Kota Kinabalu 3 Nights 5 Days Trip Days 4-5: Oceanus Waterfront Mall, Jesselton Point, Blue Mosque, Former Sabah State Administrative Building, Filipino Night Market (+ Souvenir Shops)

Oceanus Waterfront Mall

Malaysia 88000MY Sabah Kota Kinabalu Fuan Stephen Jalan Tun Razak 2nd Floor Lot 28,29,30 Postal Code: Postal Code: 88000

Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, Jln Haji Saman, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Jalan Pasir, Jalan Teluk Likas, 코타키나발루, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Jln Tun Fuad Stephens, Kota Kinabalu, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Travel Dates: 2024.01.20 – 2024.01.24

Visited Places: Grandis Hotel, Suria Sabah, Oceanus Waterfront Mall Korean Restaurant, Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, Former Sabah State Administrative Building, Filipino Night Market

Kota Kinabalu 3 Nights 5 Days Trip – Days 4-5

Last breakfast at Grandis Hotel!

Watermelon seems to be the best.

This grapefruit-like fruit was incredibly bitter even after peeling it all off.

Last-minute shopping before leaving…

There was a huge advertisement for Ji Chang-wook, and

as a Korean, I felt a strange sense of familiarity. lol

Looked at some cosmetics too.

Had the bubble tea I was curious about.

I ordered black milk tea with pearls,

but it tasted exactly the same as the ones I drink in Korea.

It’s not something you need to buy here.

The last day felt like a full-fledged package tour,

which meant visiting souvenir shops. lol

The guide gave so many warnings before we even got off the bus,

I thought there must have been a lot of complaints.

The package description said “shopping center,” so I thought we could just browse freely

and they would sacrifice time for those who wanted to buy something.

But instead, they herded us into a room and gave us a lengthy product presentation.

At first, I thought, “What is this…?” It reminded me of a multi-level marketing seminar.

After listening for over 30 minutes, they gave us time to try out the beds and pillows outside.

The pillows were indeed comfortable…

But they were way too expensive, so I had no intention of buying.

Since I wasn’t buying, I felt awkward just lying there (they said not to feel pressured, but it felt like a long time, so I couldn’t help but feel pressured lol).

I went outside to rest, and then the manager or someone came up to me and asked why I was there and if anyone had pressured me.

They were the ones who pressured me the most.

Honestly, their sales pitch was so persuasive that someone indecisive and weak-willed would definitely be forced to buy.

They must have said “buy it” at least 20 times. They told me not to feel pressured, but they were the ones who made me feel the most pressured.

I heard that other group members were openly insulted for not buying.

It was just a place that ruined my mood.

For lunch, we went to a Korean restaurant called “The Korean” in Oceanus Waterfront Mall.

The menu wasn’t exactly Korean; it was a dish called “steam pot,”

which is like Malaysia‘s hot pot.

Some places offer a half-and-half broth (spicy and clear), but

this one had a clear broth.

They also make porridge at the end, just like in Korea.

The taste was… just okay.

It was too bland, and the quality of the basic ingredients

was definitely lower than in Korea.

I really miss Korean food…

Visited Jesselton Point, a tourist attraction!

You can book activities here and enjoy them,

but we just came to look around.

They gave us about 10-15 minutes, so we just took photos and left.

It was so hot that there weren’t many people,

and we quickly returned to the air-conditioned bus.

This is the viewpoint you see when you go to the City Mosque.

The water is murky, but if you look far away, you can see the boundary where fresh and saltwater meet,

a line where the water color changes.

It was quite close and looked interesting.

And there was a lot of trash on the beach here too…

Anyway, the road was very pretty.

It’s commonly known as a mosque,

but the word “mosque” is a slightly derogatory term for an Islamic temple.

The guide told us not to use the word “mosque”!

It’s lush and green, so photos turn out well.

But the wind was really strong.

We also visited the place that used to be the Sabah State Administrative Building,

and there’s a story that it’s tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

But it’s not true…

You can also take photos with orangutans at the photo zone.

On the way to the second souvenir shop, we saw the temple again.

It looks even prettier up close.

There seemed to be a warning sign on the wall not to climb over the fence.

