Start Feet / End Feet...

Day 12: The pot noodle-esque breakfast was somewhat silly and unfulfilling! Day sacks on our backs, we feebly trundled out of our accomodation, to the site's reception area. Here, we handed over our large main rucksacks, having the cheek to put them all in 2 huge plastic survival sacks! This was to avoid the very small fee per bag, and we got away with it!
A short bus journey later, up some twisty road, past where we'd slept last night, we had arrived at the "start!". At this point, we came upon a board with record times for scaling the mountain. The record for men was just over 2 hours or something silly! That can't be true... we'll be taking 2 damn DAYS! And someone said that was the time for going up AND down!!! Surely not?! Can the locals get any more super human?! They'd beat Spiderman anyday. The wuss.
Raring to go, to begin the climb we first had to go downhill! The slope was lengthy and straight, before the first steps UP the appeared! And these were BIG steps in places. Big, uneven steps that even my lanky legs had trouble with! 2,500 steps of leg-mangling uphill-ness... with nothing but flying fish and chocolate monkeys for company... to eat, i meant. Walk. Walk. Walk. ALL UPHILL!
... how knackering!
... how sweatful!
... how uber-painful!
No words can really explain what it was like... maybe like doing every cross country you've ever done in one day... possibly. Actually, that's a crap comparison. It was k.n.a.c.k.e.r.i.n.g anyway!
However the pain was somewhat compensated by some really amazing views - across valleys etc, through clouds, all sorts of wildlife and plants... and the most revolting leggings ever! Some disgusting bright luminous colour on a shrivelled middle-aged woman... "Mmm... Leggings!" Ha! The catchphrase of the whole expedition is born! Thankyou Calvey.
It was also bewildering to regularly pass or be passed by frail, old porters carrying objects lat east twice there size. These items and supplies were hoisted upon their heads and backs, held in wicker baskets. I'm sure I saw some kind of tumble dryer being transported up the mountain, as well as a dozen crates of Coke bottles! These people truly put us to shame with their strength... and knobbly knees... that were feckin' muscly!
Ahoy! The end for today is in sight! At last, the (higher up) restaurant! After some food in the 3,100m high restaurant (which was still a stupid walk from where we were sleeping!), it's bed time i think. We're all very much oh so tired, and with the prospect of a 1am wake-up...

Borneo's hostels are scummier / MUCH colder at this height!