the end of something good

After living what seemed like the new Dolce Vita for the longest time, my last vacation as a student finally came to an end two days ago. Looking ahead, I'm quite certain that my next prolonged period of idling won't be here anytime soon. 

And so, I'm feeling quite thankful that I'd been able to busy myself in the past few weeks with lots of catching up (with the same dear old people, of course), checking out ulu cafes, taking long walks around places that I never really got to stopping by previously, etc. Instead of having to meet deadlines or fulfill other academic obligations like we've been doing the entire semester, I was granted the luxury of learning to take things slow. Really slow. 

A slice of Antoinette ($9++) at Antoinette's

I learnt to take sips instead of gulps, nibbles instead of gobbles (of course, my Kindle made it a lot easier to do that), and pictures instead of mere snapshots. I made sure that nothing was too serious for me to fuss over, had plenty of time to mull over some issues in my life and it turned out to be such a wonderful time. 

Milk chocolate mousse cake infused with earl grey, topped with a bubble that oozes of tangy raspberry coulis when burst. The unusual sweet and sour combination worked quite well for me; both flavours balancing each other evenly. 

(I still think the bubble looks like a giant nipple though)

Oh, and this year, I finally learnt how to wrap bak zhangs at Grandma's place.

Wrapping's the easiest part of the entire process; preparation of the ingredients and cooking of the dumplings after they've been wrapped is so much more tedious. With quite a lot of difficulty, I finally managed to make mine decent-looking when tied; Aunt mentioned that the ones I'd wrapped look really tiny, just like the ones Mum used to wrap when she'd first started.

There were a little leftover ingredients so Aunt suggested that I bring them home so that Mum could do some wrapping too. I helped out with the preparation of the ingredients early morning (e.g. cleaning and shelling of salted eggs, chopping of mushroom, garlic and onion) and managed to wrap a few more bak zhangs before scooting off to NIE for a meeting with my practicum supervisor.

I thought my last weekend of the vacation was kind of ruined when I did something regrettable Saturday morning; spent the afternoon kicking myself in bed when I should really have been out windsurfing or making more out of the precious weekend. 

Thankfully, I reminded myself that I have the power to turn things round (it's all in the mind!) and things got so much better in the evening. Post-tuition, I met up with a smaller-than-usual KTOWY (everyone will be coming home soon though :D) at Zhen's for a barbecue dinner. The food items bought and prepared by Zhen and her family were marinated and grilled to BBQ perfection; Boss' meat joystick was a big hit (ok, sounds slightly inappropriate), Ah Long's beancurd tarts were delish, and the bak zhangs I brought were just to make numbers lol. Good food is often paired with awesome company and we had much of both that evening. Boss provided us girls with a breakdown of the different types of guys we're likely to come across (generally) in life and I suppose my favourite's the "gong dua dai" kinda guy - sounds cute, no? Don't judge me for picking a favourite based on what it sounds like please. We played In-Between too, for lack of better games, and my luck was unbelievably horrible. I make a mental note whenever I start cursing or saying swear words (raising self-awareness ahem), and records show that frequency is highest when I meet horrible drivers on the road, followed by times when I drop my sail while windsurfing, and finally, when I play In-Between wtf.

Sunday was great too even though we didn't have the best of winds; I had a really enjoyable time surfing and it's also partly because of the trash-picking that we did before that. 

Ended the evening with a cousin's wedding dinner and here are some snaps:

with Mumsy

YF

and Yihao! Like he mentioned on Facebook, it's been the longest time since the 3 of us took a picture together.

with the 'little melons'.

Mum and Dad :)

Weddings usually leave me going "Awwww... they're going to spend the rest of their lives together now. How sweet is that..." in my mind, but this one made me have cynical thoughts; maybe I've been thinking too much about the impermanence of life, love, and such of late.

And that marks the happy closure of my final vacation as a student.

