Kuala Lumpur, Diving in Sipidan and Scaling Mount Kinabalu in Adidas Classics!

So Kuala Lumpur was a roaring success with our beatiful hosts Lauren, Anita and Emma treating us to nights out with stunning views of KL's twin peaks and the KL Tower as well as feeding us until we exploded with a mixture of traditional Malay food, Chinese and Indian cuisine.

With our waistlines rapidly expanding we decided to take the short flight over to Kota Kinabalu in Borneo for a week of 6am starts, diving and (only just) climbing Mt. Kinabalu.

The diving was a mixed affair as despite offering some of the best visibility in the world, we were treated to a storm the night before which reduced what we saw and how far we could see them. Despite that I swam with some HUGE green turtles as well as a white tipped shark which was a real highlight of the trip.

However, the stand out moment of my journey so far was to come climbing the 8km up 4650metres of Mt. Kinabalu.

Now this trip didn't get off to the best of starts as when asked by Maurice in the bus if I had any cash I replied that I'd get some out from the cash machine. He politely reminded me we were off to a mountain site where such machines would be at a premium (none). So between us we had around 150 Ringett (around 35 quid) to survive on for 3 days and nights buying food, equipment and drink.

Comfortable yet cautious with our budget we arrived on our first day ready for the ascent. Now I wouldn't describe myself as "at one" with the great outdoors and so it was no suprise when I was laughed at trying to climb this mountain with some Adidas Classics. According to the climb fraternity they're not the most suitable of footwear.

Anyway, I set of with an I-Pod, a bag full of warm weather clothes and my no grip shoes full of confidence. Having taken around an hour and a half to climb the first 2km and with our guide telling us the record up and down was 2h 16m that blind confidence began to lower.

Slow and steady I made it up to the 6km with a respectable time of 4hours. Now I was warned about the next 2k to take us to the ascent but dismissed it as mere myth. The 2am start was a bit of a shock and when we got to the gates to climb it was lashing it down with rain....if my Adidas Classics weren't appropriate before they certainly were not now. Despite being warned of the dangers we carried on and you can only imagine my delight when we came to this bit and told to haul ourselves up in the pouring rain. My delight was tempered slightly when I asked what technique I should use for this part of the climb. Not being able to afford a proper head lamp I was carrying a small torch and was infromed that I should dump the torch, "use the moonlight" for vision and hold on with both hands for dear life! Hmmm. So in the pitch black, with no grip and slipping everywhere I made my way up.

Despite getting altitude sickness (or I was just shitting myself) Maurice and I reached the top. It was an unbelievable feeling and despite my legs aching, head pounding and being extremely dehydrated it was an unbelievable experience. On the way down the sun rose and I had some stunning views of the mountain and the country below.

On our way back down our guide pleasantly informed us that in his 20 years climbing 3 times a week only 50 people have died through a mixture of heart attacks and falling off the edge. Looks like my footwear made the difference.

Anyway, I leave Borneo and Malaysia as a whole with an overwhelmingly positive picture of the people and culture and will definately return one day.

So I'm back to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow before a flight to Laos to take in the Indochina leg.....

Learning to dive, a Half Moon and on a stroll to the second highest mountain in Asia

Well it's been quite an eventful few days since my last post.....

I think the last time I checked in I'd travelled down to Ko Phi Phi to endulge in a few beers and a bit of rest and relaxation. It went so well that I decided to do a bit more of that in Ko Tao and Ko Pangnan.

On the way to Ko Tao we took a sleeper boat and bumped into a Brazilian guy I met in Bangkok and for the next week or so, two became three as Moa joined Morris and I for a party and some diving. After leaving Ko Tao I am now officially a certified 18 metre scuba diver as well as a connoisseur of Thai Buckets.

Deciding that we hadn't quite had enough of the Islands we made the short boat journey to Ko Pangan to do something a little different...meet some new people and have a party. It just so happened that the Half Moon Party was on which is a derivative of the more famous Full Moon Party yet equally as good.

Nursing a hangover the three of us decided to head down to Kuala Lumpur for a few days. After a relatively good journey down (a 23hour mixture of minibus and coach) we arrived at 3am Malaysian time where some friends we met in Ko Tao picked us up and have very kindly put us up for a couple of nights.

I didn't really know what to expect from KL (as it's known) but from what I've seen so far it is an extremely modern city with all the trappings of a western society. Whether that's a good or bad thing I've yet to decide but what's certain is that it's actually quite nice to move on from Thailand. From what I've gathered so far KL and Malaysia as a whole is a cultural melting pot of Malay, Chinese and Indian people living side by side in a Muslim state with no divides or racial tensions. A few Western states could perhaps take note.

Anywyay, the plan is to fly out of KL to Borneo in a couple of days and to dive in Pulau Sidipan (Sidipan Island) which according to a Guardian article is amongst the top 10 dive sites in the world!! From there we're going to take a stroll up the second largest mountain in Asia...Mount Kinabulu.

So it's all still exciting and I'm looking forward to experiencing something new after almost three weeks in Thailand.

See you at the top of the mountain....

As promised.....

A mix of photos from the Grand Palace in Bangkok, learning to dive in Ko Tao and taking a boat ride in Ko Phi Phi!!

Phi Phi, Cliff Jumping and a bit of a party

So I ended up staying a few days extra in Bangkok for one reason or another and headed down south to Phi Phi Island with Maurice, a mate from college. Despite it only taking around 11 hours to get from home to Bangkok a couple of weeks ago it took us almost 25 hours to make the journey to the Island. Anyway, when we got here it was definately worth it. The sand is white, the sea is blue and at night everyone's having a huge party.

Walking along the beach the other day we decided to rent a boat out and visit the secluded beach (Ko Phi Phi Leh) which is the setting for "The Beach". Along the way we met a few people and were floating along in the sunshine stopping at various smaller islands. I also had time to do this which was fun...but absolutely terrifying.

As for anything cultural at the moment...it's pretty non existent as the Temples and Palaces haven't made there way to the islands just yet which means I'm sitting on the beach during the day and having a party during the night...which I don't mind at all.

Anyway, gonna stay here for one more night before heading to Ko Tao and Ko Pahgnan for more of the same but in a different setting.

As for the photos, they are on their way....promise.

Till then....