Mount Kinabalu Climb

Dear friends, I am still so excited from my journey despite returning from Kota Kinabalu since July 1, 2012. The climb to the highest mountain in South East Asia on June 30, 2012 was a truly expensive experience that I had ever encountered. It was a Self Satisfaction and Achievement. I had never imagined that I could go through the walk, right from Laban Rata to Low's Peak. Alhamdulillah, I was given the strength and courage by God The Almighty to carry myself -physically, emotionally and spiritually without any difficulties.

 It was not an easy climb, but I have to say that for a person who does not exercise regularly, except walking around the lake for at least eight rounds two months' before the trip, I did GREAT! It is all about the power of your mind, not so much of your fitness. At the end of the day, if you are fit, there is no guarantee that you will be able to reach the peak as you may face the Altitude sickness. Many of the people had actually U-turned when they saw the rope hanging near the cliff and the difficult path they have to go through.

We arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 10.25 am and was greeted by Latif, who was our guide. We had lunch at Centre Point, that was my first ever lunch in Sabah and was then driven to Kundasang which took about 2 hours.

On the way, we stopped over at Jambatan Tamparuli, the well known bridge in Sabah. We were excited to be able to experience a quick adventure walking along Jambatan Tamparuli. All the while, it has always been the song that we have been listening to, now we could actually see how the bridge looks like. Awesome!

 

Before checking-in into the hotel, we dropped by at the Kinabalu Park HQ for our registration after debating in the van whether we shoud take the Timpohon or Mesilau's route up to Laban Rata. We finally agreed, after weighing Latif's wise advice to take the Mesilau route to Laban Rata despite having to walk the extra 2 kilometres. We will then descend via Timpohon after that.  It was a breathtaking view of Mount Kinabalu from the Park. We could see the Laban Rata Resthouse sitting on top of the mountain, it was such a miniature cabin from where we stood. And yes, we started to think that it is sure going to be a real LONG walk. But that did not kill our spirits at all :P

We had ourselves registered for the next day. We were all so excited to start our walk to Laban Rata which will be 6 kilometres and probably will take 6 hours. But what is more important now is to check-in into a hotel and have enough rest for our adventure to begin in the woods. Kundasang is a real beautiful and tranquil place to be at. I wish that I could spend more time there, just sit outside and let the cool breeze brushes against my face - although it is really cold and freaking freezing especially at night.

Me, Kaklong and Anita shared a room at Cottage Hotel, Kundasang. I have to say that the room was very tight for the three of us, but then it was just for a night stay, so it was alright! We had a sumptous steamboat dinner which was a good source of heat and energy when the weather is really cold. We ended up stuffed and hung out with Latif to hear some stories about Mount Kinabalu in the cold, outside the hotel.

I just could not sleep well throughout the night. Probably was too worried about what is going to happen the next day, and Kaklong kept on waking up coughing and going to the loo. The next day, after breakfast, we left the hotel with mixed feelings but all determined to face the challenges that are ahead of us. Mesilau, here we come.

Upon reaching Mesilau's starting point at Mesilau Nature Resort (located at 2,000 metres above sea level), we were given our packed  lunch - sandwiches, an egg, an apple, a banana and a bottle of mineral water. I am not sure if I would actually eat those but it is better to stock up food than being starved in the woods. We were greeted by our guides cum porters, Rowdy Junik a.k.a Naga and Nickles (spelt with one less "S"). Our bags were weighed before we started walking and ours was 10 kg. That is super heavy to be carried up the mountain but thanks to our guide, we just need to pay RM 100.00 for a return ticket for our bag. Naga and Nickles briefed us a bit on safety and gave us some tips before we took our own paths to Laban Rata.

I took note that in our itinerary it says that "Depending on your fitness level, the 8 km trail's trek takes about 6 to 8 hours for the day". I wonder how long I am going to take now :P But I am so excited to see the different vegetation - from Oak & Chestnut to mossy and eventually to alpine type of vegetations!

We started our walk with our walking sticks. I rented one for RM 10.00 which I think is quite decent thinking that the money will be channeled to maintain the park, it was worth it. The Mesilau path was so beautiful. There were so many floras and faunas which I took time admiring each one of them. The vegetation changes as you go up higher and higher. Nothing could explain how breathtaking the view was at the top of our climb, but I really thanked God for giving me the opportunity to explore the nature without fearing any wild animals or people stalking me in the middle of the jungle.

