I just voted – for the first time in any consequential election. It feels pretty good. Cast my vote at 9.44pm.

Labour look likely to win with a reduced majority – no surprise. Hope they’ve lost their majority to the Lib Dems, and not the alternative…

…going to get some sleep and hope that the world doesn’t go too crazy tomorrow. Viva la liberalisation!

Why are you reading this, if you’re in the UK? Go and VOTE!

Hi all,

Normal blogging will resume: thank you all for your support to the Tsunami Trek efforts; a permanent archive of which can be found here. Another post will follow on Trond and Iren’s return to Norway, when we will publish the full list of donors who are happy to be named (we’ve assumed you’re happy unless you’ve said otherwise!) to reiterate our thanks for your donations of over US$4000 to the effort in support of the climb.

Hope you’re all well and enjoying 2005: I am freshly returned to London and struggling to get over the jetlag…

Armo

Some of you have had the short story by email… the long story, courtesy of Arvind and Sheila (with some editing by your host, Armo the Destroyer of commas) goes a little something like this:

Day 1: The Fellowship is convened..

So here are the four of us, two Nordic Gods and two Eastern sprites. setting off on day one – so fresh, so young and so full of hope.

For those who don’t know us all, the adventurers are:

Trond Tingulstad
“Trond” is the Norwegian name for the Norse god of Thunder, Thor Odin-son. Trond quite likes the derivation of his name, and with his full beard, his flowing blond locks and his six foot two physique, even looks the part.

Trond lived in Malaysia with his family for a few years, and it was then that the David and Tingulstad families first became friends. This friendship has been cemented across the years and continents, like when, in 1994, the Tingulstads taught Arvind how to ski in Lillehammer by strapping him into a pair of their grandfather’s 18th century skies, tying him to their giant dog and shouting “mush!” Trond’s brothers Andreas and Johan have also visited us in KL and London.

Trond returned to KL this Christmas in-order to show his girlfriend, Iren Kristiansen, his old home-town. Iren was expecting a glorious three week beach holiday, relaxing in the sun, drinking pineapple daquiris. Recent events obviously made that impossible, and Iren found herself about as far from a beach as one can conceivably be: climbing Mount Kinabalu. When Trond and Arvind decided to race up the mountain in a bid to beat Devan Kaloo’s three hour time, Iren and Sheila were left far behind

Iren accepted the change in plans like a trooper, and put only one condition on the climbing – that there be champagne at the end of the climb. This was a condition we were all happy to agree to, and Iren earned her share – having pushed through a heinous bout of altitude sickness to get to the peak.

Sheila Devi David doesn’t like heights. Or physical exercise. Or, as it turns out, small towns. Over the next three days she will brave all three. In fact, like Iren, she was fully set on a few days at the beach this Christmas. Iren and Sheila have made a pact to take the trek slow, and not be bullied by the boys into a race up the mountain. They had no doubt that the boys would abandon them at the first possible point in order to set a new record.

Arvind Ethan David is quite keen on the Outdoors. In fact it was his brainstorming with Jeevan, Devan and Trond that resulted in The Plan.

The Climb

We started the trek at 10am on Tuesday morning, and were pleasantly surprised how quickly half a kilometre mark was reached, and then a kilometre and then a kilometre and half.

Like a bridge over peaceful water…

The terrain changed at this point. From being quite muddy and quite jungly, the land was red and rocky, and much steeper. It was a lot harder from here on, and it was here that the boys decided to be strategic, cut their losses and to leave the girls to trudge on while they picked up the pace.

Later we would discover that Trond had left Arvind behind to reach the rest house first! Both the boys reached the rest house in under three hours.

So if we bend him in half will he fit in a hand-bag? – Stretching at the 6km point

The girls encouraged each other with the thought of what food they would have when they got down the mountain – strawberries, pineapples, watermelons… and in this way kept each other’s spirits up as their energy flagged and the climb grew more and more difficult. Fendly the guide provided some amusement as he was texting and smoking constantly on the way up, carrying a few bags and an umbrella and not showing the slightest signs of fatigue.

After a total of five hours, the girls finally reached the 6 km mark, where we would be spending the night (or rather the 11 hours before the next 1.5km up to the peak). Hot showers were amazingly all it took to make all the climbers happy. We sang in the shower, ‘Ain’t no Mountain High Enough.’ In fact we sung it a lot over this trip.

