#MyTravelokaEscapade : 5 Interesting List to do in London!

Yo Yo! As much as I am into travelling to big cities, my soul and instincts are always fascinated with unbelievable beauty of the unbeaten path and mother nature. I have not been to London and should daboss kasi chance for me to win the Grand Prize under their awesome possum contest : #MyTravelokaEscapade , well this is what I am going to do there..in the big city of London..hrrmm not quite the unusual. Read further because if its intrigue you, you may just wanna join me for this epic journey of the all unusual London!

We all have our own passion differently and travel would be the epitome of my escapade that i`m always looking forward to. I am always in the lookout for inspiration, discovery, exploration, magical and spiritual moment of solitude in every places I go. After all My motto is : Dare to Dream and Live Life Interestingly. So here goes of my 5 Interesting List to do of The Unusual London :

NUMBER 1 : 3 Peaks Challenge : Keeping your heart racing for more!

So what is 3 Peaks challenge?? The 3 Peaks Challenge is an attempt to climb the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales in "one go", Gulp! By the sound itself, it seems to be a challenging feat but since I love hiking and would love to test my endurance as my usual trip/vacation will at least to have 1 hiking activity, I thought to myself "Why not?" 

The peaks are Ben Nevis In Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales. There are also opening tours (private or guided tours) in 2017..just nice for me to participate if Daboss can look into my following proposal for this #MyTravelokaEscapade contest. I am already preparing for this kinda challenge as I have to go for trainings, hiking, trekking be it physically or mentally. 

I would love to hike at this gorgeous landscape and upon reaching the peaks I would raise the flag of Traveloka (ada tak?) as an achievement memory pose. Cool kan? Kalau tak percaya, boleh check my other post in my Instagram feed with our Malaysian flag, username is @devidalildevil . i did some vlog and live update if i ever have the chance of connecting to the wifi. Recent attempt was a strenuous trek to the magical Himalayan range at Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal!  

And while I am appreciating with awe of the scenic landscape, I might just have my afternoon hot tea with scone spread with strawberry jam..aaahhh bliss with the fresh air up at the mountains! 

NUMBER 2 : Visit The Biggest Hindu Temple in London : Get your spiritual groove on.

One of the biggest Hindu temple also known as BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir will be a great visit and feel spiritually connected with the world of Hinduism. This majestic all white building is simply an iconic and many might have chosen to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and many more but I would love to visit this amazing temple to experience different vibes. 

NUMBER 3 :  10KM RUN : Help fight Dementia 

I have always wanted to try to sign up for a run overseas so why not try it while I am in the this city and for a good cause of course. To help fight against Dementia, a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes cause by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes and impaired reasoning like the Alzheimer's. And since the running route will normally pass by all the iconic buildings, I can also stay fit while enjoying the morning breeze with people of common interest for a good cause. I probably can easily make friends as my new running buddies too. 

This is something that will make a direct difference in the lives of children and families in their time of need. Jomlah daboss,, join sekali with me.. kita start training sekarang, ok? 
   

NUMBER 4 : UNSEEN TOURS : Exploring London with the homeless

Who would have thought that being homeless is a bonus point for them to know all the secret path around London far more better than anyone else? And this tour guided by the homeless will probably change our mindset forever about homeless people too. Interesting eh? this is definitely not your average walking tour. check out their website (Unseen Tours) for more info and I am intrigue to choose the area called Shoreditch by Henry as the guide.

Plus all the cool artsy grafitti will fit perfectly for my instagram and facebook feed while I am there venturing the secret path of the London alleys and path with my  favorite OOTD . wink!  

NUMBER 5 : Excursion to UNESCO World Heritage Site : STONEHENGE 

Aaahhh what do you know about Stonehenge? or How much do you know about it? My curiosity always running high with questions about this supernatural activities and it probably got to do with my fascination with the sci-fi tv series "X-files" since i was young. Do you remember Agent Scully and Agent Mulder? How the unsolved mysteries remain unsolved and their chemistry in the characteristic that they portrayed? mind blowing scene and how could i forgot their theme soundtrack keep haunting us at the end. Well, i do hope I could get a glimpse of this indescribable stones that were left unexplained in that positions. 

All pictures are taken from Google source. 

So there goes, all of the unusual stuff I will do if I ever get the chance to win this trip to London by Traveloka..so Daboss, tolonglah please sign the approval pleaseeeeee...? ok kasi satu poem untuk you.

London has always been my dream destination,
And I am longing for some surprise affection,
Only DaBoss from Traveloka can ignite this inspiration,
Making 2017 an adventure of my lifetime with deep admiration!

