Greetings from Nepal!
After saying goodbye to Warner and Frans in Jakarta I flew back to Singapore for a few days of culinary indulgence! If you have an appetite, this is the right city for you. I had stopped in Singapore for two days prior to arriving in Jakarta, but that was just the tip of the iceberg! The city satisfies every taste bud it seems; spicy seafood (pepper crab), Indian banana leaf, the famous chicken rice (Hiana) and slabs of ice cream sold on the street. No matter what you're craving Singapore has it. From Singapore I went overland to Malacca and Kuala Lumpur. On the 2nd of May I flew to Kathmandu and drove straight to Pokhara, my launching point for the Annapurna Range. These photos summarize those past few weeks.
Leftover decorations from Chinese New Year in Singapore
Chinatown
Little India
Lost a few hours in here
Dusk from One Raffles Place on the 64th floor
The Marina Sands Light Show
Looking East
Bright lights from the Golf Course and anchored ships beyond
262m View
HIANA CHICKEN ! ! ! (Chicken Rice) at Maxwell's Food-court
Classic Singapore
And it's skyline
"Sorry sir, we have a dress code: no sandals...
...but we do offer rentals"
Zook: No dancing, just shuffling
Aquarium on Sentosa
Enormous viewing area
Can't visit Singapore without getting this picture
Jonker Street in Malacca
Mao-ing down in Chinatown
Your chariot awaits
Wedding bells in Malacca
Chinese tourists loving the custom rides
Bling Bling
Dim Sum at the Night Market
Public karaoke (mostly for the 65+ crowd)
Oyster Omellette
The Old Dutch quarter
Mmm Bmnmna Reaf
Self serve tofu with Safina (Malaysia) and Job (Netherlands)
Batu Caves outside Kuala Lumpur
Monsoon
The Petrona Towers
Best. Banana Leaf. Ever. Courtesy of Safina
Towers at Twilight (By Stephen King and Stephanie Meyer)
Fountains out front
Leaving Malaysia for Nepal from the Low-Cost-Carrier-Terminal
Welcome to Kathmandu
The zoo that is Thamel
Daal Baht everyday doesn't keep the tourists away
Traditional Newari women
Bathroom break on the way to Pokhara
Welcome to Nepal
Starting the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek; so many stairs (3280 on the first day)
The long walk to school (nearly 2 hours for some)
Sweating out the toxins at 2000m
30kg of tourist baggage and still smiling (Kamal and Ari)
Another porter
Gyang-to (spinach) being beaten to a pulp
Recruiting guests at the entrance to her lodge
Fruit hauled up to Ghorepani (2800m) being closely inspected
Viewpoint from Poon Hill (3200m)
Small patches opening in the clouds
And then gone
Catching a glimpse on the descent
Beautiful pink rhododendron forests at 3000m
Gorgeous sections untouched by the Himalayan winds
The Lumberyard
85 years old and not a drop of sweat on him (he actually looks cold!)
Chhromrong on the way to Annapurna Basecamp
Beat wheat
Helpful guides all along the way
One bridge = 500 steps down and 500 steps back up
Bamboo at 20 feet a piece
Climbing up towards the Himalaya Hotel
Looking West into the Annapurna Range
Machhapuchhre Base Camp (3700m)
Annapurna Base Camp with limited visibility
Gambling at 4130m
Machhapuchhre (Mt. Fishtail) reveals itself in the afternoon
As does Annapurna I
And Annapurna II
Finally the sun came out
Looking West
Hiunchuli
Annapurna I at dawn the next day
Annapurna Base Camp
A beautiful combination
Base camp from the hillside
Annapurna Base Camp: Check
Mt. Fishtail on the morning descent
Are those ski tracks?
Delivering re-bar to 4000m in rubber boots no less
The Old Bridge
If the droppings are fresh, you're on the right track
Stopover at the local hot springs on the descent
Also being delivered to base camp
Final morning on the trail
Visibility in the valley decreasing drastically
Bathroom along the way
Taking a break on the way to school
A routine downpour back in Pokhara
Which cleared up the air beautifully
After finishing eight days on the Annapurna Sanctuary Trail I refueled back in Pokhara. It was a fantastic trip up into the Himalayas which I'm excited to write about in my next post. Enjoy these pictures for now as I conjure up the stories to go along with them!
Tim
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