Down

Ronny and I at the end- tired but happy. Actually I'm not sure how happy Ronny was- perhaps some of the wonder might wear off if you've been going up the mountain three times a week for three years- but he stolidly did not complain. To quote my father again- a real grandmothers walk- an absolute doddle. Took us 1 hour 40 minutes on the way down (3 hours up, so doing the maths, down was quicker). The only person to overtake us going up or down was a porter coming down. He had a huge load on a makeshift sort of backpack on his back, and he practically sprinted past us. I couldn't help notice his massive calves as he shot past. However I was not as bashful as I could have been for I had on gaiters- splendid things for those that lack in this area- though I do have a clip broken on the top of one and my lack of calf means it falls halfway down my leg, so exposing a good deal of calf.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it might be reading about it- but it is now two days after it and I can still feel my legs- still a bit of stiffness there. Got a certificate at the bottom for my efforts for 10 Ringit then went to hand in my last lunch voucher so they could send me off as rotund as possible (seemed to be a definite aim- I probably disappointed them). Had lunch with Tim and Vanessa, who'd come down by this stage, then drove them to the same hotel we'd stayed at, while Teresa and Dianne had lunch and drinks 50 metres outside the park- which meant at least a 100% saving.