THE GIBBON EXPERIENCE

Of all the trips Nicole and Jesse had dreamed of prior to our departure from Canada, none excited them as much as the Gibbon Experience - a trek into the jungles of Northern Laos to live like, and hopefully see, some of these rare primates.

The descriptions and stories about this excursion were varied.  Some people loved the experience of living in a jungle tree house, other complained about insects, noises, and other jungle unpleasantries (more to come).  With so much written about the experience, it was difficult to go in with an open mind.  Nevertheless, after checking in to the Gibbon Experience's humble office in Huay Xai, there was no turning back.

For this leg of the journey, Nicole, Jesse, and Karen were joined by their friends Lyndsay (perennial costar of this blog), and Kora - another Canadian exchange student in HK.  Lyndsay and Kora had been in Southern Laos on travels of their own and had taken the slow boat up the Mekong river for two full days to meet up with the rest of the group in Huay Xai.




Day One

Leaving our duffle bags and backpacks at the offices, the group took off with small hiking packs and however much water they could carry for the three-day trip.

Kora, Lyndsay and Karen in the back of the trusty Toyota.

The first leg of the Gibbon Experience is a 3+ hour ride in the back of a pick-up truck from Huay Xai into the Bokeo Nam Ha Nature Reserve.  The truck is the real McCoy, outfitted for off-roading in the most extreme sense of the word.  Leaving the relative ease of the two-lane road behind, after two hours of travel, the truck took a sharp left, fording a broad and swift river and embarked on the second leg of the journey - the road to the end of the road.
Though it did not rain when Jesse and Nicole were in Laos, it had been raining for several days (if not weeks) prior to their arrival.  The road into the jungle went from asphalt to gravel to stone to mud - thick, fetid mud.  Mud so thick and greasy that it conjured up images of trenches in WW1.

It was inevitable, but after cresting several muddy hills, eventually our truck could take no more, and we were forced to walk up a particularly treacherous section of road that was too much for the truck to handle.  While Nicole and the girls struggled up the path, Jesse was left with the fun job: pushing the truck up the with the fleet of local guides we had brought for this very purpose.  Some time later, a bedraggled and filthy man joined the girls at the top of the hill.  Fortunately, this was the only instance of pushing - though the rest of the ride took some expert driving to negotiate the steep ascents and descents on the path.

When the going gets tough, the tough get pushing, and then get dirty.

 Eventually, the road spat us out in tiny jungle village that is the staging point for the jungle trek on foot.  Villagers picked up supplies from the incoming trucks, while groups of children played tag, and all manner of live stock walked amid the dozen or so huts scattered throughout the jungle clearing.  This was truly a scene from National Geographic. 

Despite its claims of zip-lining, tree houses, and jungle fauna, one thing the Gibbon Experience website did not mention was the extent of hardcore jungle hiking involved in this trip.  Our group opted for the "Waterfall Experience," which involved more than three hours of hiking on the first day before we started zip-lining.  Having climbed Mt. Kinabalu several weeks before, we felt that we could handle a bit of hiking.  We soon learned that jungle hiking was another beast altogether.

Not only were there uphill sections as steep as in Kinabalu (although mercifully shorter), these hills were covered in mud, and very slippery.  We crossed four rivers on our first day in the jungle, soaking our shoes and socks, and washing away whatever bug repellent we had applied, mostly to our feet.

Trying to avoid leeches, and one of the many river crossings.

 Why did we apply repellent to our feet, you may ask?  The answer is simple and disgusting: LEECHES.  Lots of leeches.  Nicole and Jesse had been warned about these blood-suckers that litter the jungle floor, but there was no escaping them.    These tiny creatures wriggled into your boots through the smallest holes, and could go right through your socks to get at your sweet sweet skin.

While Jesse and Nicole each had to remove a few leeches at the end of the day, by far the winner in the group was Lyndsay, who found a leech burrowed deep inside her bellybutton [INSERT ROOM FOR VOMITING].  If there is an upside to all of this it's that leech bites don't really hurt, although they bleed for quite some time.

Fortunately, just when spirits were low and nerves were on edge from the constant vigilance against leeches, we came to our first zip line, and the whole experience changed for the better.  Steel cables had been rigged throughout the park creating a network of spectacular zip-lines.  Instead of going from canopy-to-canopy, as Jesse had originally though, the zip-lines crossed entire valleys, providing spectacular views from heights more than 100 meters in the air.  The thrill of zipping along above the jungle, dangling from nothing more than a harness, was exhilarating - and was a much-needed break from hiking.

