Mount Kinabalu

I decided to do a separate posting on Mount Kinabalu …it wouldn’t be fair to lump it together with other sightseeing adventure yang I buat kat Kota Kinabalu…

I was so happy when I found out that we had a free day to roam around as we pleased, and without second thought, I said to myself – I nak tengok Gunung Kinabalu …I have heard so much about Gunung Kinabalu – since my primary schools days – sapa yang tak tau that Gunung Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Malaysia..in fact based on my readings, Gunung Kinabalu is one of the most prominent mountains in South East Asia and rated as the 20^th highest peak in the world in terms of prominence (according to Wikipedia)..ambik ngko …tinggi beb!

But when I first saw it, memang teruja …on our way towards Kundasang, tak berapa nampak coz it was hidden behind kabus tebal…but we did get a few glimpses here and there, and left us craving for more …but on the way back, the view of the mountain was magnificent, kabus dah mula berkurangan, giving us tantalizing glimpse of the mountain …the different shapes from different direction…

It is, for me, such a humbling experience…to be able to see the mountain which I have heard so much about, and standing at the foot of the hill and admired those who are lucky (and fit) enough untuk panjat Gunung Kinabalu … I have to be satisfied standing there and admiring the wonderful scenery…

FYI, Kinabalu National Park (at the foot of Mount Kinabalu) is located about 2-3 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu in the Ranau District– depending on traffic. Jalannya amat bengkang bengkok… If you go early, you would be able to see the mountain clearly sepanjang jalan ke Ranau (according to our guide) but because we left KK after 10 am, by the time we get near the area, kabus dah agak tebal and Gunung tak berapa kelihatan …Kinabalu National Park is also a World Heritage Site, kalau tak silap it was Malaysia’s first WHS sebelum Penang and Melaka…Definitely a place for nature lover….I was there sekejap sangat and definitely tak cukup masa to explore what the place has to offer….

On my flight back to Kuching, I was chatting to the guy sitting next to me…dia dengan bangganya tunjukkan sijil that he got selepas Berjaya panjat gunung …sampai Lower Peak aje katanya …but still, it must be a great experience…aku nie ntah le…bila le aku dapat panjat Gunung tu…hajat di ati ada, tapi keupayaan takde kah kah kah ….