Today is Friday, and it is close to a week since we last came back from our Euro Trip.
I am feel quite depressive at work, although hiding it.
Because I have tasted the sweetest moments of life, and it is backed to the normal life.
Just last night, I have realized that I had a best in my life til date.
It happened in Switzerland, Lucerne.
And because it was so good, it may be the reason why we loved that place more than the other 2.
Even though the other 2 was good and great too.
London was also great, Rome was good.
Rome was less authentic than London and Switzerland.
I was a little unhappy about our AirBnB host and also the scammers at tourist spots.
Well, but they were just little sands in the big beautiful garden which I enjoyed.
But I am here to talk about the most beautiful day in my life up til now.
I am writing this because I want to remember it as much as possible, down to the most insignificant details.
It was not a perfect day, but better than that, it was beautiful.
We faced with many unforeseen circumstances, but in the end, found things even better.
It was summer, and 14 hours of day too.
When I thought back about it, and so many things that we done, I thought it was 3 days.
It felt like everything was planned by the heavens, many fortunate and amazing things all packed in a day.
Though tragically, I accidentally deleted a portion of videos and photos, I should be just contented that that wonderful day was being created for us.
I managed to recover some bits of it. But anyway, nothing last forever too. Even if I were to totally recover everything.
There is a beautiful saying in a Chinese watch advertisement.
Bu Zai Hu Tian Chang Di Jiu, Zhi Zai Hu Cheng Jing Yong You
Do not fret about it not lasting forever, But be happy it happened
~~~~~~~~
Left home around 9am
At first it was a little creepy accommodation
Some artistic statures outside our room
and sometimes I will get slightly shocked thinking there was a human there
but it was better as we stayed longer
from the kitchen, we could see cars driving by, but not too often. buses too
the kitchen is blue in color
we exit the building by walking 1 flight of stairs down
and open the glass door
we turned right and took some pictures
it was very quiet then, as it was Monday morning
was put the camera on a higher platform and set a timer
there was historically buildings around, so it was nice
we took a slightly different path to walk to the station today
got wiser from the previous 1 and half day
we crossed the road and walked by Lake Lucerne
the main reason was because we do not want to walk pass the high end hotel
because many times we need to watch out for cars going in and out
and the view of the lake is also nice and calming
when we crossed the road, we bought khis (not too sure how to spell it)
it was from a franchise called Bachmann
there was another asian guy that could speak the local language
he ordered the right one that we intended
ours was pure cheese, but his had some meat on it
but they were both from the same transparent container
we walked along the lake, and took many pictures.
found a spot to place my camera on a platform too
so that we could be in the picture together
we pose in front of a small wall, and it was beside the water
i think we repeated setting the timer and walked back for the photo taking maybe 7 times
each with a 10 seconds timer
and we continued, and i think our initial plan was to take the cruise
as our swiss pass is free
we intended to visit Stoos mountain
that was highly rated
we walked to the terminal that is opposite where we stayed
and there was a man dressed like a captain
think he was wearing white with blue hat
2 asians approached him for help
and i was waiting a little impatiently
the captain was a nice man, and helpfully explained to them
he was saying that the ship just left
and we saw it about to leave when we reached the terminal
when the asian lady finished, i spoke to him as well
he was very helpful, and he looks quite ruggard
he also gave us a map, and i guess he told us how to go to stoos by train.
the next ship is an hour later
so we proceeded to the train terminal and hopped on the train
as usual, the ride was great, comfortable and not many people
when we reached the Brunnen, it was raining
no point hiking there, was decided to change plan and take the cruise
we waited for the bus to go to the cruise station
it was dark skies, and it was raining, not too big
while waiting for the bus, we checked out the convenient store opposite the bus stop
i think i also went to the toilet, which was clean and bright
at the store, i was looking at electronics
i was looking to buy a cable that is dual, for usb c and my samsung phone
the had the energiser brand, but it was expensive
so i gave it a skip
my wife bought a crossaint, and ate it on their small standing table
the bus arrived soon, and we hopped on with many teenagers in it
we had seats, and got off after a short while, with the teenagers
we alighted behind them, but ran in the rain and overtook many of them as we saw the ship was there
at the ship, there were many nice seats, and looked like a restuarant
at first we went to the upper floor, but later realized it was for 1st class
we went backed down and settled at a window seat at the left corner near to the bar/kitchen
it was a good time sitting down, and looking at mountains and the water
gentle rain, felt nice to be sheltered in a cosy place
the seats had a dining table and we also looked at the menu
one group of the teenagers were quite nice, think they were having a card game
we also went to the deck outside, there were teenagers from the same school there too
and also a more senior white family
it was nice too, windy and more chilly
took some pictures there, and tried to take many pictures of the Swiss flag at the back of the ship
i thought that it could be used for my facebook background profile picture
the staff on the cruise was also dressed like a captain
nice good looking guy, at one point he was also trying to wipe the water away from the outside railings
do not think there are jobs like that in Singapore
surrounded by great views everyday.