 Sweet relief from hiking!  By far the best part :)

 Not our treehouse, but they all look the same.

Eventually, the group hiked up to a zip-line that spanned some 75 meters - a very short trip - but ended in our home for the night, Tree House 5.  These tree houses are really something to behold.  Tree house 5 is a two-storey structure in the canopy of a massive tree, some 90 or so feet in the air.  The top floor was the living/sleeping area (complete with a kitchen sink, table and chairs, and bedding) while the bottom floor was the toilet and shower.  Nicole and Jesse both agreed that it was a thrill to shower in the buff while enjoying an amazing view of the jungle sprawled out below.  This was pure heaven to wash away the sweat, mud, and other detritus from the day's grueling toils.  Oh!  As a bonus, Jesse also found two more leeches feasting on his knee!

Pretty decent fare for a jungle, no?

Getting food into the tree house is a somewhat complicated procedure.  Each tree house is serviced by a rudimentary kitchen that is generally within a kilometer or so.  Our guides, Pia and Jerga, left us with some delicious jungle fruits to eat, then zipped off to prepare a more substantial meal.  Some time later they returned with a massive portion of sticky rice (a staple at every Laotian meal) and four different simple dishes of steamed vegetables and some sort of meat stew.  Jesse was the only one who ate the stew.

At this point, it is of note that the group of 5 had been joined by three more travelers to round out the pack.  Three twenty-something British girls celebrating the completion of their undergrad degrees were paired up with the plucky Canadians to share the Gibbon Experience and their tree houses.  These girls were lovely, and their complete lack of any jungle-worthy attire made for some good laughs - especially when the Brits had to clambor up the muddy hills in their slip-on boat shoes!

After dinner and a few games of cards (none of which Jesse won - as usual Nicole was very successful) the motley crew ran out of steam and it was time for bed...but not before a visit from our other roommates, the massive spiders that lived in the thatched roof of our tree house.  These were big, well-fed, hairy critters whose eyes glowed in the dark.  Thankfully they were harmless to humans.  Nevertheless, everyone made sure their mosquito nets were tucked tightly under their mattresses before bedding down for the night.

 CREEPY!

 Not a bad view to wake up to :)

Day 2

 Nicole, Jesse and Lyndsay getting ready to zip out.

The second day in the jungle started early, with Pia and Jerga zipping in with a light breakfast and instructions to pack up everything and get ready to move out.  In their rudimentary English skills, the guides told us we would spend the morning hiking to and from the waterfall, where we would stop for lunch, and then make our way to our second tree house - a trip they estimated at maybe two hours, mostly downhill.  It was at this point that our naive trust of our guides began to melt away as they turned out to be abject liars.

The trek to the waterfall was great - which is to say mostly downhill with a couple sweet zip-lines.  On arriving, we were somewhat disappointed with the waterfall itself.  Tucked far back behind a murky lagoon in a position that prevented all photographic opportunities, the waterfall was maybe 10-15 feet in height.  Some fun was to be had trying to climb it, but the rocks were slippery and the current was quite strong.  In the end, the waterfall ended up being a very refreshing shower and a good chance to take a load off of our weary feet.

 Outdoor meal before swimming at the waterfall.

 After lunch, we began our "easy hike" according to our motherless, double-talking, quacks of guides, Pia and Jerga.  We slogged through the rainforest for hours, seeing no monkeys but lots more mud and leeches.  Hiking in the late morning, we bore the full brunt of the jungle's humidity and our clothes were saturated with sweat in no time.

Highlights of this leg, however, included a ride on the longest zip-line in the whole park - an extremely fast flight of more than one kilometer in length.  By this point, Nicole and Jesse were much more comfortable on the zip lines, and were able to reach higher speeds and come in with graceful landings.  Again, when spirits were lowest, we reached our next home, Tree House #6 several hours later.

 Nicole zipping out of Treehouse #6

 With a few hours of sunlight left, the group left their heavy packs in the tree house and zipped away for some unfettered flights on the zip lines.  Tree House #6 is situated in the middle of a network of many zip lines, so the group really enjoyed their afternoon with flight after flight.

