Here is a general itinerary of our vacation.
Day One: Philippines to Malaysia.
Travel ALL day. Airplane, bus, taxi, another airplane and 5 hours in a hotel to rest and shower. Quite the day!
Day Two: Malaysia.
Arrived in Kota Kinabalu around 7pm. Checked into our hostel and explored our surroundings. Exchanged money. Had an early night cause we were still tired from traveling.
Day Three: Malaysia
Walked around the city, eating local food, drinking fresh fruit smoothies, and checked out the shopping centers. We found a place that did super cheap massages, pedicures etc. and Michelle got a foot scrub and I got a massage. It was wonderful! Later that night, we took a city bus to a transfer bus station (which by the way was madness!) and rode out to the only nearby beach in KK. It didn't have a lot to it but we sat outside in this food court of sorts and played cards for like 3 hours. And drank more than our fair share of fruit juice!
Day Four & Five: Malaysia.
I (Kayleigh) went hiking on Mount Kinabalu. It is 4,052 meters or 13,435 ft. The first day we hiked about 6 hours to our lodging in the mountain. We slept a couple hours, ate dinner, then starting hiking around 3am that morning towards the summit. We reached the summit around 4:30am and waited until 5pm to watch the sunset at the peak. It was so cold we hid behind giant rocks to shield us from the ridge. I had to use a headlamp to see and gloves for the ropes. It was a great climb. Then we headed back down the entire length of the mountain, ate dinner at the base, and went home to SLEEP. It was one of my highlights.
Michelle went for a day at the spa and got a manicure, pedicure and massage. It was fantastic except for the girl kept burping the whole time she was giving the massage. haha! Later that day, she went back to the beach to see if it was any better in the daytime. It wasn't. The other day she went to the base of Mount Kinabalu to the hot springs, botanical gardens, and national park. She went on a tour there and saw different wildlife, plants, and soaked in the hot springs.
Day Six: Malaysia
With me hobbling around like a grandma, we met up with a friend I had made on the hike and rode a boat out to Manukan Island. We snorkled, swam, read, relaxed and ate at a yummy buffet. It was beautiful and refreshing. That night we got a facial at the spa shop that was quickly devouring all our money and then went to see the lamest movie ever. We were desperate for a new movie in English and it was a toss up between the Tooth Fairy and The Spy Next Door. Neither had great appeal but like we said, desperation! We saw The Spy Next Door and once again were given a lesson on humor. It is seriously cultural. What we found obnoxious, the Malaysian audience LOVED! It was so funny!
Day Seven: Malaysia.
We went river rafting through the jungle. Our guide was so funny and we enjoyed the beauty of the natural jungle and mountains around us. He told us that you used to see monkeys along the river but they are no longer there because the local people hunt them for food. We were on a team with folks from Taiwan and Hong Kong. I fell out once during a rapid that lifted our boat sideways! It was lots of fun. That night we went to the night market to eat fresh fruit smoothies and local food.
Day Eight: Malaysia.
We were supposed to go on a river tour. But after the beginning of the week we were so tired decided to cancel. It was a three day trip (about 12 hours by bus) and we didn’t want to spend the remainder of our trip this way. So instead we spent the day walking around KK, shopping, eating, playing cards etc. It was relaxing. on a nearby island called Mamutik. It was a beautiful day. We bought snacks and water, loaded up on sunscreen and layed out on the sand in the shade of a tree. We ate lunch on the Island and went snorkeling.
Day Nine: Malaysia
We slept in and decided to spend the day on a nearby island called Mamutik. It was a beautiful day. We bought snacks and water, loaded up on sunscreen and layed out on the sand in the shade of a tree. We ate lunch on the Island and went snorkeling. When we got back to our hotel that night, we discovered a grocery store that was almost the same if not better than an American one. We loaded up on our favorite snacks that we have greatly missed and vowed to come back before we left on Thursday. We seriously spent over an hour just looking around and I shed a tear of happiness/homesickness as I gathered all my treasures!
Day Ten: Malaysia.
Michelle and I bartered a deal for an ocean boat ride! We took a couple hours boating around the Islands on the ocean. We saw the villages where the locals catch all their fish and also got to see where the houses are on stilts in the water! We saw little children on floating plywood “boats” and fishing or swimming. After awhile in the heat, we needed a place to cool off. We decided to check with the Hyatt Hotel to see if we could use their pool facilities for the night. It was like $6 to get a guest pass and we jumped on it. Or rather "in it". We swam and watched the sun go down, met a nice Malaysian local guy and ate dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant. It was starting to sink in that we had to leave soon and I was not ready to say goodbye!
