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Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine National Park
view from Rotary Observation Pavillion In KK you find many malls where you can find just about anything you possibly need The KK Main Road on a Sunday morning - otherwise it would be gridlocked - looking north The name-giver of Kota Kinabalu, clearly visible from KK, a modern and dynamic city of contrasts - but this view is now gone, a huge shopping mall being constructed here from the water village - an already historical view top left: Suluk Island; top right: Mamutik Island; bottom right: Mamutik Island - the islands are a popular destination because KK, even though on the sea, does not have a beach... The largest island of the five is Gaya Island. Mat Salleh reputedly ransacked and destroyed the English trading post there in the late 1890's. To-day, there is still an indigenous village on stilts KK, and the whole of Sabah, is famous for its markets. The Gaya Street Sunday Tamu is very popular amongst travellers and locals alike You can find just about anything, from souvenirs over t-shirts and Chinese amulets... ... to vegetables, traditional medicine, hardware, potted plants and much more! Behind Gaya Street is a tamu with a more 'local flavour' - less souvenirs and hardware, but more indigenous vegetables and local specialities Along the seafront, behind the "Pasar Kraftangan" seafaring people sell their dried fish and other sea produce, usually totally overlooked by the mainstream traveller. But it is here that you find the authentic KK! Along the sea meet the Bajau, Suluk, Iranun, Ubian... Only the ocasional intrepid traveller can be found here In Sabah, lada does not indicate pepper but red hot chillies, and they are everywhere! KK's charm really is its food - a cultural melting pot, there are countless ethnic entities coming together and offering an incredible variety of specialities from all over Asia! KFC is not indigenous, though. KK with its harbour and seafaring people has a long fishermen tradition and is famous for seafood! The KK Padang is still used for important functions, and it is also here that you find long-distance taxis. Frequent, and easy to use once you get the hang of it Many pubs, clubs and karaoke bars offer life entertainment - usually Filipino bands though.
The Malaysia Memorial commemorates 16 September 1963, when Malaysia as we know it to-day was declared a nation. Why it is Japanese in design is anybody's guess. A bird's eye view of KK, with the state mosque roughly in the middle
view from Rotary Observation Pavillion
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