23 Feb 2012 – At Tai Mo Shan

957m/3,140ft, being the highest peak in HKG and between Section 8/9 on the MacLehose. AT is 3,500km/2,175mi with the highest point there, Clingmans Dome 2,025m/6,643ft. That hike was done 7yrs ago, and now it is time to challenge the mind and body again! Being out in nature is the best for the body, mind & spirit; just hoping and praying that it will not rain nor will it be too hot! Is that too much to ask for 🙂

Finally after days of planning with Grace, this will be our MacLehose Trail logistics for 2 – 6 Mar 2012.

Trekking it backwards Stages 10 – 1

Google maps of trail markers (M001 etc) here:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=205955306125479954946.00049b84c598029d7ae90

MacLehose Trail – Google Maps

maps.google.com

2-Mar Friday Day 1: 28.5km/18mi Stage 8(part)-end M143-M200

3-Mar Saturday Day 2: 14km/8.7mi Stage 6-8(part) M115-M143

4-Mar Sunday Day 3: 23km/14.3mi Stage 4-5 M069-M115

5-Mar Monday Day 4: 10km/6.3mi Stage 3 M049-M069

6-Mar Tuesday Day 5: 24.5km/15.3mi Stage 1-2 M001-M049

TOTAL 100km/62.13mi in 5 days.

Looking at the logistic, it will be tough hikes alternate days but really it is a matter of discipline and wanting to do it. Will NOT be bringing laptop on the trail. Only a day pack with water, snacks and an extra set of hiking clothes. Hiking with a full pack was and never will the choice.

Not so fond memories when hiking with full pack thru’ the National Parks on the AT thru-hike, but thank goodness it was 13 days out of 127 days!

Most of the MacLehose Trail is near civilization, so it is easy to get off it if necessary but hopefully not. Getting off it means injury 🙁

If you are just safe about the choices you make, you don’t grow – Heath Ledger

21 Feb 2012 – Preparations

Mon: Happy President’s Day, public holiday only in the USA. Tkx to Chloe, Grace, Leonard, TohXin & Tommy for meeting up@Camper’s Corner/51 Waterloo St where you can find your camping, hiking and trekking gadgets all under one roof. Gave the AT talk there 29 Apr 2011 and that was when Grace came for the talk. An excellent place for trekkers and hikers to exchange and share info.

http://www.camperscorner.com.sg/main/index
http://amylamsg.com/2011/04/30/whirlwind/

Appreciations to Leonard for computer help; Chloe & TohXin for sharing their 100kms experience on the MacLehose; Tommy for meeting us on this short notice and how coincident that he knows TohXin; Disel for showing me pix of his trek. Have learnt much from today.

Having hiked the AT, one learns much as to the individual needs to be able to long distance trek. Bought a light-weight day pack, Marmot Kompressor Plus weighing 340g/12ozs (wish I had kept the red-vest from the AT hike!) S$55, 2L Platypus S$55, 1 pair FoxRiver socks S$25, 2 power bars and caffeine shots to have in the pack for emergency. Plans to only carry daypack and overnight at hostels, ie NO tents! Am looking forward to this trek.

Tkx for dinner nephew Clem.

Pix from Vermont/USA, AT Thru-hike Day 95 Tue 2 Aug 2005.

100kms and 10 sections marked. Have done Sections parts of 1-2-3 but will be a pleasure doing this beautiful part again. The spirit is high with anticipation, let’s hope the body will be in sync 🙂

Tue: tkx Rebecca for home-made lunch and for the company to watch:

The Iron Lady***biographical movie follows the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minster of the UK and the only British female PM.  Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male dominated world. A series of flashbacks will narrate her life’s story and the price she had to pay for such power!

Meryl Streep played well in this major role and won the Golden Globe Award for Best ACtress – Motion Picture Drama.

It used to be about trying to do something. Now it’s about trying to be someone – The Iron Lady movie

19 Feb 2012 – Catch-up Time

Sat: great to catch up with Richard (HongSze’s cousin) & Judy who are here on their annual visit from Sydney/Oz. Tkx for lunch and congratulations to them for their first grandchild to be born sometime soon! This is also catch up time with HS. Glory***our usual local food joint was OK, have had better other times. Back to the apartment for fruits, wine and cake. Appreciations to R&J for bringing the cake.

HKG FB friends are into some provoking political discussions concerning Tang’s wife comes under scrutiny over basement. The Buildings Department has launched an investigation into chief executive hopeful Henry Tang Ying-yen’s wife and others over an illegal ‘underground palace’ at her house in…  tkx to Helen for the funny. Henry Tang is the guy with the band-aid on his chin 🙂

Not being religious nor political inclined, do not get into these discussions but will follow with the HKG news as objectively as possible. After all that is where the MacLehose Trail is and will be heading in that direction soon.

http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/

My comment to this whole issue: 又要马儿跑，又要马儿不吃草 and the English version You can’t eat your cake and have it too! The usual sentiments to the HKG FB friends – people will say and think as they pleased no matter how senseless, that is not within your control! They probably think that we are senseless too, when not agreeing with them.

