Kota Kinabalu Arrival & Faloe Hostel Review
My flight from Seoul took about six hours to reach Kota Kinabalu. We bumped around a bit coming down through the clouds for our final landing, and I could see a few people getting nervous. To cure this kind of "flight turbulence phobia," I highly recommend Russia's Aurora Airlines. Once you ride with them, any normal turbulence feels as comfortable as a Simmons bed. It's already been a year since I clapped passionately like demanding an encore when we landed in Khabarovsk.
I finally arrived at the airport, but the weather wasn't the muggy Southeast Asian heat I had expected. The temperature was so similar to Seoul that I was confused whether I had come to Southeast Asia or from it. Plus, there's only a one-hour time difference, so I wasn't sleepy at all and felt completely fresh. Compared to my full-speed sprint at Incheon Airport, I was in a very pleasant state. Thanks to the fascinating airport layout where arrivals and departures share the same space, I was even able to buy duty-free alcohol right after landing. I've never seen such a perfectly simple airport.
The first thing I did after walking out was buy a SIM card. When I went to Russia before, I traveled without one and ended up spending way more on expensive coffee just for Wi-Fi, so this time I bought one right away for cheap. My motto for this trip is "survive comfortably alone," so I don't plan on holding back on spending a little money. Honestly, I was way too stingy in Russia.
I went straight to the Hotlink booth (one of the local telecom companies) right in front of me to see what they had, but there were only two options on the menu. In Korea, there would have been a full A4 page of every possible combination, but this was almost too simple. The options were straightforward: one with calls, one without. I tried to read the details, but there wasn't much to read, and people were already lining up like a train behind me, so I hurriedly handed over my money. Oh! For the record, they only take cash. I handed over my cash and phone, and they swapped the SIM card incredibly fast. The transaction was over in a flash, so fast I didn't even properly check my change. Everywhere else I've been in Southeast Asia was slow and relaxed, which made me take my time too, but this very first shop had Seoul-level speed.
Now that my internet was set up, all I had to do was call a taxi to the hostel to clear today's mission. According to the advice of my friend—who had planned this whole trip before it absurdly turned into my solo vacation, and who is probably crying in Seoul right now treating patients—I should use "Grab" or "Uber." She emphasized over and over that Grab is especially popular in Malaysia, so I had to use it to get around. Then you should have come with me... Coming from Korea, where these private taxi apps are illegal, I was nervous using it for the first time. I calmed my nerves, typed in my destination on Grab, gathered my courage, and pressed the call button. The app thought seriously for a moment with a spinning icon, then connected me to a driver. I sent my exit number through the messenger, and the car arrived about 5 minutes later.
We have Kakao Taxi, but still, this is seriously amazing!
The Grab driver said, "Welcome to Kota Kinabalu," and started chatting about this and that. But none of it registered in my ears. Arriving in this unfamiliar place late at night, I only had two concerns on my mind.
Are we going to the hostel? Is he going to scam me?
Well, we made it to the hostel just fine. The destination was ASTRO (which I later learned is a local Kota Kinabalu broadcasting station, so most drivers know it), and we arrived exactly there. I kept anxiously asking if this was really the hostel, but how would I know, it's my first time here? He drove skillfully and dropped me off right in front. Now the question was how much he would ask for. I had already prepared some English swear words in my head, fully intending to curse him out if he asked for 10% more or anything beyond that. What the f*** are you doing? The fare the app showed me was definitely 8 RM. If this were the Philippines, they would have asked for 30; in Bali, maybe 15. In Seoul, they wouldn't have even turned on the meter and just demanded 200,000 KRW. But this driver asked for exactly 8 RM. Truly amazing!! A taxi leaving the airport actually charged a tourist the exact fare!!! I've traveled all over, and whether it was law-abiding Western Europe or anywhere else, almost every taxi driver asked for more money (except in Japan). But here in Malaysia, he asked for exactly 8 RM. Even though it was 11 PM and I would have had no choice if he demanded more, he only asked for the agreed amount. I was so moved. I celebrated by myself in Korean, going "Daebak! Wow!" so much that the driver probably thought I was weird, and then I let him keep the change as a tip. It's a small amount, but he deserved it. Everything was the worst when I left Seoul, but everything is getting better since I arrived in Malaysia.
The hostel I'm staying at this time is Faloe Hostel. It's an incredible place ranked #1 on Hostelworld. My friend, who is probably smiling warmly while treating neighborhood grandmas in Seoul right now, highly recommended it; we booked our beds together, and then she had to cancel hers. I had a really good feeling about this hostel even before arriving. I received an email with directions, and it was so detailed, even including specific instructions to show the drivers, that I felt completely at ease about the accommodation.
And in reality...
It's seriously freaking awesome!!!
I have a vague dream of running a guesthouse someday. It's just a vague "I want to do it because it looks nice" kind of dream, like saying "I want to be the president when I grow up." But I think I found my role model here. I stayed here for a total of 7 days, and there wasn't a single moment of discomfort. It's the dream hostel, run harmoniously by a smiling married couple. Plus, thanks to the friends I met here, I had a great trip. If there's exactly one downside, it's that the tour packages they introduce are quite expensive, so it's better to research and book your own. That travel agency is too expensive... Please look into other places too.
Maybe because the couple, Ryan and Sarah, run it themselves, it's incredibly clean. Wiping, washing, and organizing during the day is their main job. On top of that, the people are so nice; whenever you ask a question or make a request, they answer so kindly. Early on, I canceled a bed thinking I'd go surfing at the Tip of Borneo, and I ended up so comfortable here that I was annoyed at myself for doing something so stupid. I went on tours with Filipino friends I met here, and got completely wasted drinking with other foreign friends. If I were anywhere else, I probably would have just slept in my bed or wandered around the neighborhood, but this place strangely has a bright atmosphere where people care about each other. It's nothing special—the owners just clean, do laundry, organize, and go home at 11 PM. In a way, they work less than places with 24-hour staff, but whatever their secret is, people half-disarm themselves as soon as they come here.
It's no problem for people who are worried about not speaking English well. You can just use a translator app and speak roughly in single words. The Wi-Fi is super strong. I didn't understand more than half of what was being said either, but they somehow figured it out.
I wrote down the detailed pros and cons of the hostel on TripAdvisor, so please check the link below.
I definitely meant to write about what I did after landing at the airport on the 26th, but this turned into a promotional post for the hostel.
Expenses
- Flight 273,500 KRW
- Airport bus 14,000 KRW
- Duty-free alcohol RM 70
- Grab to accommodation RM 10
- SIM card RM 30 (I think?)
Total spent today: 287,500 KRW + RM 110
Total trip expenses: 287,500 KRW + RM 110