Trip to Sabah (Day 5)

Today is the day… weeks of training, thousands of RM spent and the day finally comes. For those who are still in the clouds. My friends and I were attempting to conquer Mount Kinabalu. There are two popular trails (maybe got others too, but not so famous loh) for one to reach Laban Rata and from Laban Rata, to Low’s Peak… the highest point of Mount Kinabalu.

The two trails are Mesilau trail and Timpohon trail. We opted for the Mesilau trail because we were told that the surroundings were more beautiful. So, our plan was to go up using Mesilau trail and go down using Timpohon trail… with that, we would be able to experience both of the trails. Well, we woke up early, packed our things and took it together with us to the main lobby. There we had our breakfast buffet (real buffet this time, yay!). It was a normal type of breakfast buffet, with bread, nasi lemak, porridge, fried beehoon, cereals, orange juice, milk, coffee, tea, etc.

Buffet breakfast...

Sample of my breakfast...

We ate and ate and ate without any regards to the consequences. According to my past experiences, hiking with a full stomach is a disaster waiting to happen. But then again, this is a 6 hour hike, so you’ll need all the energies that you can get. We waited for the food to settle down and went to a shack where the guide and porter were waiting for us. First, we need to weigh our bags that we wanted the porter to help us to take up to Laban Rata. The price was RM10 per kg… for a return trip of course. That settled, we bought a wooden stick for RM3 each. I know that some people would balk at the mention of buying a plain stick for RM3, but trust me; it actually was the most useful tool of all.

After we got our name tags (you can’t go up the mountain if you lose them), we started off on our journey. The guide and porter did not follow us because there is only one path and they are sure to catch up with us soon anyway. The path was muddy because it rained for a little while yesterday. Basically, the path is the same all the way up to Laban Rata. There are steps either made of rocks or mud filled bricks. I was hoping that the path was more like a slight incline all the way upL. So, if you want to train before climbing Mt. Kinabalu, choose a trail that has steps all the way.

There are also signs for each 500 meters that we completed and we took pictures of them at each of the stop. The total length of our trail is around 8km while the Timpohon trail is 2km shorter than the Mesilau trail. I have to admit, albeit grudgingly, that the Mesilau trail’s surrounding was quite nice. It has a constant fog surrounding the trail in the later stages of our climb and the trees although stunted, were quite unique. It was like a gigantic bonsai.

Our first stop...

Second stop...

A small waterfall...

However, if you ask me whether the extra 2km was worth it, I would say NOOOOOO!!! The extra 2km in the mountain is not the same as a 2km walk in shopping complex. If you were to ask me to walk for 10km in a shopping complex, I would have no problem with it at all. By the time I reached the sign that says 2.0km, I was already regretting the choice of Mesilau trail. My greatest fear came alive when I realized that I was trailing behind the group, almost stopping to catch my breath with every step I take! My friends were quite supportive because they wanted to wait for me, but I would rather die than to have them watch me crawl up the steps one at a time. So, I asked them to wait at every 500 meter sign.

As a result, I spend most of my time watching my steps than enjoying the scenery… not to mention that my (super duper) camera lie unused in my backpack. Pretty soon, the guide and the porter caught up with me and I would never forget the look of surprise in his face. According to the progress of a normal person, it should take at most 30 minutes to complete a 500 meter trail and I was 1km behind schedule. I was really under pressure since the guide did not overtake me but he followed me REALLY close! It was like he’s herding a flock of sheep.

Worse, there was no water at the stop stations! I was told again and again that I did not have to bring a lot of water in my backpack because I can refill them at the rest stations. My bottle was already empty when I finally reached the fourth station that has water.

Initially, we planned to have our dinner at 6.0km. This is because at 6.0km, the Mesilau trail would merge with Timpohon trail… however, all thanks to me; we had to stop at 4.5km. I took out my packed lunch, which was given by the Mesilau Resort (included in the total packaged) and was wolfing down everything in no time. There were cheese sandwiches, fried chicken, sausage, egg, an apple and a can of 100 plus. To my dismay, the can ring broke when I tried to open the can and I thus, I have to drink my regular water.

My lunch...

Pitcher plant...

Well, actually, we all put honey into our drinks… and surprisingly, it was refreshing. Of course we did not put too much and so the water was just slightly sweet. The honey, we got from our breakfast buffet, which was supposed to be served with pancakes :P. By the time we were finished, there was not even one packet of honey in the basket back in the resort’s restaurant!

We also bought two packets of raisins each and it was really invigorating, to be eaten when you feel tired or just want something to eat. Chocolates are good also, but some would think that it was too sweet, so stick with the raisins.

Anyway, it was with great pain and effort that we (sorry, I) reached the merging point of the two trails. It was around 2pm. We started off at around 8:30am and thus, we averaged less than one hour per km and we still haven’t omitted the time we used to have our lunch. So, I was thinking since we have only 2.0km left, we should complete the trail within 3 hours at most… and when we confer with our guide, he told us that it would take 4 hours plus for us to reach Laban Rata!!!

