A day on Gaya street (06): my favourite bunnies ^_^

As a kid, I loved bunnies. And I still do. Gaya street provided me with many to pet on that day.

The bunnies were displayed in open cages so that the visitors can play and pet them. There were many types of breed but I'm in no position to describe since I'm no expert. I was there just to play.

My favourite was the black bunny with the white stripes. Aren't they just so adorable, "burr"ing to each other? ("Burr" as in the sounds, I don't know how else to describe it because they were definitely nor purring.)

As noon approached, they got more restless. Who wouldn't, if you have a thick coat on on a sweltering day?

But some still chose to snuggle close.

Hello neighbours...

And the price tags that shocked me. There goes my bunny dream... ^_^

A day on Gaya street (05): fluffy friends

Did I mention how much I love animals?

Puppies! I love puppies, despite my religion prohibiting us to touch them but it never says that I can't look. I love those fluffy chaps at the left end especially.

And hammies! Cute, but they stink...

Baby mice for a few ringgit.

Ok, here comes the bad part.

Can you imagine just how crampy those cages are? My God, the puppies were mashed up upon each other.

RM650 dog and bunnies squashed in their cages. For the bunnies, I guess it's fine since their sizes were smaller as compared to that poor doggy.

I suppose since there's no authority coming to impose any animal law, that's why these are happening. No surprise for the Pulau Ketam's incident, people are already treating them badly while on the trade.

A day on Gaya street (04): avian delights

This was a time where H1N1 had not made a headline yet.


I was wondering where in the world are those chirping coming from when I noticed a large group of tourists snapping photos. Much to my delight, I found these cute chirpers. Boy, taking a close snap was impossible so I'd to satisfy myself with this.




But I manage to snap this at another vendor. Boy, it was so chirpy and friendly, and more than happy to pose for us.

Grade A bantam chicks! And for only RM35! So fluffy and white, but I don't think the airport officers would feel the same way so I'd to quash my longing...

These are the normal chicks, some are to be bred for meat and eggs, some for fun. The prices very from RM3 - 10, depending on type of chicks.

A day on Gaya street (03): water creatures for sale

Gaya street fair share of water creatures to bring home which includes...

Tortoise! I used to love them as a child but after they grew up and became too large for their tank, I had to release them at nearby park's lake. Too many heartaches, so I have long given up on having them.

Larger version, and some rounders one for big ponds.

I call them ikan bandaraya because they are supposed to be some sort of "cleaning" fish. You put one in the tank to help slow down the process of alga growth and spread. And this fish really stays vertical most of the time on the tank wall.

Another childhood favourite of mine, ikan laga @ fighting fish. I like them for their brilliant colours and they are easy to care for.

A day on Gaya street (02): Orchids galore

I'm no orchid expert but I love them. And Gaya street has a lot to offer, from the common ones, local, imported to the wild jungle orchids. Some are sold as a small cutting that you can sneak into your hand luggage, but the bigger ones, sorry to say but they will be stuck in quarantine at the airport.

Don't ask me which is which, I really can't discern which are the common ones and which are the wild jungle orchids, but the ones with bizarre or extraordinary colours are usually the wild jungle orchids.













These are a type of cactus, and the pinks are actually their flower. I could not resist snapping a pic.

A day on Gaya Street (01): trinkets and the likes

The weekend shopping haven on the infamous Gaya Street starts as early as 6 am on every Sunday. So every Sunday, the whole length of Gaya street will be closed down to traffic so park your car somewhere on Saturday night. Jesselton Hotel has a parking space behind its building for the guests.

As we downed our breakfast at the dining area, we watched the bustle of vendors from all over Sabah setting up their tents and stuffs for the growing number of shoppers. I was pretty excited myself since Gaya streets "tamu" (@market) has never disappoint me with the wide variety of trinkets and the likes, with a dash of surprises thrown in here and there.




I think many blogs and sites have covered on Gaya street topic suffice to inform everybody on what are the main attractions offered. For me, it's always cute animals, lots and lots of batik Jawa, flowers and plants, and the amusement of finding something out of ordinary.

Like this. I never knew that butterfly pins are in the season now but here they are, colourful and wings - splayed to don your scarves and head dress. Take your pick and the vendor will pack them into the polystyrene lunch boxes.


They sell common everyday tools too.


Once in a while, these aunties will bang some folk tunes out of these ethnic instruments as part of their sale strategies.


The gongs and gendang, and some traditional weapons (Keris, held by this lady and uncle.)


So many chaplang (fake) branded goods at unbelievably cheap prices.


Shells and corals from the deep sea.


Coins and pottery. Selling money for money.


To my next post ^_^