Express expedition Up Adam's Peak - The Off-peak edition

Adam's peak - located in central Sri Lanka, and is a pilgrimage site for a lot of locals.  It is also a UNESCO world heritage site.  The peak period for climbing is Dec - May where the weather is perfect, and April is the busiest month.  Other times, climbing is still allowed, but due to weather, might not be the best periods.  Also, during those off peak months, the shops along the way are closed and there are no lights along the way.  Same goes for the temple right at the top of the peak - Closed (though I heard from my guide that they open the temple after 12 noon).

 

The hike up from base can be done within 3 hours, subject to individual ability.  It is 2,200 steps up, about 7km distance.  And yes they are steps, especially the last 3km, where the steps just go up, up and up all the way.  So in a way, it is not a tough hike, just treat it as a super intense steps class! But of course, going down would not be as easy with steps as it would be with just soil and slopes...

 

You could easier do this in 1 day if you plan well, like what I did, although it was really really tiring and I would probably not recommend it if you could avoid it.  Getting to the starting point, you can choose to take train or bus to Hatton and then tuk tuk or van to Dalhousie.  Train will take longer than the bus though.

 

The journey from Colombo to Hatton is about 4.5hours with the bus, and from Hatton to Dalhousie, where you start the hike, is about 1-1.5hours depending on the mode of transport.  I decided to do it express style so I spend minimal time and get maximum effort and reward.  You can check out the various bus timetables at http://www.ntc.gov.lk/ and these buses leave from Peeta bus station in Colombo.  Buses don't leave on time (Hey it's Sri Lanka!) but they pretty much leave within 30minutes of scheduled times.  The private options are the little vans with air conditioning while the others (even though they call it semi-luxury) are within AC.  AC vans cost 320 LKR to get to Hatton.

 

Prior to my journey, I had contacted Hotel White Elephant at Dalhousie to help me arrange for a guide for the hike as I was gonna do it immediately upon arrival and leave immediately without staying.  The manager of the hotel, Nilantha, was very helpful and confirmed everything in order before I set off from Colombo.  I would recommend him as a point of contact should you need help for the hike.  A guide is not necessary even during off-peak if you are doing it in a group.  However, as I would be alone, it is of course better with a guide to lead you to the right path, and when you are hiking in the absolute dark, it feels better with someone beside you.  The guide costs about 2,500LKR.  I did not stay at the hotel, but it looked like a pretty nice place to bunk in.  Also as I was gonna be getting in real late, I arranged with him to get me a ride from Hatton to Dalhousie.  You could of course get a tuk tuk for about 1,700 to 2,000 LKR to travel, I got a van for 5,500LKR return. 

 

It was nice of him to offer me a couch to rest while I wait for the hike.  Most people do the sunrise hike up to see the sunrise, which means you leave at around 2pm and wait at the top.  Of course, you can do the hike up anytime!  My guide, Roshan, is a 22 young boy who has done the hike like 170 times!  The guides here all hike up without any gear, nope not even water, just a super big torchlight and a fleece jacket.  Thumbs up!  The hike up, as I mentioned, is 7km.  It took me 2.5H to get to the top, and that meant waiting 'forever' for the sunrise.  And it was super cold up there! Believe me, I had my down jacket and it was not enough.  You can buy tea for 100LKR from the people who lives up there.  During my climb, I was alone with my guide, but up there, there were about 3-4 groups of people waiting. 

The first 3km was easy peasy

The steep steps up the last 3km

Misty and windy

Shops closed along the way during off season

 

The weather was not kind to me on the day of the hike.  It was windy, and cloudy.  By that I meant huge gusts of wind along the way up, especially near the top where you literally feel like you are about to be blown off.  Yes, I was swaying almost! And the clouds didn't help.  We had no sunrise, only daylight.  And the peak is not really a mountain peak.  The steps lead you to the top where the temple sits and along the sides are buildings meant for shops.  So when you reach the top, you kinda get the feeling "This is it? Where's the peak?"  A little disappointing though, but I guess Adam's Peak is not really a mountain peak to conquer for a view or on top of the mountain feel.  It is afterall a pilgrimage most Buddhist make!  So without the sunrise, pretty much nothing else to see.  So at 6am, we made our way down.

