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Monday, June 30, 2008

Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Amritsar-Chandigarh-Shimla-Manali-Sarchu-Leh-Delhi in18 days

From the arid heat of the infamous Indian summer at the Golden Triangle, to freak rain in the Rajasthani desert, from the piercing & brutal Punjab sun to the mysterious foggy hills en route to Shimla, from the first awestruck glimpse of the snow-capped Indian Himalayas in Manali, to the bleak and desolate landscape in freezing Sarchu, from the pleasant coolness of lovely Leh, to the muggy warmth of Delhi, beckoning the start of the Monsoon.

From basking in the beauty of the magical Taj Mahal, the No. 1 Wonder of the World, to holding the purported largest Topaz in the world, from experiencing the splendour of the Golden Temple, holy site for Sikhs all over the world, to witnessing the India-Pakistan border closing ceremony (probably the most hilarious official ceremony in the world), from crossing Khardong-La, the highest motorable pass in the world, to flying off from Leh Airport, the highest airport in the world, and finally visiting the best museum in the world (in our opinions), the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets.

From getting lost in translation and dining too lavishly in Delhi, to being human pawns in a Mughal king’s giant checkerboard in Fatehpur Sikri, from raucous games of charades in a Tempo Traveller to kill boredom during an arduous ride, to eating traditional Rajasthani fare out of leaves in Choki Dhani, from running through the crowds in our backpacks to catch the overnight train to Amritsar, to leisurely soaking in the views while being served tea in a toy train to Shimla, from paragliding amidst the mountains and zorbing down the hills in Manali, to gawking at the beauty of Panggong Lake and seeing Tibetan China in the distance, from getting used to relieving oneself in the open amid the mountain rocks, to spinning the giant prayer wheels in the Gompas of Ladakh, from the ludicrous expansion of an empire named Uhcras, to watching the sun rise beyond the mountains from the comfort of our room.

And who could forget –

How ¾ of the itinerary was a complete surprise to dear Kok Wei, and how he pointed at a random white dome on the road to Agra “Oh, we reached the Taj Mahal already?”

How 6 of us were in the wrong carriage that night at Chandigarh Station and how it separated from the rest of the train, and how we jumped off in sheer panic, and ran in the rain with our backpacks to where Hamid & Asrie were in the correct carriage bound for Kalka.

How when asked if the meat at one restaurant was halal, the waiter said in a totally deadpan manner “Yes sir, we cut the chicken slowly slowly until the chicken die”

How Yucai got literally carried away during paragliding and ended up landing in some meadow 1m away from barbed wire.

How Harti had to succumb to Peer Pressure and join the Emptering Club and how happy the guys were to make Ice Lemon Tea and Mountain Dew, even enjoying the scenic trickling streams (Which stream?)

How GE attacked us that dreadful night we camped out in Sarchu – How I was diarrhea-ing when suddenly all the lights went out, leaving me gripped by blind panic in the pitch black & freezing tent toilet. How relieved Yucai felt upon seeing the first rays of dawn and realising that he wasn’t going to die after all.

How 5 of us went for full body Ayurvedic massage only to find out 2 days later that the massage parlour got busted by the police for not having a license.

How Asrie tested a waiter’s patience by asking repeatedly if the veg steak had any meat in it, and if the Paneer Sizzler was just “Paneer, paneer, paneer, paneer…”

How we gorged and feasted – Mysore Masala Thosai in Agra, Paneer Pakora in Jaipur, piping hot Jelebis in Choki Dhani, Parantha in Punjab, Momos in Shimla, Indian style Maggi Mee on the road to Leh, Tibetan Thentuk & flaming Banana Falumbria in Ladakh.

How we made friends along the way – Uncle & his poor thing helper in Delhi, the wacko guide at the fort in Jaipur, the mischievious Punjabi boys in Amritsar, the pleasant family in the Kalka-Shimla train, Vinay the daredevil driver in Manali, the friendly monk at the Gompa, the nice American teachers at the Guesthouse, the jovial lady at the water refill/Leh Berry Lassi shop, the amused drivers who drove us around Leh, the beautiful Dorje family (dashing Mr Dorje and his pretty wife, Bao baby Stanzin, adorable Grandpa Dorje, Mr John from Goa)

How much fun we had.

Asrie, Hamid, Harti, Jinxi, Kok Wei, Pofun & Yucai – thanks for a fantastic trip guys!

Presenting…best of the group shots

hurrAY!

Posted by Adila :: 3:16 PM :: 0 comments

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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Nepal Part Two

Hi guys! Hamid that was a lovely and sentimental poem, though not written entirely by urself it was still highly touching. One mth has been passing by faster than lightning, and now its alr our last wk in Nepal. So much has happened, made so many new frens, and its really sad to leave. Anyway, I’ve got a few more photos to share of my time in this fantastic country, and hope u guys enjoy!

