Category Archives: Mountains

Mt. Trus Madi

Climbing Mount Trus Madi, the 2nd highest mountain of Malaysia – Part 3 of 3

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Continued from Part 2… (Note: The trail & accommodation have improved a lot after 2014. Please check out my latest Guide on Climbing Mt. Trusmadi.)

Day 3

Though I didn’t sleep well, my muscles were able to relax and recover. I advise climbers to invest in a good (=expensive) backpack that can spread the weight evenly, otherwise you would have back pain like me. Everyone waked up at 2am, after having some cookies and instant noodles (with curry meat, sardine and tuna) as breakfast, we packed and headed to the summit at 3am. If plan went well, we could reach the summit before 6am to watch the sunrise.

Conquering Mt. Trus Madi

The morning was total darkness. With the aid of LED headlight, I could only see a few feet in front of me. We were only 1.5 KM away from the summit, but most of the trail was over 50 degree of steepness. Certain section was impossible to climb without the help of ropes. My head even knocked on overhanging branches a few times. When I tried to grab anything along the steep trail to support myself, I felt a sharp pain and found that I grabbed on a thorny rattan. This sinister plant is so abundant along the trail to the summit.

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With heavy camera, tripod, drinking water, etc., I had over 5Kg of weight on my back so I moved very slowly. Near the top of Taliban Peak, I could see the streetlight of Keningau town far away, it was so beautiful. Thanks to the stupid La Nina phenomenon, it has been raining all night and the trail became muddy and slippery. That’s no way we could avoid contact with mud, so our pants were dirty.

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Finally I reached the summit around 6:30am. I didn’t feel excited. Instead, I was glad that it was over. I looked around and found that none of us was clean, our jeans were full of mud stains.


Above: group photo on the summit.

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Someone say climbers will be rewarded by the beautiful sunset and close view of Mt. Kinabalu (only 40 KM away). Due to the heavy rain and dense fog, we saw nothing. According to the book “Mountains of Malaysia” by John Brigss, Mt. Trus Madi has “The most beautiful mountains view in Malaysia”.


Above: a marker that divides Mt. Trus Madi into Tambunan and Keningau districts

Since we were there anyway, we took some happy faces group photos. FYI, due to a nearby repeater, your mobile phone may get full bar of signal. You can call your love one to say that you call her/him from the top of Mt. Trus Madi. It may sound romantic too if you jump off the peak to prove your love, lol. Or at least you can post an update to your Facebook or Twitter.


Above: Yayasan Sabah repeater. Some say this area is haunted by spirit of a porter who died of malaria

The Summit

The guide showed us a unique plant (Melastoma minahanse) below, it is only found on Mt. Trus Madi and Papua New Guinea. Apart from Myrtaceae, the summit vegetation is dominated by small, leathery-leafed shrubs such as from the families of Ericaeae, Theaceae, Podocarpaceae.


Above: Melastoma minahanse, this plant only found in Trus Madi and Papua New Guinea

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The most special plant community of Trus Madi is the scrub community on the summit. The mix of the montane and subalpine species growing on the summit is unique to Mt. Trus Madi. The shrub species that occur separately as montane and subalpine elements on Mt. Kinabalu are condensed into the same habitat on Trus Madi, and this results in such high species richness. Such coexistence of ecologically divergent species is not found on Mt. Kinabalu!

Descending

We only stayed about 20 minutes on the summit, then we descended to the cabin. I was not in a mood to rush home, so I walked slowly and took photos on the way. The mossy jungle of upper montane forest looked like an alien world, as one said, we were like entering the world of “Lord of the Rings” movie. Characterized by persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, this moist forest is part of the cloud forest zone. You can see abundance of mosses covering the ground and vegetation, so it is also known as mossy forest.

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I also photographed some orchid and rhododendron flowers that are only found in higher altitude. The flowers look so nice with raindrops on them. I was told that a Proboscis Monkey was once spotted at 2,000 M above sea level. That’s so unusual, as this monkey only lives around mangrove forest.

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Endemic Pitcher Plant

You must check out the Nepenthes macrophylla pitcher plant here, which is a montane species endemic to the upper slopes of Trus Madi. There are so many of them along the trail from summit to the cabin, like a pitcher plant garden.

Later we found a Nepenthes xTrusmadiensis pitcher plant on top of a tree near our cabin. Limited to summit ridge from elevations of 2,500 to 2,600 M, Nepenthes xTrusmadiensis is the natural hybrid of Nepenthes lowii and Nepenthes macrophylla. Sadly, this biggest hybrid species is under threat and getting scarce, because tourists pluck them.


Above: Nepenthes xTrusmadiensis on the tree

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We packed our stuffs and left the cabin at 10am and descend to the starting point. The rain has stopped and we could get a clear view of the surrounding mountains. Trus Madi Range is 80 KM in length, so long and vast that it covers Tambunan, Keningau and Ranau districts. The misty mountain range of Mt. Trus Madi looks like the backbone of a huge green dragon starts and ends in nowhere. I missed this view the previous day due to the dense mist and heavy rain, so I kept shooting photos.