later my wife also went to the front of the cruise to check out the view
i did not follow her, as i did not want to get near the teenagers
its just me, apprehensive
my wife came back to tell me i should it out it too
different view, but colder
and it was still raining
i did for a few seconds, it was nice, there was nothing that was not nice
the ship stopped at a few ports along the way
i saw one interesting restaurant along one of the ports
and pondered if we should just ate somewhere, and wait for the rain to stop
i remembered the restaurant had accomodation too
then the next port, it seems to not be raining there
and there was a small mountain at the port
i thought it might be a good chance to complete my desire to hike up a mountain
but the cruise left the port again
and i was regretted abit that i should get down the port to hike
so i decide to get down the next one if there is a small mountain i could walk up
and a non-raining one
so we arrived at the next port and got down of it
before leaving our cruise seats, we took a picture of the hill
cause i wanted to know what it looks like from below
and what is looks like from the top
hills or mountains always looked very easy to climb when viewed from the bottom
the nice captain and another captain on the port coordinated
to place and secure a little metal bridge for people to cross over
the port looks nice and natural, the hut looks like its made out of wood
we could see many asian tourists, but not over crowded
it was not a great feeling, as i inititally thought that we are at somewhere that is uncommon to tourists
we proceeded further and there was a water pipe for us to drink water and refill our water
we found some steps to place our camera and took some photos of us again
the background of it is another nice mountain overlooking the town
there was also a church in the background, and the town looks serene and quite histroric looking
with trees around too
there were humble little shops along the road, and also some are under renovation
the businesses look very relaxed and simple, i wondered how much revenue can they bring in.
one of the owners of the shop does photography or photo printing
he drives a Tesla, and a very patient man
there were some tourists wandering on the road and blocking his car from entering his own car park
but he waited for them, and also said hi to them
the same group of asian tourists was actually checking out the restaurant we settled on
my mind was thinking that whenever asians see other asians at a restaurant
it gives them more confidence to eat there too
anyway i fast forwarded, the asian tourists i saw when we were waiting for our food
from the water fountain, we walked to the left slightly, and checked out the menu of a restaurant
looks local and authentic swiss food, what swiss might eat on a daily basis
the price was not expensive compared to what we saw in lucerne
around 20 francs for a main dish
so we decided to take a seat
we sat in the outside, and seats at the end, closer to the mountain
when we sat, the sun was not strong
but it became stronger so i touched up on my sun block
the waiter, also a nice senior around 50+, came to us with the menu
as often, i always ask for recommendations
he recommended the sausages with some crisp fried minced potato at the top of it
and some fish that he mentioned was caught from the lake opposite (niceeee)
the main dishes on the menu have around 6 main dishes on it
what was recommended sounds good, so we went along with it
i was telling my wife that the waiter looks abit like walter white, and it feels like him too
after ordering, he came back and placed some good quality red paper on the table, and it was huge enough to place utensils and the dish on it
it was quite a similar practice when i ate somewhere else too
there was not many people eating there
there was another white youth eating in the table in front of us, and he was having the sausage dish too
the potato with crisp on top food was something that can be eaten from Marche in Singapore
the sun was also getting abit stronger, so i put on my sunglass
mr walter white many times was also standing at the entrance of his store, catering to the customers' needs and also welcoming anyone that might be interested in dining there too
he was not the chatty kind of waiter, but patient, gentle and genuine.
not long later, our food came
like some other places in Lucerne also, i was warned about the hot plate of the fish
the fish had many slices, around 4 of them accompanied with lemon
it was not too fishy tasting, and i ate it mindfully, appreciating it is what the swiss commonly eats
and also the fact it came from the beautiful lake, and wondering how they were caught
especially when i did not see any commercial fishing activities going on when on the cruise
i also asked the waiter to help to take a photo when the dishes arrived
and before that, prep the camera to make sure it was the correct mode and not waste his time (like no timer mode)
but he took picture of us and the dishes, i was hoping to capture the mountain and church as the background too
but its ok :)
my wife and i have the usual habit of switching food
as the dishes was hot, we decided the change seats
haha it was embarassing, and we changed when walter was inside
but when he came out and saw we had different positions, i broke a smile and told him that we wanted to try each other food
he also smiled back and said something, but sometimes i could not understand their english
and many times i just agreed and be friendly
we finished the food and know that it gaves us many good quality calories for a eventful journey
from google timeline, we were there for slightly less than 1 hour and left the restaurant around 12:40pm
we also took turns to use the toilet inside, and it looks neat and clean
it was beside the kitchen, and there was an auntie in the kitchen
it might be his wife
the inside of the restaurant looks nice too
quite dark and full of wood
the toilet is laid with clean white tiles, reminds me of scandevian or australia
i also asked walter how to go up the mountain
could not really understand too, he pointed both directions
but decided to continue our journey to the left
shortly, we came across a small church with a water fountain
filled our water there again, and gingerly pushed the church door to have a look into it
looks normal, and there was no one around
the door was wooden orange, and do not remember seeing any statues
proceeded to close the door slowly, and continued
continued on the journey, there were many nice houses we passed by
we managed to find an opening through the landed houses
but it led us to even more small paths, which we are also not sure if they are private
so we walked back down
the houses are facing the lake, and my wife saw a lady in one of the balconies
at this point, i felt that finding a path up was more difficult than i thought
and we were already walking a distance away from the port
also walked past a very high class looking hospital
which i assumed was rich people seeking treatment for some specific problem
the building was around 5 stories tall, and had many glasses to let in plenty of light
it was build beside the lake
as we walk, there were many houses beside the lake that had steps to access the lake
just like a house in condo beside the swimming pool
