Kota Kinabalu City - Places of Interest

1. Sabah State Museum & Heritage Village

Built in 1985, the Museum complex is sited where then British North Borneo Governor's Istana was once located. The Museum consists of the Main Building, Science and Education Centre, Heritage Village, Sabah Art Gallery and Museum of Islamic Civilization.
Inside are various Galleries housing Natural History, Ceramics, Ethnography and Archaeology exhibits, among others ...
Ceramics, traditional weapons and costumes reflect the diversity of the State's culture and traces Sabah's early trade links with the neighbouring countries of Southeast Asia and China. The museum also houses musical instruments, tools and ritual paraphernalia.
There is a Heritage Village on the Museum grounds where you can enter and experience different types of traditional houses of the various indigenous groups of Sabah. Cultural activities are held here from time to time.
The Sabah State Museum is located on Jalan Bukit Istana Lama, Kota Kinabalu, 4 km or about 15 minutes from the KK City Centre. For more information, visit http://www.sabahtourism.com/.

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2. Water World Theme Park

What better way to cool down under the brilliant Sabah sun than to enjoy a day at the Water World Theme Park! Situated at Taman Tun Fuad Stephens, Bukit Padang, the park is a great place to bring the family for a splashing good time. Thrill-seekers will love the Torpedo Speed Slide and Double Loop Slide. There are several swimming pools to cater to adults as well as children.
Enjoy a round of Water Basketball or have a go at the Water Cannons. Other facilities include a cafeteria, an air-conditioned lounge with equipped with Astro, lazy chairs and a souvenir shop. The Park can also help organize special events, such as children's birthday parties, making it a memorable event for your little one. Contact the Park for their Special Packages. Getting there, please visit http://www.sabahtourism.com/.

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3. Menara Tun Mustapha or formely known as Yayasan Sabah

Located 5 kilometres or about 15 minutes away from the KK City Centre. Formerly known as the Sabah Foundation Building, this circular tower of steel and glass stands 30 storeys high in the Likas Bay area and is instantly recognizable as a Sabah icon. It has a central core with steel brackets supporting each floor. When completed in 1977, it was one of the three such buildings in the world based on this design concept.
Inside are housed an auditorium, two mini-theatres, exhibition foyer, a gymnasium, kindergarten and Research library. On the 18th floor is the revolving restaurant Atmosphere where you can enjoy a different dining experience. How to getting there? Look at here http://www.sabahtourism.com/attraction.php?ID=3.

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4. Monsopiad Cultural Village

Nestled besides the Penampang River are the many traditional buildings that make up the Monsopiad Cultural village, a living museum located 16 km or about half an hour away from the KK City Centre. Monsopiad was a fearsome warrior who lived in the village of Kuai nearly 200 years ago.
At the Village, visit the Tangkob or Grainery where the padi is housed.Kotos Di Monsopiad or Monsopiad's Main House is dedicated to the life and times of Monsopiad and his descendants. On display are ceramic jars, padi grinders, bamboo items as well as the costume of Bobohizan Inai Bianti, direct descendant of Monsopiad and very senior high priestess.
Other interesting exhibits include the massive monolith which invokes a dozen legends, the traditional restaurant and of course Siou Do Mohoing, or the House of Skulls, where all 42 ‘trophies' of Monsopiad hang from the rafters. Getting there from KK City centre? Visit at http://www.sabahtourism.com/attraction.php?ID=78.

