I Wanna Touch Snow Someday

Snowing View, Pokhara, Nepal

“I wanna touch snow”, I said to my self as a wish when I was a kid. 

As a person who lives in a tropical country, seeing snow is a kind of precious thing. I have watched movies which showed very beautiful scenery with snow. I also like all the things about National Geographic products whether it's a video or a picture. And yeah snow took space in my brain that I should see it someday.

As I did my biggest solo trip last year for 6 months to explore India and Nepal. Finally, I can checklist one of my dreams, "touching snow". These were my trip routes Kochi- Alleppey- Varkala- Nagercoil- Kanyakumari- Nagercoil- Kochi- Munnar- Aluva- Calicut- Mankada- Angadippuram- Shoranur- Bengaluru- Hosapete- Hampi- Hosapete- Hubbali- Goa- Mumbai- Ahmedabad- Udaipur- Jaipur- Delhi- Varanasi- Gorakhpur- Sonauli- Kathmandu (Nepal)- Pokhara (Nepal)- Dhampus (Nepal)- Pokhara (Nepal)- Lumbini (Nepal)- Sonauli- Gorakhpur- Varanasi- Delhi- Amritsar- Pathankot- Dharamsala- McLeodganj- Dharamkot- Bhagsu- Dharamsala- Palampur- Mandi- Manali- Keylong- Leh- Hunder- Turtuk- Diskit- Leh- Pangong Lake (Spangmik)- Leh- Manali- Chandigarh- Delhi- Agra- Delhi- Haridwar- Rishikesh- Delhi- Bengaluru.

My dream to see the snow was completed when I was in Pokhara, Nepal. I just saw snow by far over the mountain. But I never touched it. It can’t be reached by walking. Because it wasn’t winter yet. So, only a specific place we can see snow. I also saw the snow in Manali, but again I couldn't get close to it. I didn’t travel by private transportation. I traveled by public bus or hitchhiking. So I can’t ask to stop to touch snow if I saw it on the way.

Snowing View, Manali, India

Then I traveled to Leh, Ladakh, India. It's not because I went there for the snow, but it's just a beautiful place to visit. The journey Manali to Ladakh was really AMAZING!!!! I saw snow but it’s still from far. And again I can’t touch snow. But it's totally awesome, I even can describe how beautiful it was. I went to some parts of Ladakh, such as Leh, and Nubra Valley Part (Hunder- Turtuk- Diskit). And yeah I saw the snow but I can't touch it. Well, I didn’t expect anymore to touch snow because it’s not winter yet and just traveled like usual. 

One day, I decided to go to Pangong Lake by public bus. I found more snowing views and closer! Because it was on the roads. I guessed I could touch snow if the bus stopped. But how can I stop it?? It was getting colder even the bus door was closed. I took more shirt on! Ah I didn’t bring proper winter clothes. Please don't try it! But I was okay.

On the way to Pangong Lake

The bus suddenly stopped! 

Five minutes, 10 minutes waiting, and...

The driver said that the road was blocked by snow. And we would wait until snow melting.

What? I didn’t know It’s good news or bad news. One side it would be worst if we were stuck for a long time, but on the other side, it’s time to touch snow. I saw some cars coming and made a long line. Some passengers got down and I felt like reunite there.

Well yeah, It's time to touch snow. I got down. It was slippery walking on ice. I didn't walk much, because I didn't wear proper winter gear. I saw very awesome snowing views. I touched the snow. And I ate it! Lol, yeah I ate how its taste. Yeah it's the same with snow in the refrigerator. It’s not a dream, it’s real snow. Not an artificial snow when I did roller skate in the mall. Lol "You did it, Intan"! I felt I wanted to make ice coffee there. :D

Yes, it's snow guys! :D

Some people were happy. Some people got mad waiting for a long time. Mostly I saw people so excited to play snow. I knew the feeling. Some took so many pictures, some just felt like usual, some made “Olaf”, and I played snowing ball with a driver’s kid. 

