Monday, December 24, 2007

Day 7 - 22nd Dec 2007

It's time to go home.
It has been a wonderful trip, all thanks to the guys actually.
Been travelling with different people for 80% of all my trips and it was always good to travel with guys.
For one thing, they are very flexible and not too calculating. They will accommodate as much as they can. They are not petty and they are very gungho. And best of all, they are not crazy about shopping. hahahhaha
I love travelling with this group (erm...minus ...erm...)
Thanks for the memories, guys..you have been wonderful.

Basically, to go to KK or to scale Mt K is very achieveable if you want to do it on your own without the help of any travel agencies. We would have saved lots if we could do it ourselves, I believe. You just need to plan way in advance, secure your lodging at Laban Rata and the rest is pretty much simple. Book your lodging here. The accommodation is pretty much controlled by them (for the climb).
http://www.suterasanctuarylodges.com.my/index.shtml

Scaling Mount Kinabalu - it's worth every pain and sweat. Go for it.

Day 6 - 21st Dec 2007

Today's activity was Water Rafting.
Actually it was more of a on the road activity - we spent hours on the road.
Set off to Beaufort Railway station for our VERY SLOW train ride. We needed to get to Pangi Station which would take us 2 hours. The ride was slow and stuffy but it was quite an insightful experience. Made me think of my train ride during my Silk Road trip.
Had safety briefing before we set out to do the rafting. Erm....it was really quite a mild one. And before we knew it, it was over and we had to rush back for our BBQ lunch at 3pm before hopping onto the train again for our ride back.
The journey was going to be very boring (and so I thought) until Carl and I started to chat. Sometimes talking nonsense can be very fulfilling :p

Day 5 Pics

Day 5 - 20th Dec 2007

Today's agenda? Poring Hot Spring.
It was Hari Raya Haji and so many locals came to this area.
We got ourselves a private room and soaked in the water. I didn't expect the hot spring to be like this, all thanks to the images from Japan Hour. This was FAR from it. Anyway, no complaints.
The trio then went for the Canopy Walk (thanks guys for accommodating! hehehhehe) while Jason went for the Butterfly Farm.
At 2pm, we started our transfer to KK town again.
It's good to be back!
EK and I checked out the Thai massage (De Lanna @ Warisan Square C-02-02 Block C, 2nd Floor - RM94 ) which was absolutely wonderful.

Day 4- 19th Dec 2007

The morning that we had been waiting for finally arrived.
It was 2.30am and we got ourselves ready with our full gear and set off at 2.45am.
We trekked in the dark with our head lamps on. This time round, I was able to maintain my breath and trekked steadily without stopping ever so often.
The wind was really strong and at some points, I was thrown off balance and while trying to catch a grip of myself, I twisted my ankle. Sigh!

At 5.09am, I reached the peak. Where's the guys?
So I waited in the cold until EK came up and subsequently Carl. Where's Jason?

Carl and I, picture taken by EK.

The crowd came on and we decided that we had to decend. It was cloudy and the sunrise was not particularly spectacular.

Descending was painful to the knees and it was inevitable that we slipped. By the time I reached the dorm, it was 7.45am. The guys came back and we proceeded for our breakfast at Laban Rata (ex!)


Had to descend again and by the time we reached Timpohon Gate, it was around 4pm.

To Poring we went.

Attacking the food, doing justice to our bodies.


Tired! *_*

Day 3 - 18th Dec 2007

We got ready by 7.30am to settle for the trek up. Went to the information counter and paid for the guide and porter (RM 18/kg). The porter was a 15-year-old girl and the guys were so amazed by it.

We took the Mersilau trail which was estimated that we would take 8 - 10 hours to reach Laban Rata. As I compared with Timpohon Gate, this was rather tedious because it is a longer route. Jason was lagging behind while the three of us retained our pace. Carl and EK still had the energy to fool around. But it was fun having to see the two grown-ups playing. :p


We finally reached Laban Rata at around 5 plus in the evening before we had our dinner which was expensive!
The night at the dormitory was COLD. I had layers of clothes and I still felt terribly chilly. Carl lent me his windbreaker and EK tucked me with his extra blanket and jacket and it was still not enough! Didn't manage to sleep at all because of the coldness. Arghh....I hate cold weather!

Day 2 - 17th Dec 2007


We had to transfer to Mesilau Nature Resort today.
So we had a lazy morning and an easy breakfast, rotting at the coffeeshop next to our accommodation.

Then it was a 2 1/2 hours ride to our destination. Along the way, the driver stopped for us to take photos.

By evening, we reached the resort. The air was cool and crisp.

Getting ready for the climb tomorrow! Ganbatte ne!