Mount Kinabalu Expedition-Part I: The journey to Kinabalu Park, Kundasang

This is my second climb to Mount Kinabalu...kali pertama at year 2000....at that time I was studying at UMS...since that is our final year...my friends decided to organise an expedition to Mt. Kinabalu before our graduation...and plus...that was millennium year....so, certificate will be a bit different...so, tu yg masing2 semangat semacam jek nak panjat.....plus....Mt Kinabalu is the highest peak in South East Asia....masa ni la nak panjat ye dak??? tak bangga ke? mestila bangga giler!!!!

at that time... student package only RM60- RM80 (kalo x salah la....) but we all pay RM100 for Mt Kinabalu expedition 2D1N, with the mountain guide.... porter kena bayar asing..but only RM3.50 sekilo rasanya....and another 1 malam kat Ranau hot spring poring.....murah kan....giler murah weihh....

now..after 12 years.......the cheapest package for public is RM300++ for the package of 2D1N..mountain guide & porter tak masuk lagi......sebab yg kali ni aku pegi dengan my family..with my 3 years old son lagi....I took package 3D2N..cost RM503 seorang..(kali dengan 4 orang laaa...sebab budak dikira sebagai 1 dewasa jugak!!!), RM 150 for personal guide (sorang guide can only go for max of 6 climbers)...& porter...berat lump-sum terus...RM80 for 10 kg....huhuhuhuuu..amekkawww....beza sungguh!!! but, bila diteliti balik...memang costnya haruslah begitu....sebab:

• pakej ni termasuk sekali dengan pakej makan2...complete breakfast, lunch, dinner & supper.....so, dah tak payah pikir pasal makan dah bila kat atas sana....dulu maybe boleh pilih kot...sama ada nak amik pakej dengan makan2 atau pun tak......climbers boleh masak sendiri kat resthoust Gunting lagadan...but now dah tak boleh.....
• toilet.....kalu dulu..rasanya cuma ada around 4-5 toilet aje sepanjang 6 km dari Timpohon ke Laban Rata..but now..I can said that for every 500- 700 meters....akan ada toilet & pondok rehat.....
• Hostel (We stay at Grace hostel night before the climb....)....the hostel r quite comfortable now....bilik air & tandas bersih....ada heater lagik...dulu??? ada heater ke? x ingatla plak..entah2 aku x mandi kot masa tu...sejuk woo...macam mandi ais....
• they upgraded the track....yg ni...I feel kurengggg puas ati skit....sekarang punya track lebih kepada tangga......seksa woooo....pada aku..biarla panjat bukit2 skit...tapi janganla tangga...rasa macam stress gile bila kena panjat tangga for 6 km!!!..seingat aku dulu...memang ada tangga2 dibuat from kayu2.,,but yg lebih banyak  yg cuma track yg dibiarkan begitu sahaja....tidaklah terlalu licin...& ada laluan naik & turun....so, masa tu..rasanya takde la stress sangat nak panjat gunung tu....cuma yg paling diingati adalah "tangga steroid"..sebab tangga tu almost 90 degree tegak..made from kayu...& about 20 meters??? rasanya la...that was the most "heart threatening" tangga yg kami lalu waktu tu...& its at the first 1 km kot....

But, my advise to those yg minat nak climb Kinabalu..be careful dengan pakej2 yg ditawarkan kat luar tu....macam2 harga ada...mahal weih....sebenarnya, hanya ada SATU saja agensi yg jaga Gunung & Taman2 laut Sabah..that is Sutera Harbour..this company yg control everything....semua agen akan ambil pakej daripada Sutera Harbour....& sell the pakej with higher price..absolutely la...mau untung maaaa.......so, better check & book sendiri dengan Sutera Harbour (check the website: www.suteraharbour.com) you'll get cheaper ! prosedur dia pun tak susahpun sebenarnya....just call sutera harbour...they will provide the quotation...pay the pakej...bila bukti bayaran dah hantar pada they all (by email pun boleh...) then your reservation is confirmed! bila dah sampai harinya...just go straight ke Kinabalu park...the personnel at the office pun very friendly...sedia berkhidmat....

hmmm...okay....that's enough for the intro.....we start the journey...:-)

after check-out from Promenade apartment, we drove to kampong Serusop...back to my foster parent's house......oya...lupa plak nak mention....I have foster family there..they are Bajau Laut, at Kg Serusop, Tuaran....very nice & humble family.....make me so comfortable with them selama tinggal di Sabah (1996-2001)....so, bila kat sana...dapatla rembat satu kereta utk jalan2 kat KK...freeeee....tak payah bayar....tuang minyak jek..heheheheee....cost for car rental kat KK boleh tahan..generally RM120 per day for kancil....the bigger the car..the more expensive u pay.....sakan la kami jalan2...tunjuk En Hubby & budak2 tempat2 best kat KK....

my foster sister..sebaya jek..shes my university mate....Asrah & her hubby Ardy berlapang hati nak hantar kami ke Kinabalu Park....huhu..jimat duit teksi...RM120 tau dari KK ke Kinabalu Park....eheh...actually, KK to Kundasang only took about sejam setengah aje...from Tuaran ke Kundasang pulak took about 45 minutes jek..tak jauh...sebab..jalan dia dah banyak diupgrade...sangat selesa dengan jalan dia sekarang.....lebar & takde lobang2...kalo dulu...aiyyaaa........sempit...& ada yg dekat dengan curam/ gaung....

