Week 6 Kota Kinabalu

Dear Ethel, family and friends,
We left Penang yesterday, a little sad that we are leaving some new friends behind. We have had a great stay in Penang. We finished our Tesol course on Friday and had our graduation lunch in a fab Thai Restaurant. Louise gave her last prac lesson on Wednesday and I did my final on Thursday. We both thoroughly enjoyed the course and look forward to doing some real live teaching. We thank all the staff at Sea English Academy Penang for all their hospitality and help during our month long stay. We also farewell our fellow classmate How Seng who was also most helpful and fun during our stay. Also to friends Danny and Barb who we shared a couple of beers and a few meals with. We hope to catch up with you all before too long.

Saturday we flew out of Penang to Kota Kinabalu on a direct flight. Meeting up with our friends Michael & Joyce again we arrived at about midday. We were able to get some lunch at a waterfront cafe and explore a town a bit. We found the local produce market which contained acres of fresh produce all under cover. In the evening we went to the outdoor wet market and food hawkers and ate fresh squid, prawns and fish with rice and noodles all for about $8AUD each. We finished the evening with the girls getting a massage and Michael & I having a beer and a game of pool.

Sunday after breakfast we visited the Sunday Markets which was more a craft and clothing markets. Then on to the wharf where we caught a ferry to Manukan Island only a short distance from the harbour, however it was a bit choppy for the 20 foot power boats and we got a tad wet. We had Lunch on the Island and did a bit of a walk, followed by a slightly less wet ride back.

First impressions of Kota Kinabalu are great, totally different to Penang, it is a lot quieter and less hectic here and you could almost be in a different country. A lot of Philippinos here and a lot less of the Indian influence which means you get better service but makes it harder to get a good curry.

News Flash: Michael & Ric are going White Water Rafting Tomorrow. Stay tuned.
BTW I have posted our Penang Photos on Picasa Web Albums (see the link on the right)

All the best for now
Ric & Louise