Keng Wan Hing Kopitiam 瓊萬興茶室 , Kota Kinabalu Sabah

Gaya Street on a weekday from where we were staying at Borneo Backpackers Hostel it was a short distance and we went hunting for a good breakfast.

Anslem recommended this shop for its buns & pau. They are freshly bake during peak hours and many would queue up to take away.

Some had kon loh noodles and some had fried noodle with Yong Tau Foo.

The buns and pau are popular and the place is surely crowded in the morning with mostly office workers and some cyclists hehehe. 

I tried the big pau and it was yummy. Thumb up bro for a good meal at Keng Wan Hing Kopitiam. So go check it out the variety of buns they are serving you will love it.

Keng Wan Hing Kopitiam

瓊萬興茶室

80 Jalan Gaya Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

GPS : 5.984741, 116.077509

Pulau Banggi and Pulau Maliangin Kechil here we come

So much of cycling in Sabah from now, it was after two days of strenuous ride we went to visit islands of Sabah namely Banggi and Maliangin Kechil. From Tumpat Do Aman we left in the morning for Kudat town where most of our bicycles were then kept in WWF office. Only 3 bicycles were brought to Pualau Banggi and here we were at the Ferry Terminal in Kudat.

We hired 3 van taxis to ferry us to Kudat and the drive took about half an hour from the tip of Borneo. Our brommies had to placed on top of the boat as this boat is relatively smaller than others.

After a satisfying tomyam noodle at Rainbow Herbs I was in top form and looking forward seeing the largest island in Malaysia, Pulau Banggi. It has a population of 20,000 people.

All embarked and we will be in Banggi within the next one hour meanwhile enjoy "The Three Stooges" on the screen.

The ferry terminal of Banggi was crowded with people commuting, some traders at the corridor and some in the eatery stalls. By the way Banggi Island is under the municipality of Kudat.

We will be stopping at WWF community hall at Karakit (a small commercial centre of Banggi Island) to sort out of our plan for the day. Some of us will be diving while most of us will be snorkeling.

The building of WWF where we meet, eat and rest in Karakit, Banggi.

At the WWF community hall there were some local women weaving bangles Kim & Ju Li tried their hands on it

Some of the completed bangles by the locals.

Not too far from the community hall there is a colony of settlers with their houses on silts, the water is clear and clean.

The silt houses are unique there are chalets found on this silt settlement but unfortunately all were fully booked and we could not have the chance to stay here.

A long corridor leading towards to the sea where we will be taking a small boat out to the sea.

Another lovely views of the settlement on silts.

The commercial centre at Karakit where you can buy your consumer items.

Our lunch was prepared by the local and ready for us to eat before we set out to the sea for some fun.

We were taken care by a group of youngsters from Banggi Youth Club who are taking a lead to educate, encourage and train the local to lead a green lifestyle. They are also actively training the local to preserve the ocean and discourage some from employing any illegal fishing method like fishing boom which is badly affecting the fishes in the sea.

Let's get out to the sea and have fun.

The dive centre where we were supplied with our equipment for diving and snorkeling. We did a bit snorkeling here but there wasn't anything interesting to see here.

Banggi Youth Club later brought us to Pulau Maliangin Kechil to snorkel and it was a haven to snorkel here the water is crystal clear and so many corals to see.

It is amazing spending time seeing the live corals and fishes in the water.

I just wonder how this big tree trunk ended up here.

The coral is so close to us and one has to be careful not to touch them, it will kill them.

We spent some time on the beach with an intention to wait for the sun to come down.

It was worth the while waiting for the sun set before we leave Maliangin Kechil Island. Til then we hope to return to this part of the world in future.

Best Tomyam & Fish Head Noodle at Restoran Rainbow Herbs, Kudat Sabah

During our recent trip to Sabah my wife enjoyed the most was the herbal tomyam and fish head noodles we had at Restoran Rainbow Herbs Kudat. The bihun is chewy, the creamy tomyam soup was absolutely delicious the prawns were fresh and tasty. I like it with a mixture of bihun and yellow mee and I was totally impressed with it.

There is also an option of replacing prawns with fish meat or fish head, both are as good.

