Hello Kitty Airlines

Let me start off by saying that I LOVE living in Asia. Many Asian countries seem to have a true passion for things that are cute and made of plastic. The universal favorite character of all things cute is, of course, Hello Kitty.

In Macau- a fully Hello Kitty decorated car

In Thailand- a store with nothing but Hello Kitty- and every last item individually wrapped in plastic!

In Taiwan- dessert at the Hello Kitty Cafe

I have now just learned of the ULTIMATE Hello Kitty adventure. The Taiwanese airline EVA has created Hello Kitty airlines. It has its own check-in, three airplanes and flights between the most common capitals of cute plastic goodness. Headrests, pillows, boarding passes and even meals are all HELLO KITTY!!!

Welcome Aboard

I don’t know about you, but I NEED to do this. I’m thinking of the Taipei-Tokyo route!

I’m ready to go with my Hello Kitty helmet

You Snooze, You Lose

For the last few months, the Singapore Art Museum has been displaying a AWESOME sculpture by Mojoko and Eric Foenander  on its front lawn.

“No One Can Save Us Now” photo by Suzzana Low-Chew

For the last few months, I have been meaning to put on my Superman t-shirt and have my photo taken with this sculpture.  However, last night as my boyfriend and I were returning home from a fine Mexican dinner in Little India, I noticed the sculpture had been taken down and that the SAM lawn was distinctly empty.   Upon a quick internet search, I discovered that it had been taken down the day before.   I missed it by 1 day!!!

Me, sad, NOT next to the the Melting Superman

My boyfriend suggested an alternative photo shoot to cheer me up, so I donned my coffee t-shirt and posed with some giant colorful macaroons.

I’m as strong as Superman

This yellow one looks tasty

At least I got my photo with the macaroons before they got graffitied or replaced.

Singapore’s Merlion

If you have ever visited Singapore, you surely have seen the city-state’s mascot, the Merlion.  Half Lion/Half Fish.  Kind of like a mermaid.  The lion half comes from the Malay name of the country, Singapura, which mean “Lion City.”  I have no idea where the fish half comes from.  Maybe because it’s an island and lots of people fish here.

Anyway, normally, the Merlion sits on the Marina Bay, spouting water from its mouth.  However, when I first visited this lovely country, the Merlion had been converted into an installation art/ tourist attraction.  The Merlion Hotel, a one-room exclusive hotel built around the Merlion’s head.  (Spouting water turned off, obviously.)  Guests could spend one night up-close and personal with this giant “catfish.”

For those not willing to sleep under the stoney watchful eyes of a mythical beast, a mini version was erected in the nearby square.

Merlions can be found all over Singapore.  Shot glasses, t-shirts, figurines.  There is a giant (even bigger than the original) replica on Sentosa Island (with a viewing deck in its mouth!).  My favorite on display at the Vivo City Mall Toys R Us and made entirely out of Lego.

If you ever travel to Singapore, be sure to give the Merlion a visit.

For My Fellow Road Warriors

Even though I’m “retired” from the road, a part of my heart is always out there.  A friend recently shared this video with me and I love it.

Bridging the Gap

Crossing the Friendship Bridge between Tibet and Nepal was a journey unto itself.  For nearly two weeks Kevin, Matt and I had toured Tibet with our guide Phuntsok.  We had a strict itinerary, a driver and our ultimate destination (Everest) always in sight.  After reaching Base Camp and saying our prayers at the foot of the world’s highest peak, we began our journey back down the mountain.

Zhangmu Sunset

We spent most of the day driving to the border town of Zhangmu and spent a brief night there before waking up to wait in line to cross over to Nepal.  Phuntsok dropped us off at the Chinese immigration station and we were on our own.  The three of us left Tibet at 10:30 in the morning to walk cross a pedestrian bridge and arrive in Nepal at 7:15 in the morning.  (Gotta love those time zone shifts!)

