It's never pleasant being awoken from a deep sleep, especially when you're waking up to climb this never ending poxy mountain. I can hear the rain pounding outside, this should be interesting.
We assemble downstairs in all our gear. Ponchos, my Shels jersey, a jacket I've borrowed off a Geordie, my Oasis hat and a flash light wrapped around my head. Sorted. Mr Miyagi is nowhere to be found though. Oh wait, he's outside smoking, never mind.
Rain is pouring down as we try climb uphill, several times I questioned why I was doing this, surely it was easier to Google images of the place and slap them on the Brendan Gracebook and pretend I was there. Either way, we'd come this far we may aswell keep going.
I hit the deck a couple of times, despite the Sambas holding up well the mud was just too much at times. Around an hour of uphill struggling, we arrived at a flat surface wall with a rope hanging from it, I'm assuming we have to climb this, ah shite.
We've already seen two people falling from a height and sliding down at force to the bottom, they're still alive, but visibly shaken. I just go for it. Miyagi is scaling it in sandals with no rope and, of course, a smoke. There was a very very small piece of rock jutting out that we had to use to walk across and then up, believe me, it was quite difficult.
I can't be entirely sure but I think it maybe took about another hour or so, yet we eventually made it in time to see the sun rising above the clouds. An amazing sight. Really one of the moments I'll always remember, even if someone erased the heroic video I took!
Took a good while to take in what we were seeing, we were at the highest point in the whole of South East Asia.
But that's enough of that, we had to make it back down and after 15 minutes of enjoying what we were seeing I eventually came to terms with the fact going down was going to be a whole lot tougher.
It was. On the way down, I went and dislocated my knee. I spent the next 500 metres trying to pop it back in, it was not pleasant at all. I eventually get it popped back in a Km before we hit the end and just before them horrible steps we met on the way up, thank jaysus I got that sorted.
Miyagi is in top form, cracking jokes on the way down, inbetween cigarettes, despite the fact that none of us are laughing at them. It just doesn't seem to end and at one point I remember swearing to never go near a poxy mountain again. Feck it, I'm never going up a set of stairs again, escalators and bungalows is it for me.
One of the best moments of my life is finally reaching the bottom. I have tears of joy in my eyes.
There's a slight problem in that we have nowhere to stay for the night. Fear not, the guys recommend a place around the corner from the poxy mountain. We walk (shuffle) to the place, legs dragging behind us, rucksacks crushing our backs, eventually we see the guest house.... ahhh shiza....
It's 100 steps down.....
I hate mountains....
Next installment is about the journey to Sandakan, over priced cereal and crocodile hunting.
Same Nam time, same Nam channel....
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