If you pay the entrance fee, you can wear traditional clothing and take photos,

but I regret not being able to go.

They sold various souvenirs here,

including Noni and Tongkat Ali, which is Malaysia Malaysia’s ginseng.

I tried Noni oil out of curiosity and almost threw up…

Even after scrubbing with soap in the bathroom, the smell wouldn’t go away.

I was going to buy some chocolate here, but I heard the next souvenir shop was a chocolate shop,

so I didn’t buy anything here either.

The staff here speak Korean very well and are friendly,

and the browsing process is very systematic.

We lined up and sampled chocolates by flavor,

and then chose the products we liked.

The cheese-flavored chocolate was so delicious that I ended up buying it.

The price wasn’t cheap, so I couldn’t buy the larger size.

The last stop was the Filipino Night Market.

The guide handed out coconut drinks to everyone first and then gave us free time.

I wanted coconut milk, but we all got coconut water.

And right at the entrance, I found the Instagram-famous mango place…

I was so surprised to see Korean written on the box that I screamed.

OMG, Instagram!? Instagram!!!!!!😲😲😲

The mango vendor confirmed that he was the one. lol

(After walking around the market, I bought some to take away when I was leaving. lol)

There were many food options, such as grilled chicken wings and tiger prawns.

And the durian smell made it a bit stuffy.

The grilled shrimp looked so delicious that I sat down at a stall.

It was the same stall I had looked at earlier, but when I tried to order,

they suddenly quoted a higher price than what they had told me before.

I was like, “What??? You said fifteen ringgit earlier!!” When I spoke in Korean, they lowered the price back to the original.

Everyone, be careful of being ripped off. (It might have been a rip-off price from the start. lol)

We ate one medium-sized shrimp each.

Honestly, among all the food I ate in Kota Kinabalu,

this was the absolute best.

If I were traveling independently, I would eat at the night market for every meal.

It was so, so, so delicious, and it was sad that I couldn’t eat more because I was full.

We had dinner at the same Korean restaurant where we had lunch!

Originally, there was a designated time, but since we had some time to spare,

they told us we could eat now if we waited inside the building.

So we went to eat a little earlier.

The side dishes generally had a sour taste, which wasn’t great,

but the main dish was edible.

I really need to eat Korean food…

Of course, it wasn’t “super delicious,” and I still wanted to eat the shrimp from earlier.

We had about an hour left until we had to go to the airport,

so we decided to kill time at a cafe near where the bus would pick us up.

All the menus were in Korean.

The coffee tasted just like in Korea.

This place is Kota Korea.

Leaving behind the last night view of Kota Kinabalu,

we boarded the bus to the airport.

It only took 15 minutes to get to the airport, so we arrived quickly.

Ate the mangoes I bought at the airport.

They were so sweet that my tongue felt numb.

It tasted a bit like honey, living up to the “honey mango” name.

We had about 3-4 hours of buffer time before the flight, so waiting was tough.

I had put all my toiletries in my checked luggage,

so the flight was very uncomfortable.

Since the flight was around 1 AM, I went to the restroom at the boarding gate,

and everyone was washing their faces and brushing their teeth. lol

I should have borrowed some.

My iPhone’s night mode is too slow.

I woke up while sleeping and took photos of the beautiful sunset.

But the window kept reflecting, so the photos didn’t turn out as well.

Upon arriving in Incheon, I immediately went to eat Korean food.

Wow, the kimchi jjigae place was amazing.

It tasted like it had been simmered for a long time, so I finished a whole pot first thing in the morning!

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Kota Kinabalu 3 Nights 5 Days Trip Days 1-2: Grandis Hotel, Mamutik Island, Suria Sabah (+ Tips for Filling Out the Malaysia Arrival Card)

Travel Dates: 2024.01.20 – 2024.01.24 Visited Places: Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Grandis Hotel, Sutera Harbour Marina, Mamutik…

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Kota Kinabalu 3 Nights 5 Days Trip Day 3: Floating Sunset, Kawang Firefly Tour (+ A Good Place for a Massage)

Travel Dates: 2024.01.20 – 2024.01.24 Visited Places: Grandis Hotel, Suria Sabah KFC, Vincci, Sea Spa Massage, …

blog.naver.com

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