Just live and enjoy life with the best intentions of not harming others by words or actions.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and to USA family & friends, have a safe long weekend for President’s Day on Mon!

In politics the middle way is none at all – John Adams/2nd USA President
You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog – Harry S. Truman/33rd USA President

17 Feb 2012 –  Thoughts & Quotes

Feeling kind of losing grip with nature and lazy, this is the time when one has to really make the extra effort to do the things one enjoy. Thus planning this 100km thru-hike in HKG. But not having lived in HKG, have to research and read up about the MacLehose Trail. This can be time-consuming. Knowing oneself, the only way to really find out is to go and experience the journey by walking the path. Preparations and the mind-set are important for long distance hiking. But being over focus can also harm, again a balance!

Tkx a million to Jack/HKG angel who overnight The Serious Hiker’s Guide to HKG by Pete Spurrier, a perfect and ideal book for anyone who is interesting to hike in HKG. With this and the other info online, preparations and planning can be a breeze, hopefully 🙂

Walking around this Garden City with intentions to build, strengthen and disciplining the mind to walk an average of 20km daily for 4-5 days has been on going for the past week. And in SIN (the Garden & Lion City) the way to do that is early mornings , late evenings or in the large AC malls. Of course NOT during weekends or rush hours!

Nature pix taken in KCH, the arts in SIN. Thoughts that it is no wonder that one looses much of one’s intuitions with all the man-made surroundings, even how beautiful art can be.  A comment made, not to me but could have been to me too and how sad to hear this, ‘the trouble with you is that you do not take care of your things like… who takes care of his things’ ! This was said in the context about a car!

We should love people and use things, not use people and love things –
Katie Stauffer

16 Feb 2012 – Visitor from Palo Alto/CA

Wed: lovely to catch up with Winnie. Must have been some years ago since our last meeting. Winnie is in SIN for a week visiting her bro & his family. Her parents and 2 elders sisters did not survive the 1962 Alitalia  plane crash, 50yrs ago. She is here to arrange a family reunion with her 2 younger siblings and their family. The afternoon just flew by. Glad Rebecca could join us even though it was her mom’s 100th bday!

Received sad news from cousin Mike in CA about the passing of his uncle Sou (in blue and grand-uncle LAM JiChiew’s son-in-law). Condolences to auntie LAM KeiChan (father’s cousin), cousin Michelle and their family. We met for the first time during the 2011 HKG trip when uncle Sou & Michelle made an impressive and  memorable 8 course lunch for auntie Helen, uncle YatMeng, cousins Andrew, Amy and I. That was the first and last meeting with uncle Sou.

http://amylamsg.com/2011/03/05/what-a-wonderful-life/

Congratulations to cousin YatSoon & Helen (London/UK) for their second baby girl. The latest addition to the purple generation!

A trip to the main library. Sadly, one of my favourtie book store, Page One@Vivo City is closing down but happy to hear that Grace will be joining me on the MacLehose and maybe some of my HKG hiker friends are able to meet me when I have the logistics in order!

Met up with Clem for dinner@the Beef Kway Teow (established 1924) previously@Purvis St and now@Seah St***is the Hock Lam St Beef Noodle. Have always enjoyed this beef broth.

To a beautiful voice, Whitney Houston. May she RIP.

The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to play – Richard Strauss

12 Feb 2012 – Over Indulgence

Sat: here is to the King of all YuiSang/鱼生. Jessie & Frank (Ivy’s cousins) make this best raw fish salad dish( postings 14 Feb 2011, 13 Feb 2010 – YuiSang/鱼生). 28 ingredients with tons of raw fish, all freshly and thinly hand-sliced. J&F’s YuiSang***** is most look forward dish for the CNY. Will someday list all the 28 ingredients. Thank you J&F for the delicious YuiSang, Sharon & Harry for the suckling pig, Les & Ivy for the champagne, wine and port!