where to can just go down steps and proceed to swim
we walk further and there was a public place where many people were hanging around that was beside the lake
many were half naked and might have swam or preparing to swim
it was not very crowded, maybe less than 20 people in total
and it was quite spacious
some spots were with grass, and some were sand, not really sand, more like small pebbles
i have a strong urge to swim in it, as it was sunny, and i never swam in a lake before
i also had not swim for a long time
i was inspired to swim partly also because the previous day in lucerne town, there were 3 young men climbing onto the flag on the bridge of lake lucerne
and proceeding to jump and swim in the water
In Singapore, i have never seen anyone swim the the reserviors, only does kayaking or canoeing there
in lake lucerne, the water is clear
and seeing people swim there verifies to me that swimming is great there
opposite the lake was also a small parking space, just a row of it beside the road
there was a couple of ladies around 40 - 50 yo getting out of their car with a large pink float
they were friendly and smiling at us
there was another white youth that was stretching on the grass patch, seems ready to swim
he was also smiling when he saw us, and i had an urge to ask him if it was ok to swim there
but my wife felt that going further down will be a better spot to go into the water
so we did
at the 'sandier' area, there was a family of around 5 people, and 2 dogs
they were sitting on a public table and had some food and beers
they had 1 small dog that was aggressive and barking
but i did not bother about it as i was excited about the idea of swimming
it was totally unexpected that i will be swimming, and did not even have swimming trunks
i took off my shirts, and was slightly reluctant about my pants
but not much time was wasted as i think i told myself if i did not do it now, i might never have the chance again
soon, i only have a black underwear on and proceeded quickly to the water
it was clear and colder than a swimming pool
but the sun was bright and warm
it was beautiful
i quickly got my body into the water and got used to it
my wife also took off her shirt
she was more fortunate than me, as she was wearing sporting attire that day
polyvester sports bra and yoga pants
she also got into the water but did not swim, even though i encouraged her to
i think she was not as confident as she taught swimming herself not long ago
there was also a floating wooden platform with woman around 30yo sun bathing on top
it was a wonderful place, the lake is huge, the natural water is the cleanest i ever seen
surround the vast lake are crowns of mountains
on the 'sandy beach', there was also an elderly couple
my wife was making a remark that they were a sweet couple and secretly took a photo of them
the old man is sleeping under an umbrella, and his wife seems to be taking care of him
i think they were laying on a mat, as the pebbles is painful to step and lay on
the 2 ladies from the car inflated their floats by blowing, and were always smiling at us, as we were quite close distance to them
they were also smiling due to the fun and beauty they were experiencing
i was just swimming nearby, without my heading submerging into the water
i had hair pomade on, and did not was to mess it up
stepping on the pebbles was really quite painful, like massaging your foot by stepping on pebbles
sometimes when i am in the water, and it was suddenly too deep to be stepping on anything i panicked
think it was the fear of being in very deep waters, but it was not that logical as long as i have the technique to stay afloat
i also picked up randomly a pebble that i wanted to bring it back to Singapore
to remember to wonderful experience forever
i did not choose it, and could not see it when if felt for one under the water
when i just grabbed it, i liked the shape and the weight of it
when i saw it, it was slightly more on the reddish side. i passed it to my wife for her safe keeping
we took lots of photos too, with the water and surronding mountains
after a while, a group of energtic youths came
there were about 6 male 1 and female
they swam from the grass patch to the wooden platform
the woman that was sub bathing there was looking at the for awhile
they were playing some game of which is strongest
by pushing males off the platform, but not their lady friend
the bulkier of them did better in that game
the sun bathing lady decided to leave that place
she dived nicely into the water, gracefully like an olympian
and proceeded to swim to the grass patch where she left her stuff
initially i wanted to swim to the platform, but decided not to
one of the friends also swam to our side and grabbed some pebbles
he was throwing the pebbles into the water and watching it bounce
he was very good at it and the pebble was bouncing 3 - 4 times
he then grab a few pebbles of good size and swam back to his friends
when he reached the platform that was around 10 seconds away, he had a friend that was preventing him to get onto it
his other friend looks abit mixed of black and white, with a fit athletic body.
he was pretending to kick him whenever he tried to get up the stairs
eventaully that fit friend of his also swam to near us and grabbed some pebbles
they were trying to compete in seeing the pebbles could bounce how many times
after about half an hour, all of them swam to where we put our stuffs, and walked to where they put their stuff
they were also friendly people, one of them saw us and smile with a nod too
it made me change the perception that when white people hang out together in this place where there are no foreigners, some of them will not dislike the sight of foreigners
the platform is now empty, and i told my wife i felt like going to the platform, which she encouraged me to
i swam there, and when i got close to it, i was abit disgusting to me
the stairs had hairy algae on it, and on top of the wood, there were thick bird droppings on it
most of it was flatten maybe by the youths stepping on them
i did not stay there long and proceeded to swim back to the shore
it just shows how much the people there disregard small petty stuff like this, and just have good fun
i also had my sunglass on, so that i can view the mountains and the scenery without straining my eyes
when i got off the water, i had to wait to dry up
i was wearing a cotton underwear, and it will wet my bermudas if i put them on
walking on the shore was always painful, and i also asked my wife to give me her seat
which was on a flat rock
the sun was good, and things dry quite quickly
there was also some wind too
there was also once i took my samsung camera into the waters to record the water and the mountain, from my point of view
but well, videos and photos from phone got washed away
fortunately, the berms i wore was also black, and it not be too obvious if it is wet
the first thing i looked forward to when drying up was to wear my shoes
stepping on pebbles was painful
they were all dry when i put them on, only my cotton underwear was not entirely dry, but good enough
we had many photos taken there, with out phones. even though the photos got wiped, some are recovered, but in less clear quality
when we absorb enough of the beautiful place, we moved on.
