Date sent: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 20:25:03 +0800
Hi, there,
Can't believe it I'm now in Kathmandu, Capital of Nepal safely. Now, I'm staying in Hotel Karma. Tomorrow, we will be going to tour around the city and temples. Time is about 6pm here. Very hungry, have to go for dinner. Hope to update you again some other day. Don't worry! I'm really fine here with my group members. Bye!
Yoke Ming
Subject: Message from Nepal 2
Date sent: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 23:31:31 +0800
Hi, there,
I have a long list of e-mails when I open my mailbox in one of the cyber center just opposite the hotel, Hotel Karma that we are now staying. They charge 5 cent per every minute used. There is plenty of this kind of cyber centers around the city.
Today, we have walk about 10 hours to cover the city area and a very famous Buddhist temple which is about 45 minute walking distant from the city center. You might not believe it; we only spent about RM5 for our breakfast (for 6 persons in total), and about RM4 to RM5 per person for lunch and dinner, each meals are big serving.
The place here is dirty and dusty. The temperature here is about 28'C during daytime and at night is about 20'C but earlier morning will fall to 11'C. Even though it was hot during daytime, but due to the high altitude, you will feel cool when you standing in the shadow.
I'm very happy and excited over here cause there are so many things to discover. People over here are very friendly, it is definitely safe to travel and walk around here even alone. However, the beggars and the street sellers may most of the time along the way to bother you. I have been keep on saying no to them most of the time. When shopping, you may bargain for every single thing. I find it very tired of bargain and therefore, I did not buy so many things yet.
Tomorrow, we will be going to Pokhara, about 8 hours of bus journey. And the day after tomorrow, we will be starting our mountain trekking for 5 days.
I may not be able to open my mailbox for the next 6 days. I will, may be to send you messages after my trekking i.e. 6 days from now.
It is now 09:10 at night; I think it should be 11:25 pm now at Kuala Lumpur.
I'm very fine over here. Don't have to worry about me.
Yoke Ming
[View Kathmandu Photos]
Subject: Message from Nepal 3
Date sent: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 18:38:44 +0800
Hi,
I just came back from the 5 days trekking. With my dirty and smelly shirt sitting in one of the Internet centre in Pokhara, and outside is raining. We have trekked almost 5 hours every day. The first three days was climbing up hill and the last two days was going down hill. I did enjoy the view of the hills and villages along the trail. People there were very friendly. But the food and the water were not really expected. I have diarrhea yesterday. May be because of the water and the food we eat along the trail. Most of my group members also have the same problem as I am. Some even have fever. However, we have completed the whole trail and return to Pokhara finally.
Our travel agent here has provided us very good service. The accommodation, transfer and meals are all well taken care. We were supposed to stay in Moonlight Hotel in Pokhara, but we were upgraded to a 3 star hotel here, Kantipur Hotel with junior suite. The Managing Director was our guide for the whole 5-day trekking, due to lack of professional guide at this peak season. The Managing Director even carried my bag when I have diarrhea yesterday. I wonder if my boss will do this. What a good service! We even have a T-shirt as a gift upon arrival. The porters were very friendly and helpful. We were like friends and have fun along the trail. I wonder if this could happen in our company. I strongly recommend this travel agent.
Now, I feel much better after the good rest yesterday night with some medicine. With the 5-day trekking, I'm now scared with Nepali foods such as the fried rice, noodles, dal, onion soup, etc ... I feel like vomit whenever I hear or see this foods again. How nice if I can have Chinese foods here, especially my mom's cooking, really missed them.
Tomorrow, we will be leaving for Chitwan, one of the famous national park in Nepal. We will be going to ride the elephants, see the rhinos and tigers, etc. I really missed the snow mountain that we see along the trail on day 3 to day 4. The whole range of Annapurna mountains was in front of my own eyes, it was so near (almost touching) and yet so far (still a very long way to go). We were on the Poon Hill, which is over 3,000 meter on the day-3 morning at temperature of zero degrees Celsius! And the whole range of Annpurna snow mountain was in front of us!The Internet charges here (in Pokhara) was Rs5.00 per minute (as compared to Rs1.00 at Kathmandu), quite expensive, will send another message when I return to Kathmandu after the trip to Chitwan National Park i.e. on 28/04/2001. Bye!
Yoke Ming
[View Pokhara & Annapurna Photos]
Subject: Message From Nepal 4
Date sent: Sun, 29 Apr 2001 00:36:43 +0800
Namaste (Nepali's way of greeting),
I have just back to Kathmandu after about 6 hours bus journey from Chitwan National Park. I will be staying in Karma Hotel again tonight but will be shifting to Laughing Buddha Home (tel: 00977-1-425056, fax: 00977-1-422562) from tomorrow onwards cause cheaper rate, I can save USD2.00 per night.
