Having reached the summit of KT Kinabalu, we couldn't linger about long. Our guide told us that there would be others coming up. I think we eventually stayed there for just an hour - enough time for the sun to fully rise and reset the day. The date was May 1st. The last part of the climb was indeed laborious, what with the altitude affected breathing at the last stretch. (It surprised me even, that every 10m required deep gulps of air!)
But we all made it. Our guide said we were very lucky to not meet rain, which was often. This time, everything was dry and pat.
Just as we were finished talking, full daylight arisen. We could finally see everything around (and below) us.
There was still that floating layer of cottony clouds but now it seem less frothy and more settled. In parts where the clouds parted, we could see towns and padi fields and ribbons of road connecting them.
Looking down from that great height, I thought how wonderful it would be if one could parasail or glide from the summit. In fact, some people did do just that at the time. How fantastic the feeling must have been!
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As usual, as with any trip, the return journey was faster than the forward one. I was amazed at the short time we took to descend Mt Kinabalu. In fact, it was so eerily fast that I wondered why we took as long as we did going up.
With a skip and a hop, we were soon back down to those service roads that meandered from the Ranger HQ. I'm not kidding; it really seemed that fast! (Like some 2.5 hrs?)
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For me, the quick descent brought on a fever. It must have been the change in weather between altitudes. The usual fit me was surprised but there was little I could do than to bear and grin it. It was a bad fever but given my history with flash fevers, it would go away after 24 hrs. But in the meanwhile, my body would be wracked with pain! That's the trade-off I had to bear with.
I remember bunking over at the Ranger HQ for the evening before heading back down to town. I was really in bad shape and moaned about it, alarming my climbing mates with my distress. I had to tell them that I wasn't dying and that I would feel better afterwards!
And as expected, I did feel better the next day, but I was still not well enough to join them for the Tree Canopy Climb. Instead, I went and soaked myself in the next door hotspring bath. There was nothing natural about the bath though. It was just a handful of tiled rectangle bathtubs set in a row and served by some taps that channeled water from an underground spring. But (unlike the local Sembawang hotspring water) the H2O here in Sabah did smell of sulphur. At least that should do some wonders for my fever-wracked, tired body!
The baths were really old-school and reminded me of those found in homes in the 60s. They were rectangular in shape and had those familiar light green tiles. My neighbour who lived downstairs in Geylang had one. But theirs was larger and waist high. And the workers would scoop water out from it to bathe or into basins to wash things with. The whole affair at the hotspring was thus rather nostalgic.
As the water was hot, I did not soak for long. When the other guys appeared from their canopy walk, we all washed up and took the transport back to town.
As it was near sunset, our guide brought us to Tanjung Aru beach to walkabout a bit. It was an excellent idea as the sunset there was great. Better still was the big expanse of beach acessible during low tide. It seemed that one could explore the mudflats for two kilometres or more!
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The next morning, the Fourth Day of our trip began. It's when we would start our land adventure proper. The first thing on the agenda was River Rafting. Our adventure tour guide arrived and met us at our budget hotel in town.
For breakfast, he brought us to eat "kon lo meen" or dry, non-soupy noodles - a popular way of eating noodles in Sarawak and Sabah. It was quite similar to our own wanton noodles except the noodles were more wheaty in color, curlier and "QQ", i.e. springy - best to be eaten with minced meat actually,
The noodle shop was situated in a long, raised wooden shophouse with verandah and zinc roof. A short flight of wooden steps led up to it. It looked like a throwback to those shophouses we would find in our own little Chinese villages in Singapore back in the 60s and 70s. I absolutely love such buildings. I dunno; such architectures speak very well to my psyche (that and wooden rooms that jut out from walls supported by struts). I sometimes wonder whether my past lives have anything to do with it!
After breakfast, we drove to the railway station that would bring us to our designated angry river. It was supposed to be a Cat 4 one, a waterway that foamed and would toss unsuspecting tourists into water if they were not careful!
Along the way, we stopped at roadside stalls that sold 'todi' - a moonshine made from fermented coconut juice. It was alcoholic that tasted sour - not exactly pleasant!
