All Hallows Team A - Update # 4

An update from the team after their Mount Kinabalu trek

Blog from 13th December - 17th December

Monday 13th December

Today was a jam-packed day for Team A. After a delicious breakfast of pancakes we left the accommodation to do sight seeing in Kota Kinabalu. First we went to a museum which provided us with loads of historical information. We found the ceramic section of the museum really interesting. The next stop was an islamic museum. This gave us some background information on the Islamic culture. With this knowledge we then went to the Mosque. As soon as we arrived we were dressed up in the traditional Islamic dress code to be taken on a tour to the prayer room. After the opportunity to look around the guide gave us an insightful speech on Islamic culture and how the prayer sessions operate. After a delicious lunch of noodles and soup as well as a refreshing coke we set off to the zoo. The zoo was a great opportunity to gain more knowledge on the animals of Borneo. We were able to watch the feedings of various animals as well as ride elephants which was amazing! Our last stop was to a chocolate shop which allowed us to stock up on goodies. There were heaps of samples available including hot curry chocolate!

Tuesday 14th December

Today was Ellen's birthday! To celebrate the group embarked on an adventure to the TAR islands. We enjoyed a day of relaxation with lots of activities offered such as snorkelling, swimming and banana boating. That night we went to a delicious Italian restaurant for dinner where we all enjoyed pizza and pasta before spending the rest of the night at the markets.

Wednesday 15th December

Today we travelled from Kota Kinabalu to the base of Mt Kinabalu. We drove in minibuses for approximately 3 hours up windy roads to our accommodation. We spent the rest of the day preparing for the mountain trek.

Thursday 16th December

Today was the big day. It was time to start climbing Mt Kinabalu. We woke up at 6:30, had a quick breakfast and then walked to the base of the mountain. Here we took a bus to the gates which mark the start of the trek. We started walking at 9am up the steep and rocky mountain. The walk was about 6km and finished at an altitude of 3200m. We arrived at Laban Rata at about 4pm after about 7 hours of the challenging trek. We ate an amazing buffet dinner at about 4:30pm and were all in bed by 6:30pm.

Friday 17th December

We woke up at 1:30am to be ready for breakfast at 2am. The 10 people who chose to continue the walk left Laban Rata with Darby and our guides at 2:40am. The remaining four girls stayed behind at the accommodation with Ms Seear. We were all rugged up since the weather was cold with our headlamps. At the start of the trek three girls decided the would not be able to make it up the steep terrain and returned to the accommodation. The remaining seven girls and Darby pushed themselves up the steep cliff face using ropes in dark and freezing conditions. Some members of the group overcame their fears of heights to push themselves up the mountain. After lots of hard work and determination the group made it to a height of 3900m above sea level, with the peak standing just a bit higher at 4095m. They reaped the rewards of their efforts by enjoying an amazing sunrise above the clouds, although the weather was below freezing. The seven girls returned to Laban Rata at about 7:30am and met the rest of the group for breakfast. After this we set off down the mountain. We all found this much easier and more enjoyable than the trek up and took most of us 5 hours. We rewarded ourselves with a buffet lunch before walking to our accommodation for a goodnights sleep.