Conquering Mount Kinabalu
I was very fortunate to be chosen for the company’s Mount Kinabalu Expedition 2011.
The first day was spent traveling from home to LCCT to KK and then to the Kinabalu Park where we had our dinner, a short briefing and an introduction session before we were all tucked in for the night.
The next morning, we had breakfast and did a little warm-up before another briefing session, this time by the guides who accompanied us all the way to Laban Rata.
The journey from Kinabalu Park to Laban Rata was approximately 6km long and it took us 6 arduous hours of going up rocks and wooden steps. Oh, the agony!
A few kilometers from Laban Rata, it started raining cats and dogs. Water was gushing from the rocks above us and it seemed as if we were walking up waterfalls.
Fortunately, we arrived at Laban Rata safely (albeit all wet) and we had a quick meal before calling it a day at around 8pm.
It was 6 degrees Celsius when I checked the temperature at Laban Rata and we all slept with extra clothes, socks and gloves.
Come 2am, all of us were ready for the climb to the peak. In the dark!
It was another 2.7km of uphill climb but this time, the path was steeper and more dangerous (like super life-threatening kind). We only had ropes to assist us in our ascent to the peak.
After approximately 5 hours of climbing with ropes, we arrived at the ironically named Low’s Peak. Apparently, it was named after Sir Hugh Low who led an expedition and made the first documented ascent of Mount Kinabalu in 1851.
Trust me, Low’s peak is not low at all.
The view up there was AMAZING.
Then came the descent. And the rain. It took us another 6 hours to reach Laban Rata. The rain made the path slippery and I slipped a few times. If not for the rope…
We took a 30 minutes breather in Laban Rata and continued the descent down to Kinabalu Park at 3pm.
Come 6pm, it was already pitch-dark in the jungle and we had another 3km to go. There were 6 of us but only 3 headlights. To make matters worse, it was raining and there was a mist enveloping us. We could hardly see more than 2 meters ahead.
And that’s when the scary things appeared.
830pm, we saw the lights to the Timpohon gate, and it was such a sight! We call it the Timpohon gate to heaven, because we felt as if we’ve just gone through hell.
After exiting Kinabalu Park, we were brought to our home-stay village where we had dinner and a good time of singing and dancing. That night, I had to share a bed with another guy.
-_-”
The next day, we headed to Pulau Manukan, a beautiful island with crystal-clear water.
As I sit down and reflect back on the 4 days I’ve spent in Kinabalu, words just cannot describe how I feel right now. It was one of the most amazing journeys of my life. I am truly blessed to be able to share this life-changing experience of climbing Mount KK with 36 other amazing individuals, and I would not have done it any other way.
To end this post, here’s a picture of me doing something silly near the peak of Mount KK.
BBQ
Great food, better fellowship.
The boy and girls.
We played the usual Mafia. Trust me!
And this is what you get when you leave your camera lying around.
New Balance Klang Pacers Run For It 2011
We ran and we ran and we ran and we ran. For 12km.
Calvin – 1:05
Chong Keat – 1:19
Matt – 1:24
Kel Vin – 1:38
Melaka Roadtrip
Eu-Gene, Wee Vien, Rachel and I went for a short trip to Melaka during the Hari Raya break.
We ate a lot, but took even more pictures.
Eu-Gene decided he wants to be Mary Poppins.
I also want lah!
And then we decided to have some kung fu fightin’.
Overall, it was a sweaty but fun trip!
Fishermatt
In August 2011, I returned to Bungsamran Fishing Park for another dose of fishing.
The last time I went in 2007, we only caught 1 fish.
This time round, I definitely caught more than 1 fish.
The place was quiet and serene.
The weather was perfect. The sky was clear.
And most importantly, the fishes were biting.
It was one of my best fishing experiences ever.
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