 By dinner time on the second night, the group was beginning to tire of their rations of steamed or fried vegetables and white rice.  Although the taste was mundane, the carbs and simple salts were what our bodies were craving after long hours of hiking.

Tree house life!

 The rest of the night was spent playing cards, discussing nuances of British accents, and dreaming of cheeseburgers, well-cooked steaks, and basically anything other than cooked vegetables and rice.

 View from Treehouse #6

 Stinging ants!

 On this night, Jesse and Nicole took a small bunk on an upper level of the tree house.  The view of the jungle was amazing, but it came at a cost.  A horde of large yellow ants also called the upper bunk home, and despite his earlier lies, Jerga assured us these ants were aggressive and packed a walloping sting.  Fortunately, Nicole and Jesse made it through the night unmolested.

Day 3

Leaving Tree House #6 for the long journey back to "civilization" was bittersweet, as we expected.  The travelers genuinely loved roughing it in the trees for a couple nights, but the hard living was just that - hard.  The group was not fortunate enough to have seen any gibbons.  The monkeys are rare, and the combination of a huge jungle for them to hide in and very loud zip lines, makes sightings a very fortunate event.

Our pig-dog, untruthful guides, Pia and Jerga, told us the hike back out would be about an hour or two of hiking and zipping, then another two hours of just hiking, mostly downhill back to the village where it all began.

As it turns out, our outstanding guides, Pia and Jerga, were mostly right about this one.  Day 3 was dry, and the leeches had either shriveled up, or returned to whatever cesspool that came from.  The hike was actually mostly downhill (after a few massive climbs to start the day), and the promise of a hot shower put some fire under our heels as we hiked out of the jungle.

Our guide Jerga with our ride home, one of the many village pigs, and some of the village children.

 We arrived back in the village just as the trucks arrived to pick us up.  On leaving the village we spotted the new crew of Gibbon adventurers who had just arrived on the jeeps.  Wide-eyes and clean-clothed, these n00bs had no idea what they were in for.  Instead of scaring them with tales of arachnids and blood loss, we simply told them that the Gibbon Experience was an amazing adventure and that they should put their game-faces on and get ready to have a great time.

To Laos and Back Again

Part 1: Hong Kong to Huay Xai

Having returned to Hong Kong this past Monday, there have been several days of reflection on what has been the most action-packed trip to date.  In twelve days, Nicole and Jesse made from Hong Kong, through Northern Thailand into Laos, and back again.  The best part is that the trip went off without a hitch, and much better than we had planned.  Here's why.

In the previous post, we estimated it would take at least two days of constant travel to get to Huay Xai.  This turned out to be an overestimation, and allowed Nicole and Jesse to spend a few more days in the Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai than they had hoped for.

Weary travelers at Hua Lamphong Station

After an uneventful flight to Bangkok, the travelers arrived at Hua Lamphong - Thailand's Grand Central Station - only to find out that all of the sleeper cabins were sold out for the overnight trip to Chiang Mai, and only 3rd class seats remained.  Fueled by fears of of missing a connection later in the trip, and eager to avoid spending a night in the seedy neighbourhood near the train station, they sucked it up, put on a brave face and bought tickets in 3rd class.

Our glamorous transport to Chiang Mai

To complicate things, Jesse and Nicole were to meet their friend Karen who has arriving from Tokyo, where she is also on exchange.  The "plan" was to meet Karen at the train station and take a train departing at 9 or 10.  To make a long story short, Karen arrived at the station literally moments before the last call for the train's 6pm departure (thanks to every other train being sold out for the night).

The seats were tiny (especially for Jesse), but the girls managed to get a few hours of sleep in.  Nevertheless, after arriving in Chiang Mai, the group decided to treat themselves to a day of rest and relaxation before heading North again to get to Laos.

After booking a room at a very nice Thai guesthouse, explored Chiang Mai's old town for a few hours.  With a history dating back to the twelfth century, Chiang Mai boats many Buddhist temples, showcasing Thailand's unique interpretation of Buddhism and vibrant monastic culture.

Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai.  This one favoured elephants

To cover more ground, the group hired a tuk-tuk (the bastard child of a taxi, motorcycle, and a mobile travel agent) to see the sights of Chiang Mai for a day.

