Happy New Year 2015

A Happy New Year 2015 to all my Gunner friends, old and new.

Allen Lai

Old school

After my last post sharing my experience in Larkhill range, I realised that fire discpline language has changed a lot. From “Mike Target” to “Fire Mission Regiment.”

Yes language is a living thing and it changes over time and environment. OMG (Oh My God) looks more like an oil grading. YAHOO sounds like a happy Tarzen getting ready to mate. Xcome is not coming. And we cannot stop to protest that we are old school and connot understand the new language.

Fire discipline is the precise language between the OPO, GPO and guns. It is the language for fire orders. It is meant to be the holy grail of gunnery. We must be very precise and it should be without any ambiquity, particularly when interoperating with other artilleries in the world.

Allow me to mention some old weird language as I remember them, least we forget them. These fire orders had served in many world wars and campaigns.

Position corrections

Corrector

Repeat

Go left/Go right

Sweep

Search

Fire by order

Empty guns

Line corrections

Clinometer laying 
Scale

Go on

Stand easy

Wrong

Bad ram

Stand by

How many of the above fire orders are still being used or remembered ?

Allen Lai

Old school circa 1960s

Mike Target, Mike Target, Mike Target

An OPO  position in Salisbury range

It was a cold mid morning in November 1965. It was cold by any standard as we had an early winter that year. The UK was in the midst of their Cold War and we were in the midst of the cold weather. We had our standard pakka jacket, not the white pakka jacket issued for the artic environment. How I wished we could wear our own Dalchan’s great trench coat that was designed and fit for WW1.

We were in the Regimental Hide in a clump of woods in the Salsbury Plains, South South East of London. We were finishing our YO course in Larkhill and this was our final life firing exercise in the Salsbury Range. The clump of woods was badly beaten up and worn out with almost daily use by artillery units on exercise, somewhat like Papa position in Asahan range.  Tank and APC tracks in the hide were Highway-wide. Our new digital camouflage nets and tree branches made up for our hide.

I was exercise Assistant Adjutant for the redeployment and I was the duty officer for the day. I had just finished my warm cuppa and the day, whilst wet, gloomy and misarable morning looked good. I was exercise GPO for the past two days and had took the toll in  a Bty Command Post with an AIG breathing down our necks. Hawkish, firm and no nonsense. We were on our final exercise and we were to be evaluated. Being Assistant Adjutant would give me a break. Or so I thought.

The wet morning mist was rising over the undulating ground as the sun rose just above the horizon. Salsbury range is quite huge and getting around to the various gun positions, OP positions and hides can be challenging. But as always, the RA guys had some tricks up their sleeves. There were actually several privately owned bars scattered all over the range. We would always drop in for a quick pint and asked for directions. We were told that the barmen knew the range area better than our school’s IGs. Just like in Asahan the ice cream man had the range details for the day.

The Greyhound Pub

“M Tgt, M Tgt, M Tgt” broke the silence as the sound cracked over the vehicle mounted C 48 radio set, which was our RFO net  The signaller replied “M Tgt, M Tgt, M Tgt” and shouted “Mike target Sir.” Hearing M Tgt three times was something akin to our fire alarm drill “ Api Api Api”. Everything moves double quick time. If you were on duty you would sweat big time.

Oh my God ! A Regimental target whilst I was on my duty shift. One thing we did during the course was to write our crib or aid-memoire. Artillery Training Volume 111, 1962  Pamphlet No.2 ( Surface to Surface Artillery ), Technical Duties in the Field was our bible during the course. It was too much to digest and understood fully. The manual was prepared under the direction of The Chief of the Imperial General Staff, whoever he was at that time. IGs and AIG had a copy of AT VOL 3 as it was called, under their arms and we had our aid-memoires.

Quickly I had turned to the rear few pages of my aid-memoire looking for duties and tasks for the Assistant Adjutant. Got the page. Duties of the Assitant Adjutant. See Duties of the Adjutant. 

 I did not take notes on the duties of the Adjutant as I thought his duties was just to check young officers and to hand out duty officer duties (the usual take 7 ) in the Regiment.

Fire Discipline is the language of fire control our IG had mentioned at the start of the course. It particularly concerns the OPO, the GPO and the Guns. He did not mention anything about the Adjutant. Hence no notes about the Adjutant. 