We reached the junction where the Timpohon and Mesilau routes meet at 1.25 pm. There were so many people who had followed the Timpohon route, compared to what we have at Mesilau. Many of the guides whom we met complimented us for reaching the junction at a fast speed. But the last 2 kms was sure a disaster and torture and we did not know how long we have to endure the tough ride ahead.

 

 

The journey was not fun at all. It was really tiring although it was only 2 kilometres to reach Laban Rata, but it feels like forever. Not easy at all :(

After much panting up the hill, I could see a hut from far and was so glad that I was almost there (K Long and Idayu have left me behind). Upon reaching, I was about to scream out loud when I had discovered that it was not Laban Rata, but was a place called "Waras Hut". That structure sure have made me "tak waras" for a while! I was cheated and felt so deceived, hah hah.

Not long after walking past the Hut, I came across this signage which had made me so MAD! I spent almost a minute staring at the signage and just felt like unearthing it and throw it far away from me. It did not motivate me at all although it says "10 minutes to Laban Rata Resthouse". 10 minutes at that time felt like 1 hour!! Noie!!!!

So, as not to dampen my spirit, I took my own sweet time walking up the so-called 10 minutes' path admiring the flora and fauna along the walk. Not forgotten, with my long face and jaw dropped to the ground.

 

And finally, after dragging my heavy feet uphill, I jumped with joy when I see the Laban Rata Resthouse. It was only this signage that greeted me at the entrance, and sure the coldness was creeping into my bones. Thank God that I am still alive :P At least I did not have to spend 8 hours of walk :)

Kaklong and Idayu were already seated when I entered the Resthouse. I could smell coffee and food and that made me hungry. So, we decided to order bihun tomyam while waiting for the others to arrive. It was worth ordering the bihun tomyam though (gratis, Kaklong paid for it although it costs around RM 15 I guess). That was the most delicious meal I ever had (not trying to exaggerate here but yes, it was tasty) and what great match does a hot and spicy bowl of noodle makes when you are freezing cold? By the way, the Laban Rata Restaurant is opened at 7 am and closes at 7.30 pm, so for those who arrive after that, there will be no food available, WOOPS!

Most Delicious Tomyam Beehoon Ever!

Everyone else reached Laban Rata before dark except for Wanie. She had asthma attack and could not continue her journey due to the drop in  temperature. So, while waiting for Rowdy and Wanie, we got ourselves cleaned up, but mind you ablution was a torture when you don't have any running water from the tap and it is freezing cold when the water touches your skin. Sunset was a breathtaking view from the deck of the restaurant despite the cold wind that blew into your face.

Since it was already 8 pm and it is too dark for both Kuzi and Wanie to walk up to their hostel, Kaklong had suggested for both of them to bunk into the same room as ours. So, there were 8 of us instead of 6 and I had to share the bed with Kaklong. It was all good and that means we have natural thermal heat, thank God or else I will be a frozen meat by the time I wake up the next day. Wanie had successfully reached the Resthouse not long after we all decided to call the day off. Although exhausted, she was still determined to climb the peak the next morning. The trail that awaits us tomorrow morning, Gambate-kudasai!

Our day started early, as early as 2 am since we have to start our climb by 2.30 am. It is going to be a 2.72 km trail trek and the walk is estimated to take about 3 hours. After a quick snack and a short safety briefing by our guides, we headed for the track and mind you, the coldness just continue to creep into your bones. I was so nervous and was wondering if I could ever reach the top but was praying hard all the while for God to make it possible for me to do so.

I kept on reciting Al-Fatihah and Ayatul Kursi to keep me moving and for protection against any evil spirits etc. while climbing. As the climb gets steeper, more energy is required and we had a few stops to ensure that we do not overdo ourselves. Kaklong was already out of our sight, in fact, she was one of the earliest to reach the top (this is her second climb anyway). Nickles was accompanying all the time while Rowdy had decided to help Wanie. I have to say that the climb up was so super duper interesting as we met so many new friends.

  

STOP OVER AT SAYAT SAYAT CHECK POINT

At one stage, myself and Idayu had to leave Faizal, Anita, Mas, A'an and Kuzi behind since the sun was rising soon. We stopped before St John's Peak for our "menghormati waktu" Subuh prayers with some eyes looking at us going up and down. That was the most memorable moment having to pray at about 4,000 metres above the sea level, on rocks and at a temperature of about less than 5 Degrees.