After this, bad news. The way to the fast river was blocked by a landslide. The train could not get us through. We stood at the simple railway platform feeling rather deflated. We were all rather looking forward to a river rafting ride. None of us had done it before.
Our guide, sensing our disappointment, decided to bring us to another river. But he said it wouldn't be a Cat 4 angry one, more like a Cat 2 or 3. We all jumped at the chance as we were already imagining wet heroics.
But the river turned out to be as calm as my fish tank back home. Dang!
No matter, we went gamely along and raised our arms in mock danger each time the raft slipped past rocks and into an eddy pool. Haha...what losers we were that day!
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The next day was much better. We spent it on an offshore island called Pulau Sapi. It wasn't a big island but the waters were very clear and the sand white.
We swam and ate water melons. I liked going to islands to relax and would rank this as one of the most enjoyable and relaxing. Richard and his wife dug for clams to eat, which I felt was rather cute.
But really, what more could one ask after scaling a mountain and then relaxing by a beach with pristine waters? I think all of us felt recharged afterwards.
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On our last day, before we left Sabah, we visited the National Museum. At the time, it was hopelessly short on exhibits. That made me appreciate our own museums even more and got me thinking about museum Renewal, Upkeep and Upgrade. Not easy if a country doesn't make it a priority or treat museums as serious tourists destinations.
The one thing we all enjoyed at the museum were the longhouse exhibits outside. They reminded me of the one I visited as a child when I was three years old and living, at the time, in Kuching.
There was the central cooking place in the longhouse. The rattan weaved carry baskets; and the gourd water containers.
That night, before we flew back to Singapore in the morning, we all visited the one and only shopping centre in town. We all sat on the front steps eating ice cream. That was the last take-away picture we took.
And rightly so, a very happy and satisfied group of climbers and travellers.
If there's one regret about the trip, it was the missed chance of seeing a real Rafflesia flower in full bloom. Yes, that giant of a Stink Plant.
Oh well. Better to leave Sabah on a high 'ice cream note' than with the smell of dead rotten flesh!
So all in all, our trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, achieved a few things:
1) We visited Signal Hill Observatory;
2) Jumped on a few suspension bridges;
3) Ate Kon Lo Meen;
4) Reached the summit of Mt Kinabalu;
5) Did the Canopy Walk;
6) Soaked in a hot spring;
7) Watched a beautiful sunset at Tanjung Aru;
8) Tried river rafting;
9) Went to a pristine island for snorkelling;
10) Visited the National Museum.
Yes, I would definitely go there again. And thank you Richard and Peck Hong for doing such a wonderful job organising this!
Next story: Tailor Made
The next day after our arrival, we woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel. It was a simple affair.
Our tour guide then arrived to show us the city.
He was of medium built, strong and very tanned. He seemed to be in his 30s and was a local. Dressed in a safari suit, he looked every bit the outdoors guy as well as businessman!
Our guide Jack was friendly and spoke good English.
He brought us first to Signal Hill Observatory, probably the most famous landmark in Kota Kinabalu. It was a lookout point that gave us a bird's eye view of the city.
Afterwards, Jack brought us to various places that had suspension bridges. It was fun. And there were many of them all seeming to span across mangrove swamps or green colored rivers. Most of the bridges were made of steel cables and laid with wooden planks.
At some bridges, we struck fun poses and took pictures. These suspension bridges reminded me of the ones Indiana Jones would inevitably run to escape across one, chased no less by bloodthirsty natives waving machetes.
In the evening, we had dinner along a food street and retired for the night - all ready to begin our ascent of Mt Kinabalua or Mt K for short.
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Early the next day, we made our way to the base of the mountain to start the climb.
But first, like everybody else, we had to register ourselves at Park HQ - a large wooden building with a patio deck built at the back for campers to make last-minute preparations.
We also met our guide for the climb, a skinny and seasoned-looking chap. It was mandatory to climb with a guide. Once we settled the administrative stuff, we adjourned to the patio to redistribute items in our backpacks (like food and cold weather gear) so they could easily be accessed when needed.
Richard kept a bunch of bananas in a plastic bag tied to his backpack. He would later feed us that along the way, which caused our group to be named the Banana Group of 8. (Oh, by the way, bananas are a great fruit to bring along when outdoors. It provides energy and allows one to pass motion (i.e. shit) more easily even if dehydrated.)
