Saturday, February 19, 2011

Kinabalu Field Trip (11-12 Feb)

Participants: Student (me) and Supervisor (her)
Route: Mesilau -9 hrs up- Laban Rata (sleep) -5 hrs down- Timpohon Gate

Here's to a Pictures are worth a thousand Words
Tired lady drinks Spritzer at scenic spot to quench thirst (Spritzer ad?)...

as student observes some hardcore lichen growing on the forest floor..
and then there was a waterfall with suspiciously clear, but brownish (tannic) waters..
and there was a heavy backpack. And this the student had to carry...
as he strolled pass pretty ferns..
bright yellow rhododendron flowers..
and colourful moss.
Then the teacher made her pilgrimage up the mountain of gnarly, elfin trees..
to meet with the blazing, epic sun..
that just made every scene more... epic.
Despite the sun, it was cold..
and there were cute (and quick) sunbirds (that were hard to photograph) in the mist, 3200 meters above sea level.
Ring-ring, said my field phone... "Who's there?"
"It's the red rhododendron flowers in the mist"
and there she lurked, behind the vines..
as we observed the minuscule-leaved Leptospermum recurvum.
Work was done,
and knots tied.
Squirrel spotted,
and squirrel ate.

- These squirrels (and shrews - if they have sharper snouts) have been conditioned to come out at the shelters along the hiking trail when they hear the ruffling sound of humans opening their packed food. Have a decent camera and you'll be able to catch a few of them on field.

And then there was the bus that broke-down less than 15 minutes from the airport in KL..
but much to our relief, a saviour was sent, and we were sent to a place of peace and good happiness.

I shall divulge more details when I have time =p

2 comments:

stinchan said...

I think human nature makes people want to usik something when you say jangan usik. Would be crap if you went up only to find someone had tugged it all down..

kienz said...

They're well-hidden from the path - you'll have to hike off-trail to find them. Unlikely unless they're naughty locals/rangers.

Besides, by the time most people reach some of these sites, they're too tired to bother =p

By the way, go check out this guy called Tom Waits if you haven't heard his stuff before - awesome stuff.