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Published: March 1st 2008
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The most satisfying thing of the day? Having a giant pee first thing in the morning. After struggling to sleep because of the heat in the room, four sweaty bodies make a hot room even hotter. We took the heated room unlike the tinker from the day before, "freeze Leprechaun, FREEZE".
The view from the top is, as summised and told by other is simply not worth the effort. Its bitingly cold, raining, damp, dark, misty, you name it and thats what it is.
I had nightmares throughout the night. I hate going down, not in the way your thinking Gritter and Hughes (go eat some doughnuts Steve Bruce). Never confident on my feet I lack a little bit of balance, probably something to do with the goldfish in my milkbottle glasses getting in the way. Lucy and I start well and clock up about 40 mins for the first K and I have to say that I am actually enjoying the descent.
Whilst in the Kinabalu city we chatted to an English girl who was having as pants a time as us in Borneo and she told that she met a French guy called Christophe who needed a guide, emails were exchanged.
On the way down we started chatting to a French guy who tagged along with the two of us. After quite some time we asked him his name and yes you guessed it, it was him. Bizarre coincidence but its a small place planet earth.
Anyway, having gotten down about 2 k's many of the rocks we used yesterday to help us climb have fallen in the rain, much of the soil has turned to mud and a number of the wooden steps to help you have slipped away making the whole journey down a little more difficult.
My knees take a pounding every time you drop down a step, my ankle turns on several occasions and I start to not enjoy myself, funny how your mood can change when you are faced with falling 6km's down a mountain. Lucy takes a couple of tumbles and Christophe entertains us with his French accent and his questions about the words he hears people say. "mike, what does peezed off mean? If i am peezed off with Franck iz zees ruuuude?".
Leaving out new French companion a few minutes behind us as he struggles with a dodgy ankle (worse than mine) I hear the sound of the waterfall and know the end is near...just around the corner, over the bridge and were home.
No, its a river, great as that means there are still 2 clicks to go and this is so painful-yesterday was more harrowing as I knew I still have to come back down. Eventually, Lucy begins to learn to walk and stops falling on her fat arse and take the lead setting our pace slightly quicker and before we know it there is the waterfall!
Hearing the Rocky theme in my head I can see the pearly gates of the finish line, all that lies between me and it are the steps, Lucy and lack of energy. "No, fight it". I leave go of the handrail with a fresh enthusiasm and sprint, missing steps to get to the end. impressed with myself I am for getting that last bit of energy, almost as if i had punctured my leg with the epi pen giving me a huge shot of epinephrine...
The hike is over. I have now gained an sight into my own mind:
I hate walking more than ever
I hate mountains more than I ever did when I cycled
I hate being unfit
I know I will never push myself outside of the gym like this (5.5 hrs up and 4.75 down over two days when overweight and unfit)
I am happy with my ability to push myself to achieve this feat today.
Later talking with Christophe, I find out the that French Lonely Planet says that this climb is damn hard and not easy like the www. says.
Back in the hostel in KK I can relax and look foward to not being able to bend my legs or even function properly for the nest few days..
Back in the hostel I can carry on reading the Bourne Supremacy
Back in the hostel I can look forward to leaving Malaysia by bus on Sunday and the nightmare end
Back in the hostel I can look forward to sitting on a beach in Krabbi
Back in the hostel I can see how much my phone bill is because the Lloyds Wank keeps putting blocks on my card
And yes, they have blocked my card for the 3rd time in 6 weeks. I will collect call the from the airport and make sure I get several minutes of attention and rack up their bill like they have done with mine.
A massage is in order shortly and from the stories that I have heard, in some countries you get extras that you didnt ever ask for. "Lucy, here's 20p knock yourself out in the shops for a few hours doll, I may be sometime..."
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