I did mention before in a post that The Great Wall of China falls under my list of Must-Have places to visit in China.
It’s an archaeological marvel, built with the blood and sweat of thousands of Chinese workers, hundreds of years ago.
Having visited part of the wall from Ba Da Ling, I must admit that it is indeed grand (壮观). My heart skips a beat, when I catch a glimpse of the wall from the bus. It stretches from miles and miles and it’s a sight to behold.
My only gripe is the number of tourists and tour groups which throng the place. One time too many, I was told to get out of people’s photos.
“美女，请让开！” (Beautiful lady, please move aside!) – Which is an oxymoron really. Why in the world would you ask a beautiful lady to move away?
If you would like to have the Great Wall to yourself, be prepared to walk at least 2km your stamina supersedes that of fellow visitors.
There perhaps, a moment of peace and silence would envelop you.
And needless to say, it’s unwise to climb Huangshan, or any other mountain right before embarking on the journey up the Great Wall.
Watch this space for tips on travelling to the Great Wall.
The crowds which thronged the Great Wall at Ba Da Ling.Took awhile for the crowds to thin. The raw and undisturbed scenery from far.
Carpeted floors at the first class cabin 软卧 for viewing the scenery
In my last post about the epic train ride across China, I talked about how I spent the first 6 hours of my 19 hour train ride in the lowest class carriage. Dealing with spit, baby pee, poo and shrieks, while feeling sad, a strong sense of sympathy, yet feeling exasperated and pissed off at the same time.
When I finally squeezed my way past sacks of rice/ potatoes and unknown substances to reach the first class cabin, it was like a breath of fresh air.
Travelling first class on a Chinese train, with a twist
The first class cabin had no cigarette smell, and I could take a deep breath. It is a room with four berths. When I entered, there were two grown adults, and a boy who seems to be about 15-year-old.
The two adults were sleeping, while the boy was looking out of the window, as if he was thinking about something.
Looking out of the window – from the first class cabin 软卧
With my pair of strong “Huangshan” legs, I easily climbed up the step leading to the berth on the top. It was lovely. There were two pillows, a comforter, and more than enough space to put your luggage. I closed my eyes, with a smile on my face thinking.. it was the best $50 spent in a long, long while. Away were the trickles of baby urine, spit.. and the prying uncle reading my diary.
There was also a free flow supply of hot water. (The water dispenser in the last class cabin had run out and for some reason had not been refilled). The toilet was spacious and was equipped with the metal sort of Western toilet bowl. There was an area to wash up. It had three sinks with a bottle of soap and a flower in a vase (unheard of in an Indian train). I spotted someone watching videos on his laptop, with the adapter plugged into the socket meant for shavers.
When I returned to the first class cabin, the boy’s father had woken up. I saw him tying the shoelace for the boy. Immediately, the first thought that came to my mind was, “This China one child policy is really too much. Kids nowadays are so pampered – even shoelace cannot be tie by themselves?”
I climbed back to my berth. From the top, I realised how wrong I was. The wooden crutches by the side wasn’t for the older men, but for the younger boy. He had to make his way out to use the toilet. Each step was excruciating. There was a grimace on his face mixed with determination, the expression that you would see on the faces of accident survivals trying to get their feet back up.
At 8.30pm, I went to brush teeth, intending to sleep at 9pm. (The train was due to reach Beijing at 5am.)
When I returned, the older man in the group asked me where I was from, and where I was going. I learnt that they were from the city of Huangshan, and were going to Beijing to find a doctor who could possibly cure the leg ailment of the boy. It seems almost casual, in the way they said it. “带小孩看病”. Only that in Singapore, bringing your kid to the doctor is a mere 15 minutes a way, at most 1 hour, definitely not 19.5 hours.
They told me the Chinese term for this disease. I honestly have no idea what it was, only understood that it recently got worse. That’s why they are making the way to Beijing, to visit a physician who might have a cure for this. I just did a Google search and it the disease might be this – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legg%E2%80%93Calv%C3%A9%E2%80%93Perthes_syndrome
How I wished that I understood some of this. Pardon me for being naive, but Singapore does seem to have a cure for a wide range of diseases.
Later, I found out that the group of 3 come from a family of stone carvers. (Must be earning quite a lot to afford first class? I thought to myself.)
Stone carvings on Huangshan
In very exquisite Chinese terms, I figured they could be responsible for the stone calligraphy words on top of Huangshan – see picture above. I was told that it was an art that was learnt since young.
Since they were from Huangshan, quite naturally, I asked them if they had climbed Huangshan before. The answer was no. Then I thought of the boy and his condition and felt a little sad, because I don’t think he might not ever have the chance to see Guang Ming Ding (The summit of one of the peaks).
Guan Ming Ding 光明顶- one of peaks in Huangshan 黄山
The conversation got a bit drier after the older uncle started telling me about Jia Gu Wen, (an ancient way of writing) and dwelling into ancient Chinese literature and culture, the stuff of my Chinese literature classes in secondary school. (I didn’t do very well as you can imagine.) But of course, “Jia Gu Wen” rang a bell, and I nodded when he asked me if I understood what was that. He said that he was sad that Fan Ti Zi had been change to Jian Ti Zi. “Every stroke in a Chinese character means something,” he said.
