Shahrul K:
At the start of the trip, I felt a bit awkward because I'm one out the two NCDCC cadets joining an expedition with the NCC cadets to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. I gained my confidence by asking my friends from NCC what we will be doing at Sabah. I learnt that we need to talk to others and get to know them rather than just keeping to ourselves.
After we arrived at Kota Kinabalu Airport, we were introduced to our travel guides. They brought us to have our lunch and we got to try the local cuisine at a cafe. After that we took a 2 hour coach ride to a village primary school, where we had to cross a suspension bridge to get to the school. While crossing the bridge, it made me appreciate how fortunate we are in Singapore, where schools are easily accessible and we can take the train or bus to school. We got to watch a performance by the primary school students and we also played some games with them. Initially the kids were very shy but they slowly opened up to us during the games. We then headed off to our first accommodation and when we reached, we were ushered to the restaurant to have our dinner. The food was very delicious and different from the food I usually eat in Singapore. After dinner we went to our designated lodges. The bed was very comfortable and I had a good night's rest.
Crossing the suspension bridge
Us with the primary school students and teachers
The next day, it was time to get ready for our climb. We had our breakfast first and a briefing by one of the mountain guides about the mountain route and the precautions to take note of. I was able to communicate with the guides easily as they speak the same language as me. I asked one of the mountain guides how many times he has climbed Mount Kinabalu, and his reply was 400. I was so shocked but at the same time, impressed. When we were climbing up the mountain, I saw some potters carrying things up to the rest house at Laban Rata. Some of them were already in their 60s, but they were still so strong. Although I was tired, I was motivated by them as we are much younger than them. We finally reached Laban Rata at 4pm. All of us were exhausted but seeing the breathtaking view in front of us made it worth the climb. We had an early dinner and after the dinner, I packed the things that I needed for climbing the summit the next day.
Arrived at Laban Rata
It was the day of the summit climb. My friends and I were excited about the climb as we discussed it over breakfast at 1.30am. We were briefed by the mountain guides on the rules and instructions on climbing to the summit. When we first started out the climb, it was quite similar to the climb we had on the previous day, but nearer to the summit, we had to hold on to a rope to support us in climbing up the mountain. We made it to the summit on time and got to see the sunrise which was very beautiful.The climb was a lot tougher than the first climb but it was all worth it when I got to witness the view at the top of the mountain. I learnt an important lesson during the climb up to the summit, and that is to always focus on where you want to go and never give up.
We reached the summit!
We made our way down to the rest house to have an early lunch and rested for 1 hour before making our way down to Timpohon Gate. Before we set off, we made a goal and that was to catch up with the other cadets who had already started their descend down the mountain. We took very short breaks along the way as we wanted to achieve our goal. We were happy when we met up with the other cadets and they asked us how the climb to the summit was. Unfortunately, it started to drizzle and soon the rain got heavier. We were instructed to put on our poncho and make our way down slowly. It was difficult for us to walk down as the ground was wet and some of my friends even slipped and fell, but we supported each other up and continued walking. I was so happy when I saw the Carson Waterfall sign as that was an indication that we were near to the entrance. I increased my speed as I was walking up the staircase to the entrance as I could not wait to reach it! I was really glad that my friends and I had successfully finished the climb. After we took our late lunch, we boarded the coach and made our way to Ming Garden Hotel that we will be staying at for two nights. The hotel room was very spacious and had everything that we needed there. We had our dinner at a local restaurant located near the hotel and the travel guides even bought a cake to celebrate Nashrul's birthday! He was really surprised and delighted to see the cake.
Nashrul blowing the candles on his cake!
Enjoying the sumptuous dinner
On the fourth day, after we had a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, we made our way to a secondary school called La Salle School. We were introduced to six secondary school students who were accompanying us in our day of activities. We had a tour around the school to understand what is the school culture and activities they have. We then made our way to Mari Mari Cultural Village. We got to see how five different tribes lived, how they sourced for food and how they made a living. Some of my friends also got to try making Kueh Jala, which is a local delicacy. Before we left, we were treated to a performance and it was my first time witnessing the bamboo dance which picks up speed as the dancers try to dance between the bamboo sticks. The visit to the cultural village made me appreciate the life we have in Singapore, where we have food everyday and get to sleep comfortably at night. I learnt that I cannot take for granted what I have back in Singapore.
Us at Mari Mari Cultural Village
On the last day, we packed our bags and had our last breakfast at the hotel. We headed to Kota Kinabalu Airport and bid farewell to our travel guides, who were very hospitable during our 5 days here. I felt kind of sad before I boarded the plane as I know that I will miss Sabah, especially Mount Kinabalu.
In conclusion, I developed resilience and confidence when climbing Mount Kinabalu. Climbing the mountain was hard but my goal was to reach the summit and I am really glad that I achieved this goal. I have to thank the mountain guides for giving me the confidence and motivation to reach the summit. I also learnt how to respect other's culture and beliefs when I visited the primary school and secondary school, as well as Mari Mari Cultural Village. I am really glad that I had the opportunity to go for this expedition.
No comments:
Post a Comment