“Get me all BTY CPs” I called out to our telephone operator in the RHQ. The RSO had laid lines to all BTYs. In a deliberate defence position, the RSO would have to lay lines to OPs too. Miles and miles of lines. “M Tgt M Tgt M Tgt” I shouted down the heavy handset.

Next check with my aid memoire. Was the OPO and Authorised OP? He was not.Tick. He does not get all the fire units available. Tick. I will have to allocate the Btys and scale of ammo to him. 

“Callsign 1 and 2 available scale 4” I replied to the OPO meaning that he would get two BTYs of the schools’s Support Regiment which was 14th Field Regiment RA and three rounds per gun for his mission.

The OPO continued with his Fire Orders. “Grid 2100 5876, height 200 feet, Troops concentration in woods. Adjust Fire” .

Did the OPO order salvo ranging? No. Then adjust fire with one gun. Adjust fire was always with HE rounds. WP smoke was for specific operational use in the UK. Standard smoke was used for smoke screens and these canister smoke rounds were very good as the thick dark whitish smoke was heavy and hung on the the ground much longer unlike the WP round which columns upward.

Checked my aid memoire again. Tick. Tick. Tick. Cannot do without my cribbed notes.

Our end of the course deployment was joined by 29 Cdo Regiment, RA. We were supporting 3 CDO Bde Royal Marines from Tidworth, Wilthshire, the next county in the south. The CDO Bde and Gunners from 29 CDO Regiment wore their Green Barrets proudly and we wore Royal Blue. RHA Para Regiments wore maroon barrets. The Gunner officers from the 29 CDO were slick and sharp. They were equipped with the “new” Oto Malaria 105 Pack How, and 14 Field Regiment were still with the 25 pounders. We were also quick to add that our Malaysian Artillery Regiments also used the Italian Howitzer, to the envy of the rest of the YOs in the course.

29 CDO Regiment

B Bty reported “Shot 3, Time of flight 35 seconds”. 

The OPO continued with the adjustment and when he hit the target area, he ordered “4 rounds gun fire, Fire” for FFE.

The OPO then ordered “ Report all gone” to which the Btys reponded “All gone” after the last gun had fired. ”

The AIG smiled at me . It was a good shoot. Cannot wait to order “Stand Easy” (End of Mission) and thence scramble to the next traven as we would be redeployed soon. It was no joke to have cold sweat in a cold morning.

Allen Lai

Royal Military College Top Cadets for the Artillery

Hi all,

Some of us Gunners were invited by Lt Colonel David Lam to his house for Christmas dinner last night.  We chit chatted about high achievers in the Gunners Corps. Yes we did have top cadets commissioned into our corps. We remembered the following Sword of Honour and Best Cadets:

Johan Hew Deng Onn
H'ng Hung Meng
David Lam Wah Kum
Chin Yoke Choy

Of course there would be others but we could not recall them. Anybody from Arty Directorate remember ? Does the Directorate indeed keep a record of our high achievers ?

Do list additional names in the comment column below.

Congratulations. We are proud of their calibre and achievements. Not that the rest of Gunner officers were any less in calibre. We were only late developers.

Allen Lai

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Hi all,


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my Gunner friends and their families.

From Allen Lai

Photos Update December 2014

Major Oh Teng Lim

Lt Col David Lam Wah Kum

Lt Col Maskan Katan

RAFOC Annual Dinner 2014

Guess who came for dinner ? It was a mini Gunners Reunion of sort. See Photo below

Seated: Dato Jack Wahid, Dato Hassan, Oh Teng Lim, David Herman, King Gus Ghazali, Harbans Singh.

Standing: Allen Lai, Lee Kong Kok, Ganeson, Timmy Masoud, Barny Sidambaram, David Lam

Not in Photo: Kadir Sultan, Hussein

All smiles

A very long time no see 

Allen Lai

A tribute to our Instructors in Gunnery

There are IGs and there are IGs. IGs nonetheless. The latter being Incorrigible Gunners. If I were an IG I would be the latter type. Instructor Gunnery is one of the most coveted competency status in the Artillery. The IG symbol is Authority. Back in the 1960s we had Dato Jaffar Mohammed as the first Malaysian IG followed by Tan Say Loke, David Lam, and Harbans Singh. These were the IGs we had to ‘argue’ with. But they always had the last say. IGs argue amoung themselves in their annual IG Conventions. They then issue their resolutions as Malaysian Artillery Conventions. The latter IGs like me will then take upon ourselves to discuss the conventions to no end for we are not the real IGs. We think we are IGs.

