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Right To Play is a registered charity in England and Wales, charity no. 1112404.
Please donate online by following the link above (through Charity Choice) or send a cheque made payable to "Right To Play UK" to:
Right To Play UK39 - 43 Brewer Street,
London,
W1F 9UD
+44 (0) 207 734 7946
Right To Play Charity Challenge to Borneo
February 23 - March 5 2007
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After being met at London Heathrow by our Expedition Leader, Terri, we hopped on over to Kota Kinabalu (Borneo) , via the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. We were a team of 9 people. We couldn't have been more different! We were a variety of ages, coming from different occupations, but we were united in our desire to challenge ourselves to raise money for charity. |
The Charity Challenge Team
After a few days exploring the port town of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, we transferred just a few hours by bus to Kinabalu National Park where we checked into our accommodation and enjoyed the rest of the day free to acclimatize to our new environment.
Just after 9am the next day, our intrepid team of adventurers started our trek on the jungle trails on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu. The rainforest was thick, and the air and atmosphere thicker! Over the course of the first morning of the challenge, we covered thousands of steps, in some of the most beautiful landscape in South East Asia.It took us over 6 hours to reach our first destination; our mountain accommodation Laban Rata at a dizzy height of 3,200m. |
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Mike Emery with Tim and Simon Lee
The Laban Rata guesthouse was very basic accommodation with dormitory style rooms, but the atmosphere at the hut was fantastic. Scores of climbers gather at the guest house over the course of the day; some preparing for the summit ascent the next day, and some are returning from reaching the peak of Mount Kinabalu. The air in the room is full with stories and anecdotes of people's adventures on the mountain.
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After breakfast at approximately 2am, we pushed on up the mountain using our head torches to help lead the way. Our trek to the summit took approximately 3 hours and we reached the summit of this awesome and very spiritual mountain in time to see the sunrise of the whole of South East Asia. |
Sunrise from the Summit of Mount Kinabalu
Following our summit success, we then started our tough descent to Laban Rata Guesthouse, for breakfast, and then a long walk back to the entrance of the National Park.
After a days rest at a hot springs resort, we started our cycling challenge from Ranau Town. Our destination on this first day would be the bustling town of Tambuanan, approximately 90km away!
This challenging scenic journey took us through the undulating hills of the Crocker Mountains past many villages and paddy fields. This region is famed for its orchids, Orang-utans and unusual plants. The cycling epitomised the meaning of the word 'challenge'. The first 30km of the journey was uphill, and although the day started out drizzling with rain, it didn't take long for it to heat up to 34 degrees and for the humidity to reach a staggering 99 degrees. |
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The next day was another testing day. From Tambunan, we took a very short transfer to Kampong (meaning 'village' in Malay) Rompan where we donned our helmets again and set off on the mountain Road and the full 90km to Tenom. The day was very hard; with the weather again taking its toll on the cyclists. We were urged on though every step of the way by the children waving us on!
Upon our arrival in Tenom, we headed straight for our hotel where we celebrated our cycling achievements with a few drinks, a fantastic email and good, long sleep.
Our last challenge day was a truly amazing experience!
After our breakfast, we transferred by bus to a railway station, where we were collected by a tiny train that took us on a fabulous journey through he heart of the rain forest.
Our challenge was to raft the white-water of The River Padas as it gushes spectacularly through the Padas Gorge. After a great deal of yelling, even more mouthfuls of water and a capsizing incident that left the team in fits of laughter (and a tiny bit shaken!) we reached our destination, and the end of our challenge.
We then took the train back to Koto Kinabalu, and onto the Pacific Sutera Hotel; a lovely resort where we relaxed and revived our aching limbs, and enjoyed the feeling of having challenged ourselves immensely, enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and provided ourselves with memories that will take a lifetime to fade.
