05.05.09 Mount Kinabalu National Park

Mount Kinabalu

Today was the time for our second trip. We were picked up from the hotel at 8:00am and again picked up few other people and transferred into a bigger bus. We drove around the mountains and got some really nice views of the mountain area and Mount Kinabalu. The guide told us that Mount Kinabalu is called the shy mountain because there's usually clouds around it, but today there were almost no clouds, so we could see the mountain really clearly.

A flower in the Mount Kinabalu National Park

On the way to the Mount Kinabalu National Park, we stopped quickly at a market place where you could get all kinds of souvenirs. After the market, we went to the Kinabalu National Park's Botanical Garden. And by the way, since I've been "collecting" UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Beijing, Kinabalu National Park also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Botanical Garden was pretty nice with lots of different kinds of flowers, trees and plants, and the guide know a lot about them.

View down from the canopy walkway

We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant next to the Kinabalu National Park's Poring Hot Springs entrance. After lunch, we headed past the Poring Hot Springs to the canopy walkway and walked up the stairs to the beginning of the walkway. The canopy walkway consists of four suspension bridges suspended between tree tops. It's 157 meters long and the highest point is 41 meters above the ground, so in other words, the perfect place for someone who is scared of heights. Somehow, I managed to get through the canopy walkway with shaking all over the whole way. I even looked down from there and didn't feel too bad. But I only took pictures from the platforms where you could calm down between the bridges, still high up in the trees. Well, actually, I did take one picture when I was standing on the last suspension bridge, but I did it very quickly and my hands barely left the ropes on the sides.

View from the canopy walkway

After the heights, it was time to climb down and then go to the Poring Hot Springs. We didn't have that much time left, so I managed to soak my legs in the hot water for few minutes and then it was time to get back on the bus. In the city, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and then back to the hotel to get some sleep.