the ladies with the float already left.
they were floating around a further distance than me, around the wooden platform.
they were more on the plump side, and left around 25 mins earlier than us.
When we were leaving, we also saw a man swimming very long distance across the lake
what an awesome way to stay fit everyday!
it might be an older man around 50 yo, as when we were heading back, there was only 1 man that was wet and in towel
Googling, i think that place was called
Brougierpark, and we spent around 40 mins there.
We continued on, was thinking if we should continue to the left to find the trail to go up the mountain
or just go back to the port where we started
we also thought about whether to take the bus, but i think we ended up walking back
i remember on the journey back we saw the same expensive looking health care facility
and also a very smartly dress young corporate person dressed in suit talking on the cellphone
i also took a video of the journey on my phone, which lasted around 30 secs
but it was gone, but i think there was a screen shot of it recovered
we got back to the port and realized that it has a vertical tram that goes up to Rigi
very weird as we did not intend to go to Rigi on this day
and don't remember anyone advicing to go Rigi by stopping at the port
when we were at the tram, i asked if our oyster card could be used
the staff replied yes, but we have to wait for the next one, as the previous just left
the staff was doing some preparation work for the next one, like moving metal railings or something
i think the staffs were dress in green attire wearing shorts
there was also another american family that will be boarding the next one with us
and there was a cool guy with 2 kids and some other adults
i remembered observing him when on the tram
they were seating on the left closest to the operator in front
i remembered him because when one of the kid talked, he gave good attention to the kid
and show respect on what the kid was saying
very cool person
i think he reminded me of dave grohl, the drummer
he also chose some slippers with the kids and bought it them
anyway i backtracked
we had quite alot of time before the next tram
so we headed back to the port (like 1 min walk) and used the toilet
the entrance for cruise customers was in the middle of the hut, and the toilet is on the left side once you come out of the cruise
it was clean and not very big
once you are out of the toilet, there is the nice view of Lake Lucerne if you are waiting for someone else
once we were out of the toilet, we headed back to the tram station
and beside the station was a shop
i actually went to the back of the shop and asked about something, when we just came back from the swim. the staffs run the shop and the tram too
so at the shop, we wandered around the shop for awhile
partly because it was air-conditioned
i remember seeing many Rigi merchandise, like they are proud of the place
looking back, i should have bought something Rigi from the shop, did not know that day will be the best day of my life
i remembered many of the rigi items are in green, guess that is the color that symbolizes them
many of the rigi items are located close to the door
i was thirsty, so i bought a beer, cant remember what type i bought as i bought a few throughout the eurotip
once i bought it, i continued looking around the shop and also shared the beer with my wife
there was one point when i was browsing, suddenly the staff notified about something with a little hurry
the staff went to where my wife was, and i think it was because she opened one of the folding knifes
many of the swiss shops selling folding knifes and other camping tools
i think one of the brands was victorinix, the same brand of knife which army issued me
finally when it was time to board the tram, i think we went to the toilet again
i remembered there was a queue, bit i cut it, as it seems like not a very neat queue
and also i wanted to stand in the shade
i did not mind letting those that i overtook board first
but in the end the nice white people seem nice and did not bother too
so we just proceeded to board the first section of the tram
it had 2 sections
i shows our swiss pass (not oyster that i wrote above) and settled for seats on the right
no one seat beside us, so we have plenty of space and comfort
there were some china tourist that were trying to get nicer seats for a view throughout the journey
but they weren't so bad, did not make much noise
it was quite vertical, similar to the one we took to pilatus
the views were not as fantastic
halfway through the ride, we decided to stop somewhere where some other white folks got off too
there were around 3 white folks, one man and 2 ladies i think
i asked the man if hiking could be done from there
he was in a friendly tone, and said Yes!, that is good for exercise
i also responded in friendly and high energy tone
they stayed at the station for a bit, and we proceeded to walk on the obvious walking path
the station we stopped at was quite simple
like only 2 logs supporting more tiny logs as the shelter
i could remember the tracks to it was quite steep as well
downsloping around 8 o clock when looking down, upsloping around 2 o clock when looking up
we followed the grassy path and within a few seconds, found somewhere to put the camera and take some photos
