Kota Kinabalu
Trip Start
Oct 15, 2008
1
7
8
Trip End
Nov 14, 2008
Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah,
Malaysia
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Today was the day Ali had been building up to since June, and had being finding it increasingly difficult to hide her excitement: today was the day we met with her Mum and Dad. A slight miscalculation in the fact we landed at terminal 2 and they at terminal 1, we got the taxi ride to the other side of the airport, and before the taxi had even stopped Ali was darting out the door because she had spotted her Dad in the waiting room. A few tears swept away and almighty relief that all had worked out well, we got a ride into town and checked into our hotel (down right luxury for Jon and Ali having spent most of their time in hostels, in this place we had en-suite and everything!). Having unpacked, Chris and Lenny handed over Ali's new wardrobe (those of you who saw the list of things she 'needed' brought out will understand) and made their own bags several kilos lighter, plus an underwater camera to capture all our missed submarine moments. So, order of the day, a little wander and a hunt for food... With a great deal of reluctance, Jon and Ali allowed Chris and Lenny to direct them to a western eatery for, well with Lenny could it be anything else but steak! Several beers later we hit the sack ready for a few days of R&R before we headed to Sepilok for the jungle. A bit of a lie in under the excuse of allowing Chris and Lenny to catch up on their jet lag, and we charter a boat to island hop around three of the nearby islands, enjoying some white sand, sun and a little swimming and snorkeling. It was a great time for all of us to catch up and look ahead to Sepilok and Oz for us and Vietnam for them - being seasoned experts we were able to fill them in on the highlights and POIs... On returning from the islands we convinced Chris and Lenny they should begin to sample the local food, and what better time than with us to guide them? So and Indian street stall it was! The pictures we took of the look on their faces when the food was served with no cutlery and on banana leaves was, well, you just had to be there... however, a smile to the patron and forks in hand we introduced them to 'it's not so spicy' food, promptly followed by the need for more beer! They were good sports and we enjoyed each others company, with a final stop at a sports bar/club to watch, as Lenny put it, a depleted Gunners side thrash a full Man U side 2-0 only allowing a away cheer up goal at the end finishing 2-1 - he was a very happy man and you wouldn't believe the lengths we went to to send Kirby a little note.
At this stage we flew to Sandakan and the jungle land of Malaysian Borneo, but that section comes under the following blog... for now we return back to KK after Sandakan to continue this blog:
Chris had promised us a treat when we returned to KK, and bloody hell, it really was, Jon had never been to a place like it and looked like a right fish out of water trying to take it all in, while Ali was like a child in a sweet shop... We spent our last two nights with Chris and Lenny at the Shangri-La Rasa Ria hotel, a billion star resort on the eastern edge of KK, with in-house local music band and courtesy Pimms to announce our arrival, private beach, private jungle and orangutan rehabilitation center, private golf course, full on concierge service and a little lady who 'turns down your bed'... for those of you like Jon who didn't even know you could get that kind of service, in the evening someone comes into your ocean view suite and folds the edges of the duvet back to make it that bit easier to get into bed! I mean this place had everything, and it really was a treat. Ali had an entire beach at night to run along and dip her feet in the sea whilst wearing her evening wear, Lenny had his gourmet steak cooked to perfection, Chris had a private pool to relax and sunbath in and Jon had his all you can eat breakfasts.
A tearful goodbye all round, but it was time to move on; all too quickly if you ask us. But Singapore and more of the southern hemisphere awaits. We must say that our time with Ali's mum and dad was well worth the organising and we hope they enjoyed it too (despite the quick turn around they had to sort out back home) and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for the fun, compassion and of course treat they gave us.
Comments
it sounds good
how nice it sounds lovley cameron said he wishs he was there so do i it looks so good made me laugh dad and his steak lol