First, the group went to Tiger Kingdom to play with tigers.  This attraction is home to twenty or so cats of all ages, from newborn cubs (6 weeks old) to fully grown adults.  You can buy packages to spend time with the tigers based on their size.  The group went for the newborns and the adults, skipping the mediocre teens.

Now who's at the top of the food chain?

After talking with some Dutch volunteers, the group learned that none of the tigers were drugged (which is usually a concern at these makeshift zoos), and that they were treated quite well.  Reassured, the group enjoyed their time with these animals.  Thankfully the tigers were more interested in sleeping and getting tummy rubs than in satisfying their preternatural desire to murder everything that moves.

From the tigers, tuk-tuk driver Kat took us to some waterfalls down the road.  The falls were gorgeous, and it was very refreshing to take a few steps in the river on the hot day.

Jesse and Nicole at the waterfalls (not pictured)

After a Thai lunch, we ended our day with a proper Thai massage - our first of the trip.  For the uninitiate, Thai massages are a perverse mix of pleasure and pain.  A Thai masseuse/dominatrix/gymnast bends and contorts your body to stretch your muscles.  When a muscle is being stretched, said masseuse will proceed to punch or jab or otherwise savagely beat you until the muscle loses all feeling and relaxation is finally attained.  In truth, it was a great experience.  Even though there were some painful moments, you walk (hobble) away genuinely refreshed and feeling loose.

Unbeknown to the travelers prior to their journey, there are about a million great ways to get from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong, the gateway to Northern Laos.  While we had been haunted by visions of long trips on sketchy public buses, in reality, every single guesthouse books minivans that make the five-hour trip regularly.  We avoided the hassle of public transport and booked a ticket North for the next day for roughly CDN$20 - not too shabby.

The five hours in the bus passed without incident, and the group arrived in Chiang Khong just after sunset.  With no real plan for accommodation, they booked a room at the first place they could find: a tiny no-frills guesthouse just off the city's lone main road.

Looking across the Mekong at Huay Xai

Chiang Khong and Huay Xai sit on opposite banks of the Mekong, a muddy, fast flowing river starting in China and winding its way through Southeast Asia.  There is not much to say about Chiang Khong, as most travelers use it as a staging point to get into Laos.  One small point - we had the WORST Thai food in history.  The pad Thai tasted like a barnyard.  We left after one bite, and Karen was ill the next day.

The border crossing to Laos is noteworthy.  Canoes with car engines strapped to the stern ply the Mekong regularly.  The current is very strong, so these boats angle up river and gun the engine to travel in a parabolic line across the river.  After waiting a half-hour or so at passport control for our Laotian visas to process, the group had made it to Huay Xai at long last!

Long-tailed boats waiting to take people across the Mekong into Laos

The wild ride to Laos!

Leg one of the journey - and really the most dull leg - was a complete success and right on schedule.

Off Again - The Long Way to Laos

Our latest spell in HK has really blown by.  Just as soon as Nicole recovered from her stomach ailment, Jesse came down with a doozy of a stomach bug that is just clearing up now.  It has been a trying week for both of us, and we probably deserve a vacation. DON'T KILL US!!  Of course, we jest.

This next journey is the only one we had planned before we departed Canada.  It's a trip into the jungle of Northern Laos to do the Gibbon Experience.  This nature conservation project takes place in the Bokeo Nature Reserve and involved jungle trekking, a canopy zip-line system, a jungle waterfall, and if we're lucky, a chance to see some gibbons.

The main downside of doing a trip this remote is the time involved in getting there.  Here is our game plan, followed by a short video Nicole put together for visual reference.  Note that despite the short distance on the video, the poor infrastructure in this part of the world make even short trips take forever!

Tomorrow, we fly into Bangkok, Thailand.  From there we hope to catch an overnight train to Chiang Mai.  From there a bus (or two) to Chiang Khong, followed by a short boat ride across the Me Kong river into our destination, Huay Xai, Laos.  Please note that after extensive research, this appears to be the easiest and most direct way of getting to Huay Xai!!

Enjoy the short video, and we'll have something substantial for you to read and see when we get back on October 25.

Until then - we're off again!

Borneo Part 2: Moby Dick -or- The Whale

If you thought that a mole-hill like Kinabalu would scuttle the rest of the travelers' weekend plans, you would be only partially right, but mostly wrong.  The switch to the Best Western turned out to be a stroke of genius, and the hot showers that night surely drained most of the hot water supply for all of Kota Kinabalu.

