Mt Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)

Although I have been quite worried about the weather (in KL it was raining almost everyday), we were greeted by warm sunshine as soon as we arrived at Kota Kinabalu (KK). From the airport, we took a six-seater van to Akinabalu Youth Hostel at Jalan Gaya.

Our taxi from the airport, fits up to 6 passengers, only RM28

This was just one street away from where we were staying the last time, but I clearly like this new hostel better. There were more bathrooms and toilets to share (of course there were also more rooms). The reception and common area were very pleasant with lots of open spaces and greens. Good thing our rooms were on the 1st and 2nd floor, so we didn't have to climb very high.

As soon as we left our bags in our rooms, our tummies were growling. And guess where we ended up in? Haha... the very same place we had our curry laksa during our last trip. The restaurant was just right below the hostel. So very convenient. This time I decided to give their beef noodles a try. It was not too bad, but I preferred the curry :)

One thing that I was particularly impressed with KK is that the city is very clean. The streets are well maintained and the people are patient. Of course you can find signboards almost everywhere warning people of fines, but you find that too in KL and yet nobody takes heed. Not only that, this particular restaurant that we were dining in actually place a mini dustbin under every table!

Mini dustbin under every table at the restaurant

We wandered a bit before finally deciding to proceed to the Monsopiad Cultural Village. As we didn't quite plan this properly, neither of us remembered the name of the place. We only knew that it was a cultural village. So we went round asking some taxi vans if they knew how to go to the place, and finally found one who could take us there and back for RM60. Fair enough, considering the distance was much further than the airport (from town) and don't expect to be able to just stop any taxi there to bring you back, so make sure you have a backup!

Our little taxi van, can fit up to 10 passengers @ RM30 per way to Monsopiad

Entrance fee for Malaysians was RM45 per person, and you'll be provided a guided tour and a welcome drink (traditional rice wine or fruit juice). There are also scheduled cultural performances at approximately 2 hours interval, each lasting between 45 to 60 minutes. While you are there you'll get to visit the House of Skulls, walk on the suspended bridge, sample various types of home made wines and spirits, try some traditional games, blowpipe, any many more. I personally experienced the bamboo stick dance and the bird-like dance and also given the chance to try the blow pipe (a hunting tool).

Trying my luck with the blowpipe, was only able to shoot targets within 5m range :P

As soon as our transport arrived, we left for the town. That evening we all had Bak Kut Teh in a restaurant not too far from our hostel. After dinner we bought some food for next morning as we would be departing for Mt. Kinabalu before breakfast is served.

It takes approximately 2.5 hours to reach the Mesilau starting point from KK, so we arranged the morning pickup at 6:00am. The Mesilau route is 2km more than Timpohon trail and we wanted to make sure that we have ample time to reach Laban Rata.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 3 (The Climb)

Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 1 (The Comeback)

For those who remembered, 7 of us attempted to reach Low's Peak of Mt. Kinabalu last September but only 1 succeeded. The rest (including myself) failed miserably, owing to several factors, with the weather being the main culprit. Even if the weather had permitted the climb, we probably would not have been able to catch the sunrise anyway as we were not as fit nor were we mentally well prepared.

The moment I touched down KL, I immediately planned for a return trip. A famous chinese saying, "Shape the iron while it's hot". I was determined to make it to the top and would not accept another defeat. And this time I picked a date which was within the recommended climbing period, avoiding all possible rain spells. Lucky for me, Airasia was having another promotion and I got myself a return ticket for less than RM200. Lyne was equally enthusiastic about returning and TC too wanted to go again as he was not even able to take photo to proof his climb with the strong wind almost blowing him away :P

Since the 3 of us have already tried the Timpohon trail, we decided to go via Mesilau this time round. TC had 2 of his friends join us for this trip, WL and YL. Then TW's sister decided to tag along too... making us a group of 7. And so I had the following planned:

Day 1: Depart KL, arrive KK, visit Monsopiad Cultural Village
Day 2: Proceed to Mesilau Nature Resort for Mt. Kinabalu Climb
Day 3: Summit Climb to Low's Peak from Laban Rata,
descend Mt. Kinabalu via Timpohon trail
Day 4: Depart KK to Pulau Tiga
Day 5: Return from Pulau Tiga and back to KL

TC would head back to KL the day the climb while his friends have opted out on Pulau Tiga and decided to go for white water rafting instead.

