Part 52: The climb day two... We reached the laban rata rest lodge 11000ft above sea-level late that afternoon, and we did it in good time according to our friendly smiling guide, although it certainly didn't feel like it. I'd suspected he was just being kind to us, rather telling us what we wanted to hear, because at times I felt every last one of the steep steps up here. My attention then turned towards a helicopter landing pad to the left, and my mind wande...

Part 51: The climb, day one... The early morning air was crisp and clear. I filled my lungs with a deep intake of breath as we commenced up a steep set of wooden steps - to call it a brief taste of things to come would have been the understatement of the century! Behind us, Aslan the smiling guide allowed us to take lead, and dictate the pace. 'Take your time, save your energy' he repeated. The mountain and its surrounding national park was rich in lush fore...

Part 50: Mount Kinabalu..... The hostel was fully booked with a fresh new batch of travellers - out went the unsocial's - in came an instantaneous, friendly talkative bunch. Already there was a very noticeable, and different atmosphere at breakfast, people were talking and acknowledging me for the first time since I arrived here. A friendly German guy introduced himself, showing off several leech bites from a jungle trip he'd been on the day before, a tall Nep...

Part 49: The Orang-utans..... I woke up in the cramped dorm to the welcome sight of this inconsiderate, and hugely annoying girl packing her mess up and checking out. She was in her own world, making noise with out any awareness of her surroundings all through the night, completely oblivious to the fact that this was supposed to be a shared dorm, and that people were trying to sleep. It was a really uncomfortable night with no air con. She hid the remote!! H...

Part 48: Borneo..... My no fuss, and certainly no frills budget flight to Kota Kinabalu, Borneo was first thing in the morning from Manila's tiny domestic airport. No cafe's, no food, just a waiting lounge, with the flight numbers written by hand on a board inside. Yes, this was just about as budget as you could possibly get. Not that it bothered me anymore like it used too in the past, the cheaper the better now. In the distance the grey cloudy sky looked a...