October 2019 [by Bill]
This morning I left Brunei on a 45-minute flight to Kota Kinabalu(population: 452,000), which is located on the northwestern side of Borneo, and is part of Malaysia. I’ll be staying here for 5 days.
The plane was a ATR 72-600 with twin engine propellers. It was a fully booked flight and since my seat was just outside of one of the engines, a bit noisy.
It’s starting to be the “wet” season in this part of the world, so my time here will be wrapping up within the next week or two. On October 8th, I’ll travel to the Philippines for 10-14, days, and them I’m going to head over to Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia, and plan on spending several weeks in the Northern Territories, including the Great Barrier Reef.
On my second day in Koto Kinabula, Malaysia, I hired a “taxi tour guide”, which cost USD $35 for about 4-hours (based on a pre agreed upon set of locations).
We started off at the State Mosque, which features a a large gold dome, with many other smaller domes, covered in gold, with a grey background. I had arrived right as prayers were taking place, so out of respect, I didn’t go inside. The entrance fee was USD $2.
I then visited the state museum, which had a number of artifacts, and replica displays, including their history of head hunting. The entrance fee was USD $1.20.
We then made our way to the Blue Mosque, which is surrounded by water. Because of the way the grounds are designed, it’s absolutely beautiful and stunning. As I walked to the entrance, I was asked to make a donation of USD $2. I put on the appropriate garment and head cover, and with this paid, I was able to walk around the outside, and enter the mosque, including taking photos. Well worth the price!
Next up was a visit to a Chinese temple complex, which is open every day for free. Everything you’d expect to see was there, including a huge Buddha statue, several ornamental buildings, gardens, and places to pray. Quite nice.
We ended the day at the beach, which is well known for its gorgeous sunsets. There are hundreds of pop up shacks and tents selling souvenirs, food, soft drinks, and craft items. Since it was Sunday, it seemed like everyone had the same idea, as thousands upon thousands of locals and tourists lined the beach. I saw at least 6 different couples getting wedding photos taken. It was pretty cloudy, but still the sunset didn’t disappoint.
I was pretty tired after hustling all afternoon and into the early evening visiting most of the sights in and around the city
Small Wide World 