BORNEO (8/14): On Top Of The World & The Hot Springs

Once again, I found it hard to find the time to write. After countless transfers, group meetings, mountain climbing and cycling, all one wants to do is sleep! I'm having difficulty writing today due to a number of injuries I inherited from the bike ride across the Crocker Range. Today, I was supposed to complete the ride, but I've conceded in order to recover so that I can participate in the white water rafting and scuba diving. So, where was I? I was telling you about the climb up to Mount Kinabalu to witness the sun rise.

Like I was saying, the barren landscape was almost alien and looking down on the earth, it could have been another planet for all I knew. As the climb progressed, the rope-based trails grew in number, the surface gradient increasing all the time. Suddenly, I saw a number of people congregating, shaking hands. It emerged that, less than twenty metres away, stood the summit! With every last bit of energy I could summon, I broke into a stride. There, I was greeted by a number of people, most of whom I had never even met and who were not even members of the Children Today or Henshaw groups; there was a sense of mutual achievement among those who set out to conquer such an enormous peak.

It was 05:28 when I reach the summit. The temperature was below freezing, my hands numb. Just before 06:00, the first colours of dawn emerged and distant peaks appeared above the clouds: it was a very moving moment, one I hope to never forget. At that very moment, every care I had in the world lifted from me and I detached myself, savouring the moment. Minutes later, the suns disc hovered and slowly rose above the horizon, accentuating the features of the peaks which had remained in the darkness until now. With each passing minute, the shadows cast by the enormous peaks that surrounded us receded and daylight flooded the land.
At 06:15, I began the lengthy, joint-grinding descent to the Laban Rata guest house. It was a strain on the knee and ankle joints. With every step downwards, the light of the new day continued to brighten up the sky. I stood on the granite plain and looked out across Asia. I visualised Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, just some of the places I would love to visit. In a backward mode of play, the granite surface gave way to stepladders and rubble-laden paths.

At approximately 08:30, I arrived back at the Laban Rata. Devouring a breakfast of just two eggs, I met a couple on an independent tour of Borneo who came from Hertford. It was nice to finally meet someone who lived so close to me, someone to relate to on a geographical basis. It helps to meet people with these things in common when so far from - and missing - home.

At 10:00, after the last of the people had returned from the summit, the two parties began the even longer descent to Timpohon Gate, the base of the National Park. As you can imagine, it was very much like the ascent, just backwards! Going up is one thing, but coming down is another. In terms of enjoyment, it's senseless because you saw everything there is to see on the way up! In terms of strain on the knee and ankle joints, it's murder. In fact, it was too much for some people. Fortunately, my only complaints were blisters, one on each of my two small toes!

We reached the base after four hours, just after 14:00 where we were transferred and plied with yet another awful set menu meal. Just before 15:00, I caught the earlier of the two transfers to the Poring Hot Springs which is where we would spend the night. For most of the 45km trip, I was spark out, exhausted from the climb.

I awoke when we arrived, in the middle of what can only be described as a 'hostel-village'. It's a bit like a holiday camp - Butlins comes to mind actually - but with six or eight to a room and without en-suite facilities. The reason for coming here is to rest our aching muscles in the hot springs. There's no 'spring' as such, but the next best thing. In the Recreational Area of the Poring Hot Springs, there's a restaurant, a number of rain water swimming pools and a mass of triangular baths. Basically, a large square pool is moulded into four sub pools which can be filled, at will, with water from the hot spring. While is wasn't what I thought it would be, my leg muscles did feel tight and the water did a good job at soothing the dull ache from the climb.

It was interesting to learn that the locals come here on a regular basis, paying for the provision of a hot spring as their way of having a hot bath. The bulk of the population, you see, can't afford the luxury of a boiler and hot water on demand so families tend to visit the Springs. At one point, I saw a mother watching her two children playing in the water, splashing each other. She laughed joyfully, perhaps not knowing when their next hot bath might be. It was a wonderful sight, making me wonder once again if they expect too little or we expect too much.

After an hour or so alternating between the springs and cold rain water pools, dinner beckoned. I rushed back to our room which accommodated eight, hurriedly dressed and had a cold shave. It's a shame they couldn't divert the water from the hot spring to the on-site bathrooms! By now, however, I had become accustomed to the odd inconvenience and, surprisingly, I didn't mind. I was, despite the aching, having a good time.

Dinner was the usual, mundane mix of boiled rice and a choice of side dishes like lemon chicken or sweet and sour chicken. The difference about tonight was the apparent presence of every type of insect imaginable; crickets, fireflies, geckos, cockroaches, butterflies, mosquitoes and three horned beetles to name but a few! Everyone took to sitting outside after realising that it was the artificial lighting from within the restaurant that was attracting the insects. From the outside looking in, it looked as though all the insects were on a suicide mission, aimlessly flying into walls and chairs and tables. Within minutes, there were dead insects all over the place. Anyway, I think I've painted enough of a mental image for you!

Dinner was soon over and a meeting followed about the Crocker Range cycle ride we were due to start the next morning. After the meeting, people began to retreat to their rooms. For about an hour, sleeping on one of the four top bunks in this room sleeping eight people, I was entertained by a four inch long gecko chasing its own tail. It was like watching a load of clothes in a washing machine. For those of you who don't know what a gecko is, it's a type of lizard, pretty much like a newt which you will find living in many a British pond.