 

 

Let's just say going down on steps is not my favourite things.  Jelly legs!  But going down feels alot better than going up!  Along the way down, with the light, it was much better with the view, although still clouded with mists. 

 

With the daylight, you could definitely enjoy the walk down better, with the waterfalls in sight and the temples along the way.

Waterfall

River along the way from Delhousie to Hatton

 

By the time I got down, it was 8am.  All in all, had not really slept for the past 17H and the tiredness was getting to me.  Off to the bus stop at Hatton for the onward bus journey back to Colombo for much needed rest.  Don't worry about buses as they run pretty often, although if you want private AC bus, they run only at specific times.  Again check the schedule.  Mine broke down 2H from Colombo and we were stuck in the van with no AC and had to be transferred 10mins from Colombo bus station to the semi-luxry bus. 

 

It was a nice experience, although it could have been better if weather was kinder to me.  But hell, I think I'm too old to do this kinda 24H whirlwind shit with no sleep.  At least I could say I conquered Adam's Peak.  Having said that, it feels different having conquered Adam's Peak compared to other mountains.  This feels a little more generic? Like "yeah i done it", not like "YEAH! Did it!" kinda of feeling with other mountains, maybe because this is more of a pilgrimage hike, where everything is well paved, just follow the steps up and shops and temples along the way, a little organized, and not really a peak at the top.  A little disappointed, but I guess that is what it really is, a journey of cleansing and paying homage etc.  But hey, I still liked it, would have been better with great weather and sunrise.  Now for the next adventure!

A Hike Up Mt Qixing in Yangmingshan

What is a trip without incorporating hiking in it?  I'm in Taiwan so might as well pay a visit to Yangmingshan especially in this great sunny weather!

 

Yangmingshan (website) has a lot to offer and you really need 1 day if you plan to visit more than 1 area.  My plan was simple, just to hike up Mt Qixing at 1120m.  Not that tall actually.

 

Travelling to Yangmingshan takes time.  If you are in taipei, then just head to Jiantan or Beitou (NTD15 for the buses from either stop) where there are buses to Yangmingshan.  I took the Red 5 from Jiantan station which took about 45mins.  Alight at the very last stop.  From the Yangmingshan bus terminal it is a 10min walk to the Visitor Center.  Or if you already know where you want to go, you can just hop onto the internal shuttle buses at the station.  Bus 108 stops at several areas in Yangmingshan and is only NTD15 per trip!

 

At the visitor center, you can walk to the start of the climb up to Mt Qixing.  The trek up takes about 1H and brings you to the main peak.  The trek is an alright trek, with nothing much to enjoy during the trek as you are in the forest surrounded by trees and such.  It was a lot of uphill climb but the route is perfectly paved in concrete/wooden steps for most of the way.  Until at about 1.3km mark where the steps are carved out of stones.  But still well maintained. 

 

From the main peak, you can see the east peak which is a 5-10min walk across.  The view from up top is pretty alright, though I wouldn't say amazing.  Surrrounded by peaks and mountains and a lot of greenery.  Was abit foggy so couldn't quite make out the towns and buildings below. 

The peak!!

At the peak

Left - Dried up Menghuan Pon

 

At this point you could either make your way back or head on to another exit point - LengshuiKou which is 1H down.  From there, you can take the shuttle bus either back to Yangmingshan bus terminal or to the MRT station.

 

For me, this was an easy trek.  2H up and down, but logistics took a longer time.  If you have time, pay a visit to Qingtiangang, which was also recommended.  Easily you could spend an entire day in Yangmingshan.

Tulip Mania is in the House

Flowers, never really my favourite thing.  Maybe that's why I've never received them from guys/boys I've dated or associated with.  But Tulips, now that's what I call amazing flower.  I'm not a flower person but tulips I Love Love Love.  Roses are nothing compared to tulips.  Tulips are just amazing living organism, with the varying shapes and sizes that some you can't even tell they are Tulips!  Deceivingly so, some tulips look like roses.  And so it is, I had to go visit the Tulip gardens in Netherlands when I was there.  It was a MUST on my list of things to do (other than visiting the red light districts and well weed...).

