Pisang to Besisahar by Car

Entering last part of Nepal trip. So by now, we have gone through most part of the trip. We have reached Manang, spent a night sleepover, and now It’s time to go down by car. We opted to use car for the benefit of time. It’s actually also possible if you would like to go on foot if you have the time. Our trip this time would be Manang – Besisahar. To leave Nepal we must go back to Khatmandu however It’s not recommended to go directly from Pisang to Khatmandu and based on my experience it’s indeed not recommended so please adjust your travel plan accordingly. For us, we have been informed that it may take around 6 – 8 hours drive from Manang to Besisahar by our guide. So there we were waking up in the morning, eating our breakfast, soaking the last Manang air, and loading all luggage to the car.

The road From Manang to Besisahar was like an off road. Again, I was just so amazed by the driving skills. We rode a 4 wheel drive ( for sure ) and it was a cloudy day. Basically, if we move a bit too far left or right, it was already a cliff. We were driving in a white haze. Yet, somehow I felt safe. LOL.. that kind of feeling like when you ride a plane. There is no going back once departed and you could only trust the pilot. It’s also worth noting that sometimes there will be roadblocks and land slides. Hence it’s important to calculate and put some ample time into your estimation. We were still able to get through this time but sometimes we can’t and need to get down, offload and load back our luggage to another car. Just like what we had in the beginning of the trip to chame .

Along the way, we have noticed that Manang – Upper Pisang ( that killer trail in day 2 ) was only about 2 hours drive away by car. hahaha.. my city girl kind of thought was intrigued, “why didn’t we just use car then?” anyway, it’s not that I regretted the experience – Just a thought that crossed my mind.

Our trip was rather quick. I think our driver was like either a respected person or very famous. He kept on getting a call and when there was another car passing many said hi to him. He seemed to know the road pretty well so yes it helped to fastened our trip. We stopped 2 times . One stop was short, there is an apple farm between Pisang and Besisahar, you could stop by over here and get a fresh farm products or getting a bit of a refreshment. Second stop was actually for our lunch. By this time, I don’t know how many momos or noodle that I’ve eaten. Food wise, I tend to go with a mild taste so I found that Dal Bhat is a bit too strong for my palate but my friends seemed to like it. The one in our last stop I could accept it. Worry not, Dal Bhat default type will be suitable for vegetarian. The meat if you want to is treated as an add on. Portion is very generous and you could ask for more rice with no additional cost, well.. for me, it seemed we could get more of everything (besides the meat add on ) with no additional cost. Definitely enough for us to carry on through until our destination in Besisahar.

We reached Besisahar so much faster that we originally planned. I think it was around 2 PM. What we did was we checked in to the logging and as usual we planned out dinner ahead of time and agreed to meet each other at dinner time. Taking a bit of a stroll in Besisahar somehow felt strange. Besisahar looked like a modern city with many vehicles passing by. It was a rather busy city. By this time, I didn’t remember to take pictures anymore. unfortunately. ;'(

For me, since I still felt a bit under the weather, I only took a bit of stroll around the city. trying to get some more surgical mask to fight the dust and so that my sore throat didn’t get worse. Thankfully there was a pharmacy nearby the hotel. The experience to buy things was a bit confusing because we didn’t use to the brand and what I found was that the medicines choices somehow went towards Herb or Ayuverdic medicine. I couldn’t really get the usual medicine that we have back in Indonesia. Well, my throat was killing me so i tried one. For Mask, they didn’t really have surgical mask, they have the usual mask though but it’s an ear loop so if you wear hijab just make sure you have the mask head loop add on. We went there before the pandemic so it was still uncommon but now it’s available in many places make sure you pack it too. Basically just that before I went back to the hotel and stay for the night getting into hot Shower, Electricity, Internet access, and food, usual items that I appreciated more after I went hiking.

I wish you were there with us drunk by the mountain trip with happiness in our heart.

Cheers!

Triana Mustika Rukmi

10 Items Inside Travelling Pouch

Whoop.. here comes another story of preparing ourselves for a Flight! have you been on a plane, you know that it could be a hassle in putting/getting our stuffs due to space limitation. You don’t want to obstruct people but at the same time you need sometime to get yourself organised. Opening up your cabin bag then tossing your stuffs to your seat before putting it inside the overhead compartment is a hassle.