Final practicum's finally started on Monday; things have yet to get busy (very soon though, I'm sure), and I'm really happy to be here - I hope I'm not speaking too soon since it's just the 2nd day so far. It feels wonderful to have my own workstation (finally!) and have superiors acknowledge my presence on the first day of work. Not to mention I have really nice CTs too; one of whom gave me a 'welcome gift' on my first day:

I'm feeling really blessed right now.

To show my appreciation for all that I've been bestowed upon,

I should really stop paying just lip service and start working hard! :)

小動作，大感動

Something that happened at ECP today:

Halfway through a half-eaten bak zhang during lunch at our usual stone bench this afternoon, a man came up to us and suggested to Chubs and Yuetmun that it'd be nice if we could pick up trash littering the beach (the bay right in front of PA) because there seemed to be more rubbish than usual today. 

So off the three of them went, picking up pieces of plastic as they walked along the beach.

I continued working on my bak zhang, carefully picking out mushroom slices, chestnuts and fatty meat to chew on while skillfully avoiding the sinful clumps of sticky glutinous rice. With eyes observing what was going on down on the sandy beach, I thought aloud, somewhat bemusedly, "Wah, self-imposed CWO?" when I saw how Chubs and Yuetmun set off with the man without hesitation. In the midst of the semi-devouring of my yummy bak zhang(s), I saw another lady join them in the cleaning act; later learnt that the man is her husband.

"Let's get a plastic bag to contain the trash!", the man suggested again, and someone (I can't remember who) came back with two large trash bags from the restaurant.

Bit by bit, the four of them started filling one of the two trash bags; one person would be holding the mouth of the bag open so that everyone else can throw the bits of trash picked up into it with greater ease. By the time I was done with my bak zhang (*burps* :p), I decided to join in the 'fun' with CY too. It started off as a relatively dry affair for me; I stuck very closely to the shoreline, never venturing beyond the point where the sand and water met. I picked up small broken pieces of plastic sheets, bits of styrofoam from food containers and this trash-picking act must have been gratifying in one way or another, because in no time, I found myself going deeper and deeper into the water, trying to 'go after' floating bits of trash. 

I don't know what made me decide to step into the water (when I haven't changed into my wet gear), and when I finally realized that the water was at my chest level, I decided to get out of the water and change into my rash guard (and floppy fisherman hat!) before heading back to pick up more trash. 

On my way back to the water, I saw an old lady, and two more other windsurfers join in the trash-picking (one of them even swam quite far out). For a moment, I felt a warm and fuzzy feeling (partly probably due to the heat) in my heart after observing this chain effect. They began picking up the trash too not because they were told or asked to, but instead, did so of their own accord, after seeing others do it. 

And I had to ask myself Why.

Was it because they felt that the beach's cleanliness should be a collective and shared responsibility?

Was it because they felt that more hands make lighter work?

Was it because they wanted some recognition from the beach users?
Was it because they only realized how dirty the beach is after others started picking up all that trash?
Was it because they felt like doing something nice by helping to make the beach cleaner for the other windsurfers/beach users?

Or was it simply because they were just too bored from the waiting of hopeful winds promised by ULFP?

I know it's just a very simple deed, and of course, trash-picking can not and should not be placed on the same rung of deeds as say, pulling someone out of a burning house or even volunteering at some shelter/home, but still, it was a very nice gesture that was made (assuming they were motivated by some of the reasons that I've just tried to provide) that I'm sure all the beach users would appreciate. For me, I  felt that it was a pleasant experience to witness this goodness in man and I was also truly surprised by the responses that could be triggered with just a bit of initiative by a single person.

Anyhow, the two trash bags were filled up very quickly with the help of people who chipped in a bit of time and effort. Some of the other things that were picked up in addition to the slimy plastic sheets/bags and styrofoam bits included: slimy straws, empty packet-drink/shampoo sachets, plastic cups, nylon strings and ropes, a durian husk (!) and more slimy plastic sheets. It made me a little upset thinking about how some people simply treat the sea as a dumping ground, judging from all the trash that we've picked in that very short period of time; there's really a lot more we can do to educate. And I was kind of hoping (with anti-fervour) that I should not be so unlucky as to come across really gross trash like a used condom (thank goodness no!).

