Budget Travel @ Sabah ~ Suggested itenary

In my personal opinion, Kota Kinabalu is not the main highlight of your visit to Sabah. Spend a day or two in the city, probably during the last few days just to see what local city folks do, pick a Sunday so that you can visit the popular Gaya street market. Otherwise, visit Sabah if you want to snorkel around the islands, climb Mount Kinabalu and explore Kundasang, water rafting grade 3 – 4 at Padas or explore rural areas in rented car. Go here for basic preparation for your trip.

Get cheap flights on MAS when you book as early as 1 – 2 months. Expect to spend minimum RM500++. Hotels are easily booked via booking websites, which offer quite an extensive list and price range. There are the usual city hotels 2 -5 stars and numerous backpacker lodges.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 08 ~ Atkinson Clock Tower

 Situated along the Signal Hill road is the clock tower from the year 1903. 

Budget Travel @ Sabah 07 ~ City mosque Kota Kinabalu

If you come by tour package, most of the time they will bring you to see the City mosque at Likas bay area. It’s out of the city area not reachable by foot, mind you. Said to resemble the Nabawi mosque of Medina, the enhanced feature is the surrounding manmade lagoon giving the appearance of a floating mosque.  Not really a visiting highlight, if you ask me, if you are not a Muslim all you can do is snapping a few photos, and there are no other attraction place nearby. Getting there is a hassle unless you rented a car. As for me, I passed by it on my way to the city from my hotel at 1Borneo.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 06 ~ Kota Kinabalu city at a glance

This map can be found at the airport and local tourism office. Most of the hotels can be booked online at their respective websites or hotel – booking websites e.g. Agoda.com. Most places are reachable by foot. I am describing based on my 5 – year experience of living in this city and from my recent trip. Nothing has changed that much, the city may have become a bit busier if not cleaner. 

Budget Travel @ Sabah 05 ~ City Park

 Around City Park area is where you can find a lot of cheap accommodation, eateries and mode of transportations. From the city park you can see various shopping malls within walking distance, the post office, and shops selling non – branded items. Buses and minivans congregate nearby, taking you around town and to the deepest rural area. The minivans are pretty much the main mode of transportations for the rural folks. Not the safest choice, they are crampy and rickety, be wary of pick pockets too if you really want to take one. There are chartered vehicles around too; price usually starts at RM120 per ride. (My suggestion, if you want to go safely and conveniently to a far – off attraction e.g. Kundasang, get yourself into a tour package or rent a car. Sabah is pretty easy to navigate and the locals are very helpful in showing directions.)

Budget Travel @ Sabah 04 ~ Walking around the Philippine market area

If the weather is nice, put on your walking shoes and go snoop around the Philippine market area where you can find all sorts of local products ranging from dried seafood, local food and crafts.

Be adventurous and sample local food like bakso for breakfast at the top floor of the local market. Quench your thirst with cooling coconut drink at the ground floor. Of course, a word of caution here, hygiene can be questionable.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 03 ~ Chilling out at Brass Monkey and Party Play, Lintas area

Somewhere at Lintas area near the Klinik Kesihatan Luyang, you can find a bunch of great places to have lunch or dinner.  Ok, these places are not exactly a budget – price list but I splurged a bit to celebrate my long – awaited Sabah visit :D

First, we had our dinner at Brass Monkey. This place serves no pork and some dishes may contain alcohol, so ask your waiter upon ordering. It’s pretty popular for good western food.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 02 ~ Dinner from Apple Café, 1Borneo Hypermall

 

When I was a student I used to get my lunch / dinner here because the café offers variety of side dishes at an affordable price. It’s not exactly Malay food or Chinese food, more like a mix – up and fusion I guess. For a filling meal at affordable price, I couldn’t care less. They have never displayed a Halal status, but no pork is served here and you can see some Malays eating here too.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 01 ~ Courtyard Hotel @ 1Borneo Hypermall, Kota Kinabalu

My recent trip to Sabah for a course was on a tight budget, since I was saving up for something else.  I was lucky that I managed to get a decent price for MAS ticket (about RM600++) instead of the usual AirAsia (actually, if you can, try to get a MAS flight. They are much more comfortable, with free food unlike AirAsia where everything is charged). If you are travelling cheaply like me, and the next door Tunes Hotel is fully booked, Courtyard Hotel can be listed under your options. A bit crampy for some, but for a single person who goes out most of the time and comes back to the hotel room for a shower and a snooze, Courtyard is enough to accommodate you. Get the discounted price by booking via Agoda.com. Stay here if you are familiar with Kota Kinabalu city and have your own transport e.g. a rental car as it is located outside the city centre, next to the University Malaysia Sabah. As for me, I rented a car from the Terminal 1 airport, a Myvi @ RM130 / day.

