A Quick Trip to Manukan Island in Kota Kinabalu
I originally planned to spend a lot of time at the famous Kota Kinabalu City Mosque. But thanks to a mix of laziness and poor planning, I just wandered around the area. With nothing to do until evening, I ended up heading over to Jesselton Point (the main ferry terminal). Before coming to Kota Kinabalu, someone who had been here told me, "If you have nothing to do, just knowing where Jesselton Point is will save you." I was putting that advice into practice. I tried a few different things, but unless you're leaving Kota Kinabalu entirely, coming to this exotic port solves everything.
I sat on a waiting bench and observed my surroundings. I looked around to see if anyone was recruiting for tours, but maybe because it was late, everyone seemed to be idling. Eventually, I got up and asked a travel agency directly. And surprise! There was actually a boat leaving for Manukan Island at this hour. They repeatedly asked if I'd be okay since I could only stay on the island for two hours, and then handed me a ticket.
"Oh man, boss, two hours is plenty—I'll probably get bored and want to leave early anyway."
Manukan Island and Sapi Island are often bundled together in tour packages, and upon arriving, I kind of understood why. There's almost no difference between the two. Both islands have had so many visitors that there's absolutely no coral left, which means there are hardly any fish either. Manukan feels slightly less crowded than Sapi, but if you just looked at the photos, you'd be hard-pressed to tell them apart. Maybe Sapi just has a slightly wider variety of activities?
On the flip side, both places are perfectly fine for just hanging out. They're great for endless swimming, or if you have a baby, teaching them how to swim, joking around, and spending quality family time. If there's one thing I realized coming here, it's that there are so many sweet, caring fathers in the world. Seeing them laugh and play so joyfully with their kids makes the wide ocean and sky look even bluer.
Now it was time to achieve my main goal for coming to this island: "seducing someone to eat dinner with me."
I never even really tried picking people up back in Korea, but I've lost count of how many times I've done it here in Kota Kinabalu. And it's not even "Can I get your number?" but rather, "Could I please join you for dinner tonight?" I looked around for a target. I had already been rejected several times today, so I was being extra cautious.
The method is always the same. I either ask them to take a picture of me, or if they look like they need it, I offer to take a picture for them. Afterward, I ask, "Would it be alright if I tagged along for dinner?" First, though, I have to take really good photos. Thanks to a lifetime of taking pictures for countless women and being judged on the results, I'm pretty good at framing a shot. If they look highly satisfied with the photo, that's when I dramatically deploy my "dinner addition coupon."
Today, at the very last minute, I finally managed to tag along with a group. Seriously... watch me never come to a resort destination alone again.
Expenses (Conservatively calculate by multiplying by 300 to get the KRW equivalent)
- Transport to UMS: RM 17
- Transport to Blue Mosque: RM 8
- Cola: RM 2
- Transport to Jesselton Point: RM 8
- Boat to Manukan: RM 30
- Pineapple drink: RM 12.5
- Transport to accommodation: RM 8
- Dinner: RM 123.25
- Juice: RM 2.35
- Massage: RM 110
Daily expenses: RM 321.1
Total trip expenses: 2,875,000 KRW + RM 1645.88