Sunny Outdoors

23 to 24 Feb 2011- This is my first time climbing Mt Kinabalu and I am really excited to be here after 3 months of training. To prepare for the climb, we trained by stair climbing (40 storeys building) and hiking up Bukit Timah hill weekly. I can't wait to ascend this mountain, after all this is South East Asia highest mountain right ?  Jo's Climbers (Photo from Jo)  Briefing before the trek starts  We started the climb at about 9:45am and were advised not to go too fast as that will increase the risk of acute mountain sickness (ams). Anyway, all the good advice went out the window when I started.  I was just focused on reaching Laban Rata base camp.  Distance markers and maps at every 0.5km The terrain goes UP UP and UP, with steep inclines with very little flat ground. I am really glad I trained for the climb.   Porters carrying 30 kgs load  Resting for lunch on the steps as the huts were fu...

31 Oct 2010  - This is my first time participating in the Genting Trailblazer. Having heard so much about it from friends and read so much about it on the Internet, I was really excited to be finally here. The race began with an easy 4k run on paved roads that led into the Genting forest. In the forest, The terrain was undulating, with lots of steep slopes going up and down. You even had to slide on your backsides to get down from the steeper ones. The ground was muddy as it had been raining the entire week. The adventure race that was held the day before only made it worse. Race Route - 14 Km Sliding down the slope ! (Photo by Tony Tay) Hiking does not equate running. I learned this the hard way when I got into the forest trail. The initial 4k had  already exhausted me. I was also nursing a bad cold. Coupled with inadequate training... well I have been to many hikes but have never ran beyond 10k till now. This is the most excruciating 10k run for me. I was dehydr...

10 July 2010 - The mountain was swarmed with blood sucking leeches ! Almost everyone in the group got bitten, myself included. Some even had multiple bites. Legs and ankles were still bleeding at dinner time ...  These suckers came in different lengths and sizes -  there were small thin ones (that can easily squeeze into your shoes) and long fat ones that looked like an earthworm. We constantly had to look at our shoes to check.  Without fail,  every 5 minutes or so, there will be leeches making their way up for a fresh blood meal ! Even when we stopped, we had to scan the ground for leeches.  A lot of us got bitten when we stopped to rest for the first time.  You stop to catch your breath and have a drink of water and the next thing you know, you have leeches making their way up from the ground to your shoes and ankles. Yikes ! Although, I got bitten by one blood sucker who made it up to my ankle and had a good feast, there were at least 10+ leeches t...

24 to 28 Jun 2010 - This was our second time in Phuket. We were there about 6 years ago, before the tsunami happened.  Surprisingly, the beaches and the places look similar to the Phuket we had in our memory.  A lot of rebuilding must have taken place since the 2004 tsunami disaster. When we arrived at the airport, everything was chaotic at the arrival hall. Taxi touts rushed at you with placards showing fares to Patong and other areas of Phuket.  Having read about this from websites, we  quickly made our way out of the arrival hall. We turned right after exiting the door and there it was, a booth with a sign that says "Taxi Meter".  Despite the big "Taxi Meter" signboard, we were still quoted a flat fee to Patong !!! 550 baht from the airport to Patong (including the 100 baht Airport taxi tax).  I caught a glimpse of those prices offered by the touts - one of which indicated 600 baht to Patong. Patong We stayed at the Patong Bay Garden Resort which wa...