How It All Started- Humble Beginings

I've always had tremendous respect for mountains. Since I was young, I've always thought of the mountains as being a secluded place full of mystery, a place shut out from the rest of the world and a place where time stands still. I remember that when I was a kid, every time my dad drives pass the mountain region along the Karak expressway, I will always get excited and peek out of the car window to gaze with awe at those soaring peaks. My mum had always spoke of the mountains being a forbidden place; a place where men should not be. She has never failed to assert her point of the mountains being a dangerous and treacherous place. Even the old people told stories of spirits residing on the mountains to scare young children like me at that time from developing any sort of interest in the mountains. I clearly understood their concerns for the safety and well being of young kids but all of these "de-motivation" simply made my interest in the mountains grow even more!



I have always felt a sense of timelessness when I am on the mountains. I feel that I lose all sense of worldliness high above the clouds. No development, no rush, no crowd, no pollution, no worries to think about... When I am on the mountains, I feel peace in my heart . All my worldly worries of school, job, money, family, social life, love life and all other daily headaches disappear. There is only peace in my mind.

                          The idyllic Kerteh beach where I grew up on.


I spent most of my early childhood in the coastal region of Terengganu. My house sat by the beach overlooking the South China Sea and it was far away from any kind of mountains. I did enjoy my childhood by the beach. I often ran along the beach and play by the seashore. So then, one might wonder.....how on earth did I develop an interest for the soaring heights of the mountains? Well...it all lies in my deep respect for the mountains. I look upon them as places where one needs to earn the right to stand on. For me, anyone who stands on a mountain peak was someone who had achieved a feat, someone who is more than human. All the mountain climbing pioneers of the past century were my childhood heroes, which I look upon emulating someday. From Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay to Edward Whimper & Reinhold Messner, they were all my idols. Even up till today, my childhood dream of summiting Mount Everest still lives on.

Tenzing Norgay on the summit of Everest.

I have no mountain climbing experience to boast about when I was a kid. Any kind of request to hike up a mountain will be dismissed by my strict parents on safety grounds. The closest climbing/hiking adventure I did actually embark on when I was a kid were the weekend hikes up "Ah Yeh" hill (literally Grandfather hill) along with my younger brother. "Ah Yeh" hill (not more than 600m) is located in the Cheras vicinity of Kuala Lumpur. I lived at my grandfather's place when I was 8 years old and that hill in his backyard became my adventure playground. It was not surprising that my brother and I named that hill in honor of my grandfather who always encourages us in anything we do. I often climbed up rocky slopes and named certain parts of the hill with names used in real life mountains (Base Camp, South Col, Advance Base Camp, North Face etc...). As time progressed, I became more and more bold and I climbed higher and higher on "Ah Yeh" hill along with my younger bro who is also my adventure partner, Ian. However we never reached its summit, even until today. We promised not to conquer that hill as a mark of respect for it being our very first "mountain".

It wasn't until the year 2004, when I was 18, did I embark on my first real mountain climb and conquered my first mountain.....and this high altitude adventure of mine is set to continue as long as the love for the mountains still flows in my blood.