it was a beautiful view, with faraway mountains as the background
we took several shots switching between different poses
one of the pose i pretend to be running
after that, we continued on
and it started to get tiring
but at the moment, i was just talking funny stuff all the time, as i was still excited about the journey
we walked through spaces of grass patch and many surrounding trees
we did not see anyone and i was already sweating a lot
even though we were surrounded by mountain with icy tips
the sun was bright and i was wearing sun glasses
soon, to our surprise, we started hearing bells
which meant that we will be seeing cows
we saw them from a distance the previous day when we took cable car down from mount pilatus
this time, they were up very close to us
there were around like 20 of them, and are very noisy
we felt sorry for them, when we realized that the sound of the bell is actually pretty loud
imagine having to endure the loud bell sound every time you move your head
and for the rest of your life
they were also covered with flies, and their skins twitch frequently to disturb them away for a while
they had liquid coming out from their nose or eyes too, which the flies were attracted to
we also took many photos and videos with them
but it was not as nice as viewing them in a distance
the smell of dung, and the sad state of their situation
many of them are orange in color, i think they should be deaf when they reach a certain age when they have to start wearing the bells
but life goes on, they still graze the grasses, being deaf is better for them in that situation
the cows are mostly close together even though there were plenty of spaces
we mentioned there were too that we slightly further from the rest, and was thinking they may be a couple
we continued on our tracks, and this time paying more attention to the ground
i started to notice dungs on the path as we walk, i think i spotted like maybe around 7 on our way
we also wondered why they were there, as they were fenced up
maybe the owners will take them for a walk in the morning before fencing them up
soon we came across another area where there was young ones and also some larger ones, that looks different from the ones we saw before
they had larger horns, around maybe 8 of them
the younger ones were on the left, the larger ones were on a higher ground to our right
we took a closer look at the younger ones, and the area they lived in is a mix of shelter and non-sheltered
it was not a cramped area, there were around 10 of them
the was one in brown color, with hair of lighter-brown color
it was also curious of us
when i took out my sony camera to take photos of it, it seem to be cautious of it
i was joking to my wife that it was not a gun, and not be afraid of it
but i stopped disturbing it as i rather the young cow be more calm
what kept them inside are also wooden structures, and we separates us from the calves we thick wooden logs the diameters of a canon
beside each was another partition of calves, with also 2 calves hanging outside
beside the calves holding area was a dark room that the door was unlocked
it was a much larger area, and my wife had the curiousity of checking out what is inside
there was still no one area, and the dark place seem like somewhere to wash or milk the cows
i was holding that it was not a slaughter house or something
also it did not seem too good, that is why i was not too interested in finding out more about the place
but the sound was not overwhelmingly bad
we continued and was getting tired, the sun was also showing no signs of getting weaker
we got to a higher ground and constantly look backwards to check out the view
from the higher angle, where the cows were
my wife noticed a cross that is around 4 times the height of the cows facing the mountains
it was planted on the grasses where the cows were
i thought they the owners of the cows might be of christianity faith
we continue upwards and started to see houses where people lived
and there was a house on the right that had some of its exterior painted white
it has a letter box and does not look dilapidated, and it seems well mainted
it has proper roads leading to the house, but i wondered how long it takes to drive back home everyday, and what the family does
we were also searching to see we could refill water from any pipes, but did not find any
luckily, not long after, we came across a modern looking structure.
and happily, we also saw asians, the rare times we were happy to see asian tourists
it means that we are near a touristy spot, as i was getting abit sick of the rural area
the structures were huge and spacious, with many glass panels and space-station looking rectugalur buildings
the grass land looks flat, maintained and made-made, probably the size of 3 football fields
we walked towards a convenience store, and i choose a cold soft drink from the drink section that was not enclosed.
i purposely chose a drink that i never see before, to try something different.
the liquid has the color of an apple drink, also tasted closer to an apple soft drink
my wife was going for ice-cream, and after looking at the picture of the ice-cream selection, we wanted one of the brands that we saw before, and which was common.
we asked the lady about it, and unfortunately, she said that it was not available.