Unfortunately for Lyne, she was hospitalized just a day before our flight for suspected dengue and hence she had to forego the trip completely. She was in no condition to even walk for 1km, so the 19.4km that we had to endure on this trip was definitely out of the question.

That leaves only 6 of us.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)

I Came, I Saw, I Conquered

TW, Susan and I at Low's Peak (4095.2 m above sea level)

Details to follow later :)

I feel good!

After several months of absence, due to weather, procrastination...etc.. Je suis toujours plein d'excuses, I finally resumed my weekly hiking this morning with my mom (well, re-started was more like it). SS and Joseph joined us to... which was nice... the more the merrier :) We went to the small hill near Ketumbar Heights (needed something easy to warm up the old engine). First 10-15 minutes was hell...but after that I felt really good... ahhhh...

It is very encouraging to see a lot of really young faces during the hike today. Some were as young as 4-5 years old, perhaps there are even younger ones that I have not noticed. I guess there are still parents out there who realise the importance of outdoor activities instead of just occupying their kids with Playstation, Wii or even the infamous idiot box.

Well, anyway, I better pull my socks up! My second attempt to conquer Mt. Kinabalu isn't too far away. This time I have to make sure that I succeed (at the mercy of the weather of course).

*Update 29/2/2009 - Now already at the 3rd week and I'm still consistently doing it... hooray for me! :D

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 3 (The Summit Climb & The Descent)

Although I went to bed early the evening before, I didn't quite sleep well. Our room was next to the kitchen, and right next to the foyer, so noise was inevitable. I was awaken several times during the night by footsteps and voice of (inconsiderate) climbers who couldn't keep their excitement to themselves. I am not a light sleeper, but I guess the over-exhaustion from the previous day climb also made it hard to even catch a wink. I was glad I took 2 panadols before bedtime, which soothed that minor headache I was getting, allowing me to have at least an hour or two of quality sleep (before I was awaken unnecessarily).

After glancing at my watch for the umpteenth time, I decided to climb out of bed. It was a quarter to 2am. The rest were still asleep, so I struggled in the dark to find my 3-in-1 hot chocolate drink. In the background I thought I heard the heavy rain outside; perhaps we won't get to climb to the peak after all. I found out later that it was actually the sound of water gushing down the hillside, as a result of continuous downpour the night before. It was only drizzling lightly and we were allowed to continue our climb.

Last night Lyne wanted to opt out, but I managed to talk her out of it. I convinced her that if she really didn't feel that she was up to it halfway through the climb, she could stop anytime. Since we had 2 guides, one of them would be able to bring her down to Laban Rata. It would be a complete waste to stop right there before even giving it a try to the summit. She finally agreed to join us.

I wore a sleeveless-T under a long sleeve shirt and a windbreaker. To protect my ears from the cold I wore a beanie and I put on a headlamp to see in the dark. I also wore a pair of gloves (which was not waterproof nor colourfast - at the end of the day my hands were purple). Instead of carrying the entire backpack with me, I left it in the room and only brought my waist pouch along with a camera and a water bottle. And DON'T EVER FORGET to bring your climb permit, it must be presented at the Sayat-sayat Checkpoint. We also put on our poncho since it may rain again later.

Dark rocky mountain slope

We set off at about 2:45am, and it was really dark outside. The first 500m was a steady climb on clearly defined steps with handrails, but as we progressed, the climb got more interesting. Soon we were holding on tightly to ropes and no longer surrounded by any vegetation. There were only plain ascending rocks. The air also got thinner, and I had to stop every 20-30 steps to catch my breath. It continued to rain, and that made the climb even more difficult especially when I was wearing my glasses. We also had to be very careful with each step as it was quite slippery.

