But please, don’t believe me. Moon Bell Restaurant in Kota Kinabalu will provide you with all the proof that you need know that once you’ve eaten northern Chinese, sweet n sour anything from that Chinese takeaway back home will pale in comparison.
Moon Bell Restaurant shines on KK’s main road, opposite Wisma Merdeka, halfway between the Hyatt and Capital Hotel. It’s open for lunch and dinner every day of the week, except Mondays, so plan your culinary itinerary accordingly.
The menu is not as elaborate as some of the Chinese eateries here in KK, but that’s a good thing, as they do a few things, and do them well. And do they ever.
All the meats, except pork, are represented; duck, chicken, lamb, beef and seafood all feature with at least 4 dishes to choose from in each category. Once you’ve made the difficult decision of choosing a mouthwatering dish, you’ll realise after tasting it that you will have to choose another, and another.
Is the spicy tastes? The rich aromas? The way seemingly ordinary potato sets the juices flowing like when Remy in Ratatouille pops different types of food in his mouth and imagines the flavours like fireworks on his palate?
Yes to all of them. It’s true of Moon Bell’s food, you can’t go there just once. It’s the type of food you crave. The type of food that makes you sit up in bed at 2am, smack your lips and say to yourself, “I can really do with big helping of Moon Bell’s Stir Fried Lazy Crab.”
It happens.
Now, a year and half later, that reputation has snowballed and Borneo Beachouse is going from strength to strength as is underscored by their expansion into another property.
The Beachouse now also occupies a neighbouring house, immediately behind the current property, joined together by a short path. This effectively doubles the room inventory and the Beachouse can now offer 17 rooms of various configurations. This includes 4, 6 & 8 bed dormitories, twin and double private rooms and their most popular options, en-suit family rooms.
Other delights which have been added includes the pool table, on-request BBQs (requires a mininum of 5 paying guests), laundry facilities at RM5 per kg and satellite TV with the movie, sport and news packages for you couching surfing delight.
Of course, established facilities such as the free WiFi at Beachouse 1 and the Internet workstation at RM3 per hour is still there, as is the tour desk capable of booking an ever increasing list of activities for you to do during your stay in Sabah.
And don’t forget, Borneo Beachouse is within walking distance of the 3 most important things in Kota Kinabalu – 5 minutes from the beach, 10 minutes from the airport and as the official HQ of the Sabah Ultimate Players Association, it’s within 5 & 7 minutes walk respectively from both the Sunday field and Tuesday / Thursday beach pickup sessions of Ultimate.
For everywhere else in Kota Kinabalu, the Beachouse is right on a bus route with buses passing every 30 minutes, which will whisk you away to the town centre for less than RM2. There’s restaurants and bars at the beach and a small shopping centre just down the road.
If you’re looking for friendly, comfortable and affordable accommodation in Kota Kinabalu, you can’t go wrong with Borneo Beachouse.Since we first wrote about Borneo Beachouse in April 2008, it was already known as 1 of the friendliest and best organised backpackers in Kota Kinabalu.
Now, a year and half later, that reputation has snowballed and Borneo Beachouse is going from strength to strength as is underscored by their expansion into another property.
The Beachouse now also occupies a neighbouring house, immediately behind the current property, joined together by a short path. This effectively doubles the room inventory and the Beachouse can now offer 17 rooms of various configurations. This includes 4, 6 & 8 bed dormitories, twin and double private rooms and their most popular options, en-suit family rooms.
Other delights which have been added includes the pool table, on-request BBQs (requires a mininum of 5 paying guests), laundry facilities at RM5 per kg and satellite TV with the movie, sport and news packages for you couching surfing delight.
Of course, established facilities such as the free WiFi at Beachouse 1 and the Internet workstation at RM3 per hour is still there, as is the tour desk capable of booking an ever increasing list of activities for you to do during your stay in Sabah.
And don’t forget, Borneo Beachouse is within walking distance of the 3 most important things in Kota Kinabalu – 5 minutes from the beach, 10 minutes from the airport and as the official HQ of the Sabah Ultimate Players Association, it’s within 5 & 7 minutes walk respectively from both the Sunday field and Tuesday / Thursday beach pickup sessions of Ultimate.
For everywhere else in Kota Kinabalu, the Beachouse is right on a bus route with buses passing every 30 minutes, which will whisk you away to the town centre for less than RM2. There’s restaurants and bars at the beach and a small shopping centre just down the road.
If you’re looking for friendly, comfortable and affordable accommodation in Kota Kinabalu, you can’t go wrong with Borneo Beachouse.
The 4 M’s are derived from Kadasandusun words, which mean running, bamboo rafting, paddling on a bamboo pole and walking on bamboo stilts.
Although bamboo is less prominent in society than it used to be, in the 4M challenge there is still glory to be had for displaying your bamboo related skills. It’s these skills that make the Kiulu 4M Challenge unique.
