It took me 14 months to achieve 10,000 unique visitors. Thank you for those who have been supporting me on Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com. The website, which is full of vital information, written with a “DIY solo travel adventure” in mind. From “Getting Here” to “Summit Trail (Night Climb)”, the website brings you step by step (in chronological order) guide on what you are going to face on your quest to the highest peak in South East Asia.

The website free informations, tips, secrets and guidelines will always be free, thank you to our donors, (which I also mention their names on this blog sidebar) which have made me able to fund the webhosting fees. Some of the funding also comes form our advertisers, which you can see from almost every page that you read.

I am also an Open Source and FSF supporter. As I think giving back what I have made is one of the best way to feel “the warmth of giving” inside, I also licensed this website and blog with Creative Commons. If you are not familiar with what I am talking about you can always feel free to check it out.

At this moment, Aiden and I are in a transition period. We are going to expand our website, from just providing information to travelers to providing services, especially for those who would like us to help on their trip to Kinabalu. We actually have been doing that for the past couple of months, but still under a trail and error. Hopefully, it will be materialize soon.

KOTA KINABALU: The local team of Guianus Salagan and Mohd Yusuf proved their mettle in the just concluded 8th Sabah Adventure Challenge against all odds – the scorching heat and challenging terrain – to come out top.

Of the 72 participants comprising 34 teams from Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland, six teams eventually had to withdraw from the race halfway due to heat exhaustion and symptoms of sun-stroke.

Read more…

It sounded really silly, but this video makes me burst into tears. Just want to share with you some magic moments…

Go on. Hug somebody you love today.

Google Pack is a free collection of essential software from Google and other companies. The software in the Google Pack helps you browse the web faster, remove spyware and viruses, organize your photos, and more.

Google Pack also takes the hassle out of downloading, installing, and updating software. You can download and install the entire Google Pack in just a few clicks. And the included Google Updater helps you discover new programs and keep your current software up to date.

Google Software Included

Google Earth – 3D Earth browser

* Zoom from space to street level — tour the world
* Find maps, driving directions, hotels, restaurants, and more

Google Desktop – Desktop companion

* Find all your email, files, web history, and more
* Get all your personalized info in one place with Sidebar

Picasa – Photo organizer

* Find, edit, and share your photos in seconds
* Easily remove red eye and fix photos

Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer – Search toolbar

* Search from any web page and autofill forms
* Block annoying pop-ups

Google Pack Screensaver – Photo screensaver

* Enjoy photos from your personal collection
* View pictures full screen or as a collage

Additional Software Included

Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar – Web browser
Mozilla Corporation

* Browse the web quickly and securely
* Switch between pages quickly with tabbed browsing

Ad-Aware SE Personal – Antispyware utility
Lavasoft

* Safely detect and remove spyware
* Protect your privacy with powerful features

Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition – Antivirus utility
Symantec

* Protect your PC from viruses, worms and Trojan horses
* Includes 6-month subscription to protection updates

Adobe Reader 7 – PDF reader
Adobe Systems

* View, print, and search PDF files
* Launches up to 50% faster than Reader 6.0

Optional Software (Add to Pack)

Google Talk – Voice and IM application

* Connect with your friends via IM or free voice calls
* Send and receive files and voice messages easily and quickly

Google Video Player – Video player

* Play videos purchased and downloaded through the Google Video website

RealPlayer – Media player

* Play popular media formats, organize music and videos
* Transfer music to iPod and other portable media players

GalleryPlayer HD Images – Images

* High-quality artwork and photos
* Perfect for your screensaver or desktop

Skype – Voice, video and chat

* Make free voice and video calls to anyone else on Skypeâ„¢
* Call landlines and mobile phones at pretty low rates

I am sorry to say that this post has been removed. Please go directly to MoneyGram official website for more information here. Thank you.

We received a lot of quotation request since the beginning of 2007 (maybe due to the promotion of Visit Malaysia Year). Currently we are handling more that 20 emails from all over the world, requesting me and Aiden for various tailor-made travel package to Mount Kinabalu and Sabah.

As we are not an established tour company, by right, it is illegal for us to accept full money for a tour package. It is kind of an obstacles to us, as Sutera Sanctuary Lodges need travelers to pay their booking fees to secure a place in Laban Rata.

After so much discussion and consideration, we decided that we still need to be able to accept small amount of payment to deal with ONLY the accommodations on Laban Rata area. Otherwise, you will not be able to get any place confirmation in Laban Rata for climbing Mount Kinabalu.

Temporarily at the moment, we will use these services from Moneygram and Moneybookers to transfer money to our account, so that you can make sure that you get a place to sleep on the way to the summit of Kinabalu. They are the only feasible methods of transferring money among hundreds of other payment methods in the net.

Having said that, I still need to remind you that WE ARE NOT A TOUR COMPANY. What we do is just to simplify the process for you to climb Mount Kinabalu. The methods above will be use temporarily, until we have enough funds to set up a company that can deal with your bookings without any difficulties.