Day Eleven: Malaysia to the Philippines.
Travel all day by airplane, bus, taxi and another airplane. Tiring! Then, our resort did not come and pick us up so we spent the night at another random hotel until they came and got us the next day.
Day Twelve: Philipines, beach resort.
Our first day at the beach resort. We were welcomed with some homemade coconut smoothies and a large and elaborately decorated sign that said “Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Hixson”. Haha! Apparently not the only miscommunication. We spent the day eating lots of homemade food. The waitstaff was excellent. They were very accommodating and made all of our meals fresh (which were very cheap as well!). We spent some time snorkeling and on the beach or eating and playing cards. We went for a night walk on the beach and gazed at the a black sky filled with stars! We thanked God for all of his graces and prayed for our futures.
Day Thirteen: Philippines, beach resort.
This day we went scuba diving!!!! Our instructor was really fun and engaging. He was from Austria and had been diving for “a long time”. J This was Michelle’s second time to dive and my first. We practiced different techniques on some shallow spots near our resort. We learned how to clear our masks if they were to be filled with water, how to put the mouth piece back into our mouths if it were to be kicked out or in an emergency, and learned all the equipment and it’s purposes. Then, we went out further by boat and dove! We went 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) for 38 minutes. We saw clown fish, a fire fish, coral, star fish, and other colorful fish. This was one of the highlights of our trip!! Afterwards, we came back and had a nice big meal and rested! Diving is a lot of work!
Day Fourteen: Seoul, South Korea
Not ready to leave, but having no choice, we ate breakfast, packed up our stuff and were driven back to the airport. We made it with no problems, other than this was like the 3rd time we our names were called to board the plane. We seriously could never tell when it was time to board! We flew to Manila and transfered to the international terminal. We ate lunch at the airport and boarded our flight back to Seoul. When we arrived, we could see ice and snow at the edges of the runway. It was not a comforting sight. Apparently there had been a blizzard while we were away. We layered up as soon as we arrived, caught the bus back to Gongju and finally made it back to our apts late Sunday night which happened to be Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day! It was a fantastic trip and I'd go again in a heartbeat!
Day One: Philippines to Malaysia.
Travel ALL day. Airplane, bus, taxi, another airplane and 5 hours in a hotel to rest and shower. Quite the day!
Day Two: Malaysia.
Arrived in Kota Kinabalu around 7pm. Checked into our hostel and explored our surroundings. Exchanged money. Had an early night cause we were still tired from traveling.
Day Three: Malaysia
Walked around the city, eating local food, drinking fresh fruit smoothies, and checked out the shopping centers. We found a place that did super cheap massages, pedicures etc. and Michelle got a foot scrub and I got a massage. It was wonderful! Later that night, we took a city bus to a transfer bus station (which by the way was madness!) and rode out to the only nearby beach in KK. It didn't have a lot to it but we sat outside in this food court of sorts and played cards for like 3 hours. And drank more than our fair share of fruit juice!
Day Four & Five: Malaysia.
I (Kayleigh) went hiking on Mount Kinabalu. It is 4,052 meters or 13,435 ft. The first day we hiked about 6 hours to our lodging in the mountain. We slept a couple hours, ate dinner, then starting hiking around 3am that morning towards the summit. We reached the summit around 4:30am and waited until 5pm to watch the sunset at the peak. It was so cold we hid behind giant rocks to shield us from the ridge. I had to use a headlamp to see and gloves for the ropes. It was a great climb. Then we headed back down the entire length of the mountain, ate dinner at the base, and went home to SLEEP. It was one of my highlights.
Michelle went for a day at the spa and got a manicure, pedicure and massage. It was fantastic except for the girl kept burping the whole time she was giving the massage. haha! Later that day, she went back to the beach to see if it was any better in the daytime. It wasn't. The other day she went to the base of Mount Kinabalu to the hot springs, botanical gardens, and national park. She went on a tour there and saw different wildlife, plants, and soaked in the hot springs.
Day Six: Malaysia
With me hobbling around like a grandma, we met up with a friend I had made on the hike and rode a boat out to Manukan Island. We snorkled, swam, read, relaxed and ate at a yummy buffet. It was beautiful and refreshing. That night we got a facial at the spa shop that was quickly devouring all our money and then went to see the lamest movie ever. We were desperate for a new movie in English and it was a toss up between the Tooth Fairy and The Spy Next Door. Neither had great appeal but like we said, desperation! We saw The Spy Next Door and once again were given a lesson on humor. It is seriously cultural. What we found obnoxious, the Malaysian audience LOVED! It was so funny!
