Niah and Birds Nest Soup

NIAH NP – Sarawak, East Malaysia – 26 September 2024
I’d heard about these caves from Garry KS, he and a group of caver friends had visited Niah, hiring a “people mover “vehicle to get them there.  The photos Garry took looked amazing so I decided to add Niah to my Mulu trip which meant we had to stay at Miri and then catch a flight to Mulu for the conference we were attending, so it all fitted together. Continue reading

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Cadburys Old Gold Chocolate, the new energy booster

MOUNT KINABALU, Sabah – Eastern Malaysia – 23-24 September 2024
Mount Kinabalu is a UNESCO Global Geopark, the summit is 4095.2M above sea level and we would be starting the walk at Timpohon Gate (1,829m ASL).  I have to admit to a high degree of anxiety for this trip … I’d not walked continuously uphill for 5k before, how would I cope? Would I get to the check point (to continue to the summit) by 5.30am? So much anxiety! Continue reading

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Touch-down Kota Kinabalu

KOTA KINABALU – 20-22 September 2024
There have been some ups and downs (cancelled flights, possible cyclones) but Jim (my travelling buddy) and I finally made it to Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia on Saturday.  Our Big Adventure was to start on the morning of 23 September, so we had a couple of days to do some sightseeing. Continue reading

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The lead up to Kinabalu – Part 2

19 August – 19 September
The second part of challenge to build my fitness so that I can climb Mount Kinabalu went by in a blur! I’d heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit and 7 days to break the habit, and I have to say I’ve found that to be true.  For the first 50 days I was definitely in the “habit” zone.   Continue reading

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Caught by a Heuristic Trap – or two

BLUE MOUNTAINS – 15 September 2024
I was a little nervous about this multi pitch abseil trip (Malaita Walls).  I’d done it twice before (maybe even more times because I don’t always record trips), but this time it was an SRT trip (single rope, not double rope that I’m used to).  So, I packed my “Stop” descender which is designed for SRT, and I knew that I could slow myself down with it if need be. Continue reading

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