Major Thurgood RA, was the first and only IG from the Royal Artillery to start and head our School of Artillery in Port Dickson. The school ran courses for our OR gunners at that point of time. Courses include TAFA and courses for Gun numbers. But soon the school conducted courses for NQFAs and later advanced courses for officers; and of course I was told the school runs the local IG course now. Has anybody got a photo of Major Thurgood?

I recalled other IGs in my era included Paul Pulendren, Aris Salem, Waris, Aziz Hassan and Timmy Masoud. And of course later came more IGs like Ramachandran, Ibrahim, Sallehuddin, and Nordin. Just to mention them, but not in any order of seniority. I would have missed out many more IGs. I really cannot remember thm off hand. Please fill in the missing IGs from the above list with your comments. Of course there are the latter type of IGs aplenty. The whole Artillery officers corps actually.

Yes I almost missed out the American IGs from the 1970s. I think Hussein Kamal was the first in this grouping. 

All our IGs had certainly contributed a lot to the development and training of our Corps and Regiments. We thank them for their professionalism and dedication to their duties as IGs. In them we had trusted and in them we had succeeded to become the best and fastest growing corps in the Malaysian Army. I salute them.

Allen Lai

A1 Info anyone?

Forget Ian Flemming’s James Bond. Forget John Le Care’s Tinkle Tailor Soldier Spy. They are but stories and great imaginations of the author’s creative minds.

Read Calder Walton’s Empire of Secrets - British Intelligence, the cold War and the twilight of Empire. This book was written with the declassification in 2012 of British Intelligence Services’s materials. Empire of Secret covers intelligence work in the vast British colonies across the globe, which of course include Malaya.

Below is an extract from the book’s review.

Empire of Secrets is, as Calder Walton himself writes, "the first book devoted to British intelligence during the twilight of empire that has been based on declassified intelligence reports". "The full story can never perhaps be known," he quotes Sir David Petrie, head of MI5 during the second world war, "but if it could be, it could perhaps claim acceptance as truth mainly on the grounds that it seems stranger than fiction.

The winner of the 2013 Longman-History Today Book Prize is the gripping and largely untold story of the role of the intelligence services in Britain’s retreat from empire.

Against the background of the Cold War, and the looming spectre of Soviet-sponsored subversion in Britain’s dwindling colonial possessions, the imperial intelligence service MI5 played a crucial but top secret role in passing power to newly independent national states across the globe.

Mining recently declassified intelligence records, Calder Walton reveals this ‘missing link’ in Britain’s post-war history. He sheds new light on everything from violent counter-insurgencies fought by British forces in the jungles of Malaya and Kenya, to urban warfare campaigns conducted in Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula.

Drawing on a wealth of previously classified documents, as well as hitherto overlooked personal papers, this is also the first book to draw on records from the Foreign Office’s secret archive at Hanslope Park, which contains some of the darkest and most shameful secrets from the last days of Britain’s empire.

Truth be told as it really was. Awe at the activities of M15 and Malaya Special Branch. Snigger at the misinterpretation, inept coordination and poor analysis from British Intelligence organisations, particularly during the Malayan Emergency 1948 -1960.  I strongly recommend this excellent book to anybody who wants to know how British Intelligence setups impacted in their areas of influence and areas of operations.

Happy reading.

Allen Lai

Golden Anniversary From FMC to FA

Note  Federation Artillery on my shoulder, bomb on my collar and cannon on my songkok

Fifty years ago today, 6 December 2014, I was commissioned into the Artillery Regiment together with Steven Pan Kong Leong. We were the 31 cadets from the Seventh Regular Intake Federation Military College Sungei Besi. Most of us made it to commissioning but unfortunately some were relegated to short service commission, and others were dropped out. It was my graduation from the Federation Military College into the Federation Artillery.

