Friday prayers

The weather forecast for today was even more certain than yesterday that it was going to rain all day. Imagine my increased surprise to open the curtains and find the sun shining again.
We decided to take a shuttle bus to a distant shopping centre to escape the forthcoming downpour.
By 1pm it was still bright so we returned the way we arrived. We passed the enormous KK City Mosque which can hold up to 12,000 people. We drove past it on a six lane highway and from about half a mile away cars were double and triple parked, some appeared to be almost abandoned at right angles to the road.
The nearer we got to the entrance the more cars were parked. Eventually the was only a narrow gap left on the inside lane on both sides of the road.
Right near the entrance to the Mosque the road was completely blocked and we waited in a traffic jam and watched thousands of men leaving the Mosque and heading for the parked cars.
Very quickly the road started to clear and then we were on our way again.
Yesterday afternoon we walked past the Sabah State Mosque, pic 2, which was also very beautiful, but not as large as it only holds 5,000 worshippers.
Frustratingly, it didn't rain at all yesterday and it hasn't started yet today, even though it is nearly 10pm.

Tanjung Aru beach

The weather forecast last night was showing heavy rain for the next five days, so we were surprised to find the sun shining when we opened the curtains this morning.
We didn't think it would last long so we set off quite early on the local bus to Tanjung Aru beach. It is about 4k from the town and just next to airport.
No other tourists had the same idea so the beach was deserted.
The South China Sea was unbelievably warm and very inviting, although it could have done without the plastic bottles and other items along the shoreline.
I decided to practice my cartwheel technique which always feels quite elegant while I am performing, but the photos speak for themselves.

Kota Kinabalu

Spent the day exploring Kota Kinabalu today. It is the capital of the state of Sabah in Malaysia, but it is actually on the island of Borneo.
It is a large modern town with loads of building work going on. I am very pleased to find that our hotel is quite traditional and actually has a door and walls to the en-suite facilities. It is also quite a nice large room with great views. The first shot is our view of the town and we also have a sea view!
There is not actually much to see in the town itself. We walked to the Atkinson Clock Tower which was one of only three buildings left standing after the Japanese occupation during the second world war.
It was very small and a bit disappointing, being surrounded by repair work.
KK is a very friendly place and has a relaxed atmosphere so we are not in a huge hurry to sort out our next move.

Beautiful Spratly Islands

Caught a flight from Hong Kong to Borneo this morning and we were both lucky enough to get window seats. I sat looking out of the window for ages and all I saw was blue sea and fluffy white clouds, until suddenly it looked as if a little heart was in the water.
Looking closer it was actually a beautiful island with a lagoon in the middle. A few minutes later two more islands slowly sailed past.
I knew we still had about an hour to fly to Borneo so it was a real surprise to see them, as I didn't realise there was any land on the journey.
I looked them up on Wikipedia and they are called the Spratly Islands. Their ownership is disputed and they are claimed by China, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei.
Interesting facts - the total amount of land is less than 4kms spread over 750 atholls, reefs and islands in a total sea area of at least 425,000kms.
Amazing the information we have at our fingertips.

Wishes on the wind

Walked in the rain tonight down to Statue Square to see 'wishes on the wind'. It is three twenty feet high dandelion clocks with some of the fairies already blown on to the floor. It all lights up and changes colour every few seconds. The idea is that you make a wish and write it on a snowflake shaped card that you hang around the square.
I made my wish and left it with the hundreds of others, but I can't tell you what it was otherwise it won't come true.
In the background you can see the famous HSBC building designed by Sir Norman Foster which lights up every night in the colours of Nottingham Forest.
Afterwards we made our way down to the harbour. Every night at 8pm there is a sound and light show. Hotels and prominent buildings on either side of the harbour light up in time to the music.
We have seen it three times now and it doesn't really live up to the hype, but it is a dramatic skyline.

Lost on the Peak

The weather is truly terrible today, but not easily disheartened, we set off to ascend the Mid-levels escalator. It is 800 metres long and is the world's longest.
The first thing we realised was that it was a bit of cheat as there are were at least 10 gaps where we had to get off, sometimes cross a little road, sometimes turn a corner and get back on again.
It was really interesting though and took about 20 minutes to get to the top. (Sorry the first pic is not of the escalator but a walkway on the way to it.)
At the top we wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens, but couldn't find them, instead seeing signs to The Peak.
We followed them upwards and then came to a very steep staircase that went up into the jungly undergrowth. Up and up we followed the route until it disappeared. We had to scramble back through mud and down a very rickety metal ladder before we found the right route.
Eventually got to the top viewing platform and couldn't see a thing.
Absolutely freezing we decided to do what 99.9% of the tourists do and caught the tram back down. Strangely, we were the only people on the tram who had not bought a return ticket at the bottom.
Just sitting in bed in our hotel room with a pot noodle trying to get warm.