the title reminds me of our robotic subject last semester… well anyway… my saga is back with a brand new shiny coat of paint… ready for my drive up this weekend to the beginning of working life… from the schedule i've received… it's going to be quite a packed first month with training classes till the night… i guess this is one last week of lazing around that i'll ever have for a long time to come…

our last day in the land below the wind… our flight back to penang was half-past six on a sunday morning… what an adventurous vacation it has been… just look at our tanned and cheerful faces… it has certainly been a trip to remember… where next guys?

it was a clear and sunny saturday morning… we took a speedboat to sapi and manukan islands… which were part of tunku abdul rahman park, a cluster of islands off the coast of kota kinabalu…

i had expected to see more kinds of fish… but somehow there weren't many types around… i was probably staying too close to the shore… the islands and beaches were beautiful nevertheless… and the water was clear and shimmering in the sunlight…

after a couple of hours baking ourselves under the midday sun… we headed back to the city for lunch and more sightseeing… we also treated ourselves to some foot reflexology to ease our overworked legs…

we went to the filipino market at the waterfront in the evening… it was bustling with activity as traders from various stalls yelled their prices loudly to gain attention… needless to say… there were all kinds of fish and sea creatures on sale…

i met up with my friend and her family for dinner… and we went to this restaurant called top rock… great company and food… a perfect ending to an amazingly wonderful trip…

the fifth day of our trip… we took a bus to the beaufort station and hopped onto a junk train which took us into the forests of borneo where we were going to pay a visit to the ferocious padas river…

although it was hot and stuffy being crammed in the train with hundreds of other adventure sports enthusiasts and locals alike… it was quite interesting to appreciate the surrounding natural scenery… and see where the rural folk live and study at… there are schools and houses just beside the railway tracks…

after hours in the sweltering heat… the moment we've all been waiting for arrived… we paddled with all our might in our riverbug raft to overcome the rapids of the padas river… i went overboard twice… and was swept away by the gushing currents… it seemed like minutes before i was rescued onboard onto another raft… and by then i had drank enough water (milked tea?) to last me for a long while… what an adrenaline rush!

it was a relief to be back on dry land enjoying a sumptuous buffet lunch… throughout the journey home… i could feel my respiratory tracts filled with water… or it was probably just my imagination…

we had a seafood feast at seri selera kg. air in the city that night… and there were even cultural dance performances to keep us entertained too… 

after dinner we hung around the city sightseeing… and we bought some souvenirs from the nearby night market…

having just descended mount kinabalu a day before… we decided to have a less strenuous outing… a road trip up north until the ocean touches the sand… our first stop along the way was an ostrich farm somewhere in the countryside of kota belud…

after a lunch of fried ostrich egg… we continued our road trip to the rungus longhouse in kampung bavanggazo… the rungus are the indigenous people of kudat…

we then dropped by kudat town for tea before driving to the tip of borneo, tanjung simpang mengayau… they remind me of kukup and tanjung piai… and are similar in many ways…

at last we reached our final destination for the day… the sunset at the tip of borneo and its beach was gorgeous… if only i could view it everyday :)

it was the best road trip i ever had… the passengers in the car i drove during the journey back might beg to differ ;)

it was about one in the morning when we were awaken by the din of our fellow climbers packing and preparing for the night ascent… by two most had gathered in front of the gate at gunting lagadan… all geared up for another 2.7km to low's peak in darkness… illuminated only by headlights… as we walked up the rocky paths to a higher altitude… the wind blew fiercer… chilling any exposed area of the body in no time… i nearly froze my hand when i took off my gloves to snap some photos on the way up…

the glittering night sky was amazingly beautiful… the stars flickered brightly… unhindered by any clouds… even with the increasingly low atmospheric pressure and thinning oxygen… we managed to make our way up slowly but steadily… there was a tricky part at the cliffs of the panar laban rockface where i was stranded alone for quite some time… i was the fifth climber of the night that time… it was more than five minutes before my guide came along… and i was a little more confident afterwards having someone around…

