48. Body and Mind are in Harmony
Mount Kinabalu ( Sabah, Malaysia )
Mount Rinjani( Lombok Indonesia )
Mount Kakabaruzi ( Burma )
Annapurna Base Camp ( Nepal )
Mount Kilimanjaro ( Tanzania, Africa )
Everest Base Camp (Nepal)
Mera Peak (Nepal)
How do we know that our mind and body are in harmony?
One of the ways is to go for a mountain trekking or an adventural trip to find it out.
When we trek mountains in South East Asia such as Mount Kinablau in Malaysia or Mount Rinjani in Lombok,Indonesia, we would find out whether the body and mind can work together in harmony. Next levels of test would be ABC, EBC in Nepal.
There is a highest mountain in Burma, Mount Kakaburuzi. Try it and we would find our limits. It would be another revenue for mountain trekkers once it is fully developed for trekking.
In mountaineering, mountain sickness can strike anyone and this is the time your body and mind must work in tandem to eliminate the altitude sickness. A good marathon runner may not necessary be a good trekker because mountain trekking demands more from a body a mind working in harmony and unison.
Training regime can help to bring up the threshold limit of mountain sickness.
To discover yourself, one of the best way is to climb the highest "Mountain" Bukit Timah In Singapore. It is less than 200m but we need to start from small, learn how to respect the mountain first.
So lets begin the first step with Bukit Timah, to find out our body and mind conditions.
Happy Trekking Journey.
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Below is my encounter in 2009:
Encounter One:
Climbing Mount Kinabalu Frist Time. Sabah, Malaysia, @ 4095.2M , 30 March 2009 -
Twenty minutes into the journey of summit, I vomited, my body was exhausted but I moved on.From the eyes contact with Walter, our guide, I knew that I needed to make an about turn very soon. I couldn't hear what he said. It sounded like "you can’t go further, that’s it." I took a deep breath, looked at him and said: “Let me try another 100m…”
Finally with every 100m moving forward, I was the last person who reached the summit on that day.
The views of Low’s Peak (The first recorded climb by Sir Hugh Low in 1851), the clouds and the sun light took my breath away more than the suffering which I endured for the climb. My teammates shouted. “Five more minutes to go to the summit’s notice board there…”
Some sharing points for those who are keen to climb Mount Kinabalu first time
1. Room in the Laban Rata rest house:
We had one dormitory for 6 (remember that it was called Buttercup Room 3). It was fully equipped with bath room, toilet and basin inside the dormitory. Shampoo, shower gel, toilet paper, towels, slipper, heater for hot water (you can get the hot water from the dining area), instant coffee powder, creamer, and bottle of water are provided in the room. Note that some dormitories do not have such facilities.
2. Budget Air travel:
You could travel by Air Asia or Tiger Airway. The airfare for the whole trip (SIN to KK) is about RM 220 (including 15kg of check-in luggage)
3. Laban Rata rest house rental per night:
RM 140 per pax
Transport by 9-seater van from Beverly hotel to Kinabalu Park headquarter (2-way): RM350.
4. Trail selection:
For beginner it is recommended to use Timpohon trail as it is shorter so that you have more time to rest at the rest house. The longer path, Mesilau trail (2.5KM longer) which has a scenic view but it may delay your time of arrival to the rest house. Since you have less time of resting at the rest house, with a tired body and you may find it more challenges to reach the summit. However the key is not to rush so that you acclimatised your body well whichever trail you may take.
5. Items that are needed when going from Timpohon Gate( which is the starting point) to Laban Rata rest house. (stay at Rest house over night before ascent to summit)
Temperature on the way up: ~ 20°C at the beginning and ~ 15°C further up
Duration to rest house (6km): 3.5 hours (fast walker) & 6 hrs (slow walker)
At the start of the journey, just wear a t-shirt and shorts. As you go further up, the weather may turn chilly and you will need to put on long pants and windbreaker. Keep a raincoat with you.
Carry with you 1.0 litre of water because a can of 100plus and 500ml water are included in your packed lunch which you have to carry.
The packed lunch contains sandwiches, hard boiled egg, one piece of chicken, two pieces of fried popiah, one apple, one can of 100plus and 500ml water. Just check your food before you put them into your mouth. My last piece of sandwich had black mould.