Above: Nepenthes lowii


Above: Nepenthes macrophylla


Above: Nepenthes xTrusmadiensis (hybrid of Nepenthes lowii and macrophylla)

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Going Home

I took more than 5 hours to reach the starting point of Mt. Trus Madi from the cabin (3.4 KM). When I was about 30 minutes to the Starting Point, I heard a lady screamed in front. But there was no person in front of me. I ran quickly to check but found nobody. The scream was so loud and clear, so I am sure it was not an illusion. Some say the jungle spirit played a trick on me when I was alone. It still remains as a question mark to me.

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Whatever, I was back home in one piece later. Weeks later I was informed by one of the lady climbers that she was pregnant during the climb (she also didn’t know). Phew… that makes me sweat.

May be Mt. Trus Madi does not have astonishing and magnificent landscape like Mt. Kinabalu, but its pristine and unique flora beats Mt. Kinabalu. In fact, Mt. Trus Madi has the potential to become the next UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sabah. It is a must-go for nature lovers.

Lastly, a special thanks to our ethnobotanist guide, Julius Kulip, for identification of the plant species and being our nice company. Julius is one of the few plant experts who is very knowledgeable about Trus Madi and even wrote a few publications about it. I also used some of his info in this blog.

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If you are interested in climbing Mt. Trus Madi, the info below might be useful for you.

Planning the Climb

Mt. Trus Madi is a Class 1 protected forest reserve (FMU 10) managed by the Sabah Forestry Department, so you need to apply for the permit to climb. Please note that only a maximum of 16 people (include guide & porter) are allowed to overnight on the mountain every day, so you may need to book the date earlier. Sabah Forestry Department will charge various fees such as Entry Permit, 4-Wheel Drive entry permit, forestry guide, certificate, etc. The rate is higher for foreigner tourists.

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One Forestry Guide is required (compulsory) for every 5 or less climbers. For example, you need to hire two forestry guides if you have 7 people in a group. The Forestry Guides are not Tour Guides, they only monitor the tourists (some tourists like to steal the precious Gaharu wood and rare orchids in Trus Madi forest) and take care of their safety.

Working out the budget is a difficult task. Fortunately, the tour operator can register and pay Forestry Department on your behalf, but for a service fee. Usually the tour operator provides the 4-wheel drive transport (a must), 1-night accommodation in Tambunan town, tour guide, insurance, porters and cook, so the cost can vary, depending on what you need and how big is your group (minimum 3 persons. bigger group can get better rate).

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You can contact TYK Adventure Tours (Tel: (60 88) 232821 / 238702, email: tykadto@gmail.com, website: www.tykadventuretours.com) directly for the tour package.

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Though you can hire porter to carry your bag, you better improve your physical fitness by exercise regularly before the climb. If you think climbing Mt. Kinabalu is hard, don’t even think about Mt. Trus Madi!

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Things to Bring

  • Sleeping bag (temperature can drop to 10°C at night)
  • Backpack (with rain cover)
  • Raincoat / poncho
  • LED Headlamp
  • Warm clothing such as wind breaker / jacket / sweater
  • Spare clothing & small towel (in case you get wet or dirty)
  • Hand gloves (for climbing with ropes)
  • Water (1 Litre): you can refill water in resting hut and cabin, so don’t carry too much (heavy!).
  • Toilet paper
  • Food & Cooking Utensils such as portable gas stove and pot (if you cook your meal)
  • Dining set (spoon, plate, cup)
  • Camera & spare batteries
  • Comfortable trekking shoes (Addidas Kampung rubber shoe is the best!)
  • Plastic bag (to store rubbish. Leave nothing behind!)
  • Optional: trekking pole, medicines (for headache, minor wound), deep heat spray (relieve muscle pain), energy bars, rehydration salt


Above: for climbers who make it to the top, they will earn a beautiful certificate issued by Sabah Forestry Department

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The lighter your bag is, the better. In long hours of climbing, every pound counts. You can hire a porter to carry your bag (up to 20 Kg) for about RM150 to 200 per trip. If you spend a night in Tambunan, you can leave those unnecessary things such as used clothing behind.

Good Luck!

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Climbing Mount Trus Madi, the 2nd highest mountain of Malaysia – Part 2 of 3

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Continued from Part 1… (Note: The trail & accommodation have improved a lot after 2014. Please check out my latest Guide on Climbing Mt. Trusmadi.)

Start Climbing

After a group photo at the Starting Point, we started to climb at 10:30am. It was about 26° Celsius and the air was misty and refreshing. It was mainly uphill trail but not very steep. Thick layer of green moss blanket is everywhere on the floor (survival tip: you can lick the water on the wet moss blanket as the last resort, if you run out of water).

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Summit Trail

We began our climb in a hill mixed dipterocarp forest, characterized by closed-canopy forest with taller trees. Due to the moist environment, you can see many lichens, liverwort and algae plant. The hill forest is dominated mainly by dipterocarp of genus Shorea, and understorey plants dominated by Rubiaceae with 16 species.

