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ASIAN PIAZZA
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It has been 6 years since I last came to Sabah. It was this place that first inspired me to travel adventurously. Changes are inevitable and the airport at Kota Kinabalu has gone through some obvious cosmetic improvement. The departure lounge now has lavishly furnished shops to catch the last trickle of tourist dollars before they leave the country. The arrival "hall" however, remains hopelessly inadequate as crowds of arriving tourists try to find the queues behind the immigration counters.

Now privatised, the management at Taman Kinabalu tries to justify price increases with highly visible renovation and maintanence projects everywhere. The nature walks and slide shows which used to be free, all require payment now. Climbing permits have almost doubled in price. Fortunately, mountains don't move. Mt Kinabalu remains as majestic, awe-inspiring and beautiful. Standing at a "new" height of 4095.2m, previously recorded as 4101m and dubbed the "highest mountain in S.E. Asia", without regard for Puncak Jaya (4884m) in Indonesia and Hkakabo Razi (5881m) in Myanmar, attitudes towards Mt Kinabalu seem to have gotten a little more "down-to-earth".

But like other mountains, Mt Kinabalu needs a legend to draw visitors. It seems that once upon a time, a dragon-slaying prince from China took a pearl from the monster residing here and then settled down with a Kadazan woman. When he returned to China, she waited for him and turned into a rock. Like many other people in the world, Sabahans associate eternal love with unmoving mountains. The word Kinabalu is hence thought to be a corruption of "Cina balu" which mean "China, widow" in Malay.

However, Malay is not really a native language in Sabah. The indigenous Kadazan people have their own language, which like some languages, places special emphasis on the pronunciation of the letter "r". When a Kadazan speaks English, he sounds like a Filipino. When he speaks Malay, he sounds like an Indonesian. In the Kadazan language, Kinabalu seems to be a corruption of a word meaning "realm of the departed".

As before, the climb begins at Timpohon Gate and stops for the night at Panar Laban where several simple huts and the relatively well-equipped Laban Rata Resthouse are located. In the tropics, it is important to realise the difficulties of dressing right for the mountains. Temperatures can fluctuate wildly. One moment, you may feel like taking off your shirt and the next moment, it could be freezing cold.

The first part of the climb is best done with light clothing and a wind-breaker to pull on at the rest stops. The beginning of the summit trail is downhill. Not long after crossing a bridge, the climber arrives at Carson Falls. This is where early climbers used to collect their water supply for the climb. Today's climbers are pampered with water tanks at the various rest stops or "pondok"s. Just bring a mug, an empty water bottle for the summit and reserve lots of space for warm clothing and your favourite snacks. A can of Coke costs about RM1.20 in the stores on the lowlands. At Panar Laban, it costs RM3.20. If you are fit enough,carry some up with you.

The summit trail is clearly marked and well maintained. Stairs have been cut into the soil and wooden stops are anchored with metal pegs. There are even handrails to hold on. There is water and a toilet at every stop all the way to Panar Laban at the treeline. However, different parts of the trail vary in steepness. Some of the slopes may prove insurmountable to the unfit. Apart from providing shelter, seats and water, the pondoks also provide information.

Pondok Ubah is the second pondok on the trail. The sign here point our attention to the ferns that thrive at this altitude. It also tells the climber how much further the next pondok is. However, given all the variable factors, horizontal distances and measures of time are only useful to the climber who knows his own speed and fitness level. The trail continues to ascend from Pondok Ubah. Much of the trail at this altitude is forested, but there are parts where the canopy is interrupted, giving fine views of the forest slopes and the smaller knolls beneath.

It is said that when Hugh Low first climbed this mountain in 1851, his main problem was not the steepness of the mountain slopes but it was getting to the mountain from the coast through thickly forested tropical lowland jungle. There are no drastic changes in flora at Pondok Lowi and Pondok Mempening.

Ferns of all shapes and sizes and carpets of mosses dominate this part of the mountain. This is also the home of the exotic giant pitcher plant. Given the thining soils and lack of nutrients, this plant has adapted by attracting insects into its pitcher filled with digestive juices. The insects provide a supplement to the limited amount of nutrients the plant can obtain from the soils here. This plant measures about 15cm from top to tip. Don't tell me I should have held a ruler because I had one hand holding the camera, one hand grasping a branch while my feet were on loose soil on a vertical slope off the main trail when I was taking a picture.