Mount Kinabalu Trip [23-26 Mar 2006] Day 1 & 2

All 6 of us (Eric, JN, JK, Myself, VF and Soo) from KL went for a short trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The main objective of this trip is to conquer the 3rd Highest Peak in SEA and the Highest Peak in Malaysia. We depart from KLIA on Thursday afternoon and arrived on KK Terminal 2 Airport in the evening. We were lucky to get on the new AirAsia AirBus 310. The plane looks new but during our takeoff, we were pullback by an engine problem which caused the whole flight to be delayed by around 60mins(30mins at the waiting area and 30mins on board before they start to fly...HUH!). The one that caught my eye was the air-conditioner in the flight. It sprayed across the cabin like some dry ice flowing from the air-cond vent. Here are some of the pics we took:

[Air-Cond]


[AirAsia A310]


If I'm not mistaken we arrived at KK Terminal 2 at around 7pm. After touchdown, we queue to get our I/C scanned to their system to use as a proof of entry instead of using a passport. As usual after check-in, we waited for our luggages. Our tour agency came just after we got our bags. They drove all of us to the foothill of the mountain to sleep one night at Kinabalu Park, Grace Hall before our ascend to Laban Rata (around 3300 m or 10,800 ft) next morning. Upon reaching Park HQ, we went over to the dining hall to have our dinner instead of heading straight to Grace Hall which is around 5mins drive away. We were served with 6 dishes of nice and yummy meal. 3 veges, 1 sotong, 1 tauhu soup and 1 curry chicken. The veges tasted very good and fresh. Sotong was rather salty. Soup was great as the weather was quite cold outside and the soup is just what we need to heat ourselves up. The worst was the curry chicken which tasted like some canned food. huh... anway, not much of complained from us except quickly filled up our stomache since we only arrived there around 9pm+ and most of us already quite hungry except for me and Soo who stopped by McD to get our big Mac on the way to the Park HQ which took us around 2hrs eventhough the driver was driving at high speed.

[KK Terminal 2]


[Soup]


[Vege1]


[Vege2]


[Vege3]


[Sotong or Squid]


[Curry Chicken]


[Left Overs]


[The GanG]


Shortly after we had our dinner, we went over to the exhibition hall to view some of the pics of Mount Kinabalu and the flora and fauna surrounding it. After a while hanging around the exhibition hall and getting a rough idea of what we should expect for our next morning climb, we went over to Grace Hall where all six of us will spend the night together on three double-decker bed. Before we went to bed, we all packed ready our stuff to bring up the mountain and again i was the one whom got the heaviest load of all. Around 12kgs. Crazy man! Was worried that i might injured my back the next day since it's going to be a 6km climb with rough and steep path. That night, I could sleep caused had too much. Shouldn't have taken McD and then eat quite alot during the dinner. So was feeling very uncomfortable and moving around the bed. Instead of continue to disturb others, me and another fellow colleague went out to have a nice chat. Both of us went back to bed around 1am. Feel much better and tired after the chat. ehehehehe...

[The GanG... Still fresh from dinner except some and some even gettin ready for tomorrow's climb! That's the spirit man... although sitll a long way to go...]


[The Common Room at Grace Hall where I had my bedtime stories... see the two chairs there, it's still the same position after we left... muahahahaha!]


[Grace Hall]


Woke up at 7:30am the next morning. All of us supposed to get ready by 8am and head to the Park HQ for our breakfast. The breakfast served at the park was pretty good. We had english breakfast with one sausage, two eggs and some bread each. Had my daily dosage of coffee as well. Then we head back to Grace Hall to get our stuff and also to do a "deep cleansing" before the climb. After which, we are supposed to register ourselves at the Park HQ and get ourselves a tag and also find our guide. At the same time, for those who are intesrested to hire a porter can weighed their bag there and workout the price. If i'm not mistaken, the price for 1kg is RM6/7. Quite expensive I thought. Therefore, I decided to carry my own all 12kgs up. Again worry for my back and also my legs and also the climb to the peak the next morning.

[View outside Grace Hall]


[The GenG, outside the HQ Park Restaurant. The place where we had our dinner and breakfast]


[Me sabo-ing my "ah-mo" breakfast! Camera looks blur, not me :p]


After breakfast at Kinabalu Park, we get oursevles ready and head to Timpohon Park where we will start our climb. We took a bus there from Kinabalu Park. We shared the same bus with a group of college grads from Sweden. And one of them mistaken me for a japanese. First time, i'm being mistaken as a japanese. Hmmm... do I look like one ar? :p

[Timpohon Park Entry]


[Record Holders]


[Summit Trail]


Upon arrival at Timpohon Park, our guide(Jeff Giddy) help us to do our registration and to log our name into the climbers log. Here we go, let's get going... there's a huge mountain for us to conquer!

