Borneo - Kota Kinabalu and Mount Kinabalu Trek

Saturday 16th June – Borneo Bound

Avoiding the rat infested kitchen on the rooftop we made our way to Reggae Café for breakfast only to find it was closed.  As was everywhere else.  It was 9.00 a.m. on a Saturday morning.  Apparently places aren’t interested in cashing in on the breakfast rush in Kuala Lumpur.  We ended up in McDonald’s.

After a purely functional breakfast (lacking any form of flavour) we went back to the hostel, grabbed our bags and made our way to Sentral Station and got the bus to the airport.  Our flight left at 2.10 p.m. and we reached Kota Kinabalu on Borneo at 4.45 p.m.

After collecting our bags we exited the airport to jump on the public bus into town.  Finding no obvious bus stops we asked at the information desk.  We were informed that the bus stop was outside the airport and went once every hour but they did not when the next one would be along.  How can they not know the time at which an hourly bus passes by?  Undeterred we walked in the direction told, quickly realised this was a futile task as the bus stop didn’t even seem to exist and made our way back to the airport.  Feeling stranded we asked a group of army men for advice.  They helped a little before a random person came along and offered to take us into the city for 15 RM.  We agreed.  The parts of his car which were still in existence were tied together with string.  Nevertheless we made it safely into Kota Kinabalu.

We were left off at Lucy’s Homestay but discovered it was full along with the next few hostels we checked before we finally got a room in Tropicana Lodge for 55 RM per night.

We spent the evening down by the waterfront.  We went to the night market for food.  The choice of food consisted mostly of seafood.  I shouldn’t have been surprised by this as it is a coastal city but I managed to find a stall offering chicken rice – for a change.  The promenade seemed to be the place to hang out in the evening so we grabbed a few drinks in a nearby 7-Eleven and settled ourselves by a statue and spent the rest of the night watching the local kids do their best to destroy it.

Sunday 17th June – The Gambler

After a much needed long sleep we went out to explore Kota Kinabalu.  The Malaysian area of Borneo is separated into two states Sabah and Sarawak.  Kota Kinabalu, or KK, is the principle city of Sabah.  For me Borneo is most famous for its biodiversity and rainforests so it came as quite a surprise to see how well developed Kota Kinabalu is.  It has several large shopping malls, many hostels and some very plush hotels.

We needed lunch so made our way to Centre Point Mall after failing to find a café mentioned in the Lonely Planet.  Here we stumbled across Kenny Rodgers’ Roaster.  Obviously I had to eat here – The Gambler!  I didn’t do the dance even thought I was tempted.

Next it was time to explore the markets.  In Kota Kinabalu there is the Night Market, Central Market and Handicraft Market.  We went to the Night Market for food last night – or at least we thought we did.  In short, the Night Market is open during the day, the Central Market is not in the centre and the Handicraft Market sells vegetables.

In the evening we took a walk to Beach Street to check out the cafes before heading to the Esplanade and going to an Indian restaurant called Kohinoor.  This was directly on the waterfront and the food was amazing.  We ended the night back at Beach Street with a few drinks before heading back to the hostel at midnight.

Monday 18th June – Bugs

Before we came to Kota Kinabalu we got some good advice from Simone’s friend who has been in Borneo before.  One piece of advice was not to stay at Borneo Backpackers as it had terrible bed bugs.  This morning when we woke up we discovered that it was also a problem in Tropicana Lodge.  I never, or very rarely, get bitten by anything, but I had a line of bites up my back – the calling card of bed bugs.  Simone was much worse.  So our first mission today was to find a new place to stay.  We checked a few places close by before finding a room in Kinabalu Backpackers Lodge which was just across the street – 68 RM/night with air-con.  Perfect.  We moved right away.

With my camera still making we want to throw it against the nearest wall we headed over to Centre Point Mall in the hope of finding a repair shop.  Same story as before – no joy.

Last night as we walked to the Esplanade Simone suddenly stopped in the street and excitedly said ‘Secret Recipe!’.  I was clueless as to what she meant but was soon to find out.  It’s a chain of cafes in S.E. Asia which do amazing cakes.  We stopped at the one in Centre Point Mall.  I got Chocolate Banana, Simone got something slightly healthier.  I now understood why she was so excited yesterday.

