Mission accomplished: Menon (left), Jayanthi and Warran at Low’s Peak.
KOTA KINABALU: It has been eight years in the waiting, but it was all worth it for Singapore’s top diplomat to Malaysia, Vanu Gopala Menon, who finally made it to the summit of Mount Kinabalu.
The 62-year-old Singapore High Commissioner, his wife Jayanthi and First Secretary Warran Kalasagaran reached the 4,095m-high Low’s Peak on April 28.
Calling it his “small tribute” to Singapore’s bilateral relations with Sabah, Menon said the slow and arduous trek was worth it.
“At my age, I knew it would be a challenge. My wife and I trained by climbing the stairs in our apartment block in Kuala Lumpur.
“We are grateful to our friends in Kuala Lumpur who took us hiking on trails at Bukit Kiara and Bukit Gasing. We researched the things we needed for the climb, such as altitude pills.
“It was a tough climb up and down, but we told ourselves to take it slow, keep going and to look out for each other.
“The scenery was magical. I enjoyed seeing how the flora and fauna change on the way up. The view from Low’s Peak was, of course, stunning,” he said, thanking the Sabah Tourism Board for facilitating their climb.
Menon, who was posted to Malaysia in November 2014, said he had always wanted to climb the mountain and that it would have been a missed opportunity for him not to have scaled the “iconic and revered” peak despite so many visits to Sabah.
“Singapore and Sabah enjoy strong relations rooted in our shared history and ties between our peoples,” he added.
Menon, who was on an official visit to Sabah last week, also took time off to get in touch with Sabah’s native lifestyle with the family of Datin Irene Golingai at Kampung Pogunon in Penampang, about 20km from here.
“We were moved by the warmth shown by the family and friends. We enjoyed trying Sabahan food and drinks like hinava and lihing, and tried learning the Sumazau dance from Irene.
“In a sense, the visit encapsulated what the Singapore-Sabah relationship should be about – friendship and shared experiences. It was one of my favourite memories from the trip,” he said.
While in Kota Kinabalu, Menon also met Sabah Governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin as well as other the state ministers to further strengthen bilateral ties, especially after the lifting of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
“During the meetings, we discussed strengthening our cooperation in various areas, including tourism and exchanges between our officials.
“Sabah opened a Tourism and Trade Office in Singapore last year, and we hope to promote more tourism opportunities in Sabah beyond Mount Kinabalu. Some examples are the Danum Valley and Maliau Basin.
“We have invited Sabahan officials to attend training courses conducted by Singapore,” he said.
The Sabah government and the people, said Menon, had given the republic strong support during the 2015 Mount Kinabalu earthquake when 10 Singaporeans were among the 18 people killed.
“I came to Sabah then to help coordinate the consular response, and remain deeply grateful to the Sabah state government and people for their strong support at that time,” he said.