 Getting commissioned into the various corps of your choice was very competitive. We literally had Hopson’s choice so to speak. The bulk of the army was Royal Malay Regiments,  two Recce Regiments and squadrons and minor units  of supporting arms and services. The Ranger Corps and Commando Regiment was just being formed too. Federation Artillery had a Regiment since 1957 and the second Regiment was just raised in mid 1964. Each cadet was to indicate three preferences. Cadets were enticed by their favourite instructors in the college to join the various corps, of which the creme were to join the Royal Malay Regiments following Major General Baharuddin bin Kadir who was the winner of the Sword of Honour. The cadets from Singapore were commissioned into Malaysian units but later went back to Singapore units. My three choices were Artillery, Recce, and Signals.

Needless to say there were no Artillery Officer Instructors at that time to entice us into the Artillery Regiments. (Four years later in 1968, I was to be the first Malaysian Artillery Officer Instructor to serve in the college). With no push and pulls from our instructors, many of us only relied upon our hearts to join the Regiments of our choice. The most popular criteria to follow around then, were the knowledge that the Artillery was the King of the battlefield and the Crimean model in Europe. In the order of battle in the Crimean model, there was first the Kramer (King) then came the Gunners followed by the Calvary Officers. After the Calvary Officers came their horses. After their horses came horse shit. And the rest of the army came after that. It was to note that Artillery Officers had also lent finesse to the battlefield.

So Artillery was to be my choice of Arms. I have no regrets to this day. Once a Gunner always a Gunner. Pan Kong Leong and I reported to 2 ARTY in the old Gurkha Camp next to the Chinese cemetery and opposite to the lake in FMC in Sungei Besi. We were then Federation Artillery. 2Lt Pan was posted to F Bty and I to E Bty. Each Bty had four new Oto Malaria 105mm Howitzers. Our 25 Pounders were phased out by then. In the early 1960s we had more guns than Officers in the Regiment.The Commanding Officers and all senior Bty officers were Mat Sallehs. Luckily we spoke English. Senior ranks usually did their best to understand orders. I recalled my BSM coming to me after an O Group asking me to clarify what our BC had told him earlier to which he had confidently answered “YES SIR”. That being the case in the Regiment, I would still honestly testify now that we had no communication problems, notwithstanding our language problem. 

It was no joke to be a young Gunner Officer. Not when Lt Tony Chia Eng Lim was the Senior Subaltern. Fondly known as Anthony Samy as he spoke fluent Tamil, Tony took no nonsense from anybody. He was a cool cat, tall and upright, suave and with a smile that could mean anything. That smile was his camouflage to what was to come next. We learnt our lessons in double quick time.

As newly commissioned Gunners, we were tagged NQFA. Non Qualified Federation Artillery. We had to pass our Artillery YO course to be qualified. We did not have our own School of Artillery then and we had to wait to be trained in the School of Artillery in the Larkhill , UK or in Hong Kong.  The Royal Artillery had ad hoc courses in Singapore from time to time. The coming course in Larkhill for Pan and I was in late 1965. Lt General Dato’ Jaafar Mohammed IG, organised the first local ad hoc course for us. The ad hoc YO course was held in 1 ARTY, using the regiment’s gun park and class rooms.  The first Arty equipment I learnt to use was the ARTY board which was huge at four by four feet. We had to qualify quickly as we were still at Confrontation with Indonesia. We had two operational independent Btys deployed in Sarawak and Sabah with single gun positions spread across our borders with Indonesia.

Fifty years down the road at the blink of the eye, and I am still a Gunner. I will not retire, I will just fade away with finesse. My memories and thoughts are fading fast. But I remember being a Gunner and I had served the Agong, my country and my Regiment with pride. 

I did not I forget that I had pledged to Serve to Lead half a decade ago.

Allen Lai

The Colonel was a Gangster

I was a gangster, yes I was. Back in the 1950s. It was never by choice that I was as bad as bad could be. It was due to survival instincts and the need to overcome sheer poverty in the 1950s Malaya. I joined the local “Wall Street Gang” in Kuantan. I had stolen things, extorted money, bullied and beaten up other boys, and had fought with knives with other gangsters in Kuantan for territorial control. I was a Tiger General, a title given to those who would fight with knives. I had spent a night in the police station lokap until I was bailed out by my father.

Last week I chanced upon an autobiography “The Underworld Captain” written by Captain Alexander Shannon. I could relate to his story as there were many parallels in our lifelines. I could understand him, his actions and his emotions and what he had to do as a young man. He was the Oliver Twist as we know in the musical Oliver Twist. I feel for him.