Also last night as we walked along Beach Street we spotted a bar which served Thai food and decided to go there tonight.  I love Thai food and was looking forward to the Thai green curry I spotted on the menu.  Except the menu no longer existed.  This was baffling.  Last night they were at pains to point out all their Thai food options and tonight they were telling us they never had Thai food available.  We insisted to several members of staff and explained what had happened last night but it all fell on deaf ears.  We sulked and ordered from the substandard menu they now gave us.

After eating we stayed for a few drinks and suffered our way through horrific karaoke until 1.00 a.m. (these people should be put out of their misery).

Tuesday 19th June – Climb – Booked!

It was time to book our first activity on Borneo.  Not far from Kota Kinabalu is S.E. Asia’s highest peak, Mount Kinabalu, at a height of 4095m.  People sometimes mistakenly believe this is a volcano, however it is not.  The trek to the peak takes two days.

Every hostel and tour agency in Kota Kinabalu advertise treks to the summit so we decided to shop around.  The hostel quoted 900 RM each.  Feeling this was a bit pricy we went to the Sabah Tourist Office and were pointed in the direction of Wisma Sabah – a building containing lots of tourist agencies.  Again all the quoted prices were between 900 – 1200 RM until we found Sutera Sanctuary Lodges.  Here we were quoted 650 RM each but it did not include transportation to the Kinabalu National Parks Office.  After a bit more investigation we discovered that we could get there by bus for 20 RM so we went straight back and booked the trek for 24^th June.  What we didn’t realise was that we were actually getting a fantastic two-for-one offer.  Not only did Simone and I get our trek up Mount Kinabalu booked, we also got married for free.  It was a very small and simple affair and over before we even realised.

To celebrate our marital bliss we went to Old Town White Coffee.  I think we are both becoming addicted to this place.  They do great coffee and snacks. 

In the evening we went to Bella Italia for Italian pizza and a few drinks.  We then watched Once.  Simone had never seen this movie so I insisted she watch.  She loved it.  I had already told her of my previous addiction to The Frames and regaled her with my ‘I Love The Frames’ stories.

Wednesday 20th June – Sing Us A Song, You're (Not) The Piano Man

With a few days to kill in Kota Kinabalu we are going to visit the islands just off the coast for snorkelling and beach action.  After a lazy morning we went to Old Town White Coffee before taking a walk down to the waterfront. 

It wasn’t long before we were approached by a local selling cruises.  He insisted that we follow him to talk to his friend.  What should have been a simple question turned into a complex nightmare of variations with the end result being that we may get abandoned on an island if we didn’t follow his instructions to the letter.  Perplexed we walked to the jetty and found the main terminal building for all the boat operators.  As everyone had shut up shop for the day we just looked around at prices and everything seemed a lot more straightforward  After being assisted by a random stranger eager to help we left content with that fact that getting to the islands tomorrow was quite easy without the risk of being abandoned.  We then walked to the end of the pier and watched the sunset over the distant islands.

In the evening we went back to Bella Italia.  It was Crazy Pasta Night with all dishes costing 8.88 RM.  A lot of things in Kota Kinabalu contain the number eight.  8.88% cash back.  Hostel 88.  Café 88 (I made the last two things up, I just can’t remember exactly, but the number was everywhere).  I think it must be their lucky number.  I know it is considered lucky in China and Malaysia has a big Chinese influence.

Just as we were finishing our meal the band started.  Our table was right beside them, the pianist sitting directly to my right and the singer just beyond him.  Halfway through their first song I glanced over at the pianist just as he reached behind to fix the amp.  At this point I saw his other hand move just ever so slightly away from the piano – but the music keep going.  I watched for the next few minutes.  This guy was not playing the piano at all.  Not a note.  I found this hilarious as he smiling at the crowd while shifting his hands along the keyboard.  I pointed this out to Simone.  We both had to stay for an extra song as it was so funny. 

Once we had our fill of this unintentional comedy show we went back to the hostel and watched The Guard.  Classic Irish comedy.

Thursday 21st June – Useless

After all the planning yesterday we did not end going to the islands today as we slept in, so instead we had a very lazy day.  After our daily visit to Old Town White Coffee we took a walk to the Wisma Merdeka and Suria Sabah shopping malls to find a USA Lonely Planet for Simone and (again) see if there was anywhere I could get my camera fixed.  Both missions were unsuccessful but I have been pointed in the direction of a camera repair shop.

