Kota Kinabalu 08-09

Kota Kinabalu '08-09
A sunset.. another man's sunrise.

Impulsive.. indeed. A rash calling saw me jetting off to Kota Kinabalu for the last week of my holidays over the new year festivities. What I thought would be somewhat of a more relaxing trip turned out to be the exact opposite. Jammed packed with activities and 'extreme sports', my muscles literally ached from the trauma.

Upon reaching our destination after a short 2 1/2 hours flight, we quickly checked into our hotel 'Beverly Hotel' which in no way beared any resemblence to a luxury suite you had in mind when the name was mentioned. But it wasn't a far cry apart from the fact that our Junior Suite had only 3 beds. Thank goodness I won the bet and eagerly snatched up the chance to slp on the couch for 2 days out of 3 before we moved to the next hotel. Poor Bro had 2 days on the floor. Yikes..

Next we went to settle the program for the next few days. White Water Rafting on Tues, Hot Springs and Canopy Walk on Wed and then.. Mount Kinabalu from Thurs-Fri. *shivers*. For the final activity, we had to settle with just I and my Brother as the entire package price (including permits, mountain guides, lodging, food..) had risen exhorbitantly over the years and nothing prepared us for the ridiculous price tag. Since Kor is the only one in the family who hadn't scale the mountain, I was tasked to be his companion as climbing the mountain alone wouldn't be much of an exciting affair. Honestly speaking, I was frightened by the idea of scaling the peak for a second time since my first experience 2 years ago was more torture than anything else. Still, someone has got to give...

our long journey to the Padas River rafting experience

The next day, we embarked on a super duper long journey to the heavily forested, untamed waters of the Padas River admist the Kinabalu National Park. Travelling via a range of transportation including bus, an open topped train which was nothing more than a loading deck on wheels and speed boat, I was a little exhausted from the trip alone. But once we stepped into our inflated rafts and gripped on to our paddles, the adrenaline rush took over.

Faced with 6 foot monster waves, the churning muddy waters of the river channel and not to mention a boat load of heavy and LAZY ang mohs.. it just strikes you that there would to have to be lots of hardwork involved... Despite Mummy being a free-rider, she had hardly any guts to stick out the water-proof camera to snap photos of the rough and crazy journey as we slithered down the river course. Guess she ain't much of an adrenaline junkie. I and my Brother on the other hand had a GREat time! our aching arms and back muscles testimont to the large amount of paddling we did.

We made a quick stop over for lunch at the company quarters after a 10km run followed by another 12km trip down the river. During the second trip, we encountered a rather flat portion of the river with gentler currents hence we decided to go for a swim. Kor got pushed off the boat by his angmoh neighbour and i followed close suite. Okay.. so I do admit that chasing after the boat in front was a ridiculous idea.. but the least that they could do was to let me touch the end of the boat after a copious amount of heart pumping action as i swam downstream. Instead, they started rowing away as they saw me and my Bro approaching. What evilness!!

All in all, a fun-filled day. miraculous disappearance of flabby arms and not to mention a terrible tan line. haha.

The next day, we decided to take it easy since we wanted ample rest and relaxation before our trip up the Mountain tomorrow. Hence my dad suggested driving up the mountains to visit the poring hot springs and canopy walk.

Having done the above two activities before in my last trip, I was a little unwilling a first but obliged later since I didn't have much say in decisions such as this. Nonethless, it was still a good family outing and the cool blasts of air from on top the mountains did manage to lift my spirits just a little.

At the Hot Springs, we opted for the private rooms instead of the common baths. 15 ringgit for an hour.. isn't that a steal. Still, soaking in a hot spring bath in the midst of a tropical jungle wasn't my idea of luxury. In the end, it came across as stiffling and created a bit of head-splitting action. We were out of there in no time...

photos from the trip down the mountain...

Following our trip down the mountain back to town, we concluded the day with a seafood galore at the salut seafood resturant. Situated at a darkened, ulu spot near the mangrove swamps, this was an unlikely location for a resturant. Yet, the large amount of familes gathered in the vicinity was testimont to the quality of food served up. Not only was the seafood unbearably fresh, the variety of shellfish caught me offguard. With 5 sorts plated on our dining table. Over the course of 5 days here in Kota Kinabalu, We subsequently ate 3 seafood dinners, each feast slightly different from the next. I swear i wouldn't touch seafood for the next month... *groanz*

for photos of the Mount Kinabalu expedition.. stay tuned to my next entry!!!