After some mutual body checking and making sure our shoelaces were firmly tied, we then set off. Not far off was a metal swing gate. Once you pass that, you are well and truly on your way to climb Mt K.
The initial part of the journey was not too difficult. It was like climbing our own Bukit Timah Hill. The paths were narrow but easy to follow. We also crossed a few service roads going up the mountain.
The morning was bright but not too sunny. The wonderful weather put us all in a good mood. There were two couples in our group. The other four were all singles. I buddied up with Dave Wong, who was a reserved but cheerful chap who smiled easily. My friend Cecilia partnered with Jee Yong, who was much older than the rest of us but just as enthusiastic. I decided to look out for her, just in case.
The lot of us were not alone that morning. As we climbed, we met others going up or coming down. Those coming down were also full of spirit and did not look at all tired. That made me think the climb up the peak was easy, which was encouraging! But unbeknownst to me, there were many levels to this National Park. You could climb sections of it in high heels if you prefer.
At 1900m the paths became a bit more natural, lined with bramble or veined with protruding tree roots. Climbing became a little more countryside-like. The paths were in surprisingly good condition and made climbing easy. Perhaps the Park authorities had some sort of maintenance regime in place.
Along the way, we caught up with a large group of geriatric old men from Japan making their way up. They looked about in their 70s and all had walking or hiking sticks with them. On their foreheads, oddly enough, a kind of miner's headlamp. I would later learn (to my chagrin) what they were for. Though the group was bent with age, they looked a familial and determined bunch. I wondered if they had climbed elsewhere together before. That would have been nice, wouldn't it? For a bunch of old friends to still travel and explore together!
Travelling with this group of old folks were women porters. They were not young nor old but middle-aged. They rather impressed me with their strength and industry. The loads they carried were not light. And not carried with modern equipment too. These women porters used a kind of traditional, large pointy-ended rattan basket to carry their stuff. No backstraps but a simple rattan-fibre band across the forehead - the kind you see on Iban tribal folks in nearby Sarawak.
The pointed bottom of the basket helped it stand quickly on the ground or be leaned easily against a tree. I remember these baskets coming in a set of three and were all made from rattan. The large pointy bottom one was for larger goods; the smaller cylindrical ones were employed like backpacks. Growing up, my family kept one. It was twice the size of a quiver. It was bought from Sarawak during a year's stay there when I was very young.
Over the subsequent years, we often used that round rattan basket as a carrier for a ground mat whenever we went to the beach.
In Asia or Africa, tribal folks seem to like carrying things with their heads. The neck does have powerful muscles and can carry seriously large and heavy objects (such as a large bundle of laundry, for example)
Beyond 4500ft, the weather around the mountain forest palpably cooled. The paths also widened into 2m ones, both landscaped and large-stepped. The steps were reinforced by short stakes to prevent damage and soil erosion. The many visitors to Mt K every year probably necessitated that sort of measure. From this cooler height, the flora and fauna of the place also changed. There were signs pointing to scenic diversions such as a mossy forest, a stinky Rafflesia plant, a waterfall, a cave, etc.
Naturally, we stopped at the crossroads to decide where to go or who to do and see what. Cecilia and I decided to visit the Mossy Forest.
A good decision it turned out to be. The place was truly enchanted!
It was filled with morning mist that gave the place a heavenly or surreal look. One could walk in and disappear from sight!
Cecilia and I took the chance to snap some beautiful photos.
Derrick and his girlfriend Jean went off to see the waterfall. I wanted to see the Rafflesia plant but changed my mind. Choosing the Mossy Forest over the Rafflesia was like choosing Beauty over Stink - not that difficult a choice. It is well known that the giant Rafflesia flower (some 2m tall) gives off an odour like rotten fish or a dead corpse. I had smelt a dead corpse up close before and the memory was still fresh. Nope, maybe I could see a Rafflesia plant at a city botanical garden later. But the only Rafflesia plant I ever saw later was one sculpted out of concrete. The dimensions and color were all correct but there wasn't any foul smell. But why name`such a stinker of a plant after Raffles? Was he that obnoxious?