At lunch, we discovered Iren’s penchant for Tom Yam.

Walking on Sunshine… woaah woah….

This is Day 2, on cloud island, after a 6km trek up to Gunting Lagadan. Having a lazy moment playing out in the sun. Watching Trond stretch out for almost as long as he’d been walking. Playing with flies. This is a happy moment. It is shortly to be interrupted by a 2 am start, in 5 degree weather for the final ascent.

Shoes, SHOOEESSSS! Gimme some shoes!

The saga of Arvind’s shoes: At the four kilometre point, his pair of Caterpillar boots gave out and fell apart. Fortunately he had packed a spare pair of Nike trainers. By the 7km mark both the base layers of the Nikes had peeled off and left Arvind hanging on rope on a cliff face effectively wearing only his socks (and, fortunately, some trousers).

This was the critical moment. Sheila turned around to look at the damaged shoes and saw that she was also hanging on a rope on a sheer cliff and that she was 12000 feet up in the air. And that the ground looked like it was coming up to meet her quite quickly. Friendly Fendly had to peel her fingers from the rope and help her edge down the cliff onto solid ground. Her Shoeless Brother, partly out of fraternal solidarity but mainly because climbing up 1500 feet of sheer rock in a pair of glorified socks with laces and then back again didn’t make much sense, was also forced to abandon the goal of Lowe’s Peak to return to Gunting Lagadan.

At this point, therefore, the adventure divided.

Arvind was disappointed, and Sheila hugely relieved to start the return trek. But Fendly continued up the mountain with Iren and Trond Hakon, and Arvind and Sheila were left…Fendless.

Fendly by name, friendly by nature: our mobile-toting guide took us up the mountain. He’s famous for coming in 5th in a race up KK – a time of 1 hour to climb the 13,000 feet and run the 8 kilometer trail…

When their flashlights gave out almost immediately they were a little surprised. The pitch black night, and the prospect of an hour and a half trek back to Gunting Lagadan was a little daunting. But all hail Nokia. By the light of a little phone, these two were able to peer and slip their way down mossy rocks and muddy stairs back to the rest house. (Which unfortunately was shut when they got back but they were back so they didn’t care.)

Trond and Iren battled on up the mountain for the next kilometer and a half, slowed but not deterred from the ascent by a Iren’s horrible altitude sickness. Altitude sickness came in the form of a horrible headaches, nausea, dizziness and muscle spasms – apparently like being drunk and hungover at the same time.

Ain’t no mountain high enough….

Ain’t no river deep enough….

The trip down the mountain was thankfully much faster than the trip up. Trond had to half carry Iren down the final part, and Sheila had to crab walk down the last two kilometers of stairs as according to the diagnosis (some would say slightly smugly given) that she had not stretched enough. She would say she had been thankful to sit very still after so much exercise rather than spend another hour stretching.

So on Wednesday at 3pm, a tired but thankful crew took their leave of Kinabalu National Park and on the way out saw a baby bear.

We headed to the nearest hotel where we finally managed to get our hands on the much coveted Champagne, and we finally got in touch with Armand to find out to our glee that your contributions had come up to US$1300. Thank you all for being so generous, and for making a difference to those who have lost so much.

The most hard earned champagne CHAMPAGNE!!!!!!!!

Just spoken to them – they’ve survived the climb! There were definitely some issues, but sounds like they did pretty well. The next update will hopefully be from Arvind and Sheila, who land around 11pm Malaysian time (although odds are they’re fairly broken, so expect an update tomorrow!).

Thanks again for all the support you’ve given. Please do feel free to keep donating and let us know about it so we can add it to the total tally.

Alright; there have been mobile phone difficulties: I’m afraid the promised text messages will not be forthcoming, as KK doesn’t have a mobile phone mast on top of it – outrageous, especially in the mobile phone obsessed country that is Malaysia! Am waiting on those digital photos, which should be dispatched to you generous donees early tomorrow, Malaysian time (GMT+8). We’ll try to send out appropriate print photography to the particularly meritorious amongst you.