but funnily, we saw someone having it when we went outside
i think it was a brand of a famous chocolate that had an ice-cream version
but the store owner was polite too, and the store itself looks quite classy with high ceilings and orange lights
opposite of it was a toilet, which also looks quite upper class
we sat at somewhere after turning right when we exited the store
they had wooden benches there, with large glass panels at a corner
i did not feel that the place was very clean, due to nature
there was some insects taking refuge at the higher glass panels
after a while, we were also joined by 2 japanese aunties who also took a seat at the next bench
beside the place was the same tram again, and there were a few asians waiting for it
but we decided to continue our hike
we decided that the better chance will be to follow the path beside the tram
after some walk up hill, we were walking under some cable car wires that does not seem to be operating
it was quite an open field, and it was tiring walking upwards
we saw some flowers along some fence, and my wife stopped there awhile to take selfies with them
it was some yellowish looking flowers
the place was abit confusing, and we backtracked a few times as the paths led to some small rope fences that seem to indicate private property or areas
we tracked back down and decided to take some photos
then we changed direction to the left as there looks like a track too
only to be blocked by a tractor
the tractor was position beside another structure that is used for cow purposes, and it had the smell of cow waste too
the small building of 1 storey looks abit dark and old
we are disappointed as there seems to be no tracking path, and head down the tiring slope again
this time, we decided to wait for the tram to take us up
my wife was abit confused about the timing of the tram, but it seems like no issue to be
i think she was wondering if the timing was for downwards or upwards
but i understood the timing of the trains, as there were 2 timings
i did not understand what she did not understand, but soon afterwards, i think she thought about it and understood it herself
the is still some time before the tram going upwards arrive, like maybe 15 mins
so we looked for somewhere to rest
we headed to shops that just closed, and they had chairs placed outside their shops
we settled there, and i went to look for water to fill up
but there was no way to do so
there was a restaurant further left to the shops, and there were around 15 people there consisting of some kids too
i went to sit outside the shop, and was observing a long hair white male playing with 2 kids
he was stealing their hats and they were chasing him around on the flat, spacious grass patch
he seemed so happy and pure, having the kid of fun kids have
the older kid of around 5 years old also had some plastic car that he drove around
there were also some korean family walking pass, but generally quite few humans on the vast open area
the activities going on was far and few, and soon i dozed off, a power nap for my mind and body
gladly, i woke up just 5 mins before the time for the tram to arrive
i woke my wife up and hurried to the station that was around 1 minute away
i hurried to the toilet too. it looks classy and spacious with orange lights
Checking on google timeline, i think the tram we boarded was around 5:35pm, and the station was Rigi Kaltbad
we took the tram upwards, and we could see us getting closer to the top
Rigi Kaltbad was the 2nd last station before the top
the mood was positive as when we took the tram, it seems like the weather got sunnier, and the day feels young again
we decided to get down the last station, as it may be our last chance to get a feel of hiking before we leave Swizterland
so we got down, and there was also 2 Korean girls
they seem young and look like students. they looked relax and seem like having a good conversation with each other
we found a bench to place the camera to take pictures, and soon the 2 of us was alone again
we checked out stuffs along the way, and took videos of my wife tracking, me doing a ricola antic, and amazing scenarios of the land below
it is amazing to notice how high we were
we were trying to figure with google maps which of the water bodies is lake Lucerne, and what is the name of the lake infront of us
there were also some deserted looking restaurants along the way, and went to look into the interiors of it.
i can imagine some of the restaurant entertain important political people when they visited Rigi.
Also read some of the information boards along the way, and found out that part of this was the Mark Twain trail.
sounds like a familiar person, and also remember reading it when i was researching how to hike up the mountain when in Singapore
also talked to my wife about some geography, like some of the exposed hard soil that we saw
like how plate tectonics moved over millions of years and exposed what used to be under neath
also came across a hairy caterpillar crossing the path and took a video of it
when we were around the top, there were many other stuffs there
there was a small church that sits around 20 people
what a view they see after their mass, and i wondered what kind of conversation they will have after their mass
within the church compound, there was also tree that was naturally bend in an ackward way
i guess it did it to get out of the shadow of the church and get more sun light
the entrance of the church has some concrete structure along the sides where people could sit, maybe already 3 people at each side
it was a small simple, humble church built on an extra ordinary place
we also encounter an uncle maybe around mid 50s playing loud and good music
i think i heard some retro rock song, and also some local song that was not english
his speakers was of good quality, and it could be heard from quite a distance
when i heard of the non english song, i was also trying to replicate it to use it in conversation with my wife
it was funny and senseless conversation
but that uncle blasting the music on mountain top makes the atmosphere even more awesome
he seemed to be enjoying his time alone, and i remarked that maybe he was trying to get away from his wife
what a great way to avoid being nagged at home! i took a picture of the uncle too, i hope it still exist
he looks like local uncle that frequents the mountains
going higher up we could see a tower that was for some radio communications
similar to the one i see on black mountain in canberra
but switzerland or europe itself seems such a liberal region
they do not lock any access, and people could climb up the tower if they wanted
though it could only go up to the 3rd level
the stairs are spiral, and i was absolutely terrified of the height
i think because we were on the mountain top, and the wind was there, and climbing a metal structure on top of a towering mountain makes my legs go crazy
we really wonder how those russian daredevils can sneak into construction sites and climb up the crane which seem even less stable
another scary part about the tower is that the stairs are made up of mesh like metal, and you can see what is under neath you every step you take
come to think of it, that may be the may reason why it was so terrifying
if it was enclosed and the stairs feel strong and concrete, maybe we could have climbed 1 more level
but because it is metal, every step you take, you could hear it, and it vibrates
we only climbed 1 level up, and did not proceed to the next
i think my wife went abit further by climbing some ladder, but it was too much for me
even when i got down to the ground, i am still freaked out by it
and we even joked together to question if the mountains are stable enough not to crumple, since we are so high up
at the top, there were also more people
there was a kid we encounter before the tower that was around 10 years old
my wife remarked that he was like a daredevil
he had his manual scooter and was going around the area quickly
not sure who he was with
he looks abit of latino origins
also saw a couple, one asian lady with a white boyfriend
she was doing jump shots and her boyfriend was taking photos of it
my wife at one point also cried when she saw the views
i recorded it on a video, and she was sad because she will miss this place and when she comes back again, we would be old already
well, it is more beautiful when we have it in our hearts, and if we visit it again, not sure if the beauty will be altered
close to the tower there was also a rock around 1.6 metres tall.
it has chinese writing on it 'er mei shan'
it is there because of colloboration between switzerland and china, like sister states all around the world
the rock looks very contrasting, something so asian, so obvious on top of a swiss mountain.