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The dim and humid environment also promotes the growth of mushroom and fungus. We saw many of them in different colours and size along the trail. The most special one is the blue mushroom, which is only found in Mt. Trus Madi. Unlike the summit trail of Mt. Kinabalu, the trail is heavily foliaged and we are surrounded by dense vegetation most of the time. The nature trail is narrow, no boardwalk and hand rail, and a lot of overhanging trees and entangled roots. You have to watch your head and steps carefully.

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Lower Montane Forest

The lower slopes represent a transition zone where dipterocarp species mixed freely with hill non-dipterocarp species. This gradually gives way to lower montane forest vegetation between 1,500 and 2,000 M asl, which is dominated by tree species belonging to families of Fagaceae and Lauraceae, and also the altitude where two species of rafflesia are found (rafflesia tengku adlinii & keithii). More standing trees are densely covered with epiphytic mosses. We saw some orchids (Eria, Dendrochilim, etc.). The flowering season of orchid is from November to December, so we did not see many orchid flowers. Nepenthes tentaculata (small pitcher plant) is quite common here.

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As we moved up, the decreasing number (remaining distance to summit in Meters) on signage motivated us. I also stopped frequently to photograph the interesting plant, most looked new to me. There are two resting huts on the way, one after 1 KM, and another one after 2 KM. You can use the small toilet next to the hut. Water tanks filled with river water are available at the huts if you want to refill your bottle. The water is uncooked but taste really sweet, cold and fresh!

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When we had our pack lunch at second hut, we were saying that the first 2 KM was not that challenging and thought that it would be the same later. We were wrong. The last 1.4 KM of trail after second hut was where the nightmare began. The trail was getting steep and required the use of fixed ropes. Then it rained on and off, turning the trail into muddy and slippery path. Luckily, for the first day, we only needed to reach the cabin (1.5 KM away from summit) to stay a night.

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We spotted some friendly and colourful birds. One of them is Mountain Black-eye, which is endemic to montane zone 1,800 M above sea level. Some of them were probably Kinabalu Friendly Warblers. The guide said if we sat still for a while, many curious birds would come near us.

Multi-Peak Challenge

What makes Mt. Trus Madi so tough is its “multi-peak” terrain. To reach the summit of Mt. Trus Madi, there are at least 3 peaks you can’t avoid, namely, Taman Bunga (Flower Garden) Peak, Taliban Peak (which is named after the first Native Chief in Tambunan and has nothing to do with terrorist) and Trus Madi Peak. Slopes become steeper closer to the peaks. When you climb to the top of a peak, you will see another peak in front, you conquer it, then you will see another peak in front again. Taliban Peak is slightly lower than the highest Trus Madi Peak, so someone call it a “faked summit”. There are many ascending as well as descending trail. The descending is not easier than ascending.


Above: the peaks of Mt. Trus Madi. The highest peak is not visible from this side.

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The guide also showed us some old trails to Mt. Trus Madi. They looked so narrow, steep and dangerous. The old trail has a few narrow ridge walk with deep drop at both sides. If you slip, nobody will see where you are (no kidding).

The Taman Bunga (Flower Garden) Peak

Though I sound like being tortured, I have a lot of fun in fact. 500M before the cabin (at 2,000M signage), you will enter Taman Bunga Peak, which means Flower Garden. It is an Upper Montane zone about 2,300M asl and a natural garden full of flora. This is one of the few places where you can see the rare pitcher plant, Nepenthes lowii, everywhere. Kinabalu Park was used to have a lot of lowii but most of them were killed by a prolong drought in late 90.


Above: Taman Bunga Peak in mist

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The showiest flower is the bell-shaped rhododendron flower. Wild orchid is easy to find here. Lichen, which is a composite organism of a fungus and a green alga, is abundant around, an evident of zero pollution. I also found many other interesting plants that I’ve never seen. According to the guide, there are different flowering seasons, so you would see different things in every few months.

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Our cabin is only 500 Meters away from Taman Bunga Peak. As the rain was getting heavier and the day was turning dark, I speed up my walk and reached the cabin by 6pm. Normal people would reach the cabin latest by 5pm. I was slow because I stopped many times to take photos.

The Cabin

We would spend a night in the cabin in first day. The cabin is built at 2,400 Meters above sea level in year 2008, and the summit is only 1.5 KM away. There are about 7 bunk beds (14 beds) in the cabin. The beds have no mattress and blanket, so you must bring your own sleeping bag. On the bed is a layer of canvas with a zinc plate underneath. Even a bit of movement on the bed will create loud noise, like you are sleeping on a zinc roof, very annoying.

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Though this cabin looks more like a refugee camp, it is better than nothing coz it is warmer than sleeping in camp. The bed is quite small too, even for a short guy like me. After putting my backpack and camera bag on the bed, there was not enough room for me to fully extend my legs.