Carry some energy food with you (but not too much). I ate one cereal bar and some dried raisins.
6. Items that are needed when going up to the summit from Laban Rata rest house
Temperature at the summit when going up: about 5°C.
Just need a wind breaker ( with hood to protect against the chilly wind ) and warm clothing with zip in front so that you can unzip it when it gets too hot when you first go up and when coming down from summit and also one layer of t-shirt.
Have a pair of hand gloves.
Two 500ml bottles of water.
Headlight is a must. Hand held torch light is not recommended as you will need to use both hands during the climb. A friend of mine dropped his torch light during the climb.
Beanie (for the head)
Camera.
One walking stick (a must). You can buy a wooden stick for RM3.00.
Carry some energy food such as raisins. Food is provided at Laban Rata in the morning.
My humble experience: Remember not to eat too much as I had a bad experience eating two servings of noodle because the food was too delicious. And I suffered on the way up. Fortunately after throwing up the food, I was able to move on. It was an experience I will never forget.
7. Use of porter:
Although in the brochure which we received stated that it is RM80 for a max of 10kg and the extra will be charged at per kg, when we were there we were told that this service is calculated based on the weight of your baggage. It is 8 RM per kg. Therefore there is no necessity to share a porter with anyone. The porter, who is usually your guide, will weigh your baggage.
8. Pace of walking:
For beginner take one step at a time as too fast a pace will make you have less time to be acclimatized. As a result you may develop headache which reduce the chance of reaching the summit. Do not rest for too long at the breaks as it will make you lose the momentum of moving forward.
Walk at your own pace. While climbing up, your heart may pound heavily. Do deep regular breathing.
9. Walk Safely:
An idiom says " going up the mountain is easy and coming down is tough". Once you reach the summit, many people thought it was over. But the danger lies ahead. I saw people fell and slip many times as they descend including my team mates. As an average each person experience 0-4 falls, 4-10 slips while they walked down. General statistics of mountain climbing showed that 80% of the accidents were caused by descending phase, our aim is to enjoy the trip so hold on to the stairs, ropes, walking stick when descending, it will prevent you from falling flat on the ground or injuring your angles, knees or back.
10. Protect your body from injury:
Use knee guards and trekking stick as knee injury is the number one injury in mountain climbing. Use trekking shoes to prevent ankle injury. Wear cap and apply sunblock lotion as the sunlight is strong at a high altitude.
11. Training
Basic skills such as climbing up a slope using rope are required. Walking long distance of at least 6 hours would prepare you for the long walk. Climbing steps at Dairy Farm loop in Bukit Timah hill for at least 7 times ( per session) will help to strengthen your leg muscles.
Identify your weakest links. Most of the people find that knees and thighs require more strengthening.
After walking for a while you would find your feet and toes expanded as your body become more relaxed. Trek shoe size should not be too tight. ½ to 1 size bigger than your sport shoe may make you more comfortable. Do not wear new shoes or new knee guards for the climb as this is a sure way to get blisters.
Although you can ask a porter to carry your baggage, you still need to bring your essential items, water, foods, raincoat, and warm clothing with you. Any thing you bring with you will add weight and burden to your journey to summit. Train with a backpack on your shoulders to feel the impact of the weight.
Many people think that it is “mind over body”. But if you train your body well, practice body fitness, have discipline in your training then you would not need to use your mind power to do the climbing. Put emphasis on training your body first and mind second. When the body fails then you use your mind, if the mind fails then you crawl. You will be there anyway.
In the last hour of journey, I put my awakened mind training into practice. The mind brought the tired body meet the tough challenge and push the body to its limits. Luckily, I did not have headache in the whole journey, however if you have developed headache at this stage, the best solution is to abandon this trip and come back another day because your body is telling you that you have a problem. Headache is a sign of instability so take it seriously and avoid using pain killer at this stage to suppress the pains. Seek help immediately.
Mountain climbing is not about climbing itself. It is about mind and body coordination and it is about self discovery. Through the action we do, we find greatest meaning in life.
"Prepared Well, know your direction, know your limits and know your supports." - Eng Hwa
"Know Yourself, embrace the nature, appreciate the weather and decide your destiny." - Simon Kong
Learning points:
Strengthen your body when ascending and Strengthen your mind when descending...
