escapology

A Saastal Summer - 4 days in Saas-Fee

noreply@blogger.com (Ajay Shankar) — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 22:57:00 +0000

Travel Date: Aug 2020

After our 3 days in Zermatt, we did the 45 minute drive from the Täsch Parkhaus to the parking station at Saas-Fee. Just like Zermatt, Saas-Fee is also car-free except that the parking lot is right at the entrance of town, rather than a train ride away.

Swiss Tourism and other Logistics

One constant source of delight is how seriously Switzerland takes tourism. At the parking lot in Saas-Fee are columns with free phones. Pasted on the columns just below these phones are laminated sheets of paper listing the phone number of every hotel property in Saas-Fee.

Once we reached Saas-Fee and parked, all we needed to do was walk over to one of the phones, look up the name of the hotel and call the number. Within a few minutes, an electric vehicle had arrived to pick us up and take us and our luggage to our hotel.

Another rather welcome element is the concept of a family hotel - basically, a hotel that caters to families with young children, with a kids club with play facilities and rooms, breakfast and meals designed to make holidays just a little more relaxing for the parents.

We stayed at the Swiss Family Hotel Alphubel that had a special '4-nights-for-the-price-of-3' deal inclusive of breakfast and dinner. The hotel also had a wonderful view of the 4206m Alphubel mountain in the Swiss Pennine Alps.

Also included in the price of the hotel was the Saastal Card, which gives the benefit of free public transportation and the use of a few of the mountain railways and all of the cable cars in the Saastal valley.

Arriving at a grey, wet, and cold Saas-Fee post lunch meant that we spent our first evening walking around town and visiting the tourist office for maps and planning the rest of our week.

Returning from our explore-the-town expedition, discovered that the inclusive-meals at Hotel Alphubel was very well done indeed. Separate tables, to be used for the entire duration of the stay had been set out for each visiting family. Chairs for kids had been affixed with a special booster seat. We'd also been given a special vegetarian set menu.

Hike to Saas-Almagell

The morning of Day 2 in Saas-Fee was grey and rainy again but the kids were starting to get excited about the new holiday location. So, we bundled them up in new clothes (as an extra incentive) and set off on a 3.6km trek downhill to Saas-Almagell.

The trail starts off from the aptly named Panoramastrasse in Saas-Fee, crossing over a bridge with views on the left and right.

Though there were a few panorama points en-route, the trail mostly wound around the side of the mountain in the shade of trees on both sides and blocked out a mostly-non-existent sun. There were points where it did get cold but the kids bravely soldiered on, on the strength provided after gummi-breaks.

As we finally reached Saas-Almagell, almost as a reward, the sun came out and it wasn't long before the demands for ice-cream began.

We did have time for some running around in a play-area and even time to induct the little guy in some mini-golf with a view.

At Saas-Almagell we did lunch at Restaurant-Pizzeria Channa. They do a mean beetroot wasabi soup and have a variety of flammkuchen (also called tarte flambée). We took the bus back from Saas-Almagell to Saas-Grund and then from Saas-Grund to Saas-Fee.

It had been a good day and dinner of soup and a beetroot salad topped it off.

After a day and a half of grey clouds and rain, the weather had finally changed and we were to see sun for the rest of the holiday.

The cable car to Längfluh and Spielboden

A short walk from our Saas-Fee hotel was the gondola going up from Saas-Fee to Spielboden and from there to Längfluh. Längfluh, at 2868m, is a part of the Swiss Pennines and at least to our eyes has a much bleaker, harsher view of the mountains than from other panorama spots in the Swiss alps.

A short traipse through the snow at Längfluh, especially if one looks out for the signs, also gives a view of some glacier lakes. There are a total of 3 such lakes at Längfluh but at least when we went, there didn't seem to be trekking paths clearly marked and I spent a lot of my time navigating and choosing stepping-stone rocks for footholds.

At Längfluh is the Längfluh Hutte, an open-air café stop at the top of the mountain. The kids took a break for ice-cream, exhausted from their stone-stacking, and the adults joined them, after a trek for some photo-taking.

Halfway down from Längfluh is the stop of Spielboden, where we stopped for lunch (at the Bergrestaurant Spielboden, perched right on the slopes) and a bit of a look-see.

After a delightful lunch of Acquerelle Risotto with fried mushrooms and herbs, I took a bit of a wander around with the kids, while the wife got a few minutes of much-needed downtime.

