Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Kinabalu Day 2 - Heavenly Mesilau Trail
My day today started early. We woke up as early as 4am. We had our breakfast while listening to a briefing by Madam Wong when she broke the news that she would not be able to join us uphill as she was not feeling well. We departed to the Kampung Mesilau where the Mesilau trail begins.
We arrived at the Mesilau Gate at about 6.45am after a bumpy ride uphill. Haha…we got a shock here. It was freezing cold. All of us were in shorts and t-shirts. We quickly putted on more. I wore an additional long-sleeves T while most of my friends wore inches thick of winter clothings.
We started our hike at 7.20am after registration without our guides as there were some misunderstandings between our guides with Mdm Wong. We walked and walked when we finally reached the 0.5km. Our guides, Azur and Min caught up with us at about 0.8km. On our journey towards KM 1, we stopped by to enjoy the great scenery where we were introduced to the peak that mimic a lady carrying a baby.
First we arrived at Pondok Bambu and then Pondo Nepenthes. On the way to the Pondok Chempaka, we came across 2 waterfalls. We also came across a place where Nepenthes grow at wild and as large as a mug. There were many of them on one tree. However there was no bad scent from them.
The route to the summit after the Pondok Chempaka was way worse and thougher that before. We went up and down the hill just like being briefed on. From Pondok Chempaka we moved on to the Pondok Lompoyou and Pondok Tikalod. The view at Pondok Tikalod and at KM 5.5 were very beautiful.
Felt like I was in heaven, with the bonsai like trees and the misty background.
We arrived at the junction connecting Mesilau trail and Timpohon Trail at about 2pm. By then, my legs were really hurted. I got blister on both my legs. The Kampung Adidas shoes were too large, causing my feet to be rubbed towards the shoes. So we stopped at the junction to put on plasters. I was really exhausted so we stopped a little longer here.
The route to Laban Rata from the junction got tougher from here. It was muddy and slippery. The steps were really steep. I walked up together with Tzy Chin. Though the distance from the junction to the 1st hut was only about 1km long, it took us close to 1 and half hours.
We arrived at Pondok Villosa at about 3.30pm while pondok Paka at about 4.10pm. Then we proceed on steep rocky mountain way. There were parts where there were no staircase steps. After a long while, we arrived at Waras Hut, the 1st accommodation site. We were so excited and moved faster towards our destination site, Laban Ratahouse. It was within our sight from Waras Hut.
Finally we arrived at Laban Ratahouse at 5.20pm. It took us about 10 hours for this 8km long route. The temperature outside was about 10℃. There we had our 1st proper meal of the day. The food was expensive but it was worth looking at how they were transported uphill. After meal, I went out to the balcony to see sunset before heading up to my accommodation of tonight, Gunting Lagadan Hut.
At Gunting Lagadan Hut, I took an extremely freezing cold shower. The hot shower was not working, leaving me with no other choice else than the icy water. I thought the temperature of the water then must be close to 3 to 4 ℃. My fingers were numbed. After shower and packing my bags, we went to bed. It was about 7.30pm then. However I could not dozed off until close to 11pm.
It was a really tiring day. It was physically challenging. Hope that tomorrow will be better! I am looking forward to the hike to the summit.
We arrived at the Mesilau Gate at about 6.45am after a bumpy ride uphill. Haha…we got a shock here. It was freezing cold. All of us were in shorts and t-shirts. We quickly putted on more. I wore an additional long-sleeves T while most of my friends wore inches thick of winter clothings.
We started our hike at 7.20am after registration without our guides as there were some misunderstandings between our guides with Mdm Wong. We walked and walked when we finally reached the 0.5km. Our guides, Azur and Min caught up with us at about 0.8km. On our journey towards KM 1, we stopped by to enjoy the great scenery where we were introduced to the peak that mimic a lady carrying a baby.
First we arrived at Pondok Bambu and then Pondo Nepenthes. On the way to the Pondok Chempaka, we came across 2 waterfalls. We also came across a place where Nepenthes grow at wild and as large as a mug. There were many of them on one tree. However there was no bad scent from them.
The route to the summit after the Pondok Chempaka was way worse and thougher that before. We went up and down the hill just like being briefed on. From Pondok Chempaka we moved on to the Pondok Lompoyou and Pondok Tikalod. The view at Pondok Tikalod and at KM 5.5 were very beautiful.
Felt like I was in heaven, with the bonsai like trees and the misty background.
We arrived at the junction connecting Mesilau trail and Timpohon Trail at about 2pm. By then, my legs were really hurted. I got blister on both my legs. The Kampung Adidas shoes were too large, causing my feet to be rubbed towards the shoes. So we stopped at the junction to put on plasters. I was really exhausted so we stopped a little longer here.
The route to Laban Rata from the junction got tougher from here. It was muddy and slippery. The steps were really steep. I walked up together with Tzy Chin. Though the distance from the junction to the 1st hut was only about 1km long, it took us close to 1 and half hours.
