Morning Walk by Ourselves @ Huangshan in China

With the morning free time at Huangshan,my family and I decided to check out the surroundings of Shilin Hotel (黄山狮林大酒店) to make full use of time! 

After unknowingly trespassing a private space ( the Upcloud Shilin Villa), we continued our hike to the highest point! Of course, there are numerous trails but we had been informed by our tour guide the day before that we can just take the pathway to the left after exiting the hotel.

Protection to prevent rockfall.

Upwards to the Qingliang Terrace, where it was said to be give a spectacular view of sunrise, sea of clouds, and sights of the 18 arhats to nanhai and the 18 bends. Well, not expecting much given the thick fog.

Didn't see much indeed and given the drizzle, the ground was wet, and I was so afraid that my dad would slip and fall. Thankfully, we had prepared in advance by asking him to wear his hiking shoes we purchased at Decathlon for our Sapa trip in 2024! 

I was more captivated by the bird.

A splash of yellow amidst the green.

Nevertheless, we can't control the weather and having the mountains shrouded in a blurry filter did make the walk very comfortable and mystical. It also helped that most of the tourists had yet to ascend the mountains, contributing to a relaxing atmosphere. 

The stone sign said don't climb the cliff. And I definitely wouldn't given my fear for heights and there's absolutely no barricade!

Climbing, and climbing; not a bad workout for a morning. A trivia; how big do you think would be the scale of the Huangshan granite mass? It's actually 15-kilometer long and 10-kilometer wide, albeit in an elliptical shape. 

My 74-year old dad can climb.

But we did buy a hiking pole to aid him further.

A view we didn't manage to capture; the stone monkey watching the sea (of clouds). One thing about travelling in China; there are always references to how mother nature isn't that boring. That rock looks like bodhisattva with her hands clasped, that's an eagle spreading its wings, from that angel, it's like a tiger about to bounce. 

Closed section.

Another viewing platform; aside from the uncertainty of a guaranteed view, the slippery looking slope and the handrails that didn't look too secure made me stop in my tracks. 

One wrong move; and I shall tumble down the mountain.

Though crazy, I am no daredevil, unlike my elder sister!! Gosh, my legs were literally shivering on her behalf and if anything happens to her, how am I going to explain to her hubby and children?! 

This would be good enough; and less heart pumping.

I still didn't dare to venture too far out. Friends and colleagues who know would be aware I am super clumsy and the joke I always mentioned is that I am clueless as to why I am still able to stay alive. Guess thanks to my guardian angels.

Trust me; I still managed to slip. 

What would you have imagined from this young pine tree? One side was flourishing yet the other was bare, yet at certain angles, it's like a bird was perched on it! 

Going back, slowly.

One step at a time.

More and more people coming up as we descended. Now Huangshan can be therapeutic to explore, when human number is small. Too many people, and it get too inevitably noisy but most importantly more dangerous as the paths are actually too narrow. 

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Click HERE for our 8 Days Huangshan, Tunxi, Yixian, Wuyuan, Mount Qiyun, Thousand-Island Lake, Hangzhou Tour Package to China via CTC Travel Agency

Venchi Chocolate and Gelato @ Genting Highlands Premium Outlets [Malaysia]

Even though I personally feel that a mug of hot chocolate is the best beverage to have on a chilly day, I am actually not crazy over chocolates, and don't quite understand why people can spend so much on them! 

Given the above, it was Alex, and not I, who decided to check out Venchi Chocolate and Gelato at Genting Highlands Premium Outlets. For me, the interior design for this chocolatier appeared too high class for me and I am likely to avoid unless it was tagged as a must-patronize.

For your reference! There are actually branches of Venchi Chocolate and Gelato in Singapore but again, I am not huge on chocolates and wouldn't actively notice. 

Nevertheless, Alex was drawn by the gelato at Venchi after seeing a few customers coming out of the store, each holding on to a waffle cone topped with delicious scoops of gelato. He was focused on having gelato and the problem was: which flavour to choose from the 16 available options. 

The bigger the cone, the more flavours of gelato you can choose from. Since there were two persons to share the fats, of course Alex would choose the large cone, which cost an eye-dropping RM 45.00, and an additional RM3.00 for chocolate spread and RM5.00 for peanut nibs! 

I didn't know as I thought the spread and peanut nibs were complimentary.

Not complaining here since I am not paying a single cent. 

Aside from gelato, you can of course get some chocolates. And if you are unsure what to have, you can freely pick from the many containers, comprising of individually wrapped chocolates that cost RM 78 per 100 grams... I don't know about you, but that's pricey right?! 

Here's our expensive gelatos on cone! Flavours were chocoviar 75% (with 75% extra dark chocolate with nut nibs), piedmont hazelnut, bronte pistachio and milk chocolate with the former three labeled as iconic. 

Note: the gelatos melt very quickly and serving scoop was quite small! The flavours didn't disappoint with a thicker consistency and denser texture compared to ice cream; personally I actually prefer the non-iconic milk chocolate (guess I am a cheapo when it comes to chocs). 

The gelatos didn't even go right down the depth of the cones but you do get a surprising sprinkling of peanut nibs at the base. By this time, both Alex and I were already stuffed, not to mention we had filling sweet potatoes just half an hour ago! 

Despite my stance on not wasting food, there's no way I can stuff the cone down my throat. So, I had to make the decision to discard the above. p.s. Alex doesn't care. Tsk tsk. Asshole. 

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Address

Suite 620, KM13, Genting Highlands Premium Outlets, 

69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Large Gelato - RM 45.00

Chocolate Spread - RM 3.00

Peanut Nibs - RM 5.00

China Food from 蜀道湘食府 @ Ria Apartment in Genting Highlands [Malaysia]

Those going up Genting Highlands in Malaysia would have noticed the two apartment blocks and like me, assumed that they were for those employed in the many business establishments located at the highlands. 

What many didn't realize was that there were restaurants located at the ground floor of those apartments and today, I am going to check out 蜀道湘食府! 

For someone who complains that Singapore has too many eateries selling China food, I turned out to be craving for China food when I was at Genting Highlands! From the menu, it seemed to focus on three main Chinese cuisines; the Xiang (Hunan), Chuan (Sichuan) and Yue (Cantonese).

Menu as above; sad thing was that I was only with Alex. Known to be a small eater with a bird stomach, I knew I couldn't try as much as I would have loved to, and had to be conservative when it comes to ordering.

Grilled Beef and Mutton - come with a minimum of three sticks (can mix), the beef was tender and juicy with the aroma of sesame seeds, the unmistakable cumin flavor with a touch of spiciness! Mutton was as good, added with signature gamineness that didn't overwhelm the palate with thin layers of yummy fats! 

Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms - batter was not crispy enough with a hollowness that failed to impress. The manager actually realized and offered to refry to improve the texture, which we kindly declined. Lost us on the dish but won us with his service. 

Pan-fried Pork - nowadays, I will attempt to order guo ba rou when I see it on the menu. Covered in a sticky sauce that wasn't insanely sweet like some eateries, the problem here would still be the batter although they had a light crisp that sadly, softened quickly. Taste wise, actually slightly above average. 

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One thing for sure, I will back for the grilled skewers next time! 

For the other two dishes, maybe I should try others.

Address

2 Lot No.G/LG4.00 Ground Floor, 

Ria Apartment, Genting Highlands, 

Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Grilled Beef - RM 3.00 each

Grilled Mutton - RM 3.00 each 

Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms - RM 25.00

Pan-fried Pork - RM 48.00