souvenirs at Pekan Nabalu {Nabalu town}

A souvenir shop at Pekan Nabalu. Cowboy hats.. but we have very <i>few</i> horses here, plenty of buffaloes.

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Nabalu town is 13km from the entrance to Kinabalu National Park, and 73km from center of Kota Kinabalu city. It has grown from a popular roadside stop-over for souvenirs to the present tourist village.

Among the souvenirs here, you will find some spices, honey in bottles, packets of local red/black rice and handicrafts, both commercial and locally made. There are also stalls selling food and beverages.

The best souvenir, perhaps, is a beautiful view of Mt Kinabalu, provided you are lucky to have a clear morning. It is usually cloudy by late morning. A viewing deck and pavilions for visitors have been constructed.

I was lucky to have perfect weather when I visited Nabalu during the Chinese New Year break (late february 2010).

pekan nabalu

Handicrafts stalls at Nabalu town.

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A mix of locally made and commercially made handicraft items. Prices here seem to be cheaper than those found in Kota Kinabalu. As usual at bazaars like this one, bargaining will save you some money. I smiled when I overhead a young boy say to a tourist: “RM35 for 3 but for you sir, I give you special price RM25” … lucky guy. 😀 (US$1 = RM3.185)
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A single row of shophouses. (Souvenirs, food and beverage.)
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Viewing deck and pavilions. On sunny days, an unobstructed view of the beautiful Mt Kinabalu can be seen.