Austria! Salzburg! Weisse Taube Hotel

I stayed in this very steady hotel called Weisse Taube. Apparantly it means west something. This is a very steady hotel! Its decoration follows the traditional German design, layout, carpet, curtains, furniture. I actually hope my dear is here. So that she can enjoy the nice room, great and beautiful place, and the fresh, cool air from the Alps.





My room is Great! I liked it a lot. Look at the video! This was taken on the 2nd (or 3rd) day. Old, traditional german decoration. I had never, in my lifetime, lived in a house with such deco and settings! It feels like Heidi! Gives you a feeling that you will see the Alps (which is actually behind the hotel) once you pop your head out of the window.

Every morning, I get to eat..... Austrian Breakfast! Look at the charming cafeteria... Wow! Every morning they serve this! There are so many different types of hams, bread and cheese! It tried almost all every morning, and went to the seminar, full of energy and carbohydrates! By then by the fifth morning, I actually dread going down for breakfast. I kind of missed mee pok.

Austria!

The Hills are really alive!

I can't believe it! I'm here. Really ar? I just name the motto of this blog, the hills are so alive!... and in the end I really came here. This Sound of Music country, this Heidi country. This is a nice place! Probably the most nicest country in Europe. There is big green mountains, with wooden houses (those you see in the Heidi cartoon series, a long time ago japanese anime), old medival towns, cobberstone streets, lovely flowers with mositure on their leafs, big cathedrals, and bells that chimes every interval. It is so nice! Plus yesterday, Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon very big, and superimposed above the big cathedral! Very very nice!

I took this little aircraft, that flies very low. You can see meadows and forested areas, little cottages, towns that are mae up of cottages, the Danube river, and city that have medival blocks running along the river. These are beautiful places! I only saw these in postcards and TV.

The air is really cool, and so fresh! There isn't a tinge of traffic output smell, industrial smell, in the air. It is fantastic! If I lived here long enough, I think my sinus problem will be cured! Very steady! I think this is a good place for honeymoon. I recommend that!

I'll took so many photos and videos. I'll get them uploaded soon.
So many sights and experience to share. I'll take lots of videos to show the wind and fast flowing pace of the river.

There are 2 huge fortresses on the 2 mountains (actually rocky hill) on both north and south of the city. So enchanting, so beautiful. I'll try to visit the place in the next few days. :)

Tiong Bahru Park

Moving along at night, pass the stoney passage set between the solemn looking Tiong Bahru plaza and the HDB blocks, moving along Tiong Bahru road in the direction of Redhill, one will eventually caught sight of some greeny, a swaying palm or two, in the serenity of the cool night.

Tiong Bahru Park!

A park in the middle of nowhere. A park in between Tiong Bahru, Henderson, and Redhill. An unusal and rather awkward appearance in the middle of a series of old urban estate.

As we stroll along the footpath, deeper into the heart of the park, we witnessed a guy, a jogger, practising his martial art, right at the open area near the public toilet. He jumped and kicked, roll and execute his stuns. Amazing.

My girlfriend and I found a nice cosy seat, at the edge of the open area, where the lush over-hanging trees were. As we sat there and talk, we saw the occasional joggers jogging by silently, some with deep sweat, and some with heavy breath. We see this auntie-like lady walking towards the open area, suddenly without much explanation and indications, she executed a combat stance. Kicked here, jumped there! Wow! Another martial art fighter! We were amazed! She is soooo flexible! Her kicks (more like leg raises) reached all the way upwards, to almost 180 degrees, with her knees probably touching her ribcage. She execute stuns after stuns. We were amazed.

As we stand-up and decide to move towards Redhill, we walked along the long and exposed footpaths on the western side of the park. We saw this guy staring into the distance, in another make believed combat stance, this time, a qigong fighter! He huffed and he puffed and he.... held his breath (or Qi).
I believe he can level the trees in the distance with his inner strength, if he wants to....

So amazing! Thong Bahru park seems rather insignificant at the first glance, but who might expect it function morea Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon secret place. Where plunglists of all sort visited in secret, to showcase, or further advancing theirs skills.

Deadend

Ops... Dead end. It seems like no treasure here.

Backtrack, backtrack.

Fountain Pass Quest : 7 Dragons

The sun was setting, and darkness was moving in. The golden orange sky turned first to pale blue, and then to beautiful blue. The leaves on the trees began to fold, leaving a canopy of dark dots against the beautiful blue sky.

It was then I noticed the faint tickle, the telltale sign of water falling. A waterfall? A stream? I turned the corner, into the path that will lead towards Mount Canning. Suddenly I notice a sharp reflection of the blue sky on the ground in front, a glimpse of a dark gray object, a strange sculpture, water falling sound,...

I saw, face to face, the 7 Dragons Pool. That awesome, captivating, yet mesmering and a little enchanting 7 Dragons pool. The first of the quest. .....

To be continue.....

Expedition : Northern Pathway 1

Yes, it is time to talk about my "expeditions".

