Precious Living

Late Sunday, Nic and I came home from a four-day trip to Sabah - The Land Below The Wind. We had such a fun experience that we are already discussing our second holiday at this place.

On Friday, we arrived Kota Kinabalu at about 9pm on a budget Air Asia flight. I had pre-arranged a private room at Borneo Global Backpackers for RM66. It looked rather pleasant from the outside but after seeing the room, Nic wondered if it is worth saving the money since a three-star budget hotel would have costed only RM150.

The private room turned out to be a typical dorm room with six bunker beds that we could have all to ourselves. The bed sheets are mismatched and the bathroom is not attached which honestly didn’t bother me, but it was not for Nic.

Even after I introduced the freely available computer with broadband access in the common area, and emphasized how such conveniences would not be available in a five-star accommodation, he was a little quiet with his views.

We went out to a nearby cyber cafe where Nic replied an avalanche of e-mails on a frustratingly low-tech computer.

After work, we went for a moonlight stroll in the city and came upon a Bah Kut Teh stall near Ang Hotel. A few days later, we would discover from the local grapevine that the best BKT stall in Sabah is near Jesselton Hotel. Still, we enjoyed our BKT meal before walking back in the cool of the night.

The next day, I woke up at about 7am and by 10am, I had explored from the South West of the city to the North East and back again thrice! I even hiked up a small hill to have a peek at The Signal Tower, a Sabah landmark that few would normally bother to visit.

Meanwhile, Nic experimented with the shared computer in the common area and to his delight found it to be bug-free and very speedy. I was thankful that this place is beginning to rise in his opinion.

While waiting for Mr. Tay of Weston Wetlands to pick us up for lunch and the journey to Weston Wetlands, I lazed on the pillows of the common area and watched Nigella Lawson cook up drool-worthy meals on Discovery Travel & Living…