Most of us were cold and wet. Our cook prepared some rice with sardine and black bean salty fish for us as dinner. Though there is a small kitchen next to the cabin, there is nothing inside. We need to carry our own cooking utensils, gas stove, plate, pot, spoon and cup ourselves. I felt better after sipping some hot coffee. There is a gravity pipe that brings river water to a tap, so I could refill my bottle with water. Trust me, the water here tastes far more better than our tap water that is full of chlorine smell. There is a toilet not far from the cabin, but none of us wanted to take a shower as the water was freezing cold.

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The guide burnt the mosquito coil to chase away a small and yellow flying bug called Agas. Agas is an insect that sucks your blood and leave an itchy bite mark. Another pest is the mice that running and fighting under our beds and I could hear them all night. The porter had to hang the food high, so these mice couldn’t steal it.


Above: kitchen next to the cabin. Behind is the camp of porters

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We were all exhausted and we had to wake up at 2am the next day, so we went to bed early. When I almost fell in sleep, I was splashed by cold dripping water. I checked the ceiling for water leaking but found no crack. Due to the warmer temperature in cabin, water condensation formed on the cold ceiling. For every few minutes, the water droplet dropped on my face. I tried to move my position but still could not avoid the dripping water. The strong smell of mosquito coil also choked me. So for the whole night, I laid on the bed listening to mouse fighting and heavy rain. Not only that, my bags were all wet in next day.

Read Next Article (Part 3)…

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Climbing Mount Trus Madi, the 2nd highest mountain of Malaysia – Part 1 of 3

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(Note: The trail & accommodation have improved a lot after 2014. Please check out my latest Guide on Climbing Mt. Trusmadi.) God really blesses Sabah, because the top 3 highest mountains of Malaysia are in Sabah. I guess the highest mountain, Mount Kinabalu (height: 4,095M), is no stranger to Sabahans. Many even climb it more than once. But most of us haven’t tried to climb the second highest mountain of Malaysia, Mt. Trus Madi (height: 2,642 Meters or 8,668 feet).

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Lack of promotion is responsible for lack of visitors to Mt. Trus Madi. Another reason is – the climb is so challenging that someone even call Trus Madi “Terus Mati” (mean “Die Straight” in Malay language). Of course it is only a joke, as accident in climbing Mt. Trus Madi is rare. Though 1,453 Meters lower than Mt. Kinabalu, Mt. Trus Madi is harder to conquer. Some say if the trail to Mt. Kinabalu is a highway, Trus Madi trail is a countryside road then. The climbers have to be reasonably fit. Personally I would not recommend people younger than 15 years or older than 60 years to challenge the real “mountain power” of Mt. Trus Madi.

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Earlier this month, I climbed Mt. Trus Madi with 5 ladies and all of us made it to the top, despite the poor weather. Thanks to the Internet, I can bring my photos and experience to your screen. I strongly recommend Mt. Trus Madi to hardcore hikers and nature lovers. You will be dearly impressed by the pristine conditions of Mt. Trus Madi. At least you will be proud of yourself for conquering this mountain.

About Mt. Trus Madi

The name “Trus Madi” is originated from the Dusun words “pinotorusan Madi”. Pinotorusan means Hunting Ground and Madi is the name of a hunter who was used to hunt in Trus Madi. Due to higher altitude, the temperature on the mountain is about 10 to 25 degree Celsius. The flora of Trus Madi is very rich and unique. About 600 species in 160 families of plants were recorded in forest here.

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Mt. Trus Madi encompasses 5 different types of vegetations, i.e. lowland mixed dipterocarp (427-600M), hill mixed dipterocarp forest (600M – 1,500M), lower montane forest (1,500M -2,000M), upper montane forest (2,000M – 2,500M), and summit scrub (2,500M – 2,640M). You will pass through all these vegetation zones during the climb. The hybrid vegetation of montane forest and summit scrub is so unique that it is not even found on Mt. Kinabalu!

The Itinerary

The climb will take 3 days 2 nights. The climb starts in Tambunan (90 KM away from Kota Kinabalu). You can choose not to overnight in Tambunan town, but you need to move early at 6am from Kota Kinabalu, to drive 1.5 hours to meet the tour operator in Tambunan town before 8am. Below is the standard itinerary:

DAY 1
5:00pm Depart to Tambunan (from Kota Kinabalu city)
6:30pm Arrive Tambunan town & overnight there
DAY 2
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Briefing and preparation
8:30am Depart to Mt. Trus Madi’s Starting Point by 4-Wheel
9:30am Arrive Forestry Check Point Gate & Register
9:45am Proceed to Starting Point
10:30am Starting climbing Mt. Trus Madi (3.4 KM). Lunch enroute
5:00pm Arrive Cabin
7:00pm Dinner
9:00pm Overnight at cabin
DAY 3
2:00am Wake up call
2:30am Breakfast
3:00am Ascend to summit (1.5KM)
5.30am Reach summit to view sunrise
7:00am Descend to cabin
9:00am Arrive Cabin. Tea break & Packing
10:00am Descend to Starting Point
4:00pm Arrive Starting Point and proceed to Kota Kinabalu
6:30pm Arrive Kota Kinabalu

For the first day, I stayed in a resort in Tambunan. Its service sucks so bad that I don’t want to mention its name here, coz I don’t want to promote this stupid resort.

