All Hallows Team B Update

An update from the road from All Hallows Team B - in Malaysian Borneo Hello Parents!!!!!!
We arrived in Sepilok after two very long and tiring flights with no inflight entertainment. We left the plane and we were hit with a wave of humidity. Despite the interesting driving skills of the taxi drivers we saw the surroundings of stray dogs and run down buildings. After arriving we took a mini bus to the War Memorial and were moved by the stories of the survivors. (Out of about 3000 men, only 6 survived the death marches and they were all Australian.) We had a delicious Malaysian buffet BBQ for dinner that night and played cards for the remainder of the night.
The next day we set out to the Orangutang Sanctuary Rehibilitation Centre. We saw two females with their babies and we were amazed at the intelligence and human qualities of them.
After lunch we caught a bus into Sandakan and experienced our first Malaysian markets. We were surprised at the attention we were getting from the locals and at how friendly everyone was.
On the third day we had a rocky 4 hour bus trip to a lodge at the base of Mount Kinabalu. We were astonished at the height of the mountain and were half excited, half nervous about the climb. When we got off the bus it was pouring rain and we weren't sure if we would be able to climb the mountain the next day. The lodge was comfortable and the food was great.
We woke at 6am. Weather was great so we left for the headquarters to start the long climb ahead of us. We befriended a German teacher named Uta who joined us for the climb, and we met our guides named Michael, Marcilas and Barcelas. We were shocked at the amount of times they had actually climbed the mountain and how fast they did it. We began the climb and were "buggered" after the first set of stairs, only to find out there were thousands more. After 6 hours, 6km, and many breaks we finally made it to the lodge where there was an amazing view. Altitude sickness started to kick in as did the cold weather and rain.
We rose at 2am to begin the climb to the summit which, for many of us, was the hardest 3 hours of our lives. With steep steps and sheer rock faces to climb,we finally made it to the summit. While climbing, altitude sickness and physical demand made us want to give up, but with the help and encouragement of friends and guides, we became determined to reach the summit. There was a feeling of triumph of reaching the top, despite the lack of sunrise and the cold conditions. Once again at the top we attracted more attention than the mountain itself, and got many photos taken with the other climbers. The climb down was tougher than we imagined, with strain on our knees and ongoing altitude sickness, but we pushed through and descend down at top speed knowing a buffet breakfast was waiting at the lodge. After breakfast we continued our descent and made it to the bottom in half the time, despite the terrential rain which made it even more mentally and physically challenging. We then hopped onto a bus and went to our next destination of Kota Kinabalu. Seeing the mountain while driving down the range to the coast enhanced the experience by seeing how high we really did climb.
The next day we relaxed our extremely sore muscles with a sleep in, and had a quiet day at the hostel. In the afternoon we hit up the markets and tested our bartering skills with the locals and had an early night.
We woke up with rain and opted not to go to the TAR islands, and instead had another day relaxing and going to the markets.
On Sunday, 12th December we woke up at 5am and went to the airport to go catch the plane to Miri. The plane was so small we had to walk across the tarmac to get onto the plane. After an hour flight we arrived and crossed paths with Team A at the hostel. It was exciting to catch up with the other group, but we didn't share too much of our own experiences as we didn't want to spoil what lies ahead for them, and for us.
Missing you all, lots of love, Team B.