The water was exceptionally clear today; at knee level, I could still see my toes on the sand bed. To be honest, it'd still have been this clear even without us picking up those trash. Knowing that we have a trash-free environment that's made possible by ourselves (however temporal it might be) to windsurf/swim in however, seemed to have made that matter to a slightly lesser extent.

healthier living

... or at least what I think I've been up to recently. 

trying out the elliptical trainer at Bun's school gym two weeks ago.

Have been furiously excluding carbs (e.g. rice, pastas and white bread) from daily meals and replacing them with more meats, nuts, soy products (I need proteins!) and fruits and vegetables (need to pang sai still). It's not exactly tough for me to follow those eating 'rules' that I've set for myself, because I really enjoy eating them anyway. 

But once in a while, I get mild cravings for carbs and I allow myself to indulge a little; just felt like I had to eat a bagel while out with Bun one afternoon last week, with a cream cheese spread no less. Have been cutting down on desserts of late too, though I hold this obviously flawed mentality that it's okay (or not that bad) if I'm sharing. Blah.

I must confess that I'm not exactly following any real diet plan that's been well-proven or tested.

So I try to make it up by exercising. In addition to windsurfing during weekends, I've taken to jogging at least 2 times a week, clocking an average of about 5 klicks each time. I started off by jogging laps in the riverside park connector just below my place, but realized my preference for non-repetitive routes in no time; and so, I started jogging to places like Macpherson, Potong Pasir, Lavender (Loysel's Toy!), Geylang and Boon Keng etc. Just two nights ago, I did Potong Pasir - Joo Seng - Sennett Estate with YF and it felt truly great to jog past my primary school again; was reminded of all the fun and silly times we had back then and was somewhat pleasantly amused by the whimsical and nature-inspired road names in that area (Willow Avenue, Butterfly Avenue, Mulberry Avenue etc).

If you'd seen me running my 2.4 during secondary school times (or even poly days), it's probably a little hard for you to believe I'm speaking about the pleasures that stem from jogging right now. But I guess that's just human, we always enjoy doing things more when it's a choice and not a chore; I choose to jog now because I want to and not because I am required to.

sweaty but happy.

In addition to the light jogs, I also got started on Jillian Michaels' (all thanks to Jenny! :D) 30-day Shred Workout on Youtube. It's a combination of cardio, strength and abs drills and the buckets of sweat that would flow out from my pores at the end (actually, it starts midway) of each session is unbelievable. Unbelievably gross if you were to see me then hoho. It's divided into three levels (with increasing difficulty) and one will need to complete 10 days of workout for each level before proceeding to the next. I haven't been very strict with myself (i.e. inconsistent) but I've finally allowed myself to move beyond level one! Got started on level two yesterday and today, I'm feeling soreness in parts of my body that were unfamiliar to even myself before they started aching.

I've come to conclude that working out (eating healthy too!) keeps me relatively happy, even though I'm usually cursing while at it, and I really want to keep up at it even after work begins unofficially next week. 

(I've lost 2 kilos btw, and YF just commented my muscles feel harder when I flexed my arms for him to get a feel of it!)

favourites...

Unlike many other people, I've always thought it quite impossible to settle on a favourite.

When people ask me a question like "What's your favourite (insert topic)?",
I would take the longest damned time,
go through a tedious process of raking through my head for an answer only to say:
"Still haven't decided on my favourite _____ yet leh."
It's definitely not the answer that askers have waited for.
Over time, I realized that people don't really care if I have a favourite _____ or not,
they just want an answer so I began saying (very reluctantly though)
that my favourite foods are chai por and ice cream.
Reluctant because I'm not sure if I love them so much to the extent that I should 'favouritize' them,
and there's a whole lot of other foods that I've yet to try; what if I've just not met my favourite food yet?
(But there's no doubt that I really, really love chai por and ice cream)

I'm not too sure if it's a problem (yet), being unable to decide on favourites,
but I sort of enjoy the process of discovering my favourites;
e.g. thinking about qualities that make me like them so much.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one around who puts so much thought into deciding what I truly like.
And I don't have a doubt that makes me weird as hell.