From Tuaran...we start our journey to Kinabalu Park, Kundasang...but sempat lagi lalu Tamparuli...reason: nak kuarkan duit...poket kering ma....

di Tamparuli, dapat jugak lalu dekat Jambatan Tamparuli....yg selalu disebut2 orang tu....hmm..........dulu rasanya cantik lagi jambatan ni.......tapi...ni aje yg tinggal....dulu2 jambatan ni la yg paaling glamer kat Sabah...sampaikan ada lagu yg digubah utk describe jambatan ni...ya lah..maybe that's because this is among few "new thing" in Sabah that time...ya la...dengan muka bumi Sabah yg penuh sungai..hutan..bila ada jambatan ni..even though hanya jambatan gantung...meant a lot to them...

Along the road.....sepanjang perjalanan dari KK....Gunung Kinabalu sentiasa didepan mata...terasa gunung tu memanggil2 ajer...terasa x sabar2 nak panjat....

dalam perjalanan ke Kundasang..we can see banyak gerai2 tepi jalan....only 2 type of gerai...yg berasap & yg x berasap....yg x berasap biasanya jual sayur......kalo yg berasap..macam gambo ni la.....

itu adalah gerai "Sinalau Bakas" hehe.....Kali pertama tengok gerai ni x perasan plak apa yg dia tulis....tapi bila dah banyak sangat gerai berasap ni...barula terasa nak perati betul2....hmmm...........ni pic yg super clear...siap dengan translation lagik!!! hahaha...

Pics source: enniebelle.blogspot.com

Panoramic view of Pekan Nabalu dari menara tinjau

Bergambar di atas menara tinjau..huhuhu..sekali angin tiup...goyang2 daaaa.......

Padi ???...kat tengah2 jalan dijemurnya!!

sweet pineapples...u should try !!!

still foggy..even its 12 midday

gerai2 menjual sayur, bunga segar...

view kundasang from jalanraya

we arrived kundasang around 12 to 1 pm... since its too early to check-in, Ardy & Asrah bring us for lunch at a restaurant in Ranau.... having lunch..because experience already reminds me that I am not so good with sabah's style cook.... I won't ask for something not-common..hehe..mine is very simple lunch..nasi with telur dadar & ayam goreng...:-)

but...my dear hubby wanted to try rojak....hehehe.....sekali pandang macam spageti daaa....sudah ku pesan..jgn ambil yg pelik2...kannn....dah merasa.....

 but another thing would like to share here is the unique of Sabah....if u r a very observant...u will notice there's a papan iklan yg quite "catchy" like below..

Pusat Minum dan Makan Kinabalu.

done with the food...we went back to Kinabalu Park office...for check in... 

Here we are!!! Dah sampai..tapi bawah laaa....

@the gate.. hurrayyy!!!!!!!!

we snap lots of pics.....its already 1 to 2 pm....but the weather so cool...nyaman walaupun matahari tegak atas kepala 

with Asrah & her hubby Ardy

there's small museum there... even tak banyak exhibit, but tells a lot pasal Kundasang/ ranau...about the culture..the people....house replica....the biodiversity.....the geology...

Deanna with kulintangan...musical instrument like gamelan



batuan yg dipamir di museum..

with background of Mount Kinabalu...but peak dia tertutup  dengan awan....

dah puas jalan2 sambil menunggu pukul 4 for chek in....

Haziq with buah terap..laju jek dia makan...baru jumpa la katakana..



tepi Grace Hostel....



The adorable calla lily...I just realise that it smells like banana...

Grace hostel dari tepi jalan

This is Rock Hostel...I used to stay there at year 2000...

Bergambar dengan latar belakang gunung kinabalu....this is 6.30 pm...dah mula sejuk...I have to wear glove

We had our dinner at Balsam Restaurant....Alhamdlillah...akhirnya...this is the only food yg dapat kami makan dengan penuh selera sejak tiba di KK...:-) taste like ours in KL....

At Grace Hostel's lobby.

Haziq dalam dorm...

we got 4 bedded hostel room...cukup2 utk kami 4 beranak....without org lain...privacy sikit....but even ada 4 katil....cuma 2 aje diguna...sejokkkkkk.....x sanggup tido sorang! hehe..

ok...kena tidur..sebab esok dah mula the expedition to the summit......zzzzzzzzzzz...........