Day Seven: Malaysia.
We went river rafting through the jungle. Our guide was so funny and we enjoyed the beauty of the natural jungle and mountains around us. He told us that you used to see monkeys along the river but they are no longer there because the local people hunt them for food. We were on a team with folks from Taiwan and Hong Kong. I fell out once during a rapid that lifted our boat sideways! It was lots of fun. That night we went to the night market to eat fresh fruit smoothies and local food.
Day Eight: Malaysia.
We were supposed to go on a river tour. But after the beginning of the week we were so tired decided to cancel. It was a three day trip (about 12 hours by bus) and we didn’t want to spend the remainder of our trip this way. So instead we spent the day walking around KK, shopping, eating, playing cards etc. It was relaxing. on a nearby island called Mamutik. It was a beautiful day. We bought snacks and water, loaded up on sunscreen and layed out on the sand in the shade of a tree. We ate lunch on the Island and went snorkeling.
Day Nine: Malaysia
We slept in and decided to spend the day on a nearby island called Mamutik. It was a beautiful day. We bought snacks and water, loaded up on sunscreen and layed out on the sand in the shade of a tree. We ate lunch on the Island and went snorkeling. When we got back to our hotel that night, we discovered a grocery store that was almost the same if not better than an American one. We loaded up on our favorite snacks that we have greatly missed and vowed to come back before we left on Thursday. We seriously spent over an hour just looking around and I shed a tear of happiness/homesickness as I gathered all my treasures!
Day Ten: Malaysia.
Michelle and I bartered a deal for an ocean boat ride! We took a couple hours boating around the Islands on the ocean. We saw the villages where the locals catch all their fish and also got to see where the houses are on stilts in the water! We saw little children on floating plywood “boats” and fishing or swimming. After awhile in the heat, we needed a place to cool off. We decided to check with the Hyatt Hotel to see if we could use their pool facilities for the night. It was like $6 to get a guest pass and we jumped on it. Or rather "in it". We swam and watched the sun go down, met a nice Malaysian local guy and ate dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant. It was starting to sink in that we had to leave soon and I was not ready to say goodbye!
Day Eleven: Malaysia to the Philippines.
Travel all day by airplane, bus, taxi and another airplane. Tiring! Then, our resort did not come and pick us up so we spent the night at another random hotel until they came and got us the next day.
Day Twelve: Philipines, beach resort.
Our first day at the beach resort. We were welcomed with some homemade coconut smoothies and a large and elaborately decorated sign that said “Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Hixson”. Haha! Apparently not the only miscommunication. We spent the day eating lots of homemade food. The waitstaff was excellent. They were very accommodating and made all of our meals fresh (which were very cheap as well!). We spent some time snorkeling and on the beach or eating and playing cards. We went for a night walk on the beach and gazed at the a black sky filled with stars! We thanked God for all of his graces and prayed for our futures.
Day Thirteen: Philippines, beach resort.
This day we went scuba diving!!!! Our instructor was really fun and engaging. He was from Austria and had been diving for “a long time”. J This was Michelle’s second time to dive and my first. We practiced different techniques on some shallow spots near our resort. We learned how to clear our masks if they were to be filled with water, how to put the mouth piece back into our mouths if it were to be kicked out or in an emergency, and learned all the equipment and it’s purposes. Then, we went out further by boat and dove! We went 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) for 38 minutes. We saw clown fish, a fire fish, coral, star fish, and other colorful fish. This was one of the highlights of our trip!! Afterwards, we came back and had a nice big meal and rested! Diving is a lot of work!
Day Fourteen: Seoul, South Korea
Not ready to leave, but having no choice, we ate breakfast, packed up our stuff and were driven back to the airport. We made it with no problems, other than this was like the 3rd time we our names were called to board the plane. We seriously could never tell when it was time to board! We flew to Manila and transfered to the international terminal. We ate lunch at the airport and boarded our flight back to Seoul. When we arrived, we could see ice and snow at the edges of the runway. It was not a comforting sight. Apparently there had been a blizzard while we were away. We layered up as soon as we arrived, caught the bus back to Gongju and finally made it back to our apts late Sunday night which happened to be Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day! It was a fantastic trip and I'd go again in a heartbeat!
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