Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

For some reason, I expected KL to be similar to Kathmandu. Boy, was I wrong! It’s probably the most familiar place that we’ve been so far with lots of restaurants and English speakers, name brand stores, and tall buildings galore. And there are Toto toilets (not quite like the Japanese version since there is a hose on the side but at least these are real toilets)! What a pleasant surprise! We were only supposed to stay in Malaysia for 2 nights and then move on to the Philippines, but as you know, the typhoon devastated several areas there including one area that we were going to. We are still going to the Philippines but we re-routed our trip to other areas since people we spoke to in the Philippines urged us not to cancel because they still need the tourism. We extended our stay in Malaysia for a few more nights and moved to the island of Langkawi for the last few days.

Petronas Towers 

Finally got to swim some laps!

Mike found Christmas

And so did I! Wow, we couldn't believe all of the Christmas decorations in this mall. Mall? Actually, I couldn't even believe that I'd found a mall, which is something I haven't seen for a while. 

Love these


We found Kim again!

Islamic Art Museum 

Chinatown

We found those Towers again

Last thoughts on Nepal

We really liked Nepal. Kathmandu was a bit crazy, although we were ready. New Delhi might be a different story, so we’ll save that city for another day! In Kathmandu, we felt like we were in video game as the taxi drove down the street, dodging cows, scooters, buses and other cars, while honking almost continuously. Yet, it worked. The bargaining we had to do in the stores was sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating, depending on our mood. The rotating blackouts did not affect us too much since there were generators - electricity is limited in Kathmandu so different areas go out at different times per the schedule and generators must kick on, if they have them or candles are used, if not. When we went to the airport, there was no power in the area yet many shops were still open and dimly lit. The airport itself is the most chaotic one I’ve ever been in!

Dinner times have been shifting depending on which country we’ve been in. Nepal seems to be an early dinner (6pm) kind of place…with a lot of restaurants closing by 9:30pm.

Random: 

Mike left his small backpack on our flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and the small plane took off before he could get it back. Our group had breakfast and by the time we were done, the plane was back and backpack was returned! Anytime we left a tea lodge during our hike, members of the group would check to make sure Mike hadn't forgotten anything. :) Luckily, he's still got his sunglasses, camera and backpack...

There is a lot more to do in Nepal (hiking the Annapurna circuit, Chitwan National Park are some examples) so we need to come back. We also need to clear our lungs first! Kathmandu has a lot of pollution.

Mike is trying our his golf swing at the driving range. Markus - we need your help!

Monkeys on the golf course 

Monkeys everywhere!

Crazy Kathmandu airport

Men are separated from women when going through security. Hard to tell, but the women's line is on the right and that's me in it...so much shorter than the men's line so maybe women do not travel as much?

Trekking cont'd

Here are the rest of the trek photos:

The group (Everest in the background).

Mount Everest just to the right of the black mountain...it's further away so it doesn't look as tall as the others from this viewpoint. The pictures don't do it justice.

They use dry stone for all of the houses in these villages.

Another night of separate beds! Cute but cold room (no heat, so feels like you are sleeping outside since the windows are not sealed well).

Kim, our new hygienist friend from England

Yeti skull

Us, Teddy and our guides

Hospital (funded by donations)

Very well equipped!

They even have a maternity area.

They look like they are in cahoots about something.

This had to be the largest thing we saw carried on the trail...there are no cars in these villages so everything must be carried on these trails or flown in by helicopter (expensive). A refrigerator!!! These porters get paid by the kilo.

My new friend...he followed us for a while.

Another view of that short runway in Lukla.

Last night...playing Yaniv, which was our card game throughout the journey. I won the championship game. :) 

Early morning flight...not many lights for this check in process. 

Back in Kathmandu for 3 nights...headed to a reggae bar for Kim's birthday with everyone.

Last night in Kathmandu...we moved from the Radisson to another hotel just outside of town.

Trekking in Nepal

We survived trekking (it wasn’t too bad and not as hard as Peru)…the pace was slower and we probably covered less distance. We saw some beautiful scenery, including Everest, and got a good taste of what smaller villages in Nepal are like. We took a flight to Lukla, trekked as far as Khumjung and then started to make our way back. As expected, there were some very cold nights and I had to sleep in 4 layers including my jacket sometimes. Heat or lack of is a big issue in these villages. We had 2 showers the entire week...one was freezing within a minute and the second one actually stayed hot the whole time! We stayed in the Radisson after the hike and it felt like the fanciest place around, hahaha. 

I'll post some more pics later since the internet is slow...here's the first part of the trek:

Airport isn't open yet so everyone lines up...

Flight to Lukla...still smiling because I didn't know this would be the dodgiest flight I've ever taken! Even Mike agreed! We bounced out of our seats at one point, the girl in front of me shed some tears and there were mountains on both sides so it was difficult to imagine how the pilot would land the plane. Lukla airport has one of the shortest runways in the world.

After surviving the dodgy flight, we had breakfast (eating would become a predominant part of the trek, hahaha) and are about to set off on the hike.

Airport 

We let this little boy grab our camera after and started taking lots of pictures, hahaha.

Not the real Starbucks but kinda cool!

First night...it's already getting cold but at least we can both fit on this bed!

Banker, the village we stayed in for a night.

Lots of these hanging bridges to cross

King of the world!

Porters carry so much

Second night...looks like we have to sleep separately since this bed is super small.

Highest dental clinic in the world (in Namche)

View of Namche

Okay, I can't take the photo credit for that view...this is what I was doing while Mike was taking in the view.

Always got to have my hand sanitizer and toilet roll pack with me!

Think these are dzokios (yak/cow cross).