Le Monde - A Poetic Travail » Malaysia

The Year That Was 2011

Nisha — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:30:38 +0000

The Year That Was 2011
Another year. Another set of to-dos. And a time to look back and take stock …
Yes, I know I am late to do this post but by only a few days and since I am travelling, I can be excused.

Sometimes we travel to too many places and at times we don’t have enough.
The year 2011 started in the Philippines. We celebrated our Christmas & new year in that country. Besides the capital Manila, we could explore some part of it but Batad was a place which left mark on my life. However, as I always say, any place on this earth can never be counted as ‘done’.

The year 2011 was not very good in terms of travel. There were always some issues cropping up and I had to cut short or cancel many trips either midway or before the start irrespective of the locale, foreign or Indian.
This time when I was about to leave India, my doctor, instead of telling, asked me “Are you fit to travel?”. So, that’s about it.

Anyway, I’ll let the pictures speak of the places I visited in the year 2011. I think I did more than this. If anyone of you recall, please let me know. I always think I have more memories than photos of a place.

Batad.

Looks easy? It is world’s one of the most difficult places for hiking and any other rice terraces of any country are no match to it. Yes, I hiked & survived Batad ! That too during monsoons when the paths as wide as a few inches become very slippery. One slip and you are assured of a fall of at least 12 feet if not in the valleys. And yeah, I loved the younger generation of this small village..

Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur is my base for travelling to South east Asian countries. I always travel Air-Asia for this sector and the airlines has a base at Kuala Lumpur. I always take a day or two off before embarking to another country. Now I am very familiar with this city, so much so that I can be treated as an unofficial guide. Ask me anything about Kuala Lumpur and I’ll be happy to help you out.

Nighoj.

Natural wonder Nighoj potholes. This place needs to be seen to believe, a must see if you are in the vicinity. These beautifully shaped natural potholes are some of the largest in Asia according to geologists, but very few of us have even heard of them.

Kaas Plateau.

Vast expanse of flowers

If by any reason you can not visit the valley of flowers, visit this plateau instead. Will save you some physical effort and the effect is the same with vast expanse of flowers treating you with a sense of heaven.

Lavasa.

I was invited to attend ‘Lavasa Women’s Drive’ event and review the Lavasa experience. The all expense paid two day trip to this ‘European’ town Lavasa was an opportunity to celebrate the spirit of modern woman in true sense.

Mysterious place.

Golden Pagoda. Can you tell me where it is?

Dubai.
Visit to Dubai is not only visits to shopping malls. There is much more to see.

At times we had some fun and adventures ….

… And some relaxation too.
This was again an invitation.

Rishikesh and Rudraprayag.

In spite of my high fever I loved the positive vibes of these two places. Later I was diagnosed with Pneumonia.

Morachi Chincholi.
A village of dancing peacocks.

Delhi.
Delhi trip is inevitable.

Ajmer.
Visiting Dargah Sharif was a soothing experience.

Matheran.
Hiking and the toy trains made our days in Matheran.

Udaipur.
Udaipur got just a half day from my adventurous run to Mumbai.

Let me know if I missed some places here.

And here’s to a 2012 filled with more travels, adventures, and lots of fond memories for everyone!

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Statue at Batu caves

Nisha — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:30:34 +0000

Picture of the moment: Statue at Batu caves
Picture of the moment is a weekly series exhibiting pictures, through which I show you a bit of my world.

This is a statue of God Murugan at Batu caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Yes, I am in Kuala Lumpur right now but this photo is two years old. When I visited this place in 2009, I was awestruck by its gigantic size.
You can see the steep steps going to the caves.

The giant statue from the ground at Batu caves, Malaysia.

While coming down…. Do you see how small is that bus parked there?

Location: Batu caves, Kuala Lumpur.

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Off to some VolunTourism

Nisha — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 05:40:10 +0000

Starting tomorrow morning I am off to South east Asia for over 2 months. Cambodia, Malaysia and probably Thailand or Singapore. Not yet decided, not yet planned.

That’s aerial view of Mumbai

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.. — Winston Churchill

As a responsible traveller, I strongly believe in giving back something to the society.
I have done this before and will do so in future also. This time I will be engaged in volunteer work with an NGO in Cambodia for about a month.

If you are raising your eyebrows with a “What’s in it for you?” … then no, I won’t get any monetary benefits. I will have to pay for my accommodation, food, insurances and transport, visa etc. And I am not sure what kind of accommodation is in store for me… whether it is a dorm or a hotel room, I do not know. I have requested them to look for a place with wi-fi and cooking facility; yet to hear from them.

This work will give me a chance to experience and learn about the people and culture of Cambodia. More than anything, this will give me immense gratification and pleasure.

Again, I am carrying a few dozen sketch pen sets, story books, colors and some other items to be given to the kids there.
Cambodia is a new country for me, and I think it’ll be fun to stay and work with locals. I am anxiously looking forward to it.

But before that, I am not sure where I will celebrate Christmas and New Year…. Singapore or Thailand. So much of uncertainty. Absolute adventure !

For those who are interested in statistics, Cambodia will be my 23rd country. I have been to other countries which I mentioned above.

Now the blog.
I have scheduled a few guest posts to be published every week. And I am still getting requests to accept a few more.
Folks, send if you wish but don’t expect immediate reply. Whenever I am not travelling AND have internet connection, I will try to update what I have been up to.

But people who check my Facebook travel page, and Twitter will come to know the latest updates and tit-bits which come more frequently and in detail. So, do join me there.

Till I bring back lots of stories and photos…
Au Revoir
Ciao
TaTa

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Mosquito coils or incense sticks ?

Nisha — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:30:44 +0000

Picture of the moment: Mosquito coils or Incense sticks
Picture of the moment is a weekly series exhibiting pictures, through which I show you a bit of the world.

While visiting a Chinese temple in Malaysia I saw these hanging spirals. They looked like temple bells. But they were glowing and emanating strong fragrance.
Me being myself; my first reaction was “oh, so many mosquito coils! “.

But they were something else.

Incense spirals

Incense coils

This was the first time I had ever seen hanging incense coils.

Have you come across a similar situation due to a pre conceived notion ?
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P.S.-This article belongs to Le Monde-A Poetic Travail. If you are viewing this on a website instead of your RSS feed reader, then that website is guilty of stealing my content. Kindly do me a favour. Please visit my site and help me taking action by letting me know against this theft. Thank you.