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From an open spot near the path to the waterfall, we could see the summit. It looked like a collection of giant stones piled next to one another. Sabah is called Land Below The Wind and the wind had certainly swept the top of Mt K clean of vegetation. To be fair, much of South-east Asia sits on a bedrock of hard stone with millennia-old forests carpeting its surface. Sabah with its Mt K was no different.
Looking at the peak, the guide pointed out its prominent features. "That's the Rabbit Ears," he said.
I didn't need any further explanation; I had seen that silhouette many times on tee-shirts and mugs.
After our visits to the side-tracked attractions at the crossroads, we continued with our climb.
At 9000ft the weather turned noticeably cooler. It was like being in Cameron Highlands or any place that had outdoor air-conditioning. We also reached the first rest point, which was a large flat rock area dotted with a few dormitory buildings.
We entered a spacious one for some hot cocoa and a chance to rest our weary limbs.
Looking at the accommodations, we wondered if we would rest there for the night. But our guide informed us that our rest station was still some 2000ft further up. The reason was so we could climb the remaining distance of 1500ft to the summit to catch the sun rise. It had all been timed to perfection! But that meant starting our climb at 3.00am!
We all wondered about that, i.e. climbing in the dark but our guide assured us that with the moon out, the journey would not be difficult at all.
That settled, we looked around the spacious kitchen for a table to sit at. There were already a few people there and we took the opportunity to rest and chat a bit.
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The climb to our hut at 13,000ft was rather uneventful. Sad to say, nothing much interesting happened. We reached the place at roughly 2.30pm after threading through some narrow paths that were surrounded by bushes and shrub. It was no different from climbing Marsiling Hill back home before it got all 'parked' up. And after a climb and turn, there stood the small zinc roof hut we were looking for. It looked only slightly larger than an outhouse toilet from first impression.
Yes, the hut was small but it contained a couple of double-decker beds and a foldable table so commonly found in Asian homes. Well, I guess it was sparse because it was meant to be just a way-station. On the other side of the zinc wall was another hut. So essentially we had one hut for the gents, the other for the ladies. The name of the hut was Waras.
After choosing our bunk beds, we emptied out our packs to make lunch. Richard, our leader, finally told us what he was cooking up special: Nasi Lemak. We saw the remaining fingers of the bananas we had lugged all the way up from the base HQ and was glad it was not more of that stuff.
Richard then took out a small gas stove and cooked away. Soon the irresistible smell of fried ikan bilis filled the air. Man, after privations along the way, we all swore that was the best food ever. Period. The sweet sambal belachan chilli was authentic, so you could imagine how rapturous we were feeling!
What Richard had done told me two things: 1. Do not scrimp on enjoying food even when on an adventure such as this. 2. Learn to cook.
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At the Waras hut, there were bathing facilities. But none of us were inclined to clean ourselves as the weather was very chilly and no water-heater. Who in their right mind would wash up?
In any case, most of us have cleaned up at the hostel facilities earlier on; and the climb up to this hut was not tiring at all.
After our lunch (cum dinner) we sat outside the hut to chat, to while away some time. I took the opportunity to know my buddy Dave a little bit better and discovered that we were both interested in the game of soccer. He was really a nice, friendly albeit soft-spoken chap!
Before light faded, I took the opportunity to take a picture of myself outside the hut. I certainly stood out in my yellow and white ensemble, resembling some Swiss hiker in knee-length pants!
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At 2.45am in the dark of night, the guide came to look for us. We had all set our alarms and so was already waiting to start the climb with him.
Fortunately for us, the moon was out. The sky, though cloudy, didn't look too brownish like it was going to rain. We thanked our lucky stars (there were many stars out that night and visible!) and plodded on, not sure what we would face in the semi-darkness ahead of us. But soon our eyes adjusted to the night and we could all move along quite nicely without the need for torchlight.
The route up the summit began easily enough. I only remember a difficult stretch when we had to hug some boulders to go round, holding on to a length of anchored rope. Other than that, the spaces slowly opened up as the landscape became more slate-like and stony. Mt Kinabalu, like most of Southeast Asia, sat on a giant slab of rock.