He told me that they were believers of “Dao Jiao” Taoism? I think. I told him that in Singapore, Taoism and Buddhaism have very little distinction. He didn’t seem very happy to hear that. But oh wells, it was 9pm, and I was feeling rather sleepy, wishing he’d end the conversation soon.
I asked them if they had plans to travel out of China, to Taiwan, or Hong Kong maybe. They said no. I don’t think they were very excited by Singapore’s casinos too. In the words of that older gentlemen, “There are so many things about China’s history and culture that has to be learnt. That should be the priority first.”
As I prepared for a good night’s sleep, I thought to myself, “硬座和软卧的乘客真是不一样.” (People of the last and first classes are really different.) On the same train, chugging its way to Beijing, a baby’s cries resonate the cabin at midnight, while an old lady is struggling to sleep on the lone seat she has. Five carriages away, an old gentleman is pondering on the enormity and depth of Chinese culture.
And in one first class berth, surrounded by fluffy pillows and a thick, warm comforter, a boy grimaces in pain, yet his heart is filled with hope – that his legs can be cured in Beijing. That someday, he may be able to climb the mountain where is home was named after.
Travelling around China in 8 days – On the search for China’s best
My 8 day trip to China has been nothing short of a blast. I don’t mean that I was 100% happy all the time. There were so many times when I felt that I was blasted by some invisible forces of nature (of the unlucky kind).
The experiences, with varying levels of comfort across all spectrums, has brought forth a new perspective to life. And it does seem that travelling, a luxury it may sound, is never easy (for me at least).
I made some last-minute changes to my itinerary, so instead of travelling to Beijing from Hangzhou, I decided to go from Shanghai – Hangzhou – Huangshan – Train – Beijing – Shanghai in 8 days. Will document more information of these places in time to come.
I was in the company of Friend H and her colleagues in Hangzhou – the Xi Hu is pretty nice, just that it was swarming with tourists (as with most tourist destinations in China).
Huangshan was epic – I followed a local Chinese tour because 1) I didn’t want to make the trip up the mountain alone – heard that it was easy to get lost, and 2) the Chinese tour package the hotel offered was very affordable, 460 yuan (SGD92) for a 2 night stay including admission tickets. The admission ticket was already 230 yuan (SGD46) so I concluded that it was a good deal. Well, it was nice to climb the mountain with some company, which I did – four guys in their 20s/30s from Wu Han were there on a work trip) and an uncle from Hei Long Jiang. They were pretty nice and in a sense indirectly saved me from getting lost. But the accommodation was nothing short but terrible, but that’s for a separate story.
The reason why I included “Train” in the itinerary is because a train ride took up approximately one day of my time in China (19 hours). And that itself, it’s an experience on its own. During the 19 hour train ride, I spent 6 hours in the lowest class (硬座）as the rest of the tickets were sold out. Later, I had the opportunity to upgrade to the first class berth (软卧）which I paid SGD50 extra, and it was lovely. In between which, I met interesting people with a different story to tell and that is again for a separate blogpost.
When I reached Beijing, I wasn’t in the best of health – stomach cramps. But there was no time to lose and I had to see the must-haves of this China trip – the Great Wall, Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. And my conclusion? These monuments are majestic. The Great Wall especially. It’s a sight to behold, though the truth is, there’s probably more people than wall at the beginning of Ba Da Ling (one of the tourist entrances to the Great Wall), and you’ve got to walk really far beyond to finally shake off the crowd and tour groups blasting their microphones.
Shanghai took me by surprise – Unfortunately, the lasting memory I have of the city will be the time I had food poisoning after eating instant noodles. I arrived at my hotel at 9.30pm, went to take some night shots of The Bund and headed back to the hotel. For dinner, I decided to have some instant noodles. The security guard pointed me to the hot water dispenser at the lobby, which I happily used to cook my noodles. Not sure if the water was the cause, but I woke up at 5am later that morning with a sharp pain in my stomach and rushed to use the toilet. In total, I had to use the toilet 8 times and puked twice, each time vomiting out the water and medicine I had consumed to stop the pain. And the story of my survival, is once again for another day.
In essence, I want to point out that this trip to China, despite being very heavy on the wallet, tiring on the body and taxing on the spirit, is nothing short but awesome. Looking back, I never thought I would enjoy China that much. Though travelling in China can be quite a breeze compared to India because I know the language, getting the best out of China can be an uphill battle too.
I must say, that while India has made me moved, sad, frustrated, angry and exasperated at times, China made me laugh.
And like what Friend H aptly points out, good people are everywhere, undivided by nationalities or borders. In every country, city, village or Hu Tong 胡同, along with that mean, obnoxious person who shoves you to one side without uttering a warning or an apology, a person with a heart of gold sits in the shadows waiting to be discovered.
I am in the midst of planning my 7 day trip to China and I realise I cannot help but leave only a day to visit Shanghai.
Reason being that I am going to visit Huangshang, a must have destination for this trip, and it takes a full day train ride from Beijing to Huangshan railway station. I checked, it’s about 19 hours – 11am to 7am the next day.
