Langtang, Aku Terlentang

“…Jari-jemari terasa membeku, otot-otot kaki terasa sudah hilang. Suasana senja kini bertukar kebiru-biruan. Aku kini berada dalam kegelapan & hanya bertemankan salakan anjing dan unggas ditengah-tengah hutan tidak berpenduduk. Selangkah demi selangkah aku memerah kudratku memujuk kaki yang sudah hilang deria rasa selepas 9 jam bukit seribu lapisan di Langtang ku sukat. Perut pula sudah hampir sejam menunggu masa untuk memuntahkan lahar bertoksiknya, sudah beberapa kali saat-saat “getir” itu berjaya ku jinakkan. Aku mula mencari-cari jika ada “ruang” untuk melepaskan hajat si perut, mungkin juga tempat untuk bermalam. Ah ini kah tempat berakhirnya hayatku? Mati kesejukan…” – Langtang, Aku Terlentang

Langtang National Park, Nepal

Mount Kinabalu Climbing For The First Time – Part One

I went for mountain climb last October together with my fellow friends, Rade, Tokok, Rosli, Hatta and two lovely couple from Labuan. I’ve been working as tour guide for nearly 6 years in which i had explain and educate tourist to come again and climb mount Kinabalu. Its such irony to know that that was my first time climb our state (Sabah) most visited site which as enlisted as World Heritage Site by UNESCO November, 2000.

The decision to scale the mountain is generally not my idea, it comes accross after a good friend of mine, Rade asking me about the room availibility at Laban Rata (a resthouse which every climber should overnight before proceeding to the summit on the next morning, very early morning). Then things happens seems parallel when at the same time my brother announced climbing package with confirmed date. So we grab the package and thats how it began.

I’ve only managed to train physically just a few time in less than a month prior to the climbing date. I wouldn’t be able to have time for training if it wasn’t effort by Rade. For people that knows me well, i’m not physically fit, just imagine yourself carrying 25-30kg of additional weight all the time and that will be me.

We stayed at Rina Ria Lodge on our first night. This lodge locate about 500 metre from Kinabalu National Park. It provides several types of rooms, including dormitory. We were given quad room (4 person in a room). Free Wifi available at the cafe. If you forgotten to bring some of your climbing needs, you can get it here at their mini shops which happens to be their reception counter too.

Ria Ria Lodge Cafe

Rade & Rosli at Rina Ria Lodge

On the next day, we had our breakfast at the cafe. We went straight to Kinabalu National Park, meet the 2 loving couple before proceeding for mountain climb registration. At Sutera Sanctuary Lodges reception counter, after providing their booking reference number, you will be handed meals coupons and a form which need to be submitted at Sabah Park’s counter located on the next building.

American Set Breakfast at Ria Ria Lodge Cafe

At Sabah Park’s counter is where you will get your climbing permit. Just a quick tips here, the machine that print the climbing permit are not designed for long name, ask the officer if it allowed to put your name as short as possible prior before the permit printed.

Sutera Sanctuary Lodges Reception Building

At the same counter, located next to the permit counter is the mountain guide counter. For every climber that climb mount Kinabalu, it is mandatory to hire mountain guide to go along with you. One mountain guide for every 7 climber. The porter service, on the other hand is optional. The charges for porter depends on the weight of your stuff with minimum weight of 10kg.

We the proceed to KOKTAS counter to arrange our transport to Timpohon Gate, which is the starting point of the climb. There are 2 starting point you can choose from, Timpohon & Mesilau, which the later longer than the first about 2km. Before we went to the Timpohon Gate, we went to Balsam Restaurant to take our packed meal which consist of Sandwich, Apple and drinking water. Balsam Restaurant located just in front of Sutera Sanctuary Lodges reception building. Well, you can only see the roof if you sanding exactly at the reception building.

Bus to Timpohon Gate

It took about 10 minutes drive to reach Timpohon Gate. We were given safety briefing by our guide before we begin our journey scale the Majestic Mount Kinabalu on foot. The distance from Timpohon Gate to Laban Rate is 6km. There are rest hut along the trail almost every kilometre providing untreated water. I hiked every steps slowly as i need to store my energy on the second day climb, i must keep my self from any serious injury during the climb. Just about 1 hour of climbing, it was raining. The trail gets slippery with some trail looks like waterfall especially when reaching Villosa Hut & Paka Hut.

