This blog entry was supposed to be entitled “Don’t tell my
mom I paid $400 to climb Mt. Kinabalu”. But I guess every travel has its own
course of surprising us with more exciting events than one has ever planned.
If you aren't interested with my story, you can now skip
from here and proceed down below for our Kota Kinabalu budget breakdown and sample itinerary.
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Rising 4095+ MASL in the island of
Borneo is Mt. Kinabalu, considered to be the highest mountain in Southeast Asia.
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My travel buddies and I have been chatting about climbing
three major mountains in Asia before arthritis hits us. First on our list obviously is Mt. Kinabalu since it’s the most EAR (Easy, Affordable and Realistic)
next to Mt. Fuji and Mt. Everest. Very timely,
Cebu Pacific Air announced a
piso fare promo and right away I invited two of them to ‘a yet to be memorable
trip’ to Kota Kinabalu.
I’m certain that we’re fit to climb so I booked a round-trip
ticket in June, and we’re excited at the same time because it falls on our
birthday. We barely have 4 months to prepare for the trip and we had this notion
that relatively it’s easy to climb Mt. Kinabalu compared to the major climbs
we’ve done here in the Philippines. However, one of my friends who already climbed Mt. Kinabalu shared
that it’s technically tough because of the high altitude, the temperature and the climb fee
will cost us a bit of fortune.
Well, we didn’t lose hope until our most anticipated day
arrived. But our flight schedules got moved to later dates and the weather
seems to be in conspiracy too. Hence, summiting Mt. Kinabalu up to this date is
still on our bucket list.
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| Celebrated my birthday for the first time in the airport. |
Since we have a couple of days left unplanned, we thought we
might just hit the beach and explore nearby scenic spots. Fortunately, I found a
generous host through
Couchsurfing and we were also joined by old and new friends we met along the way that really made this trip one for the books.
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| I love KK. |
Most people think travelling abroad is a luxury. It's true but there are also many ways to manage your expenses and avoid spending beyond your budget. Want to know the secrets? Well, that would be in another blog post. But a great example to that was our recent trip to Kota Kinabalu, except from climbing Mt. Kinabalu, here are some valid reasons
why you should come explore Kota Kinabalu someday without worrying about the cost.
A laid back vacation
Considered as the capital of the state of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu
is located Southwest of the Philippine archipelago and just a 2-hour flight
from Manila. We arrived at around 1:30AM at Kota Kinabalu International Airport
and decided to wait until morning before we head to the city.
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I slept well at the airport and yeah I can now tick off
another item on my bucket list.
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At 7:00AM, we were picked up by Vanessa’s sister, Danica,
who drove us from the airport to their home. We spent a few hours to rest and
fix ourselves while waiting for Vanessa who came all the way from Sandakan just
to meet us. Soon as Vanessa arrived we set off to start the adventure but since
she hasn’t secured her license yet, her cousin Alfredo drove for us.
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| Abby, Me, Vanessa and Alfredo. Thanks Nez for taking the photo. |
First stop is Ranau. A town located in Sabah on the island
of Borneo about 2hrs drive to East of Kota Kinabalu. There we saw the foot of
Mt. Kinabalu, a quick stopover at Kinabalu Park, visited a World War II
memorial site, bought some milk and yoghurt ice cream at a farm, and lastly
tried their famous Sabah tea. All locations require a very minimal entrance fee between 5-10RM.
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Desa Cattle Dairy
Farm offers a breathtaking view of Mt. Kinabalu.
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The real attraction is the cattle farm that produces fresh milk & their yoghurt ice cream is a must try.
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| Kundasang War Memorial, a park dedicated to soldiers who died during their death march to Ranau. |
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No trip to the Sabah Tea Garden would be complete without a
taste of Sabah's finest tea.
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At night, we ate dinner at UpperStar Cafe & Bar and to celebrate new friendships we drank a few
ounces of beers. Vanessa also introduced us to her best friend Tan who’s
currently on vacation as a seafarer and an engineer.
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| Friendly reminder, alcoholic drinks are generally expensive in Malaysia. Vanessa for it anyway. |
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| Of course, dinner first before anything else. Forgot what it's called but worth your money. |
Next morning, Vanessa had to leave for work but asked Tan to
accompany us going to the beach. Being the good friend and by our request Tan could no longer say no.
If nature tripping isn't really your thing, worry not because there are other places you can visit around the city and that are accessible
by walking. Some sites includes: the Gaya Street Sunday Market, Grand Mosque, Signal Hill, City
Clock Tower and the Sabah Museum.
