Blind group ready for uphill task

KUALA LUMPUR: Sixteen years ago, Isak Ngau made the trek up Mount Kinabalu and he could still remember the feel of the fresh air on his face, the scent of flowers and the chirping of birds and insects.

The memory is so fresh, Isak, who is visually impaired, wants to do it again – this time with a team of other disabled people on Malaysia Day.

He recalled his earlier journey to the highest peak in South-East Asia as tough.

“We were tired but excited at the top. We hugged each other and I cried,” said the 37-year-old instructor at a training centre for the blind here.

Since conquering Mount Kinabalu, Isak has always yearned to return to the mountain with his fellow blind community members. “I want to share my wonderful experience with them,” he said.

So, Isak, a Kayan descent from Baram, will be leading eight visually impaired people – all from Sarawak – on an expedition to scale the mountain to show their love for the country.

Three guides will help them in their over 4,000m climb.

“We want to prove to society that the disabled are like any other people and we are able to achieve our targets,” he said, adding that the climb was a project of the Miri and Bintulu Society of the Blind.