Group Photo – Image Stolen from Rosli Facebook 🙂

Safety Briefing By Our Mountain Guide

Ubah Shelter – Summit Trail

Along the summit trail, we have stopped on almost every resting hut just for 5-10 minute to at least drinks or just relax and keeping ourselves alive. Some of us even utilising this moment by posting an update through social media like facebook & instagram. We decide to have our packed meal at Layang-Layang Hut. Upon reaching at this point, we actually had gone almost 4km of the summit trail. Even the 2km to go seems to be much more nearer, but I’m really exhausted after this point. My leg began to sore, and every steps I took it seems to consume more and more energy, but I have no other choice than to finish what I just started, at least to make it to Laban Rata.

Laban Rata Restaurant

Laban Rata Restaurant

The rain continues until we reached Laban Rata Resthouse. It was 1620hrs now, I took about 7 hours to reach here. I can’t believe my self that i had finaly reach Laban Rata. My pants, socks and shoe were totaly wet, but that is not my main concern as I had another pair in my bag. The cafe will serving lunch at 1630hrs, its a buffet style, we decided to had our meals first before going to our room at Gunting Lagadan which is another 150m from Laban Rata. After the meal (the best lamb with black papper sauce I ever had), We spent about 3 hours at the cafe, endless hot coffee while enjoying beautiful sunset here. Everybody took photos with each other without even knowing who we are, and where we coming from, we have only one thing in common, that we had reached Laban Rata. It was the time of honouring ourselves as the inhabitants of Laban Rata of the day, who dare to go out from our comfort zone and seek for some adventure.

Me at Laban Rata

Hatta & Tokok

Sunset at Laban Rata

It was dawn and we need to use our headlamp to go to Gunting Lagadan. It took me nearly 20 minutes to reach there. It was cold and my legs start to sore. It was pleasure to know that there will be no more climbing for the day. Time to get good rest and rejuvenate. Like many of us, I didn’t take shower for the night as there were no hot shower. We stayed at quad dormitory bunk beds with sufficient power supply to charge our camera & phone. Well thats pretty long stories about my climbing experience, I will continue part two very soon.

Hotel Potala, Thangsyap Village, Nepal

Pengusaha penginapan berketurunan Tibet sedang memasak untuk hidangan sarapan pagi di rumah tumpangan milik mereka di “Thangsyap Village”, Nepal pada suatu pagi yang dingin berbekalkan stok makanan yang terhad. Selain kayu api, najis Yak yang telah dikeringkan juga turut digunakan sebagai sumber bahan api.

Hotel Potala merupakan salah sebuah tempat penginapan yang disediakan di Thangsyap Village. Ia merupakan salah sebuah tempat penginapan buat pengunjung sebelum meneruskan perjalanan ke Langtang Village dan Kyanji Gompa selepas seharian merentas hutan di banjaran Himalaya, Daerah Resuwa, Nepal.

Hotel ini penyediakan kemudahan asas seperti tempat tidur dan tandas. Bekalan elektrik yang terhad pada masa-masa tertentu menyebabkan pengunjung berada dalam kegelapan pada waktu malam. Setiap bilik hanya dibekalkan dengan sebatang lilin. Perkhidmatan sewaan selimut tebal juga disediakan bagi pengunjung yang tidak selesa dengan suasana suhu sejuk yang boleh mencecah sehingga -11°c pada waktu malam. Pengunjung boleh makan di ruangan yang disediakan seolah-olah sebuah restoran dengan pilihan makanan berdasarkan menu yang disediakan. Di ruang inilah biasanya pengunjung akan berkesempatan untuk berinteraksi dengan pengunjung lain, pemandu pelancong (malim gunung), dan “porter” selepas makan malam kerana hanya ruangan ini disediakan pendiang (Fireplace) kayu api untuk memanaskan badan.  Rungan ini akan bertukar menjadi bilik tidur bagi keluarga ini selepas semua pengunjung masing-masing berada di bilik mereka.

Selain penginapan, mereka juga memiliki 2 ekor kuda yang boleh disewa oleh pengunjung yang mengalami kecederaan otot atau ingin merasai pengalaman menaiki kuda di sana.

Soft Silence Morning In Nepal

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” 

–Marcus Aurelius