Climbing Mount Kinabalu, Sabah

November 12 – 13, 2008

Our Objective

We 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 breather

It 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 up

We 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 Course

Coming 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 Down

It 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 Rata

I 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….

Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort, Johor

November 5 – 6, 2008

After a long drive from Kuala Lumpur, Zack and I stopped at Tanjong Puteri for a round of golf before our meeting in Singapore. Zack chose the course because we had not played there before and it was affiliated to our club, Staffield.

Tanjong Puteri is a 54-hole course with three 18s. We played at 2 of them, Plantation Course and Village Course the following day.

Plantation Course

This is a members’ course. We were allowed to play because of the affiliation. The first nine is a very beautifully landscaped and mature course. It measures 6,454m from blue tees.

Village Course

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

This was one of, if not the best course that I have played in my golfing life. The course design was so well-thought that I had enjoyed it so much. Most greens were well guarded by elements of water and bunkers that called for precision shots. I managed to register 3 pars here. To me it was not the score but the thrill of playing in such a fantastic course.

I would definitely come back…

Sunset In Port Dickson, MALAYSIA

October 25 - 27, 2008

We spent the Deepavali weekend holidays in Port Dickson. I was chasing for sunsets for the first 2 days. The weather had been kind to us. It had been raining almost everyday before our arrival. These are the sunsets that I managed to catch.


Day 1

Day 2

During the day time, I went fishing with my friend, Mohd Noor. We did not catch any fish but we had a relaxed weekend.

Sunset and beaches, two of my favourite subjects

Bandung, INDONESIA

October 15 – 17, 2008

John, a close friend wanted to take a break from his busy schedule. He suggested that we visited Bandung. I was reluctant as I had been to Bandung 4 times. It is a nice place to visit but even a nice destination also has its limit. Anyway, John really insisted on going to Bandung. I obliged. We managed to rope in another friend, Elvis, to come along.


We caught this sunrise on the way to the airport

The Air Asia flight was full despite the fact that it was mid week. Upon arrival, Bandung airport officials began to show their true colors. They asked for money from Elvis. I had always had high regard for the officials in Bali and Bandung for not being corrupt like other Indonesian airports. This trip changed my perception.

Nasi Padang Lunch (John & Elvis)

We were met on arrival by a driver assigned by an agent. Din Din would be our driver and guide for the duration of our stay. He was quiet and a bit reserved.

Rumah Mode

We checked into our hotel, Grand Aquila, advertised as the hotel for entertainment lovers. It was our first mistake. This 4-star hotel looked quiet and it was far from being the entertainment center. After dropping our bags, we went to have lunch. It was nasi padang. After lunch, we went to Rumah Mode, Bandung’s most famous factory outlet. There was nothing much for guys like us. We visited a few other outlets. They failed to impress Bandung first time visitors. We decided to go to a spa and spent 3 hours getting our bodies massaged, scrubbed and cleansed. For dinner, it was Sundanese affair.

The next day we dropped by Mountain View Golf Club for me to get logo golf ball for my collection. The course is relatively the latest addition to Bandung’s golf courses. Then we proceeded to Bukit Dago Golf Club for the same reason. We stopped for a drink at the club house.

View from the top

We had enough disappointment with factory outlets; we decided to go to Bandung’s biggest shopping mall. We were not much of shoppers and spent most time browsing and window shopping. Then, it was Sundanese lunch again. After lunch, it was factory outlets again to look for my wife’s headscarf and Zaki’s handphone pouch. After a few places, we gave up.
We took a rest at the hotel before having a late dinner, Sundanese again.

We did not bring our clubs.... Just look only

Arau, Perlis, MALAYSIA

Arau used to be a one street town, too small for most people to pay any visit. This was the place where I grew up. This is also the place where I go back now and then to visit my root. It has not changed much except most of the people I knew either died or no longer stayed here anymore. Still, Arau remains very close to me. I had my primary education here before moving to Seremban and later to the United States.

The Train Station was the main transportation hub for Arau

The Old Mosque now abandoned, looks so small

It was along this corridor of the old mosque where we learned to recite Quran

My late mother and most of my relatives were buried here

Arau has its own attraction, in its own way. Being the royal town, there is the palace. The state mosque is in Arau. The Royal Mausoleum is also there. I guess, it is still too small to really be a tourist destination.

Kampong Bakong, Arau, Perlis

My kampong had changed a lot since my childhood days. We now have paved road. In the old days, we used only a small dirt path in between the rice fields, good for only bicycles and pedestrians. We did not have electricity. Our kampong used to be the joke of the local town folks as a backward community. There was no piped water supply. Every house relied on wells with murky water for daily water needs. Telephone was a luxury. We needed to go to somebody’s house in town to make a call. We did not even have a postal address. We collected our letters from a shop in town.

The long road to my kampong

Father's House

Dad's Rice Field

Younger brother Zaki back from work

This is a rice farming country

Dad's turkeys

Planting bamboo for its shoot (rebung madu) seemed to be the new craze in Perlis

In the old days, we used buffaloes

Anas taking a ride in the front yard

Trading Forex in the kampong

Hari Raya

Now, everybody lives in relative luxury. We can drive cars to our front porch. The roads may be a bit small but good. The pace in the village had changed, for better or worse. I still miss my old backward kampong.

Hari Raya 2008, Bagan Serai, Perak

We left KL on Saturday, 27 September for Bagan Serai. It was my birthday.

There was nothing much to do. Anas and I decided to spend time fishing along the irrigation canal in front of my in-laws’ house. Earlier I went to buy 2 fishing rods, the ones like the bamboo type, retraceable to shorter length.

Anas Caught His First Fish

The Pro at work

For the first time in our fishing attempts, we caught quite a lot of fishes, mostly “puyu” (similar to blue gills). I caught some haruan (snakeheads) too. Anas was so excited of catching real live fish for the first time. Between the 2 of us, we caught about 20 fishes in 2 days of 1 hour fishing each.

The Irrigation Canal

The Other Side of the Canal

I wanted to have the fishes cooked but Anas insisted on bringing them back to KL.