You won't believe what I have experienced in Chitwan. On 26/04/01, we arrived in Sauhara, a place next to Chitwan National Park. We put up our 2 nights stay in Wildlife Camp Hotel. First day, we have a village tour of Tharu Village and visited the visitor center and viewed the sunset of the national park. We have a very good sleep that night. The next day morning, we went for a morning jungle walk. We managed to see the rhinos, deer and birds. After the lunch, we started our elephant ride at about 3:00 p.m. There were about 9 elephants with each of them carried 4 passengers. We were in the jungle and managed to have a closer contact with the rhinos. It was fun. However, the sky turned dark. We have to rush back to our hotel before the rain. Right after we were out from the jungle. The wind blew very strongly. It even could move the elephant's steps; we were trying to hold back our belongings especially our hats.
Suddenly, our surrounding was turned to white. Rain started to fall. One of our members pulled out the raincoat and four of us holding each corner to block the rain. However, right after that, something fell on us. It was hailstone! In my heart, I thought it was just a few pieces, but...
The rain fall heavily and so did the wind blew. The hailstone kept on falling on us. It was about 1 inch in diameter. My friend did see one with about 4 inch in diameter!
The elephant was panic. She was moving in circle and lost the sense of direction. The driver (master of the elephant) was trying to control her but she just couldn't sit down for us to get out from the basket (which placed on the back of the elephant to carry passengers).
We were on the back of the elephant. The hailstone was falling like a basket of ice balls. Kept on falling... The hailstone hit us on our face, head, arms, foot and our back. We were so painful and helpless. I was so afraid that if bigger hailstone fell on us. However, the hailstone fell more that 10 minutes. We were hurt by one another non-stop. I started chanting (Buddhist prayer) so that nobody is injured and hope the hailstone stop immediately. I was also so worry if the hailstone fell on my head.
We were lucky, there was nobody injured heavily. After the hailstone, rain still continue so did the wind. We were so cool and have to get closer to each other to get the body heat. Rain kept on falling but luckily the hailstone stop. The elephant carried us back to our hotel after another 20 minutes. At this time, I saw the ground was full of hailstone like a layer of snow on the ground, as like winter but it was so painful.
It's all right now. However, it was really scary. It turns our holiday to a "horror day".
I'm now o.k. back to Kathmandu. I will be going out to visit some other parts of the city. Don't worry about me; it's all over now. I'm very fine; it's just an experience. What a nature disaster!
Yoke Ming
[View Chitwan Photos]
Subject: Message From Nepal 5
Date sent: Tue, 01 May 2001 20:02:28 +0800
Namaste,
It's quite hot now in Kathmandu similar with Kuala Lumpur. Occasionally, there was rain in the evening and at night. It was yesterday night at Kathmandu, hailstone rain again during our dinnertime. Luckily, it was only small size of ice balls, is about 1cm only in diameter. We have experienced twice hailstone in less than a week, amazing!
The monsoon is coming into Nepal. The rain fell very frequently together with strong wind. However, the temperature is similar with Kuala Lumpur.
I will be back on 03/05/01 touching down KLIA at about 10:30 p.m.
Yoke Ming
Subject: Final Message
Date sent: Fri, 04 May 2001 21:56:34 +0800
Namaste,
Finally, I'm back to Kuala Lumpur. 1 reached home at about 12:00 midnight yesterday. Without unpacking my staff, I went to bed cause next day morning I have to go for work. I have used up all my annual leave for this trip therefore, I cannot think of any trip this year. Maybe next year I will go for another trip. I really felt like just coming back from Shangri-La, a state of mind whereby total freedom of being where you are. A lot of people trying to find Shangri-La somewhere in the Himalayan, but I have found mine. A friend of mine, one of us, will be coming back next year to climb to one of the Base Camp which is over 4,000m where is covered by snow. If I have nowhere to go, maybe I will join him, to have closer contact with the snow mountain. By the way, according to the locals, any mountain less than 4,000m height is called hill (bukit), only those over 4,000m is called mountain (gunung). Therefore, in Malaysia, we only have one mountain, i.e. Mt Kinabalu and the rest should be named as hill such as Bukit Tahan and not Gunung Tahan, hahaha...
I really impressed by the people there, so friendly and nice. Now, I have quite a number of friends there, the boss of the local travel agent, the porters, the guides, and so on.
The first thing that I could not stand after coming back to Kuala Lumpur is the heat. Here, is too hot. I really missed the cool weather in Nepal. And of course, I have to get myself headache again in my work. Well, no choice, I have to save money for the next trip.
I know, I will dream and appreciate the Shangri-La that I have. The only thing that I could not stand in Nepal is the water and food. Well, there is no perfect in anywhere of this world. The most important thing is to appreciate what you have, where you are, who you are...
Bye.
Yoke Ming