Spielboden is also said to have plenty of Marmots that we can harmlessly feed with food that we are allowed to pick up from the cable car station. Despite a bit of looking around, we didn't really find Marmots, which helped one of the kids evade the tricky question of whether or not he actually was brave enough to feed them.

On the walk back from the Saas-Fee cable car station towards town, we passed a pitch-and-putt golf course on the left.

I decided the aggravation on vacation may have been too much and we decided instead to turn right, into a Kneipp sensory wellness facility. The facility here, between the base cable car station and the Saas-Fee town, has a water stream, a treading pool, a rest area and a barefoot sensory path. After all the trekking exertions of the day, the kids were delighted to have a chance to get their shoes off and get their feet wet.

18 Viertausender Panorama trail at Hohsaas

From Saas-Fee, a PostBus took us to Saas-Grund Bergbahnen - the stop for the cable car ride up to Hohsaas. Hohsaas is famous for a panoramic trail offering a view of 18 4000m (vier-tausender! it does sound cooler) peaks and a mountain glacier.

From the Saas-Grund bergbahnen stop, the cable car goes onto Kreuzboden and then onto Hohsaas. We would recommend setting off for Hohsaas first and leaving Kreuzboden (more on that later) as a post-trail reward and a break for lunch.

From the Hohsaas cable car station at the top, the path leads towards the café. The panorama trail takes off from this path and winds its way gently up hill over rocks, with arrows and some footholds suggesting the best way forward.

We did a part of this with a 6-yr-old and a 3-yr-old and while the trail is essentially along a mountain ridge with somewhat scary views, it is possible to do with kids. The kids did stop before completing the entire trail, mostly because we adults weren't sure that we could trust the kids to steadily walk the trail without breaking out into a boisterous game of cops-and-robbers at 4000m.

The trail is said to provide panoramic views of 18 peaks, all with heights of over 4000m. Each of these views has a checkpoint with a plaque containing information about the peak. The plaque also has a piece of rock in the shape of the peak, allowing us to identify which the peak is.

A section of the trail also branches off at the top, allowing us to wander off into a bit of ice and snow to see some glacial lakes.

Relaxing at Kreuzboden

After the exertions of Hohsaas, a break for lunch at Kreuzboden with its water wellness and kids' play-areas is a perfect tonic.

The restaurant at Kreuzboden was adequate but even on this trip was a comfortable third behind Blatten and Spielboden.

What does make Kreuzboden terrific for the kids is the extensive play area with slides, rope-bridges, water features and even a petting zoo. We effortlessly spent a few hours here and could possibly have stayed longer, just relaxing in the sun and taking in the mountain views.

Finishing up

We left Saas-Fee just as we had found it - quiet, grey, wet, welcoming and stunning.

It is a vastly different beast than Zermatt with fewer restaurants, fewer bars, fewer people and less buzz but with streets inviting a casual stroll with time to breathe and take in the mountain air and opportunities to turn onto streets with nobody around, especially at this time of the year.

We drove our car onto the shaking, shuddering, groaning car transport at Oberwald and drove off at Realp some 15-20 minutes later. The 3-plus-hr-drive back was a pleasure and seemed to take almost no time at all.

I could attribute it to the great roads and the good weather but the fact is that it had been a good break.

The mountains have always been there, ready to revive and rejuvenate and we'll be back.

A Saastal Summer - 3 days in Zermatt

noreply@blogger.com (Ajay Shankar) — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 09:40:00 +0000

Travel Date: August 2020

2020 has been a year for reducing interaction, for minimizing contact, for sitting at home, for short breaks if conditions permit, for respecting boundaries and borders, for eschewing the exotic and exploring one's home...

Thankfully, the over 41,000 sq. km of Switzerland provide plenty of options for parents to stretch their legs and for the kids to run around. Also, there's nothing quite like the vast expanse of the mountains for some natural social distancing.

So it was that the summer break took us to the Mattertal and Saastal valleys in canton Valais, for a week in Zermatt and Saas-Fee.

Logistics

Trains from Zurich to Zermatt take anywhere between 3 and 4 hours, with all trains stopping off at Visp and the faster trains adding a stop at Bern.

However, with a focus on minimizing interaction, we avoided the normally superb Swiss public transportation and packed a suitcase and 2 kids into a sleepy 7am car.

Zermatt is a car-free village which meant that our drive took us to Täsch, a 12-minute train ride away from Zermatt. There are 3 driving routes from Zurich to Täsch, 2 of which involve driving the car onto a car transport.

