Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia was a one day stop before moving on to the Philippines. A day out with Bob and Gille was a diverse experience in local immersion. Grab is the local version of Uber and four rides cost us a grand total of about twelve dollars. Lunch for four about fifteen and a men's haircut about eight. 

The first stop was the Floating Mosque, Masjid Badayara Kota Kinabalu. The views of it surrounded by a reflecting pond would perfect the image on a windless day, but it was beautiful just the same.

A twenty minute walk along the busy roads brought us to a Buddhist temple, Pu Yuo Si Temple. Calm and quiet, we were nearly alone there and the one visitor who passed us by shared greetings from his country and made us feel most welcome. 

Ellie had used AI to find recommendations on where to go and the Tun Mustapha tower made the cut. This cylindrical building is the tallest in the city and it was not the most interesting thing there. After looking across the bay to see our ship at the dock we were met by about forty middle school kids, mostly girls, in their Muslim based school uniforms. They were quite excited at the sight of foreigners like us and insisted on taking pictures with us. Again, we felt most welcome. 

A Grab ride to the waterfront in hopes of finding some lunch was disappointing. It seems the hawker stalls close in the afternoon. We crossed the street to a mall and found lunch for the four of us for about 15 dollars. Upstairs Bob got a full haircut with wash and blow dry for about eight. 

Heading back out into the heat we headed for the oldest structure in the city. The Atkinson Clock Tower. Not a stellar find, but more local history. 

We considered going to a chocolate factory, but decided we may melt before we got there. 

$1.25 Grab ride back to the ship and a dip in the pool. 

Another good day.