Revered, respected and even feared, Mount Kinabalu is a sacred emblem to the local people of Sabah. Legend has it that the name Kina-balu means “Chinese Widow”. Kina is a variation of China and Balu ist the Malay word for widow. This is an allusion to the legendary belief that many women were widowed when their husbands attempted to obtain a pearl on top of the mountain. However, this pearl was fiercely guarded by a dragon and many men perished at the hands of this creature. For the Kadazandusun (the main ethnic group of Sabah), Kinabalu derives from the Kadazandusun phrase “Aki Nabalu”, which refers to the revered resting place of the dead. The locals belive that when a person dies, his or her soul finds its final resting place in the mountains. This is why the mountain is treated with great respect and several rites are still practiced to ensure the spirits are appeased. Today, people come from far and near to scale Mount Kinabalu, which stands at 4095.2 metres. To conquer the summit of Borneo, one does not need mountain climbing skills, just basic fitness and it takes at least to days to complete the climb.