Kota Kinabalu 030705b: Accommodation

Just 15mins after clearing immigration I find myself at the Sutera Harbour Resort, nicely located between the airport and downtown Kota Kinabalu (KK). It is a posh, well-maintained place, and seems to be popular with foreigners with oodles of USD!

Anyway, it faces the South China Sea to the west, and I'm all set for a glorious sunset!

#1: Three nights here? I think I can manage . :-)

#2: Not a bad waterfront, but no beach - just boulders and huge rocks piled right into the water.

#3: And the compound is full of black-headed munias (burung pipit rawa), a common pest in the ricefields - they gobble up the ripening paddy grains.

Kota Kinabalu 030705a: Arrival at BKI

Fine day for flying today. It's on a day like this that I wish I am an airman too. Great weather all the way from Kuala Lumpur International (KUL) and the 2.5 hrs flight time to Kota Kinabalu (BKI) soon passes, but we are 30 minutes late!

A long queue at immigration, but they graciously allow me stay in their country for 3 full months. Thank you Sir, and I promise I won't find a job while I'm here. :-)

#1: Actual flight path (yellow) as plane leaves the peninsular - tracked by my trusty GPS. It crosses the coastline just 12 km southeast of Pekan town. (Map courtesy of www.malsingmaps.com - thanks, guys!)

#2: The spoilers on the wing are raised, thus interupting the airflow over the wing to increase drag. The plane shudders and drops. A sure way to reduce height! Approaching Kota Kinabalu Airport from the south, over the South China Sea.

#3: On finals for the 9,800-ft-long Runway 02 at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI/WBKK). Flaps extended to reduce speed while maintaining correct glide path. A typical Boeing 737-300 such as this one lands at 240 km/h. Still not as quick as F1 cars. :-)

#4: The whole she-bang in full force to brake from the 240 km/h touch-down speed. I suspect the pilots want to exit the runway at the spot closest to the teminal, as soon as possible! To make up for lost time?

#5: On the ground, but still 30 minutes late! I would not mention the airline's name, but the plane's registration is 9M-AAC. :-)