The first thing that came in my mind is I am going to climb the highest mountain in Malaysia. And here I was! I knew KK is the capital of Sabah but I was still very surprised with the skyscraper buildings and branded stores! I really fell in love with KK! A city where you can get everything but not as hectic as KL.
The trip was solely planned by a friend's friend and what I did was to pay money only! :P This was a long-awaiting trip for me where I managed to escape from the hectic lifestyle in KL with overwhelming workloads. It was pure satisfaction and the best time to clear off all the mess and really listen to my heart. And to do that! I need a HOLIDAY!
Hostel view
The first day when we arrived there, we stayed at a hostel near Mesilau gate. We have booked a 2-day-1night tour. The climb to Mount Kinabalu was actually easy and smoothly crafted for climbers. The trail is easy, but for people who has got none outdoor experience and had only climbed 2 mini mountain in KL, it was tormenting for us. There are two trails, Mesilau and Timpohon. If you wish to take a shorter but less breath taking views, you can choose Timpohon. It is only a 4km trail. Mesilau is 2km longer than Timpohon but with nicer view.
On the way up to Laban Rata from Mesilau
I started climbing at 9am and took me freaking 6 hours to reach Laban Rata. Yes, 6 hours of non-stop stairs climbing! It was indeed a mental game where you had to have a very strong determination to continue the climb. Cough made my journey up to Laban Rata become a tough one. I coughed all the way up and surprisingly I was the third to reach there out of 14 of us! *winks! :)
Alien looking trees everywhere
After a decent rest at Waras Hut, I embarked on the climb to summit at 3.00a.m. I did not sleep well the previous nights due to bad coughing and this caused me pretty bad altitude sickness when I was getting near the summit. I told my friends to leave without me as they wanted to see the sunrise. Meanwhile, I started to slow down my speed because I could feel the pressure in my lung and difficulty in breathing. The rope holding part near the summit was not really terrifying me because I know there was no turning point and I had to keep going. I knew I am heading to the peak, but just not sure how long more do I have to bare the cold. Altitude sickness getting worse as I moved higher. I started throwing out and my heart started jumping fast. Oh gosh, I was only few hundreds meter away! "I must keep going," I told myself.
5.45am and I was only 10m away from the summit. I really wanted to climb higher but my heart did not allow me to do so. Breathing getting more difficult and I told the tour guide I decided to stop here. So near yet so far the peak. Sigh.
However, the scenery did worth every strength and endurance. I stayed on the top for around 30 minutes and I decided to come down because I felt really ill. When I reached Laban Rata, I took the altitude sickness medicine and a quick nap. Thank God, I recovered slightly and managed to go down to Timpohon gate without asking someone else to carry me. Haha.
On my way down
I was feeling so awesome after the climb. I was starting to feel lucky, and getting to know some new things and people. I can't help thinking that positive energy does project into good luck.
Kota Kinabalu is indeed a must-go city and I will be back again! :)