Thank you..tolong sign approve eh? hehee

My Amazing Journey To Annapurna Base Camp -Day 1

Namaste! This word was frequently utter from my mouth and overly heard during my amazing journey of trekking to Annapurna Base Camp just few weeks ago. I was in Nepal from 5th Nov 2016 until 14th Nov 2016 and as much as I am always thankful  & grateful with all the gifts, talents, skills and every good things that God have given to me, I am still over the moon with my recent winning prize. All thanks to Allianz for this all expenses paid trip to the land of the most friendliest people with craziness imaginary landscape of the sacred snowcapped mountains. I am at this very minute while writing this post, is still at the state of disbelief. I might have done something really noble to deserve this because it was an eye-opener, life-changing, surreal, inspiringly ignite every cells in my body and soul to absorb this powerful cosmic energy and feed into my brain that flow gently and willingly into my veins. As if the fresh air of that Himalayan range that I breath during that moment was carefully preserved in a storage tank in my aorta and it never will fade unless my time in this world are up.

So what really happen there in the remote wilderness of the holy mountain and the birthplace of Buddha? Well if you are in the mood for something interesting in your life, then walk with me in this journey because I can be your storyteller..and this is my #devijourney2annapurna story. :) . Ready? 

some of the items that i brought along but was filtered by my guide upon arrival in Pokhara and ended up most of the items are left behind at the hotel.

Slept at 2am the night before my flight as I was doing last minute packing and managed to submit last minute contests entry.. hahaha.. woke up at 645am on 5th Nov 2016 (Saturday) and initially I wanted to take Putra LRT to KLsentral but since I check the traffic was smooth and I have almost 15kg load to carry, so i was thinking why not just Grab a taxi. Book a Grabtaxi and that rm17 ride to KLsentral with a friendly driver was an ease. Since I have prebooked the Skybus via AirAsia portal (slightly cheaper too or else it will be RM12 one way now from KLSENTRAL to KLIA2. As I ride on that bus, my mind was filled with anticipation and curiosity. I am afterall was mentally & physically prepared of what I`ve signed up for. I must admit that I was little worried as the time to depart getting nearer...many have asked me 1001 questions of me going there all by myself. I am fine going there without any company because I used to travel alone and I love meeting new friends but I did ask myself..what if after all the training and preparations, but at the end if mother nature didnt allow it..am i going to disappoint a lot of people out there? especially to the sponsors, my PT, my family or even myself... Lucky that I didnt allow that pressure to haunt me for long. I kept myself occupy with other important things and perhaps that was the whole idea to keep myself distracted with all this elements of 'what-if'. The fact that my knees was in pain and I've been resting for the past 3 weeks before my departure date had also added the worry pills even more. 

I reached KLIA2 at 930am but to my horror, the queue for the baggage drop was crazy. As I was lining up and waiting, I've noticed that the queue are not moving and tourists group from China was everywhere on each lanes. I met a teacher from America, Cole who happen to have the same frustration and thank god after 45 minutes of waiting, we managed to slip into another lane that was opened for us to drop our check-in luggage. ok sigh of relief and I went to check out the Premium Lounge as my UOB credit card entitled me for a complimentary access. Nothing special so i just chilled for a while before entering the international departure hall. Here goes..my adventures has finally begun...

let's go.. you may check out #devijourney2annapurna in my instagram feed for all the preparations, training and hiking before embark on this amazing journey!

Oh ya, Malaysians who plan to visit Nepal must obtain a tourist visa. You may opt to apply earlier at the Embassy of Nepal in Kuala Lumpur or upon arrival at the Kathmandu International Aiport. I've applied earlier as I have a domestic flight to catch from Kathmandu to Pokhara on the same day. I am quite skeptical if i could make it on time as I only have 1 hour time frame upon touch down. read further, because there were infact some drama upon arrival at Kathmandu..hahaha. Put that aside, to apply for a visa is quite simple-just download the form from this LINK , print and complete the form and bring along your original passport, 1 passport sized photo with cash payment of RM95 (depends on currency rate) to apply. I applied for 15 days tourist entry visa and it was ready within 2 working days.

So as I entered the International Departure Hall, I bumped into Cole again with another 2 Nepalese. We were chatting and it was really sad to hear their unfortunate stories of how they have to run away and back to their homeland due to corruption, abuse and being bullied here in Malaysia.

