Lyon

Let me out of Kenya!

I was at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya. Security staff #1 was not happy with my answer to her question "why are you travelling for so long?" (to which I answered "because I need a break from work") and that I had no printed itinerary on my rtw trip. She went on to ask a bunch of questions for 10 minutes, checked my passport against some guidelines she had and then told me she need to check with her supervisor. 

10 minutes later, Security supervisor appeared and asked me the some more questions, checked my passport, got my name card from work and then told me to wait while he a made a phone call.  Security supervisor spoke for a long time and then passed me his cell phone to speak to someone in UK. The guy in UK asked me another bunch of questions including 'what is the name of Singapore's airport' and then asked to speak to Security supervisor again. Security supervisor spoke on the cell phone for a few more minutes and disappeared into his office for a long time.

Security supervisor finally came back, checked my passport and then told me I would have to stay in Nairobi for the night and go to the Singapore embassy to seek clearance the next day. Security staff #2 began to grin. (I am not sure if she knew he is playing a joke on me or if she was just finding this episode too funny. In any case, there is no Singapore embassy in Kenya. The nearest embassy is in South Africa.) 

I asked for internet connection so that I could show the Security supervisor my rtw itinerary and he told me it would be very expensive and cost US$100. (Again, not sure if it was a joke or if this is a hint for money because Security Staff #2 is still grinning.) Security supervisor then led me to the check-in counter where I checked in my luggage and then escorted me to the customs, which I cleared. Along the way, Security supervisor kept saying things like "I thought you said you are here to help people?" (which I did not) and "I am helping you, you know?". Security supervisor finally told me about how he worked at an orphanage and he "need help, you know?". By then, we reached the gates of my flight and to shut him up, I gave him the smallest denomination of US$ I had - US$20 (sob!). He finally left me alone and I hurriedly squeezed into a non-existent queue to get onto the plane (in case he came back for me again). I can only hope he genuinely worked in an orphanage. Sigh!

Lyon

From Kenya, I transited in Amsterdam, flew into Paris and finally reached Lyon after 16.5 hours. I like Lyon because it is clean, feels save and not intimidating and it was not too hot in the middle of July. It has a good mix of new and old and I love it how the people I met were very friendly. Bonus points for not too many crowds or cars and for the cycling lanes around the city.

Lyon is the second largest city of France. During the renaissance period, Lyon's geographical position made it an essential stopover for merchants coming from Italy and Northern Europe. Italian bankers settled there, attracted by the prosperity of the silk industry, as did foreign drapers and haberdashers. The banking business enjoyed such a boom that the first French Stock Exchange was created in Lyons in 1506. (Source: http://www.en.lyon-france.com)

The Italians also left their influence in the architecture in Vieux Lyon, Lyon's old town centre - arch windows, decorative motifs and the orange tones on the walls of many old buildings.

Traboule de la Tour Rose

There are also 300 or so traboules in Vieux Lyon and are mostly opened to the public. Historically, the houses in the old Lyon city were built in long rows parallel to each other. To get from one row to another, one either has to go to the end of a very long street or use one of the traboules (secret passageways) to move from one building to another. The traboules sometimes link more than 2 buildings. Although not as long and maze-like as the catacombs of Paris, the traboules played important roles during World War II when people used them to escape raids. 

The Rhône and Saône Rivers run through Lyon city and and beautiful trees and buildings line the rivers. Currently, work are done in phases to create boulevards, parks and recreational facilities along the river:

permets m'amour penser quelque folie

Have to go back and ask my teacher
what instrument this is.  It's like a 扬琴

Bouchons

Bouchon is Lyonnaise cuisine which originates from house cooks for Lyon's rich and affluent families. It is my kind of food - simple, home cooked and fatty. During the second half of the 19th century, many cooks set up their own businesses.

