Namaste Nepal (Part 2)

The 2.25 hour difference of Kathmandu from Manila is tricky. The barbecue party ended around midnight and I did not get to sleep until 1am but my body clock was already up and about by 4am. Phew! And our day will just start at 10am. We had breakfast overlooking the world’s biggest stupa in Boudnath. And from a far distance, we glimpsed upon snow-capped mountains of the Lang Tang range. Surreal breakfast with the Team Germany and Helen, a Brit girl who was born and raised in India. Parang Princess Sarah lang ang peg. The area around the stupa is packed with stores catering to the many tourists flocking the area. Although the place is touristy, we did not mind since the colors and flavors of Kathmandu, overpower the feeling of crowdedness and commercialization that is common in these touristy places. A touristy place that I did not mind being one. There were people throwing paint in the façade of the stupa making sure a perfect arc of paint is formed just by throwing the paint and such precision they had. We were mesmerized by just watching them actually.

 stupa in Boudnath

 

 After breakfast, we went around the stupa.  Several monks and devotees were making their usual clockwise round of the stupa. It is said it is bad luck to go around a stupa counter-clockwise.   

After getting our fill of going around the stupa, we headed to Pashupathinath. According to Wikipedia, Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

Walking around the temple is quite a cultural experience. We witnessed burning of three dead bodies as  relatives nearby, were wailing while the bodies were cremated before our very eyes. Surreal experience. An image that I only have seen in National Geographic was happening before my very eyes.



Pashupati scene

After Pashupati, we headed to the Thamel, Nepal’s version of Thailand’s Khao San Road or Saigon’s     Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien, and De Tham streets. I still have to figure out though which is Manila’s backpacker haven. Is it Malate? Or has it been replaced by Makati? Or just like the entire country which cannot be boxed, it cannot be determined.

 According to Wikipedia,Thamel has been the centre of the tourist industry in Kathmandu for over four decades starting from the hippie movement when many artists came to Nepal and spent weeks in Thamel. Even though Thamel has been referred to as the "ghetto" by some, most low-budget travelers consider it a tourist heaven.

In Thamel, we paid for our reservation in the Last Resort, the site of the culminating activity of this trip, the jump. That deserves another entry though. Then, we ate early dinner in a quaint restaurant aptly named New Orleans something and Nadine and I decided to share Nepal’s staple Dhal Bat,   Dal bhat is a traditional Nepali staple food consisting of steamed rice and cooked lentil soup dal. And I love it! This is the first Nepali food I have eaten here after getting my fair share of European delights in Kathmandu so far.

in Thamel, like a dream come true

Tired from the half day of going around Kathmandu, we headed back to home base in Dhumbarai and rested. The initial plan for dinner was scrapped after everyone decided to sleep early. For the following day, will be the start of exploring Nepal without the comfort of having a chauffer-driven ride and the company of Kathmandu “natives.”

Namaste Nepal

Kathmandu, a place in my bucket list for quite some time. Thus, when a few friends mentioned their intention to go there during the holy week of 2013. The plan was formed in my head. And once a travel seed has been planted in my head, I guess there is no turning back. The plan was Nepal-India. However, seven days might not be enough for KTM. Thus, India is on another trip and Nepal, aka India-lite is the focus of this trip.

the book that started it all

 

Thus, after a four-hour journey to KL, a free day in KL (coz I booked my flight wrong since KTM flights from KL are only every other day) and another four hours from KL to Kathmandu. The guy in the check-in counter was more than happy to check two giggling girls with their huge oversized backpacks and the non-smiling guy even gave us “hot seats”.  The seats have more leg room and he saved us MYR 115 each. But it turned out that being in the hot seat in this plane means passengers, will pass in front of you countless times (despite the sign disallowing it), passengers who were surprisingly allowed to mingle in the plane while airborne. Oh well, you really can’t have everything. (Note: This flight has also been a concern for me, since the merchant (airline) has not charged my bank  yet even if I booked two months ago. Not that I am complaining of this “free” ticket, but what if on the day of the flight, they would say my flight is not valid? So yes, this trip started off on an anxious note for me.)

We arrived in Tribhuvan International airport, that memorable Saturday afternoon of Mar 23.  The first thing that struck me upon landing is that Kathmandu is dusty and Nepal’s capital city is surrounded by really huge mountains (and these are not yet part of the Himalayas). This is truly the most mountainous place I have been in. As we got out of the plane, Nadine and I, stared at the mountains with jaws agape, only to realize the shuttle bus was just waiting for us to board. Silly French and Chinese girls (yes I was mistaken to be Chinese thrice).

Tribhuvan airport terminal building

When we got to the red-bricked terminal building, we saw that the line for visa-on-arrival is long. Nadine and I decided to wait it out since the flight is on time and we have time to linger. But when we saw a bigger throng of people arriving, we decided to line up. After more than two hours (yes two hours!) in line, we got our visa for $25/pax. Nadine’s friend, Tina, who is a German diplomat based in Kathmandu, went inside immigration to keep us company while waiting.

