after just one more port, we have a relaxing ”sea day”.
