Kinabalu tripping

So it came and went by.
5 days of gruel torture...not really la. But it's not really my kind of holiday.
In those 5 days, it was a firsts of a lot of things.

First time to:
1. Visit Sabah (East Malaysia)
2. Go white water rafting while sitting on a man pushed flat board trolley along a railway to get to the white water rafting place.
3. Climb the highest mountain in South East Asia and only fall short of 1.7 km to the summit thanks to my unfit self.
4. Sink my body in the hot springs of Poring to rejuvenate after the climb.
5. Eat seafood that costs RM 51 per person
6. Eat Tuaran noodles and normal hawker food which was much more expensive than KL...

So yeah, it was enjoyable.
I totally got out of my comfort zone for this trip.

White water rafting was damn fun. Luckily we didn't capsize as I don't know how to swim and to get up the freaking raft is not easy at all.

Mt. Kinabalu was a REAL challenge for an unfit person like me.
I hiked a total of 16 km in 22 hrs. We took the Mesilau trail which is 8 km from Laban Rata (the midpoint). Normal people will take the Timpohon trail which is 6 km from Laban Rata. I took 10 hrs to complete that first part.

The only thing that kept me going was that I cannot turn back now and that I HAVE to reach the top.
And really, I'm glad that I at least managed to reach Sayat Sayat which is the last checkpoint before the ascend to the summit (another 1.7 km to the summit).
I was so unfit that every 10 steps I took, I had to stop to breath as the air was really thin. It took me a good 2.5 hrs to cover 1 km distance...which is damn slow.
Hence, by the time I reached Sayat Sayat it was already 4.30 am, and if I were to cover the remaining 1.7 km, I'd only reach the summit by say...9 am?

So decided to stay up at Sayat Sayat till the sun came out and took some pics.
The views are breathtaking.
I'm definitely going back for Round 2.
I must reach the top then.

However, this trip has taught me few things:

a. I am not fit at all and I need lots of training to improve.
b. If you don't have an adventurous spirit, you will never experience new things.
c. Determination and perseverance are both equally important in life
d. God is truly amazing to create such beautiful sceneries and nature such as Mt. Kinabalu..really.
e. I think I'm in love with the views at Kinabalu park...I'm missing it already.

I am quite glad that I did this.
It's something else to add to my 24th year as a human on this planet earth.
Something to definitely remember it by.

:)