On buying a sim-card for the phone it was off to bed as it was a 4am start to catch a plane to Sabah…
Flying out from KL demonstrates just how spread out the city is with suburbs stretching into the distance - it also demonstrates how much palm oil has redefined the landscape of this wonderful country. On our flight across the country it was possible at times to see little else but palm oil groves - However, worse was to come as landing in Kota-Kinabalu I noticed a prevalence of palm trees…
The flight over the sea was wonderful with scenes straight from the book “earth from the air” with sea mounts, blue/green shallows leading to the depths and glistening surf churning onto untouched island beaches.
Taking off from KK I see little else but stands of palm trees in uniform blocks across the landscape - ok they are still trees but the habitat has been radically altered… The only break comes when the highlands begin and in this area the rain forest holds on against the tide of palm groves channelling into the lowland valleys… It was easily possible to pick out the huge areas of land under new development having exposed red soil where logging had progressed, in some cases the felled trees where still visible in organised rows. Plantations are universally blocks of trees striped with road ways to recover the nuts for processing. It is amazing how the landscape has been changed and is patterned by the hand of humans… Shocking.
There remain some areas of rainforest in the lowlands near rivers and in patches as you approach Sandakan but it is having to compete against the palm fronds which appear as spiky grass from a few thousand feet up!
Sandakan is a small town on the coast with a Naval base and small market - the roads are well maintained and the shops can provide for your mod cons and daily requirements. Once again the food here is excellent and cheap if you are prepared to eat from food stands ;)
However, for a colonial treat take a walk up to the “English Tea House & Restaurant” at the top of the hill behind the town (15mins walk up some stairs and along a forest flanked pathway). You will find a wonderful restaurant with lovely staff who will sit you at a table with fan and wet towel to mop your brow if you are as sweaty as I was!! I settled into the tranquil and frankly idyllic garden on a wicker chair and ordered pink lemonade (£3ish)… Then the ‘High Tea’ (£5ish), which comes with English tea (or coffee), 4 tarts (the baked kind!), 2 cucumber sandwiches and 2 large mouth-wateringly warm scones with cream and jam - Truly a relaxing environment in which to unwind after two connecting flights (the first ran 1 hour late 0_0)… The restaurant lawn also has a Croquette game laid out, which is the first sight to greet you as you ascend the steps to the front entrance. So bring a friend and have a go and let yourself be transported back to classic family days in the garden - you may like it ;)
At the end of my High Tea and desert the owner ‘Rory’ came over and introduced himself and asked with real interest my views on the ‘English Tea House & Restaurant’, he turned out to be a warmly welcoming man with a great knowledge of the local area. Just, yet another reason to visit :)
I am staying at ‘Sandakan Backpackers’ for two nights and am already impressed with the excellent compact dorm room with AC and the hot water showers - it is located near the food stands and in walking distance of the bus station and all attractions. Once again I would recommend this for those on a budget (£5 a night). Also if the taxi is unable to find the place just ask to be taken to one of the local land marks… KFC… Yep from here its easy to walk to the hostel (1min away).
Thursday, 2 December 2010
PETRONAS Towers and mall
From a distance as i head to find them... Woooh... Think i have got them mostly in... and the KLCC mall geared for Christmas :)
Kuala Lumpur
I stayed in ‘Bedz KL’ in the Golden triangle area of Kuala Lumpur (Check Lonely Planet for more) and it was ideally located for walking around the cities attractions - I made it around the towers and the local markets on foot in one day. Bedz KL also has AC dorms, which are comfortable and secure with wonderful hot water showers :) I recommend this for those on a budget.
My day of exploration showed KL to be a modern city with AC shopping malls, a good underground and MRT system and a range of eateries with food for £2 or less ;) Although sometimes you may not quite know what your eating… I found pointing at a picture soon provided me with a plate of tasty, if a little chewy, food. Try it at the night market nearby. Also definitely take a ride on the elevator to the top of the Menara observation tower (takes 55secs) as it gives you a wonderful view of the city including the PETRONAS Towers - if you come at dusk you can watch them light up :) and included in the price of your ticket you get to see animals in the small nearby zoo and go for an F1 experience (well a video game in a F1 shaped cockpit anyway for 6 laps - I came first even though i span of the track twice!)
Also make sure you visit the KLCC centre (shopping centre at the PETRONAS Towers as you can be awestruck by the shear mighty presence of the building as you leave from the park entrance - looking back I can barely get the towers into the viewfinder on my camera (the pictures are from the far side of the park!!) It is also a location for great coffee and cheesecake and I can truly recommend ’Coffee Bean’ ;)
Finally the traffic in KL is a little hectic... Well 4-5 lanes of traffic on the go non stop, especially if its raining! I found it impossible to cross one of the roads as the crossing never turned green for pedestrians! i can only assume it was because the traffic was so heavy.
My day of exploration showed KL to be a modern city with AC shopping malls, a good underground and MRT system and a range of eateries with food for £2 or less ;) Although sometimes you may not quite know what your eating… I found pointing at a picture soon provided me with a plate of tasty, if a little chewy, food. Try it at the night market nearby. Also definitely take a ride on the elevator to the top of the Menara observation tower (takes 55secs) as it gives you a wonderful view of the city including the PETRONAS Towers - if you come at dusk you can watch them light up :) and included in the price of your ticket you get to see animals in the small nearby zoo and go for an F1 experience (well a video game in a F1 shaped cockpit anyway for 6 laps - I came first even though i span of the track twice!)
Also make sure you visit the KLCC centre (shopping centre at the PETRONAS Towers as you can be awestruck by the shear mighty presence of the building as you leave from the park entrance - looking back I can barely get the towers into the viewfinder on my camera (the pictures are from the far side of the park!!) It is also a location for great coffee and cheesecake and I can truly recommend ’Coffee Bean’ ;)
Finally the traffic in KL is a little hectic... Well 4-5 lanes of traffic on the go non stop, especially if its raining! I found it impossible to cross one of the roads as the crossing never turned green for pedestrians! i can only assume it was because the traffic was so heavy.
Entering Malaysia
Entering Malaysia on the 1st class luxury coach is a pleasure - the double level coach has only 18 seats all like cocoons with there own selection of films and refreshments provided on the journey by an ever alert attendant. All for the total coast of s$70 (£35) which is a steal ;) The journey lasts 5 hours and the roads are smooth all the way with a short break to have your passport checked and stamped - this is a lot less hassle than flying!! However the scenery takes a severe change after the Singapore border with endless landscapes of palm oil plantations (occasionally screened by a small layer of deciduous trees). This landscape continues almost unbroken for more than 290km!! On nearing Kuala Lumpur (KL) you are struck by how modern it looks with suburbs of newly built homes most with orange roofs and tall well constructed apartment blocks surrounded by small open areas and finally the number of high tech companies located on the edge of the city including Sony.
The eye catching vista of Kuala Lumpur is accentuated by the PETRONAS Towers - Two huge towers connected by a sky bridge reaching up towards the sky in glittering finery. A wonderful sight and flanked by the needle shaped Menara tower and smaller sky scrapers.
The eye catching vista of Kuala Lumpur is accentuated by the PETRONAS Towers - Two huge towers connected by a sky bridge reaching up towards the sky in glittering finery. A wonderful sight and flanked by the needle shaped Menara tower and smaller sky scrapers.
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