[Downslope, picture from both side!]


[One of the waterfall(Carson Fall) we passed by before our KM 1 stop. Some people pay for a small amount fees to come in just to see the waterfall]


[Eric n Soo @ KM 0.5, both still looking fresh and strong... muahaha!]


There are around 8-9 few stops along the way to the peak. Each stop will have a small hut, a big untreated water tank and a "mobile" toilet(where some doesn't have water to flush while some jammed and some stinks!!! imagine hundreds of ppl using it w/o flushing... orh yeah, guys and girls, for the 1st time, we get to share the same toilet... a stinky one! :p).

[the flight of stairs that we need to go through during one of our "tough" sections... got mood to say hello somemore... wait till he climb the stairs :p]


[Our first stop of the day... KM1! there are 8-9 more... each stop around 1KM except one of them which have quite a tough trail that have 2 stops in between 1KM.. I tink... might have lost count as well... hmmm... still recovering from the climb and enjoying the feat! ;)]


[the untreated water... basically you got no choice but to drink them unless you want to carry the 5L mineral water with you... yeah, i'm gettin ready to test it... the 1st victim of the whole team... it turns out to be quite ok... apart from being quite alike like mineral water, it's very cooling and refreshing... probably better than any of the mineral water out there in the market!]


[another flight of stairs... i think i'm starting to feel the effects liao... but still can tahan lah... wait till you go higher... ehehehehe!]


[KM 2, the 2nd stop of the day... as you can see, my hand already been tired out from holding the camera... therefore, there is this special "blurry" effect been added onto the picture :p]


[dangerous and treacherous path for those who are willing to take the challenge for a longer and tougher path... please bear in mind that the current one we are taking already considered quite challenging liao... how about up the ante and take on this challenge? i dare not... :s]


[subsequent KM 3 and KM 4 stops... as you can noticed, at KM 4 the surrounding is becoming misty and reduce in visibility... another challenge added on to our lists... hmmm, don't worry be happy! :D]



[so which way should i go? left or right? hmmm... i'm confused... noticed behind the signboard there are some contruction going on... hmmm... construction on a slop, would it cause landslides ar? i better get going fast... left or right doesn't matter, so long as i'm safe! :p]


[layang-layang hut... this hut is at KM 4... is the largest hut around... this is also the place where most people will take a break and have their lunch. I guess by the time we reached here, it's just nice for food! as for me, i've just reached while the others have been there for quite some time.. yeah, i was slow like a tortoise... blame it on my 12kgs tortoise shell :p. at the same time, i'm stretching both my legs from the hours of sustained muscle cramps... better not describe too detail, don't want to dampen the spirit or intention for those who are planning to go soon or anytime in the future... ehehehe... don't worry, i'll soldier on...]


After filling up our stomache, we're all ready to go and complete the next 2KM before we rest overnight at laban rata rest house. As we go higher and higher, we get to see some strange and wild flowers as the mist got thicker and the level of oxygen decreases. Apart from that, some may suffer from altitude sickness caused by lack of adaptation to high altitudes. Also the route we trudge got tougher with more slopes and rocks.

[some wild flowers...]


[thickening of the mist...]


[taking a break from the cliffy path... wat about a photo shot, say cheeze!]


After walking for around 30mins from KM4, we finally reached KM5. That means we are just 1KM away from our stop and it also means there'll be food and a nice comfy bed waiting for us at the top. But check this out... as we approached KM6, the paths we've gone through over the past 5KM is nothing compared to the last 1KM. Both my legs got tired, can feel that my backpack got heavier, the air got thinner which resulted in me getting tired very easily and stopping by for more oxygen... nothing seems as tough as the last 1KM... wow... it's really something to reach there with all the loads and myself... of course if compared to the locals there, all these are nothing. This is because most of them climb the mountain up and down three times a week carrying stuff for the people who stays at KM6, laban rata resthouse and also backpacks. Some of the locals even run up and down. I was amazed at the way they do it! bravo! Me nowhere close but at least... and finally managed to reach laban rata resthouse... the 1st thing i did was to cheer myself wt a nice cup of hot coffee with some food to go with... it's so satisfying after going through 4-5hrs of 6KM climb. it's indeed tougher than what i've anticipated. should have train harder should i have known. hmmmm...

[this is how the path looks like after KM5...]


[and i thought the path at KM5 with the red clay footpath was tough, then came the bigger surpise... the uneven rocks after KM5.5]


[a clear view of what to be expected after KM5.5...]


