Monthly Archives: November 2014

Our Story : Wedding plans and hiccups – Part 36

This is a continuation of my previous posts. Please read the previous posts here.

Once we got back from our New Zealand holiday, we had only a few months left before we were to fly to Kathmandu for our big day. The plan was for me to go before AS as he didn’t have many days of leaves. I needed to go ahead and help my parents plan the big day.

During the few months remaining the date of the wedding changed a few times which meant that we need to change out tickets accordingly. I was really annoyed by that but there was nothing we could do from here.

Finally the “Sait” (auspicious time for wedding ceremony) was finalised and according to that the other functions of the wedding were finalised as well. Both our families were busy booking the venues for the functions and receptions.

As most of you already know weddings in Nepal are not a small affair and ours was not going to be small either. Every time we Skyped with our family, they would update us with the progress. Sometimes I felt so helpless listening to them as they were doing so many things and there was not much we could do from here.

From my end, I was trying to organise the photographer and wedding cakes. I also wanted to find a place to buy my bridal outfits and a palour to do my hair and make-up. I think Nepal is one of the worst places to have a wedding if you are trying to find any information online. There are hardly any websites that provide the services and on top of that if you find any and email them, they don’t reply to your queries.

During this time I so wished I had a sister in Nepal who could go around and help me. I felt so lonely and desperate by the end of the process. I was tired, frustrated and annoyed that nothing could be sorted out via the internet. I had to wait until I was in Kathmandu to do everything and I would have only a few weeks before the actual wedding when I got there.

Finally, I got hold of one photographer who seemed good, nothing about the cake was done and my outfits were nowhere near selected. I had a long list of things that needed to be done and most of them were not possible from Sydney. I used to get so annoyed every day but AS was always there to calm me down.

With AS it was easy, he decided that he will wear “daura sural” one day and suits the rest. The only thing he needed to do was give an order for these few suits and everything was sorted for him.

With work keeping me sane and busy, it was finally the day of my flight to Nepal. I was excited and scared at the same time. AS dropped me to the airport and we said goodbye for 2 weeks.

I was praying on the flight that the wedding would go as planned and there would not be any unexpected problems. I really wished someone in Nepal was free so I could get some helping hand with my preparations.

With my mum busy with her job and dad on his business, I was not sure I would be able to manage the list and execute a wedding.

The flight to Kathmandu was fine though long but I was really glad to see my parents at the airport when they came to pick me. I was just glad that I was home and I promised myself that no matter how the wedding was going to go, I would have fun and it would be our special time and nothing should ruin the experience.

Be ready to read about the crazy wedding preparation and wedding in my next posts. Till then,

Take care,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to vote your favorite blog . NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2014

Go to Part 37

Our Story : Hen’s night – Part 35

This is a continuation of my previous posts. Please read the previous posts here.

Before I left for Kathmandu, I went for an evening out with some of my friends to celebrate my last few days of being a Bachelorette. I didn’t want something that could go out of control so we decided just to go out for dinner and drinks.

Hen's Party (1)

I went and bought a nice designer dress for the occasion, a pleated blue dress. All my friends wore black. We also bought a sash with a “Bride to be” written on it and badges for everyone with “Warning, Hen Party Member”. We picked a Spanish restaurant where they have dance in the evening.

Hen's Party (2)

We started the night with a drink, Sangria. It was amazing and the drinks just kept coming. Sangria normally consists of wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of added brandy. It was followed by awesome tapas dinner.

Hen's Party (3) Hen's Party (4) Hen's Party (7) Hen's Party (11)

As soon as we finished the dinner, the fun started. There were songs and dancing and they were teaching us how to dance as well. Being the bride to be that day, they took me on to the stage and taught me some steps. It was great a experience with lots of laughter and miss steps. I am sure by that time I was slightly tipsy as well. I hardly drink which means even just a few drinks makes me easily drunk.

Hen's Party (5) Hen's Party (6) Hen's Party (8)

All of us had good fun in the restaurant but we decided to leave the place to go to pub. It was Saturday night so the pub was really full. Good music was on the speakers so we went straight to the dance floor and grooved. We had a few shots of tequila but rest of the evening we were on the dance floor.

Hen's Party (9) Hen's Party (10)

Around close to midnight, all of us were tired so we decided to call it a night.

Overall we had a great night out with the gals and the celebration of the last few days of my freedom.

Next post will be about my wedding preparation.

Take care,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to vote your favorite blog . NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2014

Go to Part 36

Our trip to New Zealand : Milford Sound

While we were in New Zealand, we went to Milford Sound for a day trip.

