THE tourist bait dangling in front of us is a thermal bath at Walliser Alpentherme & Spa, which is reputedly the largest spa complex in Switzerland.
Already we've been treated to a sumptuous Chinese lunch, a taste closer to home for the five of us — media representatives from Southeast Asia — after six days of eating Western food.
"But before the thermal bath, letʼs go for a short... errr... maybe one-hour easy walk to the canyon to see where this therapeutic thermal water comes from," says cheerful Stefanie Tangeten, our guide from Leukerbad Tourism.
At an altitude of 1,411m above sea level, walking in the quaint village of Leukerbad, a 130km train journey from Zurich (Switzerland's largest city), should be a walk in the park. Okay, maybe it needs a little more effort and adventure.
After all, we should be acclimated to the high altitude after visiting four destinations located more than 3,000m above sea level throughout the first four days of our eight-day Summer Outdoor Media Trip organised by Switzerland Tourism.
THE WALK
The Thermal Canyon Walk is the only hiking activity in the itinerary, and I must say that I have been looking forward to it.
The walk begins with a leisurely stroll from the restaurant to the village's main square that is well marked by a charming church standing opposite the grand Walliser Alpentherme.
Getting into her rhythm, Stefanie leads the way and stops at specific spots to tell us stories of their link to the village's thermal background.
Before we realise it, we are already walking on the village's steep outer road that entails a fierce calf-strengthening climb!
The walk continues upwards before we turn into a lane that cuts across a vast grassland. After almost an hour walking under the high noon sun, we enter a forested area that provides much-needed shade.
Standing at such a high altitude with clear cloudless skies, the average temperature of 27˚C in Laukerbad feels much hotter than Kuala Lumpur's 32˚C. And this is aggravated by the dry, windless weather.
We make a brief stop at the rocky Dala river, which is the entrance to the Dala gorge. "Here, the Thermal Canyon Walk starts. Where we just walked is the Thermal Spring Trail," says Stefanie.
Going off the asphalt road, the walk takes on a dirt track that leads to a steel walkway suspended about 4m from the river bed and securely fastened to the vertical bank of the gorge.
The 600m walkway leads to a suspension bridge connecting to the other side of the gorge, where the 35m-tall pristine waterfall is located.
The all-along ascending walk doesn't end there. It gets higher with two flights of stairs that head to the upper reaches of the gorge.
By then, we are already in the open — no longer shaded by the towering gorge walls. As we walk across a small wooden bridge, the rather flat walk marks the return loop of the canyon walk.
As we try to catch our breath and nurse our tired calves, it is nice to catch the beautiful sight of a farmhouse on the grassland, with jagged mountain peaks in the background.
Now, this is hiking in Switzerland! Though at just 165m of elevation, the 5km walk is enough to make the whole group look forward to the next agenda.
THE MOUNTAINS
Seeing that there is another mountain in the itinerary, my heart is quick to announce that I am already happy with the two-hour Thermal Canyon Walk and that I am ready to go home.
Why? Because I deduce that Matterhon Klein will have attractions similar to the earlier high-altitude destinations — Mount Titlis (3,238m), Fraekmuntegg (1,469m), Jungfraujoch (3,454m) and Mount Schilthorn (2,970m).
What these mountains have in common are well-connected train and cable car ride systems and year-round winter attractions, such as close-up views of the snow-capped mountains and glacier tunnels. Which make them more appealing and attractive as sight-seeing destinations suitable to leisure visitors.
So forgive me for taking the touristy Zermatt village, the jumpoff base for the iconic Matterhorn, with no expectation of anything adventurous or even arduous.
Of course, each destination has its own attractions. Take Fraekmuntegg, which is actually an offshoot of Mount Pilatus, for instance. Although at its peak it is only about half as tall compared with other mountains, it is still a popular place for those looking for some fun under the cool sunshine.
The mountain station is home to Switzerland's longest summer toboggan run, as well as the largest rope park in Central Switzerland.
Mount Titlis, on the other hand, offers what is believed to be the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe, which is also the Lake Lucerne Region's highest vantage point.
Suspended at an altitude of about 3,000m above sea level, walking across the 100m Titlis Cliff Walk is an adrenaline-pumping experience.
Part of the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch United Nations World Heritage Site, Jungfraujoch is probably the most popular among local and foreign tourists alike. It brands itself as the "Top of Europe" for being the home to the highest railway station in the continent.
Mount Schilthorn has the "James Bond aura" to attract visitors. One has to go all the way up to the final stop in its cable car to visit the Piz Gloria, a revolving restaurant purposely built for filming the 1969 movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Rotating on its axis every 45 minutes, the restaurant gives patrons a 360-degree view of the mountains while enjoying its famous brunch or a la carte menu.
The same building also houses an interactive Bond World exhibition and an outdoor observation deck for those who want to go out and enjoy the fresh, freezing air.
But if the Bond aura is not exciting enough, make a quick stop at Birg Station for its thrilling Skyline Walk — a platform attached to the cliff beneath its observation deck and cable way.
THE STOPOVER
It's almost time for lunch when we arrive at Zermatt. The touristy village is quick to warm me up, especially with a clear view of the iconic Matterhorn — the same peak that adorns the packets of world-famous Toblerone chocolate.
With the sight of Matterhorn stuck in our minds, we hop into a cable car to the top. But this time around, the ride will take us to the highest cable car station in Europe that sits at 3,883m above sea level.
Like the earlier mountain visits, we head up to the observation platform that offers views of the highest mountains in Italy, France and Switzerland. Some say one may even see as far as the Mediterranean Sea. But thanks to the not-so-clear weather, we manage to see only a small neighbouring Italian village.
After a short visit to its version of a glacier walk that is set 15m below the surface, we hop back on the cable car to Schwarzsee station, the starting point for dirt scooters going down the mountain.
As some in my group brave the downhill scooter rides, the rest of us decide to stay on.
The station sits on a ridge that overlooks a small lake, from which it gets its name. It sits below the Matterhorn with a Hollywood-style sign that spells "Zermatt" at its side.
On the other side is an abandoned farm house and mountain hut, and Zermatt village sits in the valley in the background.
The trails coming from the Matterhorn calls out to me. Not wanting to waste the opportunity to explore, I excuse myself from two colleagues who are busy taking photographs of the mountain vistas.
The short walk down is easy, but as the trail goes up to the end of the edge, I start to feel the effects of thin air at a 2,552m altitude. My steps are getting heavy and slow, while my breathing is fast.
Not wanting to give up, I take longer pauses between steps. When I finally reach the end of the edge, I draw in a few deep breaths of the clean mountain air and whip out my camera, hoping that my limited photography skills can help capture the beautiful sight that lies before me.
And this sight and feeling is how I will remember my first visit to Switzerland, home of the glacier-carved Alps, lakes and charming medieval villages.
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