Well, we got stuck there for 2 hours and enough to play with snow. I was so happy and grateful. \m/

- Mission accomplished -

A Richman

Well, it was in the morning I took a walk to see around Rishikesh, India. I found one seller who sold popcorn. He just started to open his popcorn stall, the way how he earns money for life everyday. Ah this is cool.

I stopped buying that popcorn. It’s only 10RS per pack or about 2.000IDR. He was honest! What a lovely human. I felt so happy when I found the price was the same between foreigners and locals. Then, it took some time to prepare his shop. And I waited for him to prepare all the things and cook popcorn.

It was a kind of attraction for me to see how to make Popcorn in traditional way. Really! See the video, it was cooked by sand not oil with traditional equipment which is designed so well to keep popcorn stay inside! I think you will agree with me if this is so unique! 

I was taking a video of it. And he looked so happy with that and excited to prepare popcorn for me! But wait, this is not the main story I wanted to share with you.

Wish you have a happy life

Continue the story, actually, at that time I didn’t have small change. I had but it was only small coins. After he finished cooking, he prepared a package popcorn for me. And I purchased him with 100RS as I didn’t have any change. Then he said he didn’t have change also because it’s still morning. And asked me to purchase with change. I said I didn’t have too.

..

“Just take it”, he can’t speak English but I knew from his intonation and gesture.

“What?”, I felt surprised.

“Yes, it’s okay.” He wanted to give that popcorn for free to me!!!! Wow.

“No no no no”, Of course, I would not accept this.

..

Then I tried to look for my coins. And I asked him to pay with small coins. Because I wanted to eat that popcorn. And I didn't want to go to another seller nor accept his offer for free. Then he agreed! He was okay if I paid it with small coins I had. Cool :)

I purchased him with those coins. And he was feeling so happy, blessed and directly did pray with his hand as thankful to the god for money he got. Wow, It really slapped me! :(

Well, he is the real rich man, when he still wanted to share even he had nothing.

We Can’t Control Others

Swayambunath Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

I learned a lot from traveling, me as human. I always think of something with open and logic, from the perspective of another side, why they do that. Is that their way to survive? Is that for their happiness or what? The answer is we can’t control others, their thoughts, their feelings, their wants, etc. We don’t own anyone. Even our parents, siblings, children, partner, and so on. We only own ourselves. So, the single person who we can control is ourselves.

I met the rude things happened. I would say that’s not true or not good in logically or in humanity. Again it's my own personal thought. 

Factly we can’t ask, “Why did you do it?", "Why are you so rude?", "You should do this", "You should be nice.”

No! Stop asking the way you want. It totally wastes our energy. We can’t change others, we can’t ask others to do the same as we do and think. All we can do and control is how to give a reaction from their action. 

We can say our disagreement, “That is not true. I don’t like the way you do”. But not expect for their agreement or changing. We can’t ask them to stop, but we can decide to stop interacting with them. :)

Aplikasi di Handphone Selama Traveling

1) Maps.me

Maps offline penting banget selama perjalanan, apalagi di daerah yang susah internet. Biasanya saya download maps offline dulu sebelum jalan ke suatu daerah. Kadang juga saya sudah kasih tanda ke tempat-tempat yang akan dituju, seperti terminal, stasiun, hostel yang akan dituju, dll. Ini ngebantu banget.

2) XE Currency

Aplikasi nilai tukar ini menyediakan beberapa slot mata uang untuk perbandingan. Jadi ga capek-capek itung lewat kalkulator. Tinggal set mata uang apa aja yang akan dikonversikan. Tinggal input 1 mata uang yang akan dikonversi ke beberapa mata uang negara yang sudah disetting.

