Malaysia: Three Days in Kota Kinabalu

Written by Sesetu Holomisa

One of the reasons I decided to live and work in Korea was because of its close proximity to other beautiful Asian countries, one of them being Malaysia. On February 10, I had the privilege of traveling to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, Malaysia. I decided to travel to this seaside city because of the spacious, solitary islands it boasts and its warm beaches. I arrived in the early hours of Tuesday and, because I could not check into my hotel until 2:00 p.m., I wandered around Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), had a McMuff fi n with orange juice at 4:00 a.m., and eventually asked the airport staff if there was anywhere to rest before I actually began my journey. I was kindly told that there was a rest area on the fi rst level of the airport called NapZone. I made my way to NapZone, stored my luggage, and napped in a hostel-like cubicle in a dorm room. Th e facility had a bathroom, a shower, and a charging dock as well. So, if you ever need to kill time at KKIA, I highly recommend taking a rest there.

Aft er resting, I made my way to the arrivals and tried to download Grab, an app similar to Uber that is used in Malaysia. However, I was led to a version of the app that required a Malaysian number and, as I had not purchased a SIM card upon arrival, I just got a cab. In hindsight, it was not the best idea because they charged me 30 Malaysian ringgits (30 RM), which I thought was reasonable, as it is around 8,500 Korean won. However, I later discovered that I would have only been charged 8 RM had I downloaded the internationally friendly version of Grab. We live and we learn! Regardless, I made it to the Inkk Hotel, a cozy and clean boutique hotel just a couple of minutes from the airport. Th e hotel had a friendly staff , and they were willing to help me when it came to sightseeing and navigating around Kota Kinabalu. Th e hotel is in a shared building that has a convenience store, restaurants, and a massage parlor.

Aft er cleaning up and unpacking for my three-day stay, I decided to raid the convenience store on the fi rst fl oor of the building and bought some Malaysian snacks. I love spicy food, so I tried their ramen and crisps, along with some other stuff to satisfy my sweet tooth. I was overwhelmed by having traveled alone outside of Korea and decided that I had done enough for the day so that I could ease my anxiety.

On Wednesday, I decided to visit a mosque, namely, the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, and I booked a sunset beach experience through Airbnb at Tanjung Aru Beach. I had managed to download Grab and used the service to make my way to the mosque. Unfortunately, based on what the Grab driver told me, the mosque was closed and he recommended we go to the Universiti Malaysia Sabah Mosque (UMS) instead. I agreed and we made our way there. On the way to UMS, I was able to take pictures of the exterior of the City Mosque, and it was breathtaking even in passing. I made it to UMS, but when I asked the front desk how I could book a spot for the next tour, the language barrier proved too difficult to overcome. So, I took some pictures of the structure instead and walked around the campus. The heat, however, prompted me to order my next Grab to a shopping mall I saw across the university campus. I then went to a restaurant and enjoyed some delicious Malaysian cuisine: a chicken and noodle broth with a spicy sauce.

After lunch, I wandered around the mall. After window shopping, I made my way to Tanjung Aru Beach where I met a local photographer, watched the sunset, and took some pictures. She told me that the beach was one of the main attractions in Sabah, but she had never seen it so empty as fewer people were traveling due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The ocean was calm and the sunset was spectacular, so much so that pictures would never do it any justice. Nevertheless, I took some.

After watching the sunset, I went to the night market on the beach, where there was a wide variety of Malaysian foods, drinks, and desserts made by locals. There were also musicians busking at the market. The atmosphere was very vibrant and warm, as good food and good music

always create a wonderfully soul-lifting experience. On my last full day, I decided to go island hoping. I went to Jesselton Point and paid for a ferry to two islands: Sapi Island and Manukan Island. I found that travel sites only offered packages that included lunch and water activities such as parasailing, banana boat rides, etc. I simply wanted to go to the islands, swim, and sunbathe, so it was more affordable to book a ferry at Jesselton Point. The islands had crystal-blue waters and white sands. You could see the fish swimming from the decks and enjoy snorkeling there, too. In fact, going to these stunning offshore islands was the highlight of my trip.

I ended my last full day by going to a highly recommended restaurant, Welcome Seafood Restaurant, where I enjoyed a spicy crab and the most amazing stir-fried noodles I have ever tasted in my life. If you are ever in Kota Kinabalu, you have to have these noodles!

If it were not for the overpriced cab, I would have finished off with a back massage at the massage parlor near the hotel; however, I was off to Singapore the next day, and I had a budget to stick to. Even so, I had an incredible time in Kota Kinabalu and I would definitely go again.

Sesetu Holomisa is 22 years old and a political science graduate working as an English teacher for a gap-year experience. She loves listening to all kinds of music, eating food from around the world, and reading. These are the things that distract her from drowning in her thoughts of how meaningless everything seems sometimes.