[after KM5.5, here's what is left before reaching KM6... the destination of the day! as you can see at the top, there's some sign of living and houses... wat a relief!]


[yea! we're almost there... a BIG relief smile! :D]


[and finally... the reward for the day... laban rata resthouse... where we'll be spending one night here before our last 2.7KM climb to the low's peak!]


[-> KM6!!!]


we are supposed to split into two different groups where the 1st group which consists of 2 members will be staying at Gunting Lagadan Hut while the rest of the other 4 members will be spending their night at Panar Laban Hut. The distance between the two huts is about 2mins away. So we are actually staying quite close to each other. Orh yeah, even going to our respective hut requires some climbing effort and it's around 5mins away from the main laban rata resthouse. All the huts there are built on a slope and rocky foundation. But they look pretty steady, so not much worries on the hut coming down but more worry should be given to the weather around us as it's quite cold. If i'm not mistaken, it's around 10 degree celcius and below.

[Gunting Lagadan Hut]


[Panar Laban Hut]


[this is what i meant by "climbing effort" to your hut... ehehehe...]


[nightfall at Panar Laban Hut...]


That night at the resthouse most of us couldn't get much of sleep although we went to bed straight after our dinner at laban rata resthouse. I think this is my first time sleeping so early. Guess all of us we pretty much in our bed covered with thick quilt at around 8pm. The reason we need to go to bed so early is because all of us need to wake up by 1:30am the next morning to cook our early morning breakfast before embarking on our last 2.7KM climb to low's peak. We bought 6 packets of maggie mee which cost rm2 per packet for our early morning breakfast. They do served breakfast at laban rata resthouse but their breakfast hour is from 7:30am-10:30am but we need to start climbing at 2:30am from KM6 so that we could reach the peak(KM8.7) before the sunrise. You wouldn't want to miss the sunrise right?!?! After all the climb and hardwork... of course, all of us deserved a peek at the sunrise at the 3rd highest peak for SEA... not many people could enjoy such a feast!

[this picture was taken right after we had our maggie mee breakfast at around 1:30am... look, we are all dressed up like "fei fu dui" ready to conquer the peak!]


We hardly get enough of sleep although we were in our bed by 8pm but the temperature was so cold in the hut and there's not a heater or anything to keep us warm. And during some part of the night, there were howling winds blowing straight to our hut and it's like earthquake caused the whole hut sort of like shaking. Although we managed to contain ourselves within the hut, due to some broken windows glass, there were gap that allow the cold wind to keep us shiver throughout the night... supposed to get around 5hrs of sleep but i think we only managed to get around 1-2hrs of sleep. lack of sleep, lack of concentration and stamina but need these are two most important elements for the next 2.7KM climb as it's going to be dark out there and the air is definitely much thinner and temperature going to be around the zero deg celcius range. try that for a morning exercise! :p

We didn't snapped any pictures along our climb from KM6 to KM8.7 as the route we are trugding is pretty messy with rocks and slope all the way. Some part of the climb requires some real rock climbing skills as we need to hook ourselves on the rope and slowly pull ourselves up. And if your are without a head torchlight, it'll be much difficult to get a clear view of your path and to hold on to the rope as you are holding on to your torchlight at the same time. It was total darkness everywhere except for a nice and beautiful sky right above us with a bright moon shinning at us which provide us with some sort of light and the twinkling of the stars. And for the 1st time in my life can i see millions and millions of stars. It's like a sky filled with stars everywhere... yeah, an ocean of stars!

Although, i still managed to snap a few of the important landmark pictures as a proof of the climb... muahahaha...

[sayat-sayat checkpoint, this is the only rest stop we have for the whole 2.7KM climb. And also this is where we check ourselves with the security guard there before proceeding with our next 1.7KM climb to the peak...]


[KM7... another 1.7KM before reaching KM8.7.... our final destination!]


[just another 0.7KM away and we're there... although the conditions for the climb is not that ideal with thinner air and difficulty in breathing coupled with cold winds, we need to move on... it's now or never!]


[after walking and climbing relentlessly for another 15-20mins, finally we reached the peak... the last 0.7KM was kind of tough as we were slowly running out of breath and our energy are slowly draining out from our body, can feel as though i'm airless... but when we saw that signboard indicating low's peak... we say to ourselves, what a relief, wat an achievement... just couldn't believe it... we did it, YEAH!!!]


[back of the signboard...]


