Tag Archives: tourist

Malaysia, Travelinds

Kota Kinabalu Islands

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28 January 2014

Huddled together off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, the group of five islands, which makes up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, serves as a popular tourist zone for those visiting Sabah’s capital city.  There are hundreds of boat operators to choose from that offer standard or special tours, as well as diving or snorkelling.  It is a wonderful place to go if you need a day at the beach where the only thing to do is enjoy the scenery and breathe in the fresh sea air (once you’ve dodged the busy tourist gatherings).

The five islands – Gaya Island (big), Sulug Island (Sulu people), Manukan Island (fish), Mamutik Island (shell collection) and Sapi Island (mowing buffalo), lie about three kilometers off shore.  The Park was founded in 1974 as a national reserve to protect the marine life in the area.

After reading reviews on TripAdvisor, we decided to visit Manukan and Mamutik on one day trip, with snorkelling.  The islands were pretty much the same in terms of natural scenery except that Mamutik had amazing shells (as it name suggests) and was a lot quieter without the groups of Chinese tourists that thronged the open spaces on Manukan’s beaches and park areas.

Manukan

Manukan Island was our afternoon destination and we spent a lot of time eating lunch in the shade of the trees, sun-tanning and resting.  We saw a lot of monitor lizards here but were feeling too lazy to do the jungle walks where you can explore the rest of the island. There are a few places to eat here but not enough to keep prices competitive. We also saw a couple of people camping here (tents) and barbecuing, which looked like it might be a fun thing to do; especially since most of the tourists go home after 4 pm.  This leaves you ample time to enjoy the sunset and then the sunrise too, without the hoards of foreigners blocking the view.

Mamutik

Mamutik

Mamutik Island was our first stop and we spent the morning here snorkelling, sun-tanning, reading and admiring the birdlife around the island. It was a lot of quieter than Manukan and had good snorkelling around the far end of the beach (furthest from where the pier is) which was less damaged and had a quiet part of the beach to enjoy.  There are also lockers available for a day at the Borneo Divers offices (on the far side of the beach) if you need to lock up your things, for a small fee.

Mamutik

Getting here:

We found a boatman somewhere along the way to the Jessleton Point (just after the market, but before the main piers) who hustled us into buying a trip from him for MYR 100 (for two people, snorkelling equipment, boat trip return).   We then also had to pay a further MYR 10 for a conservation fee when we arrived at the island.  Based on some of the other tour packages we’d looked at this didn’t seem like a bad deal.

A few days afterwards, we did see a flyer somewhere for a package deal, including the above, plus KFC lunch and INCLUDING conservation fee, for only MYR 50 per person.  So I guess we could have saved about MYR 20 plus lunch costs had we found a deal like this earlier.  But it was not too much difference considering our busy schedule.

*Some information was taken from Sabah Parks website.*

Malaysia, Travelinds

Likas Floating Mosque

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27 January 2014

An afternoon outing in Kota Kinabalu took us to the Likas Mosque (better known as the ‘Floating mosque’ in KK).  Being our first visit to a mosque, we read up a bit on dress code/etiquette required and figured long sleeves, long pants and a headscarf for H would suffice.

Upon arrival, we were directed to the small shop/reception office outside where a kind lady helped us to dress appropriately.  There were kaftans, scarfs and head gear available there (for free) so that non-Muslim visitors would be allowed in to the mosque.

Outside the mosque, you are required to remove shoes and a guide then takes you through the mosque giving information about its construction, use and history.  We were informed that the mosque was built over 11 years (1989 – 2000), construction cost MYR 40 million and the building can comfortably fit between 9,000 to 12,000 worshipers.

The fifteen-minute tour concludes and visitors can take a couple of pictures inside and outside the mosque, provided no worshipers are disturbed.

At the same reception office, you can pay MYR 5 each and go on the peddle-boats in the water around the mosque. This is great for some fun and for getting a different angle on photos of the mosque. There is no time limit on using the peddle boat as far as we could tell.

