Our ObjectiveWe had a management committee meeting in Kota Kinabalu (KK). First time we had out of Kuala Lumpur. We planned to scale Mount Kinabalu, South East Asia’s highest peak after the meeting. We signed up for the expedition a couple of months back.
Our Team
Starting Point, Timpohon Gate 
And so we began our climb.....13 of us left KK early for a one and a half hour drive to Kundasang, located at the foot of Mt. Kinabalu. We stopped to register at the Kinabalu Park Headquarters before the start of the climb. From there we went on a bus to Timpohon Gate (elevation 1,866 m), the starting point of the climb. Everybody was in high spirit. We were to climb 6 km up to Laban Rata Resthouse (elevation 3,273 m) before continuing the final assault to the summit (4,095m) early morning the next day. The distance was 6 km from Timpohon to Laban Rata and another 2.7km to the top from Laban Rata.
Philip was the first toll....We started our climb sometimes after 11am. Along the way, we stopped at shelters located at about 1 km from one to the other. We had lunch at Lowii Shelter, about 2.5km from Timpohon. The lunch was packed and carried by 3 porters. Before reaching the half way point, Philip, the heaviest guy in the group dropped out, the first toll.
Stopping for a breatherIt was a slow climb. I was amongst the front climbers. Whenever I had a chance I called my wife, Ton, on the phone during stops at the shelters to give her live update. I was very much excited about the climb. The telephone reception was good all the way to the top. Then it started to rain. We were well prepared with rain coats as we have been warned about the rainy season at the mountain. It was about 5 pm when we approached Laban Rata. I was already slowly dragging myself and the sight of the rest house was very much welcoming. Some from our group reached there about an hour later.
The trail up to Laban Rata, these are not hand railings, they are electric cables!Laban Rata is made up of a few buildings including hostel like rest house where we put up before the final climb. It is just a stopover place. There were already quite a number of climbers at the rest house, most of them westerners. I met a group of Filipinos who decided to spend their holidays climbing the mountain. From our group, 8 of us were crammed in 1 room. It was too cold for us lowland people.
Checkpoint, taken on the way down
Sunrise from the top Dinner was served early. By 7pm, most of us were already asleep. Everybody was dead tired. By 1.30am I was awake. I tried to take shower but it was too cold. There was no hot water. We had some meals at the restaurants and by 2.30am everybody was ready to conquer the peak.
It was dark. We carried flashlights. I had one strapped on my forehead. It was cold. I had 4 pieces of clothing on me. It was wet. We carried rain coats. It was quite a big group that early morning. We just followed in what appeared to be a long line of people carrying flashlights and marched in a zombie-like fashion up the mountain.
View from the top It was a slow and sometimes steep climb. There were steps to climb on, railings and ropes to hold onto. It was a bit scary especially in the dark but we pushed on. A few people turned back. One of our boys dropped out. Earlier, 3 persons stayed behind. The remaining 8 carried the hope of reaching the top.
On top of South East Asia!It was almost 5am when we (3 in my small group) reached the halfway checkpoint. Anyone who had crossed the checkpoint would be awarded a certificate, stating that that person had successfully climbed the mountain. From the checkpoint, it was a struggle for me. For every 10 steps I had to stop to catch my breath. One guy in my group, Nazri was complaining of pain in his legs. The other, Jamil was complaining of the cold. I just wanted to stay focused on my objective, Low’s Peak.
Going Down We were climbing on a field of solid rock when the sun rose. It was the best sight of a sunrise I had ever seen. It looked like the old Japanese flag. I stumbled many times trying to capture the moment with my camera. It was futile. The wind, the cold, the pain and the dark prevented me from getting a good shot. I gave up. From that moment, I handed the camera to the guide. Luckily he took a lot of photos that documented my climb.
Resting in the field of rocks with Azreen and Hatta
Going down was a lot harder than upWe met the first guy from our group, Rizal, coming down from Low’s Peak. It was about 200m to go and to get there it was a very steep climb. Looking at the terrain, Nazri and Jamil surrendered. They just followed Rizal back. As if by some magic, the fog blanketing the peak cleared for a few moments. I could see Low’s Peak clearly, calling me on. That gave me a lot of motivation to carry on to the top. I climbed on, slowly, painfully until I finally reached the top. I had a few photos taken and hurried down. It was too cold and windy to hang around for long. I was on top of the world or shall I say South East Asia! Only 6 out of 13 of us made it to the top. They were, Rizal, Johny, Amin, Azreen, Hatta and myself.
Laban Rata, our rest stop
In the background and way down is Kundasang Golf CourseComing down initially looked easy but it took me about 4 hours to reach Laban Rata. I was really struggling to walk especially about 500m before the rest house. At about 9.30am I made it back! I had a quick breakfast as it was nearing closing time (10am) for breakfast. Before I could rest my legs, somebody came in and told us that we had to check out at 10.30am.
Going DownIt was the worst walking down 6km to Timpohon Gate, made worst by the lack of resting time. Nazri, Azreen and I made up the rear guard while the rest went ahead. Azreen injured his knee, walking was a big effort. My legs were “rubbery”, shaking all the way every time I took steps. They were ready to collapse. Finally, at about 5pm, we reached Timpohon Gate.
Azreen, Hatta & me, making our way back to Laban Rata 
Finally reached Laban RataI had never been more tired in my life. Then again, I had never been more excited, having climbed South East Asia’s highest peak. Given a chance, I would come back and do it again….
Me, Deputy High Commissioner to Singapore, DI and Zack
The Deputy Commissioner's ball got stuck in the palm tree
One of the best par-3 holes I have played
