Last month, I went to SSL to book for some of our friends trip to Kinabalu, and found out that SSL has a new services - shuttle transport from KK to Kinabalu Park and Poring - with a very reasonable prices. It is suitable for solo travelers and small group who which be able to get to their office in Wisma Sabah at 9.00am.

Think that you can’t do anything about global warming? You shouldn’t, as Snap has created CO2 saver, a lightweight program that manages your computer’s power usage when it’s idle, saving energy and decreasing the demand on your power utility.

If you want to see how Kudat (northern part of Borneo) looks like from the air, then you may want to check out Kudat Riviera. Some says it’s paradise…

I also received an email from Cikgu Ismail, attaching a photo claimed to be “human face on the rock on Kinabalu“. Check it out yourself.

I did some surfing about Borneo recently, and found out a good article about people of Borneo. I remember some of my friends said that Borneo is still full with primitive people. See what an Englishman have to say about Borneo.

Ahh… Air ambulance issue on Kinabalu. You may noticed that there are few helicopter landing pad at Laban Rata while on the Summit Trail. Do you know how far the helicopter services available for evacuation of injured person on the mountain? It may not sounds good to us, but it’s the truth.

How to choose a climbing backpack for your Kinabalu trip?

This month, I would like to share with you tips for climbing Mount Trusmadi. Do you know that Trusmadi is the second highest peak in Malaysia? And it is NOT as commercialize as Kinabalu? Yes, it is even NOT under Sabah Parks, which means it is under Forestry Department. It is like a virgin jungle, and the flora are more diverse. However, it is not for the faint hearted. Check the tips out!

If you come to Kota Kinabalu as a backpackers/solo travelers and wondering the “where & what & how” to go about in Kota Kinabalu, Aiden have shared with me some of his tour guide tips on sightseeing Kota Kinabalu on your TWO FOOT. It is complete with a Kota Kinabalu MAP!

Sabah is safe from tsunami. True or False? Get the answer here…

I also fit in some white water rafting tips, and how to choose a good sandals for you to climb Mount Kinabalu. Yes, you can wear sandals to climb, provided you know what to wear.

I received an email, asking about climbing Mount Kinabalu in ONE day. After making few calls, I get almost all the information about it and I would like to share it with you. Bare in mind, THIS IS NOT FOR A REGULAR CLIMBER. You better be an athlete, otherwise…

And, the last but not least, if you think 3D2N trip to Rungus Longhouse is too long, why not choose a revamp 2D1N package. You still be able to visit the Tip Of Borneo.

Oh, this 30th and 31st May is the Harvest Festival. If you happen to be around Kota Kinabalu at that time, why not head to KDCA where the celebration will take place.

Have a nice day!

Ruhaizad

Last month I received a story from a solo traveler and another story from a visitor. I came across Leif Pettersen’s article on his conquest to Mount Kinabalu - climb up as a solo traveler - before Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com came out on the net. As a token of appreciation, I have requested for his article to be published in my website. As the article is really long, I have edited to fit 4 pages. You might think that it would be boring to read 4 pages on your computer screen, but trust me, you will be really entertained with his hilarious story.

Another story is from Roselle de la Fuente. She went up on Mount Kinabalu, white water rafting in Padas river and SCUBA diving in Sapi Island in just 9 days. She also emailed me some photos of her journey, including a panoramic view of Mount Kinabalu.

If you think you have your own version of Mount Kinabalu climbing story, just drop me an email. I will be glad to publish it here.

Have you ever seen a pitcher plants before? Dr. Ravi Mandalam emailed me few of the well known pitcher plants in Sabah when he climbed Mount Tambuyukon last year.

I also shoot some photos of Terminal 2 Kota Kinabalu International Airport - the new low cost carrier terminal - particularly made for Airasia.

If you are climbing Mount Kinabalu with your children, I think it would be better if you can get some info on it. I got the basic guideline for mountain climbing for children from British Medical Journal. I know that there are still some issues going on, but it is good if you could take consideration on my suggestion.

Last but not least, if you are coming to Sabah as a backpackers, maybe this transportation suggestion will help you on planning your trip to Mount Kinabalu.

See you next week!

1) The actual date of climbing is too close to the booking date, and accommodations are already full.
2) They are coming in a bigger group, and not booking the accommodations at least 6 months beforehand.

I must emphasize here that for Visit Malaysia Year 2007, Mount Kinabalu climbing packages are selling like hot fried bananas. Sutera Sanctuary Lodges office that handle the reservation and booking almost always busy and the line is always engaged. Hopefully you can understand the situation. For those who want to climb Mount Kinabalu, I would suggest NOT TO BOOK YOUR AIRLINE TICKET FIRST, unless you have secured your stay in Laban Rata.

