Forgive me for the very delayed post, these few months have just been crazy busy for me.
GMT +2 (6 hours behind time back in Singapore).
GMT +2 (6 hours behind time back in Singapore).
9dC at 0800hrs local time 11th August:
I thought I had myself prepared for this trip but somehow along the way, I geared up for summer and forgot entirely about my sightseeing plans. Snow! It must have been the recent trip to London, the heat was so unbearable I took out half the clothes in my bag and thought I was all set to go. Major mistake. Day one is always about hibernating. Long flights always drain me of sleep and energy, speak of 12+hours in a confined aircraft. O.O I had plans to wake up for lunch but was way too knackered to get out of bed so it was an extended rest for me.
Hotel room was small but homely and I loved the warm colours, it kept my mind at rest. I made myself some hot chocolate, took a bite at the heart shaped cookie and chocolate.
While I woke up in the middle of the night hungry, I told myself its only a few more hours to breakfast and then the real journey begins. I sat in bed with a book in hand until I fell asleep again. Ill admit that I was on and offline every now and then. Restless and awake on an empty stomach. Facebook can be so distracting, tsk tsk.
12th August 0730 hours, woke up super excited for breakfast, I was the first to arrive at the hotel lobby for buffet breakfast (at flat rate of 20 Swiss Francs, CHF). I cant remember ever looking forward to breakfast as much as I did. Had two full plates of breakfast topped with some very bitter grapefruit juice and a cup of coffee. All smiles. :) Most of us came down early for breakfast while some sleepyheads woke up later for a few more moments of shut eye time. Im glad I chose breakfast over sleep, the journey took forever!
0845hrs, 15-20mins bus ride from the hotel to the ticketing station for our booking with Best Of Switzerland Tours. I expected a van of some sort but this huge bus was parked in front of the hotel waiting for other guests to move to the next stop.
0900hrs-1800hrs full day tour for 149CHF, not too bad for a full day tour but I personally would have preferred to self explore since tours are usually very restricted and timing is very crucial in large groups.
We were given colour coded stickers to differetiate the different drop-off points along the way. 1-Mount Rigi 2-Lucerne 3-Engelberg (Mount Titlis, that's us!). In my opinion, the long hours in the coach were way too time consuming while half the time we were dropping other guests off before we could reach our destination. As I mentioned, I would have preferred to go without the tour but this being my first trip to Switzerland and having no other colleagues familiar with the route, this was our best bet.
Meet Rosemarie, our tour guide from base to Lucerne and from Lucerne back to base. There was a change in tour guide up to Engelberg later in the day. Rosemarie gave us what seemed like a neverending school lecture. From history, to economics, to politics, to religion, she went on and on and well, on... Mostly narrating stories that half of us could barely understand with her strong Spanish/French/German accent. :S
And I quote her, "After this we will come to a monument, a lion monument. This is a statue carved from concrete in the year xxxx for the soldiers that fought bravely for the country. They bla bla bla bla bla and bla bla bla bla-ed.... *awkward pause* But they died (in very flat tone with no feeling of melancholy at all)"
All of us burst out laughing. Not that it was funny but it was the way it was said. Unexplainable, if you werent there you just wouldnt understand. Ill leave it as an internal joke.
Okay, so for safety reasons, Rosemarie says we have to buckle up. Ridiculous but I know what it feels like to say that for good reasons so here's to a first time with seatbelts buckled in a coach. LOL. The coach journeyed via Albis Pass and along the shores of the Four Cantons. And how do I know this? I payed attention in lecture! Obviously not, I got it from their Facebook site that I linked earlier in my post but I do remember her saying a thing or two about the Cantons.
The long journey was awesome because I got Rebecca to entertain and be entertained by me. We laughed at the same things, captured similar shots and shared quite a few moments of awkward silence together. Haha, very awesome travel partner!
Excuse the reflections in the photos, the bus driver mustve forgotten to wipe his windows before we boarded. Stuck in the coach the entire time, I only managed to get very few clear pictures through those dirty windows. Its like taking pictures through a dirty lens. Lol. The view I swear, it was mezmerising. Not one of my pictures or videos (taken through my iPhone, hence very low quality) did any justice to the real visuals.
First stop at Rigi, not our drop off but once again, we were following a tour so yeah we pitstopped to use the toilet. Rosemarie says, "we only have five minutes, dont wander around taking pictures and when the five mins is up tell me that you need to use the toilet." Very stern lady. =.=
1048hrs: Imagine that, close to two hours and only at Rigi with nothing but a five mins break to the toilet and we all scramble back into the coach. Some of the tourists were offloaded here while we had more space to stretch our legs and pose for pictures, the journey was just too draggy. We occupied the last few seats on the coach and it was a nightmare waiting to happen. The curvy roads uphill, downhill and round in circles, I felt like I was going to be sick. That nauseous feeling really put me off for the next hour or so.
A lot more behind-the-window pictures while we set off for the next stop. 1135hrs: After another long drive through more greenery and lakes, we head towards Lucerne for a short city tour (15mins short! You see what I mean by extremely restricted timing?) to see the Lion Monument that Rosemarie had been speaking of.
