MostlyGeek

The jet lag if finally starting to subside so it’s time to do a quick Malaysian vacation summary. I think point form is the easiest to digest 2 weeks worth of vacation.

1. I was in Kota Kinabalu, which is located in East Malaysia in the state of Sabah.
2. I didn’t get up to much in KK due to the rest of the family having the flu. There is jet skiing, ATV, para-sailing available at the resorts. It was all booked up due to Chinese New Year though.
3. Real Estate development there is booming. Lots of new condos, highways and malls. I think they were building at least 2 or 3 new malls when we were there.
4. The cockroaches are big. Bigger than in Canada anyways.
5. Food is super cheap. $1.00 ~= RM3.0 (ringgit). You can get a Roti and a iced drink for about RM3.0. You can get a meal + drink for RM5.0. You basically lose all inhibitions about treating people to eat. Make sure your ice has a hole in it. Don’t drink the water there.
6. My flickr photos are now in my Malaysia and Hong Kong 2007 flickr photo set.
   
7. Wild boar is really tasty.
8. The resorts are really nice. Similar to the resort we stayed at in Mexico. The food is cheaper, so I assume the resort is also cheaper. I still prefer Mexico.
9. I got sick, mild food poisoning. Lost 7lbs in 2 days. Maybe it wasn’t so mild.
10. A tip for the first time Asia traveler - bring stomach medicine. Actually bring medicine for head aches, nausea, and all parts of the digestive system. I would have paid a lot of money for some Pepto Bismal if I could find it.
11. It was also my first time in Hong Kong. We were shopping in Mong Kok. It wasn’t anything like Vancouver. I was blown away by the number of people there.
12. The building in Hong Kong are HUGE. Vancouver is like a tiny little village in comparison. I’ve never seen building so large, and my sense of perception was thrown way off.
13. I love Hong Kong because it is so efficient there. I almost fell off the escalator because they move faster. We checked in for our flight in about 10 minutes.
14. I wish I was there for more than two days. You really need a few days to really experience Hong Kong.
15. We were there when the weather is mild, about 20C. I can’t imagine being there in the summer in 30C to 40C weather. I rather be in Vancouver.
16. Not having to pay 13% sales tax RULES!
17. Buying cell phones in Asia really is cheaper (if you consider no sales tax).
18. Always buy an unlocked phone. In both KK and in HK I bought a pre-paid SIM card and was able to make calls the whole time I was there for very cheap. Roaming is for suckers. Get a quad band phone, it worked great for me in both places.
19. I’m very happy to be home. I love Vancouver.

[tags]vacation, kota kinabalu, hong kong[/tags]