 

For only 8 weeks in a year, the Keukenhof gardens are open for visitors with displays of all kinds of flowers and the kaleidoscope of colours was a feast to the eyes.  This year it opened on 20 March.  The best time to visit is actually end April, early May, but I was only in Netherlands end of March, so better early than never!  Still, in late March, it was very crowded and the tulips were mostly already in bloom.  Except for the famous tulip fields which were not 100% colour bloomed yet.

 

It's easy to get to Keukenhof and everything you need to know can be obtained from the website.  EUR15 per person for entry.  They have shuttle bus services in Leiden and Amsterdam which is an additional EUR13 or so per pax.  Drive if you have a car as it's only EUR6 for parking.  But... enough of the introduction, let the flowers do the talking.

 

Hyacinths.  They smell incredible!

Feels so loved and fortunate to be surrounded by tons and tons of tulips of all colours and types

 

We spent more than 1H in this conservatory itself... Too many flowers!

It's not just flowers, everything Dutch too - The oversized cloaks and the windmill

The half bloomed tulip fields

They have orchids as well

 

Go early.  Preferably when it opens to avoid the crowd as the place started to fill up after noon time.  Also, we spent about 5H covering all corners of the place - there are a number of conservatories, exhibits etc.  So plan your time wisely!  It is defintely worth a visit!  Even for guys :)

Mykonos, the Off-season Story

 

Mykonos, also known as the party island in the Cyclades is just 5 hours by ferry away from Athens.  With my 3 extra days, I ventured into this little island close enough to be enjoyed within 3 days.  Was expecting a little bit more life given its reputation, although I knew it was kinda the off season, but didn't really expect it to be really THAT super off season.  My visit was the 2nd last weekend of March, basically about 1 month before the tourist season really starts.  However, I was there the weekend before the 25th march which was a big national holiday, so there were quite a bunch of locals heading for some sun in Mykonos.

 

It is fairly easy to get to Mykonos, either from Rafina or Piraeus port, depending on the timing.  As I need to stress again, all timings, information here are based on the off-season.  So there is bound to be big difference from the peak season - i.e. more ferry timings, more ferries, more expensive, more options etc etc during peak.  As of now, there were only 2 ferries per day from Athens to Mykonos (and vice versa).  The Piraeus ferry leaves in the morning, Rafina ferry leaves late afternoon 530pm, which was what I took.  There is a bus leaving the airport to Rafina (about 30mins for EUR3), timings can be checked online roughly about every 2hours or longer.  Stops right in front of the Sofitel Airport Hotel.  For people heading during peak (like May onwards), please buy your tickets in advance.  I was lucky, off season means I could buy it on the spot, but lucky me, it was high season because of the national holiday and I almost couldn't get a ticket!! Luckily I still managed (EUR26 one way)

 

The ferry sitting is like being in a lounge area, no fixed seatings, just go early to reserve yourself a nice comfy sofa.  It is rather smooth sailing, no big sways or bumps and after 5 hours and 3 stops, I was there! Mykonos is the last stop, so don't get up and down at any other stops!

 

I booked myself into Andriani's Guesthouse and the price is really value for money during the off season.  It was EUR 25 for one person and I basically get a room to myself (with 2 single beds), attached bathroom and air-conditioning.  Towels and toiletries provided! And the room is not small!  Of course, during peak, it is way way way more expensive!  Antonios is the nice husband of the owner, who picked me up and dropped me off for free.  The location is superb, just 5mins walk from Mykonos Town, and 2mins drive from the port or airport.  Very convenient.  It is easy enough if you want to ride to the Southern part of the island. 

 

The first kinda major setback was the fact that no buses were running at that time (remember off season).  So basically getting around is a bit of a hassle, but you could ride.  Not many rental companies were open but there was 1 near my place.