On a pleasant day, we decided to avoid the car transport and drove the Furka Pass - a winding road along moss-coloured mountains, passing by a lake (Grimselsee), a reservoir (Oberarsee) and a little town (Obergoms) where we stopped for lunch at the Hotel Grimsel Obergoms.

Our home in Zermatt for 3 nights was the Naco Aparthotel - a spa apartment (yes, there apparently is such a thing) with a heated pool, breakfast and a 5 min walk away from the Zermatt train station and the Gornergrat Bahn that would take us up toward the Matterhorn.

Having arrived in Zermatt early evening, we spent the rest of the day walking around and taking in the children's playground in the center of the town. Say what you will about Switzerland, but they do playgrounds right!

Things to do in Zermatt

1. Take the Gornergrat Bahn for a Matterhorn view

The Gornergrat bahn has been in operation since the late 19th century and was the first fully electric mountain cog railway in the World. Located at a height of over 3000m, Gornergrat provides a panoramic view of the highest peaks in Switzerland - the Dufourspitze at 4634m and Matterhorn at 4478m.

Gornergrat is also the starting point for a hike to the Riffelsee, a mountain lake overlooking the Matterhorn. A little over 2km and an hour's slow walk, it features a a path that wanders alongside the Gornergrat cog line and has views of the Matterhorn throughout. The Riffelsee lake is a few minutes downhill walk away from the Gornergrat bahn stop called Rotenboden, the first one down from Gornergrat, and can be seen at the end of the video.

Walking with a 6-yr-old and a 3-yr-old is quite a challenge and features slow progress and lots of stops for Gummi-bears and sugar but I wouldn't change it for anything.

At Riffelsee, you will find place and space to sit down on the grass, maybe spread out a picnic blanket and watch the clouds roll by. While I wouldn't recommend letting the kids run around, there's grass, flowers and on a good day, perfect sunshine and a spectacular view.

It is quite possible that the Matterhorn is obscured by clouds and the much-photographed shot of the Matterhorn reflected in Riffelsee doesn't quite turn out how you planned it in your head. However, clouds move quickly in these parts. The air is fresh and clean and the views are nothing less than stunning, so perch yourself on a rock, take in the surroundings and give nature a few minutes...

Depending on your appetite for a trek, it is possible to continue walking all the way back down to Zermatt via the Gornergrat bahn line down past Riffelberg then Riffelalp and Findelbach before finally getting down to Zermatt - a total trek of just under 12km.

2. Trek along the River Gorner in the Gornerschlucht

The Gornerschlucht (gorge) is just under a 2km walk from the Zermatt train station through the center of town. It is a ravine through which winds a section of the Gorner river.

The gorge itself is not very long but has wooden walkways and plenty of stairs everywhere (and no ramps) to get around and get views of the raging river and the forested surroundings.

While we had the option of returning the way we came, given the short distance of the gorge itself, we chose instead to do a cliff-top walk through a forest, through the town of Blatten and then back down hill to Zermatt. This is about a 2km trekking loop again, making our entire walk a little shy of 5km.

At Blatten, a stop at the Bergrestaurant Blatten is a pretty good idea. They do a pretty good soup and a terrific rustic alpine Rösti.

Another fairly common and constantly amazing fact about Switzerland is that every mountain town set in a location popular among tourists also has a wonderful play area for children. Blatten is no exception.

The slopes behind the Bergrestaurant also has a Ricola herb garden with several of the herbs that go into the Ricola lozenges that are so popular today. The kids had fun running around and taking in the different fragrances of the different herbs.

From Blatten, the trail eventually heads sharply down the mountain towards Zermatt. There are multiple signs all of which indicate routes back to Zermatt but the one leading straight down the mountain is the fastest of the lot.

3. Grab a bite at the Vegistube in Hotel Pollux

In summer, Zermatt can get very busy and most restaurants tend to be completely filled for dinner by about 7pm in the evening. The only chance of a table is to have a fairly early meal or make a reservation.

In the center of Zermatt and along the main street running to the train station is the family run Hotel Pollux, which has 3 restaurants - a restaurant serving local Valais cuisine, another alpine restaurant with Mediterranean fare and the 'Vegistube' - a vegetarian fine dining restaurant.

Apart from being wonderfully warm on an evening where it was starting to rain and tastefully decorated, Vegistube has probably the best Italian dish I have ever eaten in my life...

A "Home-made cranberry gnocchi with mushrooms, radish and grilled vegetables".

Summing up

Zermatt is exceedingly touristy. There are bars, restaurants and stores all over the main street running through the center of town.

