Kota Kinabalu's origins as a town go back to the foundation of
Jesselton by the British, after
Mat Salleh, a local
rebel, ransacked and burnt down their trading post on Gaya Island
in 1898.
Before little is known about an eventual settlement, if there ever
was. Oral history has it that at the site of the present Wisma Dang Bandangan (the
former Immigrations Complex) there was a freshwater source and
maybe a small fishing village in which the seafaring Bajau and
others took shelter from time to time. However, their principal
settlements were on the islands just off the shore of present KK,
now comprising the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine National Park.
After Mat Salleh's attack and destruction the English approached the
Sultan of Brunei, then ruler over most of present-day Sabah, and
leased land opposite the Tunku islands to establish a new trading
post and township. It was named in memory of Sir Charles Jessel, one of the
first directors of the Chartered Company:
‘Jesselton’ (see:
History Section). The new township flourished, also thanks to
the newly completed railway linking Sabah's interior at Tenom with
the coast, and soon Chinese traders and business men settled in.
However, it was not Sabah's (then North Borneo) capital, which was
Sandakan.
During WWII Jesselton was occupied, like the rest of
Sabah and Borneo in general, by the Japanese. The end of WWII saw
allied bombings and Japanese retaliation ransacking and virtually
nothing was left standing, further facilitated due to the fact that
Jesselton, even though an important trading post, remained a town
built from wood and with atap (palm leaf) roofs. Only the
present-day Sabah Tourism building and the Atkinson Tower survived
this time. Faced with the impossible task of rebuilding Sabah after
WWII the British North Borneo Chartered Company ceded the
territories to the English Crown and under colonial rule Jesselton
became North Borneo's capital.
When Sabah
joined the creation of Malaysia in 1963 Jesselton
remained its capital and soon experienced a building boom, still
very much apparent in to-day's city and architecture. Jesselton was
named Kota Kinabalu in 1967.
To-day
KK is a modern and cosmopolitan city - more so since
its declaration as a city 2 February 2000! A new city law recently
had all building owners clean up their premises and paint facades so
that KK's 'historical centre' is again resplendent in the charm of
the 70ties, with modern shopping centres and their more daring
architecture sprouting in-between. But KK's real charm remains as a
city where restaurants never close! Being a true melting pot of many
different people - Chinese, Malay, Bajau, many immigrants from
neighbouring countries in search of better opportunities, locals and
Europeans - foods in KK are as varied as its population, creeds and
ethnic background and a culinary world tour is here, in a relatively
small area, absolutely possible if you only have the time!
At the moment KK is experiencing another building frenzy
as new shopping malls are constructed at both ends, intersections
upgraded and flyovers take shape. By all means a modern town, with
rush hour traffic jams, modern fast food outlets (yes, on top of the
many restaurants, food courts and open night stalls), banks, holiday
resorts and golf clubs of international renown. I once heard that KK
is Asia's fastest developing city and living here I am surely
inclined to believe it!
KK, with its
tourism infrastructure and international airport is
also the gateway to Sabah's many natural attractions, some of which
are easily accessible by road, other which are visited by boat.
Places of Interest in Kota Kinabalu
Having no historical centre most of KK's attractions are nature
based and lie to the north and in the close-by interior (see
respective other sections) but there are some places that can be
visited in and around town that don't require a day to do so:
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine National Park - the five
tropical 'paradise' islands are ideal for a relaxing day at the
beach. On Pulau Manukan you find most of the activities and daily
BBQs on the beach while on Pulau Mamutik daily SCUBA dives are
organised. Pulau Gaya is great for trekking and the adjacent Pulau
Sapi offers, just like Pulau Suluk, a quiet retreat away from the
crowds but all islands tend to be well visited during week-ends and
public holidays and tend to be somewhat overrun by local 'tourists'.
To get to the islands you can take a shuttle boat from the KK City
Jetty (at KK's northern end) or profit of the offers at the Sutera
Harbour Marina or the Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort Marina.
Sabah State Museum - the
second museum in Malaysia sports the largest collection of South
East Asian ceramics, a small natural history selection, a
ethnological part and a time tunnel; the gardens of the museum are
interesting with its life-size replicas of various indigenous houses
and large collection of indigenous trees and herbal plants.
Tun
Mustapha (Yayasan Sabah) Tower - built in 1977 when the area
there was still a swamp, signified then the heralding of a new era
for Sabah and its people. It is KK's tallest building, standing 30
storeys and 122 meters high. It is a popular photo stop on each KK
city tour and now that the revolving restaurant on the 18th floor
has been elaborately renovated Sabah's foremost
dining address.