Read the reviews on TripAdvisor. Be aware that some travellers have confused the floating mosque (Likas) with the Kota Kinabalu State Mosque, which are two different locations.

Likas Floating Mosque

Getting here:

Take a (big) bus from in front of the Shangri-la Motel (NOT the same as the fancy hotel complex far out of town). Ask for the Likas bus (it has a purple stripe) and ask the driver to drop you at the Likas Mosque. MYR 1 each.

Favourite memory:

We finished a nice afternoon exploring the mosque and riding the peddle boat and decided to catch a bus to the next stop, the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre.  We were told that it was an hour’s walk from the mosque, so thought the bus would be best.  First, the bus drivers told us ‘no bus, no bus’ (of the three busses standing there), then after some deliberation they decided it would be best to do a bus trip after all.  The few tourists and locals were herded on to the one bus and, after a push start, the wonky old bus started going, in the wrong direction from where we needed to go… In fact, it did a full circle and came back past the mosque bus stop before finally continuing on to the route we needed to go. The delay was only about 40 minutes, no big deal.

 

Malaysia, Travelinds

Kota Kinabalu State Museum

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27 January 2014

The Kota Kinabalu State Museum complex is a most interesting place to visit if you want to learn more about the intriguing culture and history of Sabah. We spent an entire day here and still didn’t get to see all that the complex has on offer.

The first stop was the Main Museum building and this kept us busy for a very long time! Natural history, Sabah special ‘Then and Now’ display and the ‘Our culture’ sections were the most interesting and it took a lot of time to work through all that valuable information.  We also watched a video (about an hour) in the natural history section titled ‘Borneo’ (1937) – an old black and white movie travelogue shot by famous explorers Martin and Osa Johnson.

We found some local Malaysian lunch at the small cafe called Zureen’s cafe (located just outside the heritage village, in the parking lot). This included our favourite ‘Char Keow Teoy’(fried flat noodles with chicken or prawns), ‘Mee Goreng’ (fried yellow noodles) and Horlicks/Nestum (milky sweet drink, served hot or with ice cubes).  I think the total lunch came to only MYR 12 for both of us.

After lunch, we finished up at the main building and then headed to the Heritage Village.  Here you can see all the different kinds of houses/huts/structures/transport/machinery/equipment used by the different tribes that can be found in Sabah.  It was a very interesting experience to see the vast differences in lifestyles, building designs and practical day-to-day instruments employed in these different tribes.  There was everything from a Chinese farm house to a Rungus longhouse. The Murut longhouse was my favourite, with its huge porcelain jars, wooden rhinoceros hornbills hanging from the ceiling and a trampoline-like floor that is used for entertaining guests.

There were not enough hours in our day to see everything so unfortunately we had to leave before we had seen the science museum, islamic museum and the ethnobotanical garden.  Read more about the Sabah Museum here.

Malaysia, Travelinds

Marina Court Vacation Home – Kota Kinabalu

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26 January 2014

Wanting to spend a couple days in Kota Kinabalu, we found an amazing place to stay called Marina Courts.  It is a complex of high rise apartment buildings with a swimming pool, gym and a prime KK waterfront location.

The particular deal that we found was listed as the Marina Court Vacation Home (Kota Kinabalu).  It was a room for rent (not the whole apartment like some of the other options mentioned on TripAdvisor) and it was set up similar to a hostel where the guests shared the living area, kitchen, washing machine and dryer.  One of the rooms has an en-suite bathroom, the other three rooms share a common bathroom. You can book it on Agoda.com.

There are showers, air conditioners and basic kitchen facilities.There’s a big swimming pool downstairs for guests to use at their leisure and also a gym.

Marina Courts’ location is perfect for exploring Kota Kinabalu.  It is within walking distance of most major tourist points and has a local bus terminal right in front of the complex for catching buses to areas that are further away from the city center.

