Last year, my family and I celebrated Christmas at Sabah, for a change. It was a very memorable and wonderful trip as the whole family gathered after a long time and we flew to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah as a group for the first time.
It was exceptionally special to me because I get to return home and see my family members after a year. Besides, this was my first holiday after my kidney transplantation. Previously, my holidays were limited to 2-3 days due to my medical requirement (dialysis).
Anyways, we started off by flying as two groups from two different places, as my siblings are scattered around the country. We all met at Kota Kinabalu International airport around 8pm. After a loud dinner at an Italian restaurant, we checked in a double 3-room apartment. It was fun to chat and to get back on track on latest family gossips and stories. The next day, on the eve of Christmas, we went shopping around Kota Kinabalu, buying some native products. Later at night, we attended the Christmas Mass. It was a very wet Christmas as it was pouring cats and dogs!
On Christmas morning, after exchanging gifts, we checked out and drove to Mount Kinabalu Heritage Resort & Spa. It was a very beautiful place with an excellent and breathtaking view of Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Malaysia. We spent two days at the resort and our activities include; watching the sunrise amidst the Mount Kinabalu peak, visiting the Desa Dairy Farm, Sabah Tea Plantation, dipping ourselves in the Poring Hot Spring, awed at the Mesilau Park view and so much more!
After fulfilling days at Kota Kinabalu, we headed to Labuan, Sabah. Since, it is an island, we went there by a boat. It was a bizarre experience as we took the boat at night. The sea was so dark, and we felt the water brushes us as the boat speeds up leaving us to scary imaginations. The mind blowing part was when the boat came to a curvy halt panicking us a little. The reason was a huge wooden log was floating; thus hitting it could have been disastrous. As we approached the land, we could see the beautiful lights of many docked ships. It was an amazing view as if watching the bright stars in a very dark sky. The boat trip was one of the best adventurous voyage ever! We stayed at my brother's place in Labuan. We spent some quality family time there enjoying some home-cooked food.
On the second day, we took a ferry to Brunei and stayed at The Empire Hotel. We dined, swam and just relaxed at Brunei. We also visited the famous Brunei Mosque with the pure golden domes. We headed back to Labuan after two days stay at Brunei.
We finally flew back home after a day at Labuan, with lifted spirits despite the sore and tired muscles. It was truly an amazing getaway and family gathering. Looking forward to such bonding and trips again in future :)
No comments:
Post a Comment