Kota Kinabalu

29th Oct 2019

I had half a day in KK. Since I was here a year ago, not much has changed. But number of eateries are renovated to more modern setting to cater for young foreign tourists especially the Chinese and Korean.

There is now a food street.

The seafront seafood market and restaurants have slightly been improved.

Sandakan. Chinese Kampong Sim Sim

28th Oct


Kampong Sim Sim

Never in my imagination  had I believe a large Chinese community living in houses built on stilts, exactly like a sea village of the Malays. The houses are lined up in need rows and connected by alleyways. You can see the sea water between houses. Some houses are rebuilt and some alleyways are now concreted. Google map of Kampong Sim Sim. The Chinese occupy mainly the northern village.

The houses in Kampong Sim Sim come with traditional wall pasting especially on main doors.

I spoke to an elderly Chinese in his 60s. He is the 3rd generation Chinese immigrants. He moved here in the 70s. He said in the 60s, this kampong was built for the indigenous people. But the take up rate was not encouraging and the Chinese were offered. According to him about half the residence in Kampong Sim Sim are Chinese. Since then many Chinese homes were renovated and enlarged. Some converted their houses to restaurants. Today, there are many seafood restaurants.

Sandakan Resident said no change in the last 30 Years

28th Oct

Like all coastal towns in Sabah, the oldest industry is fishery. Sandakan is no different, there is a fishing port and piers for fishing boats to berth and unload their catches and load up the logistics needed for going out to sea.

The boats are old, dirty and untidy unlike fishing boats in the Europe. The hulls are wooden and paint are spalling. The jetties in the 4 towns I had visited have similar characteristics, dirty and the foul smell of fish is unmistakable. The wooden jetty are in need of repairs.

The pier also served people moving to and from of nearby islands inhabited mainly by native "orang laut" of people of the sea. Small boats mounted with outboard motors are used ferry both people and goods..

Like all the towns I have been, there is a main fish market adjacent to the jetty where fish mongers sell wide varieties of fish and crustaceans.

And nearby this fish market there will always be a pasar or wet markets. Outside the market there will be vendors selling daily necessities  along any available spaces along the road sides.

Around the city

This is the old city of Semporna. According to an old resident I spoke to, the city has not changed much for the last 30 to  40 years. Large number of immigrants from nearby Philippines has put stress on the city. Sandakan is a Chinese dominated city. Unfortunately the Chinese have moved out and settle in nearby satellite towns. All Chinese restaurants and eateries had move out to the suburbs.

Restaurant King Cheong, traditional Chinese kopitiam and also serve tim sum in the morning. Its the only noticeable Chinese left in the old city. Tim sum are sold on push cart. The shop closed in late afternoon,

Many people are already eating or moving around the street. The people here start early. In the evening, shops are shuttered by 5 pm and the streets become quiet except those closer to the waterfront and restaurants. The sunset here is earlier. By 6.30pm its already dark.

This is 5 pm and the shop are closed.

Sandakan Sunday Market.                                                                                                          

Outside the hotel where I stayed, the roads are closed to cars every Sunday morning. Vendors stretched the entire "Jalan Dua' with the usual wares as one would see in "pasar malam".          

Hotel Central I stayed for 4 nights