KOTA KINABALU, July 12 — If you’re new in town and want an introduction to Kota Kinabalu nightlife, or you and your friends are looking for an alternative to your usual Saturday night shenanigans, a bar crawl might just be the answer.

Exploring the nightlife of a new city can be daunting without a guide but Amazing Borneo’s Bar Pursuit claims to take away the stress of wondering where to go and with whom, and even injects some fun into the experience with games and challenges.

Amazing Borneo’s operation supervisor Tea Chua explains that the bar crawl allows you to experience KK nightlife "like a local” as it covers the entire spectrum of cheap and cheerful backpacker joints to high-end wine bars.

"We wanted to include a varied experience that reflects the actual nightlife here for tourists,” he said.

According to Chua, the tour began as a game for the company’s staff. "Due to its popularity, we decided to open it up as an option to tourists and locals who want to experience the nightlife here in a new and fun way,” he said.

The party begins at the agency’s headquarters in Asia City complex where participants or drinkers are split into teams that will "race” through the city.

Team members are usually picked "by the luck of the draw” to encourage more socialising but the organisers will also accommodate those who insist on staying together.

Once sorted, the teams head up to the office’s pantry for a very boozy game of poker which includes creative concoctions of alcohol that are sure to kickstart your journey to Buzz Town.

The bar crawl includes plenty of gimmicks and games to keep teams buzzed throughout the night.

For every hand you lose, players and their teams have to drink a certain combination of drinks pre-determined by an allocation of cards. The best case scenario would be a chilled beer, and the most deadly might be a mix of tequila, stout and Bailey’s Irish cream. The latter is certainly not a drink a certified mixologist would dream up!

Given the intensity of drinking involved, it is apt that the organisers warn you to show up after a good dinner or risk an early bow out (or throw up!).

As ice breakers go, the games do warm participants up to each other and get the party started. The aim of the stop is to earn 500 points in chips, 10 times the initial 50 you’re given as capital.

At the end of each stop, participants are given new "clues” to their next destination.

"The only rule is no driving,” said Chua, adding that all venues on the cards are within the city. Participants are encouraged to walk, or use a cab.

Thankfully most venues are within walking or stumbling distance even for locals who are prone to driving everywhere. However, the more tipsy one gets, the harder it will be to navigate your way around. Of course.

The second stop is a popular bar along one of the city’s most touristy strips and participants are greeted with a drink before the next challenge begins. This time, it requires enlisting the help of strangers (another way to make friends); this is easily completed before you are given the next destination.

Over the course of the next three hours or so, teams make their way to a local pub with a "live” band, an upscale wine bar, a big name franchise outlet and a tourist bar.

At every stop, there are more drinks to be had and more challenges to be "conquered.” A sense of humour rather than talent stands you in good stead during these challenges.

The latest effort at a Kota Kinabalu bar crawl aims to give participants a feel of the local nightlife.

Keeping mentally focused may be a challenge though considering the amount of alcohol involved, and those who fail may find themselves in a vicious cycle of drinking and having to do over their challenges!

Although touted as a race, there is no actual prize nor is there an elimination. "If you win, you get bragging rights. Everyone wins the experience,” said Chua.

Doing tequila shots off your new friend’s neck, handstands in a public place, negotiating the best way to get to your next destination and generally strategising while not quite sober is certainly a bonding experience.

Just be sure you plan how to get home safely at the START of the bar crawl.

Amazing Borneo’s Bar Pursuit happens every Saturday. 

The promotional rates are RM150 for Malaysians and RM190 for non Malaysians. 

The fees include all alcoholic drinks up to the last stop and an English-speaking support team.