Day 2

The next day I wake up around 7am to get prepared for the climb. After I had my breakfast at 8am, the guide and porters met us at the resort. After a short briefing and loading my bags to their 4-wheel, we headed to the starting point of the climb at 8:30am.

Going to Starting Point

The road, mainly gravel and muddy path, to the starting point is about 30 KM away from Tambunan. The mud is the soft, sticky, smooth and slippery yellow clay soil, so the road is only accessible by four-wheel drive. The engine of our 4-wheel roared and tried really hard to catch very bit of the almost inexistent fiction.

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On the muddy road, the car was like gliding and skiing on the mud, and swing violently in zig-zag like a wild bull. The steep slope with loose pebbles also posed a challenge. Our highly-skilled 4-wheel driver shifted gear quickly back and forth, to fight for every inch forward. To be frank, I was freak out. I held the handler so hard that as if I was giving birth a baby. May be I can call it an adventure.

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After 35 minutes, we reached the gate of the Forestry Check Point, where everyone was required to register. We also used the “tree” toilet there. It is a man-made structure, not a real tree.

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After taking a group photo at the gate, we continued our 4-wheel journey to the starting point. After the checkpoint, the ride was not that bumpy. But then I was terrified when the driver attempted to cross the river. I started to have horrifying imagination of our car being swept away by the river. My worry was needless and we crossed two rivers without any problem. Only now I truly realize the power of 4-wheel drive. Since 4-wheel is meant for adventurers, I wonder why those old aunties and uncles drive 4-wheel in city only and keep it so clean?!!

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After 40 minutes, we arrived the starting point of the climb. There is nothing there except a “4900 M” signage, which means we are 4.9KM (4,900 Meters) away from the summit of Mt. Trus Madi. 4.9 KM sounds like a short distance on flat ground, but it is not the case for the rugged terrain. They say this is a new starting point, which cut down the distance by 2 hours (about 3 to 4 KM). Many say we would see many blood-sucking leeches at the Starting Point, but luckily we didn’t see any.

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Read Next Article (Part 2)…

Photos taken in Tambunan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Expedition: In the Footsteps of Lilian Gibbs

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Many know Sir Hugh Low was the first European who conquered Mt. Kinabalu in 1851, but most don’t know Lilian Gibbs was the first European woman who reached the summit of Mt. Kinabalu on February 24th, 1910. Lilian Suzette Gibbs was born in London, England on September 10, 1870. She led a botanical field expedition to Mt. Kinabalu and identified over 15 new plant species. Below is the trail she took. Even today, this trail is not considered as a “tourist-friendly” route. Later she was awarded the Huxley Gold Medal and Prize by the Royal College of Science for her research contributions.

After 100 years, a group of five ladies, from The Sabah Soceity, decided to re-trace the original route taken by Lilian Gibbs. They spent a night on the homestay hostel next to a church (Chapel St. Ireneus) in Kg. Kiau Nuluh (starting point of the climb), Kota Belud, on 20 Feb 2010. In the next morning (21 Feb 2010), they would attend a ritual ceremony before the climb. As a member of The Sabah Society, I was also there to support them and to witness the historical moment.


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For those who read my previous blog, you would know that I joined the Miki Survival Camp last year, so this was my second time came to Kg. Kiau Nuluh (Kiau Nuluh Village). I arrived Kiau Nuluh at 3:40pm on 20 Feb 2010, it was still early so I took a walk around the village.


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Though a bit shy, the people here are very friendly and always smile to you. Most of them talk to one another in native language (Dusun). In fact, this is the typical look of “real” Sabah village. Since some politicians started to give citizenship to foreigners about 30 years ago, the mushrooming villages in Tawau and Lahad Datu are full of foreigners. They talk and behave differently (some even have very “geli” look).


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Hey, it’s Gurak (the dog I met in Miki camp). She looked slimmer and still ran around with the kids around plantation. Miki said she miscarried, so she was a bit weaker. Poor Gurak…


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Very soon it turned dark, the climbers had a fellowship dinner with the Kg. Kiau Nuluh villagers and members. There were two short blackout. According to the locals, the drought caused the nearby river to dry up thereby affecting the power supply from hydro electricity.


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We tried some local traditional dishes. Got my sour bambangan fruit. I tried some tuhau too, but I still don’t like the smell. The yam rice was wrapped in big kinta leaf and tasted good. This is how farmers pack their rice and bring it to the field. It will last for many hours without turning bad.


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After the dinner, the lady climbers were presenting an info sheet, which would be inserted into a glass bottle and hide in Low’s Peak, like what Lilian Gibbs did 100 years ago. Photo Above: from the left, Rina Jamieson, Catherine Chu, Vicky Ng (expedition leader), Jane Chong and Tengku Puteri Soraya Tengku Zainal Adlin.


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Hahaha… you will never find this secret bottle.