We arrived at Pondok Villosa at about 3.30pm while pondok Paka at about 4.10pm. Then we proceed on steep rocky mountain way. There were parts where there were no staircase steps. After a long while, we arrived at Waras Hut, the 1st accommodation site. We were so excited and moved faster towards our destination site, Laban Ratahouse. It was within our sight from Waras Hut.
Finally we arrived at Laban Ratahouse at 5.20pm. It took us about 10 hours for this 8km long route. The temperature outside was about 10℃. There we had our 1st proper meal of the day. The food was expensive but it was worth looking at how they were transported uphill. After meal, I went out to the balcony to see sunset before heading up to my accommodation of tonight, Gunting Lagadan Hut.
At Gunting Lagadan Hut, I took an extremely freezing cold shower. The hot shower was not working, leaving me with no other choice else than the icy water. I thought the temperature of the water then must be close to 3 to 4 ℃. My fingers were numbed. After shower and packing my bags, we went to bed. It was about 7.30pm then. However I could not dozed off until close to 11pm.
It was a really tiring day. It was physically challenging. Hope that tomorrow will be better! I am looking forward to the hike to the summit.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Kinabalu Day 1 - Steps in Kinabalu
Haha...have you seen me in real person???
That's me....haha...cute isn't it...but of course I am naive and innocent thou...
This is my first trip to Sabah, the Land Below Wind and it is also my 2nd outing with my fellow coursemates.
3rd Sept 2007, I arrived in Kinabalu International Airport, Terminal 2 on Air Asia's AK5100 with Tzy Chin, Pei Shan and Soo Mei while the others were already in KK since 2nd. Upon arrival and the immigration clearing, we met up with Mdm Wong, our agent for this trip and headed for the Trekker Lodge in the heart of Kinabalu City.
After doing our packing in Trekker Lodge, we departed to our 1st destination, the Poring Hot Spring. The journey was approximately 5 hours long. On our journey there, we stopped by Kampung Nabalu to get some handicrafts for souvenir. I have purchased 2 T-shirt with Mt Kinabalu printed on it and 2 fridge magnets. We also stopped by the Bayu Restaurant situated right opposite of the Timpohon Gate for our lunch and we had a quick visit to the Kundasang War Memorial.
We arrived at our accommodation in the Poring Hot Spring Resort at 4.30pm. There, we went on a short hike to a nearby waterfall. We enjoyed the cool flowing river water. After the cool splash, we hike back to the Hot Spring and soaked ourselves in the tub. The water was really very hot. I could not believe we have such a source in Malaysia. Anyway, I soaked myself in there and relaxed myself to prepare for the challenging tomorrow.
After the bath, we had a great dinner in the restaurant on the opposite road, the Yun Restaurant. The food was great and we enjoyed the warmth hospitality of the owner. We enjoyed the long and funny chat after the meal. Besides that, we also got our hands and taste buds on some local fruit....some Durian Kampung before our meal and pineapple, starfruit and etc...
We did some packing after the dinner. We went to bed early at about 10pm to be prepared for our hike up Mount Kinabalu on the following day.
Today was great to kick start my trip in Sabah. I loved the food, the scenery and the hospitality of the locals. They were much more friendly than Peninsulas and Kota Kinabalu was really a very tourist friendly city...bravo Sabah!
That's me....haha...cute isn't it...but of course I am naive and innocent thou...
This is my first trip to Sabah, the Land Below Wind and it is also my 2nd outing with my fellow coursemates.
3rd Sept 2007, I arrived in Kinabalu International Airport, Terminal 2 on Air Asia's AK5100 with Tzy Chin, Pei Shan and Soo Mei while the others were already in KK since 2nd. Upon arrival and the immigration clearing, we met up with Mdm Wong, our agent for this trip and headed for the Trekker Lodge in the heart of Kinabalu City.
After doing our packing in Trekker Lodge, we departed to our 1st destination, the Poring Hot Spring. The journey was approximately 5 hours long. On our journey there, we stopped by Kampung Nabalu to get some handicrafts for souvenir. I have purchased 2 T-shirt with Mt Kinabalu printed on it and 2 fridge magnets. We also stopped by the Bayu Restaurant situated right opposite of the Timpohon Gate for our lunch and we had a quick visit to the Kundasang War Memorial.
We arrived at our accommodation in the Poring Hot Spring Resort at 4.30pm. There, we went on a short hike to a nearby waterfall. We enjoyed the cool flowing river water. After the cool splash, we hike back to the Hot Spring and soaked ourselves in the tub. The water was really very hot. I could not believe we have such a source in Malaysia. Anyway, I soaked myself in there and relaxed myself to prepare for the challenging tomorrow.
After the bath, we had a great dinner in the restaurant on the opposite road, the Yun Restaurant. The food was great and we enjoyed the warmth hospitality of the owner. We enjoyed the long and funny chat after the meal. Besides that, we also got our hands and taste buds on some local fruit....some Durian Kampung before our meal and pineapple, starfruit and etc...
We did some packing after the dinner. We went to bed early at about 10pm to be prepared for our hike up Mount Kinabalu on the following day.
