Catching Up: The Hike

Been lazy lately, I mean getting my ass down and putting a few words in this blog. I guess writing is kinda difficult to keep as a habit especially the mind is constantly occupied by works, daily routine, and all the minor details that we need to keep track on. Even if I have free time, I will choose to let the mind went totally blank, mindlessly focusing my eyes on the rectangular screen searching for visual entertainment.

All is bad excuses.

So here I am. Hide in my air-con room, hand on the laptop trying to stitch a few words up about recent happening. Knowing that I'm a terrible writer, I will keep this short and let the photos do all the talking.

I have been to a few hiking trip lately, some with a Meet-up group I found out on the internet and some with my colleagues and friends. I called all this trip my running away from Tokyo. Nothing wrong about Tokyo - a big city with lots of happening, but imagine you being trapped in this concrete jungle, and facing a computer screen almost constantly in the office, nature is what you crave for.

First Stop: 那須塩原 (Nasushiobara)
Starting from the visitor center of the national park, there are a few trekking route to follow on. You will be surprise to find open-air baths in the wild and people are actually using them, but of course only guys...it takes too much courage for girls to bath openly. So we can only let our imagination run wild :p

Second Hike: 御岳山(Mitake-san)
This was an easy run away, just an hour plus train ride from Tokyo. Take the cable car and the mid way is the best starting point for the hike. Depends on your stamina, there also a few trekking course to chose to.

The most recent run-away: 奥日光(Oku-Nikko)
600 meters height form the city center of Nikko. Oku-Nikko is famous for its chilly weather during summer days. Very well maintenance trek which is very easy to walk on...and to be accurate I can't call it a trekking course, a walking route should be a better term. :p

Running Away from the City: Hachijō-jima

Getting bored sitting in the office, facing the rectangular screen. And my mind still hang in the southern island.

That's my yearly run away. Run away from the concrete city. Run away from work. Run away from the realities.

My second camping trip with Tokyo Gaijin, to Hachijō-jima, a volcanic island, located at the southernmost of the Izu Seven Islands. 12 hours ride on the ferry and what welcome us was the spectacular sun rise in the middle of the sea.

The island is famous for diving. Me, not even a good swimmer, had to cross that out from the to-do list shamefully only hoping that some day in the future, I can get pass my phobia with the sea and dive into the mysterious world... crossed out the sea, concurring the volcanic peak of Hachijō-fuji was the best experience I had on the island.

There is another peak Mt. Mihara on the island, but it was a disappointment especially when the expectation was lifted with the Hachijō-fuji. The route to waterfalls seem abandoned and the hike end with a long hours of walks.

It was children's day and there was the festival, with a routine fire-stunt shows. Tried out some long exposure shot hand holding the camera. Most of them craps but got a couple that maybe some will called art?

And my trip end with a terrible news from Malaysia. Death of Democracy. We failed to throw out the rotten government that had stayed on power for too long. With dirty tactics, apparently they managed to hold on their breath for another five years. The sun rising in front of me was a big gap of what I felt about the future of my country in the hand of a group of racist morons...

As for today, racist issues is again played, student activist was detained. The road to true democracy seem far and unattainable...sometimes I can't help but questioning myself, why hide in Japan and complain? Why not try to change something? Why not go back and fight along with the fellow Malaysian..........