Nana | Rambling Thoughts

hi from freezing shangri-la!

resting in zongzanlin monastery [松赞林寺 Sōngzànlín Sì in chinese], ganden sumtseling in tibetan words. this fascinating monastery is also known as little potala palace. the largest tibetan buddhist monastery in yunnan, china.

just a kiss

do you have a song that will instantly remind you of a person, a place or a memory the minute you listen to it?

i have plenty. each reminds me of either a person, a place or a memory.

i will be in luang prabang, lao, this sunday and i already mentally play lady antebellum's just a kiss. that very song always remind me of my fantastic time in luang prabang!

tibetan mastiff

i am not sure if it is because of shangri-la's super cold weather or because i have been missing someone so dearly, but i got so lonely these past two days. i have been wanting to go home sooner!

it's a strange feeling that i did not get to feel in my previous trips.

too bad i cannot change my flights. well, i can but it will cost me a fortune. so i decided to brace myself and enjoy the rest of my holiday here in shangri-la.

thankfully that lonely feeling has disappeared, thanks to my encounter with a beautiful tibetan mastiff earlier today. i instantly feel happier!

once a dog person, always a dog person, i guess!

when was the last time you did something for the first time?

i have never been in a public bus in china. not the intercity bus nor the city public bus. ... until today!

yeah, for an obvious reason. i don't speak the language.

so i ended up flying, renting a car or traveling by trains from one city to another in china.

today, after some self encouragement, i took the public bus to go to zongzalin-si, the largest tibetan buddhist monastery here in shangri-la. and i managed to go back and forth on the public bus. yay!

so there it goes, my doing the first time thingy for today!

dingin

liburan kali ini bener-bener minus foto kaki pamer cat kuku. bukan kenapa. it's way too freezing cold to wear sandals. adanya kemana-mana pake sepatu kets dan berkaus kaki. ih. ndak seksi blas!

di hari ulang tahun dan pas mau berangkat dinner, udah dengan pedenya pake dress pendek dan sandal cantik, begitu buka pintu villa .. yak! ayo ganti sweater dan celana panjang dan jacket dan sepatu kets. doh!

a convo with a friend

were you enjoying the beautiful scenery of kunming on your birthday or splitting your bum traveling in a bus to somewhere?

hahahahahahaha .. noooo! i was having the best birthday celebration in banyan tree lijiang. got so broke now!

no problem, being broke. happiness is more important!

hahaha yes, yes!

if you are broke when you are back here, i'll buy you lots of chocolate dipped banana from angkor market!

hahahaha .. do that, please!

no drink order

because of the cold weather you need to pee a lot, drink a lot, pee a lot, drink a lot. you got the picture? hihi

so while walking around, people always carry a bottle of water or tea. maybe because of that very fact, the waiters in many eateries rarely ask for drink order. once they got your food order, they will just leave you.

it's rather different from many other places where people have to order drink in the eateries. well you do not have to really, but you cannot consume beverage that you bring from outside. 'naf said.

here, it's okay. you just order for food and then get your own bottled water from inside your bag! hehe ..

well, maybe it can be different when you are dining in the 5 star hotel restaurant. i cannot say anything about this really. i had my birthday dinner in the chinese restaurant in banyan tree lijiang, but there you are served with complimentary bottomless tea, so again .. no drink order! hihihihi ...

mode

when i was traveling to beijing and shanghai last year, i noticed so many youngsters wearing glasses without ... the glasses. the frame only! i don't understand why.

here in lijiang, i find many people doing the same. wearing only glasses frame. fashion mode, i reckon?

kedinginan

kalo misalnya tinggal dan kerja disini males ndak sih musti bangun pagi-pagi, mandi dan berangkat kerja? adem banget! brrrrr ...

