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Traveling Borneo esp to Sabah is HIGHLY recommended for those who worship nature, sea, sand and a lil sea food gastronomic in between. Sabah is home to the Highest Peak in South East Asia - Mount Kinabalu, Diving Extravaganza- Sipadan, Mabul and also to some of the world renown beaches and my personally recommended seafood.
KK or Kota Kinabalu is the Capital where you get in. There are 2 terminals, about 30 mins apart. If your entering by budget airlines like the most of us you will arrive in terminal 2, tanjung aru.(others will be at the KK international airport). There are a couple of choices to town. The easiest is to grab a cab, from the coupon counters- charge RM 20. If you see a cab handy dropping some one off you can also board it, and pay without the coupon. Avoid doing so if there is a queue tho.
Mini Buses/Vans are the other option, charges ranges from RM 1 - RM 2.

KK town is a simple city, made of 3 main parallel roads. Walking in the city is the most convenient way to get around. But visiting the other attractions require some mode of transport.

Day 1- Upon arrival, if it is late in the evening, your best option is to put up in one of the guest-houses in KK town, as most of the other destinations are far away.
Ive stayed in New Horizon Travelers Lodge just on Gaya Street. The place was owned by a real friendly couple, which i must say i am shy to admit that i forgotten their names. The place had 24 hour security, as if you needed to get in you needed to punch in a code. There are only dorms available in this guest-house, a choice of air conditioned or the fan. The shared toilets come with hot showers, soap and are clean. There is a common rest area where you can have a simple toast with kaya-local jam like paste made from coconut milk, sugar and fresh eggs. http://www.kaya.sg/kaya_recipe.htm for recipe. Sometimes they use pandan leaves for flavoring.
New Horizon is just a walk away from the main town where you can get food.
For a feed, i recommend trying the tuaran mee, the kon low mee (both dry noodles) served with either minced pork or little fried/steamed dumplings filled with meat. The noodles should be tossed around to get a good mix of its mixture of sauces added to it.
Other wise, you can go for some BAK KUT TEH- which is a hot herbal soup, with cooked meat, meat balls and veges in it. Eaten with steam rice, its good on a cold day!
A good place for sea food is GAYA SPOT, think you need to get a taxi there. The prices are reasonable due to its distance. But you can always opt for the water front for more convenient, its more pricey tho. I still remember the Italian restaurant there is serves up pretty good Seafood Spagetti Olio! (talk to the chef to have it customed spicy!- just the way i like!)

So in the evening just have a charming dinner by the water front and drinks later at any of the pubs there. There isnt much you can do at night in KK, unless you have a car. The best clubbing scene to be is still Shenanigans (just below Hyatt hotel)- a walk away from New Horizon Lodge. Theres a live band, and usually the place is crowded on a weekend, till you are refused entry till someone comes out!