In Borneo, however, there is no rest for the weary, so after a (somewhat painful) bone-tired sleep, the travelers psyched themselves up for the next adventure: a day of snorkeling on tropical beaches.

This plan was a further stroke of genius, as about the only physical feat Nicole and Jesse could accomplish the day after hiking the mountain was drifting aimlessly on the current and crawling out onto the sand to work on their suntans.

In the gorgeous turquoise waters off the coast of Kota Kinabalu lie several tiny islands that make for ideal day-trips.  The travelers booked an excursion with a local tour company and the day would not disappoint.

The beach at Sapi Island

We started with a boat ride to tiny Sapi island, little more than a bump covered with jungle and a pristine beach.  Although Nicole and Jesse were skeptical that all snorkeling would take place within about 50 meters of the beach, their concerns were more than assuaged with what turned out to be an overwhelming diversity of marine life just feet from the shore.  As soon as they walked the first few meters into the water, schools of colourful fish swarmed them, and the fish were not shy at all!  A few meters deeper and the divers entered a full-out coral reef just feet beneath the water's surface.

As the tropical sun beat down on a perfect beach day, the travelers enjoyed the aquatic show for hours.  They saw bright coral, angel fish, and even Nemo-esque clown fish at home in their protective sea anemones.  The visibility was great, and the water was shallow enough that they were able to witness the full spectacle.

Nemo the clownfish!

Incredible diversity of fish on the reef

Returning to shore, the wildlife show did not stop.  One of the main selling points of these day tours is the all-you-can-eat buffet lunch (again, much to Jesse's liking).  The smell of cooking meat attracted a massive monitor lizard from the forest, who begged for and then ate scraps.  This was easily the biggest lizard that Nicole and Jesse had even seen, and certainly would have sent Jesse's mother and Aunt Phyllis into fits, once they came to.

From Sapi Island, the tour moved on to Mamutik Island, just a short boat ride away.  It was on Mamutik that the travelers enjoyed their buffet feast, and, after a brief constitutional to aid digestion while doing a bit of exploring, it was back into the water.  The fish at Mamutik were even more numerous, and the travelers really enjoyed being a part of the school as the fish were far from shy.

Angel fish on the reef

 The tour wrapped up with Jesse and Mike joining the locals in a game of beach volleyball, on a net strung between two trees.  Jesse really enjoyed getting back on the court, and his native teammates were thrilled to have some imported talent.  It was a far cry from his professional days, but the stakes were high (three beers per person per game), and this was more than enough motivation for Jesse's team to throttle their opponents.

Given the hike the day before, it is shocking they achieved this altitude

Returning to the shore, the group took generous advantage of the good exchange rate and cheap local labour by indulging in much needed full body massages, which cost only $11 for an hour.  Although Nicole was far too sore to let anyone lay hands on her, she treated herself to a manicure/pedicure - a little pampering was in order after conquering that peak!

A fishmonger with a massive lobster

From the massage parlor, we hobbled towards the night market, which is fast becoming one of Nicole and Jesse's favourite photo spots on their trips.  The sights and smells were overwhelming, and the locals were eager to show off their wares - perhaps too eager.  As alluded to in our last post, Nicole's craving for sweet sweet mango got the best of her, and she ate a huge bite of the fruit from one of the market stalls...likely a fruit that had not been washed.  The fever started about a full day after this small indiscretion, and poor Nicole was sick as a dog for several days after our return to Hong Kong.  She is fully recovered now, but has learned a valuable lesson about eating in foreign countries!

Tempting but deadly.  You can see the culprit being cut in the top right.

The next morning we took in the Sunday street market before heading off on another jungle adventure.  Nicole kept her hands to herself this time, and the group enjoyed the crowded scene.  The girls bought beautiful sarongs, and Mike found his girlfriend some kind of trinket to send by mail. 

Nicole in the Sunday street market

The travelers made it back to their hotel in time to prepare for their next adventure, this time to the Klias River, some two hours from Kota Kinabalu.  The river is known for its population of proboscis monkeys and the late-night spectacle of fireflies.

These monkeys look ridiculous, with bulbous noses that get bigger as they age.  The dominant males have massive snouts that flap down over their mouths.  After a few minutes of futile searching, our guides happened upon their first troop of monkeys and there was no looking back.  This river is apparently lousy with simians and we could drive more than a couple minutes up river before stopping to snap photos of another troop.

