i lazily started my morning at kota kinabalu. after having breakfast at mcdonald’s, i walked around api-api centre and found a small booth that offers car rentals and tours. the booth was still closed but they have pictures posted and a list of suggested itineraries for tourists. i was only interested for a city tour though visiting a nature park might be a good idea but i thought of the rain that may just ruin a leisurely walk at the park. so i called the contact number that i found with the itineraries. a woman answered my call and i inquired about the price of a city tour, she told me it was RM150 for a car and a driver/tour guide from 9am to 3pm. i was okay with the price but i think she missed the part when i told her i was going alone, she said she thought i was with two more persons. so for RM450, her offer of a six-hour city tour for three is expensively crazy, it’s just so sad that people take advantage. i thanked her for her time and i thought i’d go with the cabs and buses.
i approached two cab drivers waiting to pick up passengers infront of mcdonald’s, i asked them where the public bus station is, and one of them answered which direction i shall walk to the bus stop and the other one just stared blankly at me. i then asked the driver who spoke english if they offer city tours. he said for RM35 per hour, he can drive me around but has to tell him where i want to go. i thought for RM105 i can tour the city for three hours on a cab which is not bad for me.
these were the places i was able to see around kota kinabalu.
puh toh tze temple
sabah state mosque
kota kinabalu city mosque
atkinson clock tower
signal hill observatory platform
tanjung aru beach
tun mustapha tower
i was also able to visit the handicraft market where i met filipinos who have their own stalls and have lived in sabah for sometime and i bought some good bargains of cultured pearls. after three hours of driving around and seeing these places, the cab driver dropped me off back at api-api centre. he only asked RM100 for the cab service, i treated him for late lunch at mcdonald’s and we parted ways.
sensory replays 
i also saw that odd-looking-cylindrical building when i and a colleague had an overnight stay at sabah last january en route to kuala lumpur, err back to penang to work from holiday break. good for you that you’re able to roam around the city on a good deal with a cab driver. siguro kung sa pinas ‘yan-na hold up ka na! sorry for being cynical, but it happens in our country, right? isang buong tourist bus pa! 😦
pwedeng fast forward to penang? haha…
and we also went to that signal hill observatory platform but it was around 11 in the evening then. 😦
.. doc, it really looks weird ano, i was expecting aliens inside kaya di na ako pumasok. lol. langya, wag naman ako maholdup!
.. wait for penang doc, mga two posts pa. 🙂
wow! ang ganda ng second photo.
.. thanks lito, i wonder kung anong gold paint kaya gamit nila, haha. makinang e.
parang kisses chocolates yung hugis. iba nga ang kinang. baka tunay na gold. 🙂 happy weekend. 🙂
.. aha! i just found out na meron palang decorative paint (metallic) na liquefied gold! malamang kung sa pinas yan at tunay na gold ninenok na ang bubong! lol.
aba! kakaiba yang tun mustapha tower ha! and that view of the city is nice! 🙂
.. oo! parang spaceship ano?! hehe.
i’ve seen a lot of mosques in the UAE which have their own charms, but I think that those in malaysia are more colorful.
hi wits! i was in sharjah last february for work and seen a mosque while on my way to dubai airport – it also looks beautiful.
for the record, i have never been out of the country, ang sarap siguro ng feeling ano?
.. lam mo sheng, when i first travelled for the first time to work here in ksa in 2005 gusto ko na umuwi sa pinas after a week!
.. malaysia was my first attempt to travel abroad for leisure. i did it solo and it was fun! in fact i’m planning to do it again this july. 🙂