there were also a group of men around the age of 50
there were around 6 of them, and one of them is asian
they were pointing out to the asian guy about the rock, as he seems more associated with it
they seem nice and matured, and i guess maybe they are people from the same company checking out the attractions of the city
some of them also managed to go up the last accessible floor of the tower, i have respect for that haha
maybe because they are russians
we also did some jump shot photos and wasted alot of memory on the camera
because to capture jump shots, we will need to use the multishot function
i did and repeated most of it, and it left the camera with only 2 available photos
we did the shot on a flat grass patch
i also took a video of the surrounding while my wife sit on a bench admiring the scenery
i hope she was not feeling too sad
from there we started to go downwards, and not far below, there was a giant wooden cow taller than a human
i took some picture of it kissing it, and was abit disgusted when i view the photos
the cow looks squarish and friendly, and had yellow head and body with some green on it
the background of it was also the surrounding swiss mountains
then further down as we are heading to the tram station, we encounter 2 weird looking flowers and also took picture of it with the sony camera
they were in a pair, and were quite large, about the size of one finger
that was the last picture for our memory card
as continued down and realized that there were less people
we found out the reason was because most people had boarded the tram at 7pm, and we missed it as we arrived at 715pm.
i was abit panicky as there was no one in sight
i check the tram timings, i think the tram comes every hour, there was one at 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, and i think 1115pm.
i did not feel too comfortable as it was quite deserted, feels we were the only people on the mountain
i think before this, i also saw an auntie around 50 around somewhere
but wow, we have another 45 mins, and i am only looking forward to taking the tram down quickly
i am fearful of the idea of the sky getting dark, and we were the only people left
it was also looking abit dark, and more on that later
at the tram station, there was also a hotel, which i think i saw its accomodation popped up when searching for hotels in lucerne
but i wondered, who would stay there
it seems quiet and empty
and if you want to go to the city, it is a long way down
imagine booking a room there and realizing at night you were the only occupants
it is going to be dark, quiet and scary
besides the hotel, there is a place to fill our bottles
it is not a pipe with water coming from the mountains
but a office pantry kind of machine that you press and water comes out
it was a nice gesture, and it is free
the place looks like a pantry, the size of a room with some information on the wall
it has glass panels that allow the views of the mountains to be seen
when you exit the pantry and down about 2 steps, beside it is the toilet built on metal structures
like those make shift ones on a construction site
you need to go up about 7 steps to reach it
it has around 3 cubicles, and do not remember it was brightly-lit
but it was nice and clean, there was also adequate water coming out from the pipe.
my wife was first to use it while i was filling up my water bottle, using the toilet was more urgent to her at that time
at some point, we realized something amazing
maybe the heavens planned it for us to miss the tram and see something special
we saw when we were around the toilet area that clouds were flowing above us to the opposite mountains
and that was the reason why the skys look abit darker even though it was supposed to get dark around 9 plus pm
my wife mentioned that it was very interesting as she never touched clouds before
part of her chinese name has cloud in it :)
so we went back up to the mountain edge, where the clouds were coming from
our feelings were ecstatic, to witness something that no one on mountain did today
because it was so high up, clouds were coming from below and clashing with the mountain, and flowing up
the clouds that were coming were endless, continousless running through the mountains to get to the other side of it
like it was the end of their work day and they are all rushing to go home
this morning was raining, and it should be doing the same thing to tommorrow morning
just maybe to another location, like our initial intended area
we were standing right in the path of the clouds movement, and it felt moist and cold
the winds were also strong
i took several videos with my phone, but they were washed away, one of my biggest grief in life so far
but well, thank for heavens for the beautiful moment, it is the high-light of the trip
with some fear, and alot of amazement and wonder
the moment was quite freaky to me, maybe due to heights
you got see clouds at a lower level of the mountain we are standing
and rushing upwards quickly and relentlessly, giving me a scale of how high we were, and how small we were
tiny compared to the clouds and mountains, standing in the way of nature doing its work
an even nicer moment was when i saw 2 female trekkers high-five each other, and they finally made their way up after a long day of climbing
i was happy as at first i was a scared that we were the only ones around
so it increased my comfort and happiness even more
the 2 females were resting on a bench below around 20 seconds from us
what a wonderful moment
my wife was not so freaked out like me, embracing the moment with her open arms
maybe like her name, clouds were always part of her, and now she finally feels them
we had enough time to absorb the moment, and went down around 10 mins before the tram departs
suddenly, we see many more humans, like 1 family of 4, some single females
there was also one asian girl, like around 20 years old
we board one section of the tram and she followed
but we exited it as there were still some time, and she also exited it to go to the other section where there were some white people in it
i guess birds of the same feathers flocked together
i saw the tram captain was using his phone under the station clock
such a different place, but we humans are all looking at phone screens haha
he looks on the plumb side, but he is very important in allaying my fears of getting stuck on the mountain
we entered the tram, the same section where everybody is around 5 mins before
the asian girl had specs on with chain connection specs to her neck
and she was listening to her ear phones
really amazed that a girl could travel and explore the mountain of switzerland by her own
considering that i am abit freaked out when i felt it was only me and my wife on the mountain
my wife later mentioned that it was funny, we did not remember see her at the mountain at all
the tram left and along the way, it also picked up a few other white individuals
i remember thinking that having a retired life and staying on top of a switzerland mountain was not so nice after all
it felt super quiet and lonely
i think the happiness thing about human life is human interaction
no matter how beautiful a place is, it is nothing with a human sharing it with you
even if there is a couple staying on the mountain top, it still feels lonely
so whenever a place is too crowded and we are complaining about it, maybe we should think back out time on the lonely Rigi mountain.
