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Places of Note in Kota Kinabalu City.... There are only three buildings left now in Kota Kinabalu from the pre-war
colonial era:-
The Sabah Tourism Building in Jalan Gaya was finished in 1916 and was the
local Printing office and later the Treasury and other official blurbs such
as the Audit Office and the Attorney Generals office. For a period of thirty
years after the war it was the site of the Post Office until it was
designated a heritage site and became the Sabah Tourism building in the
1990’s.
The Atkinson Clock Tower was placed as a commemoration for the short life of
a young british man who was the first District Officer of Jesselton. Sadly
he died of malaria at age 28 so his mother had the tower built on Bukit
Brace (Brace Hill) in 1905. The Tower was a focal point for ships at sea who
could see it’s lights up until development of the city in the 1950’s meant
it could no longer be seen from the bay.
The Sikh Temple on Jalan Mat Salleh is the earliest of five Sikh temples in
Sabah. It was built in 1924 and although there was no local Granthi at the
time knowledgeable local Sikh’s were allowed to perform the duties. The
building survived the Allied bombing of Jesselton and was renovated and
extended in 1998 but care was taken to preserve the original design.
It’s worth a journey up Signal Hill to the observatory where you can look
down over the city and across the bay to Pulau Gaya (Gaya Island).
Gaya Street is one of the main streets in Kota Kinabalu which was rebuilt in
the 1960’s. The shophouses were used in the traditional way with residential
areas above the shops on the ground floor. The Sunday market along Gaya
Street runs from early morning to about 1pm. The traffic is stopped and
traders come in from all around the local environs to sell their goods –
just about anything you can imagine can be found tucked on a stall - from
fish to fashion items, puppies to pineapples! It is a vibrant colourful
event where you can hone your bargaining skills and find that treasure to
take home as a souvenir.
Everyday if you stroll along the waterfront you will find a large fruit and
vegetable market, meat and dried fish and other items. There is also a
covered market, known as the Filipino market where you can purchase
jewellery, woven and wooden goods ideal for a gift or a souvenir.
Museums
There are some interesting museums in Kota Kinabalu. The main Sabah
Museum is actually a collection of buildings which house a number of
different exhibitions. The main building has been designed to represent a
Rungus Longhouse with extending roof beams said to resemble the outstretched
arms of a sumazau dancer. This building houses the permanent galleries
including the Ethnology gallery where you can se traditional costumes,
musical instruments and other artefacts which represent the many ethnic
communities which make up Sabah. There is a Science and Education Centre, an
Art gallery and the Heritage Village where the visitor can walk around and
view a number of traditional houses, trees and herbal plants.
   
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