A troop of proboscis monkeys at the Klias River

 Our weekend in Borneo coincided with a Chinese national holiday, so there were many many Chinese tourists around delighting in the monkey-show, not to mention Nicole's Caucasian good looks and Jesse's trans-mundane height.

Just a hunch, but I think these Chinese tourists have spotted something in the trees.

  After a brief stop at a river lodge for dinner, it was back onto the river to see the fireflies.  Again the travelers were skeptical because we have fireflies back home in Ontario.  However, like most things in Borneo, we do NOT have fireflies like this.  There were so many fireflies that the trees seemed to dance with lights; so many fireflies that the group was certain they had been dosed with LSD at dinner; so many fireflies that...well, you get the point.  Sadly, fireflies do not photograph well, so you're going to have to take our word for it.

Nicole spent our final hours in Borneo in bed, while Lyndsay and Jesse picked up some souvenirs and sent some postcards.  Departing Sabah, we got one last look at this totally wild and rugged island from the plane.  The ominous clouds still shrouded Mount Kinabalu, and the tropical sun still beat down on the tiny coastal islands.  Even with the sickness, the soreness, the fatigue, the exhaustion, and the sun burns, Jesse and Nicole still consider Kota Kinabalu to be their best trip to date, and would gladly go back without hesitation.

Nicole and Jesse exploring the coral reef

Borneo, Malaysia: A Tale in Two Parts

Part One: Mount Kinabalu - or - The Crucible

Mark Twain famously said: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

This oft-quoted passage stirs those infected with the travel bug to put their fears aside and strike out into the great unknown in search of new adventure.  It is with this spirit that Nicole and Jesse embarked on their latest journey, a trip into the heart of primeval Borneo to hike up one of the tallest Mountains in Southeast Asia.  One wonders how Mr. Twain's quote would have changed if, instead of a few measly waves, he was faced with 13,435 feet of treacherous rain forest terrain and a granite-capped summit.

Mount Kinabalu is a legitimate mountain, although it is considered to be one of the most accessible mountains to climb.  This relative accessibility is the reason that novices like Nicole and Jesse are allowed to try to scale this peak.  For reference, below is a picture Nicole put together to show the scale of Kinabalu.

Our passion really brought the capacity crowd to its feet

Arriving in Kota Kinabalu (KK), the travelers, accompanied by their friends Lyndsay Hatlelid and Mike Atlas, spend a restless night in a dingy backpackers' hostel a short walk from the airport.  KK is a relatively large city on the Malaysian Island of Sabah, a landmass that is shared with the autonomous and oil-rich nation of Brunei.  The island is dominated by some of the most dense rain forest in the world, and running from North to South is the Crocker Mountain Range.  Since the land slopes all the way down to the ocean, you really get the full view of the mountain, although the summit is generally shrouded in dark and foreboding clouds.  The night before the climb was spent singing karaoke at the Borneo Bar, entertaining the locals with stirring renditions of classic Pop tunes from the '90s. The food and drink were mere distractions from what was really on everyone's mind: Mount Kinabalu.

Day 1: The Trek to Base Camp

The view from the trail head.  We had to go the rest of the way on foot.  

The average climber does the Kinabalu trek in two days.  Day one is a grueling six kilometer slog uphill over a series of slipshod stairs and loose rocks.  From the moment Nicole and Jesse set out on the trail, they knew they were in for a serious challenge.  First of all, these are not your average house-stairs.  These are rough-hewn, uneven, root-entwined, demonic slats forged by Lucifer himself!

On the grind up the "stairs"

OK.  Fine.  While that may have been an exaggeration, these stairs were more than we bargained for.  Nicole had a devil of a time with some of the steps that were two or three times as tall as an average house-step.  You try going up stairs three at a time...for a full day...and tell us how you like it!

Hiking uphill, in a river, in the pouring rain.  Awesome.

The day one hike was extremely taxing on the lungs, as the relentless climb went on for over five hours.  The upside was that Nicole and Jesse were hiking through a beautiful rain forest, and that every water break gave them a chance to check out the dense foliage and mountain streams and waterfalls.  They continued on a steady, if exhausting, pace for the first four kilometers of the hike before things got truly interesting.  At kilometer four, the skies opened up, and just when it seemed that hiking uphill couldn't get any harder, they were proved wrong.  Very wrong.

