The Climb: Eve Arrival at Kota Kinabalu

Back from Kota Kinabalu yesterday night & still recuperating from sore pains all over my legs. Some of u peeps have already pestering for me to share the experiences here. Gonna do it for sure but in few parts. This trip around, with fellow Akurian Majidah & Clarence (a truly muhibah gang indeed) is planned with fairly reasonable budget & I shall share with u guys on this. Hopefully, this will serves as useful tips for wannabe Kinabalu conquerors without burning their pockets.

We arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport Terminal 2 at 12.00 pm & proceeded to the 4- star rated Promenade Hotel. Booked online at MYR 230.00 nett per night for this & will be staying in this hotel once descend down from Mount Kinabalu. We brought 2 sets of luggage & here, we offloaded 1 luggage & took only our backpack. The luggage was kept in the hotel till we check in 2 days later. This practice is rather useful to avoid carrying unnecessarily heavy luggage during the climb later. Most hotels, including the budget ones will obliquely provide this service.

Hotel Promenade - Strategically located at KK waterfront & within walking distance to many KK attractions

Practically, there are 3 ways to reach Kinabalu Park from the city capital. First is by driving on your own in a rented car. However, the distance of 2 hours drive to the park makes this an unfeasible idea, especially when u are descending down with sore legs later. Second is by bus, costing RM 15.00 per pax & takes approx 3 hours of journey. Lastly, is by MPV taxi which costs RM 20.00 per pax & takes approx 2 hours of journey. We took the last option. We went to this taxi/bus station at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in a taxi ride, costing RM 12.00. Same as practiced in most places, all taxi drivers here don't charge u by meter fare. Be prepared to accept this culture unless u have transport on your own. There are also MPV taxis to other cities such as Beaufort, Kudat, Tenom, Ranau, etc at this place.

Stuffing our bags in a Toyota MPV taxi for a ride to Kinabalu Park

Using the Firefly flight style, the MPV taxi driver will try to gather 7 passengers & once all are onboard, he will departs immediately. We waited 50 minutes for him to consolidate all persons. Took us 2 hours to reach Kinabalu Park entrance. Checked in ourselves at the Park HQ for the overnight stay at the Park area & for the climb next day. The costs of hiring mountain guide is RM 128.00 for a group of 3. There are at least 10 different places of accommodation with different rates available in the Park itself. It's highly recommended that climbers have an overnight stay at the Park area on the eve of the climb to acclimatize to the cool weather.

The gang at the entrance of Kinabalu Park

We checked into a dormitory-style Grace Hostel , sharing the room with an Australian lady & 2 KLites. The hostel facilities are rather true to its name, gracefully simple, blending nicely with natural environment in the area. The lodges & hostels are managed by Sutera Sanctuary Lodges, same management as Sutera Harbour Resort. So, u can expect a respectable standard of facilities & service here.


Grace Hostel, Kinabalu Park

Our dormitory beds

Surrounded with greens like this, who needs air-con for the rooms?

Haze or mist? Only God knows...

True to the Sutera's standard, dinner was good at Balsam cafe, serving western & continental cuisines. Had a hot shower back in the hostel before setting the lights off early to rest for the penultimate climb the next day. Prayed hard that night that weather will be clear & not as hazy as what been reported earlier.

The Climb: Off to Kota Kinabalu

Flying off to Kota Kinabalu tomorrow morning via Air Asia. Will be checking into Rock Hostel on same evening at the foothill of Mount Kinabalu. We will be starting the penultimate climb the next morning. Pray for us....

Wish me luck & hope to share the experiences in my next post....

Heavenly Durians of the North

This is the time. The durian season is here now. Durian lovers swear by their momma's names that the best durians in Malaysia are from Penang. People have different tastebuds & naturally, different likings over different durian species. However being durian fanatic myself, fully agreed Penang durians are definitely among da best out there, if not da best.

Durian hunting trip to Penang has been made an annual pilgrimage trip for me & my buddies for the past 2 years. Due to massive publicity over its Balik Pulau durians, durians from Penang are naturally pricier compared to other local species when sold at KL. Only the King & the best of em' all, Musang King is pricier.

