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January 10, 2005
Sabah Trip: Day #1
I was filled with immense anticipation to such extent never felt before. This is my first trip to Sabah, ‘the land below wind’. It was surreal. The opportunity to participate in the ‘Mt. Kinabalu Challenge’ jointly organised by INTEC Faculty of Education, UiTM main campus, Ministry of Youth & Sports (Sabah) and Puteri Umno (Sabah) came as a stroke of luck; apparently Pn Suzana still remembered my essay on sports climbing and recommended my name to the organiser. Lol… must remember to get her some souvenirs later on…
We departed from Cemara Hall to KLIA as early as 7am to catch the 9am flight. At around 7.45am the sun began to cast its soft and soothing light upon KLIA vicinity, as though symbolising a wonderful start of our journey. I pondered how sunrise would be at the top of highest peak in South East Asia, and the prospect of witnessing it in the next two days is invigorating.
The long walk to Gate 9 was deluged with Peter’s story of how he had to rush all the way to catch his flight due to a misdemeanour with an oversized luggage and a distasteful sense of time. The MAS airplane taxied to runway on time, and along the way the cabin was whimsically filled with classical music (Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake I think, quite classy but it’s a feeble attempt to curb passengers’ airsickness, especially mine).
Being only the 3rd time travelling on plane and being the furthest journey by far, I couldn’t help but avoid sitting by the window. So I sat between a lady teacher and a friend from Ausmat program. The teacher was funny; she told me her endeavour to get in shape for the climb. Jogging, exercising, skipping ropes, the list went on. However, instead of losing weight, she gained 3kgs lol… the reason? She ate more after exercising… x_x”
After lunch (nasi dagang + banana yoghurt + orange juice + chocolate), I was reading newspaper while spelling ‘omelette’ and ‘patient’ for the teacher documenting her journey when nature beckoned. Being a ‘sua ku’ (hokkien dialect for people with obsolete minds), I took this chance to venture into the unknown – the relief cubicle of Boeing-737. It was… small (not surprisingly) but clean and complete. However, it took me some time to figure out how to drain water off the sink. Where’s the darn instruction when I needed it?
When I finally finished admiring the gadgets, there was an uprising commotion back in the cabin. Apparently Shazreen (my mountain-climbing comrade, from Faculty of Music) had an asthma attack and had to be given a respirator. As soon as we touched down at Labuan (luckily it was a transit flight), she was sent to the nearest clinic. Wah, the incident happened in such an intense atmosphere I felt like watching ER with live telecast. Stepping on Labuan earth gazing at Labuan sky for the first time, I went around snapping photos together with other INTEC reps (too bad we could only stay at the airport). 40 minutes later sitting snugly back into my seat, I caught a glimpse of Shazreen; she looked enervated and lifeless. Scary… I guess it was a wasted trip for her…
At 12pm we arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). Filling forms was a hassle, but Peter managed to cross the barrier with just his identity as a Sarawakian. (for the uninitiated, Sarawakians can travel to anywhere in Malaysia without the need of paperwork… talk about privilege, huh?) After lunch, we took a 3-hour journey to Kundasang, Ranau for a 2-day Community Outreach Program (COP). It rained all the way. Peter and I each bought a sompoton and toyed with it to kill time. (we managed to blow the first verse of ‘Auld Lang Sine’, not bad for a musically-impaired person like me hehe…)
The rain stopped when we reached Kundasang. It is a small town with scenery that looked just like Cameron Highland; borderless vegetable farms, solitary houses by foothills, mountainous backdrop, fresh air, misty sky, and cool weather. Our stop was SMK Kundasang, where I was stunned by the warm welcome given by the students; rows of them sandwiching the entrance road, clapping and smiling while we walked past them. I was entertained by the traditional Bajau dance at the entrance, reminiscing the unique dance movement that resembled Bollywood dances when we were ushered into the great hall for the opening ceremony for COP.
After that we were distributed among 50 foster families from 10 villages for the home-stay project. Together with Patrick (a Sarawakian from TESL Program), I got one really friendly Mr. Aslie Karim (ash-LEE car-RIM) living a stone’s throw away from the school. Tired and dirty, I bathed with frigid mountain water. It was literally a spine-chilling experience; I think H2O from Kundasang somehow has a specific heat capacity so low that it’s colder than the chilly weather itself. And to think I stubbornly refused to add hot water prepared by Mr. Karim. I even assured him that I wanted to live the way villagers in Kundasang live. Tsk, tsk, tsk… bad choice, and I paid the full price having flu after that. =P
Before wandering off to slumberland, Patrick and I had a chat with Mr. Karim over an abundant supply of kuihs, coffee and beer. Yes, beer. Strictly speaking, Muslims are obliged to abstain from alcoholic drinks, but for Mr. Karim and the other Islamic villagers’ case, drinking beer is a necessity rather than pure enjoyment; they need to keep warm. I usually don’t drink beer, but I felt warmer after sipping some, and ended up with 2 empty cans when we went to sleep. =P
Mr. Karim talked a lot about life in Kundasang, but I was most interested in his history. He led a harsh childhood, losing his father when he was only 11 years old. His mother had to support his many siblings, and being second in the family, he almost had to forgo the opportunity to study. In school, he had no money to pay fees and buy food, hence he was forced to borrow money and share food from friends. With sheer determination, he is now an accomplished vegetable dealer who owns 5 vegetable farms and has business as far as Kuching, Miri and Sibu. And he lives happily now with his wife and 7 children.
Posted by peixin at January 10, 2005 05:46 PM