I quote an extract from the book’s review :

In The Underworld Captain, Alexander Shannon reveals how he escaped his shady gangland past to enjoy a glittering career in the army, only to find himself back in the thick of criminal activity. His time as a soldier saw him posted to the Falklands, took him on several tours of Northern Ireland during the height of the Troubles, and to war-torn Bosnia, where he witnessed extreme cruelty and violence up close. The rigors of army life took their toll and almost ruined his marriage, and he found himself drawn back into a series of ruthless gang wars. Shannon was something of an enigma amongst Glasgow's gangsters. Few on the streets knew that he was a highly trained weapons expert, but before long the secret leaked out and he found himself involved with the criminal underworld whilst on leave from the army. He utilized his skills as an undercover intelligence gatherer to hide weapons, work for drugs racketeers, and plot a massacre, and he was offered a fortune to work as a Mafia-style contract assassin. Once back in uniform, he was questioned over brutal gangland killings and was accused of a triple murder attempt, yet his dedication and determination to succeed in the army brought him accolades and a series of promotions. In The Underworld Captain, Shannon unveils numerous underworld secrets, details of attempted murders, and assassination plots. He reveals how he managed to combine his successful army career with dangerous gangland dealings for so long and how he finally broke free for good.

Captain Shannon grew up in a shanty district in Glasgow Scotland. I grew up in poverty in Kuantan. The parallels start from there. He joined the British Army Boys Company to run away from the Police  and also to be protected from other gangsters wanting his neck. I almost ended up in the Boys Home in Sungei Besi when my school headmaster applied for me to be admitted as a juvenile delinquent. I was that bad. I did not have to run away from the police as I did not have any records of serious crimes. There ware many stories of men joining the army to hide from the police, particularly the Federation Regiment. Chinese avoid joining the army because good sons do not join the army.

I had actually joined the Navy to see the world. I joined the Naval Intake in 1963 in FMC in preparation to go to the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth UK. I was transferred and became an army cadet only after I had failed my eyesight test as required to be a seahorse.

I get goose pimples when I hear the song “Tom Dooley”. A popular condemned man’s song in the 1960s. I would have preceded Botak Chin to the gallows if I had continued to go down that destructive path. I turned good when I joined the Federation Military College in 1963. The college had taught me to be an officer and gentlemen. The college had also taught me to serve to lead.

It was a pleasure to read this book as it relates on how the how the British army sees and manages their soldiers. I could relate to the ethics and norms of the British army as I had served British Officers. Life in our artillery regiments in the 1960s were very similar to life in British regiments. Captain Shannon was still bad whilst as a OR in the Scottish Regiment, but he still rose through the ranks to become a Warrant Officer and later got an officers’ commission from Sandhurst UK. Our bad soldiers were court martialed and discharged from the army without a second chance. This is a highly recommended book if you had not experienced true soldiering.

And as fate would have it, I had a happy ending and became a Gunner to boot.

Allen Lai

My beloved BC

Last Thursday I had made arrangements to have lunch with Major Ganeson. I was to meet up with him in his Melawati office so that I could also discuss some matters with him for the coming year end RAFOC dinner.

I was pleasantly delighted to have met Dato Jaafar Mohammed and Timmy Masoud in Ganeson’s Office. We chit chated and talked about the good old days and also what I had been doing lately. Major Rama also turned up just before lunch time. 

It was at the corridor that Timmy showed me a Whatsapps message he had received from another retired Gunner officer. The message related to the episode when we  sent off Lt Colonel Tony Morel when he left 2 ARTY for his early retirement. Lt Colonel Tony Morel was our Commanding Officer when we were in Kluang. The message mentioned the scenario of the send off and had also mentioned the officers  who were present that day. He listed the names and ended by mentioning “ ….and of course my beloved BC  Allen Lai was there”.

My beloved BC ? Wow what a description of endearment. Even my old flames do not refer me as their beloved. Why would somebody describe me so lovingly is beyond me. As I recollect my days as a BC and also as a commanding Officer, I had often reflected back if I had commanded well.

Yes I had always had my subordinates’ career and welfare in my mind. That was what we were taught in leadership courses. Your men must always come first. I would always remain behind in the Bty lines, gun parks and vehicle parks each time we came back from exercises in Asahan or from ops. But that was duty that does not deserve any compliments.

