Well, after Stay, Souvenir and Seafood, this entry is also about my recent trip to KK. No trip to KK is complete without a visit to the Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in South East Asia. According to our tour guide, the fastest person to scale to the top of the mountain and back down is able to do it in under 3 hours. And they were going to have the competition again very soon. Unfortunately, we didn't have the $$$ nor the stamina to scale Mount Kinabalu. Nevertheless, we managed to visit its Park and the neigbouring Poring Hotspring.
For RM190 per pax, we set off from KK city towards Kundasang. The journey took about 3 hours, maneuvering slopes and bends at the edge of hilly areas. Some of the scene were breathtaking, but beware. The snake like zig zag driving can easily make one to have motion sickness. We stopped for break, but the weather was foggy and the mountain was nearly invisible from the camera LCD screen. Anyway, i managed to snap this one.
The mighty Mount Kinabalu hiding behind the clouds.
Apart from the hotspring, another attraction at Poring is the Canopy Walk. According to the guide again, it is the highest canopy walk in Malaysia, staggering at 80m tall. Here's a snapshot at the entrance to Poring.
The distance to the Canopy Walk is about 835m. Not that far, right?
The initial trek is quite pleasant, with huge bamboo trees along each side of the concrete track.
Look up and you'll find this natural canopy of bamboo trees.
This is the source of the hotspring. A strong pungent smell of sulfur is emitted from it. These water flows downwards and are stored at man-made pools. A bunch of Japanese tourists stripped down to their bikinis and were soaking in it. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to take a picture.
Not too far from the hotspring, we arrived at a counter (something like a tool booth). Please note that you have to pay RM5 for a digital camera and RM30 for a video camera. Retain the receipt as they will inspect it at the Canopy Walk. I just didn't get it. Didn't the tour guide just paid our entrance fees earlier? Why do we have to pay for the usage of the camera? Just another tourist trap, I supposed.
Anyway, the terrain has changed from tarmac to these natural steps.
A little bit higher, there are man made steps all the way to the top. 835m hiking up is not an easy task to those exercise deprived, office bound people like the two of us. Panting. Panting.
There are markers indicating how far you have covered (and how many meters left to climb).
Finally, at the Canopy Walk. There are 3 sections, and at any time, a maximum of 6 people is allowed on it. We have to wait quite a bit, as there were many people there. The third section is actually closed for maintenance. The tour guide said a tree branch fell on top of the walk. The ropes were snapped by the force. Scary.......
Thrilling - 80 meter above ground. Feels like swinging around like a monkey?
Look up and see how tall these trees are.
After the Canopy walk, we came down and soaked our feet in the hotspring water. It just felt like normal hot water but after a long strenuous day, it was actually quite soothing.
We left Poring for lunch at a restaurant along the hillside. Lunch was included in the package and they serve some decent food. There were fried rice, fried chicken, beancurd, vege, sweet and sour fish, soup and dessert. Chinese tea was free flow but if you want other drinks, please pay it yourself. Outside the restaurant, I snapped a panaromic view of the hill side.
By the time we reached Kinabalu Park, the sky had already turned dark. This park is actually at the foot of Mount Kinabalu. All aspiring climbers have to register at the park's Headquarters. We have already missed the slide shows about the Park and guided trail (usually in the morning) so the only thing left was to the Botanical Garden. The park's botanical garden closes at 4pm and we have about an hour to wander around. Didn't have much to do here except to snap pictures.
Here are some photos.
After the Canopy Walk, this small bridge was a child's play to Mrs Banana.
This way up!
Beettle! Not the VW Beetle, the real one.
Spiderman's relative.
Periuk kera (fly trap).
Guess what's these? It's wild ginger.
Bananas! Jungle banana. Cannot be eaten one.
Orkid Sepatu.
If you are not a nature loving person, then Kinabalu Park/Poring is not suitable for you. If you are couch potato and have fitness problem, these may not be suitable for you as well. Another couple in our group didn't manage to get to Canopy Walk. For me, these places provide the opportunities to compose some pictures not commonly available in the city. And it's not easy to take photos in the jungle, the lighting could be a real challenge.
Stay tune for the final part - Sunset!
Links to Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3