Upon arriving in Nepal, we were mobbed by taxi drivers offering to drive us to Kathmandu and by ladies selling trinkets.  We struggled to find the Nepalese immigration office before being swept away in the crowd.  Long story short, we got our entry visas, found a driver and set off for Nagarkot with our hopes set on seeing the brilliant view of the Himalayas from Nepal’s most famous viewing point.

On the road

Nagarkot was a cute mountain town with many fabulous viewing points of the Kathmandu valley, rice paddies and of course, through brief glimpses between the clouds, the amazing peaks of the “Snow Mountains.”

Rice Paddies

After settling into the hotel, we went out to explore the area.  It was a quick walk downhill through small alleys of hotels and shops to reach the main area of town.  I saw lots of little stalls selling handmade knit goods and briefly fancied a life here selling woolen hats, scarves and socks.

A stupa

Those folks on top of the bus have the best view!

The next morning was foggy and the whole valley was blanketed in a thick white haze.

Not quite the view we'd hoped for...

Eventually the fog eased and we caught passing glimpses of the mighty giants.

The peaks loomed high above the horizon even from this distance

This is why I bought such an expensive new camera for this trip

After our morning view, our time in Nagarkot was coming to a close.  We trekked back down the hillside to catch a bus to our next destination, Bhaktapur.

Good-Bye rice paddies

See more photos of Nepal here.

Visit more posts from my Asian Winter Odyssey here.

Everest “Expedition”

I consider myself a “semi-active” person.  I don’t do a lot of exercise, but I do walk very fast.  I enjoy somewhat sporty activities when the opportunity presents itself (rock climbing, yoga, hiking), but I don’t really pursue them very often.  I’ve definitely never been involved in anything one might classify as “extreme.”  When  my co-worker Kevin, asked me if I wanted to join him and his boyfriend on a trip to Everest Base Camp last November, I asked, “How much climbing is involved?”  Luckily, no ice climbing is involved with visiting the Base Camp.  We only had to do a little “light” hiking (at 5200 meters above sea level).  I, of course, said yes and joined the “expedition” to the base of the Top of the World.  I was eager to visit such a historical, holy, extreme destination.

Thar She Blows- A view from the road to Everest

We got to Everest by way of China and a winding route through Tibet, which you can read about by visiting a few of my previous posts.  A link to all the places I visited during my Asian Winter Odyssey can be found here.

We set out from New Tingri early in the morning on 18 November 2010 and followed a Snake-n-Ladders like path higher and higher into the Himalayas.

A bird's eye view of our path

Side note: I’ve traveled to a lot of places and done my business in a lot of varied conditions.  Let me just say that nothing I’ve experience before or after this journey compares to using the public toilet on the road to Everest.  A small stone shelter with no door and a clear history of poor aiming techniques offered little comfort as I squatted in a chilly wind nearly 4 miles above sea level.

We arrived in the early evening at the guest house at Base Camp.  Sadly (or perhaps not so sadly) we arrived very very late in the Everest season and the outdoor camp ground was already closed, therefore we did not sleep in tents but rather stayed at the guest house.  (I still consider this “roughin’ it” as there was no plumbing, limited electricity and no heating except a small yak dung stove in the common room.)

A Nun and a Goat

Weather at the peak was pretty cloudy, but clear down below and we visited the world’s highest monastery, Rongbuk.  (Interestingly enough, it is also Tibet’s only co-ed monastery.)  Compared to the other monasteries we visited in Tibet, this one was so much smaller, so much poorer and so much simpler than any other.  We each bought a few blessed items for souvenirs and gifts from the Top  of the World.

The Rongbuk Monastery

I was very taken by the undefinable holy atmosphere in the shadow of Mt. Qomolangma (translation: Holy Mother) and I took a moment to hike up a small hill and say a few prayers.

I built stacks of stones for each prayer, just as I had seen countless times along the road

After visiting the monastery and saying my prayers, I spent the rest of the evening with the other visitors and the local Sherpas and Guest House keepers.  (Another side note: Though the local men work very hard as Sherpas for Everest Summitters, the women do ALL the rest of the work including cooking, cleaning and trekking miles to get fresh water.)