 

 

My first day was just walking around the really really really quiet Town, visitng the windmills and the quaint houses.  It was like walking into a different dimension when at 1030am in the morning, it seemed I was the only one wandering along the narrow and twisted streets of the town.  Yup, it was that quiet!  The windmills were deserted too!  You know, this is a superb time for photo taking because no one can ruin your perfect postcard worthy picture!!  The town is small, like really small, but the lanes are rather twisted and turned, so every turn takes you somewhere and soon enough, you just forget about the maps and just go with the flow.  Unfortunately, not many shops were opened, most were closed or repairing for the big money during summer.  The same goes for bars and restaurants. 

 

Sunset at Little Venice

My walk also took me 40mins down south west to another small town along the coast, stopping by a couple of beaches where it was empty.  Although I did spot a couple of people 'suntanning' there (yes there was actually sun, and pretty strong sun), it was a bit too chilly for my liking as the wind was blowing and when it blows, it freezes you to the bones a bit. And the water was freezing cold. 

 

The next morning, I headed off to Delos.  During the off season, the boat runs only at most once a week, and fortunately for us, Sunday was the day it ran.  Mondays are always off (island is closed for visitors).  And there were quite a number of tourists on board the boat to visit Delos!! And we were fortunate enough to have a guide who happened to be on the same boat!  She was actually going to Delos to photo the flowers but well who cares!  If not for her, we would have been blindly wandering the island as there were no guides available during the off season.

On top of Korinth Hill at Delos

The boat ride was about 30mins, and the entrance fee was EUR5.  We paid our guide EUR10 each.  For a group of 6, she easily earned EUR60 for 2H of talking.  The boat ride was EUR17 for return.  It left Mykonos at about 830am, returning at 1130am or 3pm.  Of course, during the high season, timings would be different (more frequent) but the last boat back is always at 3pm.

The ruins

 

Delos is the largest archaelogical site in whole of Europe and it is the place of birth of Apollo (and his sister).  And it was also once the biggest commercial island with lots of rich Romans and such.  The island is big, no doubt.  Our tour took 2H, and it was very informative.  Highly recommend hiring a guide if you ever go, else it would be like wandering around looking at stones and rocks.

 

After the tour, it was free time to explore.  Decided to go with the 3pm boat instead so I get a lot more time to explore the island and go up the hill - Korinth Hill.  It is a nice little hike up to the top where you get really fantastic view of the island and its surroundings.  The hike is easy enough 15-20mins and you are there.  The whole detour up and down would probably take about 1 Hour, slowly admiring the surroundings.

 

After which you could spend more time walking to the other ends of the island, where it is really very deserted.  There are houses of the archaelogists on the islands. 

Off to conquer the roads

My last day was spent riding on an ATV around the island, or rather the south and center.  ATV rental was EUR20 for 1 day, and pretty much the petrol could last you 1 day or more.  Biked to Ano Mera and Kalafatis beach (which took about 40mins).  Kalafatis beach was real nice!  There is a little fishing village nearby where you could climb up the little hill and get a really nice panaromic view of the beaches and surroundings.  And as usual, empty!!!

Overlooking Kalafatis beach

Empty beach

 

Then it was onto Super Paradise, the supposedly gay beach that is the most happening place.  The road to Super Paradise was sometimes not that well sign posted but I managed.  Some really steep slopes though.  Took about 30-40minutes.  The beach was actually quite small, and when it is deserted it actually didn't look all that impressive!  Quite dirty too with rubbish and constructions going on.  Then it was a smooth ride back home.

Super Paradise is not so super afterall!

 

Well, what about night life you ask me.  I say "What Night Life??"  Yup, there was literally NO NIGHTLIFE.  As I said, bars were closed.  I stumbled upon one hidden bar (couldn't quite figure out where the entrance was but I heard music and peeked in a hole) and saw some old greek guys drinking.  Not the kinda bar I wana go.  One my last night, I did see a few groups of tourists - Japanese and some US student group.  That was pretty much about it.  And the sunsets were not that fantastic either.