The moment we were out of the airport, I was on a daze. The first few minutes were pure assaults to my senses that I could not even take pictures. I was mesmerized by the sights and sounds of Kathmandu. So much for us, expecting it to be like Manila….. it was not even close. Kathmandu is as different as Manila. As Tokyo is as different to Manila. The first few minutes were memorable to me, that it has been so far the most memorable first few minutes of a new place. The huge mountains, the incessant honking, the crazy perpetual movement of people and vehicles, the red-brick buildings, the dust-covered unpaved roads or lack thereof, did I mention the honking? They were all too much for this Pinay, born and raised in Calle Marina, Ajuy but subjected to 17 years of Manila chaos, to take in a few minutes. But I also think it was love at first sight and first hearing. Forget Saigon or Manila. This is the street scene of all street scenes. Chaos amidst chaos. (If this is India-lite, I wonder how India is).

tame street scene (quiet day)

Toby, Tina’s hubby, drove us from Tribhuvan to their place in Dhumbarai with the expertise of someone  who seem so used to Kathmandu traffic, that I am surprised the way he was able to drive around those human and vehicle hurdles along our way.

On this trip I got to experience two cultures up close, Nepali and German culture. On our first night in Kathmandu, we had barbecue! And the beer? San Miguel Beer, not the ones brewed in Nepal but SMB shipped from Manila because my German friends think the Manila brew is better than the Nepali one.

To be continued…..

      

 

Birthday Trip

It was a birthday trip like no other. It was concocted two weeks before, with my friend Nadine and I celebrating our birthdays, five days apart. We were planning to go to Biliran, a small island off the coast of Leyte. So, in one of my most impromptu trips, we packed our bags and headed to Eastern Visayas. Nadine, fresh from a business trip to Bangkok and I, fresh from my not so normal birthday celebration, where I worked the whole day and enjoyed a quiet Indian-themed dinner with Shing.

The trip started in a usual Saturday 7am call time, which I managed to beat by a few minutes in the corner of Rufino and Valero. Even in the cab, I had the nagging feeling that I forgot something.

While waiting for our turn to check in, we saw a guy fighting with the airline personnel, after he missed his flight. Then we “met” Mr. Francisco Mendoza, the passenger to a Naga flight, whose name has been called numerous times.   

Our flight was uneventful ‘til Nadine banged her leg on the plane window while she takes one of her famous naps.

The original plan was to go Biliran but then we saw a brochure in the airport, to Caluwayan in Samar. Then we started thinking why not change the plan? Something, I haven’t done before, throw out the itinerary and decided to wing it. So we decided to have a coin toss to decide our destination, which allowed us to go to Marabut, an hour away from Tacloban. Going to Marabut allowed us to pass by San Juanico bridge, something which I couldn’t have seen if we went to Biliran. 

Seeing San Juanico bridge was one of the highlights for me. I wanted to stop and take a picture but we literarily zoomed by it. I told myself after seeing it that I am ready to go back to Manila.

En route to Marabut, thanks to mobile internet, we had a vague idea where we are going. We wanted to try out Marabut Extreme Resort instead of the touristy option. We figured there’d be a lot of people in the latter. But finding Marabut Extreme was tricky. We overshot the location twice because people don’t know where it is exactly.   

When we finally found Marabut Extreme, after Nadine convinced the van driver to go back after he missed our correct drop-off point, we found a ran-down resort in the middle of a quiet town. Entering the resort is quite an experience since you would be passing a long stretch of unpaved road strewn with carabao grass and huge rock formations along the road. Our “pedicab” navigated through this terrain amidst pouring rain.    

While we were discussing with the equally-surprised caretakers, rain poured and we were stuck in a ran-down resort with two caretakers who were as surprised as we are that we were staying there. After seeing the resort’s amenities or lack thereof, we decided not to stay in Extreme. The location of the place is nice, giving you a nice view of a cove and a nice beach, but I think the owner forgot the upkeep of the whole place.  By this time however, rain was pouring so we had no choice but wait it out, eat Nutella  with bread and stare at the rain. I reminded myself of this quote from G. K. Chesterton. An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.

While waiting for the rain to stop, I decided to chat with the lady caretaker and found out from her that the resort is 15 years old and on its heyday, had a lot of tourists flocking it. The resort was managed by a French couple who went back to France a couple of years ago. “Ate” (I was not able to get her name) has been working there for 15 years and has managed to send her kids through school. They have very few visitors lately and I guess they are used to being “rejected”. Hearing that story, how I looked at the place, changed. The story made me sentimental and made me re-assess my mood for the day despite the rain.   

Our ride finally arrived and we requested to be brought to touristy resort instead.  Wet and tired, we quickly settled in our new room. There I received an uber-cool birthday gift, a hammock made of parachute material. After changing to dry clothes, we enjoyed a hot dinner in the resort’s open cottage.

A lot has happened and not happen on our first day in Samar. But I know we will look at this day as an inconvenience that we managed to turn into an adventure.