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The all-lady expedition team consists of 5 climbers, namely, Vicky Ng (leader), Tengku Puteri Soraya Tengku Zainal Adlin , Catherine Chu, Jane Chong and Rina Jamieson, one Sabah Parks guide (Rossiti Maineh) and 3 porters (Ritah Moguring, Lotuim Lumadan and Nuriah Lunsin). All of them signed on the info sheet that was inserted into a small glass bottle later.


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Sealing the bottle to make it waterproof.


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Since they are all lady, they decided to use a bottle from kitchen. This is a preserved beancurd bottle made in ShenZhen China.


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Sealing of bottle done. Now it is hidden in Low’s Peak. Next time you climb the Mt. Kinabalu, you can do a “treasure hunt”. The bottle hidden by Lilian Gibbs is still not found. So now you know there are two “secret” bottles hidden in Low’s Peak.

Click the picture above if you want to see what is written on the info sheet. It contains the trail map and info of the expedition, name list and signatures of the lady team members.


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It is bed time.. The little hostel could not accommodate too many people, so I had to sleep outside the room. As a frequent traveller, such arrangement is not a problem to me. Only that I was attacked by mosquitoes, and waked up by the people who walked past me to go to the toilet outside the hostel. I didn’t sleep really well.


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21st Feb 2010: we were greeted by a nice view of Mt. Kinabalu in the next morning. The sky was clear and the weather seemed good.


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7:20AM: after a breakfast, the climbers were busy packing their backpacks. Each of them carried over 10Kg of weight. The 3 porters carried nearly 20Kg of supplies. These porters are tough ladies, and they were always in top 10 runner list of Mt. Kinabalu climbathon.


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Look at the photos of other Mt. Kinabalu porters above if you still have doubt. On the way to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu, you will see many of these porters overtake you and walk faster than you, though they carry very heavy stuffs. The climbers also regularly trained themselves for a long period of time in Tun Fuad Stephens Park. They ran a few laps up and down the hill of Tun Fuad, with 5Kg of weight. If you ask me to join the expedition, it would be a suicide mission for weak people like me.


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Lady climbers and guide taking group photo for the Centenial Climb.


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7:50AM: after the group photos, the climbers departed for the climb, but there was one last thing they needed to do before the ascent. A bobolian (high priest) would perform a ritual ceremony for the climbers. Now everyone walked to the ritual site, which was done inside the forest next to Kg. Kiau Nuluh.


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We were told that the ritual site was only 5 minutes away, but the walk took us 40 minutes.


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Everyone walked across the forest, slope, dense grasses and plantation. Part of the trail was narrow and on the slopes.


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Lastly, we entered a trail with very dense and low grasses.


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Finally we arrived the site of the ritual ceremony. The old man, who dressed in black, was the bobolian. He was already there with the offering ready.


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The bobolian would appease the mountain god of Mt. Kinabalu and pray for a safe journey for the climbers. The offering included 7 betel nuts, 7 eggs, 7 rolls of tobacco, etc, and there were six white chicken. Ok, everyone would tell you there were 7 chicken. But I counted carefully twice and found only 6 chicken. Probably 7 is a special number in Kadazandusun, so everyone presumed there were 7 chicken without actually verifying the number.


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When the group settled down, the bobolian started to pray for the climbers. The prayer took more than 10 minutes. I can’t understand the native language. Later a climber said the bobolian was requesting for protection from the spirit and would go after them if any harm was done to the climbers. Something like that lah. This sort of blessing ritual is common in Sabah. Before any big expedition and sport events that would be done in wilderness, bobolians would be invited to perform a ritual.


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Then six chicken were slaughtered to complete the blessing ceremony. The assistant of bobolian did the first 5 kills and Vicky Ng, as the expedition leader, did the last one. The bloody photos are inside the album. Do not look if you don’t think you will be comfortable with the scenes. Blood spit everywhere and even got on my lens and pant.


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One by one, six white chicken were slaughtered. Each chicken didn’t seem to aware of what was happening to their peers, until it’s their turn. The ladies also didn’t dare to watch and turned their heads away. After they returned from the expedition, they said all of them heard cackling sound in the bush behind them during that time. Whether it was the spirit, nobody can tell. Well, may be some will say they need to “see” the spirits to believe that spirits exist. Well, you can’t see oxygen then why you believe you inhale oxygen?


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Time to say goodbye after the ceremony. The climbers, guide and porters departed for the climb at 9:30am (20 Feb 2010). They successfully reached the summit of Mount Kinabalu at 14:20 on 24 Feb 2010, and came back safely. Congratulations to the ladies, you memang Boleh (can)!

Photos taken in Kota Belud, Sabah Malaysia

Climbing Senambung Hill

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Bukit Senambung (Senambung Hill) is the highest point of Pulau Banggi (Banggi Island). This pyramid-shape hill is covered with dense forest and its top offers an irresistible aerial view of whole Pulau Banggi, so you will get both climbing + jungle trekking experiences.

Bukit Senambung is located in Kalangkaman, about an hour drive from Karakit. It is advisable to use 4-wheel to run on this bumpy gravel path full of mud.


