Hello East Malaysia!
There are two parts of East Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. Malaysia is a muslim nation with the second largest religion being Christianity and then I think it is Hinduism. I remember walking from the airport at about 4am into the city and hearing the loud speakers for the a call to prayer which occurs five times a day. The music is wonderful and filled me with excitement as I have never been to a mostly muslim country before. They have close ties to China and India which you can see with the population that fills the streets. Kota Kinabalu is one of the main cities in East Malaysia. Like most big cities, many travelers have told me that I should get in and get out. I am a city boy from NYC and I think that most cities have something unique to offer so here is what I found!
I knew Malaysia was one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world but I did not expect to see these kind of birds in the city.
Or this!
The markets
The markets by the water are worth a look as you will find many raw and cooked foods here. You can just stroll through and maybe try some local fruits that you have never seen before or try a local dish. Make sure you point at things with your thumb as it is impolite to point with your pointer finger.
There are many Filipino immigrants, legal and illegal in East Malaysia. They call the markets along the water front The Filipino Markets.
Walk along the waterfront
Food
Malaysia has many Indian and Chinese immigrants and most of the restaurants are indian restaurants and Chinese restaurants. Ofcourse Malaysia also has some of their own dishes unfortunately I was too busy eating them to take pictures.
(Typical free breakfast at the hostels)
(Buying ice cream in style)
(Egg Roti)
Kompleks Sukan Likas
This is my favorite part of KK. Take Bus 1A and get off next to the stadium. This is where all the activities are: They have the giant stadium with different events, a gymnastics gym across from the stadium, a rock climbing gym, a skate park, and much more.
(kids playing football in the hallway of the stadium)
Parkour Training
Hafiz the guy on the left rents out the gymnastics gym every Friday from 7-10pm and Sunday from 2-5pm. The price is only 5MR! I think its so cool that Hafiz rents out this amazing space and lets everyone come to practice anything they want whether its Parkour, break dancing, or just goofing around. If this was on trip advisor it would be the #1 activity in KK.
Check it out: kkparkour.com
The Rock Climbing Gym
The climbing gym is actually pretty good and for only 22RM the first time or 17RM ever time after that you can climb all day with a equipment and a personal belayer. I believe this place is ranked #1 on trip advisor for activities in KK.
Skate Park
This is right across from the climbing gym and is completely free. In the afternoons when kids get out of school and work this place becomes alive with bikers and skaters.
Take a day trip to Beaufort
While I won't say this was an amazing thing to do, it is great when your bored of KK and need to do something. The train ride is cheap and has air conditioning with views of the countryside.
Honestly there is not much to do in Beaufort but its a very local town and you can just get food and coffee and walk around.
Hitch Hiking!
Since the train wasn't running on the way back we practiced our hitch hiking skills and met some really cool people.
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