anyway down the tram, i also thought about the lives of the person living on the mountain
it seems far away from the city and civilization
i was one house with a young adult
at that exact moment he needed to pee, and he just unzip his pants to let his urine out of the front of his house
i think people living there are very ruggard, and do not need to have so much formalities
its just nature, and a natural way of human necessity
the trip down seems darker, partly because of the ongoing clouds migration
one white lady also board the tram from one of the station
she wears a specs, and i think she may be visiting her friend who lives there
i was also repeating my wife's remark about the house being very slanted
i think because we are on very slanted angle, that is why the house looks like it was built wrongly
quite interesting sight
most of the houses along the track looks dark and abit old
looks quite sad living in it
when we were backed to the port, i am glad to be close to luke lucerne again
the lake still looks beautiful, just with less strong sun
we went to the toilet, and when came out faster than my wife, i went to where the cruise board the customers
it looks like evening now, and there was an asian looking couple
then i walked back to the toilets again, i saw the same asian girl with spec chain
she was taking photos of the lake, and i thought to myself she was taking photos so to show to her friends or family
i also checked the cruise timing at the port and we had missed the last one
there was a sign to the bus stop, and i saw the white lady from the tram going that direction
my situation was not good as i am low on my phone battery
if i need to use google map or swiss pass app, i will be unable to do so
but i was not fearing at that moment, as i think i can always ask anyone i see
when my wife came out of the toilet, the girl with chain specs had already left in the direction of the bus stop
so i also followed the bus stop direction
and going up the slightly slanted slope, i saw a few people was already there.
the white lady and chain specs girl
i tried looking at the information at the bus stand, but did not really understand anything
so i just turned to the chain specs girl to ask her if there is a bus going back to lucerne city
she replied 'ni hui jiang pu tong hua ma', meaning if you know how to speak mandarin
from then our, we speak chinese
she was saying that there is a last bus to the last train to lucerne
i was shocked that we were really lucky, if we were to miss any of it, we might have to stay somewhere else that night
i was really glad that we asked her, and she is also heading back to the city
she also remarked that the white lady should also be in the same boat as us, as she is also anxiously looking at the bus information to go back
logically, most people there should be heading the same place, as that lucerne town is where most people stay
but even though we are naturally uncomfortable with meeting new people, we were glad the 3 of us stayed together, as it feels safer, and it is also glad to know someone else's life
she is a student from leceister, and travel alone for her graduation trip
she told us that switzerland is her favourite place, and the people are friendly
when we boarded the bus, we also went to the back and sat on a 3 person seat
my wife was in the middle, she was closer to the back of the bus, and i was more on the front.
she also mentioned that she went to some music festival where everyone was wearing headphones, and she enjoyed the moment acknowldged they went listening to the same music
we also told her we were from Singapore and Malaysia, and said she might want to visit Singapore as it is very systematic and very safe
think she mentioned that she considered visiting Singapore before
she also thought I was from Hong Kong, and my wife from Taiwan, as my chinese was quite poor
when we reached the train station, i said i am only concerned that we missed the last train
but glad we all managed to board it
it seems like a short train ride, and she mentioned that she hoped she is not talking too much
she travelled alone for many days, and it is must be hard not to have a face to face interaction for so many days
and it is good that she can say so many words to another human in her presence
also talked about what is her plans for the future, and she mentioned that she does not hope to stay in China, as the government is tightening their control.
i told her another place she can consider is canada, as the people there are friendly, and they have even higher mountains
she replied her relative is also there
also mentioned some of the less comfortable place she went to, when some black was scaring her when it was late at night
when we reached the station, i am not sure what to do, are we supposed to exchange facebook or something?
but i think i will just be more passive and follow the flow
in the end, everything went smoothly
i mentioned that we will be going this direction to get some food
she mentioned that talking to us was one of the high lights of the trip
and we also felt happy we made that conversation, and also made someone's trip even better
i wished her all the best in the future, and hope she finds something she love doing, even though she is abit sad about no longer being a student
we went across the front of where the trains parked, and see if there is any food we can eat
there was still mac across the road and burger king on the left
we decided on macdonalds, as it looks happier and more brightly lit
they also had the self koisk, and my wife was saying she understands the language
which was in german
i let her do the ordering and she was impressed she did it, and i looked impressed too
the receipt did not come out of the kiosk, and i asked the white lady
she asked me for what i ordered and checked the online list, and told me it was ok
not very friendly sounding, but well, surely there are racist people, she might be one
she was not too bad, just that i am more sensitive
the order came and we ate our food
nothing special, pretty much the same as singapore, just more expensive
maybe their consistency is commendable, but glad macdonalds exist to rescue all those who need food in late hours, especially in a town that sleeps early.
checking on google timeline, we spent 30 mins in mac and left there around 1030pm.
as usual, we will walk past the memorable luke lucerne on our way back to our place.
arrived back at 1038pm.
