Yes… I finally made it to Kinabalu, I think a bout 2 years after Tahan. I just had to set things right because anyone who knew that I’ve done Tahan will ask me if I have done Kinabalu. And when I said no, They’ll give me a very surprised look. And further more this time round the group that I went with, I simply cannot refuse. It’s Jeff (again, of course) and Pat, who said to me ‘you jump, I jump’. So that’s was really what made me go really… And Greg was suppose to go too but in the end didn’t because of his bad knee, and in the end his place was taken up by my other girlfriend, Justine. The other 2 guys that I know, Micheal and Eddie who brought his sister along.
We departed KL on the 26th of August and made it to the summit on the 28th. It was a really drama filled trip as the guy/agent (Hakim) that Jeff booked with, his middle man that was suppose to register our climb, ran away with the money and we had lots of trouble on the day of the climb. Almost didn’t make it. But in the end some nice people helped us and the whole group got to go together. So a note of advise, beware of dodgy agents. Check your bookings with the Kinabalu Park before your trip. Bookings are made as early as up to 6 months ahead, and it is wise to do so as there are only limited bed space up in Laban Rata and they go fast. It’s really hard to blog about my journey without mentioning about the drama, since it nearly cost us our trip and also because of it, we started so late and even had to change route. But that was a blessing in disguise.So plan ahead, our trip could have been so much more pleasant if not for that dodgy agent which really was so screwed up.
Arrival and Day 1
We departed on August 26th 2011 from LCCT, arrived at Kinabalu in the afternoon. Waited for almost 45 minutes for the van to come. Finally got to our ‘resort’ in Nabalu in the evening, just in time for a bath and then dinner. And when I say resort, it’s really not what you think… Although you can choose to stay at the Kinabalu Park, in nicer chalets but it’s not what we got here. When we travel with Jeffrey Tan, you can expect it to be backpacker style… So, here we are in a room with 6 bunker beds that I shared with all my fellow hikers. But it was kinda fun and another new experience for me. 
The next day is Day 1 of our climb. Usually people start at the trail as early as 7am if you choose the Mersilau trail (which we did initially if according to plan) But because of our drama, we only got things sorted at about 1230pm!! And because the Mersilau trail is a longer trail, we wouldn’t have made it up by sunset for sure! And I really am NOT a fan of hiking in the dark, it freaks me out. Had enough of that at Tahan. After being advised by your guide, we made really wise decision and went on the Timpohon trail instead. Thought many said that this is a tougher trail to take because it’s just steps all the way, BUT… after chatting with the guides during the hike (it was a rather looong walk, you see). They said that the Timpohon trail is actually the much easier, kinder trail to take and not to mention shorter compared to the Mersilau trail, which is the more scenic route but much tougher with higher ‘steps’ which would have been a torture after a while… SO, I think I’ll take their word for it. These guys make this trip like 3 time a week with something like 30-40kgs on their backs! 
So if you can cover 1km an hour with is usually the case for us ‘normal’ mortals, the Timpohon trail would take about 4-5 hours but the Mersilau trail, add another 2 hours… or more.
The trail was ok, not really that difficult like some horror stories that I’ve been told. But nevertheless, I strongly suggest you train as much as you can before the hike should you plan to do it. It’s not a walk in the park… but I really do think with some training, anyone can do it. The trail is very well travelled, so it’s actually quite easy to walk, the difficult part was it’s just long stretched of steps all the way up. There is nothing much to see in terms of interesting flora and fauna and I’m saying this in comparison to Gunung Tahan, but then again Tahan, you are really in a jungle… here, this trek is so well travelled everyday it’s more like a park. It’s not like there is none… you’ll see some wild orchids, ferns, moss and a few pitcher plants.
My goal was to make it up by sunset. And I did… just managed to catch the last light of the day as I reached Laban Rata and I’m happy. I think I did ok, since I only got to start at about 1230pm. I was at Laban Rata at around 6 or 7pm… The last stretch of the trail was really tough, plus it was raining for the last 2 km. I was just so tired and hungry. We were suppose to get a packed lunch to bring along but even that we didn’t have because of poor planning.. 
So it was power bars and dried fruit all the way… I was craving for some carb!!! When I caught a glimpse of Laban Rata… it was such a relief, I actually had to stand on my feet in silence for a moment to gather myself. Somewhere along the last 2 km, I was feeling like… when is this gonna end… Am I ever gonna get there?
After a nice hot dinner… I was so ready to collapse. There was problem with the heaters or something so there was NO HOT WATER!!!! But I really have no more strength in me to protest. Thank God for wet wipes, otherwise I really don’t know how… I just splashed my face with with the icy cold water and brushed my teeth and got bundled up for bed… We have to be up by 130am for our final push up to the summit.
Hmm.. Trying to load the slideshow, but it’s not turning out the way I want it to be. The captions are all gone.. .
So anyway, those are some of the photos from arrival and Day 1 of the climb. I’ll be back on the next post… the summit!!
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