I don't have many winter stories to tell. Obviously, I live in Malaysia. But that doesn't mean I have no stories to tell. If I recall correctly, I once spent a snowy season in Germany hiking with strangers - this was back when Instagram was cool, when the ultimate goal of having the app was to connect with like-minded people.

 

In Berlin, I made contact with Max Muench. He is now a well-known photographer of travels. A week before Christmas, he decided at the last minute to go hiking in the Harz Mountains, a mountain range located three hours outside of Berlin. He invited some his friends from all around Germany to join the hike. I f I still remember their names, I met Sandra, Pamuk, Moritz, Freddy, and a few more people. I wasn't really prepared for the hike, but thankfully these folks gave me some hiking boots and cold clothing to prevent my Asian blood from clotting; joking aside, I easily got my ear hurting in the winter. The discomfort gets unbearable after 30 minutes in the windy winter.

Anyway, the journey to this mountain was nothing short but breathless beautiful. Everywhere we looked was white. We rented a car and drove from one mountain regions to the other to get the best perfect snowy shots. To be frank, I was a bit worried coz the road was so slippery - almost like black ice.

 

We took our time hiking the trek in the mountains. The route wasn't challenging. The mountain's trail was well-maintained, but the snow had me. I still remember both of my ears got so painful.  Although I did wear a snow cap, it didn't really help. I wrapped a scarf over my head to keep my ears warm while I continued the hike .

 

The view was breathtaking, as I recall. Snow had completely covered everything, making the scene picturesque. Some of the leaves were frozen, giving in these lovely frosty designs, almost resembling a mould for your Christmas tree decorations.  The top view was the "polar express train", which almost immediately brought you to the fictional north pole tale.

 

That was certainly one of my favourite wintertime adventures. Would love getting in touch with these incredible folks and reliving the experience.

I wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  Unfortunately, I won't be travelling to any snowy countries this year. But that's okay.

 

Goodbye for now. I'll share with you some photos taken during the winter adventure by Pamuk.

 

Speak soon and see you in 2023!

 

Cheers,

Kerol.