3) Weather Check (Iphone default)

Aplikasi perkiraan cuaca dan pengukur suhu juga penting banget. Apalagi ke daerah-daerah yang suhunya ekstrim. Ini buat nentuin pakaian apa yang dibawa dan aktivitas apa yang bisa dilakuin.

4) Kamusku

Saya pilih Kamusku, kamus Bahasa Indonesia - English offline yang negbantu banget pas tiba-tiba geblank dan kalo buka google translate butuh internet yang terkadang lama.

5) Booking.com

Banyak pilihan penginapan di sini dan harga kadang terjangkau. Banyak penginapan yang bisa dipesan tanpa dibayar terlebih dahulu.

6) Traveloka

Aplikasi ini enak dipake kalo lagi jalan di negara ASEAN. Kadang harganya lebih murah dari aplikasi lainnya.

7) Tiket.com

Sebagai pembanding harga baik tiket pesawat atau pun penginapan. 

8) Airasia

Karena Airasia ga bisa dibooking lewat OTA lainnya, jadinya aplikasi ini harus didownload. Ga diragukan lagi Airasia menawarkan tiket yang sangat terjangkau. Everyone can fly :)

9) Online Taxi Order 

Aplikasi ini ngebantu banget buat ngecek harga transportasi di dalam kota. Jadi bisa ngebandingi harga sebelum sewa/nego taksi. Seperti Grab, Uber, Ola aplikasi lokal India, Pathao aplikasi lokal Nepal, Passapp aplikasi lokal Cambodia, atau Gojek yang sudah terkenal di Indonesia.

10) Train schedule

Pengalaman waktu traveling di India. Saya download aplikasi Where is my train: IRCTC. Aplikasi ini ngebantu banget buat ngecek pilihan jadwal kereta. Bisa juga buat ngecek posisi kereta kita saat itu sedang di mana.

Mungkin ada saran aplikasi lain bisa ditambahi :)

Public Transportation from Amritsar to Mcleodganj

Pathankot - Dharamsala Bus

After exploring Amritsar that is famous of the Golden Temple and Wagah Border, I continued my journey to Mcleodganj. Initially I was confused by the choices to go to Kashmir or Ladakh. Finally I decided to Ladakh, because at that time Kashmir area was not safe for tourists. I traveled over land to go to Ladakh, so I wondered what the most interesting route would be if the journey started from Amritsar, then McLeodganj was good option and later to Manali.

Amritsar - Mcleodganj travel was quite easy and inexpensive. The routes are Amritsar - Pathankot- Dharamsala - Mcleodganj. From Amritsar I took the train Amritsar - Pathankot route, the price was 10INR with  Passenger Train class. This type of train has no toilets inside, because the distance is not too far. Travel time was about 3 hours with approximately distance about 120km.

Arrived at Pathankot station, I immediately checked maps.me that I had marked before to go directly to the bus stand. The distance is not too far, can be reached on foot. On the trip there were a lot of snack stalls. I stopped briefly buying snacks and fruit for the journey.

Arriving at the Pathankot bus stand, I immediately asked the bus officer to go to Dharamsala. As much as possible to ask directly to the officer so that the information is accurate. I immediately entered the bus. And not long after, the bus left. The conductor will collect bus fees using a printing machine ticket. So, don't be afraid to get scam on bus prices, because prices are already listed on the ticket. The price of Pathankot - Dharamsala bus ticket costs 118INR. I checked on the ticket, the price should be 155INR, but that day I got a discount of 118INR. The distance is approximately 90km or about 3 hours journey.

Yay I got a discount :)

I arrived at Dharamsala bus stand quite late. At first I planned to stay in Dharamsala, but after many people informed me that it would be better to stay in Mcleodganj, finally I decided to stay at Mcleodganj. I asked the clerk to schedule a bus to Mcleodganj, apparently there was a local Dharamsala - Mcleodganj bus at 21.00, the price was 20INR. While waiting for the bus to come, I had dinner at a place to eat at the top. The price is quite affordable.

