Kota Kinabalu and around, Malaysian Borneo

We left the natural jungle of the Kinabatangan and headed for the concrete jungle of Kota Kinabalu, the largest city in Malaysian Borneo. KK (the "international nickname" for Kota Kinabalu) is the capital city of Sabah situated on the northwest corner of the state. The city lies in the shadow of Mount Kinabalu; the largest mountain in SE Asia, about the same size as Rainier! The trip from Sandakan to KK took us up and over the Kinabalu mountain pass, and though the mountain is perpetually cloaked in fog, the clouds lifted just long enough for us to take some beautiful pictures from the bus!  

The peak of Kinabalu, standing 13,435 ft.

Clouds hang in the valley below the mountain

KK is the largest city in Borneo, but it's still relatively small (population 600,000) and we quickly gained the lay of the land. The city was originally owned by the British North Borneo Company and was establish to ship natural materials out of Borneo. The port is still the lifeline of the city, though tourism is steadily picking up; it has the largest airport in Malaysian Borneo, and is the gateway for the majority of travelers entering the island.

We gave ourselves a couple days to just explore the city's landmarks, parks, and markets. Though this was fun, there isn't all that much to see, so we decided it was time to head to the mountain. Though Mount Kinabalu is climbable for almost anyone in decent shape, we unfortunately are not in decent shape after 3+ months of traveling...just kidding...sort of. Actually, we really wanted to climb to the top of the mountain, which is relatively easy because it receives no snowfall, and is a very gradual ascent. However, this is a very popular tourist destination, and a lot of people will take a vacation solely to climb Mt. Kinabalu. So, unfortunately, all the available beds at mid-camp were booked long before we even arrived in SE Asia. We told ourselves that hiking through the foothills around the mountain would be just as cool, as well as a lot cheaper... and we were right!  Not only did the hikes take us on absolutely gorgeous trails through the jungle, we had the trails to ourselves! It seems that everyone is so concerned about the top of the mountain that there are very few people hiking the trails just below. Over two days, we hiked a very challenging 11 km up and around the mountain. We even hiked from park headquarters all the way up to the mountain base camp on our longest hike! Funny enough, the forest reminded us a lot of ours back home... I guess a rainforest is a rainforest no matter if it's in Borneo or the state of Washington. Overall the trails and wildlife were beautiful and we were glad we made the trek out to Kinabalu National Park.


Side note: When we were waiting for our bus to Mt. Kinabalu, we were invited by a group of firefighters to join a competition they were having. Basically Preston was in a race to put on full firefighter gear and run 50 yards (remember that it's sweltering hot outside). They were so excited to have a foreigner participating, they awarded him a plaque of some kind. We are not sure what it signified, but we're just going to pretend that it was a key to they city, haha.

A view from lunch shows how fast an approaching monsoon can drastically change the weather

Step one: race to put on the outfit

Step two: sprint across the soccer field

The view from the base of Mount Kinabalu

A cabbage-like fungus

Liwagu Trail: A 5.6-kilometer beast of a hike

The mountain was chilly enough to warrant pants and long-sleeves while hiking, a SE Asia first!

Our second big outing from KK was a trip to Mamutik Island. There are several islands just off of the city's coast, which makes for easy day trips. Though we are somewhat island-spoiled from our last month in Thailand and mainland Malaysia (as in used to uncrowded white sand beaches with bathtub-clear water), we still appreciated the proximity of the island and the respite from the city, if only for a few hours. That said, we really wouldn't recommend these islands to anyone if you can avoid it--go to the Perhentians instead!

We spent our last night in KK with some great friends we met on our river safari, Jan and Stephanie from Germany, who we happened to run into again in KK. They showed us to the fish market where you point out what fresh-caught fish you want grilled up for you (we chose a Snapper and a Kingfish), they smother it in spicy sauce, serve it with rice, and you indulge. It's the best fish we've had so far! We also indulged in another very cultural experience that night... watching Toy Story 3 in English 3D! Though this wasn't the most authentically Malaysian activity, it was nice to sit in an air-conditioned theater and get a dose of American culture for a change.

Delicious!