I need salt water...

Missing the sea....

Day4 (last day) :: Labuan - Muzium Labuan, Labuan Square, the Chimney

W.P. Labuan & Brunei Trip 2013

Date: 10 (Sunday) - 13 (Wednesday) February 2013

Last day in Labuan. Since my flight was in the evening, I still had time to  continue exploring the island. Quick stop to the nearby morning market at Labuan Walk for breakfast. Luckily this market is just across the street from the hotel. 

Honestly, I was expecting some kuih or nasi lemak or fried mee there but no no no.. There was no such thing. If I remember correctly, they had cakes, drinks and more cakes. Very odd.. No choice, I ended up with milo and cheese cake for breakfast hahahaha.

Muzium Labuan & Labuan Square

From Labuan Walk, if u walk towards the opposite direction from the hotel, u will reach a roundabout and a big field named Labuan Square.

I guess this is where official big functions like marching for Merdeka celebration and such are celebrated. One side of the field is a small garden for people to laze around. Easy said, it looks like Merdeka Square in KL.

Across the street from the garden is Labuan Muzium. Front of the museum is very serene with big old trees and some monuments.

Bazar Labuan

Since I don’t have any bags to check in, souvenir of choice for this trip is just fridge market. Best place to find all those are here in Bazar Labuan. Unfortunately, most of the shops were closed due to Chinese New Year holiday. But in short, u can find magnets, pearls, clothing and few tailors as well.

Nearby is the daily market. The market mostly sells seaweeds and some local snacks. As for seaweeds, there are few types and u can buy either readily packed or ask the aunties to pack as per requested weight. RM14 for 1kg of seaweed.

Patau-patau Water Village & Lunch at Kina Benuwa Mangrove

Nasi lalapan for lunch. I’m not a big fan of sambal belacan but the sambal belancan here was superb; balanced mixed of belacan and chillies.

The Chimney

Deemed as a mystery structure due to unidentified background for bulding such structure is the Chimney. In the compound u can find the information center, historical complex and the chimney itself. 

“This chimney was built in the year of 80's and the usage of it is still a mystery. It is stated that there is no traces of smoke and whatsoever that indicate that it works like any normal chimney. However, the locals believe that it was used as a ventilation shaft. Still, there are many people that have other thought. Some say that it is just an unfinished mansion built in those days while others claim that it is a light house to be. Until today, no one knows the right purpose of this chimney and this is why it is such mysterious.”

Labuan War Memorial

“Labuan War Cemetery is a Commonwealth World War II graveyard. Many of the personnel buried in this cemetery, including Indian and Australian troops, were killed during the Japanese invasion of Borneo or the Borneo campaign of 1945. Others were prisoners of war in the region. This graveyard was erected by Commonwealth War Graves Commission.” - Wikipedia

Tanjung Purun Beach

One of the non-famous beach in Labuan.

All in all. It was worth a trip considering I have never set foot in Labuan before. The town is pretty quiet and driving around the island would probably take less than 3hours.

However, I will definitely be back for wreck-diving, another famous activity here in Labuan :)

Day 3:: Labuan - Surrender Point & Anjung Ketam

W.P. Labuan & Brunei Trip 2013
Date: 10 (Sunday) - 13 (Wednesday) February 2013

Woke up late today since I had to wait for my friend to finish work in the afternoon before going out around Labuan Island. Don't feel like going out alone anyway. Destinations for the day were mostly on the other side of the island.

Surrender Point Memorial

Located at the West side of the island, near Pantai Layang-layangan. Pantai laying-layangan is a 2008 UN Beach. In other words, it was awarded to its cleanliness and view. Surrender Point is the location where the Japanese surrender North Borneo to the Australian at the end of WWII

Nearby is the Peace Park, a Japanese garden. The garden is quite big and a great place to take a stroll or jog.

Sunset view

This side of the island is the best point to see the sunset. We purposely chosen the time so that we would be able to see the sunset. There are a lot of places to view them along the way, either at the beach or at the wave breakers along the beaches. I had my view at Pantai Batu Manikar.

 Anjung Ketam

Being in Labuan won’t be completed without eating seafood. This time our dinner is located at Anjung Ketam, Tg Aru. There are few other restaurants along the road but I think this place is one of the most popular one.