Lyne gave up after only 500m from Laban Rata, but Cornelius didn't think she was serious, held her hand and continued to pull her up for another 1km. In fact, both of them went ahead of us at some point. Just as both TW and I passed the 7.2km mark, we saw them coming down again. Her Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) apparently worsened and she had to descend as soon as possible. Cornelius brought her to the Sayat-sayat checkpoint to rest while to went up to look for the rest of us.

Although we continued our climb, we saw small crowds slowly descending from the top. I was sure they couldn't have reached the peak already. The sun was not even up yet! Then we heard shouts telling us to turnaround and make our way down. It was too dangerous to continue as water was already gushing down the slopes. Both of us looked lost, but we abided anyway and followed the group down slowly.

Water cascading from the top

So near yet so far. We were only less than 1km from Low's Peak but were forced to descend prematurely. The guides told us, it is better to be safe than sorry. We can always return in future - perhaps not during a rainy season. March and April is said to be a better time to climb.

Descending a rocky slope with water flowing at your feet was not an easy task. We had to be very careful not to be washed away by the strong current. We heard that the day before, a man slipped and broke his crown. :O Whenever possible I tried to hold on tight to the ropes. My gloves were completely soaked and my fingers were freezing (the next time I must remember to get a pair that is waterproofed). I had to remove it several times to squeeze out excess water, but that was not helping much. My hands, fingers and nails all turned purple, not because of the cold but because the black gloves I had just weren't colourfast.

Curious, I asked Cornelius if it was common to have people coming down in such a bad weather and bad condition. He casually answered no, and said that I should grab this opportunity to take more photos! How could I have forgotten about my camera? And so both of us took the opportunity to pose in front of the waterfalls :P

Say cheesseeeee!

We continued our descent slowly and waiting at the checkpoint for few other members of our group. TC was nowhere to be seen. He was well ahead of us during the climb, and we found out later that he was one of the very few that managed to reach the peak but unable to see anything because it was raining and the wind was very strong.

Anyway, to cut a super long story short, all of us managed to reach Laban Rata safely. TC was the only one from our group who successfully conquered the peak. The rest of us were just wet and tired. Lyne's condition improved after taking a supplement for colds and after a short qi gong session with Kuan.

The weather also improved as soon as the sun was up, which made our descent to the starting point much easier. In fact, after the breakfast I was a fully-recharged Duracell bunny and hopped my way down. I just couldn't wait to get back to KK. We arrived the Timpohon Gate at about 3pm.

All's well, ends well

And yes, for the next few days all of us walked like we've got piles. But I still returned to my dance class just 2 days after...itchy feet :P

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 2 (The Climb)

The very next morning we had our breakfast at the lodge before departing to the Kinabalu Park at 7:30 a.m.

Lyne loading her bag into the van

The journey took about 2 hours, and while the rest were quietly resting and saving their energy for the climb, Lyne and I, the two biggest chatterboxes couldn't stop talking. She taught me how to play "sap ng yi sap (15, 20)" and then we switched to "So you think you can spell". We went on and on, spelling words that start with the last letter of the previous word. Each time it got tougher as we kept coming up with words that end with the letter 'e' and 'y' :P Mind you we got quite noisy back there :P

Lyne & I camwhoring while the rest get comfortable at the back of the van

As soon as we arrived, we registered with the Kinabalu Park HQ to get our climb permit. It took them quite a while, so while waiting we roamed around and took some photos. This was the time where some came to offer us walking sticks for RM 5 each, and since we are getting 7, we managed to negotiate for RM3 each. Around the area where we parked was also a big signboard that marks each stop in the Summit Trail and with the distance and height from the starting point.

The Summit Trail

Still left with nothing to do while we lingered, we took our bags to weigh at the scale. The porters charge between RM7-RM8 per kg. My backpack weighed about 6.5kg while TW's was only 5.3kg (he had his water bottle on his waistpouch while mine was in the backpack). We decided to carry these ourselves. Also we had some bulky warm clothing on a separate backpack, and that weighed about 3kg. This separate backpack was given to the porter.

People waiting inside the registration office

Just when I thought that the weight I had was manageable, TC told us that we had to carry our own lunch! And that alone weighed 1.5kg (consists of cheese and ham sandwiches, springrolls, fried chicken, hard-boiled egg, a bottle of water, a can of Sprite and an apple). So I ended up with 8kg to carry until our lunch stop :O.