I have the option of booking a domestic flight but I don’t want to fly – it’s such a hassle, and it will be great to check out China’s long distance trains.
After doing some more research, I figured Shanghai can be covered in one day. The list of places I want to visit are below:
Planning a Shanghai itinerary The Bund, Shanghai Credits: Commons.wikipedia.org
1. The Bund – aka 上海滩
This sounds like a Clarke Quay in Singapore, in which a stretch of cafes, bars and shops overlook Shanghai’s waterfront. In fact, everyone who has been to Shanghai says it’s a must go. So I am going to have a look, and hopefully I will be left with some yuan to eat at a nice restaurant nearby.
2. Old Town – aka 南市
Home to the historical Yu Yan 预园 gardens，the old town is supposed to be quite beautiful and culturally pleasing, with its historical Ming garden design and the chill tea houses by the side.
法租界 – The French Concession, in the past Credits: www.54traveler.com
3. French Concession – 法租界
It’s a side of Shanghai with a cluster of restaurants, homes and retail shops together. Not the shopping mall type, but a mis-mash of two story homes that overlook cafes and boutique stores below. Something like Robertson Quay in Singapore.
There is also a list of places that look good, but I don’t have to visit…
Shanghai World Financial Centre Credits: http://realitypod.com/
1. World Financial Centre
Gleaming with opulence, this is one of the highlights of Shanghai’s skyline. It does resemble a Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Don’t think I will want to spend any yuan to go to the observatory deck but it will be nice to see the building from far. Also, the last thing I wanna do is to be reminded of the Central Business District in Singapore… …
Planning a Shanghai itinerary – No Shanghai Museum? Credits: www.architravel.com
2. The Museums
There seem to be a couple of significant Museums in Shanghai. The Shanghai Gallery of Art, the Shanghai Post Museum, the Shanghai Museum… Sad to say, I am not the sort who can spend hours appreciating art and cultural nuances – so I think it’s best to give it a miss.
* * *
A friend once said that China should not be seen through the lens of Shanghai alone. The shopping malls, dazzling lights and designer boutiques brimming with opulence are sights that I feel I can do without.
But Shanghai is China’s glammer polish, a model type of city that many other central and eastern provinces hope to morph into. If I fail to see Shanghai up close, would I have lost the opportunity to understand China’s future?
* * *
If you have been to Shanghai, let me know what are the must-sees and must-dos.. Always welcome further ideas and changes to the itinerary.
Eavesdropped on someone’s lunch time conversation today, and it was about Facebook postings of a cup of latte and food on a weekend. A colleague commented that week after week, she would see a flurry of related brunch posts her wall. Usually, it goes with the hash tag #food porn and the captions are along the lines of “have a lovely time with XX @ XX cafe…” I have to agree.
I love brunches, but I think there’s got to be alternatives, different ways to use the weekend, than to spend it at cafe after cafe. I am the more outdoory type, so I hereby came up with six great alternate weekend activities in Singapore, to be spent with utmost satisfaction.
1. Cook, for the family, or your beloved.
I know it is easier said than done, but the little small dishes in brunch are the easiest to make. Simply warm up some croissants, stir fry some butter mushrooms and bacon, and poach an egg – you get a Breakfast platter. The latte and coffee art may be more difficult to replicate, but you can close one eye, or run to Starbucks. You can always have fruit juice too.
For the adventurous, have you hand at a smoked salmon poached egg sandwich. You would need thick toast for this and the ingredients can be bought at a Cold Storage near you.
2. Go camping
Singapore may be a tad warm, but camping at the beach front may just be the perfect outdoor activity. Have a barbeque, bring along some food and a book to read!
3. Go to the market, and eat Mi Fen (Bee Hoon) with Chicken Wing
Seriously, this is also quite shiok. Have it with egg, chicken wing and fish cake. Finish it off with a cup of Kopi-Gao.
Fried beehoon with cabbage and chicken wing Source: Camerberu.com
4. Go for a morning walk/ run at a park connector near you
This activity has the most health benefits. What better way to kickstart the day than with a fulfilling fat dissolving run? You can tuck into a big breakfast after that without feeling guilty, or go back to bed (that’s me).
Climbing Bukit Timah hill. Source: Wikimedia.org
5. Climb Bukit Timah hill
This is what my group of friends intend to do the week after next. Wonder how that will turn out, but it sounds healthy enough!
Pools are usually filled! Source: swimminglessons.com.sg
5. Go for a Swim
Swimming is another healthy activity, just that in Singapore you tend to turn brown very fast. If you don’t mind the sun, pop into the pool before anyone else comes along. In public pools, be sure to come early to avoid the crowd (tons of little kids learning how to swim).
6. Cuddle up in bed, watch TV, and order Big Breakfast from McDonald’s
Macdonalds Big breakfast – With Credits: http://farm1.staticflickr.com/27/39190019_b35b6a6863_o.jpg
There’s a term for this. Just NUA.
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There are loads of ways to kickstart your weekend in Singapore and these are just a few alternatives. Try them out, and let me know how it goes. 😉 Feel free to suggest more ideas too!
