Lee (left) and Lions Club International District 308 B1 governor, Datuk L Krishnan at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) before leaving to Kathmandu. — Bernama photo
SEPANG: A former bookworm who was not really interested in outdoor activities now aspires to scale the world’s highest peak — Mount Everest.
James Lee Chong Meng, a 68-year-old former engineer is hoping to set a record as the oldest male in Southeast Asia and Malaysia to climb the 8,848-metre-high mountain.
Lee, who joined the Lions Mount Everest Expedition 2016, left for Kathmandu, Nepal, yesterday, and is expected to finish the mission in about 70 days.
“I want to set my own history through this mission. It is my hope that this expedition will inspire the younger generation,” he told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) here yesterday before leaving to Kathmandu.
Several of Lee’s classmates from Port Dickson High School (now known as SM Tinggi Port Dickson) were also present to give him moral support. The expedition, organised by the Lions Club International District 308 B1, is aimed at raising awareness about the environment and to show the spirit of ‘Malaysia Boleh’.
Two escort climbers, namely Sherine Leong, 40, and Desmond Lee, 56, will accompany Lee up to the Everest Base Camp (EBC).
The Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), as the expedition’s official media, is sending three representatives, namely journalist Muhammad Afiq Mohd Asri, 25; Bernama TV cameraman Fazril Amirul, 23, and photographer Zulfadhli Zulkarnain, 23. — Bernama