But I do know that an officer is always remembered for what he did or did not do whilst in service. We had to be terribly good or terribly bad to be remembered. Mediocre officers were hardly remembered or mentioned. 

I am glad to have left behind a good legacy. I hope.

Allen Lai

HAPPY DEEPAVALI

TO ALL GUNNERS CELEBRATING THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

HAPPY 57TH MERDEKA DAY!

In essence all our service life was dedicated to protect the sovereignty of our beloved nation. We are the sentinels, guardians and the wall of defence so that our citizens can live in peace,harmony and love for each other. Let us all not take these for granted. As we celebrate our independence from colonialism, let us also remember our comrades who gave life and limb to ensure our nation is safe from both external and internal threats. We shall remain true and loyal to King and Country till our last breath. It is this spirit that keeps our nation intact and progressive. We should help one another to keep Malaysia safe, clean and prosperous for our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and their children's, children. 

GEMPUR WIRA!

MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

Colonel Baharuddin Md Diah visits 2 ARTY circa 1970

Above is group photo of 2ARTY officers during Colonel Baharuddin's visit to the Regiment in Kluang. He was then Director of the ARTY in MINDEF.  Colonel Bob Zain was CO and I was 2IC.

I wish to mention two officers who were hardly known by all, lest they are forgotten. They are Kapt Goh Siew Yoke, fifth from the left in the last row. Also Major Ng Soo Tiong seated second from the right.

Goh Siew Yoke moved on to be an rubber estate planter in the Asahan plantations. He plays the drums in the Bty band very well. We always enjoy his Chinese Cha Cha Cha beats. Siew Yoke was always cheerful and a team player.

Ng Soo Tiong was the RLO in Kota Belud Range Sabah for a long tour. Soo Tiong was elderly and was always helpful to one and all. He had since passed on. We had lost a good Gunner and a good friend.

Allen Lai

2 ARTY Pioneer group of officers

Hi all,

I chance upon another gem in my "archive",  seven Mat Sallehs sitting all in a row. This is a photo taken in 2 ARTY in Taiping circa 1965. These are the pioneers of 2ARTY formed up in 1964. Seventeen Gunners officers in all. There are more guns than officers in the Regiment.

Anybody remember their names? I still remember some only.

 Lets see:

Sitting Left to Right

Johan Hew (BK D Bty) , Mat Salleh QM, Barney Cottam (BC F Bty) , Mat Salleh Adjutant, Webb (C0) Huching (2IC / BC HQ Bty) , Wigglesworth  ( BC D Bty) , John Lane (BC E Bty) and Mustapha Saad (BK E Bty).

Standing Left to Right

RSM Harun, Wong Hing Jee ( OC LAD), Bernand Nonis, Pan Kong Leong, Aziddin, Hng Hung Meng, Albert Manaseh, Paul Pulendren,  Meor (Paymaster), Allen Lai and Aris Salem

Lying right in front is Barney's lovely black Labrador Retriever. The dog is always with him in the Regt., especially in his office and gun park. The dog also loves field trips to Asahan.

Correct me if I am wrong, Barney Cottam was one of the last British Gunners to serve in Malaysia. After F Bty he went on to command S Bty 31 Arty serving into the 1970s. Barney Cottam was quite an eccentric officer. He had also served in the Gurkha Regiment in Nepal as an Infantry Officer, before coming to Malaysia.

RSM Harun was one of the best RSM ever. He had "put me on the square" once when he had caught me wandering in the parade square casually and aimlessly. He was very strict with both the Ors and officers alike. He was later commissioned as a QM in 1ARTY.

Anybody can remember them?

Allen Lai

Climbing Mount Kinabalu 13,435,7 feet

Me

I was crazy. Yes I was. I climbed Mount Kinabalu in Sabah again on 16 July 2014.

I had climbed the mountain in 1966 at the age of 22. I was then very fit, dashing and of course Gungho. On coming down I had sworn that I would never climb Mont Kinabalu again. Never ever. Now I am a month’s shy of 70 years old and I was crazy to climb again.

Mooting the idea

It was last year when Pak Peng, my wife’s brother from Melbourne came home and had wished to visit Sabah and Sarawak. We had planned to visit Kuching and the Mulu Caves in Sarawak and then visit Kota Kinabalu and climb Mount Kinabalu. We did the Sarawak part but could not continue with the Sabah leg, pledging to do it this year.