Walking distances from Marina Court:

  • 25 – 30 minutes: Jessleton point (the ferry and boat jetty), Museum, Signal Hill,
  • 15-20 minutes: Shangri-la Bus terminal, Express bus to Kudat,
  • 5-15 minutes: The Night market, Gaya street Sunday market
  • Right outside: Wawasan Bus Terminal (intracity busses), Centre Point shopping centre is across the road,
TIP: There is an Arabian restaurant across the road from Marina Courts (on Centre Point side) called ‘Al Andalus’ – visit it! It has delicious, well-priced food, excellent service and an authentic Arabian vibe to it.  The extra Arabic Set was enough for two of us and the Baba Ganoush was fantastic! We ate here for at least one meal every day, for eight days.
Malaysia, Travelinds

Kota Kinabalu

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Kota Kinabalu,

Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

This vibrant city is the largest city in the eastern Malaysian province of Sabah, on Borneo.  As in most other parts of Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu is home to a wide variety of cultural groups, including some special people groups specific to Borneo, like the Rungus. This province includes 33 indigenous groups speaking 50 different languages and up to 80 different ethnic dialects. Talk about an administrative nightmare for local government!

The province of Sabah has a wide range of attractions that make it a very alluring spot for tourists from all over the world. Beaches, islands, reefs, mountains, parks, nature reserves, museums, temples, mosques, markets, hot springs and rainforests – and Kota Kinabalu is the doorway to it all!

Named for its proximity to Mount Kinabalu, the city of Kota Kinabalu lies on the north-western coast of Sabah and boasts the largest port and population in Sabah. Kinabalu means ‘Chinese/China’ (kina), ‘Widow’ (balu), which perhaps explains why the mountain itself is held in such awe by the local inhabitants. It soars above the rest of the landscape, often swathed in a thick layer of white clouds and stands a lofty 4,101 metres above sea level.

With so much to see and not enough time to see it in, Sabah offers tourists a jam-packed holiday filled with endless activities and interesting places. You will need to take some time out to help it all sink in!

Read more about the following attractions in Kota Kinabalu (NOTE: these are just a few of them that we managed to see):

Travelinds also saw these interesting places in Sabah, Malaysia:
Philippines, Travelinds

Bohol’s Tarsiers

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25 January 2014

Big round eyes, sticky little toes, ruffled brown fur and strange pointy ears was my first glimpse of the tarsier, a tiny creature that I have been dying to see since starting our travels in South East Asia. Nocturnal by nature, the tarsiers are sleepy during the day and these mostly insectivorous primates spend the daylight hours fast asleep.  At night, it is a completely different story with jumping, shrieking and feasting on whatever they can find.

The Philippine Tarsiers, like their cousins the Western Tarsiers, are the cutest, tiniest, weirdest-looking animals ever!  Tarsiers are only found in South East Asia and are critically endangered.

Bohol island in the Philippines is home to some of the only Philippine tarsiers left in the world and there are conservation efforts happening on the island to increase the dwindling numbers of this lovely little creature.  Many of those animals kept at the conservation centres have been rescued from illegal trade and can never survive again in the wild.  Others have been successfully bred through carefully guarded breeding programmes and then successfully released into their natural habitat.

Travelinds was forced to visit the Carmen Tarsier Sanctuary (in Loboc) instead of the Corella sanctuary which I’d read so much about, because the road had been severely damaged by the October 2013 earthquake and made it impossible to get to Corella from where we were staying in Panglao, Alona Beach.  It was great to finally meet these amazing little monkeys, but I felt guilty once again that captivity is no place for wild creatures.  Even though I so badly wanted to see one of these animals, I would still have preferred to see one at a far distance knowing it was free and wild!

Loboc Tarsiers

Philippines, Travelinds

Anthurium Inn

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Anthurium Inn, Mactan Island

Cebu, The Philippines

Having booked an early flight for the following morning, we decided to stay overnight in a cheap motel near the Mactan International Airport in Cebu.  We checked a couple places on Agoda.com and decided on Anthurium Inn for its good reviews and reasonable rates.