This is most unexpected. I never thought I would be in such a dilemma while planning a China itinerary in 11 days.
Firstly, China is way more expensive than India, so it’s really tough when you’re trying to budget accommodation and transportation. For SGD30 I could stay comfortably in a nice Indian guesthouse, but in cities like Shanghai and Beijing, it’s only enough for a dorm bed!
It’s something I have to get use to. And contrary to what I initially believed, China, like India, encompasses a whole gamut of things I would like to see.
Be it the Great Wall of China, an archaeological feat of all time, the little Hu Tongs of Beijing, the Bund and French streets of Shanghai, the Avatar inspired Zhang Jia Jie 张家界with its dangling mountains and misty dreamlike scenes.. I could go on and on and on..
And I wish I could just take my time, and enjoy these cities and places in the most chillax of all ways, but the truth is, this coming April would probably be my second and one of the last times returning to China.
If I had the resources and company, I would have scooted off to Eastern Europe or Latin America for my travels. China is probably not the kind of destinations I would want to return to. That is why I want to see as many places as possible. And not spend too much time in the city – it’s like, if I yearn for some city life and retail therapy, I could always return to Orchard Road or Clarke Quay in Singapore. But there’s not going to be a brightly coloured lake waiting for me when I get home.
Below are the three places that are causing me a huge dilemma. Beijing and Shanghai are not one of them, as I am dead set on going there. But the others, like Zhang Jia Jie 张家界, Jiu Zhai Gou 九寨沟 and Huang Shan 黄山 are causing me a headache, just because all of them are just so beautiful but yet so inaccessible.
So I beseech you, if you ever been to these wonderful places before, let me know so I can prioritize.
Zhang Jia Jie 张家界
Said to be the inspiration for James Cameron’s Avatar, Zhang Jia Jie is well-known for its slim mountain peaks that rise above a web of streams. A friend’s guidebook awarded it the heralds of “世外桃源” and “中国山水画的原本”. (An “unearthly paradise”, and “the origin of all landscape paintings in China”.
Why I have to go: I guess it’s not really a “have to” sort of place, but I love the setting in Avatar and it would be really nice to see if such scenery could have existed in real life. That being said, it is being disputed that James Cameron’s inspiration came from Huang Shan instead – see below.
What’s the problem? It’s a 22 – 27 hour train ride from Beijing and a 20 hour bus ride from Shanghai. There are direct flights from Beijing and Shanghai, but it’s expensive.
Zhang Jia Jie – With credits: Iliketowastemytime.com
Huang Shan 黄山
According to Wikipedia, Huangshan is known for its sunrises, pine trees, “strangely jutting granite peaks”and views of clouds touching the mountainsides for more than 200 days out of the year.
Why I have to go? A friend who has been there strongly endorses it. The ascent can last up to 9 to 10 hours long, but the views of the sunrise and sunset are just amazing. I am also a sucker for these sort of hiking and scenery stuff, so it would be an eye opener.
What’s the problem? This mountain may not have that much mist as the Avatar one? I am not sure. I can’t give a plausible rationale and it seems very compelling. It’s way more convenient than Zhang Jia Jie – 6.5 hours bus ride from Shanghai.
Huangshan – Credits: www.huangshan.gov.cn
Jiu Zhai Gou 九寨沟
According to Wiki, Jiuzhaigou (“Valley of Nine Villages) is a nature reserve and national park located in northern Sichuan province of southwestern China. Jiuzhaigou is known for its many multi-level waterfalls, colorful lakes, and snow-capped peaks. Its elevation ranges from 2,000 to 4,500 metres (6,600 to 14,800 ft).
Why I have to go: This is even more out-of-the-way than the first two, but I am a big sucker for lakes of all kinds, especially coloured ones!
What’s the problem? Jiu Zhai Gou is located a long way from Beijing and Shanghai. I would have to take a flight from either city to Chengdu, then take a flight (1 hour) or bus to Jiu Zhai Gou from Chengdu (10 hours). As with most air tickets, it costs more than USD 100 for each flight to and from Chengdu. I can choose to fly from Chengdu to Jiu Zhai Gou, but it will cost another USD 100.
Jiu Zhai Gou – Credits: Wiki
I am not sure if all these inaccessible places are worth the hassle and money. After all, the images that I see on Google images could be Photoshopped. But it would be nice just to get a glimpse of these lovely places of natural beauty, just once in a lifetime.
Been to these places and feel strongly about it? Please share your thoughts. Your help is appreciated.
P.S I would like to thank a Friend F for “causing my dilemma”. It’s a dilemma, but a good one to be in.
Cameron Highlands is the sort of vacation spot for families with young children. Big strawberry farms, with quirky looking cactus are sure to bring out squeals of joy from the little imps.
But as Friend Z and I found out, Cameron Highlands has an attraction for the young, fit and adventurous, looking for a challenge.