selama berlibur diri lijiang sini, kebiasaan pecicilan agak mereda. udara yang dingin sangat, membuat cepat payah dan kehabisan nafas. duh. dan karena masih cukup lama akan ada di china sini, keputusannya adalah pecicilan in day time and hybernating dari jam 7 malam keatas. ndak lucu kalo jatuh sakit pas traveling sendirian gini

lagipun selama di old town sini, agak ngeri membayangkan tersesat di malam hari. lijiang old town ini punya ratusan gang yang nampak sama tapi tidak sama. selama ini belum pernah sampe tersesat sih! bakat navigasi yang lumayan (halah!) membuat saya lumayan bisa menghapalkan belokan-belokan yang saya ambil. seru!

tapi ya itu tadi cukup sampe jam 7 malam saja. setelahnya totally kedinginan, payah dan kehabisan nafas karena mustinya oksigen lebih tipis di ketinggian sini. oh iya, disini banyak dijual oksigen dalam kaleng karena you will need it! trust me! hfffff ...

impression lijiang

yesterday after some super fun time in the snow mountain, i went to watch the impression lijiang. this is the second impression that i watched after impression west lake hangzhou i went to watch october last year

if the impression west lake hangzhou is performed on a lake at night time, impression lijiang is performed in a man made stage in the day time with snow mountain as the backdrop. both are equally stunning!

the similarity between two impressions are both directed by zhang yimou and performed by hundreds of dancers.

my friend warned me of crying over the impression and yup, i did cry. i think mostly because of the epic music score and the fact that i am reminded just how blessed i am to be in the place i want to be on my birthday. so, so blessed!

frolic in the snow

mission accomplished!

actually i planned to have my birthday in switzerland, visiting my friend pipit. alas, i cannot take a long holiday, so the destination was changed to ... yunnan, china!

so far my birthday trip here has been super wonderful. just like what i imagined it to be. cool (freezing at times!) weather, beautiful scenery, colorful flowers, tons of alleyways with shops selling tribal stuff .. oh i have been spending my days walking hours and hours .. and hours.

but of course the highlight of my birthday trip is to actually ... touch snow! hahaha .. i promised myself that one for this year. and yes, mission accomplished! yay!

making friends

i am not a person who makes friends easily. it's because i am shy (a fact about me that people always find it hard to believe!)

however, my various solo trips have been teaching me how to make friends on the road. to kick my shyness away!

yesterday on my trip to jade dragon snow mountain, i made friend with a girl from shanghai. we ended making silly pictures of us two. hihi.. so fun!

oh. one more. the (gorgeous) chinese guy staying next to my room! when we chatted he was so surprised to know that i travel solo when i do not even speak the language. you are a brave girl, he said! ahem. hihihi ..

oh he is so attentive and smiley! err .. is nanjing worth visiting? next time? ehm.

heaven

i am now in lijiang old town. a super wonderful place if you like to find yourself lost in myriads of alleyways!

after hours of walking around, i am unwinding now, having my super late lunch in a small but nice cafe. good food, speedy internet and they serve krupuk (in their menu, it's written kroepoek!)

okay, i am content! hihi ..

cakes!

so this year, i got two birthday cakes. one from my colleagues back in cambodia (who celebrated my birthday without me! hehe) and another one from my new friend here in lijiang. yummy! and yap, life is good!

banyan tree lijiang and me

earlier this year, i set one of my 2012 resolutions to be splurging only for experience. no more on stuff (crossing fingers! hahaha)

so for my birthday, i decided to fly again to china and stay in a luxurious resort, banyan tree lijiang. splurging for experiencing one of the luxurious hotel brands in the world.

i know it would cost me a fortune but hey it's my birthday, you just got to love yourself right?

i will never forget my stay here. the beautiful villa, the heated king size bed (yay!), the green garden, the cozy heated outdoor jacuzzi, the outdoor seating areas (yes, you read it right, multiple seating areas!), fast internet connection, super rain shower (i always love rain shower! mind me, mother nature!) .. and all is for myself! just how wonderful that is!

wish i can stay here again one day. in a much much happier circumstance, like errr ... honeymoon? hihi .. (crossing fingers!)