Mountain climbing involves your body-mind and the mountain. There is nothing else in between...
I asked a NUS former student Yin Kai who reached Mt Everest a few years ago. I asked him about Body or Mind which one is more important in climbing a mountain? He said if you have a strong body then you would use your mind less...
Sir Edmund Hillary said. For mountain climbing it is not the mountain we conquer, it is ourselves.
Note: This is my personal account on the scaling of Mount Kinabalu. Thank you my teammates for their homely helps, invaluable ideas and suggestion, especially to Kwee Choo, Sajeewa, Tien Seng, Ridzuan, Joey, Chew Hoe, Eng Hwa, our guides Farlie, Walter and my beloved wife, Siew Mee. For first time climbers, you are encouraged to source for more official information from Sabah Tourism Board.
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Encounter 2 : Mt Rinjani Trekking in Lombok Indonesia. July 2010
Here is Ma Saint's article on Mt Rinjani. She has a vivid acount on this journey and Saint has agreed for this article to be published here. Thanks Team-mate Saint.
The purpose of putting an article here is to help first timer who wants to venture into one of the most beautiful Indonesia live volcanic mountain. Happy Reading
It goes like this:
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Day 1 Camp in the setting sun
Indonesia is blessed with awesome natural resources and Mount Rinjani is one of them. Starting on 22nd June, 14 of us went for a 4-Day/3-Night hiking trip with the help of our guide Full and 9 porters. The trip turned out to be a memorable one with picturesque views and beautiful people.
We were already excited before leaving Singapore's Changi airport. We wanted to have window seats hoping to see Mt Rinjani from the plane. As the seats were not fully occupied, 4 of us seated in a row had chance to see the views both on left and right of the plane by exchanging the seats. A few minutes before landing we saw a huge mountain in the clouds. Although we were not sure if that was Mt Rinjani, we happily took photos of the mountain, the clouds and the sunset. It was dusk when the plane landed at Mataram, Lombok, Indonesia. We were transferred to Senaru, the village where Rinjani trek begins.
The next morning, we have to take an arranged transport to Rinjani Information Center where we registered for the climb. The interesting ideology and operations of Rinjani trek are found on the Rinjani Trek Management Board (RTMB) web page. . Conceptually, the Rinjani trek operations are managed by partnership of National Park, tourism industry and the local community. This is a way for creating jobs and generating income by making use of natural resources, community's geographical knowledge and skills which will ultimately lead to the development of the region.
A source says "All porters are taught the importance of maintaining the environment and rest station facilities, sticking to established paths, customer service and emergency procedures". I hope the RTMB's training programs also educate the guides and the porters for safety and health concerns for themselves too. I met a porter who heavily coughed after every few steps while climbing up. Locally-made cigarettes are very cheap and easily available thus they become a temporary energy bosster for the porters.
We started the journey from Sembalun Lawang village around 9am on 22nd June 2010. The sky was so clear that we can see the summit from far. We walked through the savannah in which alang-alang grasses are about my height. I didn't see much animal lives in the savannah except the cows pasturing in the plains and butterflies hopping around the small flowers in the field.
When we looked back to Sembalun Lawang village, a large farm with green houses was seen. I wonder which kind of farm would it be and later found out the web site of the Tanzanian company Tendaji Agro which has invested in it. As the web page says, the vegetables grown in these green houses are exported to Singapore too. Who knows, some vege we consume might come from Lombok.
We walked until Pos II where we had lunch for the first day. The benefit of trekking with a big group is that the porters reach the rest point earlier and prepare food for us. The plain tea and piping hot noodle soup were perfect for lunch.
It was an easy walk until Pos III where we took a short rest. From Pos III to Day 1 camp (Plawangan II crater rim) was a tough hike in the heavy mist. The vegetaion has changed. As we approached the crater rim, we started to see more trees, mostly pine, and more flowers including edelweiss (Anaphalis viscida). Locals say these white little flowers are symbol of love. As they only grow at the altitudes of about 2000 meters and above, a man could climb up the mountain and pick these beautiful flowers to prove his love to his girl.
