Mt Kinabalu - and the rest of KK

We flew into Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah in Western Borneo on Tuesday night, spent the night there and the next morning were on a public bus (pronounced rickety old mini-van) heading to Mt Kinabalu. The bus ride to the mountain was less than ideal. We arrived at the bus station thinking the bus was going to leave by 7.30, but close to an hour later we finally departed. The ride itself was quite average too. The bus was so old and run down that it could barely handle the steep roads leading to the base of the mountains, and we found ourselves being overtaken by trucks regularly.

Nevertheless, we finally made it to the base of the mountain, and after jumping through the administrative hoops required (and paying huge amounts of money) we were ready to climb.

The first day’s climb was 6km to the Laban Rata rest house located halfway up the mountain. The first day wasn’t too bad, and we made steady progress up the mountain. We rarely saw our guide the whole day, but he kept popping up intermittently. I don’t think a guide is really needed as the track is very well marked out, but it is a requirement of the park to have one to climb the mountain. The terrain and climate changes quite noticeably as you climb. At some parts we were able to see the pitcher plants which only grow in Borneo. Towards the end of the day the wind started to pick up and it became very cold, but eventually we made it to the rest house after about 4.5hrs of solid walking uphill.

The rest house itself is quite nice (but freezing cold). It lacks heating or hot water, but the dorms are acceptable, and the staff there feed you as much as your heart desires. The first night we were given a buffet dinner. We woke at 2am the next morning to be treated to a buffet supper. After “supping” we started the climb to the summit at 2.30am with the aim of reaching the top by sunrise. It was quite a crowded climb with many other tourists there, and as such was slow going. The last 2km is up rock face, and the climbing is assisted by ropes. In some places it is steep enough that found I could not stand and needed to crawl up.

After about 3hrs of tough uphill climbing we made it to the top just before sunrise. It was a bit crowded so we couldn’t stay long. Even without the crowds we could not have remained at the top for long because it was so cold. Every time you stopped moving, your body would start to freeze. This was quite a surprise, considering the extreme heat we faced in the town of Kota Kinabalu, only 2hrs away.

After taking our photos and admiring the unique view, we made our way back down the mountain, stoping for buffet breakfast at Laban Rata. The descent wasn’t anywhere near as tiring as the climb, but it was very straining on the legs. The last kilometre was the toughest, and by the time we reached the end each step was painful.

The legs were sore for the next two days, and climbing stairs proved to be quite the challenge. But nevertheless, the mountain climbing experience was definitely worth it.

Now onto the town of Kota Kinabalu (KK): We had trouble finding decent accommodation their, staying in three different hostels on each of the three nights we stayed there. But it did prove to be a case of third time lucky, with the Kinabalu Backpackers Lodge proving to be the best. The town has a really good market, one of the best I have seen, and Philippino BBQ which we ate for dinner there was excellent (if not a little messy to eat). The shopping in the town is much better than Kuching, but nowhere near the standard of KL or Singapore.

Other than that we spent one day at Sapi Island which is part of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, just off the coast of KK. We spent the day snorkelling there. It was my first time snorkelling, so it was fun to be swimming through the coral and fish. The island itself, much like the town of KK, was nothing spectacular, but a passable tourist destination.

Brunei

I imagine that Brunei is what the world would be like if there were no drugs or alcohol. Clean, safe, rich, pleasant… just nice in general. Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital of Brunei, and where we spent most of our time. It’s quite an interesting city. Walking around there is always a random building with a gold roof in sight, which is a constant reminder of the wealth of the country.

However, an interesting statistic that I found out was that close to half the population of BSB life in Kampong Ayer (or the water village), which consist of rickety looking houses built on water. For this reason, a main form of transport seems to be the water taxi.

Sightseeing around Brunei primarily revolves around looking at mosques. There are two main ones in the city. The smaller Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is located in the middle of the city, and the other, Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, is a few km’s outside. The Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosquei is a very impressive building, especially at night when it is illuminated by blue lights. It was definitely a wow moment when seeing the mosque for the first time.

We also took a trip out of the city to the city of the Bangar via speed boat. There is a lot of jungle trekking etc. to do from this town, but due to time restrictions we were not able to. We just enjoyed the speed boat ride through narrow rivers with thick jungle on either side to and from the city.

