Have you ever had a time when there were so many problems in your world and just want to disappear?
My Malaysia trip is planned ahead of time, doing great, doing fine.
However, a few weeks before my trip to visit Kota Kinabalu tourist spots, it was really consuming and draining about my family, my health, and my career. 24 hours is not enough. You wake up facing the same problem and you are too tired to think because you’re responsibilities are all piled up. For me, the trip is untimely. I didn’t see it as a time to relax. Not until I enjoyed my stay.
Kota Kinabalu is a small city but as I have observed, most people have their own cars. It’s already 8 am but we don’t know how to start the tour. This is because we visited during Eid Al Fitr. It’s a Muslim holiday. A one-week holiday which means labor is not much and some markets are closed.
There are buses but titas of Manila don’t like the idea of taking bus or taxi all the while whenever we stop in a tourist spot because it’s hassle. With the great hospitality of Likas Square Hotel, who helped me all throughout the search, we were able to hire a taxi driver who also became our tour guide in Malaysia. Vibrant, humorous, and fluent in English… He is Jas! Yes, it’s a male!
I showed him our itinerary and he arranged the places to go first. Here we go!
Menara Tun Mustapha
Menara Tun Mustapha (Tun Mustapha Tower) is the second tallest building in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. It’s a 30-storey glass sculpture and it has a revolving floor at the 18th floor which slowly spins to see the view of Likas Harbour! Well we arrived there 10 or 11 in the morning. Freaking hot!
City Mosque
City Mosque is beautifully located near the sea. This floating mosque has a prayer hall that can accommodate from 9,000 to 12,000 people at a time.
Puh Toh Tze Chinese Temple
Puh Toh Tze Chinese Temple is built in 1980. It has huge statues in gold color. This is the biggest and well-known Chinese temple in Kota Kinabalu. Trivia: Buddhism is the second largest religion in Malaysia. You will see in the entrance the 10 feet tall Goddess of Mercy.
St. Simon Church
St. Simon Church. Since we are Catholics, we asked our driver, Jas, to drop us in a Catholic Church. This Catholic church was blessed in November 19, 2000 by Rt. Rev. Bishop Datuk John Lee.
Signal Hill Observatory
Signal Hill Observatory is the highest point in the city. What you can see are the buildings not afar, and the islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park.
Sabah State Mosque
Sabah State Mosque opened in 1977. The gold exteriors are truly eye-catching. It can accommodate up to 5,000 people at a time. Here, the visitors are advised to follow the dress code and it is advised to avoid every Friday as is the day of prayer for Muslims.
Tanjung Aru Beach
Tanjung Aru Beach is a great place to stay if you want sunset. We went there around 4 PM. We want to go back to the hotel right away because we were sleep-deprived from the midnight flight. There were live sea creatures you can play with. I’m not sure but I think it’s a little bit awkward to swim here.
Some of our time was spent shopping in malls like Imago and Centre Point. The products are cheaper than in the Philippines.
So there’s a moral in this story! I realized that the more you get old the more you like to plan ahead – like the Titas of Manila. It’s true that to be old and wise… you must first have to be young and stupid. They’ve been in my age, and now they’re tired of the mistakes and uncertainties. Maybe, if I’m with my friends on this adventure, a transfer taxi ride is okay because a young like me think that uncertainties have ways to surprise you – that it can be tiring but fun. Yet, being with Titas of Manila, I learned that we can still have fun even if the adventure is well-planned.
term here:
*titas of Manila – “Tita” is a term of endearment we all call our aunts or pseudo-aunts—that long list of our mom’s friends or friends of the family who we find uncomfortable to call “ma’am” or “Mrs. So and So.”
* “Manila” capital city of the Philippines
Disclaimer: I have not received any compensation for writing this post and I do not have material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. This review is written with genuineness. Photo watermark is named after my old site.