At one point, we overtook the group of geriatric folks we met earlier. Annoyingly, they were still wearing the miner torchlights on their foreheads, this time lighted and glaring. The lights blinded us and took away our night sight.
However, I practiced a trick I learnt long ago. When faced with a bright light, don't close both eyes, just close one. In this way, the other eye is not affected and can still see in the dark. It is a very useful trick to use when driving along dark highways.
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Near dawn, my bowels started to act up. It was a habit that returned after National Service, i.e, to clear my bowels every start of the day. By then we were straggling a bit as the air up there had thinned out a lot. Every 10m became a mighty struggle and we would pant very hard.
As the toilet beckoned, I couldn't wait and so went to the side to take a quick crap. That side turned out to be a sheer drop of a few hundred meters over the ledge!
Even in the half light, I could see several planes of jagged rock sticking out like bloody knives ready to slice anybody up.
I took a step back in slight alarm and checked for wind speed. I wouldn't want a gust of wind to toss me over and be sliced like carrot on a mincer.
In any case, I was worried about being missed and quickly took my crap. Thanks to the bananas, it all came out rather nicely. I even gave myself some seconds to moon the world. Not everybody can often claim to have done that at 14000ft above sea-level. Man, it felt good!
Crap done, I rejoined the group. Although I was quick about it, the guide noticed I had gone missing and gave me a gentle stern reminder for straying. I felt a bit stupid but was glad to have seen the other side of the mountain. Apparently there were folks who preferred to climb the hard way from that direction. Folks from the military, and folks, I presumed, to be a bit thick in the head to even attempt that!
By the time we all struggled to the summit, the first rays of the sun peeked through the clouds. It was all timed to perfection! Even the summit was suitably small and narrow, giving us the impression of having reached the pinnacle of a mountain. As we sat down, our guide removed a tin container from a rock cover and took out a log book. We all signed in and was proud of the moment.
The sun continued to rise, sending out golden rays of light that skimmed over that a layer of cottony clouds. We were so high we were above the clouds! It was like being on the outside of a jet plane for once. And with the shadow of the mountain on it, the clouds did look like ground, albeit soft and willowy like being on a bed of marshmallows.
On the other side from whence we came, the ground sloped for about 300m and rose to another high point known as Low's Peak. Because the summit was devoid of vegetation and just slates of granite, the place did indeed look like some desolate valley in some sci-fi film (or nurb space on a curved gravity well). I took a lovely picture of David and his girlfriend Jean who really stood out in her red jacket in all that grey. The photo captured them well, arms raised in jubilation. We all felt like that. The climb up Mt K was not difficult, only long.
That picture remains one of my favourites from the many places I've traveled to since.
Story continues with Mt Kinabalu 3
The photo above is one of the best I have ever taken. It juxtaposes a speck of red against a sea of dull rock making the subject stand out like that little girl in the movie Schindler's List (which debuted a year later). It also captures well the joy we all felt reaching that high summit.
I had not intended to climb Mt Kinabalu at all that year. I was a committee member of the Recreational Club where I worked. I met some outgoing types there. A friend of a friend knew someone who was planning a trip and looking for like-minded kakis.
I did not know anything about Kota Kinbalu/Sabah at the time, only that it was some sort of timber port and that things there were rather expensive - even more so than Singapore. That timber bit I'd learnt while working as a student-labourer in a timber yard in Kranji one school holiday. The cost-of-living aspect I had learnt from a family friend who lived in Miri/Sarawak. Like my family, they were also into the ship repair business and traveled often to Sabah. Okay, in retrospect perhaps I did know something about Sabah after all. But of its cities and people, not much.
That friend of a friend who rang me up was Cecilia. She was working in TCE Audio at the time. TCE was the French Thomson Consumer Electronics company and its audio plant in Toa Payoh North at the time was making cassette recorders and hi-fi equipment. It's the same building now occupied by Singapore Press Holdings.
Besides making social visits to friends at the factory's R&D department, I played tennis with some blokes there as well. My two partners were very good hard hitters whose powerful ground strokes could literally burst balls. I sometimes wondered why they were not representing Singapore at major tournaments.