Back in the city, we were later joined by my old friend Rosy and her new found friend Tom. Rosy has been travelling Asia for months already hoping to fill her passport with stamps one country after the other. Meanwhile, Tom is an English teacher in Vietnam who is currently on vacation and exploring Sabah for the first time. These two completed the trip and made every conversation extra fun.
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The Kota
Kinabalu City Mosque is surrounded by man-made lagoon which gives a dramatic look,
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Wondering what's in our background? That's a Bryde's Whale Skeleton & the biggest of its kind.
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Atkinson Clock Tower was built in 1905, an all-wood and no-nails structure.
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Held every Sunday, the Gaya Street is closed off to traffic to make
way for local vendors.
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Signal Hill is highest point in KK with an amazing view that extends to its outlying islands.
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Food exploration
Aside from being so generous with his time and driving us
around the city, Tan might consider an alternative career while off duty – a
food guide. He knows very well where are the best restaurants and what food to
order that suits our big stomachs. He treated us also to an exotic meal at D'Place Kinabalu.
Who would have thought live worms can be this delicious? Also, you should not miss eating ‘butod pizza' and try their
local rice wine called ‘tapai’.
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| Welcomed by a colorful cultural performance at D' Place Kinabalu restaurant. |
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| Game face on! While waiting for the 'butod' to be served. |
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Want the truly exotic? Give the sago worms, or butod, a try! Not for the faint hearted.
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| The more fancy way to serve 'butod'. |
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Local rice wine known as Tapai.
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It’s always the people you’re sharing the experience with...
BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
Particulars
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Amount in Philippine Peso
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Airfare
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1,474
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Travel Tax
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1,620
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3 Nights Lodging (Xplorer Backpackers)
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654
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Food Expenses (4D/3N)
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1,840
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Tour Expenses (Entrance fees)
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690
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Pasalubong (Coffee)
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330
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Unaccounted Expenses
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370
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TOTAL
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6,978
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SAMPLE ITINERARY:
June 23 (Friday)
TIME
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LOCATION / ACTIVITY
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08:00PM
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Meet up NAIA Terminal 3
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11:30PM
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ETD Manila to Kota Kinabalu Terminal 1
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June 24 (Saturday)
TIME
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LOCATION / ACTIVITY
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01:30AM
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ETA Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 1
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02:30AM
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Sleep Airport
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08:00AM
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Shuttle service to city proper
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09:00AM
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Check-in Hotel / Wash up / Breakfast
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10:00AM
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Meet Vanessa and drive to Ranau (Kinabalu Park)
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12:00NN
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Lunch
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01:00AM
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ETA Kinabalu Park
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06:00PM
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Back to the city
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06:00PM
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Night market / Dinner / Socials
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10:00PM
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Back to hotel
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June 25 (Sunday)
TIME
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LOCATION / ACTIVITY
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06:00AM
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Call time / Breakfast
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07:00AM
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Gaya Street Sunday Market
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09:00AM
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Island hopping at Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (Sapi Island, Gaya
Island, Mamutik Island, Manukan Island and Sulug Island)
* The TARP is accessible via 15-20mins. speedboat ride
from Kota Kinabalu. The departure and arrival point for the boat transfers is
at the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, situated next to the Malaysia Royal
Custom Department. Boat transfers to the islands are available daily from
7.30am to 5pm.
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06:00PM
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Night market / Dinner / Socials
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09:00PM
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Back to hotel
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June 26 (Monday)
TIME
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LOCATION / ACTIVITY
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07:00AM
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Call time / Breakfast
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08:00AM
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Kiulu White Water Rafting Centre
or Tanjung Aru Beach, The Police Beach and the likes
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12:00NN
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Lunch
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01:00PM
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City Tour
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Tun Mustapha 2nd tallest building
in Sabah
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Sabah State Museum (includes the Heritage
Village of traditional houses, a Museum of Islamic Civilization, a science
center, and an art gallery)
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City Mosque & Chinese Temple
Signal Hill (highest point in Kota Kinabalu)
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07:00PM
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Last minute tour around the city
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10:00PM
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Travel to Kota Kinabalu Int’l Airport Terminal 1
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June 27 (Tuesday)
TIME
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LOCATION / ACTIVITY
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12:00AM
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Check-in Kota Kinabalu Int’l Airport Terminal 1
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02:15AM
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ETD Kota Kinabalu to Manila
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04:15AM
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ETA NAIA Terminal 3
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Most photos if not all were taken by Nez. And to see more of our travel photos follow us on Instagram
@nicodino.ph @wheretonez and
@abibaaaaay. Terimah kasih and hope this inspires you to travel more. See you around!
