Kota Kinabalu Part II

This post is part of a series. Your are now at Part II
Go to Part I III IV

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IMPORTANT PLACES

Bookshops

Borneo Books (Tel:538077; www.borneobooks.com; Wisma Merdeka, Jln. Haji Saman) Now with two outlets, offering English-language and Borneo-related titles, cafe, free wi-fi Internet and secondhand book scheme.

Iwase Bookshop (Tel: 233757; Wisma Merdeka, Jln. Haji Saman) Has a more general selection.

Immigration

Immigration office (Tel: 280700; 4th floor, Wisma Dang Ban­dang, Jln. Tunku Abdul Rahman; 8am-1pm & 2-4.30pm Mon-Thu, 8am-11.30am & 2pm-4.30pm Fri, 8am-lpm Sat)

Internet Access

Borneo Net (311 Jln. Haji Saman; per hr RM3; 9pm-lam)

Exchange (Tel:389860; Centre Point; per hr RM4; 8am-10.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-11pm Sat & Sun) Fast, efficient business centre.

Print Shop (Tel:248399; Jln. Gaya; per hr RM4;8am-7pm Mon-Sat) Digital photo shop with good Internet access.

Laundry
Hostels and hotels usually have laundry services available, but it's often cheaper to use an outside service.
Mega Laundry (Tel:238970; Lg Sinsuran 2)

Library

State Library (Tel:254333; Jln.Tunku Abdul Rahman; 9am-9pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat, 9am-1 pm Sun) The library has an English periodicals section for those wanting to catch up on the news from home, and it's a good place to cool down and get some peace and quiet. Internet access is available for RM2 per hour.

Medical Services

Dial 999 in an emergency.

Permai Polyclinic (Tel: 232100; www.permaipolyclinics .com; 4 Jln Pantai; 24hr) Private outpatients clinic.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Tel: 218166; Jln Penam­pang) Past the Sabah Museum.

Currency and Money

Most major banks, such as HSBC and Standard Chartered, have branches at the northern end of town. Moneychangers are plentiful in KK, particularly in the Wisma Merdeka and Centre Point malls; they are more convenient than banks, and some­times have better rates.

HSBC (Tel:1300-880181; Jln. Gaya)

Maybank (Tel:215030; Jln. Pantai)

Standard Chartered (Tel:258746; Jln. Pantai)

Postal Service

Main post office on Jln. Tun Razak; (8am-5pm Mon-Sat) Has an efficient poste restante counter. Parcels are weighed and sent from the offices to the left of the main entrance.

Telecommunication

You can make international calls from pub­lic Celcom and Uniphone phones around town with the relevant phonecard or call­ing card. Telekom office (Jln Tunku Abdul Rahman) A 10-minute walk south of the city centre, this has international Telephone booths.

Tourist Information

Sabah Parks (Tel: 088-211881; www.sabahparks.org .my; Lot 1-3, Block K, Kompleks Sinsuran, Jln. Tun Fuad Stephens; 8am-fpm & 2-Spm Mon-Thu, 8-11.30am & 2-5pm Fri)

Sabah Tourism Board (Tel:212121; www.sabahtourism.com; 51 An Gaya; 8am-Spm Mon-Fri, 8am-2pm Sat) Housed in the historic post office building, KK's main tour­ist office has helpful staff and a wide range of brochures, pamphlets and other information covering every aspect of independent and tour travel in Sabah.

Tourism Malaysia (Tel: 211732; www.tourism.gov.my; Api-Api Centre, Lg Api-Api 1; 8am 8pm Mon-Fri) Geared more for travel throughout Malaysia.

DANGERS AND ANNOYANCES

When the usual precautions are taken, KK is a reasonably safe city. Late at night, streets and alleys near the waterfront are probably best avoided if you are alone, and locals often advise caution around the Fili­pino market.

Women travelers are wise to be cautious about walking around on their own after dark, though it's probably safer than most Western cities.

This post is part of a series. Your are now at Part II
Go to Part I III IV