I went to Le Poêlon d'Or twice. They are not on the official list of bouchons but mère Marie-Danielle who hung up her apron after 30 years, had passed her family's culinary secrets to the new owner, Yann. Yann is a great host and one feels right at home. It does not hurt that Chef Lorini's food is brilliant. He cleverly balances the entrée and dessert with the admittedly heavy Lyonnaise food for summer.  It is a pity I could not have more meals there as they close on weekends and my stay in Lyon was cut short. 

Horror stories from travels (not mine)

In the days leading up to my departure for the rtw trip, I had accumulated so many horror stories from travels (of people who are NOT travelling alone), it was not funny. The general idea was to:

1. dissuade me from travelling

2. dissuade me from travelling alone

3. dissuade me from travelling to certain places

Fortunately, in my earlier travel experiences, I have not encountered anything nastier than unfriendly sales staff who did not really want to serve me. I hope the trend will continue (which means no texting whilst walking, no leaving bag on a chair next to mine, no staying out late if I am not sure of how to get back safely - what supportive CWK would summarise as 'be street smart and vigilant' - common sensical but tiring.)

Anyway, these are the gists of some of the horror stories I have collected:

In country S, someone's brother and his family was on a metro when they found 2 women behaving suspiciously near them. They then realised one of their wallets are missing and confronted the women. The younger woman fled and brother gave chase. The rest of the family members surrounded the older woman who was too old to run away. The older woman flashed her boobs at them in her bid to escape. The younger woman was finally caught. Moral of the story: beware of pickpockets in country S.

In country M, husband and wife were travelling with a tour group. In one of the street markets, wife was walking some 10 metres behind husband. When husband turned to look at wife, he realised there were a group of men closing in on wife. He waved to wife, wife waved back and the men dispersed. Moral of the story: Who knows what will happen to wife if husband has not turned and wave. Woman should not travel alone in country M.

In another country S, one does not go to a pick-up point to join a tour. Instead, the tour bus will go pick you up. "Don't walk outside, we lock ourselves indoors. Even when one drives, look out for hijackers. Don't go to townships, they rape tourists there." Moral of the story: country S is dangerous.

Someone saw this on television - tourists went on a safari trip and witnessed a lion chasing zebra. One of the tourists was so excited that he went out of the vehicle. Lions travel in packs when they hunt and the tourists were attacked as a result. Moral of the story: safari tours are not safe too, especially if your fellow tourists are stupid.

On a bus trip from town A to town S, I met 2 Indians who lived in Singapore for 3 years (he taught Entrepreneurship in TP and she did her PhD in NUS). When they heard that I was travelling to city M, she immediately told me to be careful. She said someone approached them, claimed to be from the police and wanted to inspect her bag. She obliged and all €500 in her bag was stolen. They went to make a police report and apparently robbery is so 'normal' that there is someone walking into the police station every 5 minutes to make a report.

Whoever told me the stories meant well. I heard the stories but I was not quite listening. I was nervous enough. I know I have been fortunate to have grown up in one of the safest cities in the world, where crime rate is low. However, as the crime prevention programme slogan goes "Low crime doesn't mean no crime', one has to be aware of his surroundings, be it in Singapore or in city X.

In any case, I digged out my whistle to bring along for the trip and also bought a personal alarm in case I get trapped and has no energy to blow the whistle:

To be sure that the whistle is loud enough, I brought it to work (before I left). As there are normally only 3 of us in the office at 7am, I could practise to my heart's content without being annoying/ giving others a scare. That was when I found out that the hole in the whistle has to face the ground in order to give a loud enough shrill. Otherwise it makes a very feeble sound (lao4 hong1).

The personal alarm costs S$15 and comes with a LED light which is handy for inserting keys to doors or cars. The alarm is of 115 decibel and will activate when the chain is pulled. I tried activiting the alarm under the the pillow and found it too soft. I then pulled the alarm in front of me and the alarm was so shrill that my ears were ringing for the next 10 minutes. 

