Pahang: Sunday ride to Cameron Highlands...

“The journey not the arrival matters...” – T. S. Eliot


(Early to arrive at Welly's...)

(48 bikes lined up ready to roll...)

(Different makes, different colors...)

(A short briefing before the journey...)

(Waiting in line to refuel...)

(The ladies taking a break too...)

(A mishap at one sharp corner...)

(Checking on the unfortunate bike...)

(Bikers stopping to assist...)

(Stopping at a strawberry farm for fresh fruits and juice...)

(Ripe strawberries ready for harvest...)

(Sweet honey in cute bottles...)

(Slow and cautious ride home...)



Total Mileage: 520 km

Route taken: KL - Raub - Sg Koyan - Ringlet/Tanah Rata - Simpang Pulai - KL

Bikers gang: Welly Advanced Bikers

Soul Mate...

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” - Robert A. Heinlein



(Pulau Tioman, a decade ago...)



We share a single soul…
Fates soft embrace
A tale many times told
Then usually laid to waste

An age-old rhyme
We all but actually hear
Cutting swiftly through time
To covet what is near

remember the soul…
it knows our name
give us all we need to know
and how it is we became

- G H Ballinger -

Thailand: Riding to Koh Lanta...

“Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there’s still time to change the road you’re on…” - Stairway to heaven

'

Koh Lanta is mountainous and rugged in some areas with its green forested hills, gravel and sand beaches, pretty coral reefs, clear emerald water and traditional lifestyle, provide a charming retreat from modern life.

Only 20,000 people live on Lanta including a clan of Chao Ley, or Sea Gypsies. This distinct ethnic group still follows their traditional customs and culture. Along with the Muslim and Chinese locals they give the island its unique ambiance and total seclusion.

In the early 1990s only the most adventurous travelers visited the island. The development however is slow and still nothing on a par with the likes of Phuket or Ko Samui.

 

Date: 15 - 17 September, 2012

Total mileage: 1,650 km
Route: KL - Bukit Kayu Hitam -Koh Lanta - Hatyai - Bukit Kayu Hitam - KL
Bikers' gang: Mus, Mun, Din, Yati, Chon, Syed, Zaini and Fifi

Overseas Travel Blog: All weather ride to Koh Lanta

Momento from Switzerland (2001)

“Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment.” — Deepak Chopra

(Edelweiss embroidery collections)

The mystical and mythical edelweiss

Edelweiss, which grows high in the Alps and is regarded in Switzerland as a national symbol. The edelweiss, or scientifically known as Leontopodium alpinum, is technically not a single flower but more than 50 to 500 tiny florets clustered in 2 to 12 yellow flower heads, surrounded by 5 to 15 velvety white leaves arranged in the shape of a star.

It can be found in many Alpine countries at high altitudes, with the highest recorded sighting at 3,140 metres just above Zermatt. It blooms from July to September on exposed limestone rocks. Despite its delicate appearance, every one of the flower’s organs is designed to withstand extreme weather, makes it particularly attractive for use in anti-aging cosmetics and sunscreen.

We were in Zurich, Switzerland in June 2003.

My Overseas Travel Blog: munmus.blogspot.com

Travelling again...

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life..." – Jack Kerouac

Our planned trip to Moscow/St Petersburg this month is cancelled as there are not enough takers for the trip. And we are yet to claim our deposit from the travel agent.

On Saturday we visited the MATTA Fair and use the unclaimed deposit to again book for a few more trips. This time to Iran and Morocco. Hopefully there will be enough people to form a small tour group for the trips. If not, we will resort to go on our own, backpacking as usual...

I wish I could go travelling again

It feels like this summer will never end

And I've had such good offers from my friends

I wish I could go travelling again

I want to sit in traffic anxious about our plane

While your blasé comments drive me half insane

I want to dash for shelter with you through the tropical rain

I wish I could go travelling again

I want to be awakened by a faulty fire alarm

In an overpriced hotel devoid of charm

Then fall asleep again back in your arms

I wish I could go travelling again

I want to sit in my shades, sipping my latte

Beneath the awning of a famous cafe

Jet-lagged and with our luggage gone astray

I wish I could go travelling again

I want a waiter to give us a reprimand

In a language neither of us understand

While we argue about the customs of the land

I wish I could go travelling again

(Stacey Kent)

My Overseas Travelogue: munmus.blogspot.com

Grandchildren at Putramas...

"It’s funny what happens when you become a grandparent. You start to act all goofy and talk like chipmunks..." 



(Hana and Alia on wheels...)

(Hana Ashran...)

(Alia Ashran...)

Our 33rd Anniversary...

"There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved..." - George Sand

(Reflecting 33 years of togetherness...)

I was with a few of my close friends at Cawan Bangsar the other day. As usual, I was drinking coffee with toast and those friends of mine were having heavy breakfast, nasi lemak and the like.

We were talking about nothing in particular when the topic of wedding anniversaries crept into our conversation. And I told them that my husband and I are celebrating our Anniversary soon.

I listened to them berating their ways of celebrating. A few celebrate on a grand scale, exchanging gifts and vows. But most have stopped wishing each other. Some couldn't even bother to remember. To them, after being married for more than 3 decades, the concept of loving the same person seemed a bit unreal, more of melodramatic metaphore for the depth of feeling rather than an actual commitment...

For me, each and every anniversary deserves to be celebrated. At least in a simple moderate way.

And tonight we are celebrating our 33rd Anniversary with a scrumptious feast of mouth-watering seafood dishes at Subang 2 with all in the family...