Nepal Adventure (Day 4 & 5) – Pokhara

A visit to Nepal would not be complete without going to Pokhara. You can either take an eight hours drive from Kathmandu or a 30 minutes flight from Kathmandu’s local airport.

On the dawn of the fourth day, we drove back to Kathmandu and took the express way there since our trip was only a short one. The plane was the smallest one I have ever been on!

Once there, we checked into Grand View Hotel with a breathtaking view of the Annapurna range.

Attractions in Pokhara:
Davis Falls

Waterfall that abruptly plummets into a crack in the earth.

Named after a tourist who fell into the waterfall while swimming in a nearby lake. Her body was never found. We tried walking around the waterfall to find a way to see how deep it goes, but we could only see the view below. However, the sound was deafening. Stand close enough and you can feel the breeze.

Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave

Across the street from Davis Falls lies the entrance to the bottomless pit (Not recommended for claustrophobics). Most of the locals visit this place for worshiping. As you enter, you get a waft of cow-ish smell and immediately you see the sign “cow shed” to the left and a huge stalagmite worshiped as Shiva. We continued straight on (downwards!) as the pathway gets smaller and smaller until you see Davis Falls waterfall.

We didnt take a lot of photos in the cave because #1: a bit out of breath because the climb down was quite an adventurous one, and #2:  half claustropobic , half just plain terrified (what if the cave collapse? what if the way up got blocked?..somehow).

World Peace Stupa

Ah, this is where we hiked up to get a beautiful sunset with a view of the Phewa Lake & Annapurna range. The 20 minutes climb from the foot of the hill felt like an hour. But as we witness the sun setting in the back and the gentle light glow of the Annapurna range, the “treacherous” climb seemed like nothing.

Paragliding

There are no other better places to paraglide than being surrounded by the Himalayan range, a few of the most tallest peak in the world! It was our first time and you can imagine the fear flowing through our veins. For me, take-off was nerve wrecking (“what if i dont run fast enough? What if the wind didnt catch us? What if we ran out of take-off area?”); few seconds later, I was already up in mid air, amazed by the scenery.

 For more info on Paranova Paragliding in Pokhara, visit their FB page here Paranova Paragliding

“Someone” on the other hand, just found out that he is actually afraid of heights. ;p

Check out our short video.

Nepal Adventure (Day 3)- Nagarkot

Nepal Adventure (Day 1 & 2) – Kathmandu

Nepal was never on my ‘to-go-to’ list. This time last year, I didn’t even know where Nepal was. After stumbling upon the majestic view of the Himalayas on Air Asia’s page, my Bubu and I were immediately hooked! From then on, we started doing our homework on the beautiful country & we started planning our travel routes.

Situated in a landlocked state North of India and South of China, Nepal is the home of the  himalayan range and of course, the tallest peak in the world, Mt. Everest. The best time to visit is in Autumn (September to November) where temperatures would be between 20C to 30C. Autumn in Nepal also promises a clear weather because the monsoon season would have just ended.
We were there for only 6 days (including day of arrival and departure) and we were definitely racing against time. An overview of our trip was this:
KL – Kathmandu (2 nights) – Nagarkot (1 night) – Kathmandu (airport) – Pokhara (2 nights) – Kathmandu (airport) – KL
Thamel, Kathmandu
Thamel is the heart of Kathmandu city. It is a well know area for backpackers from all around the globe. I feel that this place is so well known because of the centralised area for shopping and the accommodating night life with decent restaurants/bars. Hikers would chill here before their expedition towards the Himalayan range, gathering supplies. Simple words to describe Thamel: Loud, dusty, crowded, LIVELY!

Streets of Thamel

Nepal Police

It is also a good place to shop!



The first thing we did upon checking into our hotel was to hunt for some Momos! Momo – dumpling native to Nepal, Tibet and neighbouring countries. Meat/Vege filling in momos served either fried or steamed is a must try. The chewy texture of the dough on the outside and the taste of spices inside can simply make your day.

Steamed Momos

Boudhanath Stupa
Boudhanath Stupa is known to be one of the holiest Buddhist Stupa in Kathmandu. Buddhist from all over the world would visit this holy site to perform Kora (pilgrimage) where they would walk in a clockwise motion around the stupa while spinning the prayer wheels and chanting mantras. Drown your senses with sounds of soft mantras both from the people circling the stupa and also from nearby shops which has the mantras playing on repeat on their music player.

Prayer wheels

Boudhanath Stupa

Surrounding this stupa are shop houses mostly with rooftop cafes where one can dine while having a nice view of the Stupa and at the same time feel the cool breeze on a sunny clear day. We were fortunate enough to watch as the caretakers bathe the stupa with Safron (yellow shade) which from an aerial view forms a pattern of a double lotus flower.

Bubu & I ; taken from one of the rooftop cafe

Safron-ing the Stupa

Biodegradeble Teak leaves. Handmade into plates. Go Green!

Surrounding the stupa are also handicraft stores selling Buddhist & Tibetan related items such as statues, paintings, praying flags, costume jewelries, trinkets and more. We were particularly impressed with Thanka, painting on cotton sheets. Most of the paintings are on Buddhism and patterns on the path to Nirvana. Others hold a more symbolic representation (of the universe for example).

View of stupa & surrounding shops

Bubu’s Nat Geo shot

Thanka Shop

Thanka painting of our Universe

I find it captivating how you get to see people from all walks of life gather here, celebrating life. Tourist with their DSLRs and shades, locals who come here to pray or simply to hang out with other locals, young Tibetan monks running around the vicinity of the Stupa, often distracted by Thankas while an eager tourist(me) tries to get her photo taken with them. Tada!