Today was great to kick start my trip in Sabah. I loved the food, the scenery and the hospitality of the locals. They were much more friendly than Peninsulas and Kota Kinabalu was really a very tourist friendly city...bravo Sabah!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Merdeka!!! Happy 50th anniversary
Tanggal tiga puluh satu,
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh,
Merdeka, merdeka, mer....
Hmm...this is definitely one of the most popular song among Malaysians. I could not recall when I started to learn to sing this song. Most probably as early as nursery year.
Well for the past years before I entered university, Merdeka celebration was equal to another day sleeping late at home or at most another day waking up up early and watched the parade on TV. I loves the decorated cars!
But things change. In these recent years, Merdeka has brought me more. Many activities were held incampus. Thou I have not joined many but it was way more that before. I went for countdown with all other UPMers in the main hall, represented UPM for the parade...
It was 2 years ago when I represented UPM in the IPTA/IPTS contigent in the national parade held in Putrajaya. We were very proud to be involved in the parade.
And this year, I have got a better plan. First we went for the Floraria in Putrajaya then we stay on for the countdown. The exhibition putted up was so so only. The flora exhibition in Tong Chan Shi during CNY was better. However there were few pieces which really got my attention. There was one exhibit that put up a flower deco with the theme 'THE GIFTS OF LIFE'. It was really really very beautiful and meaningful.
The countdown was great. We got to watch the firework show putted up by the Japanese...why Japanese? Are we not patrotisme enough?....No No. It was actually a part of the Malaysia International Firework Competition. Perhaps it was because of our goverment was trying to save some money here or perhaps our MPs' RM50k has been used up on some other 'stuff'.
But anyway the show was really great. They have heart, star and planetery shape formation. Really very impressive!
Finally Happy Merdeka to Malaysia and all Malaysians!
Bulan lapan lima puluh tujuh,
Merdeka, merdeka, mer....
Hmm...this is definitely one of the most popular song among Malaysians. I could not recall when I started to learn to sing this song. Most probably as early as nursery year.
Well for the past years before I entered university, Merdeka celebration was equal to another day sleeping late at home or at most another day waking up up early and watched the parade on TV. I loves the decorated cars!
But things change. In these recent years, Merdeka has brought me more. Many activities were held incampus. Thou I have not joined many but it was way more that before. I went for countdown with all other UPMers in the main hall, represented UPM for the parade...
It was 2 years ago when I represented UPM in the IPTA/IPTS contigent in the national parade held in Putrajaya. We were very proud to be involved in the parade.
And this year, I have got a better plan. First we went for the Floraria in Putrajaya then we stay on for the countdown. The exhibition putted up was so so only. The flora exhibition in Tong Chan Shi during CNY was better. However there were few pieces which really got my attention. There was one exhibit that put up a flower deco with the theme 'THE GIFTS OF LIFE'. It was really really very beautiful and meaningful.
The countdown was great. We got to watch the firework show putted up by the Japanese...why Japanese? Are we not patrotisme enough?....No No. It was actually a part of the Malaysia International Firework Competition. Perhaps it was because of our goverment was trying to save some money here or perhaps our MPs' RM50k has been used up on some other 'stuff'.
But anyway the show was really great. They have heart, star and planetery shape formation. Really very impressive!
Finally Happy Merdeka to Malaysia and all Malaysians!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Convocation
What does convocation means to you and me?
Recently many of my friends have graduated from their respective universities. Well sharing their happy moments make me imagine how will mine look like later.
Hmm...after analyzing many of those minor stuffs...I know what I want.
All that I actually wanted is the presence of my both parents, family and some closed friends. I need no presents, just a wish of congratulation will do. Well for flowers, my parent will give me a bouquet and another
from my sis. So it i just nice not to cover up my face in the photos.
Apart from the above, it will be better if my convocation session is on the weekend, then I will have more people to share my joy with and it is best if it is on the 2nd session of the day.
Then it will not be that hot or else I am going to faint.
The robe is so thick and heavy and with another coat
in side, I doubt I am not going to faint.
And I think the best moment that day will be the moment when all my coursemates gather around and start to throw our cap....like those that I have watched on the TV.
Can't wait for the arrival of that day!
Recently many of my friends have graduated from their respective universities. Well sharing their happy moments make me imagine how will mine look like later.
Hmm...after analyzing many of those minor stuffs...I know what I want.
All that I actually wanted is the presence of my both parents, family and some closed friends. I need no presents, just a wish of congratulation will do. Well for flowers, my parent will give me a bouquet and another
from my sis. So it i just nice not to cover up my face in the photos.
Apart from the above, it will be better if my convocation session is on the weekend, then I will have more people to share my joy with and it is best if it is on the 2nd session of the day.
Then it will not be that hot or else I am going to faint.
The robe is so thick and heavy and with another coat
in side, I doubt I am not going to faint.
And I think the best moment that day will be the moment when all my coursemates gather around and start to throw our cap....like those that I have watched on the TV.
Can't wait for the arrival of that day!
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