Penang people are known for their humorous teases on local political figures/actresses etc. The fancy names given to local Penang species explain it all. Here, we have species named after politicians Lim Guan Eng & Koh Tsu Koon, actress Lin Feng Jiao. Besides, there are also catchful names such as Xiao Hong (Little Red), Ang He (Red Prawn), Sim Kua (Heart/Jantung), Sultan, Che Sin (Green Skin) & many others.

Why the name of the persons? This is da best part. Lin Feng Jiao durian species have beautiful features outside but rather bittersweet in taste, reflecting the life of a woman behind the Asia's most popular Chinese actor, Jackie Chan. Being politically sarcastic & funny at the same time, there's Lim Guan Eng durian breed, which has big sized seeds while Koh Tsu Koon durian breeds have small sized seeds. Seed is pronounced as "hoot" in Hokkien, which also carries meaning of gut in English, or rather the laymen term, the "balls" to do stuffs. Those who understand Hokkien always ended up laughing loudly whenever I tell this. Showcasing below the best of my conquests:-

Hong Har (Cantonese) / Ang He (Hokkien) / Udang Merah (Malay) / Red Prawn

 

Khun Poh

 

Che Sin (Hokkien) / Green Skin

Bak Yu (Hokkien) / Pork Oil

 

IOI

Kapri

Sultan

Lin Feng Jiao

Basically, durian season in Penang starts from end of May till August. However, the demand is so great that farmers has started to expand their plantations to have another durian season at end of October till December. Pricing differs according to breeds n demands. Naturally, highly demanded durians such as Musang King can fetch high price till RM 30.00/kg in Penang (still cheaper than the ones in Klang Valley). Others like Red Prawn, Hor Lor fetch price till RM 20.00/kg.

During the season, its being sold all over the island. No way u can miss any corner without sighting anyone selling durians. Best place to go is of course back to the origin, Balik Pulau. I frequent this place called Anjung Indah (a sort of lookout point on the hill of Balik Pulau). Coordinate: 5°21'0"N 100°15'7"E which is more of a one stop centre for u to have a taste of Penang's best known durians. Slightly pricier than other places but plenty of varieties to choose from if ur not keen on travelling all over the places.

Which one is the best of the best in Penang?? My pick is Red Prawn/Ang Heh anytime. It has that distinctive fragrant aroma of pandan when u have the first taste of it. Only Penang's Red Prawn breeds has this aroma, probably due to the soil factor in Balik Pulau, not the ones planted anywhere else. Creamy & big flesh for a seed. Those who dislike bitter-tasted durians will love this one for its sweet taste. Don't be fooled by sellers bringing Red Prawns from other states.

So, pack your bags to have a feast up north during the coming season. Doubters will be converted into lovers. My succession rate of converting non-durian lovers to one are almost 100% after bringing people to Penang for a try....:)

The Climb - Preparation

I've said before climbing Mount Kinabalu is one place every Malaysian should go & soon, it's gonna be a reality to me. Got plane tickets bought. Got the hiking arrangement done. Got the hotel booked. Got the people to tag along. Going with Maj & Clarence which made us a truly Malaysian group. One Chinese, one Malay & one Indian, it's a pity we don't do it on Malaysia Day.

Done. Enough time to warm up & enough time to recuperate before flying back

CHECKLIST
1) Exercise
- Gym exercise focusing on leg strengthening
- Batu Caves walk
- Jogging around Subang lake
- Bukit Gasing & Bukit Broga hike
- Swimming

Batu Caves - the stepway to heaven. Great practice for hikers 

Subang Jaya lake - It's been ages since the last time having a jog here

2) Equipment
- Shoes: According to experienced peeps, a good pair of shoe is a must to withstand climb. After much consideration, got a new pair of outdoor shoes from Camel



Got a deal from Camel at MYR 188.90 after discount

- Backpack: Borrowed a waterproof backpack from a buddy
- Food: Chocolate bars like Mars/Snickers ok?
- Headlight: Bought China-made one for MYR 16.00. Should be sufficient since we're not into cave etc
- Clothes: Will be alright since have few jackets/warm clothes. Don't think winter clothes are necessary.

Is this sufficient? I certainly hope so. With less than a month to go, I certainly need divine intervention too. Let me know if anything else required....