That tennis court at the back of the factory was not the best location to play the game. As it was located next to a busy road (Braddell). Balls would fly over the fence and be eaten up by the heavy traffic there.
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Cecilia's kakis were not from Thomson. Most of them were from NTUC Income. It turned out that there would be eight of us going, led by a guy named by Richard, a late 20- or early 30-something. His wife Peck Hong would join in as well. Both - looking like a well-settled married couple - did not seem the most gung-ho of outdoor types (they were rather fair). I guess they were both looking to rekindle some kind of adventure spirit they once had back in their school days. They were certainly experienced going about it.
I liked them as they were rather emotionally mature types. Richard did become our de facto head and helped plan the trip and logistics. His wife Peck Hong assisted.
I don't remember being asked to help out much in the prep-work except to cough up money for the airfare and accomodation. Everything was well taken care of and Richard also promised a surprise during the trip.
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Like everybody else, I did my own preparation for the climb. At the time, the highest mountains I ever climbed were those in South Taiwan during my National Service and the occasional Mt Ophir in Segamat, Malaysia. But Mt Kinabalu was a different proposition altogether as it was way higher. The air would thin out at the summit and that could make us suffer from some kind of altitude-related sickness.
It could also be very cold!
Well, I knew it wouldn't be snow-cold so I decided to bring just one winter jacket, the soft nylon/cotton-filled type from Taiwan that was popular with SAF soldier-boys at the time. They were cheap and easily bought from those army surplus stores above the Golden Mile Food Center (better known as Beach Road Hawker Centre).
For the other clothes, I decided to buy some cheap ones from a factory outlet and then leave them behind in Sabah. There was an excellent outlet at Rochor Centre that sold so-called "factory rejects". The clothes ranged from $2 to $10 only. A GF used to buy me nice jumpers from that store when I was an Engineering student freezing in over-air-conditioned lecture theatres. Going back there brought back strong memories with this pretty and leggy girl.
That factory outlet sold a variety of clothes. They were made of cotton as well as wool and many were actually defect-free (with the label cut off as usual). I decided to pick out a few for light cold weather. The summit would be cold but snowless. And the stay at the top (we were told) would be short. Hence there was no need to be over-zealous with extreme winterwear.
Before heading home, I popped over to the shoe store next door to pick up a pair of high-top hiking shoes. They would protect my ankles from the granite rocks I was told were plenty near the summit. The shoes I eventually bought were cheap but good ones from China. (They eventually lasted me many years! Old, reliable Chinese manufacturing methods still evident obviously!)
For a backpack, I used a tall yellow nylon one with a frame. It was something I had used when I climbed Mt Ophir nine years back. It was a good decision as it really helped to preserve my posture and prevent backaches from carrying a heavy load. It came with a waist strap that kept everything snuggly fit and tight. I could jump and hop without jangling the backpack about.
Because of the way I climbed, Cecilia and the rest would later nickname me Mountain Goat.
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To fly to Sabah's capital Kota Kinabalu on the cheap (I think it cost us each about $400 both ways), we took our flight from Senai airport in Johor, Malaysia instead of from our very own at Changi. However, that meant crossing the Causeway at Woodlands. Thankfully, there was an express coach lane and we passed Johor Customs after only a short delay. We didn't even have to disembark from the bus!
At Sennai, we boarded a small MAS Boeing plane from the tarmac and were soon on our way. That way of boarding reminded me of my first plane trip back in the '60s. I was just 3+ years old then. Airports at the time did not have aerobridges; they used either push cart stair-ladders or motorised ones mounted on a truck. It was all very Casablanca movie-like in terms of nostalgia.
I don't remember the flight to KK taking very long - probably about 1.5hrs. I think all of us were kind of nervous as none of us had climbed a mountain that high before. We were all newbies and did not know what to expect.
After landing, we took cabs to our accomodation in the city, which was a budget hotel called Hotel Asia. As it was late, we decided to just settle in and head out for breakfast early the next morning, which was a Monday. Yup, we all took four days off with the Labour Day holiday (May 1st) sandwiched in the middle.
That would be the day we reach the summit. How sweet! I just hope we wouldn't labour much getting there! But it would prove prophetic.
Story continues with Mt Kinabalu 2