To illustrate, I love chai por so much because of its savoriness.
But that's not enough to justify it as one of my favourite foods.
I love how the sweetness of chai por can be tasted and is intensified
(despite its lingering savoriness) with each chew.
I love how the 2 basic tastes complement each other,
and how I'm able to taste that with each irresistible crunch.
I can eat nearly everything with chai por in them.
And I've even thought about the possibility of chai por as an ice-cream flavour.
A combination of two of my favourite foods, how great is that!

Anyway, things are slowly changing.
I've began to speed up the process of deciding on some of my favourite things.

terrible person, i am

Scenario 1:

This happened sometime back; more than a year ago.

Was playing Kinect with a group of friends at a friend's place when I spotted a woman coming down the stairs. I automatically chirped "Hello Auntie!" in a friendly gesture for having assumed that was his mum. Apart from turning silent, everyone else also turned their gaze to me.
My exuberance quickly turned to awkwardness and embarrassment when I realized my folly.

It was his elder sister. And she's really just 2-3 years older than we are.

I was so embarrassed for insinuating she looked much older than that (it was the dim lights I swear) that I wish I could dig a hole in the ground, jump into it and bury myself.

Apologized profusely afterwards but it probably didn't help to change her terrible impression of me.

Scenario 2:

This happened last Sunday.
Spotted an unfamiliar and rather mature(-looking) lady sitting at the usual gang's bench at ECP; since she kept to herself her iPad most of the time, and no one's actually done any introduction, I did not have any chance to talk to her.
Only realized that she's somehow related to a friend (let's call her X) when I saw them chatting much later on the grass some few steps away from the stone bench.

When X came back to the stone bench (her friend's still sitting on the grass),
out of curiosity and to confirm my guess, I asked her without hesitation, "X, your mum ah?"

To which she smacked me hard on my arms and bum,

"NO IT'S MY FRIEND, AND SHE'S THE SAME AGE AS I AM (i.e. 29)"

Couldn't help but started howling with laughter and gasping in mock-horror.

The people around who caught the conversation started laughing too; though I wasn't too sure if they were laughing at my gungho-ness in asking such questions (without consideration of people's appearance) or the fact that X's friend really resemble a motherly figure.

I'm truly a terrible person. Karma will come my way soon, I'm quite sure of that.

a little slice of Sweden

You must have thought that I'm referring to Ikea in the title.

But neh, it's not Ikea.

After two rounds (was that considered one lol?) of L4D2 with the girlies on Monday, we took a walk down Haji Lane and Arab Street and found a quaint-looking Swedish cafe/bistro called fika at the end of Arab Street (along Beach Road to be more specific).

Liking that cute little moose atop the letter "i"

One of the 2 shopfronts; this one faces Beach Road.

It was tea-time (sorta) and the heat was melting us, so the idea of a nice place to sit down for a cuppa and some cakes/desserts was really enticing. Thought it would be an interesting place to check out since my dining experiences with Swedish cuisine are mostly can only be associated with Ikea.

Since we were still kind of full from our pancakey brunch, we settled for just drinks and cakes.

Ordered 2 cakes to share, and the girlies had 2 pots of tea while I had a capp.
Not too sure if it's self-service but we walked up to the counter to have our orders placed. There wasn't too many people around when we arrived (2-3 other tables were occupied), and I really enjoyed the sort of tranquility that filled the place. The clean-looking walls and furniture contributed somewhat to that peacefulness too. 

Cappucino ($5.50) - a cuppa a day.

This was quite basic, and the first time I'm seeing chocolate syrup being used to decorate a cappucino.

(have been cafe-spotting a fair bit recently hehe)

fika roughly translates to taking a coffe/squash/tea break (with something sweet) with some friends or family, so it was most fitting that we were there at that point in time!