Well, I am all set and then guess what..flight was delayed..(GREAT!) , so my 4 hours 25 minutes flight time was filled with listening to music, eating, dozing, drawing and thinking if i could make it for my domestic flight to Pokhara that afternoon. Once a while, I did peep by the window for some amazing snow-capped mountains view such as below :

The Himalayan range from few thousand feet above

All white and blue

The separation of snow capped mountains and the green depicts the difference of the 2 zone significantly.

AirAsia flight also has been known for delayed flights recently...👀😛

my notebook are filled colorfully.

The flight touched down at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu at 230pm. First thing first, I head straight to the baggage carousel and I waited and waited and waited for almost 1 freaking hour for my backpack to finally decided to 'show up'. My domestic flight to POkhara by Yeti Airlines would be at 340pm. 

my e-ticket for the domestic flights which was also sponsored by Allianz.

I still remembered to this very minute how the place get really crowded and people start swarming the place. All i could see was boxes of flat screen television and huge brown boxes wrapped with transparent tapes..either tv in Malaysia are selling way cheaper than in Nepal or am I missing something here? Anyway, while waiting, i tried asking around where is the domestic flight entrance and most of them told me that it will be on another building and need a little walking.. ok i kept looking at my watch and this is really not good. I am pretty sure I am going to miss my flight unless the flight are also delayed. Mind you that that will be the last flight of the day so if I really couldnt make it, I have to start thinking of Plan B, which to purchase the next available flight (only next morning) before taking a taxi to town and stayed for one night there. oh my..$$$ .. so i prayed hard that please there'll be miracle for me on that day. True enough, finally after an hour (3.30pm!!!!), my backpack arrived and I quickly ran toward the exit door only to be held by the guards as they will be checking our boarding pass and luggage tag to see if its a match. Probably because a lot cases of people taking someone else televisions ..i think so.

everyone are swarming the area at the baggage carousel

I did asked the guards where was the domestic flight building only to have a disappointed reply so I just walked out and realized there was this one old man stood there asking me 'taxi?'. i asked him "where's the domestic flight entrance as I have a flight to Pokhara" . So he asked what time is my flight. I said now 340pm. He then straight away said " Girl, you have to run as fast as you can as it will takes about 5-7 min distance and he then waved his hand forth and back (a sign which I understood pretty well), i said thank you before running as fast as i could with my 2 bagpacks and my eyes were wandering for that domestic flight departure building. I was panting, thirsty and tired. My mind was kept hoping and praying at the same time. Please god, let me catch this flight. As i was wandering and looking lost to look for that building, i kept a positive mind and asked around so that I didnt missed the path. Finally from afar i saw the domestic flight building and ran across a short cut, crossing over a fence at the parking lot and upon reaching the entrance, I just mentioned to the guard that I have a domestic flight to Pokhara now and placed my backpacks on the baggage scanning machine. As I carried my backpacks and looking for Yeti Airlines counter in that quite small airport. The minute I saw that counter, I quickly drop my bags on the floor and head towards the counter and while panting, I said I have a flight to Pokhara now. The counter lady was really helpful and thank god for that. She asked me to show my e-ticket and that was the only time that I couldnt search it in my organized document folder..Pffttttt...but she was quick to reach out the walkie talkie and told the other side to HOLD THE FLIGHT while she prepared the boarding pass for me. It happened so quickly that I didnt know if luck was really on my side or there was really an angel taking care of me. Apparently, the flight has not take off and she told me to carry my bags as handcarry and run straight to gate counter 2 and handover the boarding pass to me. I could only repeat the word thank you to her many times as i quickly took my bags and rush to the boarding gate. Oh man, another baggage scanner machine..the guard found out something and told me to explain what was it. I said that was my monopod and i am sorry but I am catching my already delayed flight to Pokhara now. He just looked at me..paused and then said oh okay..you may go. As I reached the gate after got my boarding pass stamped, I was told by the security there to hop on a charter bus. What a relief and I am really thankful that I managed to finally catch my domestic flight as I hop on the bus with 30 not so happy passangers looking back at me. Hey..i literally felt that i was part of a tamil/bollywood drama wei..and it is just my first day in Nepal!

The plane was small but enough to place my backpacks at the legroom and it was about 45 minutes time of self reflection i had in that place. Looking back, I could have missed the flight and on my way to Thamel town with USD140 gone for the next flight ticket purchased. Yeah I am forever grateful that it turned out to be just fine..so fine just like the view that i captured during that flight.

seductively dangrous.

Relief face expression hahaha

They served salted peanuts, soft drinks and mineral in this flight. only 1 stewardess with 2 pilots. take off and landing was smooth. :)

Upon landing, I was welcomed with amazing view of the Himalayan Range of snow capped mountains and slightly chilling at the Pokhara airport. I searched for the exit and there stood a guy holding a place card with my full name written on it.. aahhh must be my guide Himal. After brief introduction, he told me that the hotel will be just few minutes away and that I have another lady joining me for this trek. cool!