With this kind of wine selections in his wine cellar, one can easily get locked up in there and throw away the keys 🙂

Sun: accompanied Lawrence to Punggol to check out Watertown condos. MRT from end/Harbour Front to the other end/Punggol took app 45mins and the most pleasant of all was that we were the only people at the station, for now! Nice development by FarEast, Watertown@Punggol with the connection of the MRT station from the basement (a high selling point) when completed in 2016!

http://watertownpunggol.org/

Thanks to L&I for yet another delicious seafood dinner@Long Beach****/Dempsey Rd. The durian pudding and deep-fried durian are excellent. This over-indulgence has to stop before the stomach bursts!

http://www.longbeachseafood.com.sg/

The proximity of a desirable thing tempts one to overindulgence. On that path lies danger – Frank Herbert

10 Feb 2012 – Alzheimer or Pervert…

Answers to previous posting:

1. FORK

2. PULSE

3. SIX

4. PANTS

5. BOOKS

6. RANDOM

You don’t have alzheimers with these answers, but you are a pervert if you did not get the correct answers… 🙂

Are you Over the Hill ? You may be headed that way if . .

•  When you say something to your kids that your mother said to you and you always hated it.
•  When you step off the curb and look down one more time to make sure the street is still there.
•  Your idea of weight lifting is standing up.
•  Your memory is shorter and your complaining lasts longer.
• You sit in a rocking chair and can’t get it going.
•  Getting ‘lucky’ means you found your car in the parking lot.
•  The twinkle in your eye is merely a reflection from the sun on your bifocals.
• Everything hurts, and what doesn’t hurt, doesn’t work.
• You sink your teeth into a steak – and they stay there.
• You wonder how you could be over the hill when you don’t even remember being on top of it.

J. Edgar****Clint Eastwood directs this film about J. Edgar Hoover, the face of law enforcement in USA for app 50 years. Focusing on his career as the FBI director, it depicts about a man to be feared and admired, reviled and revered. The movie also shows what many do not see, that behind closed doors, the secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life as an alleged closeted homosexual.

Leonardo DiCaprio played well as J. Edgar and so did Judi Dench as his mother in this 127mins movie.

Thu: tkx Clement for dinner & coffee. Good catching up with Chesper. Safe journeys to Cape Town/South Africa.

Fri: delicious nasi lemak, tkx to Les. Hot day with Lawrence to pay respects to our parents.

Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain – Edward de Bono

9 Feb 2012 – These are just too funny…

Are you Over the Hill? You may be headed that way if . . .

•  You and your teeth don’t sleep together.
• You try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren’t wearing any.
• At the breakfast table, you hear snap, crackle, pop and you’re not eating cereal.
• Your back goes out but you stay home.
• You wake up looking like your driver’s license photo.
• It takes two tries to get up from the couch.
• When your idea of a night out is sitting on the patio.
• When happy hour is a nap… 

to be continued!

Alzheimer’s Test: How fast can you guess these words?

1. F_ _K

2. PU_S_

3. S_X

4. P_N_S

5. BOO_S

6. _ _NDOM

Answers in next posting…

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one – Dr. Seuss

7 Feb 2012 – SIN-KCH-SIN

Appreciations and gratitude to Lawrence and family, Leonard, Chuan & family for their consideration, kindness, hospitality and helping to make this tiring and stressful trip to an enjoyable one…

Sat: Happy Bday Lawrence. Arr KCH late morning. App 55km from KCH is the border town Serikin/Bau, not known to the tourists. There are over 200 stalls of both fresh produce and stuff where the traders cross into Sarawak from Indonesia to sell their goods. Was there 25 Mar 2010 and bought some beautiful material. This time round, just to look and what a hot hot hot afternoon…

Bday dinner@the Sarawak Club.

Sun: started with the market at 0730hrs, the varieties of fresh produce, cooked food in bamboo and palm leaf are just amazing. The Orchid Garden in the late morning, lunch@Imperial Duck***ending the day with a delicious homecooked dinner@Mr & Mrs Sia/seniors with their families.

The grandchildren had a blast with the fireworks. Got a taste of Tuak, wine brewed from glutinous rice, excellent taste, and what an honour to be included in this very memorable family dinner.

Mon: Mohammad’s Bday, thus a public holiday in Malaysia. Drove towards NW to the sea-town Sematan near Lundu/app 100km from KCH via the car-ferry (with a lorry full of palm-nuts en route to the Felda refinery, one of Malaysia largest palm oil refinery) one way, stopping to buy fresh crabs. Fresh seafood lunch@Sim Chai Seafood ****Returning by the main highway bypassing the ferry homeward bound.

Lion Dance at the club was a wonderful way to end this CNY festivals on this last day of CNY celebrations.

Tue: an EGM to liquidate the company where the family holds major shares. Thanks to nephew Larry for a job well-done by chairing the meeting and wrapping it up by 12noon. Hopefully the final stage will sail along as smoothly as today and business done by 1 Apr so that I can head towards Norway and the USA!

An excellent lunch@the.Dyak****serving authentic Iban (indigenous) cuisine that claims of a MSG free kitchen and it really is true! Otherwise would have been thirsty all afternoon which was not the case.

https://www.facebook.com/the.Dyak

Well done is better than well said – Benjamin Franklin