Very near our hostel at the top of a hill is a lookout point where you go to watch the sunset.  We had planned on going to this a few days ago but were warned by the people working in Tropicana Lodge that using the steps is dangerous as a Japanese tourist got mugged of 2000 RM a few days before.  The first question that entered my head was , ‘What was she doing carrying 2000 RM around with her?’  That’s asking for trouble.  Determined to go up, we left all our valuables in the hostel and braved the steps.  It didn’t look dangerous and it wasn’t.  The lookout point was perfectly located to have a grand view of Kota Kinabalu and watch as the sun set over the islands and South China Sea.

In the evening we went to Texas Grill for food and took way to much advantage of their 16 RM Tiger Beer Bucket offer.

Friday 22nd June – Useless – Part 2

This morning was a repeat of yesterday.  We slept in and didn’t go to the islands.  Definitely tomorrow!  Today we not only went for coffee in Old Town White Coffee but we also ordered breakfast.  It was a Western style breakfast.  Everything was great except the beans were stone cold as if they had just been taken straight of the fridge.  I asked for them to be heated up, they took it away and returned it with hot beans, but it didn’t seem to register with hem that the rest of the breakfast was now cold.  There seemed to be no happy medium.  I gave up.

After watching the hilarious and enlightening Religulous documentary we wandered to the camera repair shop suggested to us yesterday.  It was a long wait and I was not surprised to be told they did have the parts to repair it and that I should send it back to the factory.

Over the last few days we had walked passed a local food café which always seemed to be packed so we decided to try it out.  It was buffet style.  Simone went for a laksa, I decided on the chicken curry.  Both were really good and including a drink each it all came to 16 RM.  My only issue is the chicken that comes in the chicken curry, not only in this place but everywhere that sells chicken curry, it is always chicken on the bone.  I hate fighting with my food but sometimes I love chicken curry more.

We chilled out in the evening and watched The Social Network.

Saturday 23rd June – Fish 3-0 Mark

Today we finally went to one of the islands – Mamutik.  We made our way to the jetty, stopping off at a bakery to get some snacks for the day, and at the jetty booked a return boat and hired snorkel gear for a total of 40 RM each.

It was a 15 minute boat ride before we arrived on the island at 11.15 a.m.  We made our way to a quieter beach which was said to be best for snorkelling.  Simone went in the water first and came back saying that in one area there were loads of fish with black and white ones which were very curious and swim right up to you.  I then jumped in the water to see for myself.  At the start I found very few fish but as I went out a little deeper I spotted a black one in-between a few rocks.  I took a deep breath and dived.  As I did so the fish immediately turned round, froze and fixed its glare right at me as if to say, ‘Come a step closer and you are dead!’  I froze not knowing what its intentions were.  For a few seconds there was a standoff.  He moved slightly forward, I backed off and went to the surface before choking with laughter.  I had lost a game of chicken to a fish.  As I swam further along I came across the black and white fish Simone has mentioned.  These guys were very friendly.  They would swim right up to my face and hands and swim beside me as I went along.  I then started to make my way back to the beach.  As I did I saw more and more fish, especially the black and white ones.  Very friendly little fish.  Then it got a bit weird.  Every time I turned around the amount beside me increased.  At one point there must have been about 20 and they no longer seemed friendly.  If anything I got the impression that they were the bodyguards hired by all the other fish to ward off the stupid humans.  I couldn’t escape them!  I was surrounded.  I’m sure they were totally harmless but I wasn’t taking the risk of a bite!  I turned towards the beach and swam, finally escaping their attempts to overpower me.  The Borneo fish are a bit weird.

We spent the next few hours relaxing and reading on the beach before going to a café on the island and making our way to the other beach beside the jetty.  I grabbed the snorkelling mask and headed straight into the water.  I had to swim for a bit before finding any fish.  These fish were much bigger but seemed to keep their distance.  At least until I came across a much bigger one who played the same staring game as the first one I came across.  Again, the fish won.  I gave up totally and went back to the safety of the beach.

Our boat back to Kota Kinabalu left at 3.00 p.m.  We jumped on and the driver set off.  He seemed to love his job and was going fast and making big sweeping turns that made the boat sway and lurch to the side.  I thought this was a lot fun.  But the big group of Japanese tourists along with us on the boat didn’t think it was fun – they thought it was the most exhilarating and exciting fairground ride they had every been on, whooping and cheering and laughing with each turn.  An very excitable bunch.

Once back in Kota Kinabalu we went for a coffee and in the evening went to Bella Italia for dinner.  Then it was back to the hotel to pack for our big trek starting tomorrow.  We decided to watch Touching The Void before going to sleep.  An amazing story but maybe not the best movie choice before going on a mountain trek.