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You know you enter a very remote area when you see many Dusun Bonggi huts, which are made of wood and dry leaves, along the way. These are probably one of the few places you can see such primitive houses in Sabah. My car is probably the only vehicle on the road, and my camera caught a lot of dust while shooting. There are hundreds of coconut trees that seem like the primary crop of the locals.



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Senambung Hill is a class II forest reserve (commercial logging) managed by forestry department. The hill doesn’t look tall and steep, but this is a wrong impression. As we moved closer, we felt that we were so small. My expectation of a leisure and easy hiking was definitely too much.


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After registered with the ranger at the foothill, we started the climb. I was warned that the slope was quite steep and I should proceed cautiously and don’t try anything uncertain. The guide said we needed only 30 minutes to reach the top but we took over 2 hours!


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Most of the time we were climbing the slope with a steep of about 40 to 70 degree. Though tired, there were cool breezes that made me felt much better. I saw only one small leech on the way. Well, it will be very minor problem to bother with, when you feel so exhausted. Only one person was bitten.


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The trail was slippery, muddy and not tourist-friendly. Forget about your hundred dollar branded shoes such as Timberland and Camel, as they are not as good as a pair of RM7 (USD$2) “Kampung Addidas” (Village Addidas), a local made rubber shoe. The expensive hiking shoe is prone to catching mud, and it will become a “skiing shoe” in such trail condition. The worst thing was – I brought a fragile camera, so I had to walk like a pregnant woman. A walking stick can make a difference too.

Most already started to feel the body stress after 500 Meters, and we didn’t know how long was the trail ahead. To maintain my determination, I didn’t dare to look up. I only focused on the part in front, walked and climbed slowly. I thought the trail was only 1KM and it was a 1.8KM. I could see the beautiful blue sea through the trees. That motivated me to move on.


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“Why still hasn’t arrived? How far are we?” we kept on asking the guides. I brought two small bottles of water and one 100Plus (which helped a lot!), and a few energy bar. I finished all of them. Finally, I was so glad I made it to the top. “Is it the top?” I asked the guide, as if it was hard to believe that the hardship was over. I was rewarded a nice view from the top.

^dGJ$82^%&2XYZ…!!! Why they call Bukit Senambung a “Hill”? Senambung Hill is 529 Meters high so it needs another 71 Meters to qualify as a Mountain (600M), in UK standard. However, it is considered as a Mountain under USA standard (1,000 feet). Whatever, I am happy to reach the top of it.

Photos taken in Banggi Island of Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Mt. Kinabalu Stamps

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Last week (April 9) I bought the stamps of Malaysia World Heritage sites coz Mount Kinabalu was one of them. I got the first day cover, miniature sheet and post card (all shown below). Actually I had stopped collecting stamps since e-mail replaced postal mails. Though the e-mail is delivered in lightning speed, the mail inherits the coldness of technology and is lack of personal touch. Collecting stamps sounds like an out of fashion interest, so I was surprised there were stamp collectors already waited there before the post office opened. Without doubt, no young faces.

Collecting stamps was used to be my hobby during the old school day. I was so crazy that I went to a stamp stall in Gaya Street at 7am every week, coz the seller had very good collection of stamps. It was like a treasure hunting and until today I still can’t find the similar hobby that offers the same thrill. The old North Borneo stamps are my favourite, may be their old-style wood like pattern, in contrast to the colourful watercolor stamps today. Few years ago, I even went to eBay to bid for stamps. Well, probably I just wanted to get a feel of my old day happiness.

Stamp is like mini document that tells story about the past and present of a country. We need to know how to take care of the stamps. For example, we are supposed to move the stamps with tweeter instead of finger, because the sweat and oil on our skin will oxidize the stamps and make them turn yellow.

Though I seldom shop for stamps, I would be happy if anyone gives me some old Sabah stamps. The rare red cross and Japanese occupation stamps interest me the most, but they cost over thousand per set now.

The purpose of world heritage site is to protect and conserve the locations with history and scientific values. However, from what I read on the news, Malaysians see it as a $$$ business for tourism instead. Very fast the friendly contractors and developers will propose to build resorts and stuffs there.

Above are old North Borneo stamps about Mt. Kinabalu, the angle very different from today version right? I guess the pictures were based on the view from Beaufort. The modern stamps of Mt Kinabalu are usually the view from Kundasang and the top, which is not so accessible during British colony time. One of them is over 100 years old. The newer set is also about 50 years old. Hmmm… their designers are very lazy too, keep on reusing the same picture.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Trip to Batu Punggul – Part 3 of 3

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Continued from part 2…

Finally we were ready to climb Batu Punggul. At the beginning point of the climb, we could take a short trail nearby and “preview” Batu Punggul. Everyone was warned not to proceed when they felt they were not feeling confident to make it. Most chose to stay back.