Yes, remember I told you about the pipeline? The water pipeline that carries water from woodlands, down the BKE, pass the KJE, pass Dairy farm, pass Bukit Timah, and into the forest north of PIE, running parallel to it towards Macritchie reservior? The last part before reaching Macritchie reservoir, being the humpy pipeline pathway that one will walk from Macritchie to Bukit Timah throught the Central Catchmjent area? Yes that's the pipeline. The good old pipeline. Around since the British were drinking tea and thinking that this little red dot belongs to their queen.

I had walked the part from Macritchie to Bukit Timah. But failed to take any photos.
I had also walk the part from Bukit Timah, pass the Dairy Farm fly over, and on to Chestnut, with some beautiful scenery never seen before in any part of Singapore.
Aiyah, I never took camera with me for both journeys, so didn't take any photos. But I'll revisit these 2 legs again, and this time will bring camera to take pictures. k?

Yar, where was I?... Oh yeah. After reaching Chestnut, and discovering that it actually links to Zhenhua park, which is basically a long park running parallel to the BKE, and reaching Bukit Panjang shopping center, I discovered that it is still possible to go north, as the pipeline has not end at Chestnut. Now through some months of researching on the web, and other people's (some serious hikers, some xiao kia) websites and blogs, I conclude that you can continue going north from Chestnut in 2 diferent paths.

First is by the under the BKE link at Chestnut waterworks, whereby you will be in the forest, on the other side of the BKE from Bukit Panjang park, with the trail going northwards, again parallel to the BKE. They call this the Chestnut trail or Gangsa Trail. See Map.



Now the second is even more interesting. Noticed that as you travel towards Woodlands, on the BKE, after the KJE exit, the on the left of the BKE, you see a swee swee track, running parallel to the BKE, also going northwards? Yes that is the pipeline continuing northwards! See Map again. (The area between the forest and the BKE, going north.)

This second pipeline is the one that I am going to explore! Tada!!!
I had done this sometime in 2002. It was curiousity at first, then it becomes a longing curosity and then unbearable curosity, and finally, I prepared for an expedition... alone, as no seemly sane person will want to go to such ulu place. I bought along my trusty Nokia 7650 and took the below pictures. :)



But where is the entrance point? Simple, I proceed up the zhenghua park, towards the point as marked on the map, under the KJE exit/entrance with the BKE and I see this.


An Entrance!


So I went in ...

At point 2 on the Map, hey under the BKE.... and I saw.... well trodden path.

Front got dogs!


Left View... Bicycle obstacles


Read view... Bukit Panjang.

Moving on to Point 3 on the Map,


Front view


Rear view


Left View

Moving on to point 4 on the Map,
Now between point 3 and point 4, I saw a foreign worker emerging from the forest! I spotted him as he was moving out of the forest, manhandling a bicycle! Just before he broke out of the forest edge, which is lined by very tall grass, he threw his bike down gentlely, as if concealing it, before breaking out of the tall grass on to the drain area. He got a shocked when he saw me, and proceed with a fast walking speed (trying his best to act calmly), following the drain, adn disappear into the hole that leads to the other side of the BKE! I couldn't find where he disappear to! There is a lingering feeling that he is a illegal worker, leaving in the forest!

Anyway, at point 4.


Front view


Left view


Rear View

Moving to point 5, and then point 6


North view. See how far the pipeline stretches towards the North? It goes up a knoll.


View northwest. See the very worn muddy track. Some fellow must had cycled here.


Wow, I was tired out by then., The curoursity and excitment of exploring new grounds, and also the fear of the unknown and perhaps the potential group of illegal workers hiding somewhere, proves too much for me. I badly need a drink... and a pee!

I began to backtrack. Maybe my second expedition I shall try to move north by following the pipeline! Excitin.....!!!!!

It was just as I retrached back to the zhenghua park, scaring an old man on his walk as I reappear from the bush on to Zhenghua park, adn walking down to point 7, which the KJE actually slopes from the high viaduct to the ground, that I discovered this!


A HIDDEN PATH! STEADY!

I bend my head down (yes, the KJE was quite low here as it slopes towards ground level) and proceed in and discovered there is a path on the other side, which is basically populated by tall grasses! The path is made of wooden boards placed onto the ground! Chances are these are made by the workers. Boy! That curiousity! But I decided that I had too much of a day and decide that this too will be cover in my next expedition here...!

So stay tuned for part 2 of the Northern Pathway expeditions.

There are paths...

"I know the pathways through these hills.... I grow up on them."
The Sound of Music


While the natural habitats of millions of creatures trived around us, little
do most of us took notice of them, or even knew of their exsitence.

Let's take a trip to the little visited corners around Singapore island.
As we follow that little brook that leads to the hill, or that abandon
playground sitting in the old forgotten estate.

This blog aims to be bring you, the fellow traveller, on mini journeys, to the
very real and enchanting world that is around us.