This year’s severe snow conditions have closed off many backcountry destinations. Meanwhile, Highway SR 20 opened on one of its historically earliest dates. After a much shorter resort season, I enjoyed a very busy weekend. According to my Google Maps notes, it seems that I had been to Hidden Lake Peak and the lookout a long time ago, but I can’t remember any details.
Booking a snow trip in advance is a gamble. You take a chance on the weather, hoping for the perfect conditions.
提前预定滑雪行程堪比赌博，若非此次偶然机遇，直滑也难成行。
The 14-day liveaboard diving experience during Xmas in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, was so unique to me that there is no way for me to summarize everything in just one or two posts. I will try to upload the photos here, post by post, to share some of the best memories.
El Niño has left the snow conditions in the Pacific Northwest historically poor this year. And the snow trip we had booked long ago naturally turned into a more laid-back journey. Though we arrived in Boise amidst a winter storm, the accumulation amounted to no more than an inch or two, followed by several dry days.
I began to feel familiar with this place and accustomed to the area where I had stayed for three days.
From Jakarta Station, located in the heart of the capital city, the high-speed train took less than an hour to reach Bandung. A stark contrast to Jakarta’s skyscrapers - the only remarkable building visible from afar was the Al Jabbar Grand Mosque, distinguishable by its unique shape and four surrounding 99-meter-tall minarets.
The high-speed rail - Whoosh, a joint venture between Indonesia and China, felt familiar, as I had recently taken a similar train from Shanghai to Hangzhou in China. Having been operational for only two months, the excitement was palpable; people eagerly took photos with the train and the conductor ladies.