Caramel-something-something cake ($7.90)

Chocolate-something-fudge cake ($7.90)

The cakes are a little on the pricey side (observed that most other cafes price similar cakes/tarts between $5-6) so thank goodness they tasted quite alright. Both cakes were tender and moist, and the chocolate tasted rich. It felt slightly decadent each time I delivered a morsel of cake to my mouth.

elegant-looking plates

shake shake shake

The cafe's white-washed interior and big windows makes it look very clean, bright and inviting; something that I take to be a common feature of Scandinavian interior architectural design
(again, I have to disclaim my knowledge is limited to Ikea showrooms and catalogs).

Not too bad a place to catch up with pals, and I wouldn't mind coming back again to try some of the Swedish mains when I have slightly more money to spare.

pancakes for brunch

Winded up at Peace Centre on Monday with the girlies after an unsuccessful karaoke attempt at Chinatown; we decided to go for some L4D2 (imagine: lots of screaming, dodging, and clueless crazy clicking) instead.

Since it was still early and we've yet to have lunch, I suggested we pop by Strictly Pancakes that's just across the road. They opened for business 2 minutes after we arrived (at 11-ish); we didn't have to wait too long to get a table. A few others were also seen waiting even before the place was opened.

Picture taken from Rongster's mobile uploads.

We settled ourselves comfortably on the second level, and I found myself to really like the laid-back shophouse setting. Placed our orders with the friendly servers and they brought us some pancake accompaniments before our items were ready.

Special butters: rum and raisin (top), garlic herb (bottom)

Orders of savoury pancakes come with a small dish of butter and a vial of maple syrup.

Benedict the Thief ($14) - basically eggs Benedict on pancakes.

Turkey ham is what goes in between the poached eggs and two extra thick pancakes.

Served with some rocket salad in balsamic vinaigrette dressing and Hollandaise sauce on the side.

The pancakes were quite nicely done; fluffy and light... and it was such a joy to cut through them (compared to places that serve eggs Benedict with really tough, crusty toasts).

The eggs were poached well too, with the right amount of yolk oozing out when I used my fork to prod it open. I thought they could be slightly more generous with the seasoning though, but then again, I'm always asking for my food to be saltier.

Snuggle Up ($13) - hotdogs tucked within pancakes and drizzled with maple syrup; served with caramelized onions and a quail's egg on the side.

The hotdog was savoury to my liking, and the onions were quite yummy too.

But at $13, I was really expecting to see more hearty portions.

Atas hotdog also not that expensive right?

 Apples and Cinnamon ($10) - A stack of 3 pancakes with caramelized apples and a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

At first impression, the girlies thought that the apples were potatoes hur.
Could taste strong hints of cinnamon in it but I thought that the apples could be further caramelized; till slightly crisp from the char. Not too sure if that's achievable though, I am quite the cooking noob.

No fault to find with the ice-cream that was served by the side, it was really quite good.

Enjoyed my meal even though I'm really supposed to be on a carbo sabbatical. 

Really like the idea of pairing pancakes with savoury items though the prices for the savoury pancakes are not exactly that cheap. Business was brisk as the place was quite packed by the time we were done. Wouldn't mind coming back again if I happen to be in the area.

pictures from 2 weeks back

Beginning Wednesday:

Enjoyed TCC's 1-for-1 promotion at Bugis Junction after some walking around with Siao,
before the potluck with the rest of the primary school clique. 

#potluck

Made some pizzas for the potluck dinner at Siao's.

Her family helper prepared the dough and pesto while we rolled out the dough, poked holes in them, spread the pesto and sprinkled toppings generously on them.
That was my virgin pizza-making experience, and I really enjoyed it.

#potluck

Deviled eggs (by yours truly), or what they're supposed to be at least.

Yes, the piping needs some serious working on, I know.

#potluck

Prawns fried with garlic and herbs, courtesy of Jon.

#potluck

Beautiful Mesclun Salad, done by Bin and Lilin. Has got all my favourite vegetables in it! <3

#potluck

Rosti patty with smoked salmon, by Jon again (clap clap)

I just realized I forgot to snap a picture of Shir's yummy sambal fried rice!

#potluck

We played the usual drinking games, and were introduced to more new games by R.