Some articles on the internet compare 115 db to noise from a rock concert (is that what have I subjected myself to all these while?). If I am trapped under some debris/ in a crevasse and have to rely on this personal alarm to get rescued, I probably would be deaf by then. Neither have I figured out if I were to meet a robber, do I throw the activated personal alarm at him and run (and risk the alarm being left behind and nobody noticing that something is amiss) OR do I hold on to the alarm and run and hope to attract attention (and risk being deaf)???

Let's hope I will never come to make that decision.

3 months on

At midnight exactly 3 months ago on 9 May, Hwee Keng, my sister and I were having coffee at the Singapore Changi International Airport. HK said a pray for my safe journey before she released me to face the world alone. Before I even started, I knew it was not going to be as glamorous and exciting as most people have thought. It is not a holiday. It is my life. I need to be able to cope financially, physically and mentally. At the moment, because it is still in the beginning stages of the journey, the first 2 aspects seem manageable. The third aspect though, is not faring very well but we shall see if I can strengthen this bit.

The challenges I have faced thus far?

I have to pack, which I absolutely dread. Yes, I know that I no longer have to think of what to pack and I now know how to pack everything into 2 empty bags in less than 30 minutes. However, trying to roll everything up and forcing them into the backpack still zap my energy every single time. After which, I would have to check ∞ times that I would have not left anything behind inadvertently. (I still manage to lose 3 items so far - hand sanitiser, hair clip, blank thumb drive - and I am not sure how and where I have lost them.)

I worry about missing transportation, especially connecting ones. I do not sleep very well the day before departing for the next destination. I either worry that I will oversleep and will wake up every hour or 2 to check the time OR I will stay awake in bed going through the travel plans for the next day. And what about missing luggage? When we were in Arusha, PJ's luggage did not arrive (from the airport) until half an hour before we were to depart for the mountains. Someone else's bag did not arrive until he was up in the mountains. How can I not worry?

Dealing with creepy crawlies. I deal with them better now. (I just killed a huge spider as I was writing this. Sorry Spidey, I really would not have killed you if you have stayed put on the wall but instead, you were stealthily moving towards my backpack so you gave me no choice.) At home I would just pour hot water on the cockroach and get my mum to get rid of the corpse or scream for her to help (*blush*). And 'better' does not equate to well – I still cringed when I saw the sand-coloured spider that looked like a crab on top of my tent. Faint!

I am really a coward and HATE to put up all of my defence mechanisms and pretend that I am confident. Radar up, transmitter on. Scan to the left, scan to the right, listen to voices and footsteps behind. Check blind spots, listen to voices and footsteps behind. I feel like a ninja.     An assassin. CIA. Can someone take care of me so that I can be a ditzy tourist? Please? 

It is still emotionally draining. How do you protect yourself and make sure your heart remain whole? How do you love a place and make friends but not become emotionally attached and not leave a piece of yourself behind? How do you battle loneliness, forge friendships and say goodbye after? How do you ask someone to go away cruelly without any explanation? How do you say sorry when the last word you want to hear is 'sorry'? 당신은 이해합니까?

Video: Breathe (2 AM) performed by Chyler Leigh in the episode Song Beneath the Song of Grey's Anatomy

Haute Route Glacier Trek : Best and worst

Some people sure have big feet

Journey of a Lifetime

National Geographic's 'Journeys of a Lifetime' described the Haute Route between France and Switzerland as one of the 'top 10 distance trails'. 

I have not done enough hiking to tell if this is indeed a 'top 10'. All I can say is, it was tough, without a doubt many times tougher than Kili (because of the terrain), and beautifully rewarding. The ascent/ descent/ distance may not indicate how difficult it was but the time incurred (in normal/ quick walking pace, not pole pole pace) over distance is a good indication: 

Day 1: From Col de Balme, across valley to Refuge Albert Premier (8,870ft), ascent 1,640ft, 4km, 2 hours

From grassy valley, to the glaciers right next to Refuge Albert Premier:

Day 2: Across Glacier du Tour and Glacier du Trient to Cabane du Trient (10,330ft), ascent 3,440ft, descent 660ft, 8km, 6 hrs

