Think it's about time I start to blog more often. Mainly, 'cos I have some spare time on hand (in midst of a job change) and also to keep this blog updated on the preparation for the trip. To me, this is just like Spain, which is something that I wanted to do for a long long time but just never got down to it. Like Spain, it's going to be a 16 days trip with a bunch of like-minded close friends. Itinerary for trip is roughly about 10 days trekking, 2 days flight, the rest would be divided between Pokhara and Kathmandu and with a very exciting plane trip on an 18 seater with propellers (from Pokhara to Kathmandu).
We've booked our trip with Universal Tours in Singapore. Most people I spoke to were surprised that I would do a long haul trip like that with a tour agency. It's not my usual way of travel for a number of reasons:
- To me, treking is a dangerous sport and in a foreign land, where people could barely speak English, there's certainly too much risks and hazards if something were to happen to me or my friends.
- Knowing how I yo-yo between my fitness levels, I would definitely pay for guides and porters so that I can enjoy this better. Call me spoilt brat but I want to enjoy myself, not torture myself.
- the price between DIY and booking tour package in Sg is at most sgd200 difference.
- Contrary to what everyone thinks, ship brokers are very busy people. So I have no time to plan for this at all. Pass it to the professionals. hahaa..
One of the thing that worries me a lot for this trip is my fitness level. I am very lazy when it comes to training. I love to exercise only because it's a form of "play" for me. So at least I have Ms. Hawk aka roomie aka Shanli who looks after the weekly activities. It's not excessively vigorously, just a dose of Bukit Timah Hill, Mt Faber, Macritchie walks, running, cycling. With less than 1 month left to the trip, think I had better incorporate more daily jogs/ stair climbing in my fitness regime.
Gears is one of my next worries. I started seriously thinking about this trip sometime last year and was on the haunt for cheap gears all the time.
- Have got my trusty 50L Kelty bag and 32L Cerro Torre daypack
- Bought my Vasque Goretex shoes from REI online last August. These were fantastic shoes and have served me very very very well when I went to KK. However, no thanks to not wearing it often enough, the soles are coming out. *sigh* probably going to bring glue and tape for the Nepal trip and repair my shoes everyday.
- Fleece mid layers from North Face and a few other brands that I bought online or during other travels. Even bought them in China as well. hahaa...
- Bernice was kind enough her 2 Black Diamond walking sticks.
- Trekking socks also from North Face.. they were sold at "Buy 1, Free 1" at the Northface warehouse sale!
- Quick dry towel at $10 only
- Mamot gloves from Backcountry online. They are fleece with leather at strategic spot for rope works.
- Base layers were bought from previous travels in China. Have both wool and cotton.
- Old, worn out t-shirts to wear and throw
And my latest buy! A secondhand unit DSLR!!! I am now a proud owner of the Sony a230!!!
It took me a long time to buy this camera. Mostly, because of the weight and certainly the price. It's not expensive, compared too the ones the my friends owned. But to me, the price of the camera can equate to the cost of a 4/5 days trip to an Asian country. What finally tempted me over was the great pictures that I have seen online of Nepal. I don't want to miss out a memory because I didn't have a good enough camera. Thus, if you see me running around lately with a DSLR, it's because I need to practise taking pictures and cultivating that "aesthetic" sense in a bore like me. In my excitement, I bought a hot pink Golla Camera bag to house my DSLR and over the weekend, a vintage Minolta 70-210mm zoom lens. hahaha... I know this is a bit of a crazy spree. But Hey! you are talking about Sophia... you can't really predict what I think, want or do... ahaha....
Will continue to blog more about the trip preparation in the next few entries... Stay Tune!