Ordering is typical at other seafood restaurant. U choose ur sea creatures and they’ll cook for u. I ate my favorite food – tempura squid, chili crab and some veggies. Pretty simple but very filling. Compared to the place I ate at Labuan town, the taste is almost similar. But take note, there are minimum weight when ordering. E.g crab has to be at least 1kg, squid has to be at least 250grams.

By the time we're done, it's almost 10pm. Being in Borneo, 10pm here is practically more like 11pm so it's straight to the bed.

[Product Review] Palmer's No Blade Cream - Cocoa Butter Hair Remover

Note: Now and then, I will start including some of the product review that I feel like writing. Pardon me if u feel that it's annoying :p

This will be my 1st ever written review. I do appreciate those who make time writing their opinion of the products they have and it really helps a lot for people who wanted to have few says of others in making their decision whether to try and buy a product or not.

So here's the star of the entry.

I was looking for hair remover for my legs. I had previously try using Veet Wax Strips but i found out that the strips stick to each other after I have opened them for a while. Let me explain if u don't understand what I mean. In a box, there are 20 strips. I usually use 3 strips every time I was. Due to I only wax maybe every 3 weeks, I ended up keeping the balance of the unused strips for a while. The trouble comes when the glue on the strips stick to each other. 1 strip can be separated into 2 sides. When I peel the strips apart, some of the glue on 1 side sticks to the other side. Leaving patches of glue, which makes it ineffective when waxing.

So, I went for a hunt for hair remover. Just for the sake of trying. I know hair remover doesn't remove the hair from the roots so the hair will grow faster but I'll give it a try. I was looking around the shelf on Watson when I saw Palmer's No Blade Cream. It was actually on sale. Can't recall how much it worth exactly, but it was around RM16 for a 125g of tube.

The product is PINK in color and heck, the smell stinks. Well.... it has the same smell as other hair remover in the market.

From the box:

For softer, smoother skin. Longer lasting results. 

From Palmer's, an advanced hair remover cream that effectively dissolves away unwanted hair. * This fast-acting formula, enriched with moisturizing Cocoa butter and vitamin E, works in as little as 4 minutes and leaves your skin soft and smooth with longer lasting results than shaving. 

Use on legs, arms, underarms and bikini areas.

DIRECTIONS:

Wet area thoroughly where hair needs to be removed. Apply evenly with spatula over hair, covering completely. Do not rub in. Leave on for 4 minutes (maximum 10 minutes). Remove with spatula or washcloth. Rinse thoroughly. Pat Dray.

WARNING:

It is imperative to test the product before each use, following directions, on a small area where hair is to be remove. Wait 24 hours. If irritation or rash occurs do not use. Do not use on recently tweezed areas or on irritated, inflamed or broken skin.

INGREDIENTS

PURIFIED WATER (AQUA), CETYL ALCOHOL, CALCIUM HYDROXIDE, CETETH-20, THIOGLYCOLIC ACID, MINERAL OIL (PARAFFINUM LIQUIDUM), SODIUM HYROXIDE, LITHIUM HYDROXIDE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, THEOBROMA CACAO (COCOA) SEED BUTTER, TOCOHPERYL ACETATE, LINONENE, GERANIOL, CINNAMIC ALDEHYDE, SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), TETRASODIUM EDTA, QUATERNIUM-15

How I use it:

I use the product as per direction before I take my shower. That is put the product on, leave it for about 6mins and then get ready for shower.

Start removing the product from the skin (starting from the 1st leg that I put the product on) using the given spatula. Remove it in a vertical line starting from your ankle up to your knee. I use with DRY spatula. Repeat until your done on 1 leg and move to the other.

Finally, have your shower ; )

I use Lux Shower Cream so I would lather up especially on the area I use to make sure the smell goes away and later on put some Vaseline lotion on to make sure my skin won't dry off.

Result: (sorry no pics here)

This product works really good. It actually removed 98% of my hair. Not sure whether I got the % right but it really works! Do note that during removal, I do felt some kind of sensation on my feet where the product was still there but it's not painful nor itchy. Something like when ure scratching your legs.

I think the reason why I lather up my shower cream was to remove the product residue entirely from my legs as I have read in other people's review that their legs becomes red with burning sensation when the product stays too long.

Conclusion:

Would I repurchase? Yes!

I don't know how long will it take for my hair to grow back as I just removed them 2 days ago. As of now, no hair yet :)

hmm.. not sure when was my last post dated but i'm fully aware the blog has been abandoned hehehe. 

so for now, here's a picture fm my recent Sipadan trip..