carefully treading on the slopes… and taking ocassional breathers… we reached low's peak at about half-past five… and it was daybreak…

the peak was crowded with climbers all wanting to snap and pose amidst the dangerous cliffs… a little too close for comfort i would say… after savouring the magical moment at the highest point in malaysia… we soon made our way down…

it was daylight by now… and we could clearly see the mountain and its peaks…  and also the slopes we came up from… which were quite steep at times… it was also a chance to snap more photos of course :) 

as many have said… the ascent is tiring while the descent is painful… it is true indeed… the pressure on the knees and toes were hurting for a first-time climber like me as i walked down the slopes… the view of the valley below and the surrounding scenery made up for all the fatigue i had to endure though…

after a quick brunch at laban rata… we descended to the foothill in about four hours… my knees were hurting so badly… i had never been in so much pain… still i had to force myself down the seemingly endless stairs by hook or by crook although it was so tempting to sit down and rest… i heaved a sigh of relief as i approached timpohon gate drenched in the rain as it started to pour one km to the end…

we had tea in bayu kinabalu with our friendly tour guides… and headed back to our lodges in the evening… later that night we did a little exploring in our rented car and ended up having supper in damai… and i could barely walk properly with my strained leg muscles…

the stars and stairs of mount kinabalu leave me breathless…

early tuesday morning we set off for the mountain in two 4wds… the anticipation of climbing was building up… everyone made their own physical and mental preparations as we approcahed kinabalu park… along the ride and at the foothill… we were already excited to see mount kinabalu looming majestically in a distance…

slowly we began making our way up at a steady pace… the rocky paths and steps soon tired us out after the first couple of kilometres… but we were in no hurry to ascend… instead we were enjoying the breathtaking scenery all along the way… and posing around too…

it was misty and windy at times… but on the whole it was a dry trek… which was good as we needn't battle with the rain in addition to our fatigue… we had a light lunch of energy bars and chocolates at the 4km shelter… where the mesilau and timpohon trails meet… 

the final couple of kilometres to laban rata were more interesting as the vegetation and climate are not of the usual tropical kind we're used to… the paths were rockier… and slopes seemed steeper as my legs began to ache…

after six hours… i finally reached laban rata… some others in our group were earlier… and some were still behind me… we had to walk at our own paces so as not to develop cramps and waste time unnecessarily… after a short nap we had a buffet dinner… watching the golden sunset from above the clouds… it was a sight to behold… a few hours of rest in our cold rooms were all we had before continuing our night ascent…

our vacation to the land below the wind was simply fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable… we took a flight from penang on monday morning… after touching down and checking in… we hung around kota kinabalu city for most of the afternoon… and enjoyed the beautiful sunset at tanjung aru beach… after a dinner at the nearby food court we called it a day… it was time to prepare and rest for the climb the following day…

i managed to find a pair of shoes lying around at home so i guess i needn't get a new pair just for the climb… and i'm borrowing an sd card from my brother so i haven't got to buy one too… then i can probably splurge on those ferrari toy cars i've been eyeing over the past week… i just can't wait for the trip… although i wonder if i'll survive the elements… between shopping and providing tech support… there isn't much happening… which is good for relaxation… i shall be taking a break from here for the next ten days or so i guess… for the record… i have been posting daily for the past 44 days… it's time to end the streak and step into a world of adventure!

there are quite a number of stuff i have to buy for the trip and they are amounting to quite a sum… not to mention countless trips to various stores to hunt for the best bargains… since i'm still cashless while anticipating my first paycheck… i'll probably shop around more tomorrow… my camera needs a bigger memory card else i'll end up taking nothing by the end of the first day there… considering my usual trigger-happy habits… a pair of new shoes too maybe… with a limited budget i hope i can get everything i want… but then there's always more to be desired… no pictures to post until the week after next i guess… there will be heaps then… :)