I would like to share with you an email that I received from Dan Mazur, an Everest expedition leader and administrator for www.SummitClimb.com. It sounded like this:

Hello Mountain Friends.

I hope you are well. What have you been up to? This is Dan Mazur writing to you. Perhaps you heard that, in May 0f 2006, I was part of the SummitClimb team that helped rescue a fallen Australian climber named Lincoln Hall. Fortunately we got him down from just below the summit of Everest and he was allright. We were all surprised when the story reached the national media. I have attached a photo of Lincoln Hall at 28,000 feet, 8700 metres on Everest after we revived him with Oxygen, warm tea and food. Thankfully he lived.

I’m also an Everest expedition leader, have reached the summit of 7 of the world’s highest mountains, including Everest and K2, and have led and organized expeditions to more than 60 Himalayan, African, and South American peaks. Here is an attached photo that my friend Duane took on Ama Dablam.

I am writing to tell you whats been going on with our non-profit endeavors and to let you know its time to join our climbs and treks for 2007.

Have you received all of the colourful mountain postcards we sent you in the mail? If not, perhaps we don’t have your postal address and you would like to email that to us so we could post you a mountain card? Thanks!

You can see all of our upcoming goings-on at www.SummitClimb.com , now in our 16th year. THANKS FOR TELLING ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO.

We dedicated our fun and rewarding October trek to Mera peak to dearly departed Crocodile Hunter Steven Irwin and to Sue Fear, first Australian woman on Everest. You could see more at: http://heroesforhumanity.blogspot.com/ . If you visit that interesting site, be sure to scroll down to see all of the photos.

We have had the pleasure to meet many of you at recent dvd-slideshows and presentations. In case you know of anyone who would like to host a dvd-slideshow, please let us know. We are doing these to raise money for the non-profit www.MountEverestFoundation.org , helping local low-income families who live near Everest in Nepal and Tibet, but far from any trail a tourist would walk, to help themselves by building schools and hospitals and environmental projects so these farm families can stay on the land, rather than moving to the cities and joining the ranks of the unemployed.

The Everest Foundation is engaged in current projects replacing the roof on the Deboche Nunnery, and now training a new advanced-level health assistant and two new teachers for the health clinic and school in Okhladunga. By the way, the Foundation continues to support women, men, and children equally.

On a recent health visit in June as part of our twice annual service trek, Dr. Phillip Heinegg and his family, along with SummitClimb staff Arnold Coster and Maya Sherpa visited the rural health clinic and treated more than 100 patients in a day. From what we know, these were the only foreigners to visit the entire valley in 2006. You can try watching a video about the Everest Foundation and the service trek here.

NOW IS THE TIME TO SIGN UP FOR OUR 2007 TREKS AN CLIMBS. PLEASE SEND YOUR APPLICATION FORMS AND COMPLETE YOUR PAYMENT NOW. THANK YOU.

By the way, you may know of someone who would like to join our leader in training program or participate in it yourself. Please check out our website: http://summitclimb.com/leaders_in_training.htm , and let us know you are interested so we could send you further information. We are proud to train new leaders for the outdoor industry each year, and we started doing that in 1993.

<–Omitted contents–>

Congratulations you made it to the bottom of this email.

I hope you will join me and tell all of your friends about what we are trying to do.

Please keep the questions coming. I always enjoy speaking about our favourite topic: MOUNTAINS.

Thank you very much. I await your reply, wish you all of the best, and look forward to making your trip a success.

Yours, Sincerely, Dan Ps. I encourage you to ring me in the UK on ++44 (0) 7810 375400 (evenings are best). Thank you.

Ps.

Our postal address is:

Himalaya Expeditions
184 Bishop Road
Bristol BS7 8NB

If we don’t have it, would you please be so kind as to email your postal address, so that we could mail you colour post cards and other information, including photos, maps, etcetera? Thank you very much FOR TELLING ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!

I received an email asking me about other mountain climbing sites in Malaysia. After so much research (including going to Sabah Tourism Center) to look for the information, I managed to get these. As of end 2006, this is the latest list for mountain climbing sites in Malaysia.

Unfortunately, I only have the information on Mount Kinabalu. You have to look somewhere else for other mountain. For your information, ‘gunung’ is mountain in Malay.

* = The highest three mountains in Malaysia is situated in Sabah.

Clothing and Equipment Advisory

• Comfortable long-sleeved shirts and pants for protection from leech bites, abrasions and the elements.
• A hat with a wide brim against intense sunshine and light rain.
• A poncho or rain cape.
• A pair of gloves and a balaclava will help protect you from cold summit winds.
• Wear roomy lightweight jungle boots with good ankle supports and deep-ridged sole, and wear two pairs of socks to prevent blisters.
• A comfortable rucksack with padded shoulder straps, hip belt and internal frame is a must.
• A map and compass for navigating jungle trails; under some dense jungle canopies the sun might not be clearly seen.
• A whistle is a useful tool for attracting attention and signalling others.
• A basic first aid kit for the treatment of abrasions, insect bites and wounds.
• Extra batteries for your tochlight; candles and matches.