Some of the items in our packed lunch

Lyne and Amy preferred to walk empty handed and so they gave both their loads to the porter. Only TC and Kuan did not use the porter service (these are our 2 champions, always ahead of the team during the climb). We finally get to set off about 10:45am, and the van drove us to the entrance of Timpohon gate (about 4km from the Park HQ).

All set to go!

We started about 10:45am, which was considered a little late, so we had to stop for our lunch before the Layang-layang Hut (5th stop). These were the distances between each stop:

Starting Point (10:45am) - Timpohon Gate (1866.4m above sea level), approx 700m to first stop
1st stop (11:20am) - Pondok Kandis (1981.7m a.s.l), 441m to next stop
2nd stop (11:42am) - Pondok Ubah (2081.4m a.s.l), 750m to next stop
3rd stop (12:20pm) - Pondok Low II (2267.4m a.s.l), 920m to next stop
4th stop (1:25pm) - Pondok Mempening (2515.47m a.s.l), approx 800m to next stop
5th stop (2.10pm) - Layang-layang Hut (2702.3m a.s.l), approx. 1100m to next stop
6th stop (3:26pm) - Pondok Villosa (2960.8 a.s.l), 417m to next stop
7th stop (4:00pm) - Pondok Paka (3080.42m a.s.l), 550m to next stop
8th stop (4:48pm) - Laban Rata Resthouse, for our dinner (3272.7m a.s.l), approx 300m to GLH
9th stop (6:20pm) - Gunting Lagadan Hut, overnight stop (3323.5m a.s.l)

A small descent before the real climb begins (still happy)

After our stop at Layang-layang Hut it started to pour, but only for a short while. We continued our journey with our poncho on, as there were still occassional showers after that. Lucky for us the wind was not very strong.

Varied track conditions at different height

In total, we had to walk about 6km distance from the gate to get to Laban Rata, and by the time we arrived we were super exhausted. The last 1km was most difficult of all, as we were completely drained of our energy, and instead of taking approx. 40 minutes for each km walk, we were taking twice as much of time to cover the same distance.

Lyne still looking fresh while I am completely drained
(together with TC, she arrived Laban Rata 10 mins before TW & I)

We arrived just in time for dinner (only served from 5:00pm - 7:30pm)! It was a buffet, and the food was not too bad. Temperature at Laban Rata that evening was about 10.8 deg C. Some of us however, had started to feel a little headache, so we rested for a while before climbing another 300m to our overnight stop at Gunting Lagadan. We also refilled our bottles with water from the restaurant.

Our room in Gunting Lagadan with 8 bunk beds

It started to rain quite heavily that night, and we could only hope for the best the very next day. Frankly I did not shower that night, it was just too cold. Yes, heated showers were available, but it was really limited and we had to wait long time for it. Instead I boiled some hot water and used it on a towel to wipe myself clean before changing into a new set of clean and dry clothes. After packing what I need for the next day, I swallowed 2 panadols and went to bed about 8:30pm.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu - Part 3 (The Summit Climb and the Descent)

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 1 (The City)

When Choong told me sometime early this year that he would be climbing Mt. Kinabalu, I immediately asked if I could join him (since it coincided well with our school's term holiday). And lucky for me, both MAS and Airasia were competing with free air tickets. When else could be a better time to get the tix?

We spent approximately RM920 per person for accommodation, flight, and airport transfer and some meals.

Return flight KL-KK : RM240
Mt. Kinabalu climb (2 lunches, 1 breakfast, 1 dinner) : RM600
Airport transfer : RM20
Accommodation at Beach Lodge : RM40 (2 nights - with a/c)
Porter fees -shared (3kg) : RM24
Walking stick : RM3

On the morning of 6th Sept, mom sent both of us to the KLIA (thanks mom!). We got ourselves MAS tickets for flight to KK, as it was slightly cheaper than Airasia. We had a pleasant surprise too, as I was not expecting a meal on board a short distance flight. I thought we'd probably just get some juice with peanuts or maybe the best it would be a sandwich. But I had roti canai (which was quite good), and TW had omelette, and both lunch boxes came with yogurt drink, bread and biscuits.