I did speak to Arvind at the beginning of the walk (1km in) and it sounded like it was going well. His exact words were “[puff puff] its a tough walk [puff puff]”. So that’s good: you know that not only are you donating money to a good cause, but your friends are working hard to earn it, too.

I’ve just been discharged from the hospital and am recovering at home and gratefully receiving all your wonderfully generous emails. I’ve not had access to Trond and Iren’s emails unfortunately (will update with their friends’ donations ASAP), but from the friends of Arvind, Sheila and myself, we’d like to thank the following for their generous donations and support:

Rob Cotterill, Hattori Susumu, Kurt Budge, Gillian Stamp, Knox Bricken, Rowena Chiu, Fernando Slade, Ramesh Ramachandran, Sarah Bowman, Jamil, Julie & Alyana, Uri Levin, Kate Howe, Eric & Dana, Sharon Purcell and Alex Kamara.

Dave Goatman, Imo Power, Jo Brook, Mr & Mrs Brooks, Mills Roberts, Si Howe, Jazz Wadia.

Anthony, Maya, Vijayan, Narindar and Ann David, Pat David Saini, The family Tingustad, and all Davids-and extended clan who’ve given support and well wishes.

Julie Thompson Dredge, Gail Hamilton, Pob Bartlett, Gemma Thompson, Paul Davis, Richard B & Laura, Brian Darby, Rachel Payne, Damian Kahya, Gil Myers, Katie Pettifer, Angela Grainger, Alistair Lockhart Smith, Tom Phillips (who’s generously blogged the expedition as well) and Chris Applegate (ditto), and others who wish to remain anonymous.

Total donations at present have exceeded US$1300 this far (about UKP 700). Will do a proper tally at the end of the week and publish a grand total! Thanks to your generous support! If you’ve not said how much you’ve donated, we’d appreciate a note to let us know so we can add it to the total.

Thanks for all your support. Sheila and Arvind are due back tonight but I will try to get a phone update off them before that. Hope all is well with all you you.

Your digital sherpa,

Armand

Message from Arvind, Trond, Iren & Sheila:

We know you will all have been watching the news from Asia over the past week. For those of us who have been our here – in Malaysia visiting friends and family over Christmas – it has been a deeply confusing time. Surrounded by tragedy, but personally unaffected, at a time which is traditionally one of celebration..

We feel compelled to do something to help. We know that you will feel the same. Being out here at the time of this disaster, we thought we could do something to encourage you to give even more generously than we are sure you already are. So, over the next 3 days the four of us we are doing a sponsored trek up Mount Kinabalu. At 14,000 feet Kinabalu is South East Asia’s tallest mountain: perhaps vaguely appropriate that at a time of angry waters, we are fleeing to higher ground.

We fly to Kota Kinabalu tonight, and start the trek tomorrow morning. All things being equal we will be at the peak for dawn on Wednesday.

What we are hoping is that this symbolic act will provide a focus and an added reminder to you to give to the disaster aid effort. We are recommending The Red Cross and it is easy to give online. If you drop us an email letting us know of your donation, or post a comment on this blog post, we’ll produce a grand tally of everything raised.

Everyone who gives will receive a digital photo of dawn from Kinabalu and an email detailing any adventures or mishaps, as well as a credit (if desired) on this blog.

Anyone who gives above RM100/GBP 20/Kroner 225 and supplies a mobile phone number will also receive a text message from the peak…

Wish us luck and please give generously. We couldn’t think of a better way to start 2005. We hope you’ll agree

—

Iren Kristiansen
Sheila David
Trond Tingulstad
Arvind Ethan David

If you would like your donation to be anonymous, let us know and we will respect your privacy but let us know amounts so we can work out a grand total.

Dear all,

Normal activity for this blog will be suspended for the next few days, as Arvind, Sheila, Trond and Iren (see below!) climb Kota Kinabalu for charity. Their appeal for sponsorship will follow, as will updates from the mountains (mobile reception pending!) and photos on Arvind and Sheila’s return.

Please do give support by donating to any of the charities supporting the relief efforts, and post comments on the blog / email me if you don’t mind as it’ll help give an indication of the total sums raised and will allow us to attribute your donation on this site if you so desire it.

I’d be trekking with them, but have to get some (non-serious, but essential) surgery done prior to my return to London.

All the best,

Armand