Asia - Malaysia - Borneo - Sabah - Kota Kinabalu - Climbing Kinabalu

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Clambering down from the rickety base-camp bunk-bed, I turn off the 2am alarm and wonder vaguely what was going through my mind when I packed for this trip. Already shivering in the frigid early morning air, I blearily consider my woefully inadequate clothing options. Let me sum it up for you like this: I'm about to climb to the summit of the highest mountain in South East Asia and I don't even have dry underwear to put on. A t-shirt still wet from yesterday's climb, a pair of light running shoes, a thin jumper, rain-jacket, quick-dry travel trousers, a beanie, gloves & a make-shift scarf (the bandanna I used in India to filter out road-dust) complete my rag-tag ensemble. The up-side is that I don't have to decide what to wear; I just put on every single thing I have with me. As I pull them on, wincing as the damp t-shirt clings to my skin, I wonder just how cold it will be up there. I've been told it often dips below freezing. Should I be worried about the fact that I don't have any boxers to wear, and only very thin trousers? Is frostbite a possibility?! In my sleep-befuddled state, I actually start to genuinely worry about this.

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	Sunset, Laban Rata base-camp
	Hundreds of pitcher plants line the trail
	View from the summit, just after sunrise
	You're constantly passed (at high speed) by porters like this guy - quite discouraging... =P Many of the porters were women, carrying almost their own body weight in goods!
	One of many beautiful moths we saw Nowhere was Kinabalu's biodiversity more apparent than the Men's toilet of our guesthouse - dozens of different & amazing moths at night!
	Daeng posing (?!) at the foot of the Mesilau Trail
	Trudging...
	Looking up into the trees as the rain came down
	Rowdy (also known as 'the Dragon') strolls along the Mesilau Trail
	The Mesilau Trail includes lots of these long rickety flights of stairs
	Ridge drops away into mist
	Enjoying a brief dry spell during the first day's hike
	Gareth & Vananh in the Laban Rata base-camp restaurant
	Fellow climbers huddle together at the summit, awaiting the dawn Very cold. (No frostbite though.) =P
	Looking back the way we'd come, from the summit. Great to see the sun rise above a sea of cloud like this.
	Vananh & I looking cold but happy at the summit
	The sun gradually lights & warms as it rises
	Me and Vananh posing for a cheesy 'We Reached the Summit!' photo =P
	Vananh (looking good Vananh!) on the way back down Much of the summit climb is on ropes like this one - much more fun than just walking!
	A misty, fern-filled clearing on the hike back down

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