Gaya Street Sunday
Tamu (market) - every Sunday, from around 5 am to midday
Gaya Street (or Jalan Gaya) is closed to traffic and becomes
one long, vibrant market where you can immerse yourself in a happy
Asian chaos of foods, tools, plants, souvenirs, pets and much more.
Most vendors are Chinese and Bajau but if you visit the road behind
Gaya Street you will meet more, local Dusuns, who sell their
vegetables and other fare. At the same time there is also a market
along the beach behind the 'Pusat Kfraftangan' where Bajau sell fish
in all shapes and colours. And the place of the daily night market
(Asia City) becomes a huge second hand market.
Daily
Night Market - in Asia City you will find a daily night
market where you can bargain for t-shirts and other clothes, apparel
and accessories, and even some handicraft. The market opens until
around 10 am.
Pusat Kraftangan or
better known as the Filipino Market - along the
seafront of KK you will find that a curious building catches your
eye: a series of steep gabled roofs and a door underneath each. The
Filipino Market! Here you find trinkets and souvenirs, mostly
produced in neighbouring countires, at bargain prices. For those who
are into pearls and know how to categorise them this is the place to
go!
Waterfront (Anjung Samudra) - a
couple of years ago the citizens of KK suddenly realised that they
were sitting on the sea but the seafront was nothing but a dirty,
unkempt stretch where traders liked to hawk and buyers litter... how
this has changed! KK has now a modern and clean seafront where you
find pubs and excellent restaurants, and the
Borneo Trading Post, a souvenir
shop with a twist.
Waterfront
(Anjung Senja) - the 'original' waterfront, which was built a year
or so before Anjung Samudra. It is in front of the Promenade Hotel
and offers a fine selection of halal hawker foods (mostly Malay and
Javanese). At Anjung Selera along Likas Bay you will find an even
wider selection of mouth watering hawker style foods. Anjung Senja
and Selera only open for business in the evenings while Anjung
Samudra is open throughout the day.
Restaurants
- KK's real charm lies in its many restaurants, from simple
kedai kopi to internationally renown theme restaurants. There
are simply too many good restaurants, and too many specialities as
that I could enter into details here but our feature on
Foods in Kota Kinabalu might
provide some mouth-watering inspiration.
Nightly Food Stalls
- more food! There are various places in and around KK where
nightly food stalls pop up, some offering hawker foods and some are
extensions of restaurants such as Suang Tain in Asia City. Be
adventurous!
Seafood - KK offers
some of the freshest and best seafood in the area, being also a
major export partner for seafood to Hong Kong and Singapore. Again,
you might find some more inspiration in our feature
Foods in Kota Kinabalu but I must
mention here the Portview Restaurant, the Ocean Seafood
Restaurant and Suang Tain (again), then the newly opened
Atlantis Bistro and the Atlantis Seafood Restaurant,
and also Kampung Nelayan Restaurant. All serve excellent
seafood at unbeatable prices and the latter also offers nightly
cultural performances.
Shopping Centres - Sabah's oldest mall, and by far the
most vibrant and where you find just about anything you'll ever
need, be it for a holiday or if you live here, is
Centre Point. The other famous mall
is Wisma Merdeka, located at KK's northern end. In the centre is KK
Plaza and at KK's southern end is Wisma Wawasan 2020. There are
another eight shopping malls under construction (March 2006) in and
around KK and soon you really would have to 'shop until you drop' to
visit them all. Do you really travel all the way to Sabah to go
shopping?
North Borneo Steam-Train Ride
- once Sabah's railway extended right to where nowadays the KK
City Jetty is located (at KK's northern end), and at the moment one
still can see the rail track, embedded in the concrete jetty. This
was KK's first jetty, built by the English in 1900. Now the KK
Railway Terminal is at Tanjung Aru, roughly opposite the airport and
daily trains travel all the way to Tenom. This alone is an
adventure: the rolling material dates back to the 50's and
travelling in the old, open wagons, together with the locals who
bring along their chicken and other fares from the market the
regular train ride makes for an unforgettable experience! But every
Wednesday and Saturday an old English Vulcano Steam Engine is fired
up and you travel in colonial style and renovated wagons to Papar
and back. This is a romantic journey not only lovers of steam
engines should not miss!
Likas Bird
Sanctuary - KK is Malaysia's only town with a nature reserve
within its boundaries, the Likas Bird Sanctuary. Though birds are
not overly active during the day and the mangrove environment is
changing due to the fact that the river has been regulated (it used
to move with the tides) this is a quiet retreat and a stroll over
boardwalks and along the paths is very pleasant.
How to Get to KK & Accommodation
KK with
its international airport is easily accessible from most
international destinations via Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, or
via Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan; there are plenty
of hotels and resorts in and around town to suit every budget and
need.