But there is a reason why the tourists come.

Zermatt's sights and mountains are stunning, even for Switzerland where stunning mountain-scapes are so common. And, at the end of a day of taking in the sights, the restaurants beckon. A glass in one hand, the Matterhorn in the background; tired but thankful.

Those are the ingredients of a perfect vacation day.

All Over Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (Ajay Shankar) — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 23:58:00 +0000

Ticino Travels: The Castles of Bellinzona

Ticino Travels: A day in Locarno

Saastal Region: 3 days in Zermatt

Saastal Region: 4 days in Saas-Fee

Rediscovering Ruins: 4 days in Siem Reap, Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (Ajay Shankar) — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 16:56:00 +0000

Travel Date: December 2012

Rediscovering the ruins

In the mid-19th Century, a French naturalist called Henri Mouhot made a total of 4 expeditions through South-East Asia, for the purpose of collecting zoological specimens.

In 1860, at the end of his 2nd expedition, Mouhot discovered an area spread over several hundred sq. kilometres, with temples, terraces, palaces and ancient cities and recorded these with drawings and numerous details in his travel journals. That area was the Angkor temple complex.

Mouhot's published journals can be credited for reintroducing the Western world to a location that now receives several million tourists every year.

Getting there & other logistics

Despite the huge influx of tourists, Siem Reap remains somewhat inaccessible and expensive to get to. Siem Reap is reachable by air from 7 East Asian cities - Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Inchon, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi and Vientiane.

We flew into Siem Reap from Singapore through the now defunct Tiger Airways.

The good news is that once you actually land in Siem Reap, things are wonderfully inexpensive and convenient and US$ are accepted everywhere. Visas are obtained at the airport on arrival, with a passport photograph and $30 (eVisa for $36).

We stayed at the Angkor Miracle Resort & Spa, a 5-star property in the heart of Siem Reap, where the biggest miracle was 5-star room rates of less than $60 a night with additional discounts on F&B.

Itinerary

Our itinerary was based on several hours of browsing, trawling through Google Photos and itineraries from friends that had traveled before. Given the distribution of our itinerary's sites through the city, we also organized a car for the week and for the first time, a tour guide.

Day 1: Sunset at Tonle Sap lake

Day 2: Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphuon and Ta Prohm temples

Day 3: Phnom Kulen waterfalls, Banteay Srei temple and the reclining Buddha

Day 4: Forest temple of Beng Melea and Roluos temples - Bakong, Lolei and Preah Ko

Siem Reap highlights: Top things to do in Angkor

1. Take a sunset boat ride on Tonle Sap lake

Arriving in Siem Reap in the afternoon, we were picked up by our car for the week and taken to the hotel for a quick stop before heading off to Tonle Sap lake.

Tonle Sap is a freshwater lake connected by a river to the Mekong river. Occupying a low-lying depression in the Mekong basin, the lake floods over during the monsoons in September, with its size changing from around 2500 sq. km. to about 16000 sq. km. Also a biodiversity hotspot, it was designated a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.

Tonle Sap is characterized by its stunning colours at sunset, stilt houses, floating domiciles along its borders and kids piloting themselves along its waters on tiny boats (or even large kitchen utensils), before diving in and coming up with snakes around their neck.

It's a great way to make a relaxed start to your holiday with a gentle cruise along with water as watercolor-like shades fly past your eyes.

2. Watch the sun rise over the towers of Angkor Wat

Even though this requires a 5am start to the day, there were plenty of souls braving the December nip in the air to catch a glimpse of the sunrise over the Angkor Wat temple complex. Despite how popular and touristy this activity might now seem, if you have the right company, there is a certain pleasure in waiting excitedly for a moment of magic.

The temple complex of Angkor Wat stretches over 400 acres and is said to be the largest religious monument in the world. Originally constructed in the first half of the 12th century and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, it was gradually converted to be a Buddhist temple. The center and capital of the Khmer empire, it is the symbol of Cambodia, also appearing on its flag.

The Angkor Wat temple itself is said to be represent Mount Meru, home of the gods in Hindu mythology, with a moat, outer wall, a series of rectangular galleries and 5 towers arranged in a cross in the center of the temple. The intricate work and the carvings of Devas (gods) on its walls are standouts.

3. Smile along with the faces of the Bayon temple

After the death of king Suryavarman, under whose reign the Angkor Wat temple was first constructed and then designated as the capital, the city was attacked by the Chams (the Khmer's traditional enemy, hailing from what is today, South Vietnam). King Jayavarman established a new state temple, the Bayon, and capital at Angkor Thom, a few kilometers away.

