We took 2 buses to the entrance of Kinabalu National Park, and were relieved to find the temperature here was much more temperate than KK (1450m). We found some cheap accommodation outside the park entrance; very basic - cold water, no basin, shower only worked 3 foot off the ground - you get the picture. There was some type of animal inside the cavity wall of our room, trying to knaw its way to freedom which kept us awake for the majority of the first night. We moved to the next door room for the second. The owner kept a great garden - loads of exotic plants and flowers. We found this moth outside in the garden. No idea what species it is though;
We were here to climb Mount Kinabalu (the highest peak in South East Asia, 4095m, something we had booked to do from KK). The evening before our climb we were given a slightly patronising pre-climb presentation - take a warm jumper for the summit, take waterproofs just in case etc.. To the local people, the mountain is sacred. In out talk this 'spirit' was likened to 'Casper the friendly ghost'...
The climb up was hard - hot and climbing steeply from about 1800m to the Base Camp at 3248m. We stayed in the 'Waras' hut. During the climb, we were passed many times by porters carrying silly weights on their backs, just strapped on across their foreheads and backs. We also passed a BLIND woman who had amazingly made it up to the summit (with help). She didn't manage the whole way back down, however (she was waiting for a porter with a stretcher when we passed her). We also saw some Pitcher plants;
On the second day we started the climb at about 2.30am. After a hard climb we summited the mountain about an hour before sunrise. It was bloody freezing so we sat around in a crevice for a while until the sun started to come up...
(The twisty bit, near the summit)
The walk back down was knackering! From 4095m back down to about 1800m. Great fun though. We headed to the hot springs at Poring afterwards for a well deserved soak in the hot tubs there. As luck would have it, a local cafe owner in the village was cashing in big time with the tourists as a bunch of Rafflesia flowers had started to appear on his land. These are pretty rare (although they are Sabah's national flower), so we went and had a look...
(That's the largest flower in the world, not a word of a lie, mate)
We were here to climb Mount Kinabalu (the highest peak in South East Asia, 4095m, something we had booked to do from KK). The evening before our climb we were given a slightly patronising pre-climb presentation - take a warm jumper for the summit, take waterproofs just in case etc.. To the local people, the mountain is sacred. In out talk this 'spirit' was likened to 'Casper the friendly ghost'...
The climb up was hard - hot and climbing steeply from about 1800m to the Base Camp at 3248m. We stayed in the 'Waras' hut. During the climb, we were passed many times by porters carrying silly weights on their backs, just strapped on across their foreheads and backs. We also passed a BLIND woman who had amazingly made it up to the summit (with help). She didn't manage the whole way back down, however (she was waiting for a porter with a stretcher when we passed her). We also saw some Pitcher plants;
On the second day we started the climb at about 2.30am. After a hard climb we summited the mountain about an hour before sunrise. It was bloody freezing so we sat around in a crevice for a while until the sun started to come up...
(The twisty bit, near the summit)
The walk back down was knackering! From 4095m back down to about 1800m. Great fun though. We headed to the hot springs at Poring afterwards for a well deserved soak in the hot tubs there. As luck would have it, a local cafe owner in the village was cashing in big time with the tourists as a bunch of Rafflesia flowers had started to appear on his land. These are pretty rare (although they are Sabah's national flower), so we went and had a look...
(That's the largest flower in the world, not a word of a lie, mate)
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