Award of 'Airline Of The Year 2007' - AirAsia

Revolutionary achievements, outstanding performance and accelerated growth have cemented AirAsia as the leading and largest airline in Asia, and in growing from strength to strength, AirAsia has now proven itself to be worthy of the CAPA Airline of the Year 2007 award this year. Honoured by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) at the Aviation Outlook Summit, AirAsia took home the most prestigious award last night at the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence presentation ceremony.
The Airline of the Year 2007 award is the highest level of recognition and honoured to the airline for its notable achievements in the aviation industry and outstanding strategic contribution over the course of the past year. AirAsia has had the greatest impact on the development of the airline industry in the region, established itself as a leader, and the benchmark for others to follow.
Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia received the award before 300 distinguished members of the aviation community. The Gala Awards Ceremony was held as part of this year’s fourth annual Aviation Outlook Summit, showcasing airline and airport CEOs from around the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.
AirAsia has previously won several awards from CAPA – AirAsia was a joint winner of the Airline of the Year award in 2003, won the Asia Pacific Low Cost Airline of the Year 2004, followed by the Asia Pacific Aviation Executive of the Year 2005 which was awarded to Tony Fernandes, Group CEO and Founder of AirAsia.
Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia, said, “This is our best year yet! Winning the award is a testament to our resilience, commitment and discipline to deliver what we know best which is for everyone to fly and this exemplifies our endeavor in rising up against the big incumbent players. We never underestimated the strength of our passion and spirit, and our 5,000 staff’s concerted and relentless efforts in delivering their best and will continue to do so.” “Who would have known such a small airline from Malaysia which started out with RM40 million in debt would have such impact on the aviation landscape today. But we are more sentient than ever that there’s much work to do from now onwards. We know we must not rest on our laurels. The best part is, we know where we’re heading and with AirAsia X, our enterprising venture ever, it is time for us to spread our wings further from Asia to beyond,” concluded Tony.
Peter Harbison, Executive Chairman of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, “AirAsia is poised to become the biggest airline in the region next decade, commanding a highly influential position in regional aviation. In aviation history terms, AirAsia’s arrival on the international aviation scene is unprecedented. Perhaps only Ryanair and easyJet have made such meteoric rises. Barely in existence only five year ago, in another five years, it promises to be the largest airline in the region. In the course of this phenomenal advance, it has changed the shape of Asian aviation and strongly influenced government attitudes to regulatory reform.” Mr Harbison added, “AirAsia continues to provide the global benchmark low cost operation. Its new ventures this year include an extension of the cross-border joint venture model it pioneered in Asia, as well as the launch this week of its long-haul AirAsia X offshoot, confirming the airline's role as a true innovator and a catalyst for positive market change in this region and beyond”.
About AirAsiaAirAsia has carried over 40 million passengers to date, grown from a 2-aircraft fleet to 62 today and now, has the most extensive low cost route network in the region of over 80 routes – all within the grasp of six years in operation. The airline today is proud to be a truly ASEAN airline with its network stretches across 10 ASEAN countries. For more information, please log on to http://www.airasia.com/.

Simpang Mengayau or Tip of Borneo, Sabah

Tip of Borneo is located in the district of Kudat, in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. The tip is the meeting point of Sulu and South China Sea. Tip of Borneo is also known as Tanjung Simpang Mengayau. In addition to its fascinating scenery of long stretch white sandy beach, its beautiful northern tip sea, the breeze of wind blow, this tip was blessed with a wide publicity especially in Borneo, through popular mass media, and the latest 2003 book edition entitling 'Kudat', with the northern tip photo as a full front cover.

At the Tip of Borneo, Simpang Mengayau of Kudat, you can see the breath-taking view of wide and open coastline. It is considered one of the most beautiful spots in Sabah, and all the work is done by the nature. Kudat, a three-hour drive north of Kota Kinabalu, is famous for its rich cultural heritage and blending of ethnic groups, especially the Rungus, the largest and the main ethnic group living in Kudat.

Tales of Kinabalu

There are two stories that led to the main beliefs in the origin of the mountain's name. The first derivation of the word Kinabalu is extracted from the short form for the Kadazan Dusun word 'Aki Nabalu', meaning "the revered place of the dead".

The second source states that the name "Kinabalu" actually means "Cina Balu" (which would fully mean "A Chinese Widow"). Due to the lingual influence among the Kadazan Dusun of Sabah, the pronunciation for the word "cina" (chee-na) was changed to "Kina" (kee-na). It was told that a Chinese prince, was cast away to Borneo when his ship sank in the middle of the South China Sea. He was subsequently rescued by the natives from a nearby village. As he recovered, he was slowly accepted as one of the people of the village. Eventually, he fell in love with a local girl, and married her. Years went by, and he started to feel homesick. So he asked permission from his newly-found family to go back to China to visit his parents (the Emperor and Empress of China). To his wife, he promised that as soon as he was done with his chores in China, he would come back to Borneo to take her and their children back to China.
When he made his return to China, he was given a grand welcome by his family. However, to his dismay, his parents disagreed with him about taking his Bornean wife back to China. Worse, they told him that he was already betrothed to a princess of a neighbouring kingdom. Having no choice (due to high respect towards his parents), he obeyed with a heavy heart.

Meanwhile, back in Borneo, his wife grew more and more anxious. Eventually, she decided that she will wait for her husband's ship. However, since the village was situated far away from the coast, she couldn't afford to come to the shore and wait for him daily. Instead she decided to climb to the top of the highest mountain near her village, so that she could have a better view of the ships sailing in the South China Sea. Thus, she was then seen climbing up the mountain at every sunrise, returning only at night to attend to her growing children. Eventually her efforts took their toll. She fell ill, and died at the top of the cold mountain while waiting for her husband. The spirit of the mountain, having observed her for years, was extremely touched by her loyalty towards her husband. Out of admiration for this woman, the spirit of the mountain turned her into a stone. Her face was made to face the South China Sea, so that she could wait forever for her dear husband's return.

The people in her hometown who heard about this were also gravely touched by this. Thus, they decided to name the mountain "Kinabalu" in remembrance of her. To them, the mountain is a symbol of the everlasting love and loyalty that should be taken as a good example by women. Local legend among the people of Ranau, a district in Sabah, has it that St. John's Peak was the stone which her body was turned into.