Sunday 24th June – Mount Kinabalu Trek – Day 1

Finally the day had arrived to start the Mount Kinabalu summit trek.  We set off at 6.30 a.m. to get the bus to the Kinabalu National Park Office.  We had to be there for 9.00 a.m. When we reached the bus stop we discovered that the bus, costing 20 RM, would not leave until it was full.  A taxi driver approached us and said that he would take us and two other adventurers for 25 RM each.  Simone managed to bargain him down to 20 RM and we were off (but with a completely different driver, who knows how these things work?).  We shared the taxi with Monica from Poland and her Japanese boyfriend who both now live in Singapore.

We arrived at the park office at about 8.30 a.m., checked in and got our guide.  His name was Freddy and he had been doing guided treks twice a week for 11 years – that’s over 1000 times.  We were in good hands.  We collected our packed lunches and after a short 10 minute bus journey to the Timpohon Gate (altitude 1866.4 m) which marks the start of the trek, we set off at 9.15 a.m.

The start was a short downhill section but soon we were on the way up.  It consisted of steps – lots of steps.  I asked Freddy if he knew how many steps there were but he did not know.  I think there’s just too many to count.  Our aim today was to make it to Laban Rata.  This was a 6 km trek.  The weather was very hot but the track was shaded by trees for the vast majority of the way.  En route there were several huts to stop at to have a break but we only ever stopped for a few minutes to get a quick drink of water before continuing on.  Stopping for too long just makes you lose your rhythm and pace.  As always I loved the uphill part and bounded up the steps and rocks.  After almost two hours we made it to the 4 km mark and here we stopped for a little longer to eat our packed lunch.  This consisted of a strange ham and cheese sandwich, a banana and an egg.  Now we had to tackle the last 2 km.  We had been told by Freddy that this was much steeper and tougher.  It was to a certain extent but it didn’t really slow us down and it wasn’t long before we had reached Laban Rata at 12,45 p.m. and at an altitude of 3272.2 m.  In total it took us three-and-a-half hours to cover the 6 km trek, a total altitude rise of 1405.8 m.  On the way up Freddy had suggested several times that we continue on to the summit today.  It was definitely something I thought about, but with the summit obscured by clouds it would have been a waste of time.  Plus, I was too tired by the time we reached Laban Rata.

Our accommodation was in the main Laban Rata Resthouse which was perfect as this was where all the food was served.  All meals were included in the package we had bought from Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. With the rise in altitude the temperature here was much lower, freezing actually.  We sat in the café and bought a much deserved cup of coffee for the unbelievable price of 11 RM each (coffee is normally about 4 RM).  After we checked into our room, a four bed dorm, I contemplated having a shower.  We had been warned that they were having electricity and water problems at Laban Rata meaning that the showers were not only limited to certain times of the day but also cold.  With the outside temperature also so cold I decided against a shower.  Instead we decided to get some sleep.

At 5.30 p.m. we were woken by our other roommates arriving – it was Monica and her boyfriend who had shared the taxi with us.  They had just reached Laban Rata.  It took then eight-and-a-half hours to do the climb.  I have no idea what they were doing on the way up for it take so long.  They must have stopped at every hut for 30 minutes.

Simone and I made our way back to the café for dinner.  It was an impressive spread with all sorts of local food on offer and even chicken burgers.  This was well beyond what I expected.  I gorged myself to fill up for the trek tomorrow.

We have to get up at 2.30 a.m. to start the trek to the summit to be there for sunrise.  With very little else to do we decided to get a long sleep and went to bed at 7.00 p.m.

Monday 25th June – Mount Kinabalu Trek – Day 2

I had hoped for a long sleep but did not get one.  First I had a headache which I think was due to the altitude and was eventually eased with the help of some tablets from Simone.  Then someone started snoring while someone else started making very odd clicking noises.  I eventually got to sleep at about 10.00 p.m.

Time for the final ascent.  We got up at 2.30 a.m., had a small breakfast and started the climb at 3.10 a.m.  It was still dark and we were guided by our head torches.  Freddy decided that we should leave later than everyone else as otherwise we would reach the summit too early and have to stand in the freezing night air waiting for sunrise.  This was a good idea but it did mean that not long after starting we ran into lots of human traffic ahead of us.  The beginning of the trek was mostly steps again and this made it very difficult to pass people.  It really started to frustrate me.  As we went up further the path began to widen and it made it easier to pass.  We then reached the rope section.  These parts were a little steeper and a rope was needed so that you could haul yourself up.  The path eventually became a very wide rock face.  At one point we had pass through a security check point and show our permits to climb.  After this the climb became much steeper and the altitude really started to kick in.  The air was thinner and each breath became more difficult.  My habit of running up the hill had to be curtailed.   At this stage we went at a steady but relatively strong pace to the summit.  Freddy had timed it perfectly.  We stepped on the summit, ironically called Low’s Peak, at 5.40 a.m., five minutes before sunrise.

