A Visit to Kota Kinabalu

Summary

The article recounts a personal travel experience to Kota Kinabalu, focusing on sightseeing, SCUBA diving, and cultural exploration.

Abstract

The author, who grew up in West Malaysia, describes their first visit to Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia's Sabah region in 2019. They detail their stay in a homestay in Tanjung Aru, their evenings spent at the popular Tanjong Aru Beach, and their SCUBA diving adventure in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park after a long hiatus from diving. The trip also included cultural experiences at the KK museum and the Mari Mari cultural village. Although they did not have time to visit Mt. Kinabalu or other nature parks, they express a desire to explore more of East Malaysia, including Sandakan in Sarawak, on their next trip.

Opinions

The author found their homestay in Tanjung Aru to be comfortable and conveniently located.
They enjoyed the lively atmosphere of Tanjong Aru Beach, noting its popularity for swimming and dining.
The author and Rhonda, both divers, were pleased to safely resume diving after a long break, with the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park offering an excellent diving experience.
The KK museum and Mari Mari cultural village were considered very informative and interesting for a short visit.
The author expresses regret for not having enough time to explore Mt. Kinabalu and other nature parks in Sabah.
They plan to visit Sandakan in Sarawak on their next trip to East Malaysia, indicating a preference for new experiences over revisiting the same locations.

Kota Kinabalu is in Sabah (old North Borneo).

Image by Gerad Carrier

Although I had my childhood in West Malaysia, I had never been to East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). In 2019 we decided to visit Kota Kinabalu for some sightseeing and SCUBA diving.When we landed in Kota Kinabalu (KK), we took a taxi to our homestay in Tanjung Aru. Our homestay was a comfortable ensuite above a local traditional coffee shop. It was very conveniently located around many food stalls and just a fifteen minute walk to Tanjung Aru Beach.

Image by Rhonda Carrier

We spent our evenings at the beach in Tanjong Aru, a very popular spot crowded with people who are there to swim, enjoy the sights and the food stalls that fringe the beach.

Image by Rhonda Carrier

Image by Rhonda Carrier

Rhonda and I are both divers but had not dived since 2005. We heard that the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park is a diver’s paradise and booked a day of diving there. After a refresher and checkout dive, we had two 50 minute dives in different areas of the park. We were delighted that we were able to safely dive again after such a long layoff.

Image by Rhonda Carrier

We filled the remaining two days we had in KK with a lot of walking and visits to museums and cultural centers. We found the KK museum and the Mari Mari cultural village to be very informative and interesting for our short visit.

Image by Rhonda Carrier

Because of time constraints we did not venture beyond KK to the site of Mt. Kinabalu or the many nature parks in Sabah. There is a lot more to see in KK, but on our next trip to East Malaysia, we shall try something new and head for Sandakan in Sarawak.