The Hills are Alive...

...with the sound of people.

Over the past half month or so, my sister and I have been unsystematically climbing hills nearby. I suppose these are what you could call baby steps in preparation for the gargantuan task of someday climbing Mt. Kinabalu, the highest peak in the country. We have currently covered two hills so far, one called Broga, and another called Bukit Gasing,

Broga Hill

Situated just a little over an hour away from our home (if you don't lose your way, that is), Broga seems to be a very popular hill among the locals, with people starting to trek up as early as 6 am while it is still dark to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. Good intentions, no doubt, but unless you made a deal with the clouds, there's no guarantee that you're gonna get the sunrise you want.

The cousins, sister and I reached the foot of the hills slightly before sunrise, much later than we had planned as I had missed two (2!) turnings on our way (trust me, when the GPS asks you to go straight on a road that splits into three, it can only mean trouble). I also had a bathroom emergency because I had taken some coffee in the morning, and had to end up peeing in a hole in the ground in a stand alone wooden hut, in the middle of nowhere while my three lovely companions shined their torchlights through the top of the door so that I could see what I was doing. Lesson learned: No coffee before hiking.

(The picture was taken later in the day on our way down when it was brighter and clearer - and yes, this was the bathroom. At least I didn't have to pee in the bushes!)

 There were many people going up the hill, it being Saturday I suppose. It kind of reminded me of ants slowly making their way to the source of food. We joined in the bandwagon,  making our way among the crowd. Naturally there were some slippery places and at times you'd wonder what would happen if you fell down one of those gorges.


There were quite a number of seasoned climbers as well, as some of them were impatiently climbing up the hill instead of taking in the fresh air and the beauty surrounding them.

Broga has four peaks, all grassy, and as you make your way, you get to see the bottom of the hill below, and parts of the surrounding town. The climb is somewhat quite safe (despite the incline) although it can be a bit scary because there really isn't much you can hold on to, since it has grass instead of trees. My sister actually got a splinter in her finger when she accidentally grabbed some lalang at a certain point. It took us awhile but we finally managed to reach the final peak, after surpassing through a narrow crevice between two boulders and hauling ourselves up the boulder. (The sister helped pull me up a bit here) 

One of the pictures capturing the view below the hill

The grass at the sides of the hill. There seems to be a path leading us up the hill, and although it looks friendly, it wasn't as easy to climb as we initially thought.

A picture of a dead tree on one of the peaks.

The boulder before the final peak. It was too crowded, so I had no choice but to put up pictures of other people in it! (I'd have preferred it sans people, naturally)

The climb felt pretty good, and despite it being merely 400 metres above sea level, reaching the peak is exhilarating and  gives you a sense of accomplishment.