Like the stuff of tales and legends, the adventure comes in the form of a mountain. Towering more than 2,000m above sea level, Gunung Brinchang, located an estimated (500m – 3km) away from the town of Brinchang (depending where you start from) is sure to stretch that hamstrings of yours, and give you a good workout. We were also recipients of good karma, which was believed to be earned when Friend Z bought a bowl of paigu (pork rib) soup for the Beggar at Raffles City Shopping Centre. That’s another story.
We found out about Gunung Brinchang via this blog post from Roaring Forties. Had really good tips on where and how to go about the trek. After getting all bored out with the endless strawberry farms in Cameron Highlands, we really needed a challenge. After all, it sounded pretty easy, based on the narrative from the blogpost. The couple started off at 2pm, and reached the town of Brinchang at 8pm. When we kicked off the trek, it was 11am. Surely we would be back before dusk, we thought.
At an elevation level of more than 2,000m, we thought it was pretty easy to “conquer” this mountain. The reality is that this 2,000m does not cover distance down. So essentially, for every 100m that we walked up, it was erased by the 100m that we walked down.
Gunung Brinchang is also not like Bukit Timah Hill, where there are stone steps to help you on your way up. Most of the paths were fine, but there are some moments where you’ve got to leap over logs and trod over muddy paths that are real squishy. For that reason, we decided not to climb down the mountain, given that it rained occasionally near the peak. The ground was also soft and wet, hardly a safe path for a descent.
How to trek up to Gunung Brinchang in Cameron Highlands? Houses along the way to Gunung BrinchangSign along the way to Gunung Brinchang – Not sure what this means?Watch Catchment Area – Construction at Gunung Brinchang
Now, the road to the start of Gunung Brinchang is pretty straightforward, you just got to keep a lookout for the signs. We started off near the Water Catchment area as highlighted in the blog. You can tell this to the “Mercedes Cab” taxi driver – most of them should be aware of it. (All taxis in Cameron Highlands are Mercedes Cabs) It’s about 500m from the main town of Brinchang. The path was pretty straightforward, until we reached the construction area – might be for the building of a water catchment area. Across a stream lay several big pipes that was the only connector to the next path.
Now I was in a dilemma. I didn’t want to wet my shoes, and I didn’t want to burst the pipe by stepping on it either. But the latter seem more unlikely hence I proceeded to trot across the big pipe. It deflated for a bit, but thankfully it didn’t burst. And I reached the next part of the way without wetting my shoes – little did I know would be inconsequential as we moved along.
As healthy young adults who exercised a not-so-frequent once a week, we went up pretty fast for the first half an hour, thinking that the worst, (treading on pipe situation) was over.
Little did we know that as we went up, more logs stood in our way, and muddy tree root paths awaited us along the ascent. It’s a miracle sometimes when I think about it, and how we managed to reach the top. I had to use my hands to prop myself up sometimes.
What I didn’t like was the muddy puddles that we had to tread over, given that there was no other paths. Puddles always give me the horrors, like how my foot was stuck in quick sand, along a hike to see Mount Bromo in Indonesia. Lucky, there was no unwanted experiences waiting for me from puddle to puddle.
Not so encouraging yellow signs – Gunung Brinchang
It was a little demoralising to see each sign post after sign post telling you that the distance left to the peak. Sometimes, we could go on for half an hour, only to notice that we only covered 300m of the hike due to lots of downward paths.
The path reaching the peak was the most difficult. It had started to drizzle and the path got really steep and muddy. Grabbing on to some tree roots, we propelled ourselves to finally reach something that looks like civilisation, a building!
Building at top of Gunung Brinchang – finally!Choose the Right path – the one on the left. It’s much easier!
Now this is where some advice will be most useful. The blog tells us to walk around the gate. There are two paths that seems quite possible. Facing the power station, choose the path that tends on the left side, that seems more well trodden. In essence, both paths will lead you out to the main road, but the one on the left would be much more comfortable to work on, without much more vegetation to bash through, or wires hidden beneath the undergrowth.
We know that cos we took the path on the right. You can’t hold on to the gate as it’s really rusty. Thank goodness, we reached the peak just in time before it started to rain.
There’s nothing much at the peak, except for a telecommunications tower. People usually drive up, and you can see cars by the side. Rain is frequent and comes in short bursts. There’s also a shelter for you to rest your tired legs.
Little did we know that it was not the end of our “odyssey”. A whole 12km awaited us. We reached the peak at about 1.30pm, and started the descent at 2pm. By then, blisters had started to develop on my feet as I was not wearing proper hiking shoes.
Walking in clouds that come and go – Peak of Gunung BrinchangMossy Forest – less than 1km from the peak of Gunung Brinchang
Along the way, we dropped by Mossy Forest, which is a park with an elevated wooden platform to give you a bird’s eye view of Cameron Highlands. You can also catch sight of moss growing on logs, giving the park its name, “Mossy Forest”. We didn’t spend too much time there, given that we knew of a looming 11km hike down for us.
See mossy logs at Mossy Forest, along the way up to Gunung BrinchangThe peak of Gunung Brinchang, from Mossy Forest
After walking for what seems forever, we reached the wide plains with hills and rolling tea plantations. It was already 3pm. After stopping by a farm to wash my feet to get rid of the mud and dirt, we asked the owner of the farm how long more will it take to reach the foot of the mountain. She said, it was close to 9km – 10km more.