Normally, we do advice our friends or people from anywhere around the world to book at least 6 months in advance, if you want to climb Mount Kinabalu. That is because they have only 130++ accommodations up there, in Laban Rata area. And try to imagine people from around the world is coming in to Sabah to climb Mount Kinabalu every single day ! That is why we urge whoever that want to climb Mount Kinabalu, please plan and book at least 6 months before. If you have a bigger group, lets say 15 persons in a group onwards, you would have to make the bookings even earlier. So, in the future, if you or your friends are planning to climb Mount Kinabalu, do let them know about this “Golden Rule” too, so you will be able to win the accommodation in Laban Rata.

You can always plan ahead (maybe in the year 2008) to climb Mount Kinabalu, and send me another request. I will be glad to serve you.

From my blog:

There are a lot of things happened since the last edition of newsletter, and one of it was a blog entry by Aiden himself, explaining to us on what happened to him since we upload the reservation form. Then there are few entries from me about Sabah first “Wildlife Park” aka zoo and some photos of my family visit there. And for those who like to have a get away from your daily routine hectic city life, Aiden and I have organized a pre-packaged trip to Rungus Longhouse, complete with the trip to the Tip of Borneo and Kudat district.

Oh, if you missed the link to our Mount Kinabalu clipvideo, check out the link here in my blog. The photos were contributed by Ganesh C, from Singapore. He will be coming again this April to Mount Kinabalu. We would like to wish him luck and hopefully he can reach the summit this time.

Last but not least, few photos on native Rungus accessories. It’s difficult to find Rungus people wears this accessories nowadays, as modernization sets in…

Ruhaizad

Glad to have you again in our 9th Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com Newsletter. This edition of newsletter will hove around our Kinabalu Blog, and things that happened for the past 1 month.

For the past few weeks, there have been a buzz in the news about El Nino. If you still do not know, Mount Kinabalu flora and fauna were affected during the last 1997-98 global drought that is caused by El Nino. Now, they are predicting that the phenomenon will come back to South East Asia - starting from March this year, and could last for about 9 to 22 months.

Are we prepared?

My good collegue, Dr. Ravi Mandalam, went up to Mount Tambuyukon last year. He wrote a good article about his climb with two other friends, Dr. Liaw and George. What he brought down was stunning. He took a lot of photos on Kinabalu, from a totally different view.

Read the story from the website

Or, if you want to see my 4 Mount Kinabalu climbing name tags, its here.

I found a fairly good website (Malaysian based) that offers a good Mount Kinabalu climbing package. It also offers visitors to the website to become their affiliates, where they will give you some comission (in MYR) if you could promote their package to your friends and families. It’s one of the few good ways of getting some pocket money to pay your bills.

Viewmalaysia.com

I also put some tips on jungle trekking, if you decided to do some trekking in one of the trails in Kinabalu Park. If you want to plan for your 2007 trip to Sabah, I put a link for you to download the annual Calendar of Events. It list out all the events that will be held this year in Sabah. Last but not least, if you want to know how many mountain here in Malaysia that is climbable, check out my post here. Do you know that 3 of the highest mountain in Malaysia is situated in Sabah?

I hope you enjoy this edition of newsletter. For those who celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year, Happy New Year to you! Hopefully we will be more prosperous in this Year of the Golden Pig!

Regards,

Ruhaizad

Welcome to our 8th edition of monthly newsletter. This month, I would like to share with you where on earth is Mount Kinabalu and what does it looks like from the outer space.

This is the view of Sabah, Malaysian part of Borneo, seen from about 190 miles from the sky. From Kota Kinabalu to Kinabalu Park (Mount Kinabalu) it’s about 90km. If you can see, to the north is the Tip of Borneo, Tanjung Simpang Mengayau. Top left is Sabah on earth.

This one at about 80 miles above. KK Terminal 2 is where AirAsia landed. Queen Elizabeth Hospital is the biggest government hospital in Sabah.

Closer look of Mount Kinabalu from about 18 miles above. If you can appreciate, Mount Kinabalu consist of eastern ridge and western ridge. Low’s Peak, the highest peak of Kinabalu is on the western ridge.

Tilted view of the mountain. The eastern ridge and the western ridge is divided by Low’s Gully. Try to spot Low’s Gully.

A closer look from about 30,000 feet. Now, can you appreciate the western and the eastern ridge? The Low’s Gully?

I could not get closer, as the image becomes blur…

If you would like to have your own copy of Google Earth, check out the official website from Google. For your info, Google Earth can runs on Linux, Mac and Windows. They also have the latest release of the software package (Release 4).

After successful installation of Google Earth on your desktop, download this file, and open it with your Google Earth. It will show you the exact image that I showed above. Have fun!