The other main attraction which we visited was the Empire Country Club and Hotel. The hotel is an extravagant resort only within reach of the rich and famous, so as a mere commoner, it was nice to be allowed inside and take in the luxury. While walking past the man made beach of the resort be bumped into celebrity Pamela Anderson, and also during our day at the hotel we bumped into singer/actress Samantha Mumba. The resort also boasts a cinema and a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, which costs $220 to play a round of golf on.

And this wouldn’t be a post about Brunei if I didn’t have at least one paragraph about the sultan. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah is a rich man. We visited his private residence, the Istana, but due to the fences and trees around the outside the view was not great. The Regalia museum is located in BSB city, and contains heaps of stuff about the sultan and his life. Most interesting are the presents that various heads of states have given the sultan over the years (why? I don’t know). Judging by the museum and the glimpses of his house I could only imagine what the inside of his house looks like.

Miri to Brunei

Mid semester break arrived, and presented the perfect opportunity to travel around Borneo. First stop was Miri. Miri is located in Sarawak (same Malaysian state as Kuching) and is a small oil rich town on the northern coast of Borneo. We flew in at night and left the next afternoon so there is not much to report about the town itself. There are some natural attractions in the vicinity of Miri, but in the one day we spent in the city, we ran out of things to see and do pretty quickly.

We decided to catch the bus from Miri into Brunei (which is about 3 hrs away). This proved to be a little more difficult than expected. To catch a normal public bus we would have had to catch three separate busses, changing at various towns along the way, so instead we opted for a private bus. This also wasn’t easy. The private bus (PHLS Express) leaves from a deserted bus station on the outskirts of town. We had to catch a public bus from the city of Miri to a shopping centre called E-mart. From there we had to wander around for a while to try and find a bus station.

We thought this would be an easy thing to do, but having no luck we turned to asking the locals. Even they did not seem to know of a bus terminal nearby. Luckily, after much mucking around, we found a taxi driver who knew what we were talking about and pointed us in the right direction.

After about a 10 minute walk, we could see the bus terminal, a huge deserted terminal in the middle of a paddock, with only one bus parked there. After getting on this bus, the ride to Brunei’s capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, was painless and we arrived there in no time at all.

Selamat Hari Raya

In Malaysia, Hari Raya marks the end of fasting in the Muslim month of Ramadan. The end of Ramadan is a big occasion, much like Christmas or Easter in Australia, with a two public holidays given to mark the occasion (although sometimes local Malays are known to take a longer break)

Amongst the fireworks and other general celebrations which occur during this time, I was most interested by the “open house” concept. During Hari Raya, local Malay’s open up the doors to their houses and invite their friends an relatives to come and join in a feast. A large variety of local foods and cakes are offered at these open houses.

Over two days, I was lucky enough to attend six open houses (too much free food!). On the first day I was invited to visit the houses of three staff members of the university I attend. All were very friendly, and by visiting the houses of locals I was given a unique opportunity to experience what life is really like for the people in Malaysia.

On the second day I went with a group of international students to the open house of the Governor of Sarawak. The open house was held at his residence, the Astana, which is a palace located on bank of the Sarawak River. The house is open to the public, but only a few are allowed inside to meet the governor. Obviously being a group of international students, we were luckily chosen to enter the palace and meet with the governor. After shaking the Governor’s hand, and saying "Selamat Hari Raya" (which is the custom), we feasted on the large variety of food which was available, especially enjoying the local layer cakes.

When inside, we were interviewed and photographed by the local media. Apparently we were going to be on TV (although I never saw the news report). However, the next day while I was at an Indian restaurant, the owner of the restaurant recognised me from my picture in the newspaper. Looks like I’m turning into a minor Malaysian celebrity.

The Penang/Langkawi Weekend

Having missed out on flying anywhere the last long weekend, me and a friend decided the take Monday off and make our own long weekend so we could visit the two islands of Penang and Langkawi. The only problem was we underestimated the size of these islands, and the time it would take to fully explore them.

Langkawi first: It was completely not what I expected. I was expecting Langkawi to be something like Bali (or what I expect Bali to be). A commercialised town swarming with western tourists, and perfect white beaches. It was none of the above. The island was much larger than expected, with only a small amount occupied by touristy shops etc. There were quite a few westerners to be found but nowhere near as many as I had expected, and the beaches were underwhelming. We were even advised not to swim in some areas because of the risk of jellyfish.