I will be staying just 1 night in Pokhara and will start my trekking the next day from Nayapul (2 hours drive from Pokhara). Himal introduced me to Alana (girl from Australia) at the hotel. Then, he told us that he need to explain and filter some of our stuff that we will bring during the trek as light and only important warmers are the key of this trek. And since i didnt have any passport sized photo to apply for my permit, he told me that he will show me the nearest photo shop after settling down all my stuff. Didnt want to waste any time, we unpack and repack our stuff. we combine into 1 bag all our important stuff for our next 7 days trek while the rest we just kept into another bagpack to be kept at the hotel.

After that I went with Himal to the nearest shop to get my passport sized photos taken. Then, I decided to walk around alone to get some postcards before taking my dinner at this cosy restaurant just opposite the famous lake. I starting to love Pokhara for its calm and tranquility but I will save this as I will be back to Pokhara after my last day of trekking.  

my parents received the postcard on the day I arrived KL while another postcard to myself was not delivered...my fault..i didnt state Malaysia in the address. pfffttt...

my dhal bhat...check out at the amount of rice that  I eat almost daily for lunch during this trip..hahaha..time for wifi weeeeeeee... hehehe

the room in Fewa Inn, Pokhara.

Then I went back to the hotel room, took my shower and went to bed as it has been quite a lot to digest today. Tomorrow will be the beginning of my trekking to Annapurna Base Camp.
So stay tune for my next update! it going to be amazing! till then, Namaste!

Allianz Dare 2B Healthy Challenge Winner

Hey ya! It has been a while since I last updated my blog. And this morning as I was driving to work, my enthusiastic cells decided to work diligently by gathering all the other veins,cells, senses and molecules in my entire body to at least write and publish 1 post. So there, thanks for the motivation, appreciate that, brain cells.  

Just few months ago (26 May 2016 to be exact as it was just 3 days away from the due date of the contest), I've managed to finish up a simple video of me doing exercise routines following the first 3 letters of my name and posted it in Instagram. And who would have thought that this 60-second video basically going to uplift my 2016 dream resolution into another level of anticipation and probably going to make my life-changing even more interesting, which I think it's already is...coz I always count my blessing..:) The motivation behind the video was pretty much of my fetish towards snow-capped mountains are getting intense..So intense that i felt it going to explode like the volcanic mountains around Indonesia that happened really frequent lately.  I wanted to visit Annapurna and complete the trek to the Base Camp at Nepal, Kathmandu. I've always adore mountains and rainforest plus things related to mother nature. Afterall I was born and bred in a small hometown of Mentakab where climbing trees was one of my favorite pastime with my brothers. 

Anyway, thanks to the initiative campaign by Allianz under their Dare 2B Healthy , I make my time to complete the video with my trusted Iphone6 after my normal jog at the rooftop. 

I didn't pay much attention to the result as I saw few other great entries too and it was already almost 200 people joined in. But not until on 15 June 2016 where I received a prompt in my social media inbox and I was informed that I was shortlisted..There have picked 6 entries and only top 3 will be the ultimate winners. One week later, taddaaaa... I was chosen as one of the top 3. yeahhh.. thanks a lot for this opportunity  Allianz. .

And with that my #devijourney2annapurna would be my motivation factor where I will not only get the chance to be trained by a personal trainer for 6-month to equip myself for the preparation but also an all expenses-paid trip to fulfill my dream resolution. Wow! I was just about to plan and book a return flight for a trip to Nepal somewhere in March 2017 but now the opportunity just came in at the right time right moment. :) 

This going to be my year of adventure and who knows life-changing trip. Simply cant wait. 

It has been almost 5 months plus now that I've undergone training which includes carrying weights, hiking, running, cardio and even swimming...I've discovered a lot of things about myself during these period and it has changed me gradually for a fitter, better (except for my knees pain this past weeks which I am recuperating). 

Thank you again Allianz team (CEO- Joseph Gross, Joannica, Shu Chee, Ashreena and the rest), Misteeq Media team (Pramodh, Mal and Jo), my good looking personal trainer :P , Subash Adrian, of course to all my old and new friends that have been really supportive throughout this journey and last but not least my biggest motivation- My beloved family!  

In the Star newspaper 

During the Press Conference with (from L-R) Seamonkey instructor, the other winners Zurina, Jordan and my PT , Subash. 