 

Life Lesson from a Four-Year Old

My four-year old nephew, Yohan, used to hate talking to the phone until recently when in a toddler’s version of a mid-life crisis, he managed to stay on the phone for a minute or so. I managed to grab his attention by telling him made-up stories. I concocted stories about some of his favorite characters, Lightning McQueen, Jollibee, Mater, Barney, and many more. For a few minutes, one story would catch his attention and he would ask questions. But sometimes, he doesn’t like how the story develops, he would ask what happened on the next day or the next morning. And he did it each time he doesn’t like how the story is turning out.

And boom just like that, a life lesson from a four year old. Even if you don’t like what’s happening today, there is always the next day to look forward to. Happy Halloween everyone!     

The year that was 2012..so far

There are moments when you just can't seem to catch a break. I was planning to go on a major trip with a high school friend, Andrea, this summer, but work did not allow me to go.

Just when things weren't going my way, my friend Nadine, introduced me to a mountaineering group. Just when I was getting the hang of it and looking forward to finishing it, I got injured.

If I look at this year and focus on those major blots, then I would say that this is such a bad year.

But I know I have a lot of things to be thankful for. God has given opportunities to enjoy life this year. But right now, as of this writing, seeing the positive amidst all these is tough.

So here I am, looking back at this year and trying to highlight the positive over the negative. I have a not so bad job, a loving family, supportive friends and above a God that loves me unconditionally.

And this year, He has allowed me to enjoy a lot of blessings that allowed me to enjoy life and get to do what I love to do, go around.

This year, I celebrated my birthday in cold cold winter and was able to do that at the least cost possible. Celebrated it with travel buddies, Ann and Alma, who are so used to me, taking control. We were able to explore one of the world's bustling cities in one of its biggest festivals and I got to experience snow for the first time in my life.

Also, this year I was able to go to  places I have been wanting to go for so long....... with my family. We were able to give a nice suprise gift to our mom on her birthday and Mother's day. I was able to go to climb mountains again despite being down with cold.....managed to share our blessings with the smokey mountain community. I was able to go to Camiguin with my super travel partner, Nadine. This island province has long been in my target map for quite some time. Found a new cell group with amazing ladies, to grow with.

And yet here I am, wallowing in self-pity just because I experienced these minor hiccups in an otherwise awesome year.  I know things happen for a reason. There is a perfect timing for everything.

God allow some things to happen because He has reasons for it. His reasons for now, I do not see nor comprehend yet I know He has a plan for all this.

That big trip can wait. The mountains can wait. It's a matter of me accepting that I should wait.

Only if I can let this stubborn feeling get away. And dissolve these disppointments away....

Random Musings

Some live for the destination, while a few get their high from stopovers. I realized those two groups need not mutually exclusive. I have been focused and zeroed in, on the destination. Yet I also enjoy the brief stopovers along the way and don't mind the inconvenience of delays unless of course you were rushing to something and have no time to spare. But aint life too short, just to zoom right through it?

As the adage goes, an adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.

B and C

I am thankful to God that on this year I was able to go to two  places I’ve been wanting to go to, Bohol and Camiguin. The two islands were similar at first sight but each has a different ace off its sleeve. Both islands boasts of the richest collection of marine species in the world. Yes, in the world. Too bad, I can’t attest to that on this post since I only explored the beauty of these islands above sea level.

I went to Bohol with my mother and siblings in May. Our first trip together as a group bigger than two! Yeeey!

I must say that Bohol, as a province, has one of the most organized tourism machinery in the country. It is so organized and developed that if you want to go in an off-beaten track journey, this is not the way to go.  Bohol is of course, famous for the Chocolate Hills, Loboc River Cruise, tarsier and Panglao Island beaches.

enjoying Loboc River Cruise buffet

I love Panglao beach particularly the beach near Bohol Beach Club (we stayed in a resort beside BBC), away from the crowds. Panglao Island beaches can give Boracay a run for its money. My two days stay in Bohol were not enough to explore what the island has to offer.

I'd like to commend the local government for doing a great job of providing livelihood to its people through their efficient tourism sector.

enjoying Panglao beach

I went to Camiguin, together with Nadine, in July. Camiguin has its own unique charms. In fact, I found this island, second to Batanes in terms of charm level. 

As the ferry nears the Benoni port, I knew my friend Nadine and I made the right choice in choosing it, as our first island destination. Camiguin is a quiet island with gorgeous beaches which are not crowded.

our boatman enjoying White Island

Camiguin is small, about 20km by 15 km. After going around the town for three days, we felt like we know our way around. The motorela is the popular mode of transportation going around the island. It's like a tuk-tuk and jeepney combined.

The island boasts of many volcanoes, seven in fact, with only one active, Hibok-Hibok. The land is so fertile that we were amazed by how huge the leaves and fruits were. We always walked around, so we managed to chat with a lot of schoolchildren and common townsfolk. Nadine even managed to bike around Mambajao, the capital town and up to the  Philvocs Hibok Hibok observatory.

atop the Philvocs Hibok Hibok observatory

Camiguin may be a popular destination but for me it has maintained an aura of mysticism reminiscent of Siquijor and Batanes.

in White Island with Hibok Hibok as backdrop

These two islands again prove that I live in a very beautiful country. I just have to explore it more.

"Tara na, byahe tayo upang ating makita ang ganda ng Pilipinas, ang galing ng Pilipino."