Wakeboarding in Mines Resort

Starting to love this sport! Didnt realize Malaysia would be the perfect place to wakeboard. It’s cheap (ok, relatively) and the weather is perfect!

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Mt Kinabalu Climb – Day 2

I woke up even before the alarm rang. It was 1am in the morning and Laban Rata was relatively quiet. The corridor only started to get noisy about half an hour later. There were sounds of people talking, packing and walking outside our room and from next door. No wonder people say you don’t need an alarm clock to wake up for the morning climb. I went ahead to wash up and pack while Fiona took an extra 15 minutes sleep. My cough didn’t get better and I can feel my throat yelling at me for climbing Mt Kinabalu. When Fiona was ready, we went down for breakfast. The food served was mostly carbs – congee, bread, noodles, eggs and cereal.

At about 2.30am, we put on our gears and got ready to head out. Our toy for the night was the headlamp attached onto our beanie by an adjustable strap that goes around and on top of our head. We left our sticks in the room when we found out from the guides that we will need both hands to pull ourselves up during the final climb to the summit.

From Laban Rata, we climbed up flights after flights of stairs. Breathing became more difficult and i was panting the entire time. The weather wasn’t very cold, but when the wind blows, it got really chilly. At this altitude, the mountain was barren and there in the absence of vegetation, we were hit directly by the wind whenever it blows. We were sweating inside our layers but every time we stopped to rest, we cooled down very fast making it even colder. Over time, we decided to take frequent but short breaks to catch our breaths without allowing our bodies to cool down too much.  The mountain was pitch black except for our headlamps. Occasionally when I looked back at those behind me, all I could see was just a trail of little dots.

The climb became more exciting and challenging after the flights of steps. We continued to follow the ropes, which marked the trail to the summit. At certain parts of the mountain, we had to use the ropes to keep our balance and to pull ourselves up. At other parts, we had to inch slowly at the edge of the mountain to get over to the other side. The climb was steepest at the final stretch before the peak.

It was past 5.30am when we reach the top. We took a break at a spot several meters below the peak to wait for the sunrise. The guide told us not to go any further back from where we were otherwise we would fall through Low’s gully. We ate a granola bar and drank our ribenas while we prepared our cameras to take photos during sunrise.

The view up there was breathtaking! And of course we didn’t miss taking a photo with the sign to prove that we’re at the peak! While enjoying the moment, we also dreaded the climb down. Now that we can see our surrounding, we couldn’t have imagined ourselves climbing up the mountain! Just looking down from the top gave us an eerie fear of falling down. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a cable car up here to bring us all the way down! After all, people only talk about climbing mountains, no one will ever boast about climbing down a mountain.

Descending for us was slightly faster than ascending but every step we took, we could feel the ache in our knees. There were some edges that were just so steep that we had to sit and slide our body down one step at the time. At parts that we couldn’t get a good footing, we literally have to turn around and absail down with the help of the ropes. Again we were amazed by how we actually got up to the top.

The flush toilet which I decided to check out along the way.

The view of Laban Rata while descending.

We started descending at around 6.30am and by the time we reached Laban Rata, it was 9am. We had breakfast and then returned to our room.

I took a short nap while Fiona packed her things. We left at 10.30am after checking out and refilling our bottles. I felt refreshed after the nap and was ready to leave the mountain. We took some photos of the dorm before leaving.

The four person room

The toilet

The showers

We got our sticks this time and that really helped to take off some weight when we were walking down the mountain. With the additional 10-15kg backpack, the stick was a bliss. Halfway down the mountain, it started raining and it kept raining till the gate. It took less effort descending than ascending but at this point, our feet were so sore that every step we took, we could feel the ache. Steps after steps we took. The only times we stopped were at the rest houses.

The porters braving their way through the rain to climb the mountain

The trail and resthouses get muddy when it rains

By the time we reached Carson’s Falls near Timpohon Gate, we could feel the fatigue kicking in. We thought that’s the end of it but if you could recall at the start of the climb, the path  at Timpohon Gate began with a flight of stairs down. We looked up at Timpohon Gate at the bottom of the flight of stairs and then turned to each other speechless. Slowly, but surely, we held on to each other and limped our way to the top.