Day 2- Start your day off with a good breakfast, as most shops open at around 8.30-9am. If its a Sunday morning, the famous Gaya Street - Tamu - Morning Street Market is on Gaya Street. Most budget accommodation is just a walk away from this. Starts around 8 till 12. Here locals display their fare, from home handicraft, to fresh vegetables, and other odds and end. Worth going to have a look!
*Tip* if you do like bananas, and the King of Bananas- Pisang Raja, which has a really filling creamy sweet texture to it, is among the cheapest bananas here in KK.(costs a bomb in Peninsular). So Just try your luck at the fruit stall selling bananas. Used to buy it off this old lady, on the side of Gaya street.
Visit the islands! Once your armed with your local yummies in hand *as there aren't any food stalls on the island*head to the jetty, its north east if you are facing the sea. There you can grab a speed boat, to any of the 4 islands for around RM 23 for each island or RM 33 for 2 islands. The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park is a national park and a RM 10/pax adults, RM 6/pax child, (non-malaysian) fee is needed for the park entrance fee.It is Rm 3/pax-adult, Rm 1/pax child,(Malaysian). Its a 15 minute boat whizz to the islands where the activities include, dving(need to contact a diving operator for this)check www.sabahdivers.com to gauge the pricing. Seemingly i heard to get a Open water course in Sabah is the cheapest in Malaysia. Rates are like Rm 488 for a basic OW course.
Rental of snorkeling gear is Rm 10 each. Try to snorkel in Mamutik, Sapi or Sulug. Manukan is the largest of the islands but due to being overcrowded, the corals are mostly all destroyed. Nothing much to see but a couple of colored fishies. There is of course water sports there as well.
Camping is an option if you want to spend a night on the island. Tents are rent-able for Rm 30 (4pax), Rm 40 (6pax), try asking at the Tourism Center along jalan gaya on where to get the tents.
Might be easier to call them +6088 212121.
Day 3- Conquering Mount Kinabalu! The usual hike takes about 2 days- as you need to spend a night at mid point - Laban Rata to resume the arduous climb at 2 am to make it to the peak for sunrise. (do make accommodation reservations early) http://www.suterasanctuarylodges.com/.
I always seem to just stare in awe of the magnificent Kinabalu Mountain, as the view from the park gives you a view where the mountain just towers up in to the heavens.The peak is constantly covered in clouds. The biggest attraction in the Park would be the Kinabalu Botanical Garden, and one of the worlds most prominent mountains, Mount Kinabalu which peaks at 12, 455 feet above sea level. The park is opened from 7 am - 10 pm.The Park Head quarters is one of the suggested places where we suggest you put up weather you are climbing or just there to have a relaxing trip.Tha park is 1600 meters above sea level, where it is cool and breezy, where the activities are either you can go over to kundasang for the suggested activities, to mesilau nature park for a day trip, chill in the park or even better, we suggest you do all three if you have time.
There are small wooden lodges from all price ranges, and as usual check with backpackies where you can bunk in the cheapest. Most of the time we would recommend dorms, and the activities we recommend in the park are jungle trekking, having your own group BBQ, or just chilling in the main hall, of the park, where theres a nice fire place where you can chill and order drinks. Remember the food and drinks in the park are more expensive. You may get cheaper food and drinks in Kundasang, or just outside the park entrance where they have stalls serving normal local food.
You can check this link for the park rates, and also on how much is it to climb the mountain.
http://www.sabahtourism.com/en/destination/124-kinabalu-park/

Poring Hot Springs - usually this is "THE" destination to go, after a long tiring hike down the mountain, relaxing those muscles in the sulfur pools. Poring Hot Springs
The springs still within the Kinabalu Parks, is a another attraction among locals and tourists alike, as it offers jungle trekking, small waterfalls and caves within trekking distance,canopy walk 100 ft - 200ft above the tropical rainforest, and above all the hot sulphur pools to relax those weary muscles.Trekking starts beyond the hot springs towards the mountains as there are two jungle trekking paths. The one path is a short route, estimated to be completed in about 1 hour or so, at the end of which awaits a 10m high waterfall. The second path is a 3 hour return trek, the reward of which is the highest waterfall in this part of the world at over 100m high.The canopy walk, is roughly about 2kms in total, and in some areas are elevated up really high. There is an observation deck after the first segment, where you can take snap shots of the surroundings. There are local art, made from crystals and stones from the surrounding location sold just outside the park gates for souvenirs, cost you about rm 1 to rm 10 depending on size. Usually advisable to visit the springs after Climbing Mount Kinabalu, to soak in the pools to relax the body muscles. The public pools are usually full, and it takes ages to fill during peak times as everyone will be waiting to fill their tubs from a centralized pool. Best to soak at night when there isnt any crowd. There are however private tubs you can rent, that comes with a private changing room as well, and the tub fills faster too! There are a variety of accomodation available here, ranging from double rooms, to an entire cabin to yourself as well as dorms. Refer to backpackies guide for where to bunk.If you are visiting the Springs after Kinabalu Park, make sure you retain the Kinabalu Park entrance ticket, and you dont have to pay for the Poring Springs Entrance. There is a restraunt near the swimming pools that serve reasonably priced food. For cheaper food you can try the stalls by the road side just outside the entrance.
For bunks surf http://www.suterasanctuarylodges.com/.

Day 5- Heading home, its best to get some souvenirs. A good place to get handicraft at a bargain would be:
Handicraft Market - City Center
Just beside the wet market, the same row as the waterfront-just behind Center Point Shopping Center, is where the locals parade their handyware. Cheap trinkets, to bags to hand made pearl necklaces are all for bargain. Some of these pearl jewelery, and other handicrafts are unique and would cost heaps in other places, especially Peninsular Malaysia. Theres this really cool, cylindrical long bambo shaped instrument that is filled with sand, painted and imitates the sounds of the sea waves. The market opens from 7.30am -7.30pm, however we would like to suggest you go during the mid day, and not during the early or late hours as it might not be safe. Also watch your bags at all times.

There are more treasures on the east side of Sabah- Sipadan, Sandakan
Ill post it on the next blog. Have a great backpacking experience!