As much fun as it is to partake in the 4M Challenge, it is an equally outstanding spectator sport with an opportunity for some casual participation, or even just a great excuse for a picnic by the beautiful Kiulu river.
Various teams in several categories spend the day next to and on the river competing in the 4 tasks of the race. The first event is a short stretch of running, or manangkus, which is perhaps the easiest leg of the race.
The next M (mamangkar) requires each participant or team to fashion a raft from bamboo using rope. Bamboo is surprisingly buoyant and 3 or 4 sizable trunks of bamboo can easily keep a person afloat. The trick is to steer this oblong raft along the Kiulu river rapids as quickly as possible without being ejected from the raft.
After rafting on the bamboo, manampatau, or paddling on a bamboo pole follows. This leg of the race requires you to hang on to a piece of bamboo and swim down stream, hopefully ahead of the other competitors.
Once you reach the designated area of the river, a short run follows to the last and technically most difficult part of the race, mamarampanau, or the dreaded walking on bamboo stilts. The course length is only about 100m, but previous 4M Challenges have been won or lost on exactly this stretch.
The task seems simple enough – two bamboo stilts with wedges on which to stand, which you then use to walk the distance of the course. If you fall off, you simply get on again and continue your walk. Balance, experience, patience and, perhaps, small feet all play their part in successfully completing this part of the race.
Win or lose, the Kiulu 4M Challenge is a tough but fun event of which each participant can feel proud to be part of.
For adventurous tourists it’s an ideal opportunity to experience an active and competitive side of Sabah, be it as a participant or spectator. Check out the main event page for more detail.
Yet the park, which stretches over 49km2, has much to offer tourists and locals alike. And not just facilities and services either, but animal life as well.
From the highest forest canopies towering above Gaya island as high as 300m, down to the deepest crevasses on the coral coral reefs, the park teems with life, some documented, some undiscovered, but all of it wild.
Tunku Abdul Rahman – A Little Wildlife Park
Gaya, the largest island in the park, is host to a remarkable amount of wild life. The island, which is undeveloped for the most part, covers and area of about 15km2 and is still capable of providing its animal inhabitants with sufficient shelter and hiding place.
Jungle paths, ideal for a day of jungle trekking, criss-crosses the entire island and can easily occupy the intrepid explored for 3 – 6 hours. Animal sightings occur often with potential to see wild boar, long tailed macaques, monitor lizards and snakes of various sizes.
Whilst the other islands might not have the exciting variety of the ground based animal life found on Gaya, canopies across the park are alive with the chatter of numerous bird species. It is sure to satisfy even the most discerning ornithologist.
Diving The Park
Once you venture below the surface a whole new world opens up to you. Whenever Sabah and diving are mentioned in the same sentence, Sipadan is usually in there too. The TAR Park, however, is literally a treasure hidden in plain sight.
If you dive for the pleasure of experiencing everything the underwater world has to offer, then the TAR park will not disappoint. However, ensure you choose an operator passionate about diving and about the park, then the potential of the park will be apparent.
With wildlife and sea creatures to discover within cheap and easy reach of everybody in Kota Kinabalu, the TAR park truly is must-visit during your stay here.
Whenever you walk down Kota Kinabalu’s The Waterfront’s promenade, if every other establishment is quiet, chances are there will be life at The Loft.
Popular with a regular crowd of locals and tourists drawn in the by the atmosphere, The Loft is one of those places where you can simply take a load off. There’s friendly people to meet and chat to if you’re feeling social, or the view and people watching to loose yourself in if you’re not.v
Another notable aspect of The Loft is their extensive drinks menu. Fresh on tap is the ever popular Tiger pint and Guinness, and the equally popular more recent edition of Kilkenny cream ale.
Bottled in the fridge awaits no less than 13 other popular international beers including Hoegaarden, Corona and Victoria Bitter.
Monday’s Tiger & Guinness Draught Happy hour from 15:00 – midnight and Tuesday’s Beer Buffet (RM55 for all you can drink between 18:30 – 22:00, check at The Loft for T&Cs) are aimed especially at beer fans.
Although it might seem as if beer lovers get a lot of love at The Loft, wine lovers need not feel left out as there is, literally, plenty to go around.
From the wine list you can choose your favourite from around 20 different white and red wines. The house Chardonnay and Shiraz are available by the glass, whilst the rest are available by the bottle, all at below RM99 save for two from the Houghton estate at RM128 & RM130 respectively.
If neither wine nor beer suits your pallet, then certainly a cocktail, shooter or a spirit will calm your shaking hands. In all three categories The Loft can meet your needs.
Just ask the experienced bar staff to mix your favourite, or be daring and try a Loftail, like the Borneo Ice Tea which contains, amongst other things, draught beer!
Next time you’re up for sundowners, a nightcap or a warm up venue for your nightlife marathon, keep in mind our Notable Nightlife that is The Loft Kota Kinabalu.