The die is just a farce, we ended coming up with new rules to over-ride the chances which spared the thrower from drinking. And it was a good thing that the enormous bottle of Nutella was hidden from Siao's sight.

On Friday, it was my virgin visit to PLAY!

I believe clubbing's a milestone for us in our 14 years of friendship.

Siao's friend who was really fun to be around.

Saturday:

On the way to Liangliang's 21st party after tutoring, a traffic-light pause on the road.
That's a latest addition to Little Red btw.

At Liangliang's 21st. I felt so old to be around all those young ones gosh.

Monday:

Was less than a minute's drive away from tutee's place at Telok Kurau but got held up for more than 15 minutes because a gigantic construction vehicle was blocking the way. Snapped a shot of this floor-turned-seat mat in the passenger seat beside me, and don't you think it reminds you of the Esplanade too?

Monday:
Meet-up with the girlies at TCC's 1-for-1.

Enjoyed the food, and even more of the company that I had for that evening.

Wuyi Mountains: an action-packed day

Following Xiamen (B on map), our next stop was 武夷山, or the Wuyi Mountains (C on map). 

We arrived at the train station of 武夷山, Wu Yi Shan (yes, there's a train station thus named) in the evening after a 4-6 hours train ride from Xiamen. Located at the northern border of the Fujian Province, Wu Yi Shan is considered to be slightly further inland than where we originally were (Xiamen).

This place is known for its impressive mountain range, and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for both its natural and cultural heritage (mainly tea cultivation and appreciation).

Unlike Xiamen, there weren't too many people tourists around during the time we were there. We learnt from our hired driver that the peak season would begin in 1-2 months' time; I thought we were fairly lucky to have the quiet mountains to ourselves during our 2-night stay here.

We retired to our beds early on the first night since it was already dark when our driver finally managed to find the secluded motel that we made a reservation with.

It was going to be a long day after we rose next morning.

We kickstarted the next day with breakfast at a dumpling store after telling our driver to bring us to where the locals would eat their breakfasts.

He was more than happy to oblige to our request.

Dumplings it was for breakfast.

And some soya milk to wash the dumplings down.

The dumplings were made on the spot; the kneading, folding and filling of dough skin with meat-filling took place at the back while the frying of dumplings in a shallow pan took place at the front of the shop; everything done in clear view of the patrons.

It was a simple but satisfying meal.

I later came to learn that the cuisine in this part of China focuses on the freshness of ingredients used rather than additional enhancing of flavours. Our driver/guide explained to us over lunch that ingredients used in the cooking here are constantly changing with the seasons so as to ensure optimum flavours and freshness when it's finally presented on diners' plates. 

Post-breakfast, our driver/guide brought us to see some waterfalls at a nature reserve.

A fair bit of walking was involved here; though not exactly strenuous, I found myself breaking out in sweat after a good 15 minutes of walking on inclined grounds, despite the shady and cool relief provided by all that trees in there.
(but then again, I need to disclaim that I start perspiring rather easily)


The first of a few waterfalls we'd come to see.

And here are my partners in crime pictured:

Aud, Stella and Sharri

Sights on the way to the top (lots of water and greenery):

Stella requested for a picture at this little 'hut', and of course I was more than happy to oblige:

Definitely one of the cutest, and most helpful and most innocent person I had the chance to know while in HK last year.

After going upwards for about 45 minutes, we arrived at the designated top-most area for visitors. Apart from two middle-aged ladies peddling tea and small souvenir items, there wasn't really anything much else (e.g. spectacular landscape views!).

Though mildly disappointed at the lack of mind-blowing lowland views, I did enjoy the little break we took up there; marveling at our lush surroundings and being grateful for the calmness offered.

View of the top:

Water curtains.

Coming down was much faster and less tiring than going up. 

The idyllic view that greeted us when we got back to the entrance of the nature reserve where our driver was waiting.

We passed by countless tea cultivation grounds; the views of the numerous but neat rows of tea plants were simply beautiful.

