Taman Kinabalu and Poring Hot Spring

Due to time constraints and so we may be able cover more, we signed up for with our hotel travel desk for a Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring day tour which costed us MYR210 each adult, inclusive of lunch. It was a bit expensive but it's worth it since it would be hard to do this trip on our own. The hotel has partnership with Borneo Trails, a local but reputable tour agency.

 

We were picked up at the hotel lobby today around 7:30AM by the tour guide/driver because we have to drive far outside the city and after 1 more hotel pickup, our group of 7, seated comfortably in a van immediately headed towards Taman Kinabalu (Kinabalu Park) and after two hours of drive over some bumpy and curved roads, we stopped by a viewing deck with a good vantage point of the said mountain.

 

Mount Kinabalu is said to be the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. The  whole area, or the park of its namesake (Kinabalu Park or Taman Kinabalu) is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to vast species of flora and fauna and is today a protected site due to its great biodiversity.

 

me

 

viewing deck with Mount Kinabalu at the backdrop

 

At this stopover, we also had a chance to check out the shops for some souvenir items although my wife and I were not very interested at the time. We just sat down and wait for the others so we can proceed to our next stop.

 

We went past the entrance to Kinabalu Park and went instead first to Poring Hot Spring. There was a canopy on site but we didn't bother as we came there for some dip at the hot spring.

 

Our tour guide suggested we get a room, specially if we want privacy. We paid directly at the office an additional MYR15 for the rental and we were led to a room with our own hot spring tub.

 

how the room looks like from outside

 

As we got inside the private room, firt we saw is a bathtub, split into two, so we can have our own and control the temperature.

 

Roshie and Ethan having bonding moments at the tub

 

The room also had its own toilet and shower area. For the price paid for the room, I guess it's not a bad idea if you are a private person. For some reason though, I wish we could have used the public one as we feel lonely inside the room and there weren't a lot of people outside too.

 

This is how the public bathtubs look like. There's still individual tubs however for some privacy but the place is open. Since it also started to drizzle (and eventually rained) as we got there, then having a room was still a good option since we have a toddler in tow.

 

 

There were also two pools outside, but we weren't too keen on using it at that time.

 

We had 1.5 hours to spare at the hot spring as the other members of the group opted for the canopy walk instead. We met at 1PM at the entrance and then proceeded to have lunch.

 

It was already 2PM when we reached Fairy Garden Resort, where we'll have lunch at their restaurant. I was very hungry and started to get dizzy already at that time and it was good they serve the food fast.

 

our van parked amidst a beautiful view.

 

inside the restaurant

 

Didn't take picture as there weren't special with the food. Mostly vegetables (cabbages) and fried chicken with some soup and rice.

 

Our next and final stop was inside Kinabalu Park to visit the Mt. Kinabalu Botanical Garden.

 

From where we parked, we have to walk a bit downhill and a bit uphill to reach the entrance of the garden.

 

As we reached the Botanical Garden, we were greeted by a guide who happily explained and showed us notable faunas in the garden.

 

Here are some pictures I took during the 30 minutes tour inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the Botanical Garden was the last stop, we headed back to Kota Kinabalu thereafter and it took around 2.5 hours travel this time due to some traffic. On the way, we passed by again the City Mosque of Kota Kinabalu and is a sight to see at sundown.

 

We were dropped off back in our hotel around 6PM and we just dropped our things in our room then headed out again, this time for dinner.

 

For tonight, we had our dinner at the food court of Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, which opened just earlier this year. I find the mall to be a bit high-end due to most shops are either boutique or branded. 

 

We ordered our food from Kuo Man while there was a separate counter for all drinks in the middle. Kuo Man is a Chinese Restaurant (or fast food outlet as it is in a food court).

 

stir fried beef with veggies, 2 cups of teh tarik and a large cup of soft drinks

 

wonton soup

 

grilled pork with sauce

 

The food was good, specially the pork (RMY10.50 for the food and RMY7.50 for the drinks) and it was yummy. We were informed the food court has a nice view of the sunset but too bad it was already dark when we got there.

 

 

After dinner, we went to the night market near Le Meridien Hotel, passing by vendors of fruits, dried seafood and items as well as handicraft stores.

 

We aren't sure if this is the "Night Market" or the said "Filipino Market". Anyway, beside Le Meridien is a series of stalls set up on street, selling items like pearls, clothing, bags, souvenirs, etc. like a flea market. We were disappointed though as I expected more and most items I thought were quite expensive since this was a street market.

 

We only got a few things and went back to our hotel to sleep well. Tonight is our last night and tomorrow we will be leaving in the afternoon for a flight back to the Philippines. But before that, we plan to do something if time permits so we are reserving our energy and strength for a good fun and activity tomorrow.

Victoria and The Butchart Gardens

We left Vancouver today, this time to go to Victoria, still in British Columbia province. The trip started early at Pacific Central Station where got our tickets with Pacific Coach Lines for the transfers CAD44 (walk-in), all-inclusive. They do not allow prior reservations so we had to get early at the stations to make sure we have room for that trip.

