Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Mount Kinabalu trip

I came, I saw, I failed to conquer. HAHAHAHAHA....

Just came back from Mount Kinabalu trip. It was a greatttt trip. Even though I didn't reach summit. I was happy with myself because it was really really really tough for me. EK and the rest reached the summit, very happy for her~ I have a bit of a contribution to that you know~ I didn't sleep the whole night at Laban Rata. So when we woke up at 1+am, I chose not to go summit as I was wasn't very confident. EK's shoes was tearing apart. So I let EK wore my Columbia trekking shoes and she conquered the mountain. hehe.. Then when we were trekking back down she had to wear her own shoes, this was what it looked like when we finished all the trekking/climbing, whatever you want to call it.

Amazing right? It's all torn. hahaa.... I didn't reach summit, my shoes and EK reached there for me. ahhahahahahaahha... The irony was, I was the one who exercised the most, yet I was the one who didn't go summit. Hahahahaha... I sort of foresaw this anyway. I am not very strong. But I was even weaker, 4years ago I probably couldn't even reach two third of the trail.

This photo was taken on the first day, on the way going up to Poring Hot Spring, not the actual climb day. Our guide said we were really lucky, for the sky is seldom this clear that we can see Mount Kinabalu so clearly. It's really majesty.

We were really really lucky throughout the whole trip. Our guide said it had been raining for days right before we came, very bad weather. It was sunny and extreme clear sky since the day we reached. There were lightnings on the night they were to climb to the summit but it never rained. On the way back down, it was still sunny but thick fog started to form, allll the way down to the starting point. I guess it rained after that day (on the mountain). It still never rained when we left.

We began our climb the second day we reached Kota Kinabalu, via Mesilau Route, the tougher route of the two (another is Timpohon). The Mesilau Route is about 8km long. At 4km, I already felt like dying. I was already asking myself, why did I pay money to suffer??? At 5km, every step was a struggle. SERIOUSLY.

At one of the rest stop, still nearly 3km to go before reaching Laban Rata, the resthouse we were going to stay, our guide pointed to us where it is. I almost fainted. IT WAS STILL SOOOOOOOOOO FAR AWAY!! It's like one mountain's distance away!

Frankly, at that time, I wasn't confident that I can make it... Every step from now on, I had to tell myself "you can do it". SEriously, every step. At about 500m before reaching Laban Rata, I started tearing. Ek was about same speed with me, it served as an encouragement for me to keep going on. I guess it was the same for both of us. We kept going when we saw the other walked another few more steps... WHen I finally reached Laban Rata, I avoided eye contact with others, cos my eyes were red. hahahahahaha... but can tell from the pic. I haven't got the pic yet, it's in another camera. Will upload it later.

When we were resting and having dinner, I was still a bit overcame by emotion. I said to EK and the rest "I want to cry already." and I cried. Hahaha... Well, not exactly cried, but tears rushed out from my eyes. And the guys took photos of me tearing. hahaa.... I didn't mind. CK asked me how I felt when I reached Laban Rata, I answered "ANGRY.". hahahaha. "Angry why was it so tough" I said. hahahaha... CK said one of his friends who went Mt K with him also felt angry. She even hit the tree with her walking pole. hahahaha.. I said at least she didn't cry, CK said he heard she did. I really should "high 5" with that girl. I didn't expect someone else also felt the same anger. Hahahahahaha... It's unreasonable but hey, I am a woman, I am supposed to be unreasonable. kekekeke....

I forgot how high this was..

Couldn't remember how high this was either.

Sunset soon after we reached Laban Rata. We spent about 9 hours to reach there.
I did some calculation, if I were to try to reach the summit, it's at least another 6hours up the summit and down to Laban Rata. And then another 5-6 hours to reach back the starting point. That's 10+ hours of walking. The first day's 9 hours already took every ounce of my strength, I was worried even if I can reach summit, I won't have the strength to trek back down... So I decided against going up the summit. Also, I was a bit scare of the height, frankly. hahaha. By the way, if you were to be carried by a porter, it's RM400, PER KILOMETRE.

This was taken when they were going to the summit.
I feel that it's a bit "rugi" for me to climb moutain. Because I'm short, I have short legs, it takes more strength for me to walk up the steps which were really high. hahahahahaha... Excuse? No, I don't think so, it's true. Because some steps are knee high.

THis was taken at the Timpohon station when i was waiting for EK and the rest to reach (we trekked down via Timpohon).

Pretty, isn't it? WHen I was trekking on Mesilau Route, I told myself NEVER AGAIN. But now I'm back, I'm not very sure about that anymore. kekekeke....

We also went Lok Kawi Wildlife Park after we went back to the city. It was great fun. Also went to the night markets, tried seaweed we never saw before, and ate HUGE tiger prawns. I don't have a lot of pics now as I mostly took videos. I will be editing the videos and make it into a short movie. Along with other friends' photos. Watch out for it soon~!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

About the track shoe giving way, I had the same problem when I was climbing Mount Sorak in Korea. So what happen, use the shoe string to tie round it, was not fantastic but still got shoe to wear. Other it would have been very painful as the track with full of small pebbles and very large slippery stones.