 

How was Mykonos?  I think Mykonos is actually quite nice little island! People there are happy to be living on Mykonos then anywhere else, but my host told me, summer time is havok.  Like the island is full of people, people and more people.  You don't see the beach, only people, you don't have any parkings available along the road, and the prices jack up tons!  Sounds kinda scary doesn't it.  But I guess people don't really care, they go to Mykonos to party and that is what they expect.  And yes it gets really crazy out there in July/Aug.  But I'm glad I went during off-season.  I got to really explore Mykonos at my own pace, see the island for real and of course for cheap.  And the weather was fantastic too!  Sunny, bright, and not cold.  I got to visit Delos as well with a guide and explored the whole little island with no hassle.  That is a pretty good achievement!  Would I go back to Mykonos? Haha, maybe Santorini the next time.  And definitely not during high season. 

 

This is Athens 2014

9 years ago, me and my girlfriend was deciding between Greece or Russia for our backpacking trip.  In the end, Russia won and Greece was forever forgotten as the place that might have been.  Until now.  Luck has it that I won the lucky draw to fly to Greece for a 2 week business trip during March, which was not the peak season but weather was alright.  Woohoo! What goes around comes around eh?

Graffiti walls

 

Impression of Athens - You can literally FEEL the economic turmoil in the city.  Looking around, the buildings are all half done, dilapidated, rundown.  Graffiti graced the walls of the streets and buildings. That's not a bad thing artistically.  But being in this city, you KNOW they are experiencing financial trouble.  People are just happy having work, no matter what.  Taxis lined the city, empty and eager to have their first customers.  Comparatively, Greece or rather Athens is a lot cheaper than the other EU countries!  A 20min taxi ride costs only EUR15 max.  Can you say that for a taxi ride in Germany? Or for that matter, I took a 40min ride in Amsterdam that costs EUR88! The metro system is pretty great.  EUR1.40 for 1 ticket that gets you anywhere you want to go, and free transfer within 90minutes to buses/trams.  That's pretty cool!

 

Understanding the history of Greece, where greek gods materialised, riches prosper in the BC era, it is a stark contrast to the powerhouse it was centuries and decades ago.  This is a country full of archaelogical history, Greek mythology permeates through and through.  Almost every stones and marbles have their histories dated back to BC.  And this is my experience of my visit in Athens, however short it is.

 

Of course, Athens and Acropolis are synonymous.  Why would you come all the way to Athens and NOT go to visit Acropolis? Heck, you can see the Acropolis whereever you are in Athens city. Even if you did not go to visit the site, you CANNOT say you haven't seen it!  Athens doesn't really have high rise buildings in the city center.  It's financial center (if there still is one) is outside of this city center, so everything is rather flat here.  Hotels are no taller than 8 stories so everything is lower than the Acropolis.  The history of Acropolis - google it.  If you know feng shui, then you know that is the reason why they chose to build temples of worship on top of that rock.  Temples to worship the daughter of Zeus - Athena, the god of war.  Over the years, the sacred place was occupied by Romans, Turks etc and looted by the British etc.  And now, all that is left is the ruins. 

 

Parthenon

 

Parthenon is a pale remains of what it once was, coupled with the fact that construction and restoration works are happening since forever, you literally do not see the Parthenon but just cranes and concretes lying around.  It's just me, but sometimes I think, maybe it's best to leave the ruins as it is, for people to truly understand what happened to it, and marvel at the fact that it once was so majestic and now all that is left is half of what it once was, the regret, the history behind it.  Replicas and models should stay in the museum to educate people.  Having cranes and constructions around the actual ruins are unsightly and really just downgrade the experience a little.  I'm all for preserving them, but recreating them?  On the actual site? I'm not sure.  Just doesn't feel real anymore does it?  Imagine 30 years later, you visit the Parthenon all nicely built up as it once was and you would think wow, yea that's it.  Can you really appreciate the history behind it, the workmanship behind it? Cos a recreation would be made using modern technology, not how the ancient people just stacked the stones together using geometry and science.  But enough of preaching.  To each his/her own.  I like my ruins/historical artifact rustic and original.

