Climb onto the roof of Malaysia

Our story will go to one of the most popular places in Malaysia — in Malaysian part of Borneo Island, less than 20 km  far from the line of the equator and over 4000 m altitude  — to Mt. Kinabalu, the roof of Malaysia and all south-east Asia. The peak of this mountain is one of the staples of Malaysian natural legacy and Malaysians proudly advertise it to the travelers. It is also one of the symbols of the country and is represented on the banknote of a local currency, the Ringgit. The mountain itself lies in the heart of Borneo’s rainforest; and the trip and climb to the peak is truly worth the time and money spent on it. The climb starts from the base camp in Mt. Kinabalu national park, reachable  in two and half hours of bus ride from Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of Sabah region

“The day was ours!”

Already from the road that swings through the tropical forest and farmlands, you can see the rocky peaks of this giant mountain. Covered in heavy clouds that dominate over the valley, they are full of tropical vegetation that falls over onto the narrow road from the spirited forest. Once you arrive to the park, a special guide will be assigned to you, and will spend next two days making sure you don’t get lost in the jungles.

On the first day you hike up through the rainforest to the summit camp located above 3000 m altitude, to get acclimatized to the altitude change, and of course prepare for the final battle for the summit that starts at night. The endless way up! It’s still quite hot, but as you gain the altitude it becomes chilly. The ocean is less than 100 km away, so water starts to condense quickly here, forming a foggy mist that creates a spooky feeling while going through the forest. Giant trees, covered with these massive epiphytes, vines and mosses, are full of life that you cannot see but can clearly hear. The jungles here are vibrant, dynamic and filled with life.

You are still scrambling up the steep slopes of the mountain, all covered in orange mud and overwhelmed with a variety of life forms surrounding you. The alternating types of forest meet you through the long scramble until you finally reach the rocky volcanic slopes, where the last camp is located. Here, above the 3000m altitude, you get an excellent view of the shoreline and small islands, dispersed in the south-China sea. The play of sunlight in between the gracefully traveling clouds is just incredible; you can literally see how weather is formed far  in the ocean. If you are lucky, you get to observe how the ocean storm forms and moves through, lightening-up the horizon.

Here you can get a dissent lunch and a few hours of sleep before the final ascent begins. At about 2 a.m. wearing headlamps in a deep darkness of the night, the climbers start their final battle for the summit. Needless to say, everyone wants to get to the summit first. However, this is not easy. More than 1000 m of rise to gain on the steep volcanic rock will slow many of them down; some will turn back without ever reaching the summit. Here is where the real adventure starts.

No words will describe the feeling you get when you climb over 4000 m altitude, submerged into a deep tropical night. If you gaze closely, you can see a thin line of lights running along the coast; it lightens up only at few cities on the horizon. The sky is right above you. You can almost extend your hand and touch it or, perhaps, reach the stars. Here on the equator you will see a number of the stars, only visible in either the southern or the northern hemisphere. Here the sky is like you have never seen before in your life. It is crowned with the Big Dipper to the North and the Southern Cross to the South. It all feels like walking on a different planet.

The summit is getting closer. More and more people are left behind and less remain between me and the summit; but not for too long. I am proud to say that amongst more than 100 climbers  who attempted to reach  the summit on that day I was the first to climb up to it. For long 20 minutes the top of the highest peak in Borneo belonged to none else but me.
The top of the summit is where climbers meet to observe the sunrise. Again, it is hard to describe what you can see here. The sun is lightening through the horizon, the first clouds are running into and breaking over the rocky ridges, and a huge shadow of Mt. Kinabalu that rises and falls into the valley extending far into the ocean. This is something one has to see to appreciate and compare.

More and more climbers are getting to the top. Many missed the sunrise, but the view is still spectacular — you could see as far as the Philippines. But the clouds are getting lower and  it is time to leave the summit and  to start for  the decent. “The day was ours!”

Kuala Lumpur City

The close positioning in respect to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, makes Malaysia even more valuable destination. Only few hours by a plane can take you anywhere nearby. The locals are usually friendly, and happy to have you as a valuable source of income to their country and, to their own budgets. Virtually everywhere, you go, you will bargain for almost everything. A few minutes of positive negotiations can save you tremendous amount of money; but if you are new to the country and aren’t familiar with the local prices, the folks will rip you off gladly whenever the opportunity will present itself.

Striking is the glitz and glam of Kuala Lumpur City center, with dazzling shopping malls and extravagant cars driving out of the famous Petronas Twin Towers, and the grim and poverty you can step into just few blocks away. The city is packed with gold-plated hotels and restaurants chasing after a high-end clientele; and next to them are the villages of fishermen, where every house, with no windows or doors, is set on half-rotten wooden lags above stinky water of small gulfs, almost sewers. Regardless of where their origin comes from, the people are proud of their culture and of what Malaysia has got to show to us as  tourists. And we love it — its natural heritage, its food and its people. It is all here for you. Overall, there are many places to go there and each one will feed you with the extraordinary flavors of South East Asia.  The society is absorbed in newest trends in almost every aspect of everyday life, but it managed to retain its own uniqueness, cultural identity, and preserve the tropical festive feeling of the region. Hot (35-37C°) and preposterously humid climate, warm monsoons that within minutes flood the roads and push rivers of water into sewers, dangerously delicious local cuisine and an enormous selection of fresh fruit and seafood will make your time here a very unique lifetime experience.