Our lunch boxes on board MAS flight - not bad

Another unexpected surprise was a short stopover at Labuan, my birth town! I don't remember having a transit stopover when I bought the tickets. But anyway, I haven't been back there for at least 25 yrs or more, so that stopover was definitely welcomed, even though we arrived KK perhaps 30 - 45 mins later than the original scheduled time. We got out of the plane for a walk in the airport... just to get a breath of Labuan air... he he he...

TW posing at the Labuan Airport

As soon as we arrived KK airport we called TC who arrived very early in the morning with the others on a separate flight. But he was already in the ferry with his friends to Pulau Manukan!!! And he didn't wait for us :( . Anyway, both TW and I took a cab straight to the Beach Lodge to check in first. I asked the taxi driver about the new shopping center in town and he told us about 1Borneo. That'll be a nice place to visit on such a hot day!

Within 15 minutes we arrived at the door step of the Beach Lodge. TW was clearly put off by the condition of the place from the outside. Not forgetting to mention that it is on the 3rd floor with no elevator! The gate was locked when we reached, so we rang the doorbell. We were greeted by a nice chap. And it didn't look too bad inside too... as advertised in their website, its a little laid back, but everything was clean :) For me cleanliness was very important. Towel and blanket are also provided. What more can you ask for only RM20/night? ;)

View of our room at The Beach Lodge, clean and comfortable

As soon as we settled down, we asked for directions to 1Borneo since TC and gang won't be back until later that afternoon. From the lodge, it would take about 15-20 minutes depending on the traffic. We decided to take the bus, well... to be exact it was me who decided to take the bus (TW hated the heat). Most of the public transport were just vans but they were called mini bus. We had to take the City Bus in order to get to 1Borneo.

The City Bus that travels to 1Borneo

After just 5 minutes of waiting TW wanted to take the cab instead (which will cost about RM20/way). I suggested to wait for another 5 minutes, and finally we managed to board the bus (only RM1/person). Anyway we had to take the cab back as it was raining quite heavily after that (what a change in weather!) and we didn't want to get wet.

1) TW squinting under the hot sun, 2) TW posing in the bus

When we got back to the lodge that evening, TC and gang also arrived. Lyne only arrived about 8pm that evening. After dinner we debated and discussed on what to bring and what not. Lucky for us, Kuan's sister brought us an additional backpack to stuff some of the heavy warm clothing. We decided to leave that backpack to the porter.

We went to bed between 10.30 -11.30 pm that night.

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 2 (The Climb) next!

April's Fools

The fools went over the mountain,
The fools went over the mountain,
The fools went over the mountain,
To see what they could see.

And all that they could see was

Grey clouds covering the sky
Then rain pouring down their heads
Getting all soaked from head to toe
Was all that they could see.

(Sing to the tune: The Bear Went Over the Mountain)

Normally, we would skip the our weekly hill trekking if we sense a rainstorm ahead. Funnily today we didn't, and just short of 3 minutes to reaching the top, it started to rain. Mom, dad and their friends were not too far from the starting point, so they retreated almost immediately. But poor Sebastian and myself were about 20 minutes away. The rain got heavier as we were going downhill, and both of us were completely wet from head to toe.

It was really fun actually, I can't recall the last time I actually walked under the rain without an umbrella... :) Reminds me of my trekking trip at Mulu National Park in 2003 with Hong Teng. Sebastian and I had to be very careful as water came pouring down the slopes and his shoes didn't have a very good grip.

It continued to rain cats and dogs, even after we reached the starting point. All I could say is we looked like "chicken in the soup" (lok tong gai), completely drenched. Thank goodness none of us caught a cold!