Milford Sound (5) Milford Sound (6) Milford Sound (7)

Milford Sound is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand’s South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world’s top travel destination and called the eighth Wonder of the World.

Milford Sound (8) Milford Sound (9) Milford Sound (10) Milford Sound (11)

One of the world’s most beautiful fjords, Milford Sound also holds the dubious honour of being the wettest place in New Zealand. On average, there are 186 days each year when rain falls, dumping almost seven metres of the stuff on anyone unlucky enough to time their visit badly. Although there is less rain during the winter months, there are still sixteen days a month of wet weather in any season. I’d read that the high rainfall totals led to spectacular waterfalls, and, when windy, dramatic updrafts of water.

Milford Sound (21) Milford Sound (20)

Milford Sound is more than 3 hours away from Queenstown so we decided to book a tour rather than drive there on our own. It was an exciting journey for us with beautiful scenery ending with an amazing cruise.

Milford Sound (13)The coach that we were on was perfectly suited for sightseeing in a place as dramatic as the Milford Road, with clear glass windows and roof. The bus stopped every once in a while so we could all take every picture possible on the way.

Milford Sound (1)

Our first stop was Te Anau, which is a lovely little village sitting on the edge of Lake Te Anau. At Te Anau we met up with the famous Milford Road, one of the great drives in the world. It’s quite a long lake, whose coast we followed for a while.

Milford Sound (1) Milford Sound (2)  Milford Sound (4)

The next stop was Mirror Lakes, to take some great photos of the reflections of the mountains in the lake and we were very lucky that the water was so calm.

Milford Sound (3)

Our cameras were on constant work during the whole trip as all the places we saw were so beautiful that we wanted to capture every one of them.

Milford Sound (10)

Then, we stopped at the Chasm walk next which took us into the woods to a couple of bridges where we saw waterfalls that had done amazing things to the rocks around them—gouging holes and depositing tree trunks in holes in the rocks 20 ft. above the current flow.

Milford Sound (7) Milford Sound (8) Milford Sound (9) Milford Sound (11)

We had a few other stops before we reached Milford Sound.

Milford Sound (12)

The road is quite challenging and I was glad we decided to get the tour rather than drive ourselves. We headed through the Homer Tunnel, a 1.2 km long tunnel linking Milford Sound to Te Anau and Queenstown, by piercing the Darran Mountain range at the Homer Saddle. You could tell it was dug by hand because there were pick marks on the side walls and on the roadway. It was pitch black inside the tunnel and a very different experience. Once we were out on other side, it was downhill with a windy zig zag road that takes you down to Milford Sound.

Milford Sound (2) Milford Sound (3) Milford Sound (4)

Finally, we reached Milford Sound and it was just beautiful and breathtaking. We had a boat waiting or us for the cruise. Arriving at Milford Sound’s boat dock, the sky was a deep blue and we took the opportunity to capture some amazing shots.

Milford Sound (12) Milford Sound (13) Milford Sound (14) Milford Sound (15)

As soon as we boarded, we ate lunch as both of were starving. The sandwich and coffee tasted better with the spectacular view and a hungry tummy 🙂

The cruise started and the pilot informed us about the place and its history. We saw some seals sunning themselves on a rocky outcrop and some beautiful waterfalls along the way.

Milford Sound (2) Milford Sound (1) Milford Sound (18) Milford Sound (22) Milford Sound (14)

A couple of times the pilot ran the boat up very close to a waterfall, so those on the bow got sprayed and AS managed to get some really nice photos.

Milford Sound (16) Milford Sound (17) Milford Sound (19)

After almost 2 hours, our tour wound down and, we got on the bus and headed back to Queenstown happy with how our day went. It was an amazing day with some great memories for life.

Take care everyone,

M from nepaliaustralian

XOXO

P.S: Do not forget to vote your favorite blog . NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2014

NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2014 Nominations Announced

Thank you everyone for getting behind Nepaliaustralian Blog Award 2014 and nominating your favourites blogs. I am so glad to have found some wonderful blogs in the process.

2014 blog awardSo now the nomination has closed and its time to vote for your favourite blogs to win the title.

Following are the nominations in each category.

