view of the small village
Just like last week, I took a Transisère bus and promptly reached my destination within 1 hour. The first thing that we did there was to head to the Office du Tourisme which was located just next to the Gare Routière (bus station). We were recommended a few hiking trails and we were off before long.
starting point
Our designated first stop was Pont de l'Amour (Bridge of Love). The trail was relatively easy and we reached there in less than one hour. I was expecting a very grand bridge but it turned out to be just a simple wooden bridge. In fact there was no need for a bridge there as underneath it was just a very narrow stream which I could cross with my new randonée (hiking) shoes. Not bad I tested my shoes under water and it was really water-proof!! Quite worth it for the 50 euros I paid! Carlos (my new friend from Samba country) and I stopped there for a quick lunch. It was so tranquil over there that u could hear very clearly the singing of the birds.
top (L-R): Pont de l'Amour, Moi testing out my new randonée shoes. bottom: Carlos and I with our lunches.
Our next stop was Roybon which I was not sure what it was famous for. It is located at an altitude of 1400 m above sea level. Climbing up there was no mean feat considering that I have not been doing any vigorous exercise since the end of last IHG in January 07. Basically the hiking trails here have been categorised into 3 difficulty levels: facile, moyen et difficile. The trail up to Pont de l'Amour was facile (easy) but the one leading to Roybon was rough. It was rocky, wet and steep. We were already panting like dogs 15 minutes into our hike.
L-R: on the way up..up..and further up, SHAGGED
About half an hour later, we noticed some white patches on a green field to the left of our trail. The patches were so long that I thought it was just some puddles of water. Carlos, convinced that it was not water, climbed down to the slope and then it dawned on us that those patches were melting snow! We were expecting to see snow but not this early into the hike. I was very excited cos this was the first time I touched a real snow, not some artificial snow in Snow City Singapore. Hopefully I would get to feel snow falling before I return to Singapore.
The first great discovery
top (L-R): Carlos et moi, leaving our mark. bottom: sceneries
After playing enough with the snow, we continued hiking and after just 50 m, we discovered even more snow along the trails. And when we reached Roybon, we were greeted by a breathtaking view of snow-covered mountains and fields. It was an amazing feeling seeing a single small hut on the mountain with snow all around it. It felt like a cartoon scene that I watched in my childhood. Haha.
View at Roybon
We were contemplating if we should continue going up to an altitude of 1700 m where the path will be fully covered by snow. However, we decided against it as Carlos was not equipped with the right shoes to thread the snow. We then took a different way down. The trip down was less eventful but we managed to have some fun taking stupid photos.
L-R: Lost, On the way down
Once we were back in the village centre, we went to the bike shop. We paid 3 euros for a simple bike for 1 hour ride. This was my first road cycling experience out of Singapore and now I understand why Jeremy loves to cycle so much. It was just so...SHIOK!! nice view except till the part when u have to cycle a long stretch of uphill road...DIE..break leg! the most suay thing is that the chain of my bike broke and i had to push it all the way back to the shop. luckily the lady owner was kind enough to give me a new one to cycle for another 20-25 minutes.
L-R: on the road, shagged.
overall a very eventful trip with brand new experiences. definitely tiring but i am raring to go for more.
1 comment:
Hi! Stole some photos from your blog, I hope you don't mind. Do you? Ooops, too late =P
See ya
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