Hiking Mount Kinabalu 2011 : South East Asia Highest Mountain (Part 2/4)

Laban Rata rest house

Puncak Borneo Resort. So far the food are the best.

Sabah is truly a beautiful in nature. Waking up in the morning was a god bless feeling. The air is fresh, weather is cold, the formation of mist is wonderful and the scenery was just great. Really calm and peace.

Majestic view of Mount Kinabalu

All of us pack up our belonging, bring down to guard house for save keeping and went to restaurant for a wonderful breakfast. After done with the breakfast we all went down to guard waiting for our transportation. We had planned to use Mersilau route to the peak, which takes 2 hours longer than Timpohon Gate.

Great mist formation

Wait wait wait...... its already 930am!!!
We start to feel something wrong as the transportation was not here to fetch us to Mount Kinabalu registration office. Handphone calling and more frustration being feel. We notice we are late to start off the hike.....

Our very satisfied breakfast menu

Waiting for the transport...

1000 am, transportation is here! thanks god. We spilt to 2 group. One group going directly to Mersilau gate and wait for the 2nd group who will go to registration counter to check in and get pass.

Mount Kinabalu registration office.

Kundasang Town - Kundasang War Memorial

Kundasang War Memorial - Australian army are here

To the horror, we found our agent had not paid the full amount for the registration. And the worst ever can happen is there is only 7 slot being book!!!!!! Meaning 4 person is not in the list and that also mean 4 person can't climb MOUNT KINABALU!!!!

Timpohon route entrance

For normal human, it take 5 hours to reach laban rata. Rest half day and continue 4 hours to reach peak. Then direct from peak to timpohon exit is need another min 6-8 hours. The climbathon just need average 3 hours to do that! Superhuman!!!

There are 4 person in registration area and 7 person in mersilau gate waiting. The mind game has started and panic is felt all around. Minus angry and frustrated, we need to solve this very fast as the time is already 1030am.

Our angle guide, mr jaldi jaidi. He is also the mount Kinabalu chief guide. How lucky we are.

Strictly speaking i was in the group of Hypertension, obesity & muscular cramps.

We discuss who should forget the hiking and who should go ahead.... At this moment its not about sacrifice yourself, but to name out who you want to sacrified beside yourself. There are only 2 person climb KK before and even add on myself, we still need to name one more person to be sacrified.

Porter carry empty gas tank from laban rata.

First station...sap sap sui

In the midst of our panic & tension, come a mountain guide and ask us what is happening. At first we ignore him as we feel he might taking advantage on what is happening. Put him aside we continue our discussion again. The guide approach again and say there might a solution as he can check whether another accomodation is available beside the famous Laban Rata. But he say it might cost us more than Rm 1k plus.

Our guide also become porter carry ours belonging.

Even teenage can hike here

The guide come back and dissapointed to say all are fully booked. We feel like wanna die...... Then he go inside the registration again, go another office again and make some phone call. He come back to us and say " You are lucky, there are 4 more slot there havent use up"!!!!! Thanks god. You will never understand how we feel at that moment. However we need to pay full amount again for that.... about RM 400 + + per person.

This is a Wow.

Thought the nightmare is passed...we are wrong! Now combining 4 of us, we dont have enough cash to pay for the fees as most of cash been used up in settle the unpaid registration fees and valuable things is keep at Mersilau gate group. Out of desperate we hire a transportation and went to the nearest town to find ATM machine....

Anyone need special mattress?

I only know that in whole Kundasang Area, there is only one atm machine.......Kudos to Alliance bank!!!! Its take us 15 minute from registration area down Kundasang town. Then we finally found the ATM machine.......... But wait......the machine is "OUT OF SERVICE" !!!!!!!!!!! ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

This is the crossroad between timpohon & mersilau route

Station layang layang....Start here my stomach not feeling well.

Out of unbelievable, we are laughing at each other....what you can do in such situation? You land into nightmare, hell is at your door, then come with the light and angel is waving us and now......F***, we fall into mother of all hell again. With head down, we got back to the jeep and heading back to registration office..... time is already 1115pm!!!

Motivated when we saw the mountain

We negotiate with the guide and give them all the cash we had plus all the "can trusted face". He think a while and agree to let us "hutang" first! What a relief. But again but... he wont allow us start the hike from Mersilau gate as the time is too late already. We have to climb using TIMPOHON GATE.

First group start the journey at 11.40 pm. Another group have to come back from mersilau gate. They only start journey after more than half an hour later.

Raining make hiking more difficult. The heat is trapped inside and not comfortable

Almost dark...

At this point i really lost all the high energy, high passion and all those positive thinking... We are mentally tortured in the beginning and we are tired. Such wonderful drama make me feel like riding roller coaster. throw me up and down. Ya, even before physically tired, we already tired.

when we reach, its already dark

The another problems is we only take 4 package of food. As Kinabalu not allow outside food, the  registration fees is include food suppliment. The other groups didn't take their food package!!! So have to share share with 11 person. ( Thats also give me problems later on)

Best international buffet

We start the journey in normal hiking rate. The guide was super nice and helpful as he carefully give us tips how to maintain the speed. The important is "DO NOT completely stop your movement". After 1 hours of hiking, our friends from mersilau group catch up us! Can't chat much but those can go faster are welcome to move on first.

All others hiker is already taking rest

I was slow in this journey. The reason is my leg is injured 5 days before the trips and doctor been adviced get rest for a week. I push myself too hard in the preparation period. And also because of what been going on this morning, i really can't find the fuel to boost up my speed. I need to go on steady.

When i reach the junction between mersilau route and timpohon route (6 KM) , my stomach pain. The weather is cold and i didn't eat much except in the breakfast. Have to go toilet!!!!!!! Then not long after that raining!! So my condition was, stomach pain looking for toilet, cold, raining, and we are late as the time already near 5.30 pm! the sky is started dark.

At KM 7, we meet a group of 3 youngest. 2 guy 1 girls. The girl condition is not good as her face is white and clearly can see she suffer from tireness and cold. We chat a while, walk together a while and we pass by them after that. They need to stop frequently for the girl to have rest.

I asked the guide in the early time, did he experience before handling hiker that couldn't reach laban rata? He say no. Simply because no matter how, he have to make sure the hiker reach laban rata. Cool answer. Then i ask what is the latest time he handle before...... he smile and say 2 am!!!!! He say the group can only reach Laban Rata at 2am in the morning. So forget about going the summit as that the time hiker suppose start to climb the summit!! Hahahaa.........

When we finally reach Laban Rata the time was 6.30 pm. Our friends at front reach as earlier as 5 pm. We directly rush to the canteen as afraid the food finished. Our friends are so nice to keep some food for us.

The food in laban rata.......SIMPLY BEST IN THE WORLD!!!!! No need say why.

At first i thought wanna have a bath. After touch the water (No Heater), i just clean my body with wet tower. Too cold. We stay in a room with 3 double decker for 6 person. trying to sleep at here is hard as my leg cramp a bit, hot, and the room is smelly!!!!

The worst is your bed mate got PA System to rock and roll........ Snoring too loud!

 It didnt long before the time already 130am...... its time to wake up and get prepare to go SUMMIT!!!