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!

sa-wa-di-kup!

Just returned a few days ago from a short trip to Bangkok. Travelled with my family...so that was a bit stressful. My parents, mould from 40-50 years of habits, found it hard to adapt to the food and surroundings. Strange...because in so many ways, the city reminded me of Singapore. Unfortunately, we were not there long enough to enjoy all that Bangkok has to offer and immerse in their colourful culture.

The highlight of the trip would undoubtedly, be the bumpy, wet boat ride along the river...i forget the name now, other than we boarding the boat at the Shangri-La pier...getting on board was quite a balancing act. The lady in white, by the way, is my mum. She nevers lets me take a picture of her...
That's me in cap and my younger brother at the start of the ride which brought us along the river where we saw all these magnificent temples...built out of much love and reverence.

Prettly little houses line up alongside the river...People there get around in their little boats.
Some get by selling their ware to tourists like ourselves....i was definitely very impressed at their 'boat shops' and boating skills. They row their boats right alongside ours and attempts to sells anything from fruits to sovenirs.. There were too many temples to stop by and too little time. We opted to stop by the Tha Tien pier... where the Wat Pho temple is located nearby. In it, the magnificent Reclining Buddha resides...
I was in awe as soon as I stepped into the temple. Apart from the sacred atmostphere, the Reclining Buddha, a splendid sight to behold, takes up almost the entire space of the temple- The head alone almost tips at the temple ceiling. Measuring 46 metres and 15 metres, it is covered entirely in fine gold leaf. It is a perfect, loving work of art. Unable to capture the statue in its entirety, I took a snapshot of a postcard I bought from the temple.
Even, the soles of its feet are elaborately decorated with mother-of-pearl desgins depicting the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha. Intriguing isn't it?I'm neither Buddhist, particularly religious or spiritual but I definitely left the temple with a more open heart and mind then before I entered it. I guess that's what travelling is all about.

new template

I'm so sick of pink..so there, this is my new template for compassionat.blogspot. Funny how a template seems to give another perspective. I like this one better now. It's clean and minimalistic, and less girly- girl like the old one. I'm not that girly-girl anyway.

You know of any other great sites for blog templates, let me know.

Cheers,
Nat.