And I Can Find a Faith in Days I've Wasted, Been Around Enough to Feel Alive

As today was my second, and only full day in Kota Kinabalu, it was definitely time to Carpe Diem, and make the most of my wonderful surroundings.

Having not made it to Tanjung Aru beach last night before it got dark, that was my first task for today as I got up early to have breakfast and then head out in the direction of the shore.
I decided to take a slightly different route to the one I did yesterday, as when walking in the direction of Tanjung Aru I had gone via the mosque, but today I took the more traditional route to get there, following the road that my hotel is on until it eventually intersected with the route I took yesterday. It seemed to be slightly quicker and on the way I witnessed a bit of a water village in the distance, and the sight of a couple of natives trying their hand at fishing using a net whilst waist deep in the water. How successful they were I'm not sure, but it was an interesting sight to see, and a stark contrast to the more modernised central parts of Kota Kinabalu, versus this more rural approach to life and survival.

It turns out with all my walking to Perdana Park yesterday I was actually only an extra five minutes away from the beach in Tanjung Aru, although in fairness it is pretty vast, and if I knew, as I discovered later, that some of the side streets also lead to the sand I could probably have reached a part of it before sunset.
Seeing it in the daylight though was a sight to behold.

I have been fortunate enough to go to some wonderful beaches in my time including fantastic ones in Florida, Barbados and Thailand. Whilst this wasn't quite up to those exceptional standards, it was magnificent, and also extremely empty.
There was a small park next to the beach which I walked through and admired for a brief while before deciding to head onto the sand, and walk south away from the hub of the town.
I did my best to look like a huge tourist today with my bright red swimming shorts and flip-flops on, all that was missing was a straw hat of some kind. Removing my footwear I stepped onto the sand, discovering that it was boiling hot and far to warm to walk along so high up.
I made a move to the harder stuff which was closer to the water, and continued to walk along the shore as far as I would go.

I was in awe of how beautiful it all looked with crystal clear looking water, and a view of the tropical looking Gaya Island in the distance. After a couple of kilometres I'd reached the limit of the beach in that direction.
Five minutes more and I think I'd actually have been at the airport, as remiss to me because I was asleep at the time, one turned almost immediately into the other at the southern border of Kota Kinabalu.
I headed back in the opposite direction even more amazed by the view; the sand and the water appeared to continue on forever, and I decided to test out the water by walking in it, letting the tide lap

gently on my ankles. I was surprised to discover that the water was actually tepidly warm, but with how humid it was today, even by the coast, I don't think I'd have been put off even if it was freezing cold.
This experience of the beach had reminded me why I was initially so motivated to travel to this part of the world. I might not have made it to the beach in Cebu City, but this more than made up for it and also has me anticipating trips to Indonesia and Thailand even more. I hope that as part of those stays, beaches become an almost daily occurrence.

My walk through the water had taken me as far as I could go in a northerly direction and with an increasing amount of jellyfish and crabs making me have to watch my every step I decided that my time at the beach had come to an end.
I rejoined the path and walked back in the direction of my hotel where I intended to have a quick shower and refresh before heading back into town.
For a relatively small pace it seemed as though there were a fair few sights to be views in Kota Kinabalu. I had a list as long as my arm of things to view, and places to go, and made a start by heading in the direction of a small park in the city. It wasn't anything spectacular, just a nice bit of green space, so from there I went slightly East towards Chinatown and the central market which eventually led to a huge hill. Two of Kota Kinabalu's best known sights reside on the hill itself, one at the top and one at the bottom.

The first one you come across is Atkinson Clock Tower which stands opposite the police station and is the oldest standing structure in Kota.

Moving on I followed a twisty path which helped me to the top of the hill where I found Signal Hill Observatory. Admittedly there is not a great deal to look down upon but it was good to be able to see out over the town and also out towards the water and the nearby islands from my lofty position. I stayed at the viewpoint for a while taking in the brilliance of the scenery around me before decending down a rugged looking set of steps which brought me out slightly further down the road from where I'd climbed up to photograph the clock tower.
I did a bit of walking towards the area of Likas which is home to a small bay and another sandy beach, but after viewing from a distance the two most impressive buildings in the distance, 1Borneo Shopping Centre and the Tun Mustapha Tower, I walked back in the direction of the harbour.

Being right on the coast Kota Kinabalu is an access point to and from Brunei and the rest of Borneo. I went out as far as I could onto the pier where there were lots of people enjoying the end of another glorious day. I stayed to watch the sun disappear from the horizon as multi-coloured clouds dazzled me with their beauty and then I decided it was about time to head home as neon lights started to buzz all around me.

Even though I have planned out a list of where I'm going to go each day, sometimes the best moments are when you spontaneously find something which sparks your interest, and as I walked back in the direction of home I found myself at the entrance to the night market. Just as the natural light was entirely fading from the sky, the place came alive with people selling goods of all kinds. It gave me the feeling of sensory overload I'd first experienced in Korea when walking through the food market at night, and I was intrigued by what each and every stall was selling.
The market seemed to go on for miles and miles as endless rows of stalls became busier and busier with interested buyers or contented browsers all sharing the experience. I have always enjoyed going to markets like this whether they are food or craft-based and I now look forward to being able to attend a few more as my journey continues.

A full day of sightseeing had left me starving as I hadn't eaten properly since my breakfast of egg, beans, toast and a hash brown so once back at my hotel I popped to a nearby restaurant to get some good.
Unlike in England when you go out to eat and you're given some time to make your choice about what to eat, I always feel like you're under pressure to decide in Asia so I just went with the first thing I recognised the name of which was Nasi Lemak. It is essential rice and sembal with some other extras on the side, and I have had it before when I was in Singapore.

As is common when you order something the natives serving you clearly feel like you have no idea what it is, the woman gave me the standard Westerners warning of  "It's very spicy. Very Hot". Don't get me wrong, I very much appreciate the warning, it's more the presumption that I won't be able to handle the humidity that offends. I think having been to Asia a few times now my tolerance for spicy food has increased and I think back to a time in Korea when a restaurant owner could see Charlie, Kevin and I struggling with some Dak Galbi so he opened the door for us, and from then on they always used to make it a little bit milder for us.

Sadly as of 8.50am tomorrow my time in Kota Kinabalu will be up as I am moving on to Brunei for a short stay in Bandar Seri Bagawan. This part of the continent has been very different to what I experienced in the Philippines, and I feel like this could potentially be a place I would visit in the future.

Just to give you complete beach envy, here's a video I took whilst strolling along Tanjung Aru Beach this morning:

These Days
Take That (2014)