Welcome to our seventh edition of Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com Newsletter. Wow… It’s the end of the year again. Holiday season is coming and everyone are busy shopping for their beloved ones. In conjunction of these festive season, I would like to share with you the things that you can do during this time - digital photography! For those who live far from their family, I think this is the perfect time to capture your memories with them. I have concluded all in one perfect “personal photography package”, so that it wont burn another hole in you pocket this season.

What digital camera should I use?

Of course, you need a digital compact camera. It is getting cheaper and cheaper and you can easily get a digital camera almost anywhere. I have been using Sony Cybershot DSC-S40 for the past 2 years, and I like it very much. It’s a point and shoot camera, very lightweight, easy to operate and it gives a decent family photos instantly. It’s a value for money kind of camera. I would recommend this camera to you if budget is your main concern. Otherwise, you can shop for other entry level digital compact camera from Canon, Nikon or Fujifilm. They all have a very good reputation among the digital camera community.

How to take a good photo?

I have a book from Scott Kelby called “The Digital Photography Book”. It is a book for beginner photographer, teaching how to take a good photo and improve their photography technique. The book is written very nicely and it does not have any technical jargon to confuse you. I get it from Barnes & Noble for only $19.99. It’s a pocket book, one tip per page and very lightweight, so that you can bring it anywhere during your holiday.

The Digital Photography Book

However, if you don’t like to fork out your money for the book, you can always Google for “good photography technique”. To make your life easier, I have selected some of the best website that I learned good photography from. Don’t be surprised if your Uncle Sam asked you, “When did you start being a pro photographer?”, after you use the technique given on these website.

http://cp.c-ij.com/english/photoshooting/ http://www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php
http://www.camerahobby.com/EBook-TOC.htm
http://www.diyphotography.net/

Free photo editing software

After buying a digital camera and shoot thousands of picture in your grandparents house with their pets around, it’s time to do some editing. Photo editing is necessary as your photo that you took might turn out to be underexpose, overexpose or just “doesn’t look right” (like your grandma’s pet ears was cut off in the photo). A fairly good and free photo editing software would be a good option to correct your photos. I suggest either these two programs: Irfanview or GIMP. How to choose which one? If you are a newbie and beginner in photo editing, Irfanview is a good program to start. If you have been using Adobe Photoshop (either original or illegal copy), GIMP might be a good experiment for you. I have been using both program for the past few years, and I like it very much. Irfanview is small, simple, not bloated with unnecessary toolbar and very easy to work around. GIMP is a bit large, (but still a gaziilion byte smaller than Adobe Photoshop) and although it is not as good as Photoshop, I must say that it comes really close to being one. Oh, by the way, did I mentioned both of the programs are free?

http://www.gimp.org/
http://www.irfanview.com/

Free photo sharing program

After the festive season, we will all be back to our own place to continue our living, and our grandparents in the other part of the world will be home alone again. Apart from the classical printed out 3R or 4R photos to be shared with them, in this new digital age, we could easily share our family photo together on the internet for free. flickr is one of the most popular website for us to share our photo. It’s very easy to apply (even more , nice graphical user interface and you can even create your own group (in this case your family) and share your photos among the family members. I use flickr too!

http://flickr.com/

So, what are you waiting for? If you don’t think that you will NOT be shooting any photo this holiday season, just buy the digital camera, wrap it nicely and put it under your Christmas tree!

Have a nice holiday everyone and Happy New Year!

Regards,

Ruhaizad Daud

Thank you for being with me on our 6th edition of Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com newsletter.

This month, I would like to share with you some of the photo that I took during my trip to the Tip of Borneo (Tanjung Simpang Mengayau) on the 2nd of November 2006 with my family. It was windy and the sun was not shining too bright. It seems that the haze still affect the place when I went there.

Journey to The Tip of Borneo only takes about 45 minutes from Kudat town. The road was good initially but a bit bumpy for about 30 minutes before we arrive there.

Since my last visit there, (about 1 year ago), a lot of new development has taken place. There is one eating outlet (very small) and a toilet. Both are well maintained.

Along the way before you arrive to the tip, there are few small wooden houses that belongs to the native people that lives there. They sell sea shells by the roadside to earn their living.

Here, I will show you few of the photos that I took using my digital camera, Sony Cybershot S40, taken with auto program and save with 3MP settings. Post production, I just use Irfanview to correct the level of the colours and some touch up on the saturations.

To get there? It’s a bit difficult, but possible. What you can do (for solo or couple) is to go to Sabah Tourism Board building in Jalan Gaya, and ask the reception counter on the operator which provides the service to Tanjung Simpang Mengayau. Taking a taxi by yourself from Kota Kinabalu may cost you a bit more.

If you happen to go to Kudat, make sure you spend some time in The Tip of Borneo, Tanjung Simpang Mengayau. There is no place like it anywhere else.