Lucerne: A short way through the old town to one of the main tourist sights, we arrive at the gates of the Lion Monument. A fascinating sight to see so many people admiring the statue with so little information about what it really stood for. Even after the brief introduction by our tour guide, I only saw it as a monument signifying the death of brave soldiers in a time of the past as I could understand very little of why she was trying to portray.
Maps are the best way of getting around without your tour guide, only thing is, you need to be able to accurately read one. Ive met people who can't tell which side is up on a map. Personally, I may not be the best with directions but given enough time, I can get around just fine. Once again, limited time was given so it was a quick detour to grab lunch on the go as we had a short look-see in the small city.
Met with a few swans and snapped a million pictures here that I refuse to upload due to time constraints but I have picked out a few that I like most. :) I would say, they can be very upfront and aggresive when you get too near them. Personal space problems?
Lunch was a bottle of coke to boost sugar levels before we got to have some real food later on. Very much later on.
Our journey to Mount Titlis continued at about 12.45pm. Imagine all that time spent since sunrise and not even close to the final destination. =.= It made me feel cheated in some ways because the amount of time that we spent "getting there" was more than the actual time we were given in Mount Titlis. Sad but true.
So finally, we dropped the other group off at Pilatus while our new tour guide (Robert, if I remember correctly) took us up the remaining way up the hill.
I shifted to the front seat to get a better view of the mountain and also because I was beginning to get the dreaded carsick feeling.
Just when I thought the end of the ride was never coming and was about to doze off, I spotted the red flags!
While everyone else equipped themselves with thick heavy boots, I decided to stick to my comfy sneakers rather than wear something slightly off my size. Only later on did I find out I was making a huge mistake! :/
Almost 2pm, first ride up in the cable car to the ROTAIR which is a larger cable car rotating as it ascends. Naturally, being afraid of heights, I flipped thinking we had to get onto one of those things that only dangle by a rope/wire. Trick is, not to look down.
The awesome five travel companions of mine.
Constantly reminding myself not to look down.
After what seemed like the longest 15minutes of my life, we made it to the ROTAIR. Packed with almost 30 people inside it was really stuffy but while it rotated, the view was too amazing!
The view of the lake from way up.
Once we got to the top, white mountaintops were in view. It was a pretty sight and I just couldn't wait to get my hands on some snow!
Since we were only given about 2 hours before we had to get back to the tour bus, there was no time to get our traditional swiss photos taken and we had to rush the entire playtime we had there.
About 10mins in, my sneakers were soaked as the snow melted in my steps. I could feel my toes turning into stone, numb and cold but there was no time to waste. Just a reminder, if you are given the choice to change to proper boots, do not try to act like a hero!
Grabbed a chunk of snow...
And started a... SNOWFIGHT!!!! :)
The ice flyer takes us down to the activity area. This was by far, the most paralyzing moment for me. I don't know how to describe my fear but it was extreme. As mentioned, Im not one to deal with heights so sitting on a "flying bench" felt 100x worse than the cable car. :/
What happens is, you stand in a line (just perfect for the six of us) and wait for the thing to scoop your ass onto the seat and you're off! Excuse my paranoia, I almost scared myself into tears.
I did the worst thing possible, I looked down. Because it was so foggy, I could hardly see anything from where I was but I made it! *Proud beam*
SUNKID TIMEEEEEE!!!
Yes, we slid down that slope with our bums in those tubes in the freezing cold. It was the best ride ever! The only problem was that we had to lug our tubes and ourselves back up the slope, hardest workout ever. Good things never come free, do they?
Next up: Group ride!!!
Thank God for those "snowscaltors" or what ever you call them, took us up the other half of the slope. BUT, you are not allowed to sit or lie down on them so imagine balancing on a moving escalator with no railings to hold onto AND with non-grip slippery flooring, not easy I tell you. Not easy at all.
All aboard! Okay, not all but the clearest picture I got of the group. The others hopped off too soon to avoid having wet behinds. Haha. :) So, once again, lugging the heavy board-thingies back up.
I must say my bottle of coke came in handy and I left it to chill in the snow so I could get to have it at its best temperature. Ahhh, the wonders of snow. :)
As the saying goes, "what goes up, must come down", the hideous ride back was less painful with my been-there-done-that attitude.
We learnt on the way back that there is a hood to cover us in, it definitely made me feel a tiny bit braver.
Visited the souvenir shop as the last stop before we made our way to meet the rest of the tour group for the long bus ride back.
Grabbed a very pricey Indian snack to replace lunch since we skipped lunch entirely rushing to catch up with the tour group. By then, I was very eager to get back to the hotel for dinner and sleep. Left my mark (tour sticker on the rock) and said my final goodbye before I hopped onto the bus.
Okay, so I forgot to mention that although the bus picked us up from the hotel, it dropped us off at the main train station so we did have to do quite some traveling to get back to the hotel. Nevertheless, dinner at the hotel bar was simple but satisfying.