After dinner, bus start, travel for about 20 minutes. Finally I arrived at McLeodganj.  Ah it's so tiring. My phone was running out of battery. So was power bank. Well, I call this is the art of journey. I let it be. From getting off the bus, many people offered rooms. I just bargain. Finally I got a fairly affordable lodging, with a price of 250INR for a single room. 

McLeodganj

Note: I just found out that there is a shared jeep to Mcleodganj with the same price, which is 20INR. I just knew when I departed from McLeodganj to Dharamsala. So if there is no Dharamsala bus to Mcleodganj, you can ask about this shared jeep. Happy Traveling :)

Transportasi Umum dari Amritsar ke Mcleodganj

Setelah mengeksplor Amritsar yang terkenal dengan Golden Temple dan Wagah Border, saya melanjutkan perjalanan ke Mcleodganj. Awalnya saya bingung dengan pilihan ke Kashmir atau Ladakh. Akhirnya saya putusin ke Ladakh, karena waktu itu daerah Kashmir sedang kurang aman untuk turis. Saya melakukan perjalanan via darat untuk ke Ladakh, jadi saya muter otak gimana rute yang paling menarik jika perjalanan dimulai dari Amritsar, opsinya McLeodganj lalu nanti ke Manali.

Perjalanan Amritsar - Mcleodganj cukup mudah dan murah. Rutenya Amritsar - Pathankot - Dharamsala - Mcleodganj. Dari Amritsar saya menggunakan kereta dengan rute Amritsar - Pathankot dengan harga 10INR dengan pilihan passanger train. Kereta jenis ini tidak ada toilet di dalam, karena memang jarak tempuh ga terlalu jauh. Lama perjalanan 3 jam dengan jarak tempuh kurang lebih 120km. 

Sampai di stasiun Pathankot, saya langsung cek maps.me yang sudah saya tandai sebelumnya untuk langsung ke bus stand. Jaraknya ga terlalu jauh, bisa ditempuh dengan jalan kaki. Di perjalanan banyak pilihan jajanan. Saya berhenti bentar beli snack dan buah untuk bekal perjalanan.

Bus Pathankot - Dharamsala

Sampailah di bus stand Pathankot, saya langsung tanya ke petugas bus untuk ke Dharamsala. Sebisa mungkin untuk tanya bus ke petugas langsung biar informasinya akurat. Saya langsung masuk bus. Dan ga lama kemudian, bus langsung berangkat. Kondektur akan menagih ongkos bus dengan menggunakan mesin print. Jadi jangan takut untuk kena scam harga bus, karena harga sudah tertera di tiket tersebut. Harga tiket bus rute Pathankot - Dharamsala seharga 118INR. Saya cek di tiket, seharusnya harganya sebesar 155INR namun entah hari apa saya dapet diskon menjadi 118INR. Jarak tempuh lebih kurang 90km atau sekitar 3 jam. 

Yay I got a discount :)

Sampailah di bus stand Dharamsala sudah agak malam. Yang awalnya saya berencana untuk tinggal di Dharamsala, namun setelah banyak yang menginformasiin kalo untuk tinggal lebih enak di Mcleodganj. Akhirnya saya putuskan untuk tinggal di Mcleodganj. Saya tanya dengan petugas untuk jadwal bus ke Mcleodganj, ternyata  ada bus lokal Dharamsala - Mcleodganj jam 21.00, harganya 20INR. Sambil nunggu bus datang, saya sempat makan malam di tempat makan yang ada di bagian atas harganya lumayan terjangkau. 

Selesai makan malam, bus start, perjalanan kurang lebih selama 20 menit, sampe juga di Mcleodganj. Ah it’s so tiring, batre hp udah mati, powerbank udah habis, belum booking penginapan. This is the art of journey. I let it be. Dari turun bus, banyak orang yang nawarin kamar. I just bargain. Akhirnya saya dapet penginapan yang lumayan terjