Tuesday 24 December. False landing in Kota Kinabalu
I only had minimal packing as I hadn't unpacked after storing my bag for the two nights at Bako. So I had a nice relaxed breakfast and an unhurried departure at 11.00 for the airport and my 12.50 flight. Check-in was easy and for some reason I got a priority tag on my bag. At security, it was interesting that they don't confiscate water bottles and I was also struck how inbound and outbound passengers can mingle, something that is impossible in Europe.
The flight was delayed half an hour and I settled in to my window seat next to a couple and their large baby. Malaysian manage to provide a meal on even this short flight with impecably cooked cauliflower (BA take note!)
It was a cloudy flight most of the way with little to see from my window. After a bit over an hour it was time to prepare for landing. The descent gradually broke though the clouds and as we made our approach we came over the sea and then housing. With the airport in view the plane suddenly went full-blast into acceleration as if the poilot had seen a missile about to fired at us. We climbed and headed out to sea. The announcement was not entirely clear but seemed to be about the weather and we were going to gill around for quarter of an hour. After about that time we made another approach and this time landed normally. I must say I was rather glad to be on terra firma.
Immigration was easy and on entering the baggage hall, the priority tag had done the trick and my bag was first on the carousel. I decided on a prepaid taxi into town for a journey that took a while with the very heavy traffic. My immediate impression of KK was of a much more densely developed city than Kuching - a sort of Hanoi / Ho Chi Min contrast.
With one delay and another, I finally was checked in at the hotel at about 4.30. My room 412 in Hotel sixty3 was sizeable like that at the LemonTree.
The only thing I didn't like was the muzak that was everywhere and even intruded from the corridor into my room.
'It's the most wonderful time of the year' got on my nerves sufficiently for me to stomp down the reception and asked for it to be turned down. Which it was.
After settling in, I went down to the harbour front to look around. It was dark by now and the fishing boats looked striking with all their illumination.
On land in front of them was a food mall, a bit like Top Spot. However the vendors were a lot more pushy and I didn't really feel up to negotiation or a particularly large meal. Instead I headed back and had fried rice and vegetables at the nearby Emperor's Delight. It was perfectly OK and I headed back for an earlyish night.
The flight was delayed half an hour and I settled in to my window seat next to a couple and their large baby. Malaysian manage to provide a meal on even this short flight with impecably cooked cauliflower (BA take note!)
It was a cloudy flight most of the way with little to see from my window. After a bit over an hour it was time to prepare for landing. The descent gradually broke though the clouds and as we made our approach we came over the sea and then housing. With the airport in view the plane suddenly went full-blast into acceleration as if the poilot had seen a missile about to fired at us. We climbed and headed out to sea. The announcement was not entirely clear but seemed to be about the weather and we were going to gill around for quarter of an hour. After about that time we made another approach and this time landed normally. I must say I was rather glad to be on terra firma.
Immigration was easy and on entering the baggage hall, the priority tag had done the trick and my bag was first on the carousel. I decided on a prepaid taxi into town for a journey that took a while with the very heavy traffic. My immediate impression of KK was of a much more densely developed city than Kuching - a sort of Hanoi / Ho Chi Min contrast.
With one delay and another, I finally was checked in at the hotel at about 4.30. My room 412 in Hotel sixty3 was sizeable like that at the LemonTree.
'It's the most wonderful time of the year' got on my nerves sufficiently for me to stomp down the reception and asked for it to be turned down. Which it was.
After settling in, I went down to the harbour front to look around. It was dark by now and the fishing boats looked striking with all their illumination.
On land in front of them was a food mall, a bit like Top Spot. However the vendors were a lot more pushy and I didn't really feel up to negotiation or a particularly large meal. Instead I headed back and had fried rice and vegetables at the nearby Emperor's Delight. It was perfectly OK and I headed back for an earlyish night.
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