Young Tibetan Monks

Pidgeons here are also an attraction because they occupy quite a large designated space by the stupa and you see people sitting on benches either feeding the pigeons or having their eyes fixated on the stupa. Caught a picture of this cute little girl chasing after the pidgeons.

Check out the following video for some slow motion pidgeon goodness.

Felda Residence Hot Springs, Sungkai, Perak

If you are looking for a short getaway trip from the hustle and bustle of KL city, why not take an hour and a half drive to get steamy (literally) in some natural hot spring. Situated a few hundred kilometers North of KL, this a perfect place for you to spend your weekends in. You can make it a day trip or spend a night there.

Natural hot springs

We figured that the place would be crowded during weekends so we chose to go there on a Sunday, spend a night in Felda Residence Hot Spring with hopes that Monday we would wake up to a hot steamy hot spring all to ourselves. And our prediction = spot on! Plus, you get to enjoy low peak rates if you check in on Sunday.

Sunday evening by the hot springs

Monday morning calmness

So , we got there on Sunday, checked in and headed straight to the hot springs. We took an innocent looking bridge to get to the main attraction because it seemed more adventurous at that time. Little did we know, the bridge stretches out to quite a distance and half way through, I felt really uncomfortable with the heat. I thought it was from the blazing sun but later found out that the heat was actually from underneath us..Underneath the bridge!! The whole bridge is a natural walk-in open air sauna! Interesting indeed *wipes-sweat-off-face* .

Felda Residence Hot Springs _ Location Map

Funny enough, you are welcomed with this: “Welcome to TRAP.” and you immediately go “What?! What trap?!” See the picture below for what the abbreviation is for.

Taman Rekreasi Air Panas _TRAP

The attraction there also includes a hot spring pool (my favourite because the temperature is just nice. slightly above 30C), mountain water pool (normal temperature) with water slides – suitable for family with kids, paid private hot spring jacuzzi (recommended for those in large groups), therapeutic park (more like reflexology, walking on hot stones) and egg boiling area.

Hot spring pool to chill

Therapeutic park

Oh, they sell lots of eggs at reasonable prices with kicap included. The only thing you need to worry about is your cholesterol level!! Mine is of course towards the higher end of the scale -_- . The food there is quite pricey so it is best that you pack your own food. We had a plate of nasi ayam which was way too much than what we would normally pay but we didn’t have a choice. It was edible, so no complaints there.

Eggs anyone? Boiling point!

Ok now let me tell you about the buffet breakfast on Monday morning! It was like we were the guests of honour because of the following :
1. We were the first if not the only ones there.
2. The food selection was quite impressive. Choices of bread & toast, cereals, fruits, juices ..gah! I could have spent the whole day there!! Eggs & roti canai upon request. Thumbs up to the work force in Felda Residence Hot Springs, Sungkai.
Here is the link to the resort and room rates if any of you are interested–> Felda Residence Hot Springs
I leave you with my faithful “model” who feels right at home and also a picture of a beautiful butterfly(insect?) which kept on following us.

“Home.” says he

Keep an eye out for my next post _ Nepal Adventure.

Grey Leopard

Sleeping grey leopard
How dare you block my way.
No ordinary leopard,
Fur magnificent grey.
Almost at an instant,
I hear myself say,
"run people, run!"
"unsafe it is to stay."
They ran so fast
So terrified
They ran so far away.
I turned around
So horrified
The leopard charged my way.
No chance to run
No place to hide
On a fence I stayed.

Flashback of my entire life
In a single second
I stared into the leopard's eye
As I prepare to die.
It'll scratch my face
And eat my flesh
The worst went through my mind

"purrr" the sound the leopard made
While nudging at my face.
Oh my! What's this?!
I can't believe!
A kitty cat instead?

"will I be safe with lil kitty?"
"I know it means no harm"
deep down I feel this fear within me
For I know that deep deep down
This lil kitty is not a kitty
But a powerful beast instead.
One strike from it
And then that's it
I'm surely to be dead.

The risk I take
My life at stake
A good move have I made?
I can't confirm
But I affirm
I choose to stay.

Grey leopard,
Don't disappoint me.
end

aMiRa^cLe^ 05.08.11

Snake & Ladder

There comes a point in life where you come to a fork in the road. Knowing what lies ahead of you is what you dream of but life us full of uncertainties . Sooner or later you have to roll that dice. And when you do, you have to realize that it is YOU who decide to roll that dice and it is YOU who are willing to take that chance. Take the classic snake & ladder board game for instance. The dice might lead you to an advance up the ladder OR you might get eaten by the snake and demoted down to a few levels. Either way, you are going to make that move and whatever it is, you're still going to roll that dice to get to the end. So regardless on where the dice leads you to, make the experience count. There is no right or wrong but one should focus on the experience instead.

Yokososhiyuki

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My favorite shop for now. Lifetime membership if you buy more than RM50. Enjoy 10% discount for every purchase. You can't separate ladies with beauty products. Bought their rice based anti-dandruff shampoo (smells so nice) and their promo pack of 10 sheets of facial mask. The mask is gewdd! Makes you feel pretty ;p watermelon moist & acne removing mask, soy milk sparkling mask, brown sugar brightening mask, cappuccino relieving mask..Ohh the wonders ^___^ on top of that, free Rosewood lipgloss worth RM35. M loving this shop! xxx confession of a shopaholic.