The fish head noodle is another killer which you must also try, fortunately we visited Restoran Rainbow Herbs twice once before we went into Pulau Banggi and again when we came back. It is also near the ferry terminal to Banggi Island.

Jo just could not believe that such a place can serve fantastic tomyam and fish head noodle. A place we will remember and talk about it for a long time.

The pricing is reasonable and on both occasions the place was brim packed when we were there.

The happy boys waiting for their favourite noodles to be served. Yeah it's truly a mouth watering experience.

It is located at Jalan Pasar

GPS : 6.879997, 116.846226 So the next time if you are in Kudat do not not miss this humble place I can guarantee you a good and satisfied meal.

Let's Cycle to the Tip Of Borneo An Experience of a Lifetime (Part 2 of 2)

Finally we made it to the Tip of Borneo where the two seas meet, South China Sea and Sulu Seas on the second day of this adventure. It took us 76 kilometres from Langkon, Kota Marudu to Tanjung Simpang Mengayau (Tip of Borneo) with a total distance of 201km from Kota Kinabalu in 2 days.

The ten of us were fully charged and ready to go for the final lap and I just couldn't wait to see the sea.

Slowly we cycled along the main road leading to Kudat, the road is narrow and at times lorries can be travelling very fast. One has to be careful in order to be safe on the road.

As and when we feel like stopping we will just do it so long as everyone is comfortable and safety is our main concern. We are not racing against time.

Sometimes there are climbs to be tackled but slowly we will scale the slope and if it is difficult we will just dismount and push our bikes.

The weather was scorching hot and places like this is irresistible to stop by for a cold drink.

Anslem and his wife Amy caught us up with their powerful ride from Langkon too but they started later and here we have the Tan Brothers cycling together to the Tip of Borneo.

A sign that we were happy to see as we were told to stop here for a break. Hello Pekan Baru Matunggong we love you.

And this was the shop was visited at GPS:6.750751, 116.719593 for a pit stop and the distance covered until here was 28km.

And this was part of our ride where we had to adopt TnT - "Turun & Tolak" at 33th kilometre the start of some hilly climbs.

I could smell the lunch from here and food will be appearing soon as I was already very hungry.

Adnan, our man on the support vehicle told us that the next stop is about a kilometre away and these ladies were surely happy to hear that.

We had our lunch at Diligent Restaurant located at Pekan Sikuati (GPS : 6.891776, 116.712345) , at a junction of Jalan Marabau and Jalan Kota Belud - Kudat. The food was delicious. Most of us had mixed rice and everyone was very satisfied with the lunch. Distance covered was 50km.

Another 26km we will be at our final destination.

The junction to the Tip of Borneo also known as Tanjung Simpang Merayau was approaching.

Adnan waiting at the turning making sure we do not miss it as Ashley was sitting at the rear of the truck taking pictures of us.

We could not be spared for an easy completion with a last climb to go but a very steep one that was awaiting for us to overcome before we could reach to the tip and that was at our 57th km.

We were in no rush we took time off chatting with the local boys while waiting for the remaining riders to catch up.

Here come the ladies together with the support car.

So near yet so far as seen at my dashboard.

Another pit stop for one more refreshment and rest.

The scent of seaside air seems to be getting stronger and closer.

Those who have arrived earlier were already having a good time at Tip Top Beach Bar & Restaurant by the sea. I was given a can of cold beer upon reaching the place and what a fabulous way to celebrate a successful ride. Tanjung Simpang Merayau you are awesome.

The beach is called Kalampunia it's smooth and beautiful.

A picture with my bicycle and the tip of Borneo at my back. Have bicycle will travel and more to come.

The monument of the Tip of Borneo.

Our accommodation for the night at Tampat Do Aman sited in the midst of a jungle setting not too far away from the tip.

GPS : 7.020989, 116.743206

This is a semi permanent tent of Tampat Do Aman and besides this there are chalets and traditional longhouse.

All beds are equipped with mosquito netting as this place has lots of bugs and mosquito.

We stayed in the chalets and what a stay experiencing a night in the jungle. That's it my first visit to the Tip of Borneo. I would like to thank Joe, Anslem, Baki, Sooi Ying, Kim, Jason, Brian, Fenn, Ju Li and Jo for a great & successful trip.