To market, to market

Kota Kinabalu’s famed markets are a draw for tourists. Olivia Miwil finds out what makes them special

WHENEVER I say I am from Sabah, friends or acquaintances often ask what they should buy from the renowned handicraft market in the capital of Kota Kinabalu. I didn’t really have an idea as I had taken the iconic market for granted.

One day, I decided I’d find out more about the place so that I would be able to answer should anyone ask for suggestions in the future.

Also known as Filipino Market, the market has been around for more than 20 years. The wooden building has 114 stalls operated by locals who speak fairly good English. Tourists come here to shop for jewellery made of pearl, crystal and seashells.

Stall operator Sarnie Roimin says pearls at the market are usually sold at affordable prices, ranging between RM10 and few hundreds.

“These pearls are harvested from the deep sea or farmed. Each has its own beauty in terms of the shade of colours and surfaces,” she says.

With more than a hundred competitors, Sarnie tries to make her stall stand out by offering custom-made earrings, bracelets, necklaces and brooches.

Other souvenirs available at the market are local handicrafts such as traditional musical instruments like gongs and sompoton as well as an assortment of rattan baskets and wood carvings.

Tourists who are adept at bargaining will likely take home these souvenirs at a good price, along with free gifts.

A few of the operators even offer credit card facilities as, according to Sarnie, some tourists spend up to thousands of ringgit at a stall.

“This is why accepting credit card use is a necessity to ensure our customers can make cash-less transactions here,” she adds.

Along the walkway outside the market, men sit at old-fashioned sewing machines, busy at work. This is where you can get pants tailored at between RM5 and RM15.

While waiting for the sewing to be done, which can take anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour, you can head for Pasar Ikan Masin (salted fish market) next door. Here, dried fish, sea cucumber and seaweed in plastic bags are hung on hooks or stacked together.

These products come mainly from the eastern part of Sabah where people are experts at selecting good quality seafood. The salted fish is priced from RM5 to hundreds of ringgit, depending on the size and type of fish.

The stall-keepers are usually friendly enough to recommend the type of salted fish to buy and some even offer recipes. One stall owner suggests that I buy a rarely-available product like salted fish eggs.

He says the salt fish egg tastes better than the fish. For this reason, a packet weighing 100g can fetch around RM50.

This is also the place to buy health food such as purple and green seaweed, believed to be beneficial for health and beautiful skin.

On the the left of the handicraft market is a building where you can get local snacks such as crispy Amplang cracker, kuih cincin, sarang semut, penjaram and others.

These three markets open daily from 7am to 7pm and are just 10 minutes from Kota Kinabalu International Airport.