'til i find some time to continue writing then!! :p

5 years into service

17th July, 2013 marked my 1825th day as an INTEL-liers.

my God, can't believe i'm sooooo old!! 

Intel is my one and only workplace since I graduated (twice!) 

and i'm loving it!!

Maybe i'm being pampered to much here ; )

Day 2:: Brunei – Royal Regalia & Back to Labuan

W.P. Labuan & Brunei Trip 2013
Date: 10 (Sunday) - 13 (Wednesday) February 2013

Royal Regalia

Built for the 1992 Silver Jubilee of Sultan of Brunei ascension, this is where the collection of ceremonial regalia and gifts to the Sultan is kept and displayed for public to see. 


Entrance fee was free and the building is opened daily. You are not allowed to bring a camera in (leave at the reception) but once you’re done with the main gallery, ure allowed to take photos at the front gallery. The main item here is the royal coronation carriage surrounded by the regalia from the royal crowning ceremony in which the current crowned sultan was pulled through the streets of the city.

The Regalia is my final visiting place when I was in Brunei. We’re done on time close to 4pm and went directly to the ferry terminal. Luckily the ticket counter was opened so I managed to get my ticket back to Labuan.

All in all, I really had an express tour! Around Bandar Seri Begawan in 2hours hehehe. Before departing, Uncle Saiful and Aunt Alina invited me again for a visit, next time I could drive around myself. I definitely need to come back someday to go around Brunei thoroughly.

Ferry departed on time at 4.30pm and i reached Labuan shore at 6pm.

Day 2:: Brunei – Kampung Air & Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien

W.P. Labuan & Brunei Trip 2013
Date: 10 (Sunday) - 13 (Wednesday) February 2013

Kg. Air

What’s unique about the Kampung Air (Water Village) is that there are no bridge that connects the mainland to the village. U have to use the water taxi to get around the village. One way trip is charged 50cents and if I’m not mistaken, the tour around the village is B$20. Water taxis embark in front of the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in the centre of town and the water village itself. All of the Water Village buildings are constructed on stilts above the Brunei River.

Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien

More like a dataran in the middle of the city. At the time of visit, the place in the midst of preparing for the Sultan of Brunei’s birthday.

Tea – AyamKu Restaurant

 Before heading to the Royal Regalia, we had a pit stop at the local KFC named AyamKu. Actually, we bought some food since Insyiraah was hungry. And by having food, they could just eat in the car while me and Aunt Alina had a quick visit into the Regalia.

Day 2:: Brunei – Istana Nurul Iman & Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

W.P. Labuan & Brunei Trip 2013
Date: 10 (Sunday) - 13 (Wednesday) February 2013

Istana Nurul Iman

First stop was Istana Nurul Iman. This is the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei and the seat of Brunei governments. Civilians are not allowed to enter the castle and its compound so I was only able to get photos from the main gate.

“Upon completion, Istana Nurul Iman, became the largest residential palace in the world and the largest single family residence ever built. To be considered for the Guinness World Record, the palace must have once been intended for use as a royal residence, and only the actual combined area of the palace’s indoor floors (a measurement commonly known as floorspace) is considered. As measured by these standards, Guinness World Records currently considers Istana Nurul Iman to hold the title as the “world's largest palace.”- Wikipedia

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

This mosque was completed in 1958 and is a must place to visit if ure in Brunei. It is considered as one of the most beautiful mosque in the Asia Pacific. The most distinct thing about the build is the pure gold dome. The mosque is surrounded by a man-made lake with a ceremonial barge at the side.

Day 2 :: Labuan to Brunei

W.P. Labuan & Brunei Trip 2013 
Date: 10 (Sunday) - 13 (Wednesday) February 2013

Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Weather: Sunny

Transportation: Ferry

Woke up early to make sure I would be able to get the earliest ferry to Brunei. Reached the ferry counter around 7.30am and there were 2 ticket counters opened where 1 is for domestic and 1 for international. Well, domestic is for Menumbok, Kota Kinabalu(KK) etc and International is Brunei. Queue for domestic was very long and I heard the ticket to KK that day already sold out (don’t know why a lot of people going to KK during Chinese New Year). One way ticket to Brunei costs RM35. There are 2 class and this is for 2^nd class. I saw in the ferry that 1^st class has bigger individual chair (like in a 3-seater bus) and more private space. Anyway, you cannot buy return ticket at the counter. Return ticket from Brunei to Labuan has to be bought at Brunei’s Ferry terminal itself.

