Chamonix - Mount Blanc in the French Alps

Chamonix was everything I imagined, and more. We wanted to hike the trails in autumn, hoping to see a snow-capped mountain or two. They were all there plus living glaciers, in glorious sunshine and then in our last 2 days, we had freezing rain which magically turned into snow !

We did 2 major hikes; first a high valley hike from the Plan d'Aiguille to the Montenvers Hotel, overlooking the Mer de Glace on Day 2, having seen it the easy way on the previous day by cogwheel train.

On Day 3, we drove leisurely over to nearby Annecy Lake, then on Day 4, we blew our last sunshiny morning on an arduous (and somewhat dangerous) hike to Lac Blanc (main picture). I wanted to spend more time up in this heavenly place but the cloud system had begun to move in. So we beat a careful retreat down to the Col des Montets mountain pass, where our rental car was parked by the roadside.

Day 5 was all rain & allowed us to rest & recuperate. When we saw the thermometer dip towards zero Celcius, we decided to re-visit the Col des Montets & saw our first snow flurry, yay. That night, we had a cosy Michelin-starred dinner right in our hotel (the Best Western Le Morgane). On our last day checking out, we had one last foray up the mountain pass & were rewarded with the first real snowfall of autumn !

Paris in the Autumn 2011

 

24 years ago, while in London for business, we decided to spend a quick weekend in Paris. Even with fickle weather & a little point-&-shoot camera, it still made a romantic first impression, leaving us wanting for more. Thus it was a natural choice for my wife when she developed travellers' itch soon after we successfully settled our elder son in Melbourne earlier this year. I quickly made plans & envisaged us spending a week of romance in Paris plus another week exploring the French Alps.

In line with my philosophy of travelling light, I took the opportunity to buy a new pancake lens for my Panasonic G camera system, the 14mm F2.5. It turned out to be a great wide-angle lens for lowlight indoor shots as well as a compact prime lens for landscape photography while on the move hiking the mountain trails.

This time round, the weather was fabulous. Autumn was showing in the changing leaves & the cool crisp air made walking a joy. We didn't miss the crowds of summer & were thrilled to have blue skies every day in Paris!

Each day was filled with sensuous sculptures & exquisite paintings inhabiting magnificent palaces & grandiose museums. Of course there was the compulsory Eiffel Tower climb & we even cruised the River Seine in the glow of the evening light.

The Dance Of Life Comes Full Circle

Here's an amazing assembly of our dance classmates with their newborn babies, all within a span of the past one year. Imagine the joy of dancing giving forth to new life !

Over 2 years ago, when we had newly joined Teacher Jennifer & George's ballroom dancing, I blogged about the Wu Li or Joie de Vivre observed in the couples on the dancefloor. As they practise their moves to perfection, there must be some kind of magic in dance that gets the mojo going.

And wouldn't it be interesting if the next generation of babies grew up to be musically inclined, swaying rhythmically in time to catchy tunes, anything & everything from samba to swing waltz ! I guess only time will tell ...

Reunion and a Season to Enjoy

Last weekend was a great way to reunite with many of our classmates from the medical class of 1981. It's an incredible feeling to be in the lovely banquet hall of Rasa Sentosa Resort, amongst friends you remember from 30 years back.

We may have changed in outward appearances but there was a slideshow of old photographs to bring back warm recollections of the Spring of our lives. We should feel so lucky to have had 3 decades of life's experiences since then.

Theresa & I especially feel lucky to have shared the journey thus far. So much so that we decided to sing Jason Mraz's duet of the same title, as part of the night's lively entertainment. The next morning, those of us who stayed overnight availed ourselves of a leisurely breakfast while the weather stayed fair for us to play a casual game of table-tennis outdoors.

As we enter the Autumn of our lives, we must remember to go easy on ourselves and to protect our skin from too much sun. Learn to delight in congenial company & to take our time to enjoy Life's journey. After all, there's no point in rushing, when we already know the destination :-)

Wildlife From Koalas To Pangolins

Now that we are back in safe & boring Singapore, we have started doing our regular Sunday hikes in MacRitchie again. Lo & Behold, a few weekends ago, I was surprised by a rare adult Pangolin crossing my path along the Treetop Walk, just after the turnoff to MacRitchie Nature Trail.

Even though you see a shaky, handheld pix taken at iso1000 in the early dawn-light, it is still better than nothing ! The conservationists amongst us are fond of using "cute" animals like the Pangolin & the Koala to promote their cause, neglecting to mention the less glamourous critters that go extinct every year in our fast-diminishing forests & jungles. But we really need to remember to balance our need for fossil fuel & human habitation against the fragile intertwined fates of every living thing on Earth. Sustainability is the new buzzword.

Sea, Sky and the Great Outdoors

After settling Calvin in, we decided to drive from Melbourne to Sydney, to visit Theresa's relatives living in a nice northern suburb called Chatswood. And in sync with our love of the great outdoors, we chose to "take the scenic route". Over a span of 12 days, we drove the Great Alpine Road, then up the Sapphire Coast towards Sydney, turning inland into the fabled Blue Mountains before staying the last 3 days at The Rocks, right in downtown Sydney. How best can we describe all that we saw adequately? In pictures of course, pictures that paint the wide-open skies, the startlingly blue seas, the beaches, forests, rocks and flora. There were seagulls aplenty but knowing that Australia has all manner of poisonous snakes, spiders & the great white shark, we avoided activities like bushwhacking & body-surfing ! However, Theresa, imbued with the Kinabalu spirit, simply had to add the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb to her climbing experiences.

Comfort In The Company OF Friends

In a strange, far-away land like Australia, there's a sense of comfort & security when you leave your first-born to study there in the company of good friends. My childhood friend, Alan Francis and his wife, Jenny certainly made Calvin feel "at home" in Melbourne @February this year. They took us walking around Williamstown, hiking the nearby Truganina Wetlands & eating in the Vietnamese enclave of Footscray.

When we drove off on our Great Alpine Road adventure, we knew that Calvin had found his second home.

RMIT & Architecture in Australia

About six years ago, our first-born son Calvin created his own blog & spoke of becoming a famous architect one day. How wonderful, now that he has embarked on that path at Melbourne's RMIT downtown campus.

If one strolls through the city, one can't help but be inspired by its vibrant, living-breathing architecture. It's buildings & landscapes are a blend of old & new, ever-changing & life-enhancing. The roads are tree-lined & cyclist-friendly, giving you the sense that the original city-planners always wanted Melbourne to be "human".

Being right in the middle of the city, the tutors at RMIT ensure that their students have no ivory-tower delusions. Thus early in his course, Calvin has been exploring the cityscape & getting involved in hands-on projects. As far as we can tell, he's loving it !