BORNEO (6/14): The Climb Begins!

Sorry for the sudden cliffhanger there. Our timetable had been changed so that dinner was now at 19:00 rather than the 19:30 as planned. As I write this, we are at the Laban Rata Guest House at a height of a three thousand, two hundred and seventy-two point seven metres (3,272.7m) above sea level. This will be our base overnight before attempting to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu. Before I go on about what happened today, I will attempt to document what happened yesterday before my memory starts to fail me.

Having rushed off to dinner, I didn't get back until 23:30. At that time, I was busy preparing my bag for today which is why the entry for yesterday remains incomplete. So, where was I? That's it, I was talking about the ferry operators competing for our custom. We tried to walk away, but they were very persistent. They followed us for about a hundred yards before admitting defeat. In comparison, the timeshare touts in Tenerife were less persevering than these people!

As we walked away, we headed towards the shopping centre. There, the three of us bought postcards and the drink we would need for the two hour coach ride to the Rose Cabin. As we headed back for the coach, it was tempting to go through some more air-conditioned shops for the relief it would provide from the humidity.

I boarded the coach and found a seat. Sharon, the one from Romford, was sitting behind me and we started talking about the town, what it was like, the smiling locals etc. All of a sudden, four 'loud' guys boarded the coach sporting beady, afro wigs. As expected, Troy and Aaron were among the four. Was this another attempt at attention-seeking? I reckon. They were jeering, shouting "Eng-eeer-land!" When will British lads grow up and realise that it's quite sad to base life around football? Even when I say lads, Troy is thirty and Aaron is twenty-eight! More to the point, I'm stumped as to how a football brings so much pleasure to people in the UK. Would someone like to justify all the hype and excitement to me?

Within ten minutes, after the last people boarded the coach, the journey began. The trip was very scenic and we saw a number of things and places that intrigued me. There was the majestic Sabah State Mosque, the Yayasan Sabah Building and dozens of other places of worship accommodating countless religions. The locality is truly a harmonious community considering the number of different races that live here. The people are very unrushed and it seems that the less one person has, the happier they are. Do we expect too much or they too little?

As the coach left Kota Kinabalu, it joined a rain swept dual carriage way. It should be noted that when it rains here, it doesn't just rain, it pours down! I noticed several children playing in the rain, by the road-side, without a care in the world. In the UK, when it rains, a child would probably watch TV or log on to his / her Playstation. Here, they don't have that luxury, although some would debate whether TV and computers are a healthy luxury to have anyway.

All of a sudden, a flash of lightning blazed across the sky, quickly followed by another and another. At home, thunderstorms are relatively short-lived. Here, they last two to three hours. As the rain continued to pour down from the heavens, I noticed these man-made ditches running down both sides of the road. They're obviously there to transport the flood water to the lowlands. They're a foot wide and two foot deep and they are already close to overflowing. Another thing I noticed were the overhead electric cables. They're about two inches thick, perhaps rubber coated to prevent damage from the daily thunderstorms.

Getting higher, the rain not relenting, we were surrounded by valleys embraced by falling mist. At first glance, the landscape looks very green. When the bus slows, to contemplate a patch of asphalt road for example, closer inspection reveals a much more colourful landscape of reds and yellows also. Looking out at the valleys reminded me of Gorillas In The Mist, the film starring Sigourney Weaver who portrayed Dian Fossey of Zaire whose quest was to bring about an end to the poaching of the Silverback Gorilla.

As I am writing this, a cockroach is walking down my wall, just inches from my top bunk in Room 10 at the Laban Rata. Nice, eh? I can't afford anymore distractions so I'm going to press on. On the coach, many other people were asleep so Hugh (the charity representative who travelled with the team from Manchester), thought he would record some video moments for his own amusement. Every so often, a vehicle will pass by and the people there will wave in a frenzy of friendliness. While we're on the subject of cars, the ones here in Borneo are very polluting. You can't leave a hotel without getting a whiff of car exhaust fumes. I take it their government doesn't impose statutory car checks like the MOT? Lucky sods!

Shortly before arriving at the Rose Cabin, we passed what resembled a shanty town. Houses made of wood and tin adorned the highway. Kids played happily in their yards while mothers tended to babies and domestic duties. To live, even people up here make money however they can. Every so often, a stall may be set up outside a Malaysian home. They sell wicker baskets mainly, but rely on the infrequent passing trade.

16:22, SMT...

Got called away again there. I welcomed the distraction since it required for me to leave my room, the one infested with cockroaches. One thing I noticed on the way out is how plant life is so diverse; there are plants and flowers of every colour imaginable, even at this altitude.