Lovely tea plantations, but an aching feet – Cameron Highlands
At that point of time, my pace of walking was close to half of that in the morning and we were feeling very tired. Just as we turned and looked in the direction of an on-coming car, a Proton stopped for us. In it were 3 Malay guys, and the driver asked us if we would like a ride to the foot of the mountain. We “immediately” agreed, given the state we were in and the fact that they seem like nice people.
They hailed from Johor and was on a holiday with friends. The driver used to be an ex-policeman. He told us not to hitch hike in other places in Malaysia. The driver eventually offered to drop us off at Brinchang, the town, but thinking that it was quite close by (like how we first started), we declined. At the foot of the mountain, we thanked him and got off.
Little did we know that we were 3km away from the town. And there was no public buses or taxis to ferry us back. All the buses there were tour coaches. The only way was to hitch hike a ride again.
And that kicked off another long walk. When we passed by Scorner, a strawberry farm/ restaurant, we took a break. The restaurant had a view overseeing the only road down from Gunung Brinchang to the town. And during our 45 minutes there, we never once spotted a taxi.
Sconer, a strawberry farm with a restaurant – on the lookout for taxis.
I went to the souvenir shop and tried to purchase a pair of slippers. Little did I know, all they had were strawberry bedroom slippers.
Eventually, we decided to stand by the road and hitch hike again. And just as we stood by the road, a familiar Mercedes taxi came rolling by. We stuck out our hands in anticipation. Please stop for us! .. Alas, there was a passenger in the front seat.
But the taxi eventually stopped. After all, Brinchang was on the way. He charged us RM5. At that point of time, any amount of money would do, to get us back to Brinchang. We found out eventually that the lady on the front seat was the taxi driver’s wife.
Steamboat reward for hard work!
And a steamboat marked the end of our epic adventure. Moral of the story? Gunung Brinchang is definitely worth a climb, just that you’ve got to bring the right shoes. And yes, it’s fine to rely on the kindness of strangers at times. Friend Z says its good karma from helping the beggar at Raffles City. Possibly. And I choose to believe that too. Because what goes around, comes around.
Gunung Brinchang – Good trekking shoes and good karma are absolutely essential
Not big and as red as the strawberries in Australia Cameron Highlands for kids, less so for the well-travelled
I used to dream about going to Cameron Highlands when I was a little kid. My dreams were of big ripe strawberries, the crunchy fresh green lettuces and the sacred act of walking through clouds. And it’s true. Cameron Highlands, famed for its strawberry and lettuce farms, is probably a good place for kids. There are fresh vegetables, fruits, and cactuses, which will probably charmed naive little imps who haven’t seen a cactus before.
But I think I travelled too far – trudging through the muddy plains of Sapa with Wellington boots, wandered around the rustic yet worn down gardens of Kashmir, braved the rain of volcanic ash to catch a sight of an angry Mount Bromo, that when I cast a glance at Cameron Highlands, I was like, Okay.
Down the streets of the main town, Tanah Rata, there is Marrybrown, a fast food outlet, Starbucks and several other coffee places. That was it. In Brinchang, the night market is probably an eye opener, with stalls frying anything that they can get their hands on – mushrooms, sweet potato balls, chicken, prawns, sotong, eggplant, carrots.. you get the idea. The foodie in me was excited, but food was not all I was looking for.
You could have a steamboat for RM35 for two people, visit the Big Red Strawberry Farm in the vicinity and that’s basically all you can do if you didn’t venture further.
By venturing further, I mean driving or renting a car that takes you to Gunung Brinchang (and Mossy Forest along the way), 11 km away from Brinchang, or attempt to trek the 2km high Gunung and walk that 11km back. And that despite being a “Mission Impossible” for noob trekkers like us, is probably, the best thing that ever happened..
Weather:
Cameron Highlands is somewhat different from the rest of Malaysia. The weather, being the biggest difference you’d notice when you arrive by road. There’s an occasional mist, and you’d be fine walking around with just a thin sweater on. Drizzles happen occasionally and stops quickly, but be sure to have an umbrella with you just in case.
Transportation:
Getting around Cameron Highlands is a pain in the ass if you don’t have your own car. Taxis are expensive – RM8 for a short 2km trip, and they go by hour if you book them for a tour to the farms nearby.
Accommodation:
Stay in Brinchang. There’s more life there – a grocery stall, steamboat houses and the night market. Tanah Rata is close to the bus stand, but doesn’t offer much retail therapy. We stayed in a hotel – Casa Del La Rosa. It was fine, but located in between Brinchang and Tanah Rata. As a result, we had to pay a taxi fare of RM10 each time we booked one to take us town, 2km away.
Worth the trip?
If you’re a Singaporean, I’d say no. It took us 10 hours in total to get home from Cameron Highlands. About four hours to KL from Cameron, and another 5 hours from KL back home. In that time you could take a short flight to see the Angkor Wat, or other lovely countries in South East Asia. Then again, if you’re a farm person, to each his own.
