I AM THE BORNEO EXPLORER 婆罗洲探险者: October 2007

Mountain Climbing @ Mount Santubong Kuching Sarawak - Part Three of Three

Mini Series of Mount Santubong
Mount Santubong Post 1 of 3
Mount Santubong Post 2 of 3
Mount Santubong Post 3 of 3

Going downs about 45 minutes. Going down the mountain is must more easy than going up, there is three starting point to go up Santubong. We choose the second point to go up, and had chosen the third point to go down. For the third one, we after we reach down Santubong, we need to walk another 20 minutes to reach Green Café where we park our car.

Peter and Boon race their way to the car when they reach the bottom of the mount. For me I don’t have any energy, I just sit at the road side, and wait for them to come and drive me home.

This is some of the photos I shoot during my way up Santubong, sorry no photo from the mountain peak. But I promises that for my next Santubong trip, I will post lots of photos from the summit.

This is my gang…

L-R: Austin (Green Cap), Chua, Boon, Wilson Chin (Me), Peter.

Mountain Climbing @ Mount SantuBoon Kuching Sarawak - Part Two of Three

Mini Series of Mount Santubong
Mount Santubong Post 1 of 3
Mount Santubong Post 2 of 3
Mount Santubong Post 3 of 3

The mountain trek is not easy as the jungle trek, Peter said that now we all know the power of gravity. When I was climbing up the mount,

We stop for some water. Austin had brought a pack of snack, and a pack of melt chocolate (the chocolate is 4 months old, almost expire), which make us laugh hardly. Peter did ask me what to bring, I told him bring nothing but water. He has a pack of cigarette, and water.

Now we have reached the first mountain trek station which is at 760 meter. Boon told us his previous experience in climbing SantuBoon…
Boon: Previously I had brought a group of 20 girls to climb this mountain, and we all had successfully gone up until the summit then down again. But the whole trip had took us 8 hours plus.
Peter: This shows that girls have a stronger mentality than guy.
Wilson: This I totally agree, I watch Survivor the girls always win when it require to stand under the sun for few hours. Why is this happening?
Austin: You know guy don’t have strong mentality, and sometime our lower part body will even bypass the brain, and do something which will make us worry for night month, and the rest of our life.
Wilson, Peter, Chua, and Boon: (O_o)” …. !!!
And our journey continue…

Is 880 meter and the time is now 9.23am, my hand is sharing. Barely lift up my camera, very low energy. My headache is killing me, this point onward require a lot of rope climbing.

One step at a time, this is the words which repeat again and again in my mind. There is one part where we need to walk a 70 degree slanting trek, and when we go down, I saw this in front of me.

Is waterfall, though is not big but is pretty. Just when I wanted to go down for a close shoot, I misstep and fall down. They all shout my name from behind, I had a bad fall, I hit my leg, and my back. My friends are worried, they all come and see if I’m ok or not.

I’m ok…we all stop by the waterfall and rest for a while.

We have reached 1960 meter, I’m exhausted. The trek is stiff and my legs feel numb. I wanted to ask for a rest, but I see they all are concentrating so I follow.

One step at a time, I had reach maximum body strength, what keep me going now is my mind. But my headache is killing me.

Is a destination that is up on the sky, impossible for me to reach it. Boon tell me there is no can or cannot, there is just I want to do it or not. Then he told me the story again, where he led 20 girls to the summit of Santubong. How I can lost to girls, so I keep on going.

The time now is 10.51am, and we have reached the F8 station 2280 meter so far. Austin used a rope to tie his pants. He told us that at the bottom of the mountain, his pants are still very tight, but now he feels that he had lost a few kilograms.

I have no energy to talk or stand. All of my friends ask me to lie down, cause my face look pale. Wow~~now I know how it feels to reach the max of my body energy level. Boon told me to go back, cause with my condition he worried that I might collapse soon, cause the trek will be must more tough later.

I look at the signboard, to the mount summit still 2 hours and 30 minutes to go. I hate the feeling of giving up, but this time due to my body condition, I might have to accept this faith. All the team member company me go down the mountain, I feel like a loser. I have to high expectation and ego.

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Mountain Climbing @ Mount Santubong Kuching Sarawak - Part One of Three

Mini Series of Mount Santubong
Mount Santubong Post 1 of 3
Mount Santubong Post 2 of 3
Mount Santubong Post 3 of 3

The night before I had fever, I didn’t take medicine as I tough it will be ok the other day. I wake up around 2am, my head is aching. Should I cancel the trip tomorrow? I lye on my bed and fall asleep, I woke up again, the time was 5am. I feel cold, I wake up and read book to kill time. I wanted to have breakfast, but no appetite. 6.30am, give my friend a morning call, he’s up. Reach my place around 7am. We went to King Center for breakfast; I still feel headache, and a bit of fever. 7.30am, everyone arrive at the meeting point. There are five of us, Kuching is a small place, when the four of them meet up they have seen each other before.

