BahBoys I: Safely in Sabah

In early March, the general populace was still very cautious about traveling although most COVID restrictions had been loosened. KH jumped on the opportunity and got us a couple of flight tickets to Sabah. A mere RM300 for MAS return tickets. At the boarding gate, I realized something strange~ our fellow passengers were lugging around large plastic bags of bread! Did a quick check on Google and this headline popped up: 

"Did You Know Gardenia Products are Sold For Almost 3x the Price in Sabah and Sarawak?" 

No wonder. But still, I didn't verify this fact while I was in Sabah. While boarding, a Sabahan made small talk with a tourist who was planning to explore the whole state in 3 weeks. She was obviously amused. We cleared immigration using our NRIC. I stuffed the white immigration slip deep into my wallet because losing it is a big hassle. KKIA was pretty quiet, and some areas of the arrival hall wasn't well-lit. The first thing we had to do was collect our car from EuroCar. They didn't even have a service counter. While KH settled the car, I went shopping for some snacks at Orange, a popular kombini in Sabah.    

Nearly an hour after arrival, we were ready to start our roadtrip in a white Nissan Almera (the car rental guy commented that it didn't rack up any mileage in the last 2 years). Since it was an Almera, I was the designated driver. It wasn't even 4PM yet, and the road out of Kota Kinabalu towards Kundasang was already jammed due to high traffic and roadworks. Just ninety minutes out, we were already presented with breathtaking views of the majestic Crocker Range. The temperature dropped and the road condition worsened. Made a short stop at Pekan Nabalu, and bought a bag of Buah Tampoi (not recommended!). 

Stopped for dinner at 89 Station, a casual Chinese restaurant. The sun had begun to set, and sky seemed to be on fire! It was so cold that I pulled on my jacket, and we made sure to order a bowl of fish maw soup to warm our bellies. Enjoyed the curry venison, and deep-fried local mushrooms too. After we had ordered, a whole bunch of West Malaysians came in, probably Mt. Kinabalu hikers. 

Lodgings for the night was at The Hill. Once we had settled in, we explored the place. Basically, its a campsite with some common areas, and chalets. It was misty all over, so we couldn't see much of the surroundings.