It’s about 10:30pm & I’m waiting in Kuala Lumpur International Airport for my 12:30am (6 hour) redeye to Beijing. To my amazement, they actually offer FREE WiFi in the terminals (!). Anyways, will be back loading some photos & stories from the last few days in Malaysia soon. But just want to report that I am VERY sore from my climb to the 4095m summit of Mt. Kinabalu….which was absolutely breathtaking.
Walking around Kota Kinabalu, post-hike. local boats to the islands. filipino market. boats at sea
It was beautiful seeing what we had just hiked up in the morning light. Though the rock was slippery… and the descent was slow. looking back to the peak – notice the size of people for prespective karen falling chris’s descent into the clouds rock faces pools – it was slippery
We had perfect weather at the summit. It was cold, but not freezing. And the skies were mostly clear, with just enough clouds to give perspective & help color the red morning sky. There were probably about 100 people up at the top… of all ages & ethnicities. The oldest person to climb the mountain to date was 81 years old. karen at summit sunrise (kodak moment killer: that’s an umbrella on his back and he’s sending a text message.) looking down chris, karen, & guide treats at the top
The lodge was warm & heated… and had lots of food. The kitchen was stocked with water, chocolate, and other supplies (INCLUDING postcards & stamps – I sent one to my parents) . All the supplies for the lodge are carried up by porters. As we were hiking up, we saw locals carrying HUGE loads strapped to their back and hanging from their heads…. as they passed us. Up to this point, the sky has been foggy & drizzly. Just before sunset, the skies cleared for the first time. on the balcony sunset – on level with the clouds …
Chris & I left the trailhead around 10am with our guide Julius. (I know that’s probably not how he spells it… but that’s the best that I could pronounce.) The trail was steep & I started really feeling the altitude about 2 or 3 hours in. Chris (who had just climbed Mt Rainer) taught me a couple helpful tricks, including power breathing (taking a full, short breath out every few breaths). We arrived at Laban Rata around 4pm. start of trail – looking fresh scenary sillhoutte action shot start to see peaks
My friend Chris & I decided to climb Mt. Kinabalu. The summit is 4095 m (13,450 ft), the tallest between the Himalayas & New Guinea. For some perspective, Mt Rainer is just taller 4392 m (14,410 ft) – although, since you’re trucking through snow, Rainer is a tougher climb. The climb up Mt Kinabalu starts at about 1866 m (6,122 ft). The first day, you hike up to Laban Rata at 3272 m (10,734 ft), where there is a lodge to spend the night. The next morning (around 3am) you start the final 823 m (2,700 ft) climb for sunrise at the summit. After hiking back …
Based on a recommendation, my friend Chris & I headed out to the Kuala Gandah, an elephant sanctuary about 2 hours outside of Kuala Lumpur. We had the most excellent Mr Razali as our guide. The elephants at the sanctuary were found injured and/or trapped. The sanctuary also runs an elephant rescue & relocation program. Much of the elephants’ natural habitat in Malaysia is now plantation crop & many elephants are trapped in “islands” of forest that are too small to sustain them. The sanctuary tries to mitigate this by relocating them to the national forest for protection. The highlight our trip was the baby elephants – Siput (female, 10 months) …
The Petronas Twin Towers were beautiful at night. It’s no wondering they’re a symbol of Malaysia.
Thanks again to everyone who attended the WPF overview talk today! Some links: WPF Community Site (the patient monitoring source code will be posted here soon) Microsoft Expression ZAM 3D by Electric Rain World population app – source code With 3D Without 3D (Note: current CTPs of the VS “Cider” designer cannot yet handle 3D.) WPF Feature Montage Download .NET Framework 3.0 Release Candidate 1! Install it here! Expression Interactive Designer Windows SDK for Vista & .NET 3.0 “Orcas” Technology preview for .NET 3.0 (which includes “Cider” designer)