The Mighty Kinabalu

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The magnificient Mount Kinabalu (4093m) as seen from the Medang Hostel (1885m)

Day 1

After a couple of hours flight from Kuala Lumpur, we finally reached Kota Kinabalu at about 6 a.m.. This is the first time I've been to East Malaysia and it felt exciting to be here. We got onto a bus to our travel agent office in town to sort some documents. Kota Kinabalu is a lot different from the cities back in West Malaysia. The town is growing really fast. There were children everywhere. Most of them were illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries on the streets selling all sort of stuff (cigarettes mostly). At least they were working to get paid rather than begging like those in Kuala Lumpur. Before afternoon, we continued our journey to Kinabalu Park Headquarters. In the evening, myself, my father and two of his friends went venturing the surrounding. There were a lot of hills that you can climb in the area. The footpath is easy to follow. You can say that this was a warm up session for the big day tomorrow. Then, we walk along the road heading to Ranau to buy some food. It is quite easy to make friends with the locals when you start persuading them to sell their rice....... We stayed overnight at Medang Hostel. The place was quite cheap and you get all the basic stuff - kitchen etc.

Day 2

The big day. This was the initial stage of the journey, which began at Timpohon Gate. The track is easy despite of the steep angle. Unless you are really fit, you'll probably start to swear when a porter carrying three time the weight you are carrying, passes you without even stopping to take a breath.

The journey to Laban Rata is quite different from other mountains I've been. Here, the track is well maintained and there are stairs built along the track. These stairs were mainly made from the burlian wood (so, I was told) about 20 years ago. The footpath is at the side of the mountain, so during the journey, you can see most of the beautiful forest view. There are also plenty of interesting plants that you won't find anywhere else. To know the name of these plants, all you have to do is ask the guide. Most of them even know the plant's scientific name !

At times you will come across smiling hikers who had managed to enjoy the peak coming down the mountain and telling you how beautiful it was up there. Moral boosts from time to time are good at this point. Unfortunately there are times when you meet again those porters who had passed you coming down the mountain, which will make you think - why am I doing here if I can buy a postcard and tell everyone I've been to the top ? Nearing Laban Rata, I did feel kind of drowsy. I think that's because the air was becoming thinner at higher altitude. Not good for those who have problems such as asthma etc. We reached Laban Rata at around noon. Here, we had the chance to rest before continuing our journey the next morning. The food served here is quite nice. Probably because you'll be starving by the time you reached Laban Rata. The price of the food is acceptable considering the work done by the porter in bringing all the food up to Laban Rata.


Relaxing view from Laban Rata cafeteria balcony	The land beneath the wind..........

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Day 3

We started the next stage of the journey at about 2.45 a.m. after a late dinner/early breakfast in order to reach the summit before the clouds starts to cover it at around 6.00 a.m. This was like an endless journey because you don't actually see where you are going. All you can see is a piece of rope on a rocky slope that you are supposed to follow for hours. You can also see quite clearly the lights from the surrounding towns. We reached the highest peak, which is Low's Peak (4093m) at around 5.00am. This was about the time when the sun is rising. I had the chance to photograph this amazing scenery (left). Which shows the land being divided into day and night. The whole scenery was absolutely spectacular.

There is more than one peak on Mount Kinabalu. The ones I could remember is the Ugly Sister Peak (4030m) and the Donkey's Ear. it's really cold up there. I don't really know the exact temperature up there, but the wind chill does make it colder, probably around 8 degree Celsius (probably less). I would recommend those who are not accustomed to cold weather to wear thick sweater inside a windbreaker. And wear something to cover the ears because it really hurts when the wind starts blowing.

We spent more than an hour on the mountain before the cloud starts to cover the area. The journey back to Laban Rata was quite surprising, because it was then when we realized how far we have been walking in the dark of the night.

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There are plenty of things to see on the way back especially if you are interested in botany. A lot of odd looking plants I might say. Before reaching Laban Rata you can easily spot a plant that bear fruits that resemble raspberry. You can eat the fruit but it taste sour and if you eat a lot, you'd probably get a nasty diarrhea (which happens to one of our mates - really !). We reached Laban Rata that afternoon, and continued our journey to Timpohon Gate. On the way back, it was our turn to smile back to those who are still struggling to reach Laban Rata. It rained heavily in the middle of the journey, and although we were drench and tired, the satisfaction of conquering South East Asia's highest point is there to be cherished.

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Day 4

We head back to Kota Kinabalu. On the way, we stopped at one of the pasar tamu (day market) and did some shopping. If you are into salted fish (ikan masin), this is the place to buy them. It is a lot expensive if you'd buy them in Kota Kinabalu. In the evening, we went sightseeing around K.Kinabalu. You won't be bored at night because if I'm not mistaken, there is a night market here every night. So, they'll be plenty of cheap bargains for budget travelers to spent your money on.

Day 5

Another day of sightseeing. There are loads of places you can visit and one of them is Labuan. To go there, you have to take a boat/ferry. There are also a lot of markets that you can visit. We went to the fish market that morning and were very surprised. There are all sort of fish that you'll probably think twice before eating being sold there. I personally recommend that you drop by this fish market and prepare to be amazed. The Filipino market which is nearby is also a bargain place. You can get loads of handicraft stuff there at a cheap price, that is, if you know how to bargain. At 3 a.m. the next day, we were on the plane heading for Kuala Lumpur. It was a great week for me. I just hope that I'll be able to visit Sabah again next time because the second highest mountain in Malaysia is there, just waiting to be conquered.......


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