After couple of times, I realised that I kept on throwing out the same items. So, one day I asked myself, “why don’t I get a pouch for these items?” Then the journey began. It wasn’t that smooth at first but I got used to it..now, packing my things is easier as I just need to put this pouch in my cabin bag. Let’s Un-box it here.. 😀

Travell Pouch
1. Passport
It’s obvious that you need this. Bring it with you and don’t leave it behind. If you are an alien like me, don’t forget your ‘alien ID’ if you have one.

2. Pen
It comes handy especially when you need to fill in any arrival card or make some scratches regarding your travelling plan.

3. Data Cable
You will need it to charge your phone/power bank.

4. Power Bank
Imagine…When your flight doesn’t have a power charge. You will need it to ensure your phone has enough battery. Ensure that the capacity is within the allowable limit and written clearly on the body. Some countries are strict on this rule. You don’t wanna have it confiscated. Anyway, this item can’t go to your baggage you need to put it on your cabin bag.

5. Earphone
This is for your in-flight entertainment. Could be used for your own device or even the in-flight screen.

6. Pin / Needle like
Why on earth Triana? Well, It’s for opening my phone’s sim card tray. 😀 as you could see in the pic i have some local sim cards and I need this so that i could manage my cards especially when I come back to the home country. Other than that, it could also be used for emergency case such as wardrobe malfunction. Speaking of broken zipper..maybe. 😛 for me, i am wearing hijab so this could be my hidden stash.

7. Face Mask
The air is super dry up there. I found that by wearing this, it ease my dry-nose / sore throat case. Another plus side : it covers my mouth when I fall asleep and unable to control my face muscle. You know how unappealing we could be during our sleep. Nowadays i see more and more people wearing this during flight. You are not alone. I am with you.

8. Tissue
You could have either wet or dry. I just happened to have both during the time I captured the photo.

9. Plaster
For you who’s as clumsy as me. It’ll be great to have some first aid kit.

10. Small Padlock
Guilty as charge. This is not for in flight. You may need this when you travel on a group or if you have additional baggage after your trip or.. if you stay in a hostel/dorm. They will provide you a cabinet to put your things. Some might come without a lock. It’s always good to have one for security measure. I put it inside my pouch ’cause i have the tendency to lose small items. Putting it inside the pouch eliminate that case.

Those are couple of items that i had with me on one of my recent flight. I know that we are talking about things inside a pouch. However, I would like to credit the pouch itself. I have been with this baby for years and hoping for years to come too. If i may..i would like to recommend you to get the similar pouch as mine. It has 3 compartments with zipper and about the right size. Though it will be unusual for guys to bring this type. You could go with fancier small leather bag. maybe. 😀

Hope this writing could give you some ideas on what to pack for your journey! a bit of up close photo of my pouch below! Wish you were there so that someone could take a better pic of my ‘treasure’. i had too much time to kill. Cheers! 😉

edf

Becoming a Dreamcatcher

DREAMCATCHER ( NOUN)

A small hoop containing a horsehair mesh, or a similar construction of string or yarn, decorated with feathers and beads, believed to give its owner good dreams. Dreamcatchers were originally made by North American Indians. – Oxford dictionary

I was intrigued by this little thing called dreamcatcher after reading a novel. There was no google at that time ( *gulp* now i feel old ) so i could only imagine how it looks like by reading or seeing some illustration from books..one after another. Dreamcatcher was uncommon in a place where i come from. Hence, i could just seeing it from afar wanting to own it one day. LOL. Now, i sound too dramatic.

I finally met my first dreamcatcher last year. It is a dreamcatcher necklace. I found it in a dream catcher shop in Thailand. a lil’ story for you, I had a chance to talk with the owner. He’s Japanese who is living in Thailand. He told me a story that he couldn’t weave a dream catcher. All of the items in the shop was weaved by local. He just gave them the design. Aha! he’s the designer. Some of the following dream catcher in my pic are his. 😉

Cutting the long story short, ever since, it becomes a habit to bring one dream catcher along when i am travelling. I like the magical feeling when i have it in my hand. When i have it, it really feels as if i am catching and harnessing the dreams. At the very least, one of my dream to travel the worlds. As childish as it might sound, every time i look into the necklace i feel like i catch the dreams which made me feel like becoming a “Dream Catcher”.

For me, a dream catcher is not only a thing. It could be a person who is passionate in achieving their dream. i want to be one of them. It’s a symbolisation of how i think a life should be live in. Dare to dream and dare to make it comes true…and here i am wishing you were here and be part of my dream(s). Who knows when our way will criss cross each other?

Cheers..! 😉

Comin’ up – wait for the travel experiences!

DreamCatcherCollage