Day 3: Across Glacier d'Orny, pass Mauvoisin Lake to Refuge Chanrion (8,070ft), descent 3,600ft, ascent 2,100ft, 14km, 7 hrs

Day 4: On Glacier d'Otemma, then descend valley to Hotel Kurhaus (6,890ft), ascent 3,100ft, descent 4,560ft, 17km, 9 hrs

Day 5: First on trails, then on a steep glacier to Cabane du Bertol (10,860ft), ascent 4,300ft, 7km, 6 hrs

Day 6: Ascent of the Tête Blanche, exit glacier, reascend to the Schonbiel Hut (8,856ft), ascent 1,970ft, descent 4,200ft, 11km, 7hrs

Joseph, Adrian, Katrina, Ross - on top of Tête Blanche (12,200ft) and the view therefrom:

Day 7: Descend to Zermatt (5,276ft), descent 3,600ft, 10km, 3hrs

Best and worst

Most amazing discovery

That I grew stronger over the days. Before the start of the trip, I had serious doubts if I could carry the 12+kg backpack and finish the trek. It became the least of my worries in the end. Initially, I had to put the bag on a bench before transferring the bag on my back (so as not to break my back/arm). Subsequently, I could heave the bag up from the ground without any issue (it came with practice because there was simply no benches on the glaciers when we had our breaks). Oh, I had no muscle aches too. Amazing.

Easiest

Rappelling, even though I have a fear of heights (I have issues crossing overhead bridges back home). It was also the first time I have rappelled down snow cliffs and rocks but it sure beat walking.

~ This was how the snow cliff looked like from below as Joseph rappelled:

~ Ross checking the ropes

before I went down the rocks:

Scariest

There was mostly silence where we were - so silent that you could probably hear the songs playing in my head. Sometimes we could hear rock falls, water run under the ice we were walking on or ice breaking off. Having browsed through some books on the area, it was scary to think about how much the glaciers have retreated over the years.

Most needed

S P A C E. I find it most nerve-racking when someone walked too closely behind me. What if I dislodged some rocks and hit the next person? What if I fell and bring the next person down with my ice axe? It is not you whom I do not trust. It is me. I  n e e d   s   p   a   c   e.

Most uncomfortable/ painful
The tummy and the feet.

There were a lot of bubbling in my stomach the day before we started and it continued for 2 more afternoons. Curiously, I only encountered the problems in the afternoons. I wonder if it was anxiety or food poisoning or lack of food or an all-in-one. In any case, I took flat Coca Cola and did not have any problem from Day 3. Coke is a cure-all!

However, on Day 3, I got purple toes (from impact) and blisters on my feet:

Blood on my socks

Salt bath in the shower.
Hunter would have said 'ouchie. ouchie. ouchie.'

Katrina, Adrian and Joseph gave me their stash of painkillers and plasters. Adrian also supplied his secret weapon for blisters - sheep wool from New Zealand. I had 400mg of painkillers every 4 hours. It hurt most when we set out each morning. Although I did not feel the extreme pain after the painkillers took effect, I knew exactly which parts of the feet were doing badly and would hurt after I take off the shoes.

The blisters were infected and my feet was puffy for more than 1 week after the hike. On Swiss National Day, a pharmacist in Zermatt ordered me ("now! you must go now!") to go the doctor (the poor doc had to stay on duty till 11pm due to potential injuries from fireworks). The doctor promised it would not hurt and went on to SCRUB my wounds. Faint.

Most despairing

How the huts were 2 minutes (AND 3 hours) away. We could always see them but they were always so near yet so far. Just look at these huts:

Refuge Albert Premier

Cabane du Trient   

Cabane de Bertol - how tiny were we against the elements

You get the idea. Besides wondering how these huts were built (apparently helicopters were use to bring in the semi-prefabricated huts), I also wondered why the b!@@@$ h^&* were the sites chosen.

The flip side was - with the precarious sites of the huts, we had brilliant panoramic views.

