MALAYSIA ROUND UP - 2018

I was in Sabah for a short break in March. This building, the Sabah Tourism Office in Kota Kinabalu (KK), is one of a few prominent structures which survived Japanese bombardment in WWII. All distances to towns in Sabah are measured from here.

Sunday Market in KK. All sorts of stuff are sold including live chicks.

Fu Yuen Coffee Shop is a modern coffee shop in KK operated like a fast food joint..

Ostensibly the best satay in KK sold in Yuet Cheong Coffee Shop, the oldest in town. Their coffee is up to par too.

KK from Signals Hill showing Jessselton Condominium to the right, the most expensive piece of property in KK now.

The Clock Tower from Signals Hill. This feature too survived Japanese bombardment.

These people were not waiting to welcome the Chief Minister but the boss of Sutera Harbour Resort, a Singaporean.

Stall selling ikan bakar (BBQ fish) in Tuaran.

Slices of Tuna sold in a stall in Tuaran Market. Notice the fish is not packed in ice, presumably bec it is freshly caught.

Tuaran River with its rope bridge which was featured in an earlier post on Sabah.

Crucifix of St Peter's Church in Kudat. Sabah has a sizable number of Catholics, many from the indigenous people.

A gong maker in the Sumangkap Gong Factory.

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MALAYSIA ROUND UP - 2018 - Cont'd

Huge gongs on display at the gong factory.

The factory is located at Sumangkap on the way to Kudat. A small entrance fees is payable.

Distance marker at the Tip of Borneo.

This "promontory" at the Tip of Borneo divides the waters into the South China Sea on the left and the Sulu Sea to the right.

Nature has coloured the rock surface at the Tip of Borneo.

We stayed here. As I have stopped golfing, I didn't bother to find out details of the golf course. By mere observation, I can safely conclude it's not tough by the flat terrain. The marina seemed quiet to me.

Morning clean up of the swimming pool.

Gong vendors at the Kudat Central Market.

A wide array of parang (machettes) for sale.

Relaxed vendors at the market.

Bak Bak Beach is one of several beaches found near Kudat. My lamentation is that the beach has no amenities for users. Sabah Tourism could have done something to improve it for tourism purposes.

MALAYSIA ROUND UP - 2018 - Cont'd

Made a two-day trip on 6/7 May to Keluang to climb Mt Lambak which is 505m high. This shot is of the others who made the trip with me posing in front of a piece of street art in town.

The town is named after the fruit bat. This drawing is probably based on the "Keluang Man"..

My Macik riding a "school bus."

Had free breakfast here as the BN candidates were walking round campaigning for PRU 14..They bought breakfast for all those having breakfast at Kluang RailCoffee.

Commencing the climb. This is the easier part.

Ropes are put in by the locals to help climbers.

Stopping for a breather.. Although only 505m high, Mt Lambak does pose some challenges like tree roots and steep slopes but an averagely fit person can make the climb.

A pylon for communications purposes is found at the peak.

View of the town.

Shot taken halfway up, before the ascent became steeper.

Dataran Cheng Ho or Cheng Ho Square of Kuala Terengannu.  A sort of Chinatown here. I arranged the trip with my friend, Nik Zainin, whom I met while studying in Birmingham in 1984/85. We spent from 21-28 Jun travelling in Terengganu and Kelantan ( his home state). After picking me in KL, we drove on the Karak Highway which links to the East Coast Highway (Leburan Pantai Timor) to get to our destinations.. It was a pleasant drive as traffic was light.

MALAYSIA ROUND UP - 2018 - Cont'd

Batu Bersurat Memorial in Kuala Berang. It was a discovery for Nik.

One inscribed face of the memorial stone.

All attention on the details.

Dam of Lake Kenyir. We thought that Lake Kenyir would be something exciting but were disappointed. The only fun thing to do seems to be going for a boat ride to visit the islands. Accommodation seems hard to come by and development works are slow.

A bridge link to an island of the lake that has been undergoing construction for some time.

This park on an island has been closed for renovation but hardly any work has been carried out.

Leaving Kuala Besut for Pulau Perhentian Besar. I last visited the island in 1966. Needless to say economic development has changed the island totally from then. A kampung on the island then has since been moved to P Perhentian Kecil. There are resorts where there are stretches of white sand beaches.

"Water taxis" which can be hired for a ride round round the island, to go fishing or diving or getting to another part of the island.

Eco Marine is one of the resorts there. Accommodation is available based on one's budget. The most affordable one is to stay in tents.

We stayed at the Bayu Dive Lodge. Wifi is only available at reception so it's quite inconvenient in that sense..

MALAYSIA ROUND UP - 2018 - Cont'd

WW II weapons on display in the Kota Bahru War Museum . We couldn't enter as it was closed.

The Post Office which has been retained from colonial days.

The 10,600 sq ft Muhammadi Mosque named after the late Sultan Muhammad IV. It was originally built of wood in 1867 and replaced by concrete between 1922 - 1925. A renowned centre of Islamic learning, it is also known as Serambi Mekah (Corridor of Mecca) for that reason. Present construction incorporates Mogul style domes and Roman columns in its main prayer hall.

Adjacent to the mosque, this building houses an NGO which conducts tours of the mosque plus running a child care centre.

Satay a la Kelantan.

Nik with a distant relative whose stall we patronised for our breakfast. She was so happy to see him as he came unannounced.

A good selection of traditional Kelantan food. From these containers, one can select Nasi Dagang, Nasi Minyak, Nasi Kerabu and others.

Nasi Dagang is my favourite. Basically there is rice and a slice of tuna. Chicken may be added as desired. Don't be deceived by its apparent simplicity. I was introduced to this by Nik many years ago when I went to visit him in KL and have  thought about it all along. There is a unique food called Nasi Tumpang which is packed in a cone and meant to be taken on a journey.

Kites for sale at Pantai Cahaya Bulan (Moonlight Bay). Kelantan is renowned for kites which would be specially made for competitions. Those for display are to be flown for fun only.

Pantai Cahaya Bulan, as it is now called, was originally known as Pantai Cinta Berahi (Beach of Passionate Love). The change of name was a PAS initiative after it became the ruling party of Kelantan. I first visited it in 1982/3.