25 November 2010
Morning comes and it's time for us to leave our rooms and climb the mountain.
Before that, we had our simple breakfast. The omelette was fantastic! We were given our lunch boxes to carry along the climb.
We then head off to the office to get our passes to climb the mountain. Without this card, one shall not pass the gate to climb the mountain!
So here we are at the Timpohon gate. We started climbing around 8.10AM.
It sounds quite tough to climb this mountain at first but actually it's quite easy. There are steps and pathway for you to climb up.
At every shelter, they have a tank of untreated water for you to refill your bottle. It's up to you whether or not you will drink this water cause some people get stomach ache after drinking it.
This walking stick is like a gift from heaven! It helps a lot in climbing up to Laban Rata.
I arrived in Laban Rata around 12.40PM. It took me around 4 hours 30 minutes to reach here from the bottom. They said an average person takes 6 hours. Another thing that motivated me to climb faster is because of the Via Ferrata briefing that we must attend.
Whee.. I think my socks play a role for not getting me any blisters =D
It was like heaven up here. I really can't believe a person like me who don't regularly exercise and don't do sports can reach up here this fast. Must thank the walking stick, isotonic drink and energy bars! :D
After paying RM400 at the bottom of the mountain for this activity, of course I wouldn't want to miss the briefing and this pushes me to climb faster xD They have two Via Ferrata routes - one long (Guinness World Record) and one short. Obviously I took the short one since I'm afraid of heights and I still don't know why am I doing this -.-"
It was around 10 degrees Celsius. It's rainy season so the temperature drop to the lowest at this time of the year.
After the briefing, we went back to Laban Rata to have our early dinner.
It was getting darker and..
..the temperature fell to 6 degree Celsius!
This is where we put an evening at. The Gunting Ladagan Hut is located at the entrance of the gate to climb to the peak of the mountain. Since its quite a climb from Laban Rata, some decided to stay here and skip supper before the climb to the peak.
This is roughly how the room looks like. The bathroom and toilet are shared so it's a little disgusting as some people never flush the toilet. Also, there's no hot water to bath in unless you boil your own hot water! Cause of this, many don't want to take a bath. I showered in iced water! It's super cold, super refreshing and super energizing! LOL!
26 November 2010
Got up as early as 1.30AM and went for supper. The temperature fell to 4 degrees Celsius. Thank goodness I'm all geared up for this! I don't feel cold at all. We began hiking up to the peak around 2.30AM.
The air was getting thinner and thinner. I constantly stopped to catch my breath. It was getting brighter and I know I'm going to miss the sunrise before I reach the peak.
However, as I gaze at the side where the sun rises, I can see the sunrise was blocked by a bunch of clouds. Sad but then I decided to slowly make my way to the top since I didn't miss anything.
No matter how hard it was, I pushed myself to the top and I made it! Thanks to the person who took this picture but I don't know why I'm not at the center of the picture LOL!
It was a magnificent and spectacular and majestic and fantastic view up here!! Too bad I have not much time to enjoy it as I have to leave for Via Ferrata.
Since I was afraid of heights, my two guides tried to persuade me not to do it. I almost give up on doing this due to their persuasion but thinking that I'm already there, I might as well just do it!
I was placed near the trainer cause I'm afraid of heights and he is always there motivate me that I can do it. I like him for that! Hahaha.. I pushed myself down. Lucky enough for me, there are mist around so I cant really see the bottom. The mist clears up later and that is when I sort of get used to do it. I make it out ALIVE! YAY! What an achievement for myself! =)
I wanna thank my trainer very much for constantly motivating me saying that I can do it hahaha.. the stupid small helmet make me look fat -_-" and I don't understand why can't people take a photo of me being in the middle of the picture?!
After that, we went down and had our quick lunch and started going down the mountain. It was devastating for me cause I hurt my toenails. It was so painful I walk damn slow. I was the last and my shoes aren't helping either.