  • Best Blog for 2014
  1. http://nepalilovestory.com/
  2. http://madh-mama.blogspot.com
  3. http://clarissasblog.com
  4. http://fancythatfancythis.com/
  5. http://sdunfocused.wordpress.com/
  • Best Photo Blog 2014
  1. http://retireediary.wordpress.com
  2. http://thatmontrealgirl.wordpress.com/
  3. http://sreejithpnair.wordpress.com/
  4. http://rajivchopra.me/
  5. http://oilpastelsbymary.com/
  • Best Food Blog 2014
  1. http://dentistvschef.wordpress.com
  2. http://foodpleasureandhealth.com
  3. http://passionfruitgarden.com
  4. http://mrsgrg.wordpress.com
  5. http://japancanmix.com/
  • Best Travel Blog 2014
  1. http://rfljenksy.wordpress.com/
  2. http://wisemonkeysabroad.com/
  3. http://anewlifewandering.com
  4. http://japancanmix.com/
  5. http://bcarth.wordpress.com/
  • Best Fashion Blog 2014
  1. http://deninamartin.com/
  2. http://style-delights.blogspot.com.au/
  3. http://fashiondee.com/
  4. http://thestylishconfessions.com/
  5. http://alwaysmaylee.com/
  • Best Personal Blog 2014
  1. http://nepalilovestory.com/
  2. http://englishwifeindianlife.com/
  3. http://madh-mama.blogspot.com
  4. http://ayushmapandey.com
  5. http://exoticisnothing.blogspot.com.au/
  • Most Diverse Blog 2014
  1. http://nepalkochori.com
  2. http://japancanmix.com/
  3. http://kenthinksaloud.wordpress.com/
  4. http://weourlife.wordpress.com/
  5. http://witlessdatingafterfifty.wordpress.com
  • Best New Blog 2014
  1. http://nepalkochori.com
  2. http://mymasalalife.wordpress.com/
  3. http://deninamartin.com/
  4. http://nepalilovestory.com/
  • Best Blog Post of the Year 2014
  1. https://sdunfocused.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/recipe-for-a-great-evening/
  2. http://madh-mama.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/the-secret-foreign-boyfriendgirlfriend.html
  3. http://kenthinksaloud.wordpress.com/2014/07/26/the-monster-blanket/
  4. http://vaidehivaidehi.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/my-friend-e.html#!/2013/05/my-friend-e.html
  5. http://englishwifeindianlife.com/life-one-suitcase/
  • Most Educational Blog Post 2014
  1. http://nepalilovestory.com/2014/06/10/women-run-nepal-but-men-rule-it/
  2. http://nepalkochori.com/2014/09/08/speaking-up-teej/
  3. http://weourlife.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/how-i-was-about-to-be-trapped-by-a-scammer/
  4. http://whitegirlinasari.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/thinking-about-having-an-intercultural-relationship-read-this-first/
  5. http://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com/2014/10/24/must-knows-for-filipinos-traveling-with-children/
  • Most Witty Blog Post 2014
  1. http://nepalilovestory.com/2014/03/20/nepali-intercultural-relationships/
  2. http://tookmyplace.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/five-bathroom-blow-ups/
  3. http://skinnyandsingle.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/so-how-do-you-get-rid-of-cute-guys-wife-2/
  4. http://theroofsofkathmandu.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/stages-of-discovering-leeches-in-the-shower/
  5. http://tandooripanipurilife.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/dus-baatein/
  • Best Photo Blog Post 2014
  1. http://thatmontrealgirl.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/descent-in-san-juan-del-sur/
  2. http://mannytorresgallery.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/camelopardalis/
  3. http://hovercraftdoggy.com/2014/10/07/we-feel-light-3/
  4. http://beautifuliceland.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/icelandic-road-trip-oops-my-mistake/
  5. http://wisemonkeysabroad.com/2014/10/05/walking-the-camino-photo-essay-part-2-of-3/

How to vote?

Please copy the following on the comment box and type 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 next to each category.

  • Best Blog for 2014
  • Best Photo Blog 2014
  • Best Food Blog 2014
  • Best Travel Blog 2014
  • Best Fashion Blog 2014
  • Best Personal Blog 2014
  • Most Diverse Blog 2014
  • Best New Blog 2014
  • Best Blog Post of the Year 2014
  • Most Educational Blog Post 2014
  • Most Witty Blog Post 2014
  • Best Photo Blog Post 2014

 The rules:

  • E-mail addresses or blog addresses are required to vote.
  • One person can vote once for every category.
  • Winner will be announced in January 2015.

To all the nominees

First all of big congratulations on nomination. Please write a post in your blog about this award or reblog this post so your readers can vote for you. There are buttons at the end of this post for you to share or you can use the link below.

NEPALIAUSTRALIAN’s Blog Award 2014 Nominations Announced

Also add the image below with the link on the side bar of your blog so your readers can click there and reach this post to vote for you.

 2014 blog award small

You can Facebook or Tweet this post so that many people are aware about your blog and this blog award.

Good luck everyone!!!