Around 4:30pm, we stepped on part of the crater rim with lots of penting and exhaustion. From that part of the crater rim, we could see the summit near and clear. But as our Myanmar saying "အၿမင္နီး ခရီးေ၀းတဲ႔ ေတာင္" goes, mountains are near in the sight, yet far to be reached. As we could see the summit trail closer, the sandy narrow lane became clearer. I decided not to go for it unless I woke up and felt "I am dying to go" in the next morning. The panoramic view from the rim was fascinating - the challenging summit of gigantic Rinjani right in front of me, the plain we passed through and the sea beyond partly covered by the clouds on my left and the crater lake completely hidden by the heavy clouds on the right. It was worth climbing so hard.
Soon after, we reached to the camp site for Day 1. Again, being a big group with 9 porters, the tents were already made for us. There were a few small groups of hikers staying around the single tree which serves as the marker for the camp site. It can be seen from the other side of the crater rim on the following days.
The sun had set, dinner was taken, what else to be done except a good night sleep? All the tents around were quiet. All I could hear was the sound generated by the strong wind rushing into the trees from far and slapping the small tents near me. Despite exhaustion, I just couldn't sleep. It would be probably a waste if I stayed inside the tent tossing around and forcing myself to sleep. So, I walked out of the tent.
It says "A picture tells a thousand words". But the truth is not every sight can be captured as a picture. The almost-full moon, the twinkling stars, the range of mountains, the Crater Lake and the shade of the summit - any form of art could fail to describe the beauty of the night. Standing still, I felt I was refilled with the mental energy for the next day.
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Awesome Rinjani - Day 2
Nine of the group members had started their day earlier to climb up the summit but the heavy clouds, the forceful wind and the chill factor did not favor us. Only one in the group reached to the summit. Hikers from the other groups also came back without reaching the summit. Those who stayed at camp 1 were a little more favored to see the very brief sunrise.
It was so misty that we could see the seven colors of rainbow in the circles at many spots. Many monkeys appear together with the sun light. They came to grab food which was left by the people. We left Camp 1 about 9am. Since then, I stopped paying attention on "what time is it" or "how long more to reach to the next rest point". After all, we are on holiday.
The decent was so rocky and steep that we need to maintain in a group and help each other to climb down safely. Rinjani trek was so much more interesting than Mount Kinabalu because it has light walking, steep ascent on the soil, and now serious decent. I think it took us about 4 hours to reach the camp site at Lake Segara Anak.
The lake view was astonishing. Now we are in the middle of the mountain range. I am standing near the lake which was 180 degrees surrounded by the mountains except for the valley with a creek into which the water would overflow when there are heavy rains. Nature had built a dam and an overflow stream by itself.
There is a hot spring at at the tip of the creek thus we went down for bathing. We were told that water could be hot as 70 degrees Celsius at the source (before getting mixed with cold water). I guessed it may vary depending on the volcanic activities of Gunang Baru (the active volcano formed in the middle of Crater Lake).
At the small water fall and the pool, water is yellowish due to high sulphur content and nicely warm to soak in. Since that was the only water source for the whole journey, I chose to get down to the water. A warm water bath could also help to relieve muscle tension.
While crater rims were filled with energy and enthusiasm of the hikers, the lake was active with the local travelers. As it was one or two days before full-moon day, we saw groups of pilgrims who travelled far to perform rituals at the lake and shower themselves with the hot spring water.
We were briefed not to leave non-biodegradable items along the journey before it was even started. Materials like plastics are collected by the guide along the way, and burnt at each camp site. There were friendly warnings for the environmental consciousness posted (as far as I know) around the lake area.
Every mountain has its own story. Rinjani is believed to be home for the soul of Dewi Anjani, the queen of the kingdom. While browsing for the legends of Rinjani, I saw a piece of news on The Jakarta Post. I wish I could watch the film. Be it a tourist promotion film or environmental awareness promoter, I am sure the beauty of incredible Rinjani will be captured.
The night fell dark fast as it was surrounded by the mountains. I had nothing to do after the dinner. I thought of reading but couldn't resist the beauty of the lake. So, I just sat down at the lake side and did nothing. The moon was shining on me, the water in the lake reflecting the moon light and the Gunung Baru breathing heavily - I just get myself possessed by the nature.
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Awesome Rinjani - Day 3
In the morning of Day 3, we are quite relaxed. The surrounding of the lake was active with porters playing their favorite past-time game and the travelers watching them. Porters carried tents, sleeping bags, food and cooking utensils and also prepared every meal for us. They were quiet but approachable and helpful.
