Mt Kinabalu

Sunset at Laban Rata (11,000 ft ASL)

Cupcake on Low's Peak


Cupcake at Laban Rata



At the start of our journey at Carson's waterfall

The Guy behind cheryl is our guide Nordin Paiman
(*This is the cause of Cheryl's current phobia of steps)

Showing the true grit of the human spirit

Finally at the top of Low's peak and giving a smile despite the tiredness

The trip to mt kinabalu have brought along many sweet memories and also many hard work! hehehe. Surely, God had a hand in making this trip possible and affordable for both of us. And wat an experience it was for us. First, we woke up early to catch an AirAsia flight from Senai to Kota Kinabalu. The taxi ride there was uneventful and we arrived at senai to have our breakfast of hot steaming chicken porridge at Marybrown's. Hehe porridge served by a fast food outlet. Our check in luggage only weighed a meagre 11.something Kg. Then inside the departure area, in our half asleep stupor, we queued for the flight to Tawau hahaha such blur sotongs. Then it was announced over the PA system that an AirAsia flight to Shenzhen would be delayed due to technical faults. I was thankful that that did not happen to our flight. And God bless us with a peaceful flight that we were able to sleep like babies throughout the journey. After waking up to a bright morning at KK, we were greeted by Andrea our tour guide who lead us to register ourselves for the climb to Mt K. After registration we headed to our accomodation for the night for lunch. Lunch was a simple affair but it was definitely filling. Subsequently, we headed for our room and unknowningly we were so tired that we literally fainted on the bed and slept till like 5pm. hahah then we took a stroll around the compound, taking pictures of the nice flowers, taking pictures of cupcake, taking pictures of rabbits and also taking pictures of the picturesque scenery. Finally, it was dinner time and we opted for a steamboat dinner. It was really sumptous but it consisted mainly of vegetables of various sorts. Nevertheless, the soup was fantastically thick and nice. After that we retreated back to our room due to a downpour, and there we watched tv and read books till we were lulled into sleep.

The next morning I woke up automatically at 630 and took a long read of moby dick on the throne. hehehe then i took my time to shower and woke her up. We had a hearty breakfast of toast, eggs, baked beans and hot dogs. After which we proceeded to the Kinabalu base camp to begin our journey. Initially our guide was some guy named "rowdy" (*dunno how to spell his name) but then it was replaced by Noordin. God had a hand in this I am sure cos Noordin is such a professional and caring guide. We decided to carry our luggage by ourselves up so there was no need for porters. The journey was simply tiring but fulfilling. Every time we saw a hut our eyes would light up and we would place our well worked out butt on the bench which was divinely comfortable. Along the way I was snacking on the natural valley energy bars and Sunmaid raisins which never tasted so good before in my life hehehe. At long last we finally reached Laban Rata the resthouse where we were supposed to stay for the night before we push for the summit in the wee hours of the next morning.

At Laban Rata, we were busy taking pictures of the magnificent scenery that accompanied us there. Furthermore, the temperature was a cool 12 degrees celsius which made the experience all the more pleasant. Cupcake posed on the railing of the resthouse with the majestic horizon acting as her backdrop. Then we took pictures of ourselves at the "viewing gallery" facing the sunset. Dinner was a simple but simply delicious affair. The hot and piping carrot soup just flowed down into our bellies to generate a warmth that was much appreciated as the weather got colder. The chicken with some black coloured sauce was just as delicious. Then after the meal I was craving for something sweet, they had this agar agar thingy and gorent pisang. I do not normally eat fried food nowadays but the goreng pisang was worth it. No wonder she kept munching away at it. To accompany the meal was the hot and refreshing sabah tea which was fragrant yet not bitter. Simply just nice. After the meal, we attempted to sleep but somehow we could not get a proper sleep and then it was 2am already time to climb for the summit.

We put on our gear and packed cupcake and other essentials into my sling bag. Then as we walked out we realised that it was raining, therefore we put on our ponchos and headed up the stairway to heaven. Along the way, she wanted to give up many times, but somehow she managed to convince herself to continue. This part of the journey made me admire her so much more because even though she was approaching her physical limit she did not let her circumstances pull her down but still continued for the ultimate goal which was the summit. Finally, when we were both seated on the top of Low's peak for that priceless picture shown above, many emotions were rushing through me. The breath-taking scenery, the one I love beside me, the cool mountain air, the beauty of His creation and the theraptic silence of the mountains just made the effort all worth while. I even took a video of her making that final climb to the top of the mountain. hehehe my fingers were almost frozen becos of that filming but it was worth it. After that we made our way down the mountain to the rest house. Along the way there were many slippings and falling downs, some of which were hilarious but never life threatening. Really Thank God for giving us his divine protection that even though we were precariously perched on the steep slopes of Mt K, we did not fall or roll down. Then after a brief breakfast which I gobbled up we made the most painful journey down the Mountain where by each km was really tortureous as the leg muscles were already spent. And every step I took I uttered a prayer for her who was really suffering in agony. Then after we reached the entrance we were greeted with the last flight of steps up towards the gate. What a grand finale to a tiring climb. We were cold, tired, aching and dirty, but the certificate that evidenced our successful climb to the summit ameoliarated the harshness of our condition. At long last when we reached the hotel, the hot shower was just rewarding and we proceed to KFC for our long awaited dinner. Somehow the chicken there tasted so much juicier and the coleslaw was just nicer. We then walked around Giant where I bought my fruits for dessert and she bought some Sabah Tea home.

The last day, we woke up early to pack our bags for home, and we had another hearty breakfast at the hotel restaurant. I had porridge with condiments. The Ikan Bilis was just superbly nice. And she was attesting how nice the chilli was. Subsequently, we headed for the airport and had a peaceful flight home. When we reached Singapore, we tucked into a nice bowl of soup at soup spoon for our lunch and headed home. What a nice trip it was. This is surely an experience of a lifetime with her. I will never forget this trip as long as I live.