Biyahe ni Drew Conquers Mt. Kinabalu

Disclosure: Okay, before I write anything here, I would like to come out clean: I am the headwriter of Biyahe ni Drew. But just because I’m part of this wonderful show doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to like it or write about it anymore, ‘no? So now that that’s out of the way…

I am green with envy. I’ve been going over the script for this Friday’s episode, and I find myself very green with envy indeed!

What traveller wouldn’t be? Drew Arellano and the Biyahe Team have climbed the summit of Mt. Kinabalu, the highest peak in the Malay Archipelago, and will be talking about it in length on this Friday’s Biyahe ni Drew episode. At 4,095 meters or 13,435 feet above sea level, Mt. Kinabalu towers over the Philippines’ Mt. Apo which is only 2,954 meters or 10,000 feet above sea level. So conquering the formidable mountain is an incredible feat, especially if you are not a certified mountaineer (such as the BND Team).

A few years ago, I did a Mt. Kinabalu flyby aboard a 4-seater Cessna piloted by Capt. Joy Roa. Even from the tiny window of our very tiny plane, the view of the magnificent mountain was breathtaking! So I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to actually trek there and reach the summit! No wonder the guys looked all giddy by the end of their ascent. 🙂

KotaKinabalu7 — The Biyahe ni Drew crew with Drew Arellano

KotaKinabalu5 — On the way up, our cameraman, Rey, takes a little break.

Sadly, I could only read all about it on the script as I don’t go with them on location. But I’m hoping one of these days, I’d be able to join this bunch who seem to always have fun no matter how difficult their shoot is.

If you want to find out how the guys fared during this once-in-a-lifetime climb, tune in to Biyahe ni Drew on Friday, May 30, 2014 at 8pm on GMA NewsTV.