Our driver made us get a ticket each that included admission to a few spots and some activities; one of which was the flying fox (at another nature reserve). To get to the flying fox start point, we had to take a 20-minute uphill walk, again. I learnt that it's called 滑索 in Chinese.

Must be one of the most scenic flying foxes I've been on in my life.

If memory doesn't fail me, this was the place where we did the flying fox...
and some scary bungee thing that you'll see in the following few pictures.

It looks pretty harmless from the pictures you see here; judging from my clueless smile in the first picture, but in all honesty, that has got to be one of the scariest experiences of my life.

In order to catapult the unknowing 'victim' into the air, a man would hold on to straps dangling from the safety harness the victim's wearing, jump on the trampoline a few times before pulling you downwards as hard as possible and finally releasing his grip on those harness straps.

Not exactly for the weak-hearted.

What the 'ordeal' felt like:
I felt my heart coming up to my mouth as I screamed my lungs out.
As I was launched into the sky, it felt like the safety ropes snapped and the metal structure holding the ropes and me down got uprooted somehow. It's amazing the amount of thoughts that go through one's mind at moments of impending death. In that few milli-seconds where I was traveling upwards at the speed of light, I cursed myself for agreeing to go on this bungee thing despite a serious lack of safety considerations, got emotional when I thought about how lucky I have been in my life, before pleading silently to be spared from death at such a young age.

Thank goodness the whole thing didn't last for more than 2-3 seconds; the upward launch, that is.

Can't help but be so grateful to be alive when I was finally making my way back down phew.

Thank you but I think I'll stick to the flying fox for now.

A mini waterfall we passed by on the way to the second flying fox venue.

Another scenic ride down.

After all the heart-pumping action, we went water-rafting in the mountainous streams.
It was safe/easy enough for us to launch and manoeuvre our own tubes with an oar each; and the entire experience lasted for about 30 minutes or so.

To calm our nerves from the flurry of activities that afternoon, our driver finally brought us to take a look at the famous peaks of Wuyi Mountains (but not before a claustrophobic walk to see a famous crack in some big rocks that reveal a sliver of the sky - appropriately named 一線天):

霸王峰, or Tyrant's Peak.
(I think)

And this is 玉女峰, or Jade Maiden Peak. Wuyi Mountains' most iconic peak.

The scene was quite difficult to capture with the sun setting just behind those peaks.

Can't really be seen here but there were some families on holiday taking leisure walks on those stones by the river, as well as a couple taking bridal shots.

Our driver told us some interesting myths/fairytales related to the few peaks but I can't really recall them now anymore.

We ended our day by getting some smoked goose (a local specialty) for dinner, and also some yummy tea biscuits to bring back to our friends in Hong Kong. Our driver agreed to send us to the train station the next morning so that we could catch our train to Fuzhou, our transit stop on the way to Beijing.

I really enjoyed our short stay here at 武夷山.
The air's great, and the people hospitable; I miss hearing our driver call us 小姑娘 (as opposed to just 姑娘 in other cities in China that we had been to) - that somehow adds a degree of innocence to the way the locals here perceive people and life in general.

I remember having a conversation with our driver about costs of living in the different places we were from and he was appalled at how costly it is to reside in Singapore; expressing content for the simplicity that he's experienced here for all his life.
That was a nice moment.

Anyhow, we arrived in Fuzhou (福州) after some hours of traveling on the train.
Stella arranged for us to meet up with some of her high school friends, before Sharri and I made our ways to Beijing, and Aud and her head back to HK.

Taking a walk along 南後街 in Fuzhou, a shopping street that still retains traditional architecture from a great many centuries back (yes we were walking on the same streets as the ancient Chinese!) despite the modern goods that are being sold here. There was a very Chinese-looking Starbucks on the left side of the street.

Stella and her wonderful high-school friends.

A visit to Fuzhou (福州) would not be complete without trying the famous Fuzhou fishballs.

This meat-filling was very well-seasoned and that was the best Fuzhou fishball I had in my 23 years of living (well, comparing to the bland-tasting ones we have here in Singapore...).