Tag: Poring Hot Springs

Kota Kinabalu Part II: KK -> Poring Hot Springs -> Kundasang -> Kinabalu National Park -> KK

Continued from here

We stopped by Pine Resort at Kundasang, a countryside town located at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu. Pine Resort is located up a hill hence it’s a good place to check out the scenery. Many climbers stay in Kundasang before they embark on their journey to Mount Kinabalu. Perhaps the notable bit of Kundasang is the War Memorial, which was built to remember the 2,000 plus Australians and British prisoners who died during World War II.

After lunch, we stooped by the Kinabalu National Park. We drove to the entrance where everyone would enter to climb Mount Kinabalu.


What a name..

At that time, many people had just finished their climb to the peak of Mt Kinabalu. Most people looked extremely exhausted.

We took some pictures and walked some trails before heading home.


Best record so far – 2 hours 39 minutes to reach the peak of Mount Kinabalu!


“Snake Hill” Trail.


Took this picture while standing on a cliff. Can you see a waterfall?
We stopped by a coffee shop for a break. The shop is divided into two parts, one part being the convenient store and the other part being the coffee shop.


Place your cover charge to enter the toilet on the left box.

I spotted one pastry by the name “Biskut Pising” that they were selling. It’s made of banana and it’s green! I tried it. It tasted like crap. Too sweet and too dry.

An hour later, we reached KK City. A one day trip is indeed tiring. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend that one especially photographers drive out of KK City to experience the nature.


On a bridge – the river is almost covering the bridge!

Kota Kinabalu Part II: KK -> Poring Hot Springs -> Kundasang -> Kinabalu National Park -> KK

The journey to Poring Hot Spring is a long and tedious one. As I’ve said earlier, we had to go narrow and windy 2 lanes roads to get to these places.

We also had to go through

Bad visibility,

Slow lorries,

Accidents,

The road was probably built up on a mountain as most of the time we can see a ravine next to us. Further, throughout the journey, Mount Kinabalu is visible.

Poring Hot Spring, as the name suggest, is a hot spring located 3 hours away from KK. I read from somewhere that it was once a Japanese styled hot tubs during the Second World War.

I was looking forward to it as I’ve never been to a hot spring in Malaysia before. The one I visited in Japan was quite interesting and I presumed that it would be the same in Malaysia.

Throughout our journey, we passed by many local villages. The interesting bit is that almost each corner there is a church serving these villages. And all the signboards are identical – except for the name of the church.


Amitaa…aaa Haleluyaaahh

The other common sight is dogs – they are everywhere! Cats are pretty rare as they are eaten by dogs for breakfast.

We stopped by one place by the name Pekan Nabalu for a break. It’s a small town with stalls lined along the streets and even have a section for local handicrafts. We bought some pineapples and bananas. The pineapples look like hand grenades. Perhaps in the future, those who drop by, please purchase something from them to keep the villagers businesses alive.


Mt Kinabalu in the background!


Banana & “Salak”


Hand grenades

After an hour, we arrived at our first destination, Poring Hot Springs! I got off the car feeling excited – my first visit to a hot spring in Malaysia.

We crossed a river vide a suspension bridge. It was indeed a suspense before I step into the place.

But the place is like a bloody Disneyland! The place was filled with kids running around and many of the hot tubs were filled with kids. I bet they peed into the hot tub!

Fortunately, there are some private hot tubs for hire. Perfect place to do naug…I mean relax.

Other than hot springs, the other attraction of Poring is the Poring Canopy Walk. The walkway is around 40 metres off the ground and it’s identical to the one at Taman Negara Pahang. It turned my legs into jelly.

Perhaps the most acceptable hot springs tub is the tub for feet. My feet are dirty hence it doesn’t matter whether it gets dirtier or not. The temperature of the water is adjustable. All you need to do is to turn on the respective taps.

To be continued..

Kota Kinabalu Part II: Overview

The last time I visited Kota Kinabalu (fondly known as KK) was February this year. At that time, most of the shops were closed due to Chinese New Year and we were busy with a SW’s wedding preparation. This time round, I was back with a mission – to visit the places that I didn’t manage to visit and to eat at places which were closed during the last visit.
KK’s latest edition would be the One Borneo. It’s a huge shopping centre with numerous hotels adjoined to it (as big as our local One Utama!). The shopping centre is almost identical to those we have in Kuala Lumpur as the brands they have are almost identical. However, the construction of the place is not fully completed. Some parts e.g the park are dusty.


Other than One Borneo, the notable places are the Menara Tun Mustapha, KK City Mosque. Tanjung Aru beach, Bukit Bendera and Gaya Street Sunday Market.
Menara Tun Mustapha is a 30 storey building located next to the beach. Take a lift to the 18th floor to visit @tmosphere, a revolving restaurant to have a panoramic view of KK. The food and drinks are quite pricey though.



@tmosphere


Not a very good place to take picture as the window reflects.
KK City Mosque is only accessible to Muslims. However, visitors can hang out at the compound to take pictures. KK City Mosque looks like a floating above water.

Tanjung Aru Beach on the other hand is just a few minutes drive from the city centre. The water is not in top condition but the sand is acceptable. One can dine at the beach side – at high end restaurants or hawker stalls.


The main attraction of Bukit Bendara is a look out point to enjoy the breathtaking view of KK. The hill is actually called Signal Hill but the signboard that leads me there says Bukit Bendera.



Sounds like..”Anda ko makan ayam..” (Do you eat chicken?)
Gaya Streey Sunday Market, as the name explains, is a market held every Sunday. It features local handicrafts, food, plants and even animals.
The highlight of the trip is probably the time when we had a trip down to Poring Hot Springs, Kundasang and Kinabalu National Park. We had to go narrow and windy 2 lanes roads to get to these places. The road was probably built up on a mountain as most of the time we can see a ravine next to us. Further, throughout the journey, Mount Kinabalu is visible.
Will blog about all these later!