 

From Vancouver, we stopped at Tsawwassen port, the bus boarded a BC Ferries ship to Swartz Bay. The crossing time took almost 2 hours before our bus was able to continue its journey towards Victoria.

 

Overall journey time from Vancouver to Victoria took around 4 hours. It was a good thing that in between there was a ferry service as we were able to get down from the bus and walk around.

The bus terminal was just nearby Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour Hotel, where we were staying for tonight before we leave for Seattle tomorrow.


I have booked for a 2 Double Beds Guest Room, City View, Low Floor but was upgraded by the hotel to a 2 Double Beds Concierge Level Guest Room, City View, High Floor due to my Gold Elite status in Marriott Rewards. The room rate was CAD99++ taking advantage of their Dine Around & Stay In Town 2011 promo rate. I would say that our stay in this 34sqm is a good deal!

Room view is superb! We can see a lot of Victorian style architectures from where we are!

 

Church of Our Lord as viewed from our room

 

Our agenda today was to go to Butchart Gardens. There were no tours operating for the gardens and it would be too expensive to take a taxi so we just took the local bus transportation.

As we wait for the bus, snow started to fall and for us who live in tropics, we found that amusing and actually played with them.

The bus fare was CAD2.50 per person. It took almost an hour for us to get there coming from Blanshard Terminus (Fairfield at Blanshard).

My mom and I took the Spring Prelude Special Offer which aside from the entrance, included a High Tea experience at the Dining Room Restaurant (CAD44.71 tax inclusive).

me

 

I have been to the gardens 2 summers back. Butchart Gardens today was very different from how I remembered it was. Before, it was so colorful as flowers grow left and right but today everything was mostly covered with snow. 

 

pig fountain

 

We immediately went to The Dining Room. Due to excitement, we didn't notice we haven't taken our lunch yet. It was mid-afternoon and just the right time to have our high tea.

 

If the whole place outside is covered with snow, The Dining Room was totally the opposite as it was very cozy and warm.

 

There weren't a lot of guests at that time. In fact, a couple was just about to leave when we arrived and we were the only one left at the place.

 

High Tea is considered as an early evening meal (or meat tea), a tradition usually followed by elites in UK and other British-related countries.

 

menu

As we pre-purchased our meal with our entrance tickets, we didn't have to order any. They instead asked for our preferred tea and took time to prepare our food.

 

As advertised, we are to have the following:

Signature ginger scone, served warm, accompanied by strawberry jam, whipped vanilla Devon-style cream and maple butter

Hot traditional delicacies: Cornish pasty, Roasted vegetable and cheese quiche, Chicken and mushroom vol-au-vent

Sandwiches and savories: Locally smoked wild B.C. salmon and asparagus pinwheel, Egg salad and watercress, Cucumber with fresh ginger cream cheese, Smoked tuna loin on curried mango chutney

House-made sweets: Chocolate and brandy Napoleon, Marzipan-wrapped Battenberg cake, Vanilla pot de crème, Lemon cheesecake tart with Port glaze

While waiting for the food, I took a chance to admire the flowers they grow indoors at the restaurant and the view outside.

Finally they served our teas, a kettle for each of us. I had their teaberry blend while my mom rose congou tea.

 

 

First they served is their signature ginger scone. My mom actually liked it and was glad they have provided the recipe.

Our food tower. At last I really was very hungry already by the time it came (as I find the scone bit sweet to make it my starter).

me

 

my mom and me

 

hot traditional delicacies

 

sandwiches and savories 

 

house-made sweets 

 

I am a "low maintenance" person and not usually do these "elite activities", but hey, it was a good experience for me and all the food served was good! Then we were lead to a series of historical displays they inside the house, which served as like a family museum.

 

 

 

After the high tea, we went outside to roam around the place. Unfortunately nothing much to see really as the flowers and plants were covered with snow.

Well, there were a few flowers peaking from the snow, but across the whole garden covered with white, it is a very seldom sight to see.

 

 

 

 

There was in indoor garden that we visited and is the only place where plants and flowers grow in abundance.

 

 

 

 

 As we go out, it was amusing to see that even the waterwheel was frozen at that point. During summer, I remember this is one of the places where a lot of people take their picture on. 

 

We took the same bus service back to Victoria and got off in one of the streets as we approached the city.

From there we walked around the city to check out the buildings and places around. The architecture of the buildings in the city are very beautiful. It may be old style but very elegant and classy.

 

 

 

 harbor

 

The Empress Hotel

 

 British Columbia Parliament Buildings

Queen Victoria statue

 

 Royal BC Museum

We got back in the hotel just in time for hors d'oeuvre (cocktails). The view from the hotel (same view from our room and the Executive Lounge) was simply marvelous at night!

 

The Executive Lounge was almost empty at that time. In fact, just one other guest and an attendant was there tonight when we had our hefty servings of food.

 

my food

 

We were tired already as darkness came. Instead of going out, we stayed in our room as the whole atmosphere and weather was very inviting for a good night sleep.