I came, I saw, I conqured =)
Mount Kinabalu – Highest Mountain in South East Asia (4095m)

Date we were here: 9 Mar  2011
Hotel we stayed overnight: Grand Borneo Hotel

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Mt Kinabalu Climb – Day 1

Our flight to KK was delayed by 3 hours and by the time we arrived at Grand Borneo Hotel, it was already close to midnight. The only stores open at that hour were 7-11 and this other store called Orange. They both didn’t have the water purification tablets we have been looking for the past 2 days in Subang; even breakfast choices were limited. We bought 2 cups of instant noodles and went back to pack.

It typically takes about 1.5 – 2 hrs to get to KK park from KK city. So in order to start climbing by 9, we woke up at 5.45am. We washed up, ate our horribly tasting instant noodles, packed our toiletries and went down to the lobby. The taxi driver we called the night before arrived at the hotel punctually at 6.30 am. We chucked our luggage into the trunk and off we went to Mt Kinabalu.

The ride up to the KK park was very winding and along the way, we got a good view of the mountain that we were about to climb. On a clear day, the mountain stands magnificently amidst the blue sky. It was 8.15am when we arrived at the park. We went to register ourselves at the counter and got our meals voucher for the climb. The lady then directed us to the other building where we paid for our guide and transportation from the park to Timpohon Gate. Finally, before heading to the starting point in Timpohon Gate, we went to the store to buy some equipments that we were still lacking. For those of you looking for a headlamp, you can rent it at Laban Rata – don’t buy it from the store. Everything in the store is a significant mark up compared to what you can get in KK. The only thing worth your money at the store it the wooden hiking sticks – RM3 per stick (The stick is especially handy when descending).

At about 9, we began our climb. The sign “Selamat Mendaki” before the gate basically wishes you “all the best climbing”. We took a photo before taking off. Interestingly, the climb from Timpohon Gate begins with steps going down! Shortly after the stairs, you will come across a waterfall called Carson’s Fall, then later the first distance marker – the 0.5km sign. At the 793m point, lies the first resthouse (pondok). The hike up to this point will probably be a breeze and you will not bother to stop.

The next hut is only 441m away. By the second rest house, you would probably start sweating and feeling the need to take a sip of water. The climb really only starts to get steeper from this point on. We felt like we walked a long distance but it seemed ages before we saw the 2 and 2.5km markers. Along the way, we saw some local porters carrying large containers of supplies zooming strongly past us. I suspect these guys do it everyday, perhaps even everyday. They would bring supplies up and after unloading, carry the garbage from the top down.

Walking past the 3.5km point and around the 4km, we came to the Layang-layang rest house where we saw a group of kids from Singapore. The were all still very energetic and enthusiastic about the climb. We finished our packed lunch here along with most others. Our lunch consisted of just plain ham sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, fruits and eggs. Fiona was envious of the fried chicken packed in the kids’ lunch boxes. The hike got even steeper after this pondok.

Along the way, we also noticed the change in vegetation and landscape. Somewhere along this strecth, we also saw the famous butter cup plant (Malay:periuk kera). I was tired but still managed to take some photos along the way.

Laban Rata as well as the other accommodations are located at the 6km mark. The climb for the last 1km up was the most strenuous. There are no well defined steps, only rocks and we had to find the right footing with a good grip in order to get one step higher. The air along this stretch also started to get thinner and foggier as i think we were walking through the clouds. As we got closer to Laban Rata, we saw the outline of the mountain looming ahead, surrounded by clouds. It was 2pm when we arrived at Laban Rata. The climb up took us 5hrs and we could feel the strain in our quads, calves and shoulders.

The view up here is pretty awesome! Wonder how’s it like at the top!

We got a 2 person private room and we were pleasantly surprised to find the room better than we expected. The room came with an attached bathroom (with heated water), toiletry supplies, towels, coffee/tea maker, warm blanket and pillows. We took a shower and even with heated water, it was still chilly. The water without heating is ice cold! Throughout the evening, we heard shrieks from people showering in the common bathroom! We took a nap after.

A sign that says heat is not available to the rooms

Dinner was ready at 4.30pm and we were treated to a wide selection of food at the buffet dinner. Given where we were, i would say I was impressed by what was served at dinner! We both ate a lot and even went back for refills. We met a group of malaysians from KL and chatted for a bit. Turns out, one of the guys, Ravi, was the first South East Asian to climb mount everest solo (as i later found out online). After dinner, we went straight to bed only to wake up several times later because we couldn’t sleep. It was 6pm when we attempted to sleep.

The dinner buffet wide a wide variety of food

Mt Kinabalu Climb – Day 2

Date we were here: 8 Mar 2011
Hotel we stayed overnight: Laban Rata

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