This is the Staircase to heaven said the Kinabalu National Park tour guide. Sabah is the Land below the Wind. Cancer had promised me a quick way to Heaven too, but I would not have it. I prefer to take the Kinabalu route.

Between the summit of the Mount Kinabalu and I are apprehension, excitement, altitude, weather, fear, and cancer. All challenges. But I do know I had to do it to beat cancer. I had to overcome. When I started running marathons, I had said that a single step in the run would kill off 100,000 prostrate cancer cells. Now for every step up Mount Kinabalu, it would kill one million prostrate cancer cells. It was my personal challenge.

Mount Kinabalu

Summit Trail

Preparations

My wife and I started to do walks in the neighborhood to warm up. We then included walking up and down our staircase at home. We also did some climbing at the Batu Caves. And finally we did some climbs and trekking in Berjaya Hill Resort in Bukit Tinggi. Not much preparations, but enough.  I had to stop my training preparations when I sprained my core muscles around my left waist. I was in pain with each step.

Thanks to our Exercise Support Group in UMMC I was physically fit enough to try the climb despite my injury.

My Suunto Ambit 2 GPS watch is an excellent watch for mountaineering, trekking and all types of out door activities. It is able to monitor my progress and performance with its array of essential sensors during my climb.

We had booked online for the 3 Days 2 Nights tour with Sabah Best Tours, a local tours agent in Kota Kinabalu.

Day One

We flew Airsaia to KKIA arriving at 1015 hours. We were met by our tour agent at the airport and was quickly whisked to the Kinabalu National Park HQ and Resort at 6,122 feet in Kundasan. As it were, my wife started to have stomachache and stomach cramps upon arrival. We had stopped in KK to purchase some Chinese herbs and Brand essence of chicken. After two hours ride in the tour van we arrived in Kundasan after a brief stop at a roadside village cum vista. My wife’s stomach pains did not abate, so we stopped by the local government clinic at Kundasan town. We were pleased that the service was pleasantly efficient and effective. She got a jab, some Buscopan pills (Hyoscine Butylbromide), and mineral salts.

We checked into the Park HQ and registered ourselves by 1700 hours. It was a pleasant evening with dinner served. We had twin rooms and turned in early in preparation for Phase One climb.

Day Two

We woke up early and prepared for an early breakfast and to collect our packed lunch. Unfortunately my wife Peggy was still with stomach cramps and was totally exhausted from dehydration. She declined to join us for the climb in tears. We made arrangements for her to remain in the park HQ and Peng and I proceeded to our start point at the Timpohan gate, several kilometers from the park HQ. There was another trail called Mesilau Trail, which was supposedly more scenic but was longer by 2KM than the Timponhan Trail. Both trails meet at the 4 KM summit trail.

After registration at the Timpohan Gate, we started off at 0900 hours. Our climb started fairly well. The summit track was well defined, wide, and paved with stones and gravels. The trail was named Summit Trail and marked every half KM and was adequately sign posted. Inclination was generally in 1:4 and 1:3 ratio. The more difficult places were prepared with wooden steps, rails and plank-walks. It was 6 KM to Laban Rata at 10,730 feet, to which we had to spend a night for an early final assault to the summit the next morning, to see the spectacular sunrise over Sabah.

Still smiling

Peng and me

Cobble and stones

Planked stairs

I had constant pain in my back and left side of my waist with every step of the way. However my knees took the strain and pressure well with my reliable Chopac knee guards.

We reached Laban Rata which had 76 beds and a cafeteria at 10,737.2 feet about 1530 hours, 6 hours of snail pace. I was literally treading gingerly, enduring jolts of sharp pain with every mis-steps on the uneven gravel/stones. I was happy and relieved when we reached Laban Rata. I had thoughts that I wouldn’t have made it this far. Other groups using the Mesilau trail came in after 1700 hours.

We had our dinner at 1730 hours at Laban Rata Cafeteria before climbing up another 200 feet more to the Gunting Lagadan Hut which had 60 beds at 10,903.87 feet for the night. The two other 12 beds huts around Laban Rata are the Waras Hut and the Panar Laban Hut.

Unfortunately Gunting Lagadan Hut did not have hot water, so all of us mandi kerbau up there and did what we could to freshen up. I also started to have diarrhea and had stomach cramps every 30- 40 minutes or so. I went to the toilet no less than 5 times that night. I took a Buscopan pill, for stomach relief.

