Kinabalu Park > summit (4095m) > Kota Kinabalu (100km, 2h by bus)

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This is the highest summit I’ve never been onto :-) We are the first two guys to get there with a Spanish guy. We did it without any torch which was even better (actually, my battery run out after 30 minutes this morning). Without any light we could enjoy the stars and feel all the atmosphere. The moon’s brightness was enough to see where we were going. We left this morning around 3am and arrived 2 hours and 15 minutes later. We now can see all the other guys walking slowly down there. The temperature up there is, I guess, between 0 and 5 degrees and it’s slightly windy. I won’t be able to stay too long up there because I will get cold if I don’t move.

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Mabul Island > Kinabalu Park (16km, 30min by boat + 600m, 10min by car + 472km, 8h by bus)

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As planned, well… not really, we stayed another night. I did not want to spend money on diving or snorkeling at first. The thing is there is no much else to do here. I’ve hesitated and finally paid a snorkeling session for 50Ringgit. Too bad I did not bring the GoPro with me because there is so much different fish here with amazing shape and colors.

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Mabul island, first day

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We woke up this morning and figure out that we will stay another night. This island is beautiful and really controversial. A part of Mabul island has been bought by Sipadan Mabul Resort in the early 90’s to develop tourism and since that time, many other resort has been developed around the tiny island. The Mabul backpacker is situated at the “border” between this luxurious resort and the authentic village. There is a community of people here (mainly from philippines) who live on their boats. This place is a community where rich and poor people lives next to each other, not really together. The landscape is wonderful but it doesn’t feel right.

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Melaka, second visit

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Today from 4pm, when the weather is not that hot, I’ve decided to have another go cycling in the city of Melaka (or Malacca). Melaka is a world heritage city since the 9th July 2009 and has a characterial city centre. It divides by the river of the same name (sungai Melaka). The most evident thing about this place is the multicultural side and the several architecture you can find all combined together. Maybe I miss it very much I don’t know but I feel I was in Disneyland again in some part of the city. Especially with those taxi-bicycle that have took over the place.

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Villa Manuk > Toya Bungkah (Mount Batur) (49km by car)

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Today we have done another walk to visit a waterfall before it get too hot and then drove towards Toya Bungkah from where we will start a trek to the summit of Mount Batur. Apparently there is a certain concern about Mount Batur and the fact we can not climb it without a guide (which cost about 300.000 IDR per person > $30 AUD). Some people have been in trouble when they tried. A bunch of 20 guides started to kick them in the legs and even grab a person to threaten her with a cigarette in the eye. Well, we might take a guide and avoid this kind of exceptional problem. Some guide book call for a boycott of this area as it getting worse and worse over the years.

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