When we finally did get to Anthurium Inn, we were glad it was clean and that our booking was handled smoothly.  We grabbed some supper from the little market place down the road and ate it on the roof of the motel which looks down over Mactan airport.  There is WiFi on the roof as well as a few hammocks and chairs where you can relax.

The motel shuttle took us to the airport the following morning after an early breakfast and it only took about 15 minutes, at 95 pesos (for both of us). Anthurium Inn is on TripAdvisor.

Getting there:

When we caught a taxi from Pier 1 (Cebu City) we advised the driver that it was on Mactan airport road and showed him the google maps stills we had prepared to find the motel. We agreed on 250 pesos (a taxi from the airport to Pier 1 is usually about 220 pesos) and set off.

The driver promptly took us to the area just before the airport (instead of behind the airport as agreed) and then asked a few people where to find Anthurium Inn.  When he eventually did figure out where to go, he refused to take us any further unless we paid more money. We argued that we had already agreed on the price and had been very clear about the location to which he had originally agreed. We refused to pay and were told we had better find another taxi then (a play to make us feel guilty and give in to his demands, which unfortunately for him, did not go as he had hoped it might when we got out and found another taxi without paying him).

The next taxi driver charged us 250 pesos to get from just outside the airport (where we were left behind) to Anthurium Inn (about fifteen minutes drive around to the back of the airport). What a nightmare!

Anyway, the owner of Anthurium advised us for next time to tell the taxi to head for Bigfoot (a big white building on the main road) on the Mactan highway road that goes around the back of the airport. Turn right onto the first biggish road after Bigfoot. Anthurium Inn is just a little way along that road.

Philippines, Travelinds

Bohol Country Tour

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21 January 2014

The Bohol “Country Tour” is a standard tour offered by most travel agents (private and franchised) for exploring the inland attractions of Bohol island.  Most tour agents you speak to (willingly or not) will show you the same brochures and quote you the same starting price for this tour.

The tour we settled on was for just the two of us, going to:

  • The Blood Compact statue
  • Baclayon church
  • Loboc River Cruise for lunch
  • Chocolate Hills complex
  • Butterfly Farm
  • Tarsier Sanctuary

We travelled in an air-conditioned van and our tour guide was very professional and knowledgeable about all the attractions that we went to see.  We declined going to the zip-lining and the zoo as we wanted to spend unlimited time at the Tarsier Sanctuary, which was one of our main reasons for travelling to Bohol itself.

Blood Compact
The Blood Compact Statue – a statue dedicated to the pact made between the people of Bohol and the Spanish.
Baclayon Church
Baclayon Church – a very old, very large church which at the time (Feb 2014) had been very badly damaged by the earthquake in October 2013. It is beautiful. Stained-glass windows, large stones etc and there is a museum inside.
Loboc River Cruise
Loboc River Cruise – 450 pesos each will get you a ride on a boat and a buffet lunch, for two hours. The river is a fantastic turquoise colour and the scenery along the way is serene. We saw a couple of colourful birds like kingfishers, a monitor lizzard, a water buffalo and some small houses.
Chocolate Hills Complex
Chocolate Hills complex – the famous landmark of Carmen, Bohol. A must-see for its World Heritage status. The hills turn brown (like chocolate) in the summer because the intense heat kills the grass. They stretch as far as the eye can see, 360 degrees. The viewing platform was severely damaged due to the earthquake but a temporary one is in place.
Butterfly Farm
Butterfly Farm – this was a fun little detour into a butterfly sanctuary. The guide we were assigned to at the butterfly farm was a lively character who even magically transformed us into butterflies ourselves! The homemade ice-cream bars here are delicious!

