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.

Day Trip to Whistler, BC

Just after a few hours in Vancouver for a short sleep-over, I began to hit the road again, this time for a day trip bound to Whistler, British Columbia.

I picked up my ticket from the Greyhound ticket office just the previous night at the Pacific Central Station because I do not want to risk and be denied from boarding the bus that was scheduled to depart by 5:15AM for Whistler. I booked the ticket online, which is cheap, for only CAD13.65.


There were a few of stops along the way. In one of those it was queer for me to see the familiar name of "Quiapo" which reminded me of a popular bargain market in Manila with the same namesake.


The way to Whistler, BC was very smooth and scenic. I was a bit sleep along the way and I can't help but stay awake to witness the beautiful scenes enroute to the famous mountain and ski resort.


After 2.5 hours of road travel, the bus finally dropped us off right in front of the Whistler Vistor Centre, the jump off point for Whistler Blackcomb. I haven't planned any activity for that day because the website says there are a lot of things to do here so I just walked in, browsed a few tour offerings and brochures lying around and decided to just avail of the "1 Day PEAK 2 PEAK Alpine Experience" package that included the lift rides up and down the Whistler mountain and the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola ride from Whistler mountain to Blackomb mountain and back.


I went around the place and realized that it was still too early and that the place was almost empty. I see a few others jogging around or sitting in a cafe having breakfast.


me


I have been told that Whistler, BC, being a ski resort and because of its close proximity to Vancouver, BC, will be one of the venues of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. A few construction sites, like this one for the Winter Olympic Celebration Plaza is on full swing as of my visit.


There were also other Olympic venues around here and some of them were already done. In fact, there's a tour just for these but I opted not to take part because of limited time I got.

Around 10:00AM, the facilities started to open for public and as soon as they allowed us to queue in the line for the lift going up to Whistler mountain from Whistler Village, I readily jumped so I can get up as soon as I can.


Because it was still early, the queue was still short and I only had 5 minutes of waiting time. By the time I went down that afternoon, I saw that the line mazed out very long at the outside of the building. It was the last weekend for that summer (August 2) so it was still peak season and the extreme heat the past few days made everyone want to seek refuge and look for a cooler place.


A gondola can fit four people, but there were lots of cars available so they boarded only 2 people each.


I am afraid of heights so I rather get into a gondola than use the chair lifts going up. The ride going up Whistler mountain took around 10 minutes with the Village Gondola (there were two Gondolas serving Whistler, the other is Excalibur Gondola), with a stop halway through.


The last stop to the top is on the Roundhouse Station.


The view from the Roundhouse Station in Whistler mountain was spectacular and amazing! For someone like me from the tropics, such view of the alps with snow tops is always a welcoming treat!

A new attaction, the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola recently opened last December 2008. This gondola serves riders from Whistler to Blackcomb and back.


Whistler-Blackcomb


There are 28 gondolas and 2 of which are glass-bottomed (silver cars). I was lucky to arrive at the queue just in time when a glass-bottomed gondola is about to arrive so I didn't have to wait long.


glass-floor!


The trip from Whistler to Blackcomb mountain took around 11 minutes non-stop over a 4.4km distance.


Welcome to Blackcomb


a mini "inukshuk" made by 2 kids in less than 5 minutes!


I took the Alpine Walk Trail in Blackcomb mountain. It was supposedly an hour's worth of walking trail but I took time to appreciate the place so I was there longer. The views from the trail and the surroundings are awesome and breathe-taking!


me


There were some animal sightings along the way. I'm not sure but I think this is a racoon or something. There were also birds, and good thing, I didn't have any bear-sightings! :)


A little more than halfway through, I started to grow tired because I have been carrying around a backpack for I'm going directly to the airport right after. I also have with me some food and refreshments I carried on from Vancouver so I can do some picnic-style snacks. Later on, I saw this sign that made me hopeful and rejuvinated.


Most of the time I was in the ski resort, I just sat down, relaxed and enjoyed the view and the surroundings, breathing fresh air and appreciating the beauty of the place. Later that afternoon, I took the gondola down to Whistler Village and somewhere in the middle, it suddenly stopped. I was alone in the car at that time so I felt a bit scared, but I took the chance to ease things up and take photos of myself instead


the gondola was stopped at this moment


Minutes later, the gondola started to move again so I was relieved. As soon as I reached the village, I looked for a comfortable place to eat, settled and had my late lunch that afternoon - beef burritos!


After having lunch, I went back to the bus station to board the Pacific Coach bu that will take me straight to Vancouver International Airport. It's a bit pricey for CAD51.45 but it is very convenient.


the bus, during one of its quick stops


en-route to Vancouver


We had a brief stop for comfort break in Squamish, British Columbia. I stopped to look around for interesting pictures to take. For the whole day, I've been clicking my camera non-stop!


Highway 99


The route by itself going back to Vancouver is scenic. We passed by bays, mountains, rocks and even waterfalls along the way!


Shannon Falls


As we got near Vancouver, a number of signs for the 2010 Winter Olympics can be seen. Clearly, the city is getting ready for the big event!


And then we finally reached Vancouver International Airport..


This was a backpacking trip so I packed light and preferred not to check-in anything because I will be charged USD15 for a single bag. However, I had a few miniature toiletries that I want to bring along so I scouted the stores in the terminal for a TSA-friendly resealable zipper bag. A few interesting artworks are scattered and here are some just to name a few:

The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, The Jade Canoe,


Other totems and sculptures


The plane bound to Seattle-Tacoma was late for an hour and had a few problems like airconditioning. As soon as I arrived in the airport, I took the public transportation (bus route 174) to Seattle, WA which had lots of stops. I had to go down to University Street station then transferred to another bus because I am bound for Redmond, WA. I was amazed however that the buses used the same lanes as the light rail trains do. As always, I planned my trip itinerary via the dependable and efficient website of King County Metro Transit.


This was the bus with a route number of 174 from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. I didn't realize it is dual-powered and is ran by electricity when inside the tunnel via the wire overhead.


a Sound Transit commuter light rail train