Since it’s still early, I went for breakfast at the mamak shop across the street. There were quite a lot of people. The food price here was not as expensive as I thought, almost similar to KL.

Journey to Brunei took 1.5hrs and as I suspected, the ferry was empty hahaha! I got the whole row to myself. The aircond wasn’t that cold either and there’s a movie played but I can’t remember what it was.

Custom clearance was smooth as there’re not many people around. Upon arrival outside, I straight went to the ticket counter which is located to the left of the arrival hall. To be exact, it is located directly in front of departure hall. Don’t fret, the ferry terminal is very small. U won’t get lost. Unfortunately for me, all of the counters were closed. I (and a lot of others there) waited for an hour when I finally gave Uncle Saiful a call. Uncle Saiful is my friend’s uncle who is living in Brunei. Coincidentally  we met earlier when I went to my friends’ brothers’ house in Shah Alam. He’s returning from Malaysia the same day as my arrival. Since it’s already 11.30am, I thought he must have arrived.

11.50am, Uncle Saiful and his wife, Aunt Alina picked me up and brought me to their house. We had a chat and after lunch, we started our tour. Well, they’re asking me to just spend the night there since the time will be very tight if I were to return with the 4.30pm ferry on the very day. Basically, I will only hv 2hours in Brunei. They insisted that I stay since I hvn’t bought the return ticket but I had to decline as if I stay, I won’t have time to go around Labuan.

Around 2pm, we departed from the house- me, Uncle Saiful, Aunt Alina and their 2 youngest kids, Insyiraah and Amsyar; and the journey began!

Iteninary and Budget for the Kota Kinabalu/Kundasang Tip

Click for bigger view.

Below is the actual expenses (not including our dinner/lunch expenses as well as the souvenirs).

Breakdown per person and the souvenirs that I bought.

another additional info on car rental. this is from the guy that was together on my scuba trip. They have Kancil (manual) and Viva to be rented:

Zam 016-839 1721

Zie 014-567 3496

Final Day (5): Sabah Museum

Date: 1 July, 2013 (Monday)

Sabah Museum

Sabah Museum is located at Bukit Istana Lama. Walking from the lodge took us 30mins. The complex contains the main museum, gardens, a zoo, a 2-phased heritage village and the Islamic Civilization Museum. Entrance fee is RM2 for adult and free for students (with uniforms or student ID).

The main building also houses the Art Gallery and the building itself is located on top of the hill. So u need to walk to get to other exhibition center. For us, we went to the (outside) café first due to thirst and saw the cultural village next to it. Turned out, this was the 1^st phase on the village. The place was run down and no one was around for a tour or any briefing. The traditional houses were built by its native and u can wonder around in and out the area but honestly, it’s pretty creepy for us to go in. it was dark and abandoned.

After that, we walked back to the main building. Once u stepped in, ure welcomed by the huge skeletons of a whale. This largest Bryde Whale ever found in Asia beached itself near the shallow water of Gaya Island back in December 2006. No photos here as photography is not allowed in the main building.

Once we’re done with our stroll in the museum, we walked down the hill towards the Islamic Civilization Museum. It’s pretty close, just a 5mins walk. In the museum, there are a lot of artifacts and replicas of the swords during the Prophet’s time. Again, no photographing allowed.

Last stop before going back is the 2^nd phase of the cultural village. We were hoping that the 2^nd village will be more maintained but boy, we’re wrong. Well, the houses are newer but it is as empty as the 1^st village. What a disappointment. Well, I guess it’ll be livelier during school holidays where more people will flock in to the museum complex.

Among all, I think a visit in the main building was the best.

We left the museum complex around 4.00pm (can't believe we spent more than 2 hours there!). The walk back to the Lodge felt faster this time. picked up our bags and headed to the airport at 5.00pm. Note: Please expect VERY EXPENSIVE taxi ride if u ask the reception to call. We paid RM30!! I bet u can get cheaper rate if u stop the taxi ur self outside. 

KKIA

By the time we reached the airport, the check in counters were packed. Typical of AirAsia, there is no designated counters for specific destination. Everybody queue to the same counter. What's worst is that in our line, few groups faced excess baggage problem. Come on people, don't pack 2 big bags to check in if ure travelling with 5 adults and expect it'll be under 25kg! Don't be a cheapskate and cause problem to others!!! It took us 1 hour to drop our bags.

