Monday, June 29, 2009 12:27 AM
highly literary, with occasional grammar slips
the need to fly myself away.
it is not a very good hobby to have at this age.
i have been most blessed when it comes to travelling. i don't know why, but i am somehow always 'that' daring to take the step to just go. so, within 2 years, i have travelled to 1. shanghai 2. guizhou 3. south korea 4. taiwan 5. hongkong 6. laos 7. cambodia 8. india 9. nepal. it is not a lot - but for someone of my family background, this is almost too luxurious to name.
i utterly enjoy and love travelling. it is probably because i did not get to travel when i was younger that now, i am making up for it. when i was in primary school, my friends would compare how many places we have been to before. and i would make up some excuse why i have not taken a plane before like 'nah, who likes to travel'.
so when i started to have some savings of my own, i knew immediately what i wanted.
i caught the travelling bug and it has brought me thus far. well, it has certainly brought my bank account thus far too... bleargh. but i do not regret making decisions after decisions to fly away because i know that every trip makes up an unforgettable experience for me. this post is probably my way of justifying my expensive hobby that i have to quite tiringly upkeep; but it is perhaps greater so, a reminder that i am so blessed by God.
but i shouldn't push things too far sometimes. haha.
here are some of my nepal and india trip pictures (i went with my good friends kelv, des and stacey); more on fb. nonetheless, enjoy!
[ed's note: i put up quite a few of my individual photos because i am being a big, big narcissist.]
beautiful and atas restaurant that we followed after
from Lonely Planet but really, it was just a nice place, nothing else.
New Delhi, Connaught Place Outer Circle 3.
the indian hospitality - us, when we arrived from nepal in india.
New Delhi, on a Tempo (van).
the boy whom we purchased a whole lotta bracelets from.
he has the best smile in india, better than shah rukh khan ok.
i nearly wanted to marry him there.
New Delhi (again), Street Market beside our hotel.
the elephant man whom we gave "elephant rate" ($50rupees) to.
pretty turban overlooking the fort.
Jaipur, at Amber Fort.
one of the times when we rowed out to the lake to nua.
perfect weather, perfect skies, and a very uneven suntan on my arm.
Nepal, Pokhara.
we ran up to the mountain at 430am to catch the sunrise
(we took 20mins to climb a 45mins route)
TOTALLY WORTH IT. BEST EXPERIENCE TO DATE.
Nepal, Sarangkot.
best, best sunrise. most inspiring and awe-stricking.
this is the few moments between morning darkness and the
breaking of dawn. beautiful.
Nepal, Sarangkot.
snowcapped mountains! a whole range of it ok.
it is called the Annapurna Range (2nd highest peak in the WORLD)
and i was there!!!
Nepal, World Peace Pagoda.
lovely sunset we caught. i would have loved to kiss the sun
but well, i don't mind a make-believe one too!
Nepal, Nagarkot.
good times man. next destination to aim for?
SWITZERLAND
where the swiss alps are!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 5:43 PM
highly literary, with occasional grammar slips
oh the wonderous happenings these daysi have been the most fortunate!
the past 3 weeks has been the most happening; undoubtedly the most fulfilling of my life! not only did i embark on my most expensive holiday to date, to nepal and india, i had the closest encounters with the coolest of all, Jesus! believe me when i say happening, i mean HAPPENING!
the 10-11days i was in nepal was simply breathtaking. well, other than the fact that sometimes it was literally breath-taking when we hurtled in phenomenal dashes up the mountain because we wanted to catch the sunrise, it was inspiringly awesome. the company was great and the scenery was extremely enchanting. imagine waking up to snow-capped mountains every day, overlooking sunrises that burst from the mountain peaks and rowing your little sampan out into the horizon of a setting sun (that is only if it doesn't start raining where your only escape is into the embrace of your Creator, God). i love nepal, i really do.
oh oh oh, it's like you're julia andrews in the Sound of Music, just that you don't have those irritating kids around you! such magnificent joys that can be derived from nature! we also water rafted in the himalayan waters where the rapids were almost too serene to marry our excitement; but all was made up for when we jumped into the chilly cold waters and swam to our heart's content!
well, india was good fun too; but only if you look at our nightly taidi and bridge sessions more than the activities we did. the few highlights and wow-factors of the trip has got to be the taj mahal visit and some rather spectacular looking structures. oh, and india was also interesting (not) because we could play "spot the most peeing men on the streets and win grand prizes!". and guess what the prizes were?! dettol; to wash your eyes with. GG.
but let me credit india for its gastronomical food that suited my palate more so than my friends'. loved the spices and the rich aromatic jasmine smell so much that i went on a northern indian buffet just this sunday night. we found cool places like sheesha and waves to satisfy our curiosity in real northern indian cuisine!
yet, as much as i enjoyed the holiday, i missed being in the fellowship of my bros and sisters who were in the midst of the E3 camp! i kept telling God that i don't want to miss out on the great blessings and encounters with Him; and my dear Father answered my prayers. i encountered Him face-to-face during the philip mantofa conference.
to be honest, i cannot find physical words to describe my beautiful experience with God. i can use 5 full paragraphs to poetically describe the wonders i saw in nepal and india; but our God is too magnificent to put into words. and let me tell you, that 5minutes with God far, far surpass that 5 paragraphs of great escapade. so friends, you have to taste this sweetness of God yourself; because there is no other way to do so.
i praise you, God!
[ed's note] photos to be put up soon! (:
