One week in Bali - volcanoes, beaches and the dreaded bedbugs!

Between South East Asia and Australia I planned to have Bali as a decompression period. I needed to change my travelling style from totally crazy everything everyday and constantly on alert to a much more chilled outlook because finally in Melbourne I wasn't going to be alone, so everything could be a lot more relaxed. Bali kind of worked out as planned... But mostly not quite!

Ubud was the dream. Temples, palaces, rice terraces, monkeys, mountains - everything! I took in an evening performance of traditional Balinese dance at the Royal Palace which was such a highlight. The costumes, the dancing, the gamelan, everything had been crafted to create a bubble of intensity and excitement within the palace courtyard. Balinese dance specialises in contorting the face and the hands in order to mimic animals and convey stories so expressively it's an incredible experience to watch. Just spectacular! The costumes are so bright and detailed and the music is so absorbing that somehow you've been sucked into a whole new world for an hour and a half before you even realise 5 minutes has passed.

How To Organise Climbing Mount Kinabalu

When I was trying to sort out my climb, I couldn't find anything recent on the Internet to help me along the way. So, just in case anyone else is in the same boat, I hope this helps a little!

Here is my post about the climb itself, in case you need any more inspiration to get your boots on and feed your soul some mountain air! 

The view from the registration office

Fitness

Some crazies climb Kinabalu as a race, whilst others take it as a hearty stroll. You don't need to be a gym junkie to climb Kinabalu, but the better fitness you have the easier and more enjoyable the experience will be. Nobody gets points for having to be carried down the mountain by the rescue squad, so at the very least do some training on staircases before you attempt the climb! You should at least be able to climb the equivalent of 12 staircases without stopping, but the mountain pace is slow and steady so you're not going to be bolting anywhere. It's a tiring and challenging course and as with a lot of physical things it's mainly about your attitude. 

A lot of people climb mount Kinabalu with no hiking experience at all. It's doable, but it'll be slow and hard and your legs will be jelly on the way down! That's not to put you off, it's just to give you a realistic view. If you have dodgy knees, the way down is likely to aggravate those bad boys more than a salt rub to sunburn, so be prepared with some supports or, in the footsteps of an Aussie I met on the way, have a crate waiting for you at the bottom!

"Your thighs look strong. Beefy. You'll be fine"

Beefy.

Reassuring words from my hostel owner this evening as I'm packing my clothes into my day sack ready to climb Mount Kinabalu tomorrow! I am so excited and I just can't hide it so I ate a lot of carbs and called it legit preparation, which definitely negated my breathlessness at the top of the stairs to my dorm.

I was intending to turn up and climb on the day when I originally planned to do Mt Kinabalu, but the late 2015 earthquake meant the mountain had to be closed for 3 months and only reopened a few weeks ago. Because of the damage to the trails, now only 100 people are allowed up each day (previously 200), and people who missed their climb due to the closure have been reallocated dates this month. I didn't want to miss climbing at all as this is one of the absolute highlights of my trip, so I ended up booking through Amazing Borneo Tours to guarantee my climb. I'll review how it went once I've done it!

I love mountain climbing and Borneo is my ultimate adventureland, so the combination is just divine. My Dad also climbed Mt Kinabalu back in the day, so I feel even more excited to be able to bring the same experience into my life and share something so incredible in a now-and-then kind of way.