Mount Kinabalu , Sabah Jul 14-17 '06 (Part I)

July 16, 2006 I reached the summit (Mt Kinabalu, 4095.2 metre) slightly before 6:00am- just in time to catch the first ray of sunlight to hit Borneo. Clouds created streaks on each side of the red golden sun.
Just a short while ago I was at the gentle great sloping granite slabs. During rest time I stole a look at the hazy sky. At zenith a halo was seen circling the moon. Orion had risen, instinctly I followed the 'belt' upwards and arrived at the misty patch of Pleaides with Aldebaran nearby. Venus was up shinning brightly - the whole starry scene painted with the 'donkey ears' and 'ugly sister' as backdrop 3,500 metres up! In the distance zig-zag line of headlamps marked the line of climbers towards Low's Peak. The air was crisp and refreshing( I had my inner, middle and outer layer). On reflection this might be a good place to star-gaze. It was so serene and out-of-the world.

While the main objective was to reach the summit but I kept a camera ready and eyes peeled looking out for plants. I took them on my trekking towards Laban Rata (3353 metre).Medinilia spiosa Bl ( MELASTOMATACEAE)

A common sight in park HQ. Look closely , it is a pink balsam
Impatiens platyphylla. Note the 'bite-off' on each petal.

Orange red young leaves.Rubus lineatus
The berry resembles another 'raspberry' on another plant with entirely different leaf form

Cyrtandra clarkei Stapf (GESNERIACEAE)

Conifer, Dacrydium gibbsiae

Red berries of Photinia davidiana

Curly flowers

White flowers with fluffy petals of Hedyotis pulchella Stapf

White spots on leaves - the leave under attack!Sonerilla crassiuscula (MELASTOMATACEAE)
Two lateral pointed petals (top) developed from the two pointed structure below.

' Snail'-like eyes sticking out from young flower buds.

Lichen covered wooden post that carry cable to feed electricity to upper reaches of huts.

Carpet-layered colored moses.

Red Sanicle, Trachymene saniculifolia - petal not open yet

Red Sanicle, Trachymene saniculifolia - full bloom

ET head? Spotted the eyes, big nose ----fern's head.

Daisy

Bacon on skew ? - its young leaves of fern

Pitcher plant Nepenhes villosa - this one is large ~ 9 inches in length

'Tail' of the pitcher plant.

Small (~5mm dia) berries of Nertera granadensis

Rhododendron rugosum(?) with characteristics bell-shaped strong colored flowers.

Montane root-parasite Balanophora sp

Delicious looking raspberry Rubus moluccanus

Talk to me... son!

Leptospermum recurvum tree - Crooked and bent and shaped by strong wind.