 

Tarsier Sanctuary
Tarsier Sanctuary – the highlight of my holiday to Bohol was finally meeting the tiny Philippine tarsiers. Cute, furry and nocturnal, it was worth the effort to catch a glimpse and a few photos of these incredible creatures. We’re proud to have supported the conservation efforts for these endangered animals in some way. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a very interesting day with so much to see and admire. The earthquake damage reminded us of the devastation that this community had to endure only a few months before our holiday and it was good to see the work that has gone in to rebuilding and moving forward.

TIP: Ask your guide to stop at the Bilsar Public Market on your way to/from Chocolate Hills complex.  Look for ladies selling sayre (rice bamboo treats) in small plastic bags.  These are DELICIOUS! Our guide stops there every tour day to buy himself some of these snacks.  It is like sweet&herb rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves (about 5 cm long).  A real local delicacy. Try it!

Read more about Bohol here.

Buy Local

This was the Loboc church before and after the earthquake.  The damage to the interior part of the island is extensive and rebuilding is slow.  Supporting the tour guides and spending money on ‘silly tourist’ things like the River Cruise and the Butterly Farm will help boost the local economy as they rebuild homes, businesses and lives affected after the earthquake of October 2013.

Bohol church beforeBohol church after

 

Philippines, Travelinds

Bohol Tours

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20 January 2014

While staying at Alona Beach (Panglao Island, Bohol), we booked a snorkel tour and a country tour with one of the local tour agents (the ones who walk around bugging you all the time).  We had priced a few and settled on one that we were happy to support.  Toto gave us a good deal for two days (one day snorkel tour, one day country tour) and agreed to all the little details that we insisted were deal-breakers (we needed snorkel equipment, guaranteed air-conditioned van, only two of us on our boat and in the van etc)

The tours were great fun and helped us to see a good deal of Bohol’s attractions that we may not have got to had we tried to wander around on our own.

The standard tour choices available all over Bohol are:

  • Country Tour:
    • Choose all or some: Zip-line, Tarsiers, Chocolate hills, Butterfly farm, Lunch River Cruise Loboc, Baclayon church, Blood Compact statue, Zoo and a few other little stops.

Toto was true to his word (but only because we insisted that he sort things out before we got on the boat – like there was no snorkel equipment?) and overall, we had a very enjoyable two days. The driver on our country tour was Toto’s cousin/friend and he was a wonderful tour guide and great conversationalist.  He was so professional and that made all the difference to us getting the most out of the day.

The total cost for both days (for two people, excluding lunches) was 2,000 pesos (about $45 US) but don’t let that stop you from bargaining with the vendor.  You will also have to pay extras for all the entrance fees during the country tour and buy lunches (ask about the cost of the attractions before you decide on which ones you would like to do).  To be honest, the “extras” didn’t come to that much either.

If you only have a couple days in Bohol, I highly recommend that you do these two tours, especially if seeing the main attractions on the island is one of your priorities.

Philippines, Travelinds

Tawala Beach

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19 January 2014

Tawala beach is one of the quieter beaches on Panglao Island, Bohol.  It is right next to the main beach, Alona, which is where the majority of tourists gather to enjoy the long white beach, restaurants, tour departure points and a large variety of accommodation. We chose to stay at a quieter location for our first week in Bohol, as we prefer peace and quiet to the buzz of the central tourist spots.

Tawala BeachThe lodge we booked was called Nova Beach Resort (Nova Beach Club) and it is situated on Tawala beach.  As H was sick with flu for a few days, it was the perfect place to relax, swim, read and sleep. There are hammocks overlooking the ocean, a deserted sandy beach, plenty of comfortable couch space with a view and air-conditioned rooms for muggy nights.  We slept, ate and relaxed here (and recovered from flu) and by the end of the week were feeling more than ready to take on our forthcoming five week travelling vacation.

We stayed in the basic rooms at the back of the lodge (small room, two single beds, simple furnishing, en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning) and were very comfortable.  There are also deluxe rooms and villas available.  It would be a great place for honeymooners to enjoy some time to themselves.