Had our expensive @ airport dinner and went in. Faced my 1st time flight delay with Airasia (from 8.10pm to 8.45pm) and safely reached LCCT at 11.15pm.

Accomodation in kota Kinabalu: Lavender Lodge

Found this lodge when I was bloghopping. Review in TripAdvisor was good and the pricing was not bad either. I was having some trouble as to decide where to stay, either Api-api, Kg. Air or Gaya Street. Well, I settled down at Kg. Air which is close to the Sinsuran Night Market/Filipino Market. It’d be easier for last minute shopping since the markets and malls are close by. Booked in Agoda for RM180 for 2 nights.

Attractions wise, Gaya Sunday market, Filipino market, Handicraft markets, Center Point mall are only a 5mins walk away. Waterfront Esplanade (where Hard Rock Café is located) is about 15mins walk. However, the Jetty is whopping 30 mins away ‘sigh’ and this is pretty important especially once u returned from your island hopping trip as the return trip to ur accommodation is not included in the package. Atkinson Clock Tower and Signal Hill are closer to the Jetty and u have to climb up the hill to get there. In our case, this was not a problem as we dropped by earlier on before returning our rental car.

Anyway, back to the lodge. We got the room G03. The room is at the ground floor, all the way to the back. The room was small with a very tiny window. We never opened the curtain as u can see the windows from the building behind so we wouldn't want to be peeked. The room is pretty small for both us and definitely will not fit non-Asians. Heck, I think even guys will feel very cramped inside. Imagine u have a double bed in the room with 1-foot spacing with the walls around it, that’s how big the room was. 1 thing that was really a downside for us was that there was only 1 power plug so charging our tablets, hps and cameras was a bit troublesome.

On the positive side, the room and toilet was very clean. And for some reason, they provided shower gel. Same with our acco in Kundasang. English breakfast (read as toast, egg, cereal, coffee and tea) is provided between 7-10am. Of course, the reception can help u in anything u need (e.g calling taxi to the airport). There are plenty of brochures on things to do and explore, and a PC provided at the lounge for u to use. Wanna watch TV? No worries, u can head to the upper floor where there is a TV lounge.

All in all, if u don’t mind the space, this lodge is definitely a thumbs up.

Day 4: Gaya Market & Sapi Island

Date: 30 June, 2013 (Sunday)

The day started as early as 7am. Quick breakfast of toast at Lavender Lodge then off to the market.

Gaya Street Sunday Market.

This market only opens during Sunday morning (6am-1pm). From the lodge, it was only a 5mins walk. To me, the market is similar to Satok Weekend market in Kuching, only slightly smaller. There are plenty of food stalls selling food for breakfast (light food), seaweeds, vegetables and fruits. There are plenty of clothing stalls as well as handicrafts. Apart from that, there are few stalls actually selling animals; from fishes to puppies. I couldn’t find any stall selling fresh seafood like I did in Kuching, so you don’t need to worry for the smell or the dripping water or puddle on the walkway.

Since this was pretty much a walkthrough, I was searching for magnets stating “Kota Kinabalu” (but until the end of the trip, I failed to do so) and food for breakfast (after some toast earlier). Well, nothing caught my eyes so we ended up just walking to see what kind of market Gaya Street had.

Diving/Snorkel at T.A.R Marine Park.

At the end of Gaya Sunday Market, we directly walked to the Ferry. We reached there around 8am (meet up time was 8.20am). Nothing much we can do other than people watching. Food stalls not yet opened but there were plenty of people waiting for (maybe) their island hopping trip. Surprisingly, the indoor futsal center opened at 8.15am which is very early for me.

We saw a couple of mat salleh and after a while, more of the dive center staffs and divers appeared. Turned out, the meeting point inside on the upper level of the futsal place was a smaller dive shop. 8.30am, we’re all hustled up to the dive shop for group introduction and safety briefing. The dive shop of choice was Diverse Borneo.

The main reason Diverse Borneo was chosen was both on the diving and snorkeling trip. Both trip utilizes the same boat and have appointed guides (divemaster and snorkeling guide). Since my cousin is not a diver, this is a trip we both can enjoy. She was a bit afraid since she knew there was a very high probability that she’ll be the only one doing snorkeling that day (and she was right hehehe). However, this turned out to be very advantage to her. There was only 1 snorkeler so the guide could focus on entertaining her only. A 3-dive trip costs RM250 and a snorkeling trip costs RM90.