Apparently, the trail from 6.0km onwards were quite difficult… also, during our climb for the first 6.0km, we went downhill for around 2.0km, that’s why we averaged for less than an hour per km. Well, I could not give up then… I was almost there and so with grim determination, I continued my journey uphill.

And then, it started to rain! We quickly took out our raincoats and our progress became even slower. My shoes and socks were already wet, but by that time, I did not attempt to avoid any obvious water puddles. My only objective was to complete the trail as soon as possible.

Strange looking tree...

Isn't the fog nice?

Lush green plant...

Dreamy...

A decade past by and some one who was far at the front shouted, “We’re there, we’re there!” and everyone else who was at the front shouted too… they kept on telling me that I’m almost there… it was really embarrassing. My heart lifted when the first building came into my sight… it was the most the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen (I was delirious at that time).

Of course, that building was not our destination, but my spirits were lifted. We walked past several buildings and finally reached Laban Rata, the place where we check-in. There was a big digital sign that shows the temperature of Laban Rata and it was 10 degree C at that time! However, filled with grime and sweat, I did not really feel cold then.

We checked out watches and we finally completed the trail at around 5.30pm… it took us a bloody 9 hours to complete the bloody trail. I think it normally takes 6 to 8 hours to complete the Mesilau trail. On the bright side, we took less than the 4 hours predicted by the guide to complete the final 2.0km. The place that we were supposed to stay is another 300m away but since the restaurant will close at 7pm (I think), we decided to eat first before we go to our dorm.

I was really tired and hungry that I totally forgot to take a picture of what I ate :P. But it was nothing special, although I did have a lot of helpings. It was a buffet too, and there were mushroom soup, red bean dessert, tea, coffee, chicken, beef, sausages, eggs, vegetables, cakes… all the normal stuff lah. The hot stuff like mushroom soup and red bean dessert were the most popular ones.

The cafeteria at Laban Rata...

That's what left when I remembered to take photo

Pretty soon, we were hiking uphill again to our dorm. Well, the good thing is that the next day, we won’t need to climb this 300m! The scenery was a sight to behold. Our dorm was located near the trail up the mountain and we can see water flowing down the mountain, forming an intricate pattern of waterfall… well, it wasn’t really a waterfall, but it looked like a waterfall.

Finally, we reached a dinghy hut made from aluminum roof. A word of advice, never ever stay at any other place other than Laban Rata… I forgot the name of the place that we were staying at, but you should stay at Laban Rata no matter how expensive it is… it’s worth the price. As expected, the room was chilly; there were three double-decker beds and next to our dorm is a kitchen where one can boil water but you’ll need to walk outside to reach it.

The first thing that we all do is of course take a nice, hot water bath. The bathroom and toilet is located outside… around 100m away from our dorm. And the road to the bathroom was muddy. I was told to go and try out the hot water first.

The bathroom was quite clean, although a little bit dusty and there was no place for me to hang my clothes! Anyway, there were two knobs in front of me… one was green in colour and another one was red colour. Needless to say, the hot water was of course the red colour knob… I turned it one and waited several seconds before trying out of water… it was cold water!

The nightmarish room...

Well, it is possible for the hot water to take some time to come out so I waited for a few moments longer and it was still cold water. So, I turned it off and turned on the green knob. It put my hand under the shower and was hit by a blast of freezing water! Apparently, the cold water is the heated water! This water heater is different from the ones we had in Mesilau, you don’t have to wait for the water to boil… the hot water was routed from somewhere far away so I guess it got cold when the water reached the bathroom.

Well, no matter how, I couldn’t have slept without having a bath, so I gritted my teeth and jumped into the shower. This is one of the main reasons that I implore readers to stay only at Laban Rata. At least, by staying at Laban Rata, one would not need to walk all the way back to their rooms in the outside after their baths. I was shivering when I finally finished my quick shower. While I was leaving the bathroom, I noticed a sign in front of the bathroom… and it mentioned that there will be no hot water from 8pm until 4pm next day!

So, I ran back and told the others. The others were in dismay, but one of them thought of boiling the water for bath. It took them a very long time to get enough hot water for everyone… but I did not pay much attention to them. I was really freezing at that time. I even took out my winter jacket, complete with gloves before I jumped into the bed and cover myself with double layers of blanket.

I have never felt that sensation before. My chest was painful, my body was shaking and my fingers were numb. I even wear socks when I started to feel a tingling in my toes. I thought that I was going to die with cold. In conclusion, I was in a really wretched condition. It was at that time that I started to regret my decision to climb Mount Kinabalu (again :P). I felt like those homeless people in winter (except that I am wearing an expensive jacket).

I kept on waking up from my sleep whenever I tossed and the blanket slipped out and a gust of chilled air sneaked into my body. I prayed fervently that this was only a nightmare but my prayers went unanswered as I was consumed by darkness and cold…