While preparing for the day, we all heard "bommm" from Gunung Baru. I rushed out to get a photo but the mushroom of smoke coming out from the left of the cone was not well captured. The smoke is emitted every few hours but quickly disappeared. It didn't make a disturbance to us as there was no ashes spread around. After a while, my camera dived into the lake ;) so I wouldn't have beautiful photos for this post. I tried to find my last resource, my phone, but like I wrote before iPhone does not replace a camera.
Day 3 trail was exciting and challenging for most of us. First part of the trail is composed of tricky rocky climbs. Some parts of the climb are really dangerous as the support rails are damaged and the ropes are torn. I hope organizations like national park make some improvement on this. The local family (some with children) travel without guide thus they bare more risk than the foreign hikers.
The view of Crater Lake and Gunung Baru was the best while climbing the crater rim. The bank we were climbing up had full of edelweiss. We took a rest at the crater rim, take some group photos and started the down slope with loosen soil. A different skill set was required for this path. Having my hiking shoes wet as they also dived into the lake together with the camera ;) I slide downhill with my sandals.
As we approached Pos III (different from Pos III of day 1, this is on Senaru side) and entered the rain forest, it started to drizzle. Fortunately, it was just for a while. The path from Pos III to the Day 3 camp at Pos II was the heavy rain forest. We camped in the middle of heavy forest. Just like the mountains, forest also has their stories which we came to know only on the following day.
The highlight for the day was chitchat at fire made by the porters. Someone said sitting next to fire is therapeutic and I kind of agree to that statement. After a long day walk, heat from the fire helped relax the muscles. Sitting next to the fire also reminded me of the winter days during my childhood. With raisins, peanuts and friendship, the night was perfect.
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Awesome Rinjani - Day 4
If not for waterfall and World Cup, day 4 would have been a low light of the trip. The last day's walk was easier as the trail was comparatively simple up to the Pintu Senaru (The National Park, Senaru Gate). A short distance from Pintu Senaru to the pick up point was beautiful with banana, coffee and cocoa trees and colorful flowers. In summary, we have completed the journey of about 25 Km from Rijani Information Center (RIC) at Sembalun to Rinjani Trek Center (RTC) at Senaru.
A good shower at Pondok Senaru refreshed me for the rest of the day. We walked to the two waterfalls near by. It was worthwhile stretching ourselves a little more. We walked on a funny bridge which actually is a drain with very fast water flow and built high up from the valley. I wonder why the drain cover couldn't be solid. To reduce the weight of the bridge? Or to keep accessable to the drain below? Whatever reason it was, it made us dizzy while walking on it.
We walked through the stream where the water was flowing very strongly. It was crystal clear and icy cold. Both waterfalls started flowing at a very high edge. The water flow was very powerful. Water droplets generated from the water stream hitting the rocks and the ground were so dense that I felt like standing in the rain. I love the cold sensation.
I started exploring the village after coming back from the waterfalls. I went to Bayan with a motorcycle taxi to find the old couple who made local rice wine. By communicating with Machi (aunty), I learnt something. Some people are really good in explaining the job they do every day. The small house of her fermenting, settling and filling process was neat, tidy and clean. She couldn't speak a single word in English but was able to convince me that her rice wine is one of the best (if not THE best) in the region via the interpretation of the motorcycle taxi rider.
Bayan was a very small town with a crowded junction and a big field next to it. We had some satay and nasi goren at the junction. Then, we went into a compound where the locals gathered and watched World Cup. It was Portugal Vs Brazil match on that day. In fact, it didn't matter whatever match it was. All I wanted was the experience and thrill sitting in a free show where the people enjoyed the game.
Once we sat in the middle of the space in front of a big TV screen, all men and boys looked at us as if they were watching an animal show. It was really intimidating yet fun. As the people got involved in the match or rather concerned for their bet, they started to shout against the opponent of the team they supported. I didn't think they would make any harm to us but wouldn't be surprised if they broke out into fights. Yes, I admit it was a bit too much taking such a risk but I love the fun, thrill and anxiety during that 95 minutes.
We left Senaru on 26th June 2010. The awesome Rinjani was looking at us exactly the same as the day we arrived. Goodbye for now. I may meet you again.
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