Kinabalu Trip - Part 2

Here comes the reality:

Take nothing but pain. Leave nothing but shit.


The people who haven't sensed the pain before the hike.


Trivia.1
I was walking the trail alone in the jungle and I heard noises 10 feet away in front of me. Then I saw WanShen resting at a corner talking to herself.

Me: Did you talk to someone just now?
WanShen: Yeah. My mum.
Me: But I don't see your phone.
WanShen: I was talking to the great Mother Nature.

Very funny.


Trivia.2
WooiOnn told us that if you see a stranger or someone who looks like someone you know walking alone in the jungle, it could be that-kind-of-thing or god in the mountain. Fairy tale?

Then I saw MianLoong walking the trail in opposite direction. I was too tired to see his facial expression clearly. There wasn't any expression on his face though. I felt weird and asked him:

Me: Where are you going?
MianLoong: Toilet (with no expression)

The following day I asked him about it but he denied walking alone in opposite direction.
I was shocked. Who was that then?
But later he said, 'Oh! Sorry, now I remember I walked in opposite direction. I just suddenly felt like going to pee after passing by the toilet.'
'.........'


Trivia.3
The first 6.5km jungle treking and hiking was okay. But then I faced difficulty when I climbed higher.

It was the first time I felt that I was going to die. I was attacked by strong wind, thin air, cold whether, pouring rain, hungriness, and AMS (not PMS!!). I got this AMS which is also known as high altitude sickness (or Acute Mountain Sickness) when I reached around altitudes of 3000m. According to the porter, it is very common for a person to get AMS regardless of how fit you are. Once you get this sickness, you'd carry it with you along the way up until you take a longer rest. Just like sea-sickness, you would only get well when you reach the land. I'm glad that it's not PMS. Haa..

I couldn't breathe well thru the thin air. Persistent rapid pulse on the back of my neck has caused a serious dizziness to my head. And my heart was beating irregularly. I had to stop to breathe for every 5 steps I climbed up the steep rocks. All my limbs were numb and fatigue. I wasn't in a conscious condition.


Trivia.4
While we almost broke our back in the mountain, plants and trees changed significantly during the hike:




Some trees giving bizarre look.

It took me 9.5 hours to reach the base camp at Laban Rata whereas the faster group of my friends reached in 8 hours. The slower group reached about half an hour earlier because some of them waited for me. I went to sleep right after the dinner. The normal temperature at Laban Rata is 9-10 degree celcius but it dropped to 4-6 degree celcius. Later, we were being told that the climb to the summit was cancelled due to strong wind and freezing rain. I heard some people shouting hooray in the middle of the night. I would do that for sure but I couldn't open my eyes to cheer a louder hooray.

Then the following day we made our way down at 9am in the morning. The weather was much better. But some of us got sprained ankles and injured knees.

Freezing 6 degree Celcius when we are ready to go down at 9am.


Above the cloud

See how big group we are:

Before the hike. See that energetic look?


Taking a rest by the 3rd waterfall.


Going down at 6 degree Celcius in the morning.


This is my first encounter with Orang Utans. Orang Utans speak Aussie. One of them said, 'We should get going before we die in this monkey suit.' It is scientifically proved that Orang Utans have human intelligence to differentiate life-threatening risk and idiotic act.

On the same night, we were chilling at Starbuck, talking about the whole hiking trip. It was just like a dream going to hell and back. And we're glad that we come back alive.

P/S: Sigh. Don't mention about the nightmare of losing my phone.