The Christmas Trees of Cameron HighlandsStrawberry shake at Cameron Highlands for kidsCactuses in farms in Cameron Highlands for kidsFresh juicy green lettuce from Cameron HighlandsStrange looking apples from bazaar in Cameron HighlandsFATVegetables on sale at the night bazaarFreshest roses I have ever seenFresh oranges from Cameron Highlands night bazaarNasi Ayam on sale at Cameron Highland Night Bazaar
Source: Wiki Travel
The Cameron Highlands is one of Malaysia’s most extensive hill stations. It covers an area of 712² km, about the size of Singapore, At 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level it is also the highest point in Malaysia accessible by road. During the day, the temperature seldom rises above 25 °C; at night, it can drop to as low as 12 °C.
There are four main roads into the area: two to the west, to Ipoh and to Tapah; and two to the east, to Gua Musang and Kuala Lipis.
The towns lie in a string of settlements approximately 25 km long.
Why I love India but I am travelling to China Stepping out from the comfort zone – Will I be able to find rainbows?
By a strange twist of fate, just as the clock striked 12.00am on my 24th Birthday, I did something I never thought I would do.
I, Phebe Bay, the self-professed India travel lover and “guru”, booked myself a trip to China. on a Singapore Airlines flight.
Now if you are confused why travelling to China on a SIA flight is some kind of big news, that’s because I usually don’t travel on “premium” flights. These are luxuries. Furthermore, if I had a chance to choose between China and India, it would have been India, anytime.
This is no easy decision too. The flight tickets easily set me back by SGD600. The trip would cost me way more than SGD1,000 – the price of a Prada wallet.
But given the recent rape cases – that of a Swiss tourist being the most recent, I decide I cannot cope anymore with such “risks”. It’s high time India does something to its security situation before I will ever go back. I will go to China instead. It also happens that a Friend H is currently working there, and it would be nice to meet up. (The SIA tickets were on promotion.)
I also thought that China is so vast – surely there’s something that would catch my eye?
After all, I am Chinese. My grandfather hails from this province called Chao Zhou, and my grandmother, Fu Jian. Hope I do get a better perspective of my heritage, and the country that has been touted as Asia’s biggest growth story.
Beyond that, I do confess that I have a slight obsession with Chinese palaces. When I was a little girl, I used to pretend that I was a princess 格格, after catching the serial, 还珠格格 (Princess Pearl?)。I love the songs, the scenery, the times where they rode around the grassy plains with their horses. I love the design of the palaces and perhaps, it’s just time to get a feel of the actual Forbidden City which thankfully is no longer forbidden at present.
I am also a big fan of Chinese Wu Xia Pian (Martial Art Films) set in the olden days and boy, I think the Great Wall of China might be able to blow my mind (notwithstanding the number of tourists there). Just looking at the ancient monuments from the past would surely be able to help me understand these films better and the reasons why the battles took place.
I do confess that these aside, I really have nothing much to do in China. Shopping and buying fake branded stuff doesn’t excite me. I might do a bit of Tao Bao shopping online but that’s beside the point. I also do confess that I thought of skipping China entirely, and take the train from Beijing to Mongolia instead. It does seem way more exotic and exciting.
But I guess, there’s really no harm stepping out of my comfort zone, visiting places that Singaporeans would usually go to. Because for what it’s worth, the meaning of the place is very much dependant of what the traveller makes out of it.
And I am confident that China, with it’s 9.6million square metres of land and 1.3 billion people, will be able to touch my heart in a special sort of way.
I am not looking to be vowed by towering skyscrapers, big shopping malls and spanking new infrastructure, but to be touched by the humility and kindness of the Chinese people, and be vowed by the greatness of historical monuments against the backdrop of boundless plains.
I may be dreaming, but let’s wish me luck.
Contact for Marriage India – I daresay there’s something similar
This is not a picture of Simon, the Italian Hippie. It’s weird to take photos of your fellow airline passengers. This is just to show you what dreadlocks look like. Cool huh? hahah
When I first met Simon (pronounce Si-morn) on the Air Asia flight from KL to Delhi, I thought he looked funny. Probably one of those weirdo Western hippies who come to India for some funny business – party, weed, booze and all. It didn’t help that he wasn’t dressed like a normal Westerner, in a typical T-shirt, jeans and sweater. He was clad in an intricately embroidered loose shirt with some traditional patterns and a pair of red skinny fitting pants. He had a short green scarf tied round his neck. Ah, surely a hippie! I thought.
We were silent for the first 30 minutes of the trip. As much as I would like to chat with people, I wasn’t sure how keen hippies were to talk to Asians.
When they passed down the Indian immigration cards, he asked if he could borrow a pen. Just like a knife that broke the ice, we chatted.
Simon comes from Venice in Italy. He is 24 this year and absolutely cannot believe I am 23 this year.
The only stuff I heard about Venice is found in my Social Studies Textbook in Sec 3. Something about wars and mercenaries. And of course, recently in the tourism aspect, of how the island is sinking, and how young people are leaving the city because there are no job opportunities.
“How long will you be here?” I asked.
Three months he said. He will be travelling North India and Nepal.