There are dive tours available (just ask at the front desk) and we read reviews that when there are large groups of divers or Japanese tourists (the owner is Japanese), it can sometimes get a bit rowdy at the resort.  Our own experience, however, was of a tranquil atmosphere and we had plenty of time and space to ourselves for the week.

tumblr_inline_n4l3skCJBa1rg4d7lIf you want a night out or a change of scenery, you can get to Alona beach by tuk-tuk, motorbike, the shuttle van or even walking (if you’re fit and don’t mind sweating A LOT). These charged anywhere between 40 pesos and 300 pesos depending on your bargaining skills. When we changed hotels at the end of the week, we took our bags (we usually only travel with hand luggage) and each hopped on to the back of a motorbike – it was cheaper, and faster than taking the trike.

There is no entertainment on this stretch of beach so don’t expect any restaurants, tours or boats.  The advantage is that it is also free of tourists, pesky tour agents, vendors and noisy speedboats.  It is a beautiful big bay where you can swim and snorkel, before retreating into the shade of one of the low hanging trees on the beach.  Then take an afternoon nap on one of the hammocks or couches with a view before tucking in to a scrumptious dinner in the airy dining room.  The swimming pool area also has a few sun-loungers and private massage booths too.

We hope to return to Nova Beach Resort some day soon! It felt like our own stretch of private beach on a paradise island.

Check out reviews on TripAdvisor and make a booking on Agoda.com

 

Philippines, Travelinds

Alona Beach

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18 January 2014

Alona Beach is a lively stretch of white sand located on Panglao Island, Bohol. There are a large variety of hotels, lodges and dive centres, restaurants, tours and vendors available in this area.  It is a central tourist point for Bohol visitors and as such, there are a great number of tour agents looking for give you the deal of a lifetime.

Roberto's Resort
Roberto’s Resort

We spent one week here (after first exploring a quieter beach, Tawala) and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  The busy beach lane matched the boat traffic in the bay, but there was always a decent spot to sunbathe and to swim. There are quite a few nice restaurants too, which meant that we could enjoy a bit of variety in our chosen meals.

Not having booked any hotels, we went to search for somewhere for one night before deciding on a place for the rest of the week.  We booked into a very cute little roadside lodge called Roberto’s Resort (a good kilometer’s walk from the beach), and the next day then moved into Playa Blanca (Birdwatcher’s) Hotel, which was right on the beach.

Roberto’s was a great find with charming staff and large clean rooms, although it was a little too far from the beach for us with R having a bad ankle.

Alona Beach Sunrise
Sunrise, right outside our room at Playa Blanca Birdwatcher’s Hotel

Had we been in perfect health, we may have stayed at Roberto’s for the whole week and enjoyed a walk down to the beach everyday.

 

Playa Blanca (Birdwatcher’s Hotel) gave us a good rate for five nights and it was right on the beach.  It is just a couple of rooms and villas located a few metres off the White Beach and owned by the same Australians that run the pub-restaurant next door to the lodge.  We took the room in the building right behind the bar (Room 2?) and were a little concerned that it might be too noisy at night.  We found, however, that the loud music from the bar carries out to sea rather than finding its way to the back of the bar and so the building insulates the sounds rather well.

Our recommended restaurants for the week were: Aquatica, Trudi’s and Alona Pizza/Burger.  Trudi’s breakfasts were especially delicious.  There are so many other restaurants too that we didn’t have time to try (especially the seafood speciality ones).

Getting here: 

  • After travelling from Cebu to Bohol, take a taxi or trike from the Tagbiliran Harbour.
  • Our trike ride from the Tagbiliran Harbour cost 300 pesos and took approximately 45 minutes to Alona, over an hour to Nova Beach Club.
  • To and from Tawala Beach (where Nova Beach Club is located), a motorbike costs about 50 pesos (1 passenger)

Read more about Snorkel Tour, Country Tour, Tarsiers and Tawala Beach.

Breakfast
Our daily breakfasts at Trudi’s were a definite highlight at Alona beach.