after a relaxing couple of days, i headed over to mount kinabalu to hike to the peak at sunrise! i was a bit nervous about the hike as an aussie i'd met said it was the hardest thing she'd ever done... i can assure you - it wasn't an easy hike up the hill! i started at timphon gate at 1860m above sea level and when i arrived at the guesthouse, about 4 hours later, i'd climbed 6km and about 1400 vertical meters. there were plenty of rest stops and toilets along the way which made it a somewhat pleasant experience.
i showered, wandered around the guesthouse and then ate a huge dinner! unsurprisingly, there was little to do and we were do to get up the next morning at 2:00am so most people were in bed around 8-9pm. i can't say i slept much, if at all as the wind was blowing a gale, i was cold and worried about sleeping through the alarm and freezing on the summit.
my muscles felt surprisingly good when i got out of bed in the morning - i was very pleased! fearing the cold all night, i promptly went downstairs to inquire about a coat to rent - it cost me 25RMs or about $8 - it was going to be a worthwhile investment considering the temperature and wind outside! we had "supper" and then headed out around 3am to reach the peak at sunrise. it was a tough hike up in the dark with lots of ropes to help you up the more difficult parts. i hiked 2.7km and 823 vertical meters to the peak :)
arriving at the top was gratifying and exhausting! we were supposed to sit for 1.5 hours and wait for the sunrise but given the cloud cover, i wasn't in the mood to sit there for a crap sunrise so i started back down again after a brief rest. at the guesthouse, i packed up, had breakfast and continued my descent. my knees started hurting around 1.5km from the guesthouse and it was fairly painful and slow for the remaining 4.5km down. i do question my sanity for paying as much as i did to inflict so much pain on myself!
i arrived back in kota kinabalu to recover and spent my last day in malaysia getting a massage, stretching/walking around so i didn't ease up and doing very little else! i don't think i'll climb another mountain - me and my knees are getting older :)
malaysia was wonderful and i'm keen to go back for a more relaxing holiday and to see the mainland as i heard many great things about it while i was touring around!
hugs,
s
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| Orangutan |
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| three musketeers + a baby |
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| Mt. Kinabalu |
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| Kilometer 8 - descent |