Signing off with loads of chocolate from the gift shop and bruises from all the snow fights. I would definitely recommend Mount Titlis as a great travel spot but I still think it would have been a better trip if we researched and travelled on our own. Travel groups are usually not my best pick. Anyway, tour bookings are available at: www.switzerland-tours.ch but if you have the time and the right travel companion, why not make the trip on your own?!
More photos on Facebook and videos to be posted later. :) Enjoy!
Met with a few swans and snapped a million pictures here that I refuse to upload due to time constraints but I have picked out a few that I like most. :) I would say, they can be very upfront and aggresive when you get too near them. Personal space problems?
Lunch was a bottle of coke to boost sugar levels before we got to have some real food later on. Very much later on.
Our journey to Mount Titlis continued at about 12.45pm. Imagine all that time spent since sunrise and not even close to the final destination. =.= It made me feel cheated in some ways because the amount of time that we spent "getting there" was more than the actual time we were given in Mount Titlis. Sad but true.
So finally, we dropped the other group off at Pilatus while our new tour guide (Robert, if I remember correctly) took us up the remaining way up the hill.
I shifted to the front seat to get a better view of the mountain and also because I was beginning to get the dreaded carsick feeling.
While everyone else equipped themselves with thick heavy boots, I decided to stick to my comfy sneakers rather than wear something slightly off my size. Only later on did I find out I was making a huge mistake! :/
Almost 2pm, first ride up in the cable car to the ROTAIR which is a larger cable car rotating as it ascends. Naturally, being afraid of heights, I flipped thinking we had to get onto one of those things that only dangle by a rope/wire. Trick is, not to look down.
The awesome five travel companions of mine.
Constantly reminding myself not to look down.
After what seemed like the longest 15minutes of my life, we made it to the ROTAIR. Packed with almost 30 people inside it was really stuffy but while it rotated, the view was too amazing!
The view of the lake from way up.
Once we got to the top, white mountaintops were in view. It was a pretty sight and I just couldn't wait to get my hands on some snow!
Since we were only given about 2 hours before we had to get back to the tour bus, there was no time to get our traditional swiss photos taken and we had to rush the entire playtime we had there.
About 10mins in, my sneakers were soaked as the snow melted in my steps. I could feel my toes turning into stone, numb and cold but there was no time to waste. Just a reminder, if you are given the choice to change to proper boots, do not try to act like a hero!
Grabbed a chunk of snow...
And started a... SNOWFIGHT!!!! :)
The ice flyer takes us down to the activity area. This was by far, the most paralyzing moment for me. I don't know how to describe my fear but it was extreme. As mentioned, Im not one to deal with heights so sitting on a "flying bench" felt 100x worse than the cable car. :/
What happens is, you stand in a line (just perfect for the six of us) and wait for the thing to scoop your ass onto the seat and you're off! Excuse my paranoia, I almost scared myself into tears.
I did the worst thing possible, I looked down. Because it was so foggy, I could hardly see anything from where I was but I made it! *Proud beam*
SUNKID TIMEEEEEE!!!
Yes, we slid down that slope with our bums in those tubes in the freezing cold. It was the best ride ever! The only problem was that we had to lug our tubes and ourselves back up the slope, hardest workout ever. Good things never come free, do they?
Next up: Group ride!!!
Thank God for those "snowscaltors" or what ever you call them, took us up the other half of the slope. BUT, you are not allowed to sit or lie down on them so imagine balancing on a moving escalator with no railings to hold onto AND with non-grip slippery flooring, not easy I tell you. Not easy at all.
All aboard! Okay, not all but the clearest picture I got of the group. The others hopped off too soon to avoid having wet behinds. Haha. :) So, once again, lugging the heavy board-thingies back up.
I must say my bottle of coke came in handy and I left it to chill in the snow so I could get to have it at its best temperature. Ahhh, the wonders of snow. :)
As the saying goes, "what goes up, must come down", the hideous ride back was less painful with my been-there-done-that attitude.
We learnt on the way back that there is a hood to cover us in, it definitely made me feel a tiny bit braver.
Visited the souvenir shop as the last stop before we made our way to meet the rest of the tour group for the long bus ride back.
Grabbed a very pricey Indian snack to replace lunch since we skipped lunch entirely rushing to catch up with the tour group. By then, I was very eager to get back to the hotel for dinner and sleep. Left my mark (tour sticker on the rock) and said my final goodbye before I hopped onto the bus.
Okay, so I forgot to mention that although the bus picked us up from the hotel, it dropped us off at the main train station so we did have to do quite some traveling to get back to the hotel. Nevertheless, dinner at the hotel bar was simple but satisfying.
Signing off with loads of chocolate from the gift shop and bruises from all the snow fights. I would definitely recommend Mount Titlis as a great travel spot but I still think it would have been a better trip if we researched and travelled on our own. Travel groups are usually not my best pick. Anyway, tour bookings are available at: www.switzerland-tours.ch but if you have the time and the right travel companion, why not make the trip on your own?!
More photos on Facebook and videos to be posted later. :) Enjoy!