That’s very long I said. “I am only here for 12 days”, I told him. “Will your mother miss you?”
“Oh yes oh yes!” he gushed loudly after I repeated my question twice.
“But in Italy it is very hard to get a job now. Better to go outside the country,” he said.
He said he will take a bus straight to Rishikesh, and stay there one week or two before deciding where else to go.
“I hate the cities,” he said. “They are too noisy and very hot.”
Like me, this is Simon’s second time in India. And it is quite strange, that if there is anything that bind travellers in India together, it was the fact that we always face problems at the immigration counters in India.
Simon tells me he spent one full day queuing at the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) to register – you have to do that if you stay in India for more than 180 days. But when he exited from the country, no one asked him for the permit.
“It was one full day. One precious full day,” he said. “In India, everywhere is different. I have asked many travellers if they need the FRO some say it’s needed but some say not.”
“When I was travelling from Nepal into overland, they stopped me at the border and said that I do not have a special paper. So it’s 2 day bus ride back to Kathmandu to get that piece of paper. And 2 more days back to the border. That’s India.” he said, shaking his head and smiling.
“What do you do for a living?” I asked.
“I will buy some Indian dress, and go back to Italy to sell them. They fetch some good prices in Italy,” he said, with a cheeky grin with very Italian accented English.
I tell him about the office job I have in Singapore. He doesn’t sound too envious.
I asked him where he had come from. He said, Melbourne, then did a transit in KL, and is off to India now.
“Previously, I was in Melbourne working as a kitchen helper in one of the restaurants. I had been there for 3 months. The wage is good but I prefer to be my own boss.”
“Selling Indian dresses is better?” I asked.
“Yes,” he nods his head.
Simon ask if I knew how to play any musical instruments. I shake my head and I asked if he knew any.
His face lights up. “Yes yes. I like to play the percussion. In Melbourne, I perform the percussion on the street. It’s very good. You can earn up to AUD100 in one day.”
I had seen the performers on the streets of Melbourne, and they are very talented.
“Wow that’s great!” I said feeling very impressed. (Singapore should have more of these. Talented ones only.) So you can just set up your instrument and play?”
“Oh no, no. My first time I didn’t know and the police is come chasing. I tell the police sorry sorry, will not do that again. Luckily, they let me off with a warning. Then the other times I go and get a permit. It is okay.”
He asks me when is Chinese New Year. He said in Melbourne, he stayed near the Chinatown, and there was a big party with a dragon a week ago. They had celebrated earlier to make way for Australian Day.
I asked him about the food in Italy. He is rather passionate about it. “Oh yes, we make our own pizza. Very good. Thin and crispy, different from the Americans.
Then what about wine I asked.
“Oh, Italian wine is very good. But I stopped drinking too much sometime ago. I have been drinking too much in the past,” he grinned.
The conversation then moves on to hair. He shows me his long fizzy tail. Prior to that, I had not notice his fizzy tail. If I did, I am not sure if I would have been so friendly.
“This hair, is nice no?” he said. “It looks a bit like the hair of the Sad.. sad.. (Indian holy man).”
“Sadhus!” I guessed.
“Ah yes yes. Correct!”
“Wow.. very cool..” I was stumped for words. I mean his hair is of a nice colour. Blonde with brown and black highlights – nice and natural. But sticking out from the back was a long frizzy dreadlock tail. I think it was pleated.
“Wow, in Singapore I never seen anyone with this. Where did you do it?”
He tells me a friend in Italy has helped him do it.
“Previously this thing is my whole head.” He said, pointing to his tail. “I had all long hair, and my friend would tie these little plaits from the top too bottom.”
Again I am stumped for words. He reminds me of one of those hippies I met during a boat trip in Halong Bay. We never talked.
“It takes very long to dry no? When my hair was very long, it takes the whole day to dry. It was very heavy.”
Was his hair longer than mine then, I asked.
“Oh yes sure sure, much longer.” he said confidently. “Now it is very short, takes only 5 minutes to dry.”
I am a little shocked. My hair has grown way passed my shoulders, and I am shock that a man would grow hair longer than mine.
“But this hair, doesn’t look too nice in black colour no?” I asked, wondering if this sort of hair would be suited for Asians.
“Oh definitely very nice. I see many of my friends, it is okay. Very good.”
He gets up from the seat and leaves for a while. His friend has called him. A while later he returns.
“You are not changing seat?” I asked, thinking that he might have went to sit with his friend.
“Oh yes, we sit together for a while but then they come to chase us away.”
Being the busybody I always am, I asked this, “Your friend, is she your girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend?” he gave her huh look.
“Yupp, girlfriend, like the holding hand, in love kind.” I explained myself.
“Oh yes, you mean like lover? Oh yes we are in love. But girlfriend.. hmm.. It’s a special term. In Australia, they call in only Friend. In Italian, it’s like mio amor (something like that)”
“Ah, I see. Would you like us to change seats?” I asked. I like couples to sit together.
“Oh sure, if it’s not bothering you, no inconvenience caused.”
And with that, we swapped seats.
Oh and before I end of, the source of his embroidered loose shirt? He got it in Cambodia.