[pics taken during total darkness... of course, with flash lah... notice any similarity?:p]


We reached the peak at around 5:20am. It took us around 2hrs 50mins to complete the last 2.7KM from KM6(laban rata resthouse). The temperature at the peak was close to zero degree celcius and it was covered with total darkness apart from our individual torchlight. There isn't much space around the peak. I think the most it can fit is around 10-20 people max. That's why if we were to reach the peak later, there'll be a limitation of the number of people allow to go up each time and i guess there'll also be a time constraint. Lucky for us since we were the 2nd team after the finnish team to reach there. At 5:20am, there is nothing much you could see apart from dark figures and the moon... which after sometime we start to see the sun rising....

[the sun starting to rise...]


[sun rising together with the cloud effects...]


[sun rising together with the sea of clouds... you don't get to see this everyday... so treasure it while you can... ehehehe...]


[another magnificent view... mountains and clouds... feel like jumping into the sea of clouds but then again i came to my senses and restraint myself from doing so... i think the altitude sickness it's making my mind haywire... ehehehee...]


[another peak, but definitely not low's peak caused i'm taking this picture from low's peak :p]


[we're almost there... just a little bit more... muahahahaha....]


while waiting for the sun to rise, these are some of the pictures i took. trying to be a good photographer by trying different kind of shots based on the angle and positioning of the mountains, clouds and the sun.

[i'm coming... but still not up yet...]


[wat a spectacular view...]


[here comes the almighty sun!]


[shinning right above the mountain...]


[mountainous view...]


[perspective view... i like this picture...]


After taking many pictures of the sun rising and the surrounding mountains, finally we get a chance for a gang pictures although one is missing(holding the camera). It's like so hard to get ourselves position right at one of the most important landmark of the whole trip and also a proof-of-purchse for the total cost of the trip caused there were certain individuals from certain country(don't want to mentioned names here... those who went for the trip will know who are they... sell-fish-people! :p) kept on holding to this post and taking pictures like no one else is waiting but the fact is there we groups of people awaiting and after they took their group photos, they proceeded with individuals take while ignoring other present. Me as usual, the aggressor, asked all my group members to be ready around that board and once we got the chance, we just hop-in w/out giving much care to them. come'on lah... everyone deserve a chance for at least a group photo... i don't blame their behaviour of being "sakai" since this is also our first trip up the hill but want to be "sakai" oso be in a nice way lah... don't they know that there were lines of people queuing up for a chance as well...huh! such a disappointing bunch...

[finally the long awaiting group photo... minus that right figure coz that guy is one of them from the sell-fish-group! i'm so geram betul but holding it back and forcing myself to smile instead...]


After a well-deserved time spent on the peak, with wonderful scenery, sunrise and mountains viewing, plus the cool and fresh air, and while the sun is still not at its hottest, we decided to descent and also at the same time allow others who are still on their way up a chance of what it feels like to be at the peak of the 3rd highest mountain in SEA and the highest in our home country. Orh yeah, and also we dun wan to be any fish-seller. huh... okok, enough of the selling fish business! Time for some serious descent down the steep and quite dangerous slope. We didn't realised it till it's day as you can only see your own path during the night time climb. But now you definitely can have a clearer picture of what actually you've gone through but this time round, you can see the level of difficutly and the challenges involed. Let's the breathtaking descent begins...

[just right after the peak... you don't walk but you crawl...or to put in a better way, you climb loh!]


[the endless peak... i just luv the view of the clouds up at the peak... it's so refreshing, so white and beautiful... like bundles of cottons!]


[here comes the tough part... not easy though... as you can, some of us need to grab on the rope as an auxiliary support... and the path does make things easier for us as it's uneven and rocky...]


[this chap just make it looks easy... you see i can just walk down without any support...]


[guess what, there's actually a wishing lake right after we descent from the peak... according to our tour guide, people usually throw coins into it and make their wishes... i've made mine and i hope it come true... come'on lah, i go all the way up just to make this wish wor... pls...pls...make it come true!:p]


[one last group photo at the peak... this special mountain seat is just next to the lake and the best part is our background view, overseeing another mountain's peak...]


[this is the bigger picture of what you can see from the peak... it's definitely amazing man!]


[one last peek at the peak... ehehehe...]


[the downslope got steeper and challenging as we continue our descent... as you could see, that rest house is where our last stop, the sayat-sayat checkpoint. again the only support you can get is the tiny piece of rope and a alot of ankle strength and stress...]


[a closer view of sayat-sayat checkpoint in the daylight... a little hut in the middle of nowhere... surrounded by mountains and a guard... i wonder how the guard can survive all by himself them...]


[I BELIEVE I CAN CLIMB, I BELIEVE I CAN TOUCH THE SKY...]