 

Dionysus Theater

 

Back to Acropolis.  It is a HUGE site, that being said, you can of course do it in one day depending on what you want to see and get out of it.  The main site is Parthenon Acropolis site, where basically it is concentrated in one area.  Getting up, going around take no more than 1-1.5 hour.  The all in ticket price is EUR12 which gives you access to the main site, the Olympus of Zeus, the Agora sites and some other small ones.  Once there, you can choose to hire an independent guide.  Not sure how much that costs, cos I didn't get one.  It's a good idea if you are a group to share the cost as they will tell you the history and stories behind which would make for a more interesting and meaningful visit.

 

It's a climb up to the top but nothing strenous.  Along the way you are greeted with the view of Athens.  Up at the top, you will find yourself surrounded by tourists.  March is not really the peak season but the weather was great and sunny and so tourists were all out.  Still not overly crowded.

The excavation

 

Just across the Acropolis is the New Acropolis Museum.  This is not included in the all in ticket and costs EUR5 to enter.  In there you will see all the artifacts from the Acropolis.  They are currently excavating the underground to build a pathway for visitors to walk through the real archaelogical site.  Not sure when that will be completed but once done I think it will be rather awesome.  The museum is very interesting and I would highly recommend a visit.  It tells you stories of the Greek God historys and there is a video show of the Parthenon history as well! Give yourself about 45mins to tour the museum. 

 

Just opposite the Acropolis is the Temple of Zeus.  It is a big site but really it is just a few pillars of ruins.  This site does not have the construction going on as in Acropolis and is an easy 15mins visit.

 

Temple of Zeus

 

After which you could weave your way through the narrow streets of Plaka, Psiri where cafes and small shops lined the streets.

 

Another nice site to visit would be the Lycabettus Hill.  Ignore the hotel reception who advice you against walking up the hill (saying it would take you 1 hour) and take the cable car instead.  The walk up took me only 20 minutes and it is really not as hard as they made it out to be.  And anyway I couldn't find the cable car station!  My hotel was situated along Alexandra Ave so it was an easy 30min walk from my hotel to the base where I started my climb.  Up at the top you have a couple of cafes and restaurants where you can sit and enjoy the view of Athens.  From the top you can also see Acropolis from afar.  Really it is not THAT hard to NOT see Acropolis.  This makes for a nice short hike away from the bustle of the center.  There is an open air theater and during summer time, there are concerts held there outdoors.  Would be pretty cool!

Lycabettus Hill

 

I took another day trip outside of Athens down south to Sounion to visit the Temple of Poseidon.  As you know Poseidon is associated with water so obviously his temple is built along the coast!  There is an orange KTEL bus that goes from Athens to Sounion, running from 830am, once every 2 hours, last bus out at 430pm.  Coming back from Sounion is around 12 noon, also once every 2 hours last bus back at 6pm.  This is the coastal route, which is the recommended one.  There is also an inland route but the last bus back is also around 6-ish.  So unless you drive, you would not be able to enjoy the sunset.  The trip took just 2 hours and costs EUR6.30 each way.  My hotel is just located opposite the terminal bus stop which was very convenient.  They also stop along the way in the city center.

Temple of Poseidon

 

I must say I love this site the most.  First, the scenery of coastal and water already took my heart.  The temple is not as majestic as Parthenon.  In fact it was a little like Temple of Zeus but just the location was good enough!  As usual, there was construction going on.  You could walk around the little hill to the edges and you are literally on the southern most tip of the Greek mainland!  The entrance fee is EUR4.  Sometimes you wonder, why do I pay so much to see just 6-8 pillars.  But it goes to the preservation work so I do hope they spend it wisely. 

 

 

That pretty much marks my trip in Athens.  Oh and the food.  Yea it is a lot of cheese (especially feta cheese) and bread...  And I did try the local alcohol - Ouzo, Raki, Mastiha and such.  They are strong!  Even the wines are strong.  Yes it was wine and dine almost every night in Greece.  Generally the locals are pretty friendly and nice.  Well, except maybe some creepy Greek men who seem to be lurking around targeting Asians. Ok I'm not trying to sound racist or anything, but seriously I have had 3 encounters.  And it does seem to me that their eyes brighten up when they see an Asian female or they get really interested when they see an Asian female face.  Obviously they don't when they see a Causasian female face who is equally young and beautiful. 

 

Next up Mykonos!