KOTA KINABALU, May 2 — For Singaporean High Commissioner Vanu Gopala Menon, the thought of Sabah always brings back memories of a previous, more sorrowful trip.
He had come to Sabah in June 2015, just months after assuming the post in November 2014, when it was reported that an earthquake had killed several Singaporeans, mostly school children, climbing Mount Kinabalu.
“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 during that period,” he said.
He is finally back in Sabah, this time to honour the state and those who died in the tragedy by climbing the mountain.
“It would have been remiss of me to fail to attempt a climb after so many visits to Sabah. I also wanted to pay a small tribute to Singapore’s ties with Sabah and draw attention to our bilateral relations, especially as things open up after the pandemic,” he said.
His wife, Jayanthi, was previously dead set against it due to the sorrowful memories attached, but eventually decided the best way to deal with the trauma was to honour their lives and agreed to climb the mountain too.
But they knew at their age, it would be a challenge.
“My wife and I trained by climbing the stairs in our apartment block in KL. We are grateful to our friends in KL who took us to hiking trails like Bukit Kiara and Bukit Gasing. We researched things we needed for the climb, such as altitude pills,” said Vanu, now aged 62.
Having hiked up the mountain last Thursday and come down Friday after reaching the summit, they described the trip as tough, but worth it. They also met other Singaporeans along their hike.
“We told ourselves to take it slow, keep going, and look out for each other. There is a Tamil proverb, adimel adi vaithal, ammaiyum nagarum. It means that if you keep trying, you will succeed.
“The scenery was magical. I enjoyed seeing how the flora and fauna changed on the way up. The view from Low’s Peak was of course stunning,” he said.
The deadly earthquake in 2015 killed 18 people in total, 10 of them Singaporeans including two teachers and one guide.
During this visit from April 25 to April 29, Vanu also had several official meetings including with Sabah Governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, and other state leaders where they discussed cooperation with Sabah in various areas, including tourism.
Vanu, who was on an official visit to Sabah from April 25 to 29, also got to experience local hospitality ahead of the Harvest Festival that will be celebrated end of this month, in Kampung Pogunon in Penampang, about 20km from here.
The family of Datin Irene Golingai treated the couple to homecooked native fare like hinava and pinasakan as well as the local brews like lihing and tapai.
“We also learned the Kadazan Sumazau dance from the host’s mother. 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,” Vanu said.
