The Land Below The Wind (Part 2)

Today, we went down to town for some shopping and sight seeing. First stop was at the Gaya Street Sunday Market which is about 5 mins walk from Padang Merdeka.

Padang Merdeka

Entrance of Gaya Street

A great place to practice bargaining!

Then it was off to Suria Mall (which is a 10mins walk) from Gaya Street for lunch, continued by a walk towards the central market and handicraft market which took another at least another 20 minutes.

Suria Sabah Mall

The view from the food court

The central market. Lots of fresh stuff sold here for those intending to took their own meals

Sea cucumbers galore

Waiting for the shuttle back to the resort

We were so tired by the time we walked back to our pick up point. What we thought was supposed to be a mere 15 mins walk turned out to be much longer. Also shopping at the handicraft market was only so-so, most of the stalls there were identical, selling the same stuff and not only that, the price over there was double (some even triple!) compared to prices at Gaya Street.

And as for the rest of the day, we just relaxed by the beach with the gorgeous view of the ocean and sunset.

The Land Below The Wind (Part 1)

The cab arrived just on time. If we would have waited for another 15mins, then I'm sure that we would be late. Apparently there had been some sort of miscommunication and they waited at the wrong house bla bla bla... :S But it was soon resolved and we were fast on our way to the airport.

LCCT in the morning was as busy as any other part of the day. We checked in our baggage then made a quick stop at McDonalds and immediately proceeded to the boarding gate. But as we were approaching the gate, my little 2 year old started screaming " I don't want to go!" and I panicked. Luckily enough, he quickly got distracted and was an angel throughout the entire 2 hour flight =)

Boarding at LCCT

Descending towards Kota Kinabalu Airport

                

After disembarking the plane and going through immigration, we took our shuttle(already waiting at the main entrance) and headed towards Nexus Karambunai Resort & Spa. The resort is located quite a distance from the airport and town and takes approximately 45 mins to get there.

One the city's popular landmarks

The junction into Nexus Karambunai Resort & Spa

Finally, we arrived at the resort and were greeted and welcomed by the friendly staff who ushered us towards the poolside for our welcome drinks and then gave us a short introduction of the place. We were told that the main lobby is located 2km away from where we were, which then made me realize that we were in a separate lobby which is only catered specially for guests staying in the spa and pool villas.

The resort's lengthy 6km beach

We hopped in to the shuttle again and arrived in front of our pool villa in less than 5 minutes. What can I say? I'll let these pics speak for itself  =)

The porch

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Dining Area & Kitchen

Lap Pool

Living Room

Patio

Overlooking the sea

Back View of Villa

Merdeka Break

Our national day is just around the corner and we're all excited about our upcoming trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Just a little info on Sabah for those who aren't familiar :- It's the 2nd largest state in Malaysia and is located on the northern part of the island of borneo, sandwiched between the South China Sea and Sulu Sea east off the peninsular. It's also given the name "Land Below The Wind" due to its strategic location, which is below the typhoon belt. The kadazandusun are the largest ethnic group making up 1/3 of the population ( a mixture of 32 types of ethnic groups and other non-indigenous groups) and not forgetting is the home of the famous Mount Kinabalu


View Larger Map

Historical Malacca

Since our last visit to Malacca, the entire family agreed that we did not get enough of the place and therefor immediately planned for another trip. This time around though, we stayed close to the beach as the kids just can't resist the water.

Everly Resort Hotel Malacca is situated at the coast of Tanjung Kling and takes about 20 mins to get to Malacca town. Overall, its a lovely place for both small and large groups. We stayed in the 2 bedroom apartment (both comfy and clean), which comes with a spacious living hall, dining area, 2 bathrooms and kitchen.






After a good night's rest, we started the new day with a hearty breakfast at the coffee house then drove off to town. The late morning sun was quite warm but we ignored the heat and continued walking around the town square visiting the Stadhuys, Clocktower, Fort A Famosa and Jonker Street.

Some photos which was taken at the town square...



A canal flows through the heart of Malacca town into the Straits Of Malacca





The beautiful courtyard of the Stadhuys




Some more photos which was taken at Jonker Street/Chinatown. Getting there is quite easy as it's located across the canal opposite the old church and clocktower.







Excellent place (with air conditioning) to take a break from all that walking. Do try their durian cendol(great for durian lovers) and white coffee. You can also find other goodies/snacks such as candies and biscuits being sold here.

Pulau Redang

My family and I were so blessed to have been able to spend the latest school term break at Pulau Redang. Pulau Redang or also known as Redang Island is situated off the coast of Kuala Terengganu, Terangganu (a state on the east side of the peninsular) and is easily accessible either by air or land/sea. In our case, with 2 kids and 2 elderly adults in our group, we took the plane by Berjaya Airways. The flight was incredibly smooth and it only took 45mins! Personally I've read and heard so much (the good and not so good) about the island but never had the chance to experience the place, until recently and we were definitely not disappointed. It was just breathtakingly beautiful and so perfect.... paradise on earth. The weather was sunny (except for 2 evenings, which had some light rain) water was calm, crystal clear, was just the right temperature and had the most magnificent shade of blue.

We asolutely loved it and voted it as the most memorable vacation we've had.

Paradise On Earth


The Pool

Our suite at Berjaya Resort & Spa Redang

The view from our balcony

Sunrise


Shady palm trees

The Lobby