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Unfortunately, my greed was stopping me to think twice about the challenge, as I had climbed Mt. Kinabalu a few times without problem. I didn’t foresee I would be defeated by a mountain that was so much lower. Look at the start of the trail (photo at left below), so scary man…


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The guide said it was only a 30 minutes route. However, that is their time, not ours. It was a climbing route almost vertically upward. We were really climbing with hands and ropes, soemtimes tree roots. Tell you, there is NO trail that is flat for walking. Probably the guides were trying to motivate us. They always said the top was only a few minutes ahead, so I climbed… I climbed… and I climbed, but I still didn’t see the top. The rock was hard and sharp. We just tried to get firm grip of it and pulled ourselves up inch-by-inch to the top slowly.


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This was one of the most punishing moment in my life. I started to be dehydrated after 30 minutes coz I was running out of water. However, I didn’t want to give up at this point so I just disregarded the warning from my body. This place is the worst nightmare for height phobia. A single mistake you would fall all the way down the hundreds foot drop under your feet. The guide kept on reminding us not to look under our feet, to ensure that we wouldn’t lose strength due to fear.


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Without the guide, I doubt if I can make that far. There were many “traps” along the climb. Some small tree branches fell between the rocks, then covered by leaves on top over time, forming a very weak structured often mistaken as firm ground. I once stepped on it and missed the step, causing my both legs hanging in the air. There were lot of vegetation that cut my jean and almost poked my eyes while climbing.


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After nearly an hour of climbing, the afternoon sun was shooting hot beam to us. At last I reached the top of Batu Punggul, but the highest point was still 30 minutes away. I was sitting at the edge of the cliff. The tree canopy and river looked so small under my feet, and I could see Tataluan Village far way. Due to dehydration, I felt that I was overheated and would pass out if I forced myself to continue.

Therefore, I had to admit that I was defeated by Batu Punggul at 12:45pm, though the highest point was not too far away. Actually anyone who regularly exercises can make it. It is only that I am too weak and seldom work out. I was making a few wrong decisions too, e.g. didn’t bring enough water, wearing heavy hiking shoes. It is also advisable to climb as early as possible in the morning so you won’t be exposed under harsh sunlight.

To get up there is challenging, but moving down is another nightmare. To prevent dehydration worsen, I had to stopped very often and rest under the shade, waiting for body to cool off to proceed. Facing down to see the height was so demotivating, I relied on the energy of desire for survival and back in one piece. Later the elder villager told me that the spirit didn’t permit me to climb. Somehow I had started climbing before he managed to bring me this message. They also said it would rain for 2 days if someone conquered the mountain, and it did rain heavilt later. Don’t know if these are true. Anyway, this shows that the locals strongly believe there are spirits living in Batu Punggul.


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Don’t worry. I am ok. Though I didn’t conquer Batu Punggul, at least I won’t regret for not trying. The next morning when I waked up for work, I found that the force of gravity has tripped. Driving a small car was like driving a 16-ton truck. I have uploaded all the photos of this trip. Hope you will like the photos that I “risked” my life to take.

Photos taken in Sepulot, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Trip to Batu Punggul – Part 2 of 3

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Continued from part 1…

We reached the foothill of Batu Punggul after 10 minutes of boat ride. We walked and climbed slowly uphill. Probably due to the rainy season, the forest floor was wet and the surrounding air was humid. At the beginning of the trail, I saw a few ground leeches fully extended their slimy and elastic bodies to the air, wiggling in excitement. But they were no longer a concern when we moved further away from the river side. I wished I could spend more time in this dense jungle coz you would find rafflesia here (biggest flower in the world).


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After 15 minutes of walking, we saw the entrance of a cave. This cave may have existed for thousands of years and created by limestone erosion. It is quite a big and deep cave. You can walk straight to the end without climbing up and down.


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There is a broken coffin of an ancestor near the entrance. Too bad it was not preserved properly and I wonder how it looked. But this tells us there were people lived here before. FYI, there is another Batu Tinahas about 20 minutes walk away from Batu Punggul. It has more complex (and dangerous!) cave system, which may interest hardcore climbers.

About 10 Meters inside is a low opening. I had to lower my body to go continue. It was very dark so I just followed the light of people in front of me. I heard a few bats flapping their wings flying near me. The air was getting stuffy, with smell of amonia came from the bat guan.

Then I entered a space as big as a hall. I could see light coming from the holes on top. According to the legend, Batu Punggul is a fossilized longhouse, so this cave is probably its rooms. A old monument-like object (photo at right below) was built to mark the territory of the past residents. In the dark, I was sure that I saw a white and blur figure walked into this pile of rocks, but nobdoy would believe what I’ve seen.


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We only wandering in the cave for 10 minutes then we moved on. You see. It was such a rush. I really had no time to explore this place in detail, not to mention setting up a tripod to shoot better photos. Anyway, I still took a lot of photos and I will show you the photo gallery tomorrow.


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Bird nest is no longer available in this cave. Very likely the nests were over-harvested, before the broods had a chance to grow and reproduce. However, the interesting rock formation inside is already worth a visit.


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Haha… a heart-shaped hole on top. But this place is not romantic at all. The locals told us that in the very old day, some people dragged the women to this cave, rapped and killed them. I might have just seen one of the spirits lingering in this cave. At this point, the journey was fun until I climbed Batu Punggul.

Continue to Part 3…

Photos taken in Sepulot, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo