Laban Rata lodges.

    our room at Laban Rata. A dorm for 6 people.
    we shared our room with a Japanese family.

    our room has no heater. but surprisingly our room was warm
    compared to the temperature outside.


   
    at about 3200 meters above sea level , the balcony
    is at the same level as the clouds. this is too awesome!

   we were lucky enough to have a nice sunny weather like this at
   Laban Rata .Because for most of the time ,
   Laban Rata is heavily fogged , and blocks the view of mount kinabalu
   behind.




   buffet lunch starts at 4pm to 6.30pm

    at first i thought the price for the food is too expensive.
    but upon seeing the porters carry all the stuffs up and down
    the mountain during our climb , i understood why.
    Also the meals at Laban Rata are very very delicious.
    a range of everything from eastern to western meals ,
    including Nasi Lemak , Mee goreng , bbq chicken , fresh salads ,
    mutton etc.




    the climate can change very abruptly here. from sunny to cloudy
    to heavy rain in just a few seconds.
   
    we took a rest and a good sleep after dinner and solat
    ( water to take wudhu' was icy cold! ) and will continue
    ascending to the peak at 2a.m in the morning.

   Laban Rata 3200 meters above sea level.

   Seringgit Dispatch 2014
   Mount Kinabalu
   3-5th January 2014
  

    getting ready from our room in Kinabalu Park




   breakfast at Balsam Restaurant in Kinabalu Park






    our starting point at Timpohon Gate.
    this will take 6km hike to Laban Rata



    hardcore porters carrying stuff up and down the mountain



    there's resting hut anywhere between 500-1000m
    along the hiking route. with shelters , benches , toilets

    water supply at every resting huts. drinkable mountain water.








    after about 3km hiking , we had to bid farewell to Ecko.
    he had altitude sickness , with dizziness and vomiting due to
    reduced oxygen concentration at this level.
    he had to descend back down.







   this squirrel can be found at every resting huts coming near
   to climbers in search for food.

    our packed lunch ( included in the package ).
    we need to brings this all the way up from Kinabalu Park
    during the hike.

   injured climber being carried away by their team members.
   a help with stretcher like this with local porters will cost
   a whopping RM500 per kilometer.


   the climate up there can change dramatically from dry to wet and
   vice versa. also a raincoat is helpful to conserve body heat

   the hardest stage for me was from Layang-Layang hut to Villosa Hut.
   long vertical hike on stony surface.

    at this stage the surroundings changes dramatically into
    something alien. I've never seen something like this before.
    heavenly beutiful.









    stairways to heaven

    if it rains , the hiking route will become a water pathway and
    becomes slippery and dangerous.
    lucky for us to have a dry hike with no rains.









    reached Laban Rata ( 3200m above sea level ) after
    6km hike.
    took us about 5 hours to reach here.

    Seringgit Dispatch 2014
    Mount Kinabalu
    3-5th January 2014