{"id":2537,"date":"2023-04-16T13:21:07","date_gmt":"2023-04-16T13:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/?p=2537"},"modified":"2023-04-16T13:21:07","modified_gmt":"2023-04-16T13:21:07","slug":"sabbatical-week-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/?p=2537","title":{"rendered":"Sabbatical Week 20"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chill week in prep for Nepal! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Relaxing day at my hotel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View from my room!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tried the hotel buffet restaurant <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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39RM. $9US. Pretty good value especially at a 4star hotel! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since my hotel is right in Chinatown, I obligated to visit again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lunch time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beef noodle soup! 14RM! Very good. It’s just a small portion too <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Went back to my hotel to chill a bit for hotel happy hours!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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$12.79 for a cocktail and a beer!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Nightview from the terrance where the happy hours were <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ordered some takeouts for dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chicken rice for $5.68.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Day 2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally found a shop to do laundry (92RM with delivery and pickup) so that I didn’t have to pay for the 4star hotel price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decided to go to Genting Highlands for some shopping since there’s a premium outlet there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Got a bit extra, decided to try McDonalds (Fried Chicken) for the first time this trip – $3.24 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Cable car to the highlands <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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10RM only <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Walked around the mall a bit<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fake snow amusement park <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Got a pair of Nike trainers to replace the beaten ones then headed back to KL after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Found this Taiwanese restaurant for dinner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The beef noodle soup is good, though $12.35 is a bit high for Malaysia <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Day 3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another chill day, got two coffees ($2.5 each) before joining evening food tour $44.52<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Decor in the coffee shop <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We met at the a market and sampled a few fruits<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First is an Indonesian pandan and coconut desert<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fish paste desert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next was the Thai deserts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How diverse Malaysia is! It’s less than $.50<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next was soups<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Night market in rain<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Grilled fish and chicken <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Indonesian style Sate <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Last main dish – Nasi Lamak<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Walked around the famous twin towers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our tour group <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Kinda like American flag? <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Last dishes before saying goodbye to our guide<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mie Goreng and Roti! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once the tour finished, it’s just in time for light show<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Day 4<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Walking day<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The national mosque<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Up next was the KL Bird Park! (75RM)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Too bad they are all caged \ud83d\ude41<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Mating in progress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Feeding <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Me feeding Emu <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hornbill <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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My favorite bird! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Walked around the Gardens nearby a bit more<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Asian deers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Merdeka square<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Back to Chinatown<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was extremely tired at this point due to the heat. Ordered Chinese takeouts for dinner <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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$4.94 for some Malatang <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Ordered some Durians too! 39RM <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Day 5<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Requested late check out and got ready for flying to Nepal <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Boarded my plane just in time for sunset <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My seat mates were these two British flat Earthers who were just trying to convince me the earth could be flat along with the vaccine conspiracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are apparently broken and have no money go to back to the UK and obviously whined about having to take a PCR test before allowing boarding to Nepal. As soon as they boarded the plane they were looking for Alcohol. Too bad, their British pounds weren’t accepted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve mentioned British people a few times in my travel, you can probably sense a pattern. I really doubt their country is going to make it in the next decade or so with the amount of stupidity involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Plane food was just rice and beans. For $120 and 4hr and 20min flight, can’t really complain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hello Kathmandu <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Got my SIM and visa ($51, unfortunately it was coded as Cash Advances.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time I checked in to my hotel, it was already past 11pm. Though it’s the Nepali New Year eve but no food was available. I got my first beer to supplement on the nutritional needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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400NRP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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New Year!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Day 6<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Managed to find a Dutch girl who’s on her last two days in Nepal. We decided to go to a Stupa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Many pidgins – sign of good luck <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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more pidgins on the stupa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Took some random walk and found more religious structures<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lastly we went to this restaurant which is served by rescued homeless children<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Momos!!! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Momos were so good, I ordered another plate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say after ($11.05 with two beers) that I was ready to crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For dinner, I tried another Nepali classic, Dal Bhat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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350NRP – amazing <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Day 7<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Booking reading day to prepare for trekking <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Special Momos – $4.20. The sauce and texture of the momos are to die for!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We went for lunch and said goodbye to the Dutch girl. The food was amazing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Met a Singaporean guy for dinner. He just finished Everett base camp. We decided to have this set menu, turns out it’s all you can eat. Fabulous meal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apptizers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Mutton momos <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lambs and wild boars – all you can eat too <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rice liquor! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The desert yogurt <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It’s only $12.37 for such fancy dining. We felt we were dressed lol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week wasn’t too interesting, up next 2 weeks will be the Annapurna Circuit trek! Stay tuned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expenses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Week 20<\/td>Currency:<\/td>RM<\/td>4.4<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Day<\/td>Food&Drink<\/td>Lodging<\/td>Transportation<\/td>Other (tickets\/tours etc)<\/td><\/tr>
1<\/td>$21.87<\/td>$60.27<\/td>$0.00<\/td>$0.00<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>$19.62<\/td>$60.27<\/td>$10.06<\/td>$22.05<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>$5.00<\/td>$60.27<\/td>$0.00<\/td>$49.07<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>$23.95<\/td>$60.27<\/td>$0.00<\/td>$17.05<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>$3.08<\/td>$16.00<\/td>$130.55<\/td>$56.77<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>$15.85<\/td>$7.00<\/td>$0.00<\/td>$0.00<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>$21.19<\/td>$7.00<\/td>$0.00<\/td>$0.00<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>$110.55<\/td>$271.09<\/td>$140.61<\/td>$144.93<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>Total<\/td><\/td>Grand Total:<\/td>$667.18<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Spending was high due to visa\/flight and 4-star hotel (using 0.77cpp value for Marriotts Points)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chill week in prep for Nepal! Day 1 Relaxing day at my hotel Tried the hotel buffet restaurant Since my hotel is right in Chinatown, I obligated to visit again. Lunch time. Went back to my hotel to chill a bit for hotel happy hours! Ordered some takeouts for dinner. Day 2 Finally found a… Continue reading Sabbatical Week 20<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2537"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2622,"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2537\/revisions\/2622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.buyuchen.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}