Press conference on 1 September 2016. 

The day is getting nearer and I am equally excited and anxious at the same time. Wish me all the best and follow my journey in my instagram newsfeed! :).

Till then, i would like to wish everyone Happy Diwali and let this Festival of Lights shine your life with the brightest star and rise your life with meaningful and quality resolution! Dare to Dream and Live life Interestingly yo!  

48 Hours in Medan, Indonesia

East Tabur Hill

Tabur Hill @ Bukit Tabur is widely known by the local here in Melawati as the Dangerous Cliff with Beautiful View..ok i just made that up but it is also known as Bukit Hangus by the local. Anyway, Tabur Hill has been a favorite spot for hikers which consist of East, West, Far East, Extra and Extreme. Some come here to see for themselves and perhaps update their social media platforms, some are just following their friends while some just want to be closer with the nature. Either way, hiking trail at Bukit Tabur is quite dangerous as there has been many incidents about hikers falling and broke part of their bones and also the fatal mishaps. So be extra vigilant when you are hiking here.

Tabur Hill is very prominent and most Setapakian / Melawatian can actually witness this hill from the balcony of their home. As it is part of Klang Gates Dam, reaching the peak would be a spectacular panoramic view of the city of Kuala Lumpur on your left and The Klang Gate Dam on your right, depending which side are you standing. 

So last Sunday, I was invited by Kak B to join Komplot Hikers to hike this magnificent hill. I've hiked Tabur Hill in 2007 twice but at that time, I cant remembered if it was West or East. 

Our meeting point was at BHP Melawati at 4am and we supposed to start hiking by 5am. I went to the wrong BHP but finally managed to reach the right meeting point at 415am. But since we have to wait for another 3 persons which only arrived at almost 5am, the hiking only started at 530am. meanwhile I was kinda hungry so I ate an apple for energy. :P . We parked at the foothill of tabur and did some stretching before starting the hike. It was pitch dark and as I took my headlamp and look up, I could spot moving lights at the peak of East Tabur. Wow, this guys are pretty fast. 

Our team was led by Zack and off we hike, one step at a time. It was pitch dark when we started and our head lamp was the only source for us to look at our path. 








It was straight up till we reached to a point where upper physical strength are required. The steep rocky climb is not something to take it lightly. Always be careful with the steps that you are taking and even though there were ropes provided but my instinct have some 'trust issue' with the ropes. Anyway, while i was climbing up, i could see the skies turning from black to dark blueish. And as I was looking down to place my feet for support at the small curve of the rocks, my headlamp bumped into the rock and the cap felt off trembling down  together with the batteries. Oppss..ok i am not going down to pick it up right now, so since the day are getting brighter, i thought oh well just forget it. But Zack who was leaning on the rocks few metres away told me to get someone at the bottom to collect it for me. So i shouted and told Bryan and Mas who was still at the bottom to please collect it for me. And i continued to climb till i finally reached the peak of East Tabur.  

yeah we have made it. 

I got ur back!

Kak B and I

I admired her bravery and energy as she can really dare to stand at the edge without feeling shaky. 

The cliff overlooking FAR EAST HILL

the sound of the chirping birds as the music to my ears, fresh air as i breath the oxygen and the view is the best vision of the week for me. 

do not try this if you are afraid of heights

oh ya! hello 275m

my trusted Hero.

Unfortunately, the sun decided to take a rest that day and didnt turn up. So,we hangout at the peak with selfies, wefies and then while we are sitting down munching raisins and cashew nuts (great combination by the way), SUDDENLY it was like pure divine moment, as if a giant veil was serenading melody of life overlooking the peak of FAR EAST TABUR. 

group photo! 

We started to descend by 8am as we do not want to get caught with the crowd that started to hike up. 

while waiting for our turn to descend as the 'traffic' started to get busy, one way up and down on this route.

Going down was slightly easier as we followed a different path but it was slightly slippery due to rain yesterday night. It started to drizzling and we quicken our steps plus we were all feeling hungry. We passed by the durian orchard and some old wooden houses before finally reaching the spot where we parked our cars. kak B's car got punctured and after fixed temporarily, we head to opposite of Caltex to have our breakfast at nearby Chicken Rice shop nearby. After exchanging numbers, some went home while some accompanied Kak B to get her car's tyre fixed. 

Add caption

And then I realized the Tabur HIll that I hike in 2007 was actually West Tabur, no wonder it was unfamiliar. Anyway for those who want to hike Tabur Hill, please be extra careful because the cliff are pretty dangerous. Till then, adios and wait for my next adventure.