Day 116-117: Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo

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Friday, May 22nd

We woke early to finish packing and have breakfast. We loaded our heavy packs onto our backs (to be honest, they're not that heavy, just bulky), checked out of the Trekker Lodge, and walked to the nearest Monorail station where we got a train to KL Sentral station. Here we asked for taxi fares to the airport but everyone we asked charged double what we paid for our taxi ride in the opposite direction. We walked on and found, to our delight, an AirAsia bus (for cheap cheap) heading to the LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal). By 8:30 we were on our way.

More than an hour later we finally arrived. During the ride we'd gotten rather nervous cause it took so long. We just hoped and prayed that we'd get there on time for our flight. We hurried to the check-in counter and arrived just before it closed. By the time our overweight bags left, the clerk told us we had 5mins to get to the boarding gate.

We ran.

When we got to the gate, however, it wasn't even open yet. Everyone was still waiting to board. What is with these airline employees? Are they uninformed or do they mess with us for fun? Remember that lady in Phuket who forced us to buy onward tickets before she would allow us to fly into Malaysia? In the end she had made an inexpensive flight to Borneo a rather expensive one (we had to change our flight date and had to pay a hefty penalty to do so). We decided (maybe it's stupid and dangerous) to ignore whatever airline employees tell us in future.

At 10:30 we left Peninsular Malaysia for Kota Kinabalu (KK) in Malaysian Borneo, two and a half hours east over the vast South China Sea. As we approached the mainland we saw patches of turquoise water where there's shallow sand banks and reefs. We also saw a few islands, and then, rising above the clouds, Mt Kinabalu. We had to circle the airport for 10mins because of air-traffic. Touch down was at 12:55. We had booked a night in Kota Kinabalu and with it came a complimentary airport transfer. After a phone call and a bit of waiting the mini-van arrived and took us to our hotel.

We were starving, so after checking in we walked around looking for lunch. By this time the red welts or bites or whatever they are were driving Ferdi nuts. His legs and feet itched like crazy. After a light lunch we retreated to our room to treat the itch and figure out exactly where in Kota Kinabalu we were.

Later in the afternoon we walked in the direction of the bus station to find out about buses to Kinabalu National Park. We walked right past it cause what they call a "bus station" we call a "tin shack". We did eventually confirm that a bus leaves from KK for the park daily at 8:30am. If the "bus station" is anything to go by, we're afraid to see the bus...

We walked back in the direction of the hotel and by now Ferdi was ready to scream and/or amputate both legs because of the itch. We got a few supplies for the hike up Mt. Kinabalu and also some fruit for dinner. While Talita browsed for the fruit Ferdi sat by the side of the road scratching like a flea infested dog. This drew some curious glances from the friendly locals.

At last we went home. After a shower and some ointment for the itch we did research and now suspect that Ferdi had been Bed Bug dinner the last few nights. We immediately quarantined the clothing he'd been wearing and just hope that the infestation hasn't gotten into our bags.

We had a quiet night in, planning our route after we finish Mt. Kinabalu.

Today's highlights:
1. Reaching Borneo.
2. Our first glimpse of Mt. Kinabalu.

Saturday, May 23rd

The walk to the bus station took about 30mins and even though it was early morning we were dripping with sweat by the time we arrived. We hadn't seen much of KK, which is a pity. The people are very friendly and apparently it's a real nice city.

We left KK at 8:40 on an old, dirty, medium sized bus with absolutely no shocks. For the first leg of the trip the bus traveled at speed and we bounced around like crazy, even becoming airborne at one point, which left Ferdi halfway on top of Talita. After a stop in a small town, we wound our way slowly into the mountains of Borneo, mostly screaming in first gear.

We got glimpses of Mt. Kinabalu as we wound through the hills. When we finally got a good view we had picked up speed again and was bouncing all over the place. Ferdi struggled to get a picture of the mountain which frustrated him to no end.

At 11am we arrived at park HQ where we paid for climbing permits and a guide. We would advise anyone who wants to climb to book three weeks in advance and not to use an agent. You can book accommodation on-line and arrange for a guide and permits when you arrive at the park.

We could only check in at 2pm so we walked down to the park cafe for lunch. When we saw the prices we just walked out. Buffet lunch cost RM50 per person excluding drinks! Luckily there was a local restaurant just across the road from the park entrance so went there and enjoyed a huge and delicious lunch with two iced teas each for RM23. Iced tea has become our new favourite drink. Not the Lipton type, but actual tea with milk and sugar (condensed milk is the best) and lots of ice. Mmmm... Yummy! We were feeling a little chilly and a glance at the thermostat showed a cool 25 degrees Celsius. Our bodies are definitely not used to anything below 30 anymore.

We sat around (well, Talita had a snooze on a bench) until 2pm then checked in to Grace Hostel. We had to walk about 10mins to the hostel and as we left HQ it started raining. When we were safely in the hostel it started pouring with rain. We hope it will clear up by morning. Even if it does, it's still gonna be a muddy hike.

We charged camera batteries and packed our little day packs with the gear we'll need, then had a spot of tea in the lounge. We were sharing a room with a Dutch couple, Jorn and Claudia. We started chatting about cameras, then diving, then traveling. We had dinner together and had a real good time.

Today's highlights:
1. Arriving in Kinabalu National Park.
2. Meeting Jorn and Claudia.

The biggest blessing we've ever received is each other.

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Photos

Local restaurant
... with quality food