The Mini Bus or Bas Mini of Sabah, East Malaysia

Wawasan Terminal: mini buses

Visitors from mainland Malaysia or West Malaysia will be disappointed with the poor transport system in Sabah. This is why mini bus or bas mini in Malay is the king of the roads. It plies almost everywhere in Sabah. It's actually a van converted to carry passengers.

It won't leave the terminal until it's full. There are no designated bus stops. You can hail one from anywhere you happen to be.

To add to the confusion, small buses are also called bas mini.

In Kota Kinabalu, all bas mini end up at the Wawasan Terminal next to the Wawasan Plaza (nice foodcourt on top floor)

Wawasan Terminal: destinations are indicated at the top.

Bas mini fares are reasonable eg I paid RM 1.50 for distances of 4 to 8 km. The City Bus also starts here. It does a circuit of the city for 50 cents (free for senior citizens or in Malay, Warga Emas). If you are only 54 don't pretend to be one (akan datang lah)

TIP: Want to save some ringgit from the airport to the city? Just walk out to the main road 5 mins away, and wait for a bas mini. Hop in when one comes along, and hop out at Wawasan (fare: RM 1.50) Regular cab fare is about RM 20. Trying to save every cent? Ok , walk to the city - only 4 km away. By now you should have realised that bas mini is attracted to anything on two legs.

Manukan Island, Sabah, East Malaysia Part 3/3

World War Two bombs found on Manukan Island

Over high tea the other day, a friend asked, "I don't fancy the idea of being BBQ in the sun so what's else is there to do on the island."

"Go and look for bombs,"I said. "You'll become famous."

 

Trail up a hill

"Or walk up the hill. It's only 1.5 km, and it's an easy walk," I continued. I saw two monitor lizards about a metre long crossing my path. Monitor lizards are vain creatures, always emerging from the undergrowth when I'm near them. The bird life on the hill also attracted my attention. I came across a group of Thais armed with cameras and tripods. They said they were looking for wild forest fowl.

 

This sign greets you at the top of the hill.

 

The sunset from the top of the hill is supposedly jaw-dropping. Can you guess what's the yellow speck in the picture? Click on the picture to enlarge it. Don't cheat. Make a guess first.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Sabah, East Malaysia Part 2/3

Another side of Manukan island

Snorkeling area: the mainland and KK look beautiful from the island.

When I arrived at the island's jetty, I was surprised to see hundreds of fish in the crystalline waters.When I threw them a piece of bread, they went berserk.If you're the type who enjoys being BBQ in the sun, Manukan island will not disappoint. Go snorkeling or...

go scuba diving and earn more bragging rights for your next "teh tarik" (Malay words which loosely means tea drinking) session at the coffee shop or Starbucks.

No gear for snorkeling? Don't despair. They can be rented here at this shop which was the most welcome sight for me as cooked food and drinking water are available here. You see, since I left my room rather early, the shops in KK were still closed.

As mentioned earlier, Manukan island is just within a spitting distance of KK. No long tedious boat ride to your paradise island.

Best place in Kota Kinabalu for a drink, meal or satay?

Pub service personnel along Kota Kinabalu waterfront.

Do you know the best place for a drink or meal in Kota Kinabalu? It's along the waterfront behind the Arts and Crafts market. A beer and Thai food was the perfect way to end a day of exploration for me. The magnificent sunset was a bonus.

KK's waterfront

It's happy hour time but still early for KK folks. Only people like me would be wandering around here at this hour.

Satay (BBQ meat)

Never heard of "stomach satay", have you? Which stomach parts? Intestines, liver or just the stomach? Guaranteed to be stomach-churning stuff. Yuk!

Stunning girls of Sabah, East Malaysia

Girl in Black (GIB)

 

Girl in Black's colleagues

On the way to Sandakan in eastern Sabah, I stopped for a meal at this remote restaurant. I approached GIB but she was preoccupied with her cell phone.

Me: What do you have today? (I spoke in Bahasa Malaysia or Malay, the national language of Malaysia)

She gave me a thumbs up, and continued chatting on her phone.

Her colleagues: She's talking with her boyfriend.

They giggled and laughed.

Me: No wonder.

GIB: They're lying.

Her colleagues: Yes, every day she's on the phone.

GIB blushed and giggled.

GIB: Marry them.
Me: Ha, ha, they're too young for me.
More giggles and more laughter from her friends.
GIB: No problem.

My eyes rolled heavenwards, beseeching Providence for guidance.