Parc Naturel Vanoise

I was worried it was gonna be another rainy day as the morning started out really gloomy. But when we got to Pralognan, weather was really nice, though a little cold. I thought the climb would take probably about 2 hours, but I was SOOOOO wrong! Mohammed had earlier told me it would take approx. 4 hrs but I didn't trust him. *sigh* After probably an hour of climb, I was then told by Jean-Charles that we have just reached the starting point, and from there, it would take approx. 2 hrs to reach the Lac des Vaches. Bummer! In fact we took a little more than 2 hrs coz it was really tiring and we had more mini stops along the way to catch our breath. Except for the group of petit espagnols who were also with us on this excursion, the rest didn't want to eat until we got to the lake, which was about 2pm. *stomach growling*

I was whining along the way (I am good at that). WHHHyyy?? Whyy did I pay 18 euros to torture myself?? Blah blah...and so on. But seriouussly, the view was MAGNIFIQUE!!! I wouldn't mind doing this ALLLLL over again (not on the same day of course). Check out the album to see for yourself. It felt like I was inside a postcard, so unreal.

After resting at Lac des Vaches for probably an hour, we had to finally leave. At 2010 metres above sea level, Frans and I stopped at a bar to have some drinks. Manyak cantik larr..... with all the beautiful mountains and greens entouré while you slowly sip your beer, (or in my case...a Coca Cola).

Q: Why did the caterpillar cross the road?
A: To commit suicide, of course!

I almost squashed that poor little creature when we continued our way down. It's just so hard to brake when the hill is so steep. It's a good thing he was really bright green that I managed to avoid him. I really wonder how long he would manage to stay alive with so many people coming downhill. :P My legs got really wobbly by the time I arrived the bus, and the next day, it was really hurting everytime I tried to walk down the stairs. Ouch!

To Vanoise's photo album

Beaufort & Lac de Roselend

We departed early in the morning to a fromagerie at Beaufort, yeeuuwww .... it stank. I tried to enter to storage area, but exited almost immediately as the smell was unbearable. How could people EAT this???? But Jean-Charles got some of it for us to eat during the picnic, and it wasn't so bad after all.

After the cheese factory, we went to see Lac Roselend, a really beautiful man-made lake, which was used as a dam. It was by the lake that we later had picnic, with fresh bread, Beaufort cheese and Vin de Savoie. Later we followed Jean-Charles on a little hiking trip in the hills. The hills are aliveeeeeeeee, with the sound of muuuusicccc ....... that was exactly how I felt when we went to the Cormet de Roselend at Beaufortain. Oh I just had to sing out loud! Erm....I was glad that did not cause a heavy thunderstorm though.

Anyway the walk wasn't really that tough, just that I haven't had enough exercise that it was tough to catch up with the rest. Ard was nice to stay with me, although he could have easily stayed in the lead. Of course, I was not the last...hehe....half of the group of petit espagnols who joined us in this excursion almost gave up! Both my shoes and socks were wet after sinking my feet into "invisible" puddles of water. What looked like a decent grass patch to walk on turned out to be soft muddy ground underneath. (I had to soak the socks overnight and the water was like kopi-o....BLEhhH). Malheureussement, I also sprained my ankle on my way down, having stepped on another invisible hole covered by a patch of grass @!@$!@#%#@^. Yep, I know => I am SUPER clumsy. Probably it's a sign that I should lose some weight...my poor ankle can't support me anymore!





To Beaufort's photo album

Links to Photo Albums

Here are links to all my photo album in Yahoo! Just click on the name of places :)


Granada
Junio de 2005 - My first destination in Spain, Granada. Beautiful city with free tapas when you order a drink. How nice :) Lots and lots of walking here, everything is within walking distance, no need to take any public transport, unless you are really going out of town. Nobody sleeps before 12 midnight except extranjeros (foreigners, like me). Shops are closed from 2pm to 5:30pm for siesta. Temperature is higher than Malaysia, up to 42 degrees Celcius. No aire, no ventilador (common in every house of Granada, can't figure out why). Life only begins after 10pm, which is also dinner time. Only extranjeros comes out on the street before that (un poco loco, considering the weather is soo hot). Lots of street performers too, you pay one, you'll see another in less than 5 mins time. Best is to stay away from giving to any of them. June is also the Music & Dance Festical in Granada. Lots to see and watch, flamenco performances, cultural dances, ochestras, musicals. Almost everyday and in every corner of the street. They also have a no parking sign, which states the period which you are not allowed to park. I find it weird, from 1st-15th you cannot park on the left side of the street, while from 16th-31st, you can't park on the right. Still have not figured out what is the actual purpose of that. Have seen a few cars being towed away for parking on the wrong side of the road :P I like being here - people always think I am 5 years younger, and I am always referred to as la flaca, coz they find me very thin :P

