Nepal, Ready or Not here I come!
Sorry, I've been so lousy with blogging lately. I miss it so much, to be honest. Since coming back from Bangkok, I had some days to rest before I hit the ground running again with work. And then I just got carried away in this whirlwind. Hectic!
What perks me up now and gets me out-of-my-skin excited is thinking of my trip to Nepal on April 8. Planning since Jan 06, this trip was a long, tough decision. I have a lot of doubts going there. Namely, the cost, the fact that I'm joining a tour group (I actually prefer free and easy trips and have never joined groups before. But I guess Nepal is different.) and that, it's infact, not the safest time to go- at least according to the papers. Again, I'm not sure how to sift out the news anymore. But my doubts were more than compensated by three other bigger factors- One, I want an adventure. Nepal is a big novelty to me, in particular Kathmandu, an ancient crossroad that completely appeals to my wanderlust. Throw in Pokhara, another scenic destination in Nepal and I'm sold. Two, my very good friend from polytechnic organised the tour and I am bunking in with her on this trip. Three, I like the itinerary- it's a good mix of sight-seeing (80%) and shopping (20%). The trip will also end off perfectly with a 2.5days stop-over at Bangkok- with just me and my friend. It would be my 4th time to Bangkok and my friend's 1st! All in, this trip will take 9 days, (1 week in Nepal, 2 days in Bangkok)- I can't extend it any further given my work commitments and of course, financial restraints.
My parents, as usual, are not very excited about me going on this trip. But they usually resign, knowing how stubborn their daughter can get. I think they'll never, EVER, be comfortable with me going ANYWHERE even when I turn 50. They do however, find comfort in the fact that there are 19 of us in the group- safety in numbers?- and we'll be following a very well-trained Nepalese guide. In my mind, this should be quite a trip- maybe the kind people describe as 'once in a lifetime'. I will definitely post loads of pictures when I return, so do come back :) Ready or not, Nepal, here I come!
What perks me up now and gets me out-of-my-skin excited is thinking of my trip to Nepal on April 8. Planning since Jan 06, this trip was a long, tough decision. I have a lot of doubts going there. Namely, the cost, the fact that I'm joining a tour group (I actually prefer free and easy trips and have never joined groups before. But I guess Nepal is different.) and that, it's infact, not the safest time to go- at least according to the papers. Again, I'm not sure how to sift out the news anymore. But my doubts were more than compensated by three other bigger factors- One, I want an adventure. Nepal is a big novelty to me, in particular Kathmandu, an ancient crossroad that completely appeals to my wanderlust. Throw in Pokhara, another scenic destination in Nepal and I'm sold. Two, my very good friend from polytechnic organised the tour and I am bunking in with her on this trip. Three, I like the itinerary- it's a good mix of sight-seeing (80%) and shopping (20%). The trip will also end off perfectly with a 2.5days stop-over at Bangkok- with just me and my friend. It would be my 4th time to Bangkok and my friend's 1st! All in, this trip will take 9 days, (1 week in Nepal, 2 days in Bangkok)- I can't extend it any further given my work commitments and of course, financial restraints.
My parents, as usual, are not very excited about me going on this trip. But they usually resign, knowing how stubborn their daughter can get. I think they'll never, EVER, be comfortable with me going ANYWHERE even when I turn 50. They do however, find comfort in the fact that there are 19 of us in the group- safety in numbers?- and we'll be following a very well-trained Nepalese guide. In my mind, this should be quite a trip- maybe the kind people describe as 'once in a lifetime'. I will definitely post loads of pictures when I return, so do come back :) Ready or not, Nepal, here I come!