It was so cold.  I was wearing all my usual layers but they didn’t seem to help much.  We jostled to get a photograph at the summit sign.  Some people were taking ages to take their photos and taking multiple shots as if they were working for National Geographic.  Fed up with this I just barged on in.  Simone joined me, Freddy took our photo and we were done in 10 seconds.  I think I annoyed some people but it was too cold for niceties.

As we sat on the edge we huddled together for warmth and could see the sun rise above the horizon.  It was a beautiful view as the colours changed across the landscape.  In the opposite direction we could see the shadow of the peak of the mountain.  That is a sight (which I first saw at Rinjani) that always leaves me in awe.

With the sun rising so did the temperature.  At 6.15 a.m. we started our descent.  Now in the early morning light we got a completely different view than on the way up and it was stunning.  The trek down to Laban Rata was easy and only took us about one-and-half hours, arriving back at 7.40 a.m.  After devouring the included breakfast in the café (although a lot of the food was cold) and a quick change of clothes we set off at 9.00 a.m. to do the 6 km return trek to the park office.

Just before we set off the tiredness really set in but once we were on the move it seemed to be forgotten.  Freddy told us the descent would take the same length of time the ascent, three-and-a-half hours.  The first 2 km were a breeze and it wasn’t long before we had reached the hut where we had lunch yesterday.  It was at this point that everything changed.  The further we went the more our legs began to hurt.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I hate going downhill.  Again my boots were causing havoc with my feet, especially my toes.  Each step down got more and more painfully.  The time between the distance markers got greater and greater.  When there were side railings to use, we both clung to them to help us along.  Then something weird happened.

Earlier Simone had mentioned to me how she found it difficult to walk on the flat sections.  Soon I realised what she meant.  I came to a long flat section, one of the very few on the trek, and began walking.  My legs had completely forgotten how to do this.  The signals were being sent but they weren’t responding. My legs got confused, decided to ignore these ‘walk on flat terrain’ messages from my nervous system and did their own thing instead.  But worse, each leg did its own thing independently of the other,  My feet, seemingly annoyed by being left out of this whole decision making process, just decided to give up and walked off in two different directions at once.  The end result of this was me not only walking like I had drank a few too many whiskeys, but I had also acquired a gait which would easily have been granted funding for further development by The Ministry of Silly Walks.

We struggled onwards and downwards.  The pain in my toes was infuriating but every time I looked behind me I saw Simone struggling down the steps and laughing at our agony and how ridiculous we must have looked to the fresh faced trekkers on their way up.  It was the only thing that kept me sane.  Not only did we watch the trekkers go up we also watched the locals who carried supplies up to Laban Rata.  These guys had huge bags on their backs containing everything from food supplies to big gas canisters to 10 m long pipes.  I don’t know how they did it.  What is more astonishing is that every year a race is held which starts at the park offices.  The runners go to the summit and race back down again.  The record for this run is 2 hours 37 mins and 4 secs.  It took us two days! 

Finally after three-and-a-half hours we reached the Timpohon Gate and the trek was over.  We jumped on the bus and were back at the park office by 12.45 p.m.  There are no words to describe our exhaustion.  We went to the restaurant (which of course was down a big flight of) and had a great feed.  A buffet with lots of variety.  The only mission left was to get back to Kota Kinabalu.  After enquiring about a taxi (150 RM – too expensive) we made our way to the main road to wait on a bus but had no idea when one would arrive.  We were in the middle of nowhere.  As we waited in the sweltering heat we spotted a transportation office.  I asked here for further options and we managed to bargain down the price of a taxi to 100 RM.  We jumped in and were back at Kinabalu Backpackers Lodge at 3.45 p.m. and went straight for a much needed sleep.

It had been an amazing two days.  Although the end was painful it will never overshadow the whole experience, if anything it just added to it.  A lot of fun and a lot of laughs.

In the days before the climb we had said that on the day we got back we’d go out for a nice dinner and have plenty of drinks to celebrate.  Not to be.  Too shattered and with aching muscles we had a relaxing night and watched a movie.