Most challenging

The vastness of everything. I can remember the hike from the Bertol Hut to Tête Blanche across Mont Miné Glacier. We were roped up and because I was the weakest link, I really did not want to request for breaks. I saw the vastness of it all and I thought I was never going to make it. Whichever way we went, there seemed to be so much more to go (not sure if I was weak in the mind or just being too impatient with myself). I gave up looking for an ending point in the end. There was no point (pardon). I will get there when Ross leads us there. Head down. One step at a time. One step, just 1 more step, gal.

Rudest awakening

I spaced out and suddenly found myself 1 step away from a hole. No, not like the crevasse on the right. Just a small hole, filled with water and big enough for me to fall into. We were not roped together. It woke me up right away. 

Side note: On the day when I did fall into a crevasse (on our way to Tête Blanche), everyone had a big laugh. We were all roped up. I saw the crevasse but my step was not big enough. Katrina heard a squeal (there was really no need to scream since I was tied to Ross and he had to come and fish me out in any case), I disappeared and Adrian saw my arms flapping (that was how they described what happened).  

Worst day

Day 5. By then, the blisters were too bloody and tears just welled up when I put on my boots and made my first steps. Then it began to rain and at some point, I was worried I was not paying enough attention and would be blown off the hill. 

If you enlarge this photo or squint hard enough,
<-- you will see the ladders that go up the rocks

Next we had to switchback up steep snow slope (the alternative route via climbing ladders on the rocks have been ruled out due to potential electricity currents through them). Somewhere near the hut, we met a mini hailstorm. Then a 10 year old boy had to rock up with his dad, unroped and hands in the pockets of his orange jacket. Too demoralising. Sigh!

Best Hut 

Cabane du Trient. It was very clean, food was good (wine was also served for dinner) and the staff were nice. The common area were huge and I could curl up in some corner to read. We also had the whole dormitory to ourselves.

Katrina, Ross, Howard, Adrian, Joseph at Cabane du Trient

Best food

Heavenly tart au chocolat at Hotel Kurhaus. It is a hotel after all! (Oh, I got to shower, wash my clothes, play a game of pool with Katrina and watch the opening of the 2012 London Olympics too. Too good.)

Most exorbitant

Paying CHF10 for a 1.5 litre bottled water. The bottled water had arrived at the huts via a helicopter. I knew about it beforehand but it was still painful paying for drinking water. (It was cheaper to drink beer.)

Most disappointing

Ok, it is not thaaaaat bad - but I have always loved to be in the mountains because I thought I would be safe from the human race. People who love the nature and look out for each other in the mountains cannot be bad people, right? So for me, it was a tad disappointing that some of our caribiners were stolen on the first night at Refuge Albert Premier. The caribiners were removed from our harnesses that were hung in the common room, where everybody kept their gear. The harnesses remained but the caribiners were gone - so the caribiners could not have been taken 'by mistake'. Caribiners are only cheap. Why did you steal them, dude?

Best advice

From Ross - "Bring your flip flops". At the huts, everyone had to swap their boots for crocs. I am so glad I had my havs which did not rub against the blisters and also allowed my feet to breathe.

Favourite song

This one by the Pistey Boys at The Office Bar in Argentière. (Look out for the cute dog that belongs to the violinist. It goes mad every time we clap. And people like to clap randomly or continuously just to see it go mad. Too funny.)

Video: Pistey Boys and their dog

Most dramatic
Weight loss. I lost more than 2kg in less than 1 week. Too much, if you ask me.

Too good

Hot bods at the huts.  I was NOT ogling. They were just there. And I have no photo to share. Honest.

Haute Route Glacier Trek : What does one do in the mountains?

Eat

Drink

A bowl of tea

Rest (sleep is elusive because the dormitories are co-ed and there is too much snoring)

Study how the toilet works

Wait

~ wait for the sun to rise

Sunrise behind Cabane du Trient

~ wait for it to hail (no, we did not really wait for the hail. it just hailed on us)

~ wait for the rainbow

rainbow at Carbane de Bertol, 3311m

~ wait for the moon to say good night

Matterhorn