One particular event that I remember is the day that we docked at Kota Kinabalu(KK). The passengers were glad to be on land. The day before we had been at sea and had ridden the rocky ocean with swells from 3 feet to 12 feet. A deadly tropical cyclone, Typhoon Tembin, had impacted the southern part of the Philippines and the Sapphire Princess got to feel and endure the path of the typhoon. I was seasick some, but there were other passengers that never left their cabin.
I was happy that I had signed up for a tour and that I was going to be on land for several hours. About thirty-two passengers climbed aboard the bus and our tour guide began to give us some history of KK. KK is on the South China Sea and is the state capital of Sabah. The main contribution for the prosperity of the area is from oil and gas. Shell has a large office located in the downtown area. Palm oil, tourism and coffee/tea also play a big part for the economy.
Our guide gave some other facts. The population for Sabah is approximately 3 million compared to the population of Malaysia which is about 30 million. Within Malaysia there are 32 different races with about 18 different languages that are spoken.
As we drove through the city, the main thing that I noticed that there were areas of poverty with wealth of large homes or condos across the street. Since KK is on the water, it is surrounded by palm trees and beaches and the beautiful ocean.
KK has some unique buildings, such as the Federal Building and the Tun Mustapha Tower. This stunning 30-story glass tower is suspended from high tensile steel rods surrounding a central core.
On our way to the Sabah Museum, we drove past the State Mosque, which has five golden domes.
Arriving at the Sabah Museum, we visited the Heritage Village. We experienced the different types of traditional houses of the various groups of Sabah. The one hut that we went into had human skulls hanging from the ceiling. To marry a Chief's daughter, the warrior had to present to the Chief, seven human skulls. After roaming through the Village, we then headed to the museum to see the history of the Malaysia area.
Before heading back to the ship, the bus stopped at the market. In the market, there were clothing, unique, fresh vegetables, fruit and seafood.
Another day of traveling in Southeast Asia and seeing how others live! To understand people, one must understand where they come from!
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