Kota Kinabalu - Day 1

After months of silent, I am now back in holiday mood!

It is a long awaited holiday trip to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. The trip was supposed to happen in May this year but has to be postponed to Dec 2009.


Took Air Asia AK 5102 Departing LCCT at 9:25am









A view of an island near Kota Kinabalu from the plane.

Landed at Kota Kinabalu airport at about 12:30pm


Rented a Kancil for RM60 a day. Normal rate is RM90 a day. Airport pickup can be arranged with Kak Flora for RM20 upon request. This is much cheaper than taxi service which charge RM50 from Airport to 1Borneo.



1Borneo mall, a huge shopping mall with 4 hotels in the same building - Novotel, Grand Borneo Hotel, Courtyard Hotel, Tune Hotel. The place is very convenient for shopping and food. Besides Parkson and Giant, there are many shops in this mall. There are many restaurants in the mall too. We ate at Shen Loong Bak Kut Teh restaurant (which serves crocodile meat bak kut teh), Jaws Seafood restaurant, and Siaw Er Bak Kut Teh restaurant. Other restaurants and cafe in the mall include KFC, Secret Recipe, Starbucks, Big Apple, Beijing restaurant etc. There are also Seremban Seafood Restaurant and Ampang Yong Tau Foo near the mall.



We stayed at Grand Borneo Hotel. Room rate is RM160++ for a Deluxe room; the room is a bit small but quite comfortable; it's value for money since our objective is to spend most of our time in outdoor doing sightseeing. For a more comfortable stay, Novotel may be a better choice (RM200++ per room per day). Tune Hotel may be a better choice for budget traveler.





This is the view from our hotel room. The hotel concierge said to me that my room has a very good view. Is it really?

Broga

Several years ago Broga received a lot of attention because of an incinerator project. The local folks objected strongly to the project for a reason that is very obvious to them and the project was subsequently cancelled by the Government citing cost as the reason. (The Star)

It was all quiet since then until recently I came across an article in Sin Chew Daily about the place. Little did I know that the sleepy small town of Broga has several attractions that are not on the tourism maps that I have seen so far.

Broga Hill
The panoramic scenic view from atop of Broga Hill is probably the main attraction that draw people to this place. See some of the beautiful scenery here (Broga Hill) and some more photos here (More photos of Broga Hill)

Rock Temple
There is also a Chinese temple called Rock Temple (literally translated from its Chinese name, Sek Dato). It is located at an end-road not far from the town. If you are not into climbing hills but still want to enjoy a scenic view at Broga, then this is the place. The location of the temple and the hill next to it reminds me of Wisdom Path in Lantau Island (Hong Kong). In my mind there is a resemblance between these two places.












Rabbit Farm
A rabbit farm is located at about 1 km before Broga town if you are coming from Semenyih. There are several rabbits where one can feed and play with them, a couple of ponies to look at, and a man-made pond where Geese chasing one another and a few miserably looking lambs to look at. There is an entrance fee and it is open to public on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. There is a restaurant in the farm serving rabbit meats.

Food
Surprisingly, there is quite a number of Chinese restaurants in a small town like this. I guess there is a demand because of the visitors coming here especially on weekend. Not having any recommended restaurant to go to, we looked for one that is decent and has the most customers. We found Kedai Makanan Ja Xiang at No 5, Jalan Besar, Taman Broga. It is air-condition and the owner is friendly. At his recommendation, we tried their home-made beancurd with crabmeat, fried vegetables with egg (according to the owner, the vegetables are organic and grown locally) and stew pork. The food was good and came in big serving, which is typical of small town restaurants. Price: RM42.50 for 4 persons with a pot of Chinese tea and a complimentary desert on the house. Highly recommended.


Kedai Makanan Ja Xiang at Taman Broga (left) and Broga town centre (right)

Cherating

I have been here twice and every time I think of this place it makes me feel quite nostalgic for a reason that is very personal to me. I wish things had not changed but it has changed....

