Mount Kota Kinabalu: 1st team training
Never imagined a casual declaration to Ching in Sabah last Dec could come true so sooooon!
A chance exchange on FB brought about this dynamite combo!
A bunch of us; 5 in all are gonna conqure Mount Kota Kinabalu in 2 months' time!
The most incredible thing is....we're all first timers., newbies, no experience!!!!!
The most important thing of all is...we're all determined to see the sun-rise at summit!!!
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TG for Wanping, she has been arranging all the lodging and climb tha past months.
TG for Shu Yueh and Pauline, they've been sharing all the wonderful tips for the preparation and climb.
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FIRST TEAM TRAINING at MacRitchie Reservoir this morning; 8am.
It was crowded.
Teams of runners, groups of friends and crowd of families made the carpark area (gathering point) a carnival.
Some were all ready to sprint while others were busy stretching out their body parts. Some stood at corners waiting for the rest to arrive, some sat on the kerb chatting away. What a fanfare!
We started with no idea which trail to take on; there were plenty.
As we reached the starting point...we decided to do the tree-top trail...10 km to and fro.
The walk to the tree-top was easy for me. The environment was new; it was pretty fun watching the golfers pitch on the golf course, exciting to discover a big spider-web cluster near the waters (we even named each area a "prime-town, suburban and waterfront"!) Itz so funny!!!
The last lap UP the tree-top was challenging; a steep cement slope like the one at Bukit Timah Hill, then mulitple steps up-and-down slope (a killer to my knees!). TG for the gym training with Eugene @Cali...he has trained my stamina well!!! :)))
We walked and walked and walked. Up and down the slopes. Tried out the walking sticks. Seasoned the trekking shoes and enjoyed the natural beauty around us!
The way back was ok for me....till the last 2 km. My left knee began to ache. But I pressed on despite the never-ending bends on the board-walk. 2 km felt long. So I sang in my head. The song that kept ringing the whole way through was "Everything that...everything that...everything that has breath praise the Lord." ;) And it clapped true with the lively environment around me! We saw a big pool of mosquitoes swarming by the water (woooo!), 2 little monkeys sneaking up eggs in a bird nest, a big monitor lizard swimming round a corner (cooool!), a low-lying branch with a big warning sign 20m before it 'cos it's the size of a trunk!, a father carrying his toddler son right through the trail (How did we know? Coz we met them all the way!), and durian trees with inedible fruits?! How amazing!!!
Lunch after training was fabulous!!! We went to LONG HOUSE along Thomson Road where Wanping had her chicken rice as planned even before the training! ;p Shu Yueh, Pauline and Jacelyn had duck rice while I ate pork chop. We all shared side dishes in all. It was a lovely gather!
We're gonna meet next week for training and more shopping at 187! :)))
The best store so far....with good stock and great Tim! Tim owns the store and is ever so willing and patient to share everything on his climb experience!!!
Check it out here: http://www.boac-online.com/travel_tips/default.asp :)