Julio de 2005 - Shopping month for everyone in Spain. Going to last till end of August. Disasterous. Just like the Sales Carnival in Malaysia. Can't help but bought myself dresses, handbags, and shirts (although I have been forbidding myself to enter to any shops on sale, it just doesn't work). There was also a Flamenco show at Parque 28, north of Granada, where lots of locals came to watch. Interesting to see how the local kids dress. This month, there was also a puppet show at Huerta de San Vincente, where kids and parents gather to watch puppet shows and performances. View of full moon from the Alhambra this month was marvilloso.

Agosto de 2005 - My last 2 weeks here in Granada were interesting. I finally went out clubbing on one of the Saturdays, and did not return home until 9am in the morning. Feels weird when you leave the discoteca and it is bright daylight. I did not feel tired (thanks to the siesta), but my feet hurt so much coz I had not been wearing heels and with pointed toes ever since I stepped into Spain, but I had them on the whole night it was almost killing me. I walked home barefooted from the club after that. What an experience!
10 de Agosto de 2005 - Parapente! The day finally arrived after 2 weeks of wait. First it was too cloudy, then the wind was too strong. But the sensation up there is just wonderful (aside the fact that I almost throw up in the air, of course, how embarassing - should have taken motion sickness pill, but I got too excited that I had forgotten about it). Ineke was the first to go, we had to wait quite a while before we get to take off due to the strong wind. The next time I do this, I would want to land next to the Mediteranean sea. We got to see the sunset when we landed......que bonita! Pictures are in the Sierra Nevada section.


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Cordoba
25 de Junio de 2005, Sabado - On an excursion of the school with Irene. Visited the Mesquita, Sinagoga, Puente de Romano, Torre de Calahora, Madinat al-Zahra, Plaza de las Tendillas, Plaza de Corredero, etc. Lots of walking, a little uncomfortable with my pair of Skechers. Should have worn my Timberlands instead.
15-17 de Julio de 2005, Viernes a Domingo - Went with a group of friends to be in the Guitar Festival. Tried to get tickets for concert of Silvio Rodriguez, but were all sold out. End up watching the concert from outside of Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristianos. We thought it was wise to climb up the wall of the alcazar and watch from the top until we were asked to come down by the security guards :P Also went to a Flamenco guitar competition of Jovenes (youth) in Gran Teatro de Cordoba. Wonderful performance! Only unlucky for me during this trip was to stumble across a cerdo who wanted to F*** early in the morning while I was walking alone to get some fresh air before breakfast. Boy I had a good picture of him!



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Alpujarras
3 de Julio de 2005, Domingo - On an excursion with the school and visited Lanjaron, the place where most of the mineral water of Spain is bottled, and a few other villages, including Trevelez. Visited a jamon factory, and before that, a bodega (if I was not mistaken) with lots of wine & jamon for sampling. Had 4 glasses and felt as if I was walking on air! The jamon factory was really smelling of jamon (obviously) and its interesting to see how the favourite meat of Spanish people is preserved. Also visited the Fuente Agria, where the water from the fountain contains concentrated iron (or ferum) and tasted really nasty. All surrounding area were rusty from the water of the fountain.


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La Alhambra
23 de Julio 2005, Sabado - Woke up early in the morning, all geared up. Was a tourist for the whole week, and La Alhambra was my first stop. Walked around the palaces, the gardens, Alcazabar, Generalife, and spent a total of 6 hours walking and snapping photos. Drain out both my camera batteries, and had to leave because I was hungry :P All in all took 380+ photos in 6 hours, approximately 1 photo every minute...hehe...