Angkor Thom's gate lies about 1.7km North of Angkor Wat. The gates lead right to the Bayon temple at the city's center. Similar to Angkor Wat, Bayon again is said to represent Mount Meru with the moat and the city walls said to represent the mountains and oceans surrounding the mountain.

The city gates have faces similar to those on the Bayon temple towers. Bridges or causeways cross the moats into the city and are guarded by rows of figures representing Asuras (demons) on the right and Devas on the left, each row holding a serpent - a depiction from the story of 'Churning of the Ocean' in Hindu mythology.

While it is unclear whose faces have been depicted on the Bayon temple (some say that this is the Boddhisattva of compassion, called Lokesvara, while others believe that these faces are those of the King Jayavarman), this last state temple of Angkor was the only one to have been built as a Buddhist shrine.

The inner gallery of the temple depicts events from Hindu mythology and the upper terrace has over 200 of the faces, for which the temple is famous. Typically 3 or 4 of the faces adorn a tower, of which there are now 37.

4. Find the hidden Buddha at the Baphuon temple

The Baphuon temple, located northwest of the Bayon, is a three-tiered temple built in the mid-11th century, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, and the state temple of King Udayadityavarman.

In the late 15th century, it was converted to a Buddhist temple and a 9m x 70m long Buddha statue was built by demolishing one of the temples' existing towers.

5. Look out onto Angkor Thom from the kingdom's terraces

Angkor Thom has two terraces - the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King. The Temples of the Elephants was used by King Jayavarman to view his returning army and for public ceremonies.

The Temple of the Leper King was built for Yama, the Hindu God of Justice and Death and is believed to have been used for cremations.

6. Follow Lara Croft's footsteps at the Ta Prohm temple

Built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries as a Buddhist monastery by King Jayavarman, Ta Prohm is now most famous for the trees growing out of and over the temples, and the jungle surroundings in which the temple is found.

A UNESCO site since 1992, Ta Prohm is also famous for being one of the shooting locations of 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' and is one of the most visited temples in the Angkor region.

7. Go with the Flow at the Phnom Kulen waterfalls

Phnom Kulen National Park is located about 50km from Siem Reap and in the Phnom Kulen mountains. A place of historical significance, it also marks the location where King Jayavarman proclaimed himself ruler.

Phnom Kulen (tr: Mountain of the Lychees) has 2 waterfalls. The first is 4m tall and 25m wide.

The second is 15-20m tall and about 15m wide.

Apart from the Phnom Kulen waterfalls, the National Park also has the Preah Ang Thom pagoda with the status of the reclining Buddha, carved in the 16th century and the carved riverbed of the Kbal Spean river containing rock carvings in sandstone formations all along the river bed.

8. Watch the light dim on the red sandstone of Banteay Srei temple

Banteay Srei (citadel of the women) was built in the 10th century and the only temple of the Angkor temples not credited to a king. Built as a tribute to the Hindu god Shiva by 2 of the king's courtiers and counselors, it is one of the smallest (and in my opinion, the most beautiful) temples in Angkor.

Made from red sandstone, its elaborate and intricate carvings are well-preserved and still clearly visible today.

9. If you have time for one more temple, see Bakong, the first

After 3 days of temples, if you still have the appetite for just one more, then the Bakong temple is the one to visit. Constructed in the 9th century, Bakong was the first temple mountain of sandstone constructed by the Khmer empire at Angkor.

Consisting of 3 concentric chambers separated by moats, the Bakong temple is not as well preserved as some of the other Angkor temples with only fragments of the original stucco carvings.

10. The Siem Reap War Museum

A personal opinion is that all tourism needs to also touch upon the history of the place being visited. Therefore, one of the most important stops on our trips was the Siem Ream War Museum. An indelible part of Cambodia's recent and disturbing history was the genocide by the Khmer Rouge and the war between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the communist forces of the Rouge.

Historical Tourism and Angkor

Enjoying Historical tourism involves exercising imagination; the ability to look at ruins and imagine what life might have been centuries ago, what Henri Mouhot might have felt and seen stumbling onto this wondrous location; what his notes and images might have said.

Cambodia and Siem Reap are perfect examples of sites where the ravages of time and the clash of cultures and religions have, to structures that existed for hundreds of years, added elements of magic, mystique and wonder.

If magic, mystery, history, culture and ruins are your thing, then, just like it was for Henri Mouhot, Angkor will be waiting.