What last minute change of plans

Yeah, it's been confirmed last Wednesday. I am not going to Nepal anymore... I had received an email from my team leader regarding the possibility of trip postponement last Wed, 12th April. Being the practical me, I faced up to reality and was scouring for a new destination as I know it's impossible to postpone my leave and I do not find it appropriate to cancel my leave and go back to work.

Then my team leader called in the early afternoon when I was still at home. The trip need to be postponed at least for 1 week. Then during the weekend, it was postponed for 2 weeks, with them leaving on the 26th April. Yesterday, they were looking at a new destination. India. They are going to trek the Kullu Valley in the Western Himalayas. Guess it must be quite untouched by the modern devastations of tourism... since I have not heard of it! Yeah, the trip is still pending now and I can see my team leader to doign his best to get everything together right and please everyone... Gee... Not easy... Thanks, Alex, though I'm not joining u guys... Like he had said, ABC is always there since it's a well-trodden path. I will be there someday! With my good friends by my side hopefully!

I thought I was ready to move on and not be that disappointed... I was well, wrong. Somehow, waking up at 5.30am on Saturday(on the day I'm supposed to fly off) after having gone to bed at only 12 the night before with the 1st thought that came to my mind, "Argh. I'm not flying off to Nepal today." I forced myself back to sleep cuz I was really tired! Guess my sub-conscious mind really wanted very much to go, if not my conscious self.

I got up at 7, and started looking up at websites and LP's forum and called up agencies at 9 after they opened. Decided on the new destination and went down to get my tickets. I suddenly had so much time on my hands that I felt kind of lost. I had nothing planned for the weekend cuz I'm supposed to be out of the country already! Good Friday was supposed to be the last day in Singapore and I had all events planned up till that day only! Argh.

I thought of going back to work and changing shift with my friend so that I will have maybe 1 more day at the end of my holidays but it's too troublesome. Sigh. Now I understand the saying, "Boredom kills."

The disappointment was real. As I walked along Chinatown, I could hear me telling myself, "I should be on the flight to Kathmandu now." Sigh. No fate with Nepal. What to do? Things happen for a reason. There must be a better time to go there. In fact, I have not planned to go Nepal in the 1st place this year. Everything falls in place. I even forfeited a free ticket to Hong Kong and the chance to travel with a good friend to go Nepal. Sigh. Things are not meant to be. I am disappointed, but it's time to move on and not dwell over such trivial things...

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I read up extensively on Xinjiang in Kinokuniya after getting my air tic from the agency. That was already 2pm when I got to Kino. I managed to borrow an outdated copy of LP China from the Orchard Library and went down to Kino after that. I was happy that I am going somewhere I want. I decided on China as the countries in the nearby region within 4hours' flight have been visited. I would love to revisit Sri Lanka, and the air ticket was going at dirt cheap price as well. But with the recent unrest in the North-Western part of Trincomalee again, and me wanting to see Jaffna(Northern part held by Tamil Tigers), it's not wise to go there now. Besides, I just went there in 2004 Dec. Should wait for a longer period before I go there again...

Destinations like Philippines and East Malaysia are possible destinations too, but I feel I need more time to prepare for them. Checking out the airfares on promotion, I decided to go to China and from there to Xinjiang, the nearest I can get to Central Asia without all the hassles. It's once part of the Silk Road as well and known otherwise as the Uyghur Autonomous State, comprises of more Muslims than any other regions in China, and is more Central Asian then mainland China.

I was fervently reading up on Xinjiang and Xinjiang only. However, after going through the necessary details of getting there and the number of days I can spend there, I realise it's not cost-effective to spend $1000 in oder to just go Xinjiang and I can spend only a mere 11days there... From Beijing to Urumqi is 4 hours of flight or 2days by train. The airfare costs $200 one way when there is discount. The discounts vary day to day actually. $200 is the lowest u can pay. Otherwise, the train journey of 2days cost $200 as well. Well, $1000 on air tickets to get to a destination and spending only 11 days in that place is simply not my style of travel. Sigh. I gave Xinjiang up and now am focusing on exploring Beijing, Shanghai and Inner Mongolia. 15days is more than enough to do this.

I once vowed to go to Beijing before the Olympics few years back after they won the bid. Well, this somewhat forgotten wish is going to be fulfilled! Athens was fulfilled too. There's the Great Wall and Hutongs in Beijing, the Bund in Shanghai and the exoticness of Inner Mongolia to look forward to. I just have to read up LP right now.

I have to seriously think about where I want to go next for the next holiday this year as I still have 19days of leave left, carried forward from last year. I was thinking and planning already. I need to have a plan. Only then do dreams come true...

Aiye. Last minute plans.


Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.
~Seneca