I am not sure of the real reasons for not breathing normally. But I was sure it was not due to the acute altitude sickness (lack of oxygen) common in high altitudes. It was more likely due to an allergy to Buscopan or maybe even Hypothermia? My conditions was leading to panic attack, which was scary. I felt choked and grasped for oxygen heavily in breathing. I could not lie down. I felt slightly better by sitting up and leaning against the room wall.

I called Peng and said I should descend immediately due to my conditions. Peng said it was impossible as there was nobody to take us down in the middle of the night. Our guide was not with us. I had to maintain calmness and blow deeply into a plastic bag.

I prayed silently and pleaded for survival for the night. Not now please.  I huffed and puffed rhythmically and deeply into the plastic bag. 1,2,3,4 inhale deep, 1,2,3,4 exhale long. I challenged to remain calm. I knew a panic attack would be disastrous. I was starting to have bad thoughts.

Day Three

I survived the five hours “rest” before we descended to Laban Rata cafeteria for our supper at 0200 hours.

Our final climb to the summit started from Leban Rata at eerie 0230 hours. It was totally dark, cold and miserable. I was already feeling weak and exhausted from the previous day’s climb and stomach cramps. I had not slept a wink as I was having breathing difficulties.

Going up with the rope

Hang on to your dear life now

Pegged rope

Upper Trail

Low's Peak

At 0230 hours we joined the pack climbing in the dark, our torchlight attached to our heads. After a short climb on wooden steps with rails, we came to the cliff on the boulder surface. It was now climbing and hanging for our dear lives onto the ropes provided. This was the toughest and most dangerous part of the climb for me. I was already tired and weak, without proper rest the previous night, and I had to pull my body weight up the steep slopes on the surface of the mountain. I barely had enough strength left at each pegging of the rope.

We reach the final check point Sayat Sayat at 12,034.5 feet, our guide told us that we could not to proceed to the submit as we were cut off for timing. We would not be able to come down in the permitted time, should we proceed to the top as most of the climbers had gone ahead. Actually the last final leg after Sayat Sayat is not difficult as the leg covered the plateau shoulder of the mountain peak. And we had passed the most dangerous part.

 We were short of 400 meters to the summit at Low’s Peak. What a shame. So near yet so far. However I did not feel defeated as I had done my best and had endured pain and discomfort throughout the climb. We conceded to the guide and rested for 20 minutes before we started to descend back to Labah Rata. We were still able to see the sunrise and amazing sights below, albeit at a lower altitude.

Amazing Sunrise

Coming down was more difficult as the Chopac was not as effective on the knees and my toes were hitting the inside the shoes, causing more pain. I literally had to hang onto my guide on the way down. No pain no gain right?

Halfway on the way down, I had the shock of my life, my wife was resting and sitting beside the summit trail at 3.5 KM at 8,865.8 feet, cheerfully waiving to me. I must be in heaven when I saw her or was she in heaven? We had left her sick in the Park HQ the previous day. Apparently she was feeling better on the third day, she decided to climb the summit trail and to meet us halfway. How she managed to convince the Park HQ and the Timpohon gatekeeper to let her through was beyond me. Nobody climbs Mount Kinabalu without a guide. My wife climbed 3.5 KM all on her own. It was a miracle in itself.

The three of us climbed steadily back to Timpohon Gate and thence to the Park HQ, arriving around1600 hours. We were all presented with certificates of achievement by the Kinabalu National Park HQ. We thanked our guide and proceeded back to Kota Kinabalu that same evening. We then spent several days more resting in Kota Kinabalu and visiting several of its surrounding places of interest.

Summary

All in all it was a good climb and worth the effort. Yes it is tough going, but it will be a doable mission with a bit of preparation and training. I had enjoyed the experience and had met many new friends on the trail. Everybody called me Uncle as I was the oldest person on the trail. The view was spectacular, scenic and awesome. It is truly the stairway to heaven. Believe me.

I recommend all cancer survivors to try to climb Mount Kinabalu or for that matter any Gunung or Bukit. It is the litmus test for the positivity in us. Maybe I will be crazy enough again to complete the 400 meters short of Low’s Peak.

Clap clap clap

I beat cancer.

Take care.

Allen Lai