From my chat with these people I learned that their monthly salary is between 400 to 500 ringgit. (US $116 to 146)

(In South-east Asia, it's not considered rude to ask a person personal questions as long as your concern is sincere.)

SK Ketabuan, Sabah, East Malaysia

From Sandakan it's a combination of car and boat ride to reach the island school. Teachers posted there are on a 3-year stint. Cikgu Farhana on the way to the island to meet new challenges.

When heavy rains coincide with high tides, the school compound gets flooded.

This is the reason why the teachers are here: to give the island's kids a good education so that they'll not be left behind.

The school staff with guru besar (headmaster): These are the professionals who have to sacrifice a lot for the sake of the children. Cikgu Farhana tells me four new teachers from West Malaysia have joined the school.

School website: http://sktetabuan.ppdbeluran.com

Images: Courtesy of Cikgu Farhana

Sekolah Kebangsaan Tetabuan Beluran, Sabah, East Malaysia

Sekolah Kebangsaan Tetabuan Beluran: An island school off Sandakan in Sabah

While in Sandakan, I was privileged to make the acquaintance of  Cikgu Farhana who teaches in this school. She was posted  here from Muar, and has to serve for three years.  She gave me an interesting account of life on the remote island teaching Bajau kids.

This is the school canteen.

 

Cikgu Farhana and a friend from Finland who helped out in the school briefly.

From Sandakan, she has to travel for an hour or so and then hop onto a boat to reach the island school. Being remote and isolated, you can imagine the hardship and sacrifices teachers and the headmaster have to endure. But their primary concern is to give the kids a good education.

Students returning home.

School starts as early as 7 AM. Like kids in most rural communtities, they lead a carefree life.

Note: Images courtesy of Cikgu Farhana.

2009 Mt Kinabalu Climathon - dare you take up the challenge?

Publicity poster on Mt. Kinabalu Climbaton

Want bragging rights when you meet friends for coffee? Then take part in this year' s Mt Kinabalu Climbathon in Sabah. No, there's no need to bring any climbing gear. Just your running shorts and shoes will do.

The 2008 champion for running up AND down Mt Kinabalu clocked two hours 44 mins 47 sec

I took about 8 hours just to reach the top but these guys are running up and down in less than 3 hours. Amazing!

FYI, Mt Kinabalu is about 4000 m high, and the total distance for the race is 21 km.

If you decide to quit the race halfway, it's OK. At least the view from the top is spectacular.

Bloody Mess in Sepilok, Sabah, East Malaysia

Emerging from the rainforest in Sepilok in the east  Malaysian state of Sabah, I congratulated myself on escaping from the clutches of the leeches.

But the moment I stepped into the orang-utan rehabilitation centre, four leeches launched themselves onto my feet, leg and even backside.

 Panicking at the thought of my life ebbing away, I pulled them out forcibly. For the next half hour, my feet and legs continued to bleed. Only my backside escaped unscathed as I was able to flick it away in the nick of time.

It was a bloody mess in Sepilok.

Gaya Street, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia

Gaya Street

This is the Gaya Street I've been talking so much about. It's a narrow street lined with eateries, shops, budget hostels, one boutique hotel (from RM100), one internet cafe and one very-known Chinese restaurant whose speciality is the body parts (e.g. liver, intestines) of a certain animal known for its obesity.

(business opens only in the evening; name is Yu Kee)

I took a city bus but had to get off somewhere nearby, but it's only a 5-minute walk to Gaya Street.

From Gaya Street the waterfront is only 5 minutes away, the Jesselton Jetty 10 minutes, shopping malls 5 to 15 minutes.

To Signal Hill, take a shortcut beside the police station. A short staircase leads to the top of the hill, passing by the Atkinson Clock Tower. I chanced upon this shortcut on the way down. I had a panoramic view of the whole city of Kota Kinabalu and the ocean from the top of Signal Hill. Worth the effort.

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

KK is one of the only two cities in Malaysia with the sea at its doorsteps. The other is Penang. At the moment, beautification projects are going on along the waterfront. The sunset here is marvellous as all sunsets are anyway.

Sabah, East Malaysia

I'll be winging my way to Sabah from Singapore on Tuesday 6 Oct. This is my second visit. No, I won't be climbing up Sabah's premier attraction, Mt Kinabalu. I climbed or walked up rather Mt Kinabalu years back. If I were to climb up now, KK General Hospital and a team of top cardiac surgeons need to be on standby. And throw in a helicopter for evacution for good measure.

So, if you have a car unused or an apartment unoccupied for a long time just let me know, ok? You know what I mean...haha.