A dive into Aquaria, KLCC ~ The blue side of Level 2

Hello there Angels! How lucky of me to find two of them side by side basking up there :D

A dive into Aquaria, KLCC ~ Level 2

After you are done with touching and staring at level 1, step down to level 2 below. Be careful with the stairs and don't drop your camera into the tank below the stairs. It may not look deep enough but I don't think your camera would survive anyway.

A dive into Aquaria, KLCC ~ Level 1

Hello there from the bottom of the piranha tank... that is definitely not me because I am outside the tank on the dry side of Aquaria KLCC. And my entry was a breeze thanks to my Touch n' Go card, just touch it to the entry booth and you're in, no need of long que and the waste of paper. No discount, still full adult price at RM35 though.

Penang again!!! 03 ~ Suffolk House ~ dream of romance

The romantic air surrounding this place and the lush garden on the outside make Suffolk House one of the favourite spot  for bridal photo shoot, evidenced by the presence of 2 couples doing theirs nearby when we arrived.

Penang again!!! 02 ~ Suffolk House again ~ tea time ~

I'm starting to make it a compulsory thing to visit Suffolk House at Ayer Hitam whenever  I dropped by in Penang because one, I'm totally hooked to the afternoon tea after my first visit here and two, I really love soaking up in the romantic ambiance of this place. I can sit here all day sipping tea and never leave Penang :D

Penang again!!! 01 ~ The Gurney Resort Hotel & Residences

At the 21st floor, facing the ocean and clear blue sky... I can stay in my room the whole day just for this on the bed... Hello Gurney ~ !

Peace... @ Purple Cane Teahouse, Ipoh

 Here you get the Zen feeling while sipping high quality tea... Screw the traffic jam and difficult parking. It's worth the trouble to get here, that scratch - and - win parking ticket too.

Tea break @ Sri Hainan kopitiam, Shah Alam

It's not often that I eat out in my own hometown since I'm forever working somewhere else other than my own place, but I can say that Shah Alam has its own perks with good food and places to chill out. Until recently did I have the chance to visit this long established kopitiam, Sri Hainan in Section 9.

First thing that I noticed are the bird cages used as part of their deco in the ceiling, antique - looking fans aside. Rustic, eh? :D

Hey ho Penang 13 ~ and goodbye, see you again

And so that ends my Penang trip this time. On going down, I snapped this picture. This is the old couch on display that used to carry up visitors to Penang Hill, now a relic of the past.

I've been to Penang countless times, be it day trip or long trips, especially after I was transferred to Ipoh for work purpose. To me, Penang is timeless, and there is always something new to discover there, be it food or places. As time passes by and you re - visited Penang, there will be slight changes here and there, making it nostalgic and exciting at the same time. This is, after all, our Pearl of Orient.

Hey ho Penang 12 ~ tea break at Bellevue Hotel on Penang Hill

Bellevue Hotel is one of those colonial hotel at Penang Hill. It's a small and quaint hotel furnished with yesteryear items,  has a panoramic view restaurant and its own Aviary Garden that stocks up on various birds and plants. The review on Tripadvisor give a mixed up impressions, and I did not stay here so I shall refrain on making any statements on the 12 rooms available here.

Hey ho Penang 11 ~ Monkeycup Garden @ Penang Hill

The Monkeycup Garden at Penang Hill  was opened up to public on 20th November 2011 by a pitcher plant @ monkeycup enthusiast. Monkeycup aside, there are also orchids, flower shrubs, ferns and walkways to delight a nature enthusiast.  During my visit, the pre-launch promotional entrance fee to the Monkey Cup Garden is RM5.00. The garden is open daily from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.