The Gone Goat

30/04/2024

⛰️ It took a 30 minute flight, jumping on a longboat, exploring Caves, to hiking 9km to Camp 5 before attempting to climb the Mulu Pinnacles.

🧗‍♀️ A very Indiana-Jones like adventure, we scoured the immense jungles of Borneo at Mulu National Park while hearing about tales of deadly falls. My fear to climb these exceeded the reality sometimes. Would you climb these Pinnacles or at the very least visit Mulu National Park?

You can read all about this adventure on my blog post (link in the comments below!)

12/02/2024

Taking these long hikes in the woods and discovering ancient ruins during the colonial times. The British had a whole resort up here in the 1920s.

It has been so hot lately but we found this trek to be super breezy; there were multiple river crossings and cute puppies following us at the beginning of the trek!

🌿 On all that's happening in the world: What if everyone just stopped fighting and worked together to find peace, or looked to nature for answers...

14/07/2023

With the Dolomites, Pyrenees and Swiss Alps being the most popular option for a lot of trekkers, I wanted to do the complete opposite — somewhere remote, quiet and one that meanders through charming villages and tranquil meadows.

The Peaks of the Balkans Trails in Europe stood out in every aspect — the 192km trail offers a glimpse of traditional Balkan culture and warm hospitality. Stretching across Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo, the trek weaves through some of the most remote and unspoiled corners of the Balkans.

⛰️ Here's a post of what's it like to hike for 9 days in three countries.

Hiking the Peaks of Balkans Trails in Europe stood out in every aspect — the 192km trail offers a glimpse of traditional Balkan culture and warm hospitality. Stretching across Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo, the trek weaves through some of the most remote and unspoiled corners of the Balkans.

24/02/2023

34. A heightened sense of emotional intelligence. The best age is wherever you're.

24/01/2023

It took me a long time to put this together... and it finally is here!

After years of dreaming of faraway places, there was no other place that had taken my breath away quite like the Indian mountains and deep down part of me wanted to revisit it and cycle these places alone.

In August 2022, I spent 45 days in the Himalayas and two weeks cycling the Manali to Leh highway solo. Here’s an account of what’s it like to cycle in the Indian mountains as a solo female.

25/10/2022

I lost track of which day I was at but this was probably Day 8 where I cycled from Darcha to Upper Zing Zing bar (and yes that is a name and not a bar!)

I was not feeling it when I started cycling from Darcha after having such a lovely time with my homestay host. The inclines were also somewhat steep but gradual and it was really quiet when I started out in the morning. My homestay host offered to trail me behind on his Jeep until it felt Ok to be on my own... And out of nowhere I met another cyclist at a lake point who was cycling all the way from Singapore which took him 8 months.

I guess I shouldn't be complaining if he was on his 8th month as opposed to the 8th day of my trip. With a lot of stops at every bend and sugar loaded biscuits, we made it to Upper Zing Zing bar... I met other people from other homestays who recognized me and treated me with chai.

Swipe to see the evening views at the dhaba and the simple food at these places!

17/10/2022

On the 7th day, cycling from Keylong to Darcha! It rained all morning and I waited it out for 2-3 hours at a dhaba.

The more I sat down and waited, the harder it became to think of cycling! But at 11am the weather changed and out came blue skies!

It all looked terrifying as I saw these huge mountains but I was still in complete awe!

Most people stopped at Jispa but I decided to push on till Darcha and I was exhausted when I saw the valley required a bit more cycling to reach the uppermost homestay. A local teacher saw me and told me to go to "Baralacha-la homestay" where his son in law named Tenzin and his family runs it.

It was gorgeous with the most beautiful view of the Bhaga river and glaciers in Lahaul region. Tenzin 's family had this whole garden with organic produce of the freshest vegetables like peas, cauliflower and potatoes! It was comforting to have a slice of home while journeying through these mountains and be reminded of simple things!

12/10/2022

It is possible to feel like you're dying and thriving at the same time!

The fleeting moments that live forever when I am sometimes out of breath but so very alive with these views trailing behind and alongside me!

