Where and how are you? KK! Day 1 (Part 2)

Day 1

 

Despite sleeping at 4am, I was already up and about at 8am. Probably, aging was a factor. They say, the older you become, the lesser sleep you need. And there were also some noise coming from the alley where my window was located. There were matured ladies speaking in a language I couldn’t understand (I later found out that they were Chinese).

 

Just enough to leave room for the feast to come

My accommodation comes with free breakfast. But being in a budget hotel, I knew that my breakfast would be of the budget kind as well.  Actually, it was a normal breakfast of toast, butter, jam, fresh fruit and coffee. If you’re in KK, light breakfast is advisable because there are loads of cheap but good-tasting food choices available soon as you step out of your hotel.

 

This trip was only known to a few relatives and friends. You can just imagine the surprise of the others when they learned that I had slipped out of the country. So I spent the next hour catching up with them. In the span of 20 minutes, I had Facetime sessions with friends and family from the Philippines, Australia and Japan, and with other chat sessions on the side.

 

Still clad in my favorite daster, I went down the reception area to inquire about a possible tour outside the city.  My initial plan was to have the tour on Day 1.  But the tour I wanted to join regularly leaves  at around 7am. Obviously, I wouldn’t be able to join said tour as planned because of my arrival schedule.  So I asked if there was another tour the following day heading to Mt. Kinabalu and I was informed that they need to check it first because it was Hari Raya and the services might not be available.

 

To maximize my time, I went out of the hotel and explored the nearby places.  I checked out where I could buy souvenirs as well as the directions to the restaurants and sites I would like to visit.  I also had to find a money changer. By the way, I already bought a few MYR at NAIA 3 before I left because I needed the local currency to pay for my taxi fare. I suggest you do the same especially when your arrival time is during unholy hours, i.e. airports money chargers are closed.

 

Still in my daster, I went to to Centrepoint Sabah to purchase some MYR. There are also other malls where money changers are available. Some say rates are even better.  However, I do not see the point of exhausting myself just to get the best deals when the differences are immaterial.

Yep, that was my lunch

When it was almost lunchtime, I decided to go back to the hotel. The weather was getting hotter and it has gotten more humid so instead of having my lunch at one of the restaurants, I decided to order take-away and have it in my airconditioned room.  Most of the restaurants were carinderia-style, open air. There were several options in the area but I opted to go for Chinese at Wong Kok Restaurant. What I loved about the place was that their menu on the wall had English translation and that their cashier spoke good English. So for lunch, I ordered their Duck and Roast Pork Rice .  For the drinks, I bought canned Winter Melon drink at a nearby mini-grocery. I was almost near the hotel when the smell of waffles reached my nose.  Of course, I had to sample it.  I got a set of 10 Kaya Balls (round waffles with Pandan Kaya filling).  It was one of the decisions I’ll never regret.  This kaya ball from Golden Fish has become one of my favorite food for this trip. I spent the whole afternoon snacking on it. If we were to convert my lunch expenses to Php, that much food with merienda to spare was under Php200.

Duck and Roast Pork. I heard them say Itik!

Winter Melon Forever

At the height of summer, 12-3pm are best spent away from the sun.  It is something I practice even when I’m overseas.  That was why I opted to spend the next hours in my hotel room. The wear from the previous day’s travel also finally caught up with me.  This old woman had to take her rest. After all, this trip is designed for me to relax.  Actually, this was the best part of traveling solo - being able to relax, no other schedules to consider, no stress.  I owned my time.

 

10 balls per order? Kayang-kaya!

With nothing to watch on TV and tired of watching from my mobile, I decided to look out of my window and see what was causing the noise. They had been at it since I woke up.  What I saw was an interesting set of dynamics. Let’s just say that the matured women (some might be older than me) in the alley belong to the oldest profession. Behind my curtains, I watched how these women dealt with one another and their prospective customers. During my brief stay, I have noted that unlike in other places where work starts at night, their working hours were between 5am-5pm. I had to laugh when I was able to relate this to the joke, “Ang aga ng manliligaw mo, Instik ba yan?” As I have mentioned earlier, I was informed that the ladies were Chinese.

 

By 5pm, I went down the reception to once again check possible tour options. I was told that there was a tour available the following day but I have to join a bus full of other tourists.  However, they won’t be able to take me to Desa Dairy Farm, the one place I really wanted to visit.  They gave me the option to hire my own taxi but it would cost me at least MYR250 and the price still did not include the food and entrance fees.  This kind of trip takes one whole day.  The overall cost would be too much for me so I decided not proceed with the tour.  Another factor I considered was the Gaya Street Sunday Market. If I take the tour, I would have to miss this once a week market. You might be wondering why I chose the Sunday market over the opportunity to see the sights (and have some photo ops).  You see, I am more of a culture and heritage type of gal. I love being around locals. I don’t want to just see places, I want to experience them.  The Sunday Market may also be a tourist destination but still, a lot of locals frequent the place.

Rain, rain go away!

With the tour issue settled, I went out to search for dinner. It was at this point when I realized that my trip has become a food trip. I was planning to go to the Waterfront and Seafood Market but it started to rain.  Changed my plan and opted to get dinner nearby. I have a list of food places I would like to try and one of them was The Royal Coconut (TRC).  However, their place was closed when I got there. They had a cute note saying something like, “Don’t panic, we’ll open tomorrow!” Not one to be easily put down, I decided to check out the tents which I saw on my way to TRC. My curiosity was actually piqued by the locals I saw carrying plastic bags full of food and drinks. It was there that I discovered a gem of a bazaar, the Ramadan Bazaar! There were loads of stuff to choose from because this was where some locals bought their dinner when it was time to break their fasting for Ramadan. I actually had to walk back and forth, about three times, so I could decide on what to buy.  With lots to choose from, my dinner became a “buffet”. There were no tables at the bazaar so I had my dinner in my hotel room.  Check out my bazaar finds. Once again, I shelled out less than Php200 for all of these.  Amazing, right?

 

No trip to Malaysia will be complete without this.

 



First time to try it and it was good.



Rice is life!

Put them together and you get  the drink Cendol Gula Melaka

Interesting combination. 
There's something about this place and its affinity to lime.

I was so full. How full?  Let's just say that I managed to walk hours under the heat of the sun and in between throngs of shoppers the following day without having any breakfast and with my next meal happening at lunchtime already. Yes, I had that much energy stored from my dinner!

Done with Day 1.