I'm now in Manilla, the Philippines - this is our second full day here - pretty much just resting and enjoying the modern, American-esque convienences of a large urban center. Amy's still slightly queezy, so comfort and convience is good.

After spending several unexpected days in Kota Kinabalu, we finally checked out of our hotel on Tuesday and headed for the hills (Mt. Kinabalu National Park, to be exact). After two hours of evening rush hour and winding mountain roads in a small van, listening to the same 30 min tape of cheezy local music on repeat, we arrived at the national park headquarters at the base of Mt. Kinabalu. It was a refreshing change from the heat and smog of KK, as the altitude, misty clouds, and remoteness made the air much cooler and cleaner. Mt. Kinabalu is the highest peak (4092 meters high) in Malaysia, and actually claimed to be the highest in SE Asia "East of Burma and West of Guinea". The plan was to climb it the next morning.

We woke up early the next morning to the clamoring of the large party of local malaysians next door cooking breakfast noodles. In less of a hurry, we hiked a bit to the nearby canteen, ordered some (western style) breakfast, and headed towards the park headquarters to arrange the climb. We paid the climbing permit fee, and got a guide (required), took a van to the entrance gates, and started climbing.

The beginning of the climb was in the deep rainforest at the base of the mountain. After crossing a river, and passing a small waterfall, we started the ascent. Amy at this point was still not feeling normal, and since she had practically eaten nothing for the past three days, probably shouldn't have even attempted the climb. At about 1.5 km in, she decided to turn back around, and stay around the park headquarters, while I decided to continue on.

As it turns out, it was probably a good idea. The hike was strenuous, especially since I wasn't 100%, since I had felt ill and hadn't eaten much the day before either. The next five hours, I made the steady climb up, covering 6km, and climbing to about 3500m. By the end, I was having to stop every three steps because of exhaustion, and because of the lack of oxygen at that altitutde. It was about 5pm when I reached the midway lodge, ate some food, rented a bed, and crashed.

Everyone in the lodge woke up about 1:30 a.m., and after a small breakfast, I headed out in the middle of the night with my guide, armed with a flashlight. While the previous day had been strenuous but on the whole uneventful and not that interesting, this day turned out to be amazing. The previous day, most of the hiking was through rainforest, and even when we passed through clearings where you might have been able to get views of the scenery, the cloud and mist prevented any visability. By that evening though when we started hiking again, the clouds had compltetly cleared, and we had reached an altitude where the tall trees were replaced by small shrubs and bushes.

Looking straight up, I could see more stars than I had ever seen before, and could clearly make out the white stripe of the milky-way. Looking out across the land, I could see the sillouettes of the mountains and surrouding geography, peppered by the lights of humanity. It was even clear enough to see the lights of Kota Kinabalu, and where the lights stopped, the Pacific Ocean.

Having not gotten much good rest, the hike up was equally as strenuous as the day before. The goal was to reach the summit by sunrise, which was scheduled for 6:15am. The last kilometer and a half was climbing straight up a steeply sloped flat granite surface, using ropes as assistance. As 6am got nearer and nearer, I was getting dizzier and more exhausted, but kept on pushing, determined to reach the summit on time. Edged on my by guide, we finally reached the top right as the sun exploded out of the horizon. I sat on the top of the mountain, having hiked over 8 and a half kilometers, and ascending 3000 meters.

The summit was beautiful. The surrounding landscape of Bourneo is dramatic and amazing. I took a whole roll of film at the summit, and half a roll coming down. The way back to the midway lodge was a complete different experience in the daylight. The scenery kept changing as the clouds moved back over the island, and as the sun kept on rising.

Hiking from the midway lodge back to the base, though, was probably one of the more painful experiences of my life. By the time I reached the bottom, my legs were failing to move on their own accord, and my knees were threatening to explode. To quote two of my fellow hikers: "Coming down is torture on the knees!!", and "I'm limping like friggin Yoda!!!"

Anyways, that's the melodramatic recount of my hike up and down Mt. Kinabalu. It was truly an amazing experience, and I can't wait to upload all the pictures.

We're kicking back in Manilla now for the second day. Yesterday, we spend half the day wandering around the old ruins and churches of the Intramuro - the old medieval-style walled-city built by the Spanish. Tomorrow, we're heading out of town, down the the island immediately south to hang out on the beach, and to go swimming and (maybe) diving.