Quite literally we hiked uphill in a river.

As the hikers took shelter in a rest hut, the torrential downpour raged on with no sign of stopping.  The hiking trail went from rock-strewn to river bed, and a deluge of water cascaded down the path.  Our fearless guide, Jo-Jo, assured us that this torrent was the best way up the hill, so, not wanting to spend the night under a corrugated lightning rod, the now drenched hikers soldiered on in the pouring rain.  The hike was much more challenging at this point, both physically and mentally.  Each one of the hikers questioned their sanity, and their decision to forgo Borneo's pristine beaches in favour of this god-forsaken crag.  As frigid muddy water sluiced between their toes, thoroughly soaking their hiking gear, the hikers had no choice but to put one foot in front of the other. This cheery excursion kept up for a solid hour and a half before the rains subsided and the group was able to joke about what they had just been through.

Mercifully, and likely through hard-earned experience, the park rangers had installed rest-stops at regular intervals along the trail.  These had benches to rest your legs, a basic toilet (for those suffering from travel ailments), and vats of untreated water.  After thumbing their noses at the first two of these water sources, claiming that they would never drink untreated water, by the time their water supply ran out at kilometer four, you better believe the hikers were chugging that mountain water like Dick van Dyke at the fountain of youth.  Little did we know that the untreated water was the least of our digestive worries on this trip.

The group, and our 'hitch-hiker' Felix, a quick-witted and courageous Australian youth.

Five-and-a-half hours after the ordeal began, we stumbled into our base camp for the night, Laban Rata, the main lodge on the hill.  Six kilometers from the trail head at an elevation of 11,000 feet, Nicole and Jesse began to feel the first effects of altitude sickness as they pushed the last few meters towards the lodge.  Fortunately, the main symptom at this stage was euphoria, making their arrival at camp, and the end of the day's hike, that much sweeter.  At this point, it didn't even matter that Laban Rata was experiencing a power shortage and the hot water supply had been cut.  There was a roof, and there were walls, and sometimes that is enough!

Laban Rata: A sight for sore eyes!

Perhaps the mountain spirits pitied the weary travelers for their hellish ordeal on the way up, but in any case, as the group arrived at Laban Rata, the clouds evaporated, and the group was able to enjoy a hearty meal (yes, full buffet - much to Jesse's liking) and watch the world-class sunset as the sky lit up wonderfully and the sun dipped into the South China Sea. Having started the day at 6am, and traveled uphill to 11,000 feet, the group retired to bed at 7:30pm.  Don't make fun: part two of this story starts at 2am the following morning.

Sunset over the Sabah jungle

Nicole and Jesse from the deck at Laban Rata

Day 2: To the Summit and Back

Hiking in the dead of night

The alarms started ringing at 2am, but before that time most of the group had been awoken either by indigestion or the sound of 50 or so other hikers waking up and going through their morning routine.  On Mount Kinabalu, day two of the hike starts in the pitch black with the hopes of making it to the summit in time to see the sunrise.  There are several important variables to this outcome.  First, you must be able to reach the summit, a journey of some 2.7km, in about three hours - no mean feat.  Second, fate must smile on you so that your sunrise is not ruined by pouring rain, snow, or cloud cover (as we were told happened the day before).

As if uphill hiking was not challenging enough, the midnight hike had a list of challenges that read like a list of Biblical plagues.

Darkness - our headlamps were invaluable, as the trail was certainly no easier.

Fatigue - our legs were feeling a little stiff, but our minds were barely awake as we started the climb.

Altitude - our lungs craved oxygen, but there was little to be found.  Our breathing and pulse rates increased far beyond what they would be at sea level.

Treachery - not by harlots or even strumpets, but by treacherous precipices.  After about 45 minutes of climbing stairs, the climbers reached the end of the tree line, and began their ascent on the bare granite, using ropes to haul themselves up the hill, and around thin ledges overhanging steep cliffs.  Fortunately, being that close to danger will jolt you out of bed faster than a morning coffee, so after this started, the fatigue was less of an issue.  Nicole got her second wind, and was able to make up lots of ground, despite huffing and puffing as her body strained for air.  The hike became frustrating in the pre-dawn light as it was difficult to tell where one section of climb would end, and whether there might be any flat ground to provide some reprieve (there wasn't). 