After solat, we phased ourselves up, just to catch a glimpse of the sunrise from Low's Peak. Although we only need to walk up just another 0.5 km, the drop in temperature had slowed us down and Idayu was at the brink of giving up when we reached the base of Low's Peak. I gave her the motivation to continue on climbing as we cannot afford to be stationary in that cold weather, as it could result in numbness and dehydration. Idayu was just forcing herself up, but with determination, we both made our way to witness the beauty of surroundings from the mountain top. No words could describe how thankful I was to be at the top, and I shed tears of joy and was so proud of myself for achieving what I thought was impossible at first. Alhamdulillah, it was MAGNIFICENT!

We were all posing like corpses, can hardly smile since it is extremely cold up there and we heard someone saying that it was 3 degrees at that time. For my next climb, I will make sure that I hire a make-up artist to tag along and get the best shots at the peak, hah hah. And I was just so unlucky as my camera battery was flat and could not snap as many pictures as I wanted :(

The descending part to me was more difficult than the ascending part, my weight could not hold myself from going down like Jack and Jill, and I was so worried that I might just tumble down to Laban Rata. I met a few Koreans but they were not that friendly though and it tells when I knew that they are North Koreans. I was walking down all alone since the others were busy taking pictures at the top. I just had to leave since my toes were starting to feel numb. It was a breathtaking view as I descended and all the cliffs were so visible that I did not believe that I did went through the same trail before. Oh, that's why we have to walk up in pitch dark so that we won't take a U Turn half way through the journey, hah hah!

I was the first from the group to arrive at Laban Rata and met both Rowdy and Wanie at the base. We had to leave Laban Rata by 10 am or else, we will have to pay RM 100.00 for every hour spent in the hostel. So, after a sumptuous breakfast, we packed our stuff and was all ready to bid farewell to Laban Rata, although we know that we are going to miss the place dearly minus the absence of clean water of course :P

It was the Timpohon route that we have opted this time descending. It was the same trail until we came across the junction where the two routes met. We greeted the other climbers who were going up and gave them free advice and motivation to continue the hike. The vegetation along the Timpohon trail are not as beautiful as the ones we have along Mesilau trail, and since it was going downhill most of the time, the walk was fast and we reached the Timpohon Gate at approximately 1.30 pm and being greeted by the ever smiling Latif.

We then all walked together to the exit gate and bid farewell to the trail and will always treasure the priceless moments we had gone through for the past 1.5 days. We paid our guides the dues and thanked them for being so patient and lovely throughout their company.

Our van left and we headed to the Kinabalu Park HQ to collect our certificates and enjoyed good food at Balsam Restaurant for lunch. After that, we were driven to Kota Kinabalu to check-in into  Marina Court Service Apartment in the smack of the city itself, near the Filipino market. And after that, it was all about eating and shopping until the next day we bid farewell to the one State that I have fallen in love with.

I am looking forward to climb Mount Kinabalu soon via the Ferrata route. I shall miss the happy moments that I have experienced throughout this unforgettable journey and those memories will just flashback on my mind everytime I hear Jimmy Palikat singing Lagu Anak Kampung. I miss you dearly Sabah and I shall visit you again soon, I hope!

And I am sure that IT IS A CLIMB but I am glad that I have done it! Alhamdulillah. To all those who have yet to witness one of God's greatest gift, do it while you are strong because you do not know what you will miss until you discover it!

 

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming, but
There's a voice inside my head saying
You'll never reach it
Every step I'm takin'
Every move I make
Feels lost with no direction,
My faith is shakin'
But I, I gotta keep tryin'
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down, but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it, but
These are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep goin',
And I, I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on, 'cause

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

Yeah

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side
It's the climb

Yeah, yeah

Keep on movin'
Keep climbin'
Keep the faith baby
It's all about, it's all about
The climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa

Note : You should refrain yourself from climbing if you suffer from Hypertension, Diabetes, Palpitation, Arthritis, Heart Disease, Severe Anemia, Peptic Ulcers, Epileptic Fits, Obesity, Chronic Asthma, Muscular Cramps, Hepatitis (Jaundice)