The Sherpas and the drivers show off some dancing skills for the ladies

The next morning, we awoke early in the morning to catch the stunning view of Everest at sunrise.  It was windy (!), it was cold (!!) and it was early (!!!).  We hiked up what most people on the planet would consider a VERY SMALL HILL to arrive at the clump of prayer flags that represents the closest point a person can get to the summit without legal permission from the Chinese government (and about 10 grand).  At sea level, this may have been an easy uphill jog, but at 5200 meters, this left us winded, coughing and panting.  It was totally worth it.  Seeing the peak of Everest turn pink with the rising sun is the closest that a “normal person” can come to the glory of actually standing at the Top of the World.

Worth it

After viewing the peak at dawn, we went back to camp, ate a meager breakfast and packed up for our lengthy trek back down the mountain and our last stop in Tibet before crossing the Friendship Bridge into Nepal.

I'm at the Top of the World

See more pictures of my trip to Everest here.

My Face is Frozen- My Tibetan Trek

My Face is Frozen!!

At the beginning of my Asian Winter Odyssey, I spent a few days in Lhasa, Tibet.  After a few days of sightseeing there, we began our journey through Tibet on our way to Mt. Everest.  We visited several amazing sights along the way.

13 November- Nam Tso Lake

Our first stop outside of Lhasa was Tibet’s Nam Tso Lake. It is the largest lake in Tibet.  We were among the last few visitors to this turquoise lake in the clouds.  I would love to visit Nam Tso in the summer.  I imagine it is even more gorgeous.  There are some rocks that look like they would be amazing to climb.  (I don’t think you’re allowed to climb them , though.  :(  )

The Couple Stone

Peace Monument (just outside Nam Tso area)

14 November- Tombs of the Kings and 

We went to Shannan to visit the Tombs of the Tibetan Kings.  The monastery is really small and on top of a hill overlooking the valley of tombs.

The giant mounds are the burial sites

That day we also visited the teeny tiny Changdrok Temple.  It is the oldest temple in Tibet.

As the monastery is situated atop a very steep hill, we rode horses to the top

My friend the camel.

15 November- A Long Day in a Car to Gyantse

We set out in the morning on our way to the town of Gyantse.  We made several stops along to way to see the sights.

Reminds me of Jacob's Ladder- Tibetan prayer drawings

Yamdrok Lake

Kharola Glacier- 5560 meters above sea level!

We arrived in Gyantse in the later afternoon.  We set out to explore town before the sun went down.

Many doors have these swastikas. The Buddhist symbol of good luck

16 November- Gyantse Fort and Palcho Monastery

Don't fall off the fort!

We visited the ruins of the Gyantse Fortress.  It involved hiking up a lot of stairs and climbing over a lot of rubble, but gave us a great view of the town.

A view of the Palcho Monastery from Gyantse Fort

DANGER

Our next stop was the Palcho Monastery.

The monastery is most notable for its Kumbum, which looks like a giant stupa with a golden dome on its top.  It has nine levels and you can walk inside and see countless holy images of buddha and other holy icons.

The Kumbum

Buddha

Offerings at Buddha's feet

Green Tara

Tibetans carry melted yak butter in these thermos to pour into the butter lamps that burn as offerings in the temples

One last view of the Kumbum

17 November- Shigatse, Tingri, Tashilhunpo and Sakya Monasteries

At the Tashilhunpo Monastery

Our last day before Everest, we headed to Shigatse, stopping at the Tashilhunpo and Sakya Monsteries along the way.

A monk sorting prayer scarves at Tashilhunpo

Prayer Wheels at Sakya Monastery

A guardian at Sakya

That evening we arrived in New Tingri for our last night before Everest!

A yak along the road to New Tingri

 

By the end of our Tibetan Trek, our clothes smelled like incense and our cameras were filled with lots of amazing photos of many inspirational people and sights.  We were ready to head up, up, up to the Top of the World!

See more photos of Tibet here.