There are several nice beaches in Cherating with a string of hotels, resorts, budget chalets, and motels. My favourite beach spot is the one located at Club Med Cherating. Although the beach is accessible to public, it was surprisingly empty at the time when I was there. It was very quiet and hence an excellent spot for sunbathing. The beach is one of the several spots where turtles swim ashore laying eggs during the month of June to September and it is also home to the turtle sanctuary where one could look at live turtles in acquarium if you don't have a chance to watch them on beaches.



Another of my favourite beach is the one located at Cherating Holiday Villa where I stayed on my first visit.

Best time to go is between June and September when the weather is warm and sunny and also when turtles swimming ashore laying eggs during this period. However, if you are a surfer looking for an excitement then the moonsoon season especially December is the good time to visit when the sea is rough and the wave is high.

To taste some local food, I went to Kampung Cherating where there are several restaurants, motels and chalets. You could also drive to Chukai for a cup of coffee and stuffed baked crab.

Kijal

It is the beautiful sandy beaches, the simple contented Kampung life and the view of coconut trees along the coastal line that attract me to the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia again and again. It gives me a sense of peace, serenity and relax. I used to enjoy driving along the coastal road there many years ago as back then there were not many cars on the mostly straight road which is a stark contrast to what I see today.

One of the places that I have been to is Kijal, which is a small town in southern Terengganu Malaysia. Most people would probably know this place because of the Awana Kijal Golf & Beach Resort, the only luxury resort in this place and a stop over point for Star Cruise.

Three things I enjoyed doing here: (1) wake up early in the morning and stroll along the beach (2) lie down on the beach listening to the wave of the sea and (3) hunt for local food.





As Kijal is a very small town, there are not many choices in term of food around the area. There are a few shops at the entrance of the Awana Kijal Resort where one could find KFC and a couple of restaurants there.

The nearest town, which is also a better place to eat, is Chukai in Kemaman. The place is well known for its coffee and stuffed baked crab.

If you are traveling from Kuala Lumpur via the Karak Highway, you will pass by Chukai before reaching Kijal and I suggest that you take a coffee break there at Chukai for a good refresh. There is one coffee shop in the middle of the town that is always crowded during the afternoon tea break. It serves local coffee, Vietnam coffee and several other types of coffee and tea, as well as the traditional kaya and butter toast and other local delicacies. This is a must try if you are in this area. The address of the coffee shop is: Kedai Kopi Hai Peng, Jalan Sulaimani, Kemaman, Terengganu

Chukai is also well known for stuffed baked crab but I didn't find it that great maybe because of an unpleasant customer service and inflated pricing in my opinion. There is a couple of restaurants on the same row of shops that sell stuffed baked crab; the one that I've been to is Restoran Tong Juan at K-117 Jalan Sulaimani, Kemaman, Terengganu. The next time I am here, I would probably try the restaurant next door which is Restoran Malaysia at K-115, Jalan Sulaimani, Kemaman, Terengganu to confirm my opinion about the food.

Besides the above, one must also try the Keropok Lekor, Satar and Nasi Dagang that are sold at roadside stalls.

Kajang - Part Two

The outskirt of Kajang is more interesting to me.

From Kajang, take a drive to Semenyih and then turn in to Jalan Sungai Lalang and drive towards Hulu Langat and Pangsun and you will get to see the country side view of remote and mostly undeveloped places.





Country side view along Jalan Sungai Lalang from Semenyih towards Hulu Langat and Pangsun



There is an ostrich farm with a minimal entrance fee



Beatiful lanscape at the entrance of Semenyih Memorial Hill



There are many fishing ponds along the way


This is one of the fishing ponds operating 24 hours



Nirvana memorial park - a large and well maintained memorial park, a permanent resting place for many people of Klang Valley



Entrance to Sungai Tekala waterfall



Christian Memorial park




Beautiful landscape



Semenyih dam


Large fishing place for some people



Entrance to another waterfall, Sungai Gabai


Sungai Gabai waterfall, one of the several waterfalls around the Hulu Langat area. The other popular ones are Sungai Congkak and Sungai Batangsi waterfall not far from Sungai Gabai


Many fruit-stalls by the roadside during fruit season