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Monuments in Granada
24-29 de Julio 2005, Domingo a Viernes - The rest of my tourist week were spent visiting other monuments and places of interests in Granada, i.e. Monasteria de la Cartuja, M. San Jeronimo, Parque de las Ciencias, Catedral and Capilla Real. Also went on the 24 hour tourist bus, that goes around Granada. Feels great to be a tourist!

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Sacromonte y Albaycin
7 de Julio 2005, Lunes - Nothing much to be said of this area, except that I walk up here a lot. Especially when a group of us goes out for dinner, and can't decide where to eat, we end up walking up here. Just kidding :P There are few miradors from Albaycin and Sacromonte which has a good view of the Alhambra. Once took some pictures of Alhambra during a night of full moon. There is also an Abadia (abbey) in Sacromonte, which I only managed to view from outside. Took a long walk from central of Granada, up to the Abadia, and walked back on one hot Wednesday afternoon. How I long for an ice cold Cola at that moment in time. *sweat* All shops are closed, not even a single fly can be seen flying at that hour *sigh*

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Sierra Nevada
30-31 de Julio 2005 - A group of 12 went to the Sierra Nevada and walked up to Veleta peak from the Alburgue Universitario. Was really a tough one for me since I haven't been doing any exercises for a loooooooong long time! Almost all the time I was one of the last in the group :P How embarrassing. But its a good thing that I was one of the 5 who managed to get up the next morning to walk to Mulhacen peak! Although of course, we did not reach Mulhacen coz we did not have enough time, and had to rush back to base in order to catch the bus to Granada. Nevertheless, the experience was wonderful. The weather and the wind on the second day was really bad that I almost gave up and turned back. Gotta thank the rest of the group for making the walk successful! Thanks guys! View at the lake was beautiful!





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Sevilla
Agosto 2005 - Finally arrived Sevilla, but I feel like rusa masuk kampung. I guess I am so used to living in a small area like Granada, where everywhere is just within walking distance, not more than 15 mins most of the time, unless we plan to walk up to Sacromonte or Albaycin. Here I feel so lost. The main streets are much wider than in Granada, but at the same time, there are also lots of small streets, much smaller than the ones in Granada. This is what made me feel uncomfortable about walking alone here. I guess its also because most of the people are away for vacations in August, and Sevilla is like a dead town, if not for the tourists. Not to mention lots of constructions and renovations going on (it's common is summer coz there are less people around) Anyway, during my first week here, I went boat peddling with friends along Rio Guadalquivir, para pasear y tomar un poco sol.
Here I have to do my own cooking, and imagine how happy I was when I found a shop that sells oriental foodstuff! You would have thought I won the lottery (btw, lottery buying is very common in Spain, you could see the ONCE booth almost at every corner) when I was shopping in the Hiper Oriental! My favourite LKK oyster sauce (no se como puedo vivir sin eso) as well as tomyam sauce, char siew sauce, are all THERE! In my third week, I had an Italian housemate, and he made good pasta. Que guai! I get to eat and learn how to cook good Italian pasta at the same time :) So good that I eat as much as he did! And guess what he said - that I eat like an Italian man :P What an impression to make for myself!
Will add in more stories about the discotheque later.....

Septiembre 2005 - Sevilla comes back alive! Kids resuming school, the people return from vacations, and you can see that many of the bars reopening on the first day of the month. Sales period is also over ...*sniff* *sniff*. Guess its a good sign, as it also mean less temptation for me to spend more money :)
More updates soon...

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Monuments in Sevilla
28 de Agosto de 2005, Miercoles - Visited Alcazar Reales in my second week. The structure is very very similar to La Alhambra, but a chiquitita version. Free entrance for students, so I plan to go there again one of the weekend mornings, this time probably with a book, so that I could just lie in the park and read :)
This upcoming week, I will be going on the tourist bus, cycling tour around Sevilla, visit La Isla Magica (theme park), visit Plaza de España, try the Baños Arabes (have to pamper myself ;)) and visit the Cathedral and Giralda too. Will try my best to update this as soon as I can....somehow I have gotten very lazy here, wonder why? :P


**Albums moved to http://guiri.site.shutterfly.com/ (Update: 16 May 2008)