Here are some photos of me and Eleanor in minor ot (we were in the same GS team, w a really suave consultant who El nicknamed Bollywood, heehee harti if ur interested I haf a photo with him!).

Here I am in my tailor made scrubs (yes, we had to tailor our own personalized scrubs, or OT dress as they call it).

As u can see, the minor ot is really MINOR. Unlike our sterile until can eat off the floor OT, theirs has the open breeze wafting in thru mosquito netted windows, the fan merrily swiveling away, and Hindi music blaring from a radio while the surgeons sing along.

Here is El, with the OT sister (they call them Didi here!) in the backgrnd.

As anesthesia is really expensive, things like hernia ops are done under LA, w the pt’s eyes just covered by a filmy piece of gauze. We have to literally hold pts down during such ops as they’ll thrash arnd in pain! Here I’m helping out in excision of lipoma.

Suturing the wound!

me and my team intern, Narendra.

Last weekend, the 3 girls went on a short 2 day trek with a bunch of fellow 4th yr med students who invited us along. So we did get to experience a teeny bit of Nepal trekking, up to an elevation of abt 3000m. btw in case ur wondering why ernest dint come along, the brave soul surprised the hell out of everyone and decided to go bungee jumping alone! Highest jump in Asia and New Zealand even, at 160m! Couldn’t go to watch him as was too expensive, but he has a fantastic video that I’ve told him to upload on youtube! It is beyond words!

Some photos from our trek.

passed many animals and villages along the way.

Taking a break en route to savour the scenery.

A grp photo once we reached our destination, Chisapani. Spent the night in a teahouse there. Was freezing! (Chisapani literally means cold water)

plucking this delicious fruit pronounced Onshelu, that tasted like strawberries but more citrusy and sweeter! Cant get in shops!

A sunburnt me saying bye for now, cant wait to see u guys in India this sun! and siti shoe, see u in 1.5 mths time! Keep the everest dream burning (and pray they have cable cars to bring u up there one day!).

well, thats all for nepal! hope u enjoyed!

love, adila

Posted by Adila :: 6:17 PM :: 0 comments

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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

:: I Miss My Favourite People ::

A Childish Tribute

I miss you all more than words can say
Never escaping my thoughts each single day
Each of you more than a friend
May our bonds last beyond the end

The days apart make my heart weep
But at least we have memories to keep
I know we'll meet again soon enough
Oh I can't wait, Oh this is so tough

Every time I see a lovely flower
In the thoughts of my favourites, my eyes shower
A visit to my mental photo file
Sends a stimuli to my heart to smile

All the memories I hold in my chest
Suffices for you guys are the best
Holding these close to my heart
There's no need to miss cos we're not apart

Hamid
23 April 2008
0116H

Posted by Hamid :: 1:16 AM :: 0 comments

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Nepal Photos

Hey guys!

harti! vanakum! haha glad to hear things are gg great.

Just wanted to update u guys on what has been gg on. nepal just had their elections on 10 apr so the govt actually declared a 5 day hol for everyone this past week. anyway, the elections went pretty well, peaceful in fact. the maoists won a 75% majority and according to locals, they think thats gd. so hopefully the situation remains that way.
for us, 5 day hol meant that we went travelling! so here are just some photos i wanna share.
no time to write long long, just let the pics do the talking,.

here i am in thamel, where we're staying.
A rooftop cafe in nearby Patan, Kathmandu.

View of the Kathmadu Valley.

we went to the Royal Chitwan National Park. here we are at the resort.

went on a jeep safari into the jungle and plains of the massive park.

also rode on an elephant's back into the jungle like these pple. couldnt get a photo of us.

saw animals!! the classic deer-caught-in-the-headlights stare.

a pissed off water buffalo.

tiger! but was in captivity.

a Gharial crocodile in the marshes.
2 one-horned indian rhinos crossed our path.

rhino up close.

almost got chased by one!

and for the grand finale, a peacock doing a courtship dance to the peahen! we were super lucky to catch this. were watching silently from the elephant's back.

then we went to this place called Pokhara where u can get fantastic mountain views. here i am on a pony. (we horse-backed up a hill to see the views).

and what everyone goes to nepal to see - the himalayas! this is the annapurna mountain range, unfortunately cant see everest from here.

The virgin (unclimbed) mountain Macchapuchre aka Fishtail Mountain. Forbidden to climb by the govt as the pple consider it to be sacred.
us and the mountains. breathtaking.

k thats all for our travelling. tmr we'll be starting sch for gd. plus they work suns here so no more slacking! haha. hope to hear from the guys in singapore. and i miss u all too! wish we could experience all this tog! but india will be great i'm sure.


take care all!
love, adila

Posted by Adila :: 8:52 PM :: 1 comments

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