Oh my God!!! Alarm went off at 5am - so after we had finished the last few bits of packing, we had around 2 hours sleep. Leaving the hotel at 5.15, we arrived at the airport just after 5.30am for our 7am flight to Tawau. Worse still was the fact that we were too early for the coffee shops to be open either. Unsurprisingly, we were both quite quiet on the flight and slept most of the way. Although just after take off we were treated to a clear view of Mount Kinaba...

Oh what bliss - no early start today. We slept in to a giddy 8.30 am and eased ourselves to an upright position. Somehow overnight I seemed to have lost the ability to bend my legs. Even touching the front of your legs elicited a wince! Shuffling to breakfast we surveyed the pleasant grounds and pretty beach in front of the hotel. Unfortunately thoughts of a snorkel in the sea were scuppered when Henry quietly counselled us not to - apparently 2 nearby villages ...

After a fitful sleep we got up wearily as the alarm went off at 2am. One advantage of wearing most of your clothes to bed is it doesn't take long to get ready. Around an hour earlier the rain had finally stopped, so the park guides deemed it ok to go for the summit, but it had been touch and go. Our damp and bedraggled group set off once more around 2.15 am and trudged through the puddles to the entrance gate. Oh deep joy, we were greeted by a mixture of steep sl...

After a restless nights sleep, we awoke with a feeling of both anticipation and trepidation. Today was the big day we had been waiting for. With our day packs ready, complete with 3 litres of water we first stopped for breakfast and to collect our packed lunches. I knew I should eat, but could only manage to force down a slice of toast. We reached Timpophon Gate just before 9am and following a final briefing from Henry we set off up the mountain along the summit ...

It was impossible to sleep much in the longhouse, as sounds of snoring, a baby crying, cat meowing and heavy rain in the night conspired to prevent sleep. Some of our group were up at 5.30 to go for a walk to see sunrise over Mount Kinabalu. I figured I would see enough of it the next couple of days, so had a lay in till 7am! The view of the mountain from the washrooms was pretty good anyway (see photo), as it seemed to rise out from the mists swirling around th...