Kota Kinabalu Part 2

Today we were going to go to the Kinabalu National Park to visit the Botanical Gardens and then to Poring Hot Springs to do another canopy walk and to relax in the hot pools at the end of the day. It was an early start as the National Park is 2.5 hours from KK. The group consisted of 13 adults and one tour guide. It was a beautiful drive to the park. There is only one road that takes you to the part of Sabah where the National Park is situated and it went through the rainforest. Mount Kinabalu was always in view and we actually saw the peak when the clouds drifted away. I had never seen a mountain that close and was in awe of its beauty. Apparently it isn't too hard a climb so we have decided we will most definitely be going back and attempt to climb it.

(That is Mount Kinabalu behind Zaheer and Yusuf- the tip is hidden in the clouds)

The botanical garden had every plant possible and helped us identify a lot of plants we had seen around Bukhit Shahbander on our many walks there. This was one of my favourites just beacuse the colour was so vivid against all the green. It was stunning.

This plant is called a pitcher plant. It always excites Zaheer everytime he spots this plant in the wild. I think it may be because he has seen a BBC documenatry with David Attenborough talking about it and feels like he is walking in his shoes. Its very cute.

Our tour guide. She was very good and knew absolutley everything on all the different plants. We were quite impressed.

You can just make out a spiral line going through the middle of the photo below. It is a branch from one the trees that grows all twisted from one tree to another. Its really beautiful to look at.

After the Botanical Gardens we had lunch then made our way to the Poring Hot Springs. The minute we arrived it started raining and it wasnt just drizzly rain like you get in the UK it poured. Literally as if somebody was standing above you with a humongous bucket and they just poured it all over your head. So I couldnt take any pictures whatsoever becuase my camera would have instantly died. It was an experince trying to walk across the canopy with that much rain all over you but it was beautiful. So worth the effort. The hot pools were full of people as it was a national holiday on that day but we did get one and it was quite pleasant.

We did meet an Australian couple who were on their honeymoon and decided to meet up with them the following day as they were leaving to go back the day after. Overall it was a really enjoyable day.