My guides told me if I were to go down at this rate, until evening also we won't reach the bottom. So one of them offered me his sandals to wear while he wear his spare one. It looked quite funny on me but I don't care cause I can walk faster and less painfully. I overtook some who came down earlier than me. We had a quick meal after reaching the bottom while waiting for the rest to come down from the mountain.
We were then transported to our next stay at the Palace Hotel by our agent. I forgot to take picture of the room but I can say that the toilet was unpleasant as they did not clean it properly. Without showering, some of us quickly changed and went for dinner at this place as you can see in the picture above.
Our guide specifically brought us to this restaurant in this place - Hua Hing Seafood Restaurant.
I think some of them went crazy and ordered all of these -.-" RM34 per person which I think is expensive. I find the cooking here so-so only. I'm quite fussy with my food so don't blame me. I think I ate better and nicer ones in West Malaysia =P
This big prawn (I think its a tiger prawn) cost RM18! I could order another full plate of normal prawns with this. I'm not the stupid person who ordered this.
After our sumptuous dinner, we head back to the hotel. I went for a foot massage and it was kinda horrid for me cause of my toenails. The massage helps my lower leg but my upper part still feeling the strains and whatnot from the climb. I don't like the place too cause it's kind of prostitute-like place. Story to be continued! =D
Disclaimer: Below are my few tips to give an idea to people who want to climb up Gunung Kinabalu.
Climbing Mount KK Survival Tips
Checklist:
1. Light clothing. I wore sportswear up the mountain which easily absorb and disperse sweat. Cotton absorbs sweat making you feel uncomfortable yet heavier.
2. Camera. May it be a normal digital camera or a DSLR, make sure you have enough battery because cold will reduce battery life.
3. Do not carry heavy backpack. Towels are provided up in the mountain but there are no heater meaning that you will have to bath cold ice water unless you boil your own water and bath. If you really need to carry loads of stuff, just hire a porter which will also be your guide up.
4. Walking stick. It helps a lot.
5. Proper shoes. May it be Kampung Adidas or authentic Adidas, make sure it has a good grip and comfortable to wear.
6. Energy bars and isotonic drinks. They said an average person takes 6 hours to reach Laban Rata but it took me 4 hours 30 minutes to reach Laban Rata. I don't play sports and hardly do any exercise. At every shelter, I will eat up my energy bar and drink isotonic drink.
7. Raincoat. In case it rains, put it on.
8. Waterproof bags. Store your electronics and wallet in here in case it rains. I got myself Ziploc to store my camera and phone.
9. Muscle Rubs. Apply this before climbing to prevent any muscle strains.
10. Aspirins (e.g. Panadol). Take aspirins before climbing up the mountain and before going to the peak as a precaution in case your body can't handle altitude change. Altitude sickness is horrible and you don't want to mess with it.
Going to the Peak
11. Torchlight. If possible get the one which you can strap around your head.
It was 4 degrees when I started climbing up. These will keep yourself warm:
12. Beanie. Keep your ear and head warm.
13. Gloves. It is very important to keep your hands warm! I wore winter gloves which kept me warm but it is not suitable for Via Ferrata
14. Socks. Get winter socks or just wear 2 layers if you cant stand cold.
15. Windbreaker. Inside the windbreaker, I wore a tshirt and another sweater. I'm always warm and no problem of coldness.
Additional stuffs:
- Hydration Salt (Keep yourself hydrated! I almost got dehydrated because I left my drinks with the porter which is far behind from me when I'm going down the mountain)
- Mosquito repellent (I dont have any problems with mosquitoes even though I didnt apply it)
- Sunblock (I didn't use mine at all but if you have sensitive skin, might as well use it).
- Hydration Salt (Keep yourself hydrated! I almost got dehydrated because I left my drinks with the porter which is far behind from me when I'm going down the mountain)
- Mosquito repellent (I dont have any problems with mosquitoes even though I didnt apply it)
- Sunblock (I didn't use mine at all but if you have sensitive skin, might as well use it).
P.S.: There might be stuffs that I missed out. So don't rely too much on this!
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