Backpacking Malaysia: From Kota Kinabalu to Labuan to Brunei

On our second day in Kota Kinabalu, we planned to spend the day going around the Sabah Museum and travelling to Labuan Island in the afternoon to meetup with my friend's Malaysian friend (which became my friend also) there. We decided to spend the night there since it is on the way going to Brunei, which is our next destination after KK.

Going to Labuan Island, you need to ride a ferry in Jesselton Point. This will bring you to the small island and is the midpoint port if you plan to go to Brunei from KK. Located at the edge of town, Jesslton Point welcomes you with the big arc and and their ticketing office going to the different areas in KK.

Food Trippin' Kota Kinabalu: BB Cafe Bar and Grill

On our first night on KK, we decided to have dinner since it was in the early afternoon since our last meal We wanted to try something different and so we explored the town. Even though most of the shops are already closed at that time, there are still a lot of food establishments opened.

We were attracted by the bright lights and cheering crowd in the middle of the town. There seems to be some singing competition and as we looked and watched for a while, we decided to dine in BB Cafe Bar and Grill, the restaurant nearest to the singing competition we were watching. 

Milk Tea Hunt: True Brew

There is a newly opened milk tea shop in Ayala and they have a promo for SMART employees. Thankfully, I learned it before the promo ended and I enjoyed True Brew's up size promo for their opening at Blessings.

Located at the Blessings and Prosperity Canteen along Ayala Avenue (beside Rufino), the new tea shop is a new hit in the office. They sell a variety of milk tea flavors and they even have the cream cheese on top variety like those of Gong Cha and Happy Lemon.

Backpacking Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Museum, Sabah Art Gallery and Sabah Islamic Museum

After we went around the Heritage Village, we went to the main entrance of the Sabah Museum. It was already opened at that time and since we ares till waiting for lunch time for our ferry ride in the afternoon.

We hanged out the souvenir shop first because we thought it was RM15 for only one museum but as we asked about it, that amount was already for the three museums, Sabah Muesum, Sabah Art Gallery and Sabah Islamic Museum.

Backpacking Kota Kinabalu: Heritage Village

On our second day in Kota Kinabalu, we decided to tour some sites there before going to Labuan Island in the afternoon. We checked the maps we got in the airport and decided on taking the Heritage Village area since it has a lot of stuff there that could fit in just a short amount of time.

After breakfast, we ask the staff in the inn to tell us how to go there. She suggested that we ride the taxi since it is cheaper and more convenient than taking the bus. After we got our tickets for the afternoon ferry, we hailed a cab to take us to the site. It costs RM20 going there.

Place to Stay in Kota Kinabalu: Borneo Backpackers

Our stay in Kota Kinabalu was short. We didn't really reserved any room and we planned on just taking our chance in Borneo Backpackers for an overnight stay. Luckily, there are available rooms for us the night we arrived at Kota Kinabalu.

Located at No. 24 Lorong Dewan, the inn is in the middle of the main town of KK. It can easily be located since it is near Atkonson Clock Tower. As you reach the area, there is a small coffee shop at the ground level. Whenever people ask them about the inn, they automatically point you to the side for the entrance.

Backpacking Kota Kinabalu: Exploring the City Center

We arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport at around 6 in the evening and after all the immigration process, we got out at around 7 pm hailing a cab that would take us to our inn. We figured not to waste the day and so, we went out at night to find food and to explore Kota Kinabalu's City Center.

It was drizzling a bit but it didn't stop us from walking around. Guided by the few brochures that we got in the airport, we looked for places to even that late hours. Good thing, we are near the city center and everything that you need to see there is reachable by foot. And so, our late night exploring began.