Anyway, enjoy the photos!

*The last two photos are my wife and kids photos. One of it showing my wife breastfeeding my newly born girl…

Regards,

Ruhaizad

Glad to see you again in our 5th edition of Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com Newsletter. This month, I would like to share with you some information on the 20th Mount Kinabalu Climbathon - in a different point of view.

We know that both the defending champions, Anna and Mejia retained their championship, but do we know about other participants that take part in the event?

Our focus for this month is to share with you the experiences of two of our friends, Wai Yong and ‘The Dream Runner’ who participate on the event.

Wai Yong, a female University Malaysia Sabah student, take part in the event just to gain some experience. She emailed me few weeks before the event, saying that she will be participating. She said that she would like to take some photo of the event for me, but unfortunately, she do not have a digital camera.

So, she went up the mountain with her analog camera to capture some image of the event. Although she did not able to finish the event at the allocated time, they still gave her the certificate. She is kind enough to scan all 44 pieces of her photo and email it to me so that it can be shared with all of us. Check her analog photo from our gallery.

“The Dream Runner”, not much that I can tell you about him, but while I was doing my monthly maintenance of Mount-Kinabalu-Borneo.com, I came across his blog. He did participate in the event - under the veteran’s category. A Singapoean lad who is very passionate about running. He wrote a very good description on his experience during the event. After reading his blog, I really respect him on his passion. Check out his blog for the story.

Any of you have any other experience on the event or the mountain? I love to hear from you. Just drop me an email in my inbox. You may be our next featured article for this newsletter!

Mr. Ganesh also email me some more photo of his climb in 2005 and 2006. He also included his photos at Poring Hot Springs, the canopy walk and waterfall. Thank you for sharing with us your photo, Ganesh!

And for those who have been to my blog recently, I have added a ‘Postcards’ page. I dedicate this page to all the postcards that I received from mount-kinabalu-borneo.com supporters. Send me one from your corner of the world!

Do you notice the difference in this edition of newsletter? I upgraded this newsletter by implementing a ‘content management system’ (CMS) to organize and manage this newsletter. It saves me time and make it easy for you to access the earlier edition of our newsletter.

Hope to see you on our next newsletter!

Regards,

Ruhaizad

Glad to see you back on my 4th edition of Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com Newsletter. For those who gave good support on the last edition (on the environmental isssue), thank you again for your feedback.

1. FREEBIES FOR THIS MONTH : BLOG

I know you like freebies. I like freebies too. There are a lot of freebies around the internet - if you know how to look for it. The most well-known freebies around the net for so long is a free email account from Yahoo and Google. But this time, the freebies that I want to share with you is BLOG.

Blog? What is a blog?

Well, for easy understanding, blog is a personal website.

Is it free?

Yes, there are few services on the net that gives you free blog.

Do I need to know how to create a website if I want to have a blog?

No, you do not need to. The blog services will give you some choices of pretty website templates and designs which you can choose one. So what can I do with it if I have one? Basically, you can do anything with it. You can write anything that you want or anything that you know. You can also write about your trip to Mount Kinabalu in your blog, and you can link your blog to my website or the blog. So, it will form a community of Mount Kinabalu climbers blogs with a similar interest and experiences.

As an example, I will show you few of my test blog around the net which uses free blog services:

(a) Free and all from Blogger

• Mt Kinabalu Blogspot
• Household Family Finance Blogspot
• SiteSell Toolbar

(b) Mount Kinabalu Blog - Free by wordpress

(c) Kinabalu Blog - Official blog for this website, which is pre-installed in my webserver. Powered by Wordpress.

2. NEW FEATURES FOR MKB.COM: PHOTO GALLERY

Good news for you! I manage to set up a new Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com Photo Gallery for you to put in your climbing pictures! After 6 months struggling and getting a lot of feedback from you, it is about time to have one.

I am dedicating the photo gallery for all of you, in which you can share your sweet memories on Mount Kinabalu with others. As you can see from the existing gallery, there are two categories / albums in it. One category is contributed by our good friend from Singapore, Ganesh which emailed me with 99 picture of his climb. The other one is mine, but still lack of photo.

If you want to get your photo in, just sign up for free and start posting your photo. For your convenience, I suggest that you resize your photo to 640×480 pixel, so that it will load fast in your browser. Oh, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to submit your photo. Mount Kinabalu Borneo.com Photo Gallery So, what are you waiting for? Get a free blog from Blogger or Wordpress and post your photo in our photo gallery!

3. MOUNT KINABALU INTERNATIONAL CLIMBATHON 2006

Oh, don’t forget that the toughest mountain race in the planet is coming on this 30th September and 1st November! If any of you are going, please drop me an email. I may want you to help me on the photos!

Regards,

Ruhaizad