The rest of the island was more interesting. Being driven through the centre of the island, I couldn’t help noticing the striking similarity between Langkawi and Sri Lanka. In Langkawi the roads are much better, and fewer people walk, but the landscape and buildings etc were remarkably similar.

To travel between Langkawi and Penang we hopped on the ferry, which is a choppy 2.5hr ride away. In hindsight, this was not the best idea. The ride was not a pleasant one. On the way about half the people on the boat threw up (luckily I was not one of them). 2.5hrs is too long to be on a boat. And to make it worse, it is quite expensive.

Now onto Penang: Penang is a very nice city. In fact, while I was there I kept feeling that I would enjoy myself more if I was based in Penang rather than Kuching. I thought Penang would be a small, relatively quiet island (similar to Kuching), but was surprised to find that it is more comparable to Singapore. It’s a large and busy city with lots to do. The city is famous for its food, and for good reason. It’s very different from the Kuching style though, much more spicy and far less sweet. I enjoyed the change – sampling some of the dishes at Gurney Drive.

Getting around is also quite easy thanks to the reliable bus service. The shopping in Penang also seems quite decent. The nightlife is fairly busy. Overall, the city has a lot going for it. However, the best beach in Penang, Batu Firinggi, proved to be slightly disappointing.

Unfortunately, we weren’t there long enough to fully appreciate the scenic/historical aspects of Penang (most of Georgetown is a world heritage site), but it seems the town, which is now a free trade zone and is set to become Malaysia’s first green city, would be a good place to live in the future.

Mt Santubong

Merdeka Day (Independence Day) long weekend arrived in Kuching, so a trip was in order. This time, in preparation for the climb of Mt Kinabalu (scheduled for a month’s time) I organised a trip with a group of students to climb Mt Santubong, the highest mountain in Sarawak.

Twelve of us in total took the trip, so a mini-bus was organised as transport. Being my third jungle trek since coming to Malaysia I was feeling quite enthusiastic at first - that was until the mountain came into sight. It looked big, very steep, and very difficult to climb. It was all of the above.

The ascent took about 3-4 hrs. It mainly consisted of walking through a jungle track. At some points you need to use ropes and climb ladders to get up the mountain, at other points tree roots and rocks act as natural ladders to help you up. Reaching the summit was somewhat disappointing. There was no view at all, completely blocked out by clouds. The only highlight was the sighting of a slightly cheeky monkey at the top while we took our short lunch break.

Instead of coming straight back down the mountain, we went the long way down, in search of a waterfall. The long way down proved to be a very long way down. In total we spent about 8 hrs walking. But the waterfall we found was quite nice. Cold, fresh water, good enough to jump into for a quick swim. There were lots of creatures around the waterfall area too, including a few frogs which looked dangerous.

Finally, after many hours of walking through jungle and feeling very exhausted we made it down the mountain, and continued on a short walk to Damai beach to cool off.

Although being extremely tired I headed into the city area later that night to watch the Merdka Day fireworks… they were more disappointing than the view from the top of Santubong.

Futsal

Last night I played in my first university futsal tournament. Completely organised and run by students, the night tournament was an impressive event to take part in. In fact, all participants and organisers came from the large number of international students. Apparently Malaysians aren’t very good at futsal, preferring to play badminton, table tennis, squash, basketball etc.

Groups of students make their own teams, segregated by nationality. In all there were seven teams: Zimbabwe, Keyna, Nigeria, the Arabs, Tanzania, Pakistan and team International. The notable exception is team Malaysia. Not really belonging to a particular nationality, myself and a group of friends formed “Team International” consisting of and Australian-Italian, a German, a Swede, an Iranian, a Mauritian a West Malaysian and myself – an Australia-Sri Lankan.

The skill level in the tournament was high and most matches were played in good spirit. However, there were some instances where some teams took things a bit too seriously, which did spoil part of the night.

Play got underway quite late – at 10pm, and the tournament eventually finished at about 4am the next day. It was very tiring, and we all felt it for the next few days. Although “Team International” put up a decent showing, Tanzania were the victors on the day beating the Kenyans in the final.