19/09/2022

Usually shy away from interviews as I just got back, but here's something that a friend interviewed me for recently!

"I have cycled in Krygyzstan, travelled overland from Iran to Europe and most recently spent 45 days in India and cycled the Manali-Leh highway solo.

"My biggest tip for solo female travellers is to ensure you don’t tell people the truth – always come prepared with white lies and say you’re married, and wear a fake wedding ring if you have to! This is to ward off attention, avoid questions, and cut the conversation short about your marital status!"

Full story: https://inreallife.my/this-33yo-msian-girl-traveled-india-for-45-days-cycled-the-himalayas-for-2-weeks-solo/

02/09/2022

Day 2 and glorious roads and switchback roads from Kothi to Marhi!

A little bit of rain all morning and sunshine and wildflowers in full bloom.

There was hardly any vehicles and I am so glad I took the scenic route instead of some tunnel!

23/08/2022

First day of cycling on Manali to Leh highway. It rained pretty much the whole ride. I was kind of nervous starting out in the morning, after starting and stopping countless times! Atleast 5 people told me I couldn't do it since it is uphill all the way which made me feel far more motivated to continue cycling...

Taking tea breaks and admiring the green views helped a lot! Somehow it was not as bad cycling with the rains compared to the scorching heat I was about to face in the coming days 👀

16/08/2022

First day of getting my bearings in Old Manali. Rented a bicycle and met a local who showed me around. Running on 20 hours of no sleep but I guess the adrenaline of just being this close to the mountains made all the difference!

14/06/2022

It has been some time and I almost forgot how to explore, or continue these conversations about the places that I visited in the past.

The guys at The Travelers Blueprint invited me to a show to talk about the past adventures I took, my blog and fighting fears and choosing adventures tagged as "sufferfest"!

➡️ Link to the Spotify podcast is here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0nO07DRaCKEIOsPeirDi5Y?si=urJrhG-WTvGWQjfL-AOZuQ

11/07/2021

Time to take a break from the political news and covid-19 and shine a spotlight on animals that we're close to losing!

We lost the Rhino in 2019, but the Bornean Bantengs are close to extinction. Here's a story I did with Macaranga on what scientists are doing to save Malaysia's endangered large animals.

With Malaysia having lost its last rhinoceros in 2019, conservationists are calling for serious intervention to reverse species decline.

14/04/2021

I am terrible at updating my FB page sometimes and if there's one post I would like to share it is about getting started with bike touring.

A lot of people think it is hard, logistics, physically and mentally but it is not when you think of this great big cycling boom that is here to stay after the pandemic -- people will be more conscious of their travelling style. What do you think -- would you give it a go?

I get asked a lot how to start bike (bicycle) touring and in general how to even begin the arduous process of travelling with a bike/bicycle. Here’s a beginners guide on how to travel by bike.

08/03/2021

I know it is international women's day but I am not here to celebrate it.
In my youngest years, I grew up with no time spent outside. I was shaped to believe the outdoors or hardcore sports were only meant for men or women who look boyish!
I have seen women get interrupted when she knows what she is doing. Seen women shy away from learning a new skill for fear of embarrassing themselves and I have seen women excluded from outdoor recreation simply under the assumption they have no interest!
I was told I was not competent enough to join some outdoor groups and I often had to find my own tempo to do things on my accord! But here's to rethinking gender norms and human relationships with outdoor recreational sports. Whatever it is, always .
In this picture, everyone won a medal except me because I came last vs my mid 20-s learning to cycle and ignoring people that I needed to be fit to go bike touring!

28/02/2021

Just another post of me looking out into the world. When I turned 30 in 2019, I wanted to do something extreme like cycle in Kyrgyzstan and now I just turned 32 a few days back, the most extreme thing I do these days is cook food, go out for a run and try to push myself to hopefully one day do a marathon if I ever make it past the 10km mark and find local spots where I can go cycling and dodge crowds, cars and masks breachers!
It is the most mundane thing yet somehow feels good to have a routine before I shake things up again.
I am curious, what have you done/plan to shake things up?