It took us 40 minutes drive to Santubong. There are two places to start the journey; we choose the one at the Green Paradise Café. The path here will be rough than the other one. We choose here cause our car is taken care by the café owner.

We have to register our car plate number, our name and pay RM1 for the entrance fees. There is a wooden path to lead us into the jungle, the path look very old and fragile, it can collapse anytime. There is stream water flowing down from the mountain. The weather is a bit drizzling. Despite not feeling well, but I’m still exited, and looking forward to conquer mount Santubong. The time now is 8.45am.

We on now are the jungle track. There is a label on each station, the label indicate the distant that we have gone so far. Among the five of us I’m the last in the team, as I stop for photos frequently.

There are five of us
1. Bong
2. Austin
3. Peter
4. Chua
5. Wilson (Me)

The time was now 9am, we stop for rest. Bong had climbed Santubong for five times, Austin and Peter second time, Chua and Me first time. Peter told us a story, he said long time ago, there are five idiots who spend their Sunday by driving all the way from Kuching, to come to Santubong, and suffer. Bong continues the story by this five people can just sleep at home, and watch television enjoy the weekend. But this idiot don’t like to enjoy life, they like to get tired, wet by the rain, dirty.

This track is very easy to walk, what I heard is that Santubong is a stiff climb. Some part is as slant as 90 degree. But this is really piece of cake.

The track is very wet, though is a piece of cake, but I’m sweating. Before climbing Santubong, I should do regular exercise. Very hard for me to catch my breath and among the five of us Bong and Peter have the best stamina. Bong is an adventurers, he had participate something like iron man competition at Kuching where you need to run for a few kilometer then continue by swim, and then bicycle for a few kilometer again. Peter is a smoker, but he does regular exercise. And the three of us, only exercise when are too bored.

We had reached the final station of the jungle trek, after this is Mountain trek which will be indicated by red arrow. If you’re the first time here, there will be red mark on the tress all the way to the top. So just have to follow the red marks, now we have gone a total of 490 meter so far. From here to the top we have a total of 15 stations to go.

I tough after sweating I’ll feel better, but is still the same. My fever and headache still killing me, they all told me that my face look very white, I didn’t told them I’m not feeling well, cause I don’t want to spoil their mood, after all I’m the one who organize this trip so I must keep going. That time, the only thing in my mind that is to reach to the summit. So I keep on going, but along the way my body keeps on telling me to stop, and turn back. Is a fight between my mind and body now, what is my limit? I’ll find the answer along the way.

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Margherita Fort @ Kuching Sarawak

Margerita Fort a.k.a Kubu Margerita in Malay, was built in 1879 to protect the town of Kuching from surprise attacks by a strong enemy force. Its position by the river allowed defenders an unobstructed view of the surroundings. The fort was also designed to be aesthetically pleasing and add beauty to the town. The design is largely English.

The fort had seen four different governments science it was built. From its mast have flown the flag of Brooke, Japan’s Rising Sun during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya in the Second World War, the Union Jack of Britain, the colonial power after the war, and now the state flag of Sarawak.

Because of the peace enjoyed by Kuching, the fort has not fired a shot in anger since 1879. among its functions was as a jail, before one was built about 1.61 kilometers away.
Until the Second World War, the fort was patrolled by guards round the clock. They would cry “All’s well” every hour on the hour between 8pm and five in the morning. Their cries would be answered in sequence by their fellow guards at the palace, the clock tower across the river and the treasury. The system apparently was designed to prevent guards at the fort from sleeping on the job.

The fort is now the Police Museum. But all the historical artifact inside the fort had been move to Kuala Lumpur because of a nearby construction work. They worried that the construction area will cause certain damage to the artifact.

The Margherita Fort @ Kuching Sarawak

It looks like a castle.

According to the record, the fort was build on 1879, but it stated 1880 at the main entrance. It also stated “DUM SPIRO SPERO” on top of the year. Anyone knows what it means?

This is inside the fort. There are cannons on every direction of the fort. And there are one view tower, and a tower which use to keep…

a closer look at the cannon.

according to record, the all the cannon here has yes fire a shoot since the fort was build.

This are all British made cannon, it might still work today.

a view from the tower.

a pairs of binocular at the viewing tower, the position view in at the waterfront, so if enemy approach they will know. If they don’t fall asleep during work.