A wise man once said "The top is better than the bottom; so, much better."  This man has obviously never scaled a mountain.

Success!  A beautiful sunrise from Low's Peak

The mountain saved the hardest for last, as the final 150 meters to the summit was a scramble up a boulder-strewn cliff to reach the tiny point of Low's Peak at an altitude of 13,435ft.  The timing could not have been better as Nicole and Jesse set foot on the summit just as the sun started to creep above the horizon.  They savoured the top while enjoying the gorgeous view of the sunrise over the thick jungle and mountains.  The clear downside to spending time at the top was the frigid cold.  Although they had been warned, it was hard to imagine intense cold while standing in a tropical rain forest.  Nevertheless, pellets of snow flecked the faces of the hikers, and their gloves, which were more for protection from the ropes than the elements, offered no help from the cold.  Although it was nice to take a load off their feet, the climbers could not stay at the summit longer than 15 minutes before they lost feeling in their fingers and toes, and had to flee to lower, more hospitable, altitudes.

Proof: We made it!!

Scrambling back down from the summit.

Fortunately, the sun quickly warmed Nicole and Jesse up, and they were able to enjoy the hike back to Laban Rata , and the gorgeous views of the summit trail looking out over the Borneo rain forest.  These views really made their efforts worthwhile, and the rush of accomplishment gave them some energy which they spent on taking some great photos of the walk back down.

Some of the amazing scenery on the summit trail

Jumping for joy!

Whereas day one was a 6km hike, day two held a total of 11.4 (2.7km uphill, plus 8.7 downhill).  While the downhill hike may have been less taxing on the lungs, it was definitely a lot harder on the legs and knees.  Hikers take the same trail up and down the mountain, and those same stairs that tormented our glutes on day one now devastated our quads on day two.  The hiking poles Nicole and Jesse carried were a wise investment (especially since they cost only CDN$3.50 in the Hong Kong night market!).  However, no hiking pole could help avoid the pain and monotony associated with a grueling 5 hour descent.  The rains on the previous day had soaked an already precarious trail, so the hikers were forced to choose their path wisely proceed with caution - this only served to prolong the climb down.

Nicole an Jo-Jo make their way down

For most of the way down, we were silently taunted by groups of porters climbing the trail carrying massive loads up to base camp.  These men and women put our puny hiking packs to shame by dashing uphill carrying food, supplies, and even propane tanks on their backs.  While this sight truly made Nicole and Jesse feel a little out of shape, even this is nothing compared to another yearly activity that takes place at Kinabalu: the mountain race.  Mountain runners gather in October to literally race up the same trail that tormented Nicole and Jesse for two days.  However, these athletes are able to do the same trail in a matter of hours, with the world record holder clocking in at 2h40m UP AND DOWN.  On one hand, this fact put our suffering in perspective, but this only increased our admiration for these athletes without taking anything away from what was really a trying couple of days.  Our fearless guide Jo-Jo himself has completed the race in 3h30m, off of the record time, but still an outrageous feat.  No wonder our pace utterly bored him.

Lyndsay shimmying down the ropes and enjoying the view

As a local resident, Jo-Jo knew where to find some of the natural wonders of the Borneo jungle, and though the rain had deterred him on the way up, on the hike back down, Jo-Jo led Nicole and Jesse down a side-trail to see some pitcher plants.  These flowers, which apparently come in a great variety of subspecies throughout Borneo, eat insects and small reptiles, which they lure with a sweet liquid they secrete.  They prey enters the flower, but gets stuck in the sticky syrup, and cannot climb the walls as they are slick.  This particular plant had about ten active flowers and a few others that had withered.

And so, just under five hours after the final departure from Laban Rata, some 6km further down the trail, Nicole and Jesse caught up to Lyndsay and Mike at the trail head gate, ending their mountain adventure.  Their legs were shaking and their knees were screaming, but their sense of relief was immense as they knew they had accomplished something together.  Despite all of the hardship, in the end, everyone was ecstatic, if a little beat up, and the bad weather on day one only made their story that much more entertaining.

Catching a taxi for a two hour ride back into Kota Kinabalu, the hikers swore to forsake their backpacker's hostel and find a proper hotel with a glorious warm shower - and that's just what they did.  But that's a story for another day.

A parting shot of the mountain, and a good look at its demonic peak

Everything looks good on the summit trail