Kota Kinabalu and surroundings

We boarded a very early flight to Kota Kinabalu, where we were picked up from the airport by our tour guide and driver so we could head straight to Kinabalu Park, stopping at a couple of markets along the way.

I loved it all; I wished we'd had more time to spend there. On a different trip, I'd have liked to climb Mt. Kinabalu, but that wasn't this trip, where we were trying to get in so many different experiences. That said, the mountain and surrounding park are stunning.

ginger

orchids in the botanical garden in Kinabalu Park

 

We headed to the Poring Hot Springs, where we went on a canopy walk through the rainforest.

 and passed a massive bok-choy roundabout statue that symbolized the region's agricultural value.

Later, we soaked, but not in these outdoor springs

Which would have been nice, but I didn't want to scandalize anyone with my string bikini, so we got a private indoor hot-spring bath. In retrospect, I would have just done it. The next day, I went snorkeling in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park with a group that included two burkini-clad women from Singapore and a long-sleeved Chinese family from KL. To each her own. [I'd share a photo but some of you--who are hopefully no longer reading this blog--have shown yourselves too immature to deal with photos that entail a swimsuit.]

So here are a bunch of photos of fish, which are much more interesting.

 We ziplined between two of the islands (longest or second-longest inter-island zip line). We hadn't brought enough cash, so only one of us was going to go, but the mother in the Chinese-Malay group generously spotted us. We were very grateful, and it was a blast.

Not us (these were the ladies in burkinis) but you get the idea

We headed back to our hotel for a few hours before we went back out for the dinner cruise included in our package. That was an experience.

We did not ultimately manage to evade the conga line.

The next morning, we popped into the craft market, where Alex bought some masks and though I found no gifts for other people, but I did find a nice bracelet for me.

Alex asked how I knew the pearls were real. The shape, the luster... well, I know pearls well enough that I have a sense of it. It's possible that these are fake, but if so, someone put a lot of work into making them look real--so much so that it could've cost more than the price of real pearls right out of the water where we were.

With our bling in tow, we left Kota Kinabalu for Sandakan, where we would embark on our second tour.