We were introduced to members of Henshaw's Society for the Blind who are taking part in the Borneo Challenge alongside Children Today. Since we would be doing the four events together, it made sense for both parties to get to know each other. In the evening, at the Rose Cabin, I met some nice people from all four corners of the UK. Both parties ate dinner together, competed at Table Tennis and the brave, if not drunk, engaged in a spot of Karoake. About 21:00, someone screamed blue murder! She had spotted the elusive Borneo Three Horned Beetle. I must admit that it even freaked me out. It was slightly smaller than a packet of cigarettes and one of the guys teased it by stroking it. The beatle, at first, tried to defend itself with its horns, but relented having detected that the human posed no threat. It was intriguing.

Shortly before turning in for the night, I paid three-pence-a-go to play some of the arcade games in the reception area. I can't envisage paying less than a pound at home to play a decent game in an arcade. I'm going to enjoy this cheap entertainment while I can. I also sent a fax home for RM5, equivalent to eighty pence. I could get used to the cost of living here on my current salary; I would be able to live the life of a king!! I got into bed about 23:30, but didn't sleep till about 03:00. Something was playing on my mind. God knows what though.

The text from hereon relates to today, Wednesday 29th March. It's now 16:20 and today has been a hard day for everyone. At 07:00, the group rose for a breakfast of beans and toast. Best thing I've eaten since we arrived, bar the breakfast fit for a king at the Pan Pacific. At home, it's chips with everything. Here, it's chicken with everything. I'm getting fed up with being plied with chicken!

After breakfast, we got a coach from the Rose Cabin to the entrance of the Kinabalu National Park. At this time, the sky was pure blue, affording us a view of the summit rising majestically in the sky. The sheer size is awesome. Eight at a time, we were transported to the Power Station where we would start our climb along the Summit Trail which began at Timpohon Gate.

At 08:55, everyone from Children Today and Henshaw's got together for a five minute warm-up. Within ten minutes of the climb, which started at 09:00, I could start to feel the grind. Within half an hour, I was sweating profusely. Wearing a cap all the time was impractical because it retained heat so I ended up getting burnt all over my recently shaved head. The sunburn spread to the cheeks and my ear lobes.

As the climb progressed, you could sense the zones within the ecosystem. The forest, being so dense, emitted a never-ending rustle of leaves. After two hours, part of me wished I had never come. Though the temperature was cooler at this height, the air was also a lot thinner, giving rise to labourious breathing. An unforgiving series of inclined step ladders laid the way for most of the summit trail. It was excruciating at times and I just had to stop. Several times during the trek, I detached myself and focused so much on the task at hand, that I lost track of all other participants. Later, I was to discover that this happened to quite a few people.

At one point, I hadn't seen a human for over an hour. Part of me did begin to worry, despite the fact that the trail was very well sign-posted. I knew, therefore, that I was on the right track. Suddenly, I saw something scurry quickly across the four foot wide trail. Was it a chipmunk, a squirrel? Having been so stunned by the speed of the 'creature', I hurried on ahead. Later, I cursed myself for being such a wimp.

About three hours after we started, I caught a glance of the infamous Pitcher Plant; many species of this plant are unique to Borneo. They're a member of the carnivorous plant family and attract their pray by secreting a sweet, honey-like smell. As the insect, bird or even a small animal approaches the plant, it's spiky exterior triggers the plant to standby. Once the prey has entered the plant itself, there is no escape. The downward spikes inside prevent escape, trapping it. Detecting the frenzy from within, the plant drops its 'lid' and sets about producing acids that will digest the prey. Once the prey has been digested, the lid will rise once again and the plant begins its job of enticing new prey into its lair. These plants have always fascinated me. In my early teens, I had a venus fly trap. Because the plant wasn't very successful in catching prey unaided, I fed it a cornflake. It died within days, ravaged by fungus. For months, I wondered why!

As time passed, I caught up with some people from Henshaw's. A while later, we came across a water stop where we renewed our supplies. From then on, it became very misty and the odd raindrop began to fall. After an hour of undulating gravel trail, we finally reached the Laban Rata, our base for the night. The trek had been a difficult one and there were handshakes all round on arrival. We arrived at the Laban Rata at 13:30, four and a half hours after setting off. As I write this entry, a number of people still haven't reached the guest house.

As you can imagine, the rooms are very basic, each one furnished with a number of bunk beds sleeping up to ten people. Dinner wasn't until 18:00 so a number of us met in the bar and chatted the afternoon away. It was a long afternoon because everyone just wanted their dinner so they could go to sleep. While the rest of the party continued to arrive, a group of us spoke about who was staying on after the event, doing what etc. There are so many things to do in Borneo; the options are endless. Eventually, 18:00 came and dinner was served; rice and sweet and sour chicken. I should have guessed there would be chicken in there somewhere!

After dinner, I went straight to bed. Tomorrow is a big day. There's the three hour arduous climb to the summit, from the summit back to the Laban Rata for breakfast, then the five hour trek back to Timpohon Gate.