During the briefing, we were told that our dive/snorkel point will be around Sapi Island and Gaya Island. It’ll be 2 points in Sapi and 1 point near Gaya, depending on the weather. My cousin and her guide were dropped off first at Sapi before the divers proceed to our 1^st dive spot. On the boat, there were 1 guy Zam doing his Advance Open Water, his instructor Apek, me, my buddy Syafiq and our divemaster Alwee (5 divers). 

After our 1^st dive, we parked our boat at Sapi Jetty for our surface interval. Got a chance to see my cousin (in the water) before we saw the rain coming. It rained a bit and after an hour, we dove for our 2^nd dive there before our lunch break at 12. Lunch was provided in the package and by 1.30pm, we’re back into the water for our final dive. My cousin told me that to her, the snorkeling trip wasn’t like usual. Usually, the boat just floats there and let u snorkel around on your own; or they drop u off at the island and u wander around. This time, she had the guide who was really excited to show her everything and turned out that she snorkeled the same time that we dived.

We concluded our trip earlier than schedule, arriving at Jesselton Jetty around 3pm. The thought of walking back 1.5km was dreadful but we were saved by Zam who offered a ride. The guilt is still there for soaking his car huhuhu. Jesselton Terminal wasn’t that good in providing restroom facilities. I don’t know how it is possible to only have 1 restroom for the entire jetty plaza. What worst is that there are only 2 cubicles, sharing for toilet and changing room. Heck, Syafiq and Zam changed outside behind the stalls. Then again, it’s always easier for guys.

It was already 4pm by the time we reached Lavender Lodge. A quick hot shower and we slept like a log after that. I started feeling feverish and apparently it didn’t get better even after a 3-hour sleep. My cousin went for food hunt alone that night, and I only ate bread and Panadol. By 11, we both slept due to fatigue.

Day 3: When in KK

Date: 29 June, 2013 (Saturday)

After checking in and returning the car at Api-api Center, it’s time for our walk around KK. Mother Nature was not on our side so we’re in rush to find shelter. Thank God it didn’t rain all the way through the afternoon.

Waterfront Esplanade.

This boardwalk is said to have the best view for sunset. But when we went there, it was raining heavily. Our main reason going there was to visit the Hard Rock Shop. The shop was hidden from the main road by the big residence in construction next to it. There are also food center there but unfortunately the shop I was looking for the cheese banana fritters was closed so we didn’t stop.

Filipino Market/ Sinsuran Night Market.

A daily night market were local catch is sold. Fresh seafood is the main attraction where u can order up and get them cooked on the spot to savour.

Merlin Statue.

Located in front of Hyatt Hotel, this giant statue was officiated when KK was inaugurated as a city on 2^nd of February, 2000. To get to here, we walked all the way from the Esplanade, passing Filipino market, Central Market and the Wet Market. That was about a 1.5km walk.

Jesselton Ferry Terminal.

Another 1km walk up north is the Ferry Terminal to go to the island hopping. We walked up to estimate how far will it take to walk from the ferry to our lodge before our island trip the next day.

Kampung Air Night Market.

Well, we originally planned to buy all of our souvenirs here but the night market was pretty disappointing. Nothing much to be seen as all that’s being sold is clothing. More like the normal night market in the Peninsular. So we had to ditch to have our dinner here.

Handicraft Market.

Well, we walked back to the handicraft market since we couldn’t find anything worth to buy at the night market. There are a lot of reviews saying that buying souvenirs here are quite expensive but we’re out of options and since we’re not buying a lot, I thought I’d be ok.

Here, I bought the I love KK shirt for RM33, salt water pearl bracelet for RM35 and few brooches (1 dozen for RM48).

Day 3: Signal Hill Observatory & Atkinson Clock Tower, Kota Kinabalu

Date: 29 June, 2013 (Saturday)

Lunch stop was at the same Anjung Selera in Telipok and we headed directly to our first 2 stops in KK.

1^st stop: Signal Hill Observatory.

This viewing platform is the place for amazing views of the city and also the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. It is located on top of the Bendera Hill. It is due to its location that we decided to go to here first since we still have our rental car.

2^nd stop: Atkinson Clock Tower.

Close to the Observatory is the Atkinson Clock Tower. The clock tower was built in the memory of the 1^st District Officer of Jesselton who died due to malaria. Built in 1903, this structure survived the destruction of Jesselton town during WWII. It was built with wood with no nails.

No operating hours restriction or entrance fess for both of the attractions.