Climbing Mt. Kinabalu

On May 29 (1953), Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary conquered the summit of the mighty Mt. Everest. On May 29 (2009), I conquered the summit of the mighty Mt. Kinabalu! It was one of the toughest hikes I've ever done. Now Mt. Kinabalu is only 13,435 ft, less than half the height of Mt. Everest (29,029 ft). But that's still a respectable height, and it's the tallest mountain in all of SE Asia. Since I was touring all over SE Asia, what better way to cap and already epic journey? So I set my sights on conquering this magnificent peak.

The trail is relentless, with no flat or rolling sections, just steps all the way up! Every hiker is required to go with a guide. It's about 6 km to the base Laban Rata lodge at about 10,000 ft. -- doesn't sound like much, but it takes about 5-6 hours to get there due to the steepness of the climb and the altitude. There you eat dinner and take a nap til 2 AM, when you wake up to hike another 3-4 hours of even steeper rocks in pure darkness (you absolutely need a flashlight) to reach the summit by dawn. The last 100 meters is even steeper and you have to use the cables to pull yourself up.

Above 10,000 ft you really start to feel the altitude and the difficulty of breathing due to the thin air. My heart rate went up high and I'd go anaerobic every 100 meters or so and had to stop frequently. I honestly thought of stopping and turning around several times during the climb, but I just kept driving myself forward and upward, step by step. It was also freezing cold, and I did not have suitable clothing. The best I could do is layer 2 t-shirts together.

But it was totally worth it!! The sense of accomplishment, the spectacular views from the top, and the feeling of being on top of the world, all make it worth the Herculean effort.

It was definitely one of the (many) great highlights of my trip.

Hanging With The Sultan of Brunei

Just kidding! I didn't really hang out with the Sultan, though I did want to meet him. I found out that I could meet him and shake his hand, but only at the end of Ramadan when he opens his house to the public and holds a buffet for everyone one day a year. The rest of the time you can't even get near the Palace. I found Brunei a somewhat strange place, a tiny country in the middle of Borneo, surrounded by Malaysia (in between Sarawak and Sabah). It's an Islamic country so there is no alcohol allowed, even in the hotels, and no nightlife.

But Brunei does have a beautiful rainforest, with a great rainforest canopy walk.

Lounging Around In Langkawi

I went to Langkawi, an island just off the west coast of Malaysia near the Thai border, mainly to meet up with my friend Derick. He kindly let me stay at his house, which made it very comfortable for me. Normally this place would be full of tourists, but this is low low season, so it's deserted.

I also went parasailing here.

Kuala Lumpur

Yesterday was my last day in Thailand. I stayed in Thailand for about two months total (although I entered Thailand 4 separate times!) but I finally left and moved to Malaysia. Though I had been to Malaysia earlier on the Star Clipper, I didn't see much and so decide to make a second pass.


My first stop was Kuala Lumpur (everybody here calls it KL), and my first stop in KL was the Petronas Twin Towers and took the free tour to the skybridge connecting the two towers. Kuala Lumpur is known for having the world's cheapest five-star hotels. I stayed at the top hotel in KL (Shangri-la) and it cost me about $150/night. Other five-star hotels were $100 or less.

I was amazed at the variety of food available in KL. Just about every Asian cuisine is represented there. KL also has a Chinatown section (Petaling Street), where you can get good Chinese noodles, and cheap goods. I got my feet massaged by fish here!

KL has two main transit systems: a monorail above ground and a light rail underground. There are also express trains and buses to and from the airport.

Full Moon Party at Koh Phangan!

I did the infamous "Full Moon" party on Koh Phangan. It's a massive dance party on the beach, with lots of drinking, debauchery, and body paint. Perhaps it was cool at one time, but it's too over-hyped now. They also now have "Dark Moon" parties, and "Half Moon" parties; basically a party every week so there's nothing even special about it any more. Still, it was useful to check it out if only to check it off my list.

Beach Bungalow on Koh Samui

I had a lovely luxury beach bungalow on Koh Samui. I've stayed in several beach bungalows on this trip, but this was definitely the nicest one.




I loved the outdoor shower.




Included a mini-fridge.




My living room.




The bathroom was nice, with separate room for tub and shower.



My own Spirit House, probably the nicest one I've ever seen!

Swimming With A Whale Shark -- Dreams *Do* Come True!

Ever since I got my scuba certification last summer it's been a dream of mine to swim with (and photograph) a whale shark. I selected the whale shark for the photo on the back of my Advanced Open Water card. It even became a major goal for this trip. Well that goal was accomplished today!!

I did a dive at the "Sail Rock", a circular coral reef formation near Koh Tao (even though I started from Koh Samui). We were not in the water for five minutes when a huge whale shark came swimming by within about 20 feet of me. I was stunned at first, in awe and amazement at the sheer size of it. It's by far the biggest thing I've seen while diving. I estimate the length to be 5+ meters (you can get an idea of the scale by the divers in the background). In spite of its bulk, it glided through the water with silent grace and stately elegance. What a beautiful creature!

I snapped several photos, then jetted straight toward it (abandoning my buddy and dive group in violation of normal diving protocol!) until I was close enough to touch it. It then occurred to me that even a casual flick of its powerful tail could send me reeling, so I backed off a little but continued to follow it, taking several more photos. It obligingly turned towards me at one point so I got a good look at the head and mouth. It wasn't spooked at all and seemed totally at ease with the divers in the water. It's hard to describe the feelings I had at this point, but it's something I'll never forget.

Who says dreams don't come true??

Ao Nang, Krabi

After Phuket I took a bus to Ao Nang beach in Krabi. This was quite a pleasant place, with more perfect beaches and good pubs and restaurants. Here I went on a longboat ride around some of the islands, and a kayaking trip to the "Garden of Eden". You kayak up a river and then into a low rock tunnel. It gets completely dark in the tunnel, so you have to kayak blindly for a while. Then, you emerge into a lush river lagoon with no other exit. We also kayaked to a cave containing petroglyphs from 2000 B.C.

I also went to the Cobra Show, involving several hissing Black Cobras, and the biggest King Cobra I'd ever seen! (bigger than the previous biggest one I'd seen in Penang)

Koh Phi Phi

Koh Phi Phi is another beautiful island with gorgeous sandy beaches and clear blue-green waters near Phuket. I took a day cruise out to that and neighboring islands. Visited Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Lei, Viking Cave, Monkey Beach.

Thai Cultural Program - A One Man Show

I went to a One Man Show tonight. Not that there was only one performer; there were in fact a couple dozen performers. But there was only one person in the audience -- me! Let me explain. It was a Thai cultural music and dance program at the Phuket Cultural Center and Orchid Farm. This was some distance away from the part of the island I was staying at, so you had to take a motorbike or taxi. I had come here earlier on a Sunday, only to find that was the only day they *didn't* have a performance. So I came here again on another day (making sure it was not a Sunday). However when I arrived the place was again deserted and the theater was empty. Finally a woman came by and explained that they canceled that evening's show because there were no attendees! Bummer. This is the second time I made the trip all the way out here, only to be denied again. She must have seen the disappointed look on my sulking face, because I saw her make a few phone calls and after a few minutes she informed me that the show was on again. They would put on the whole show just for me, a one-man audience! One by one the performers came on stage and performed a traditional Thai music and dance number. I began to feel a little guilty that they had to perform just for me and hoped they weren't resentful, but I really appreciated the effort. The dancers are supposed to make eye contact with the audience members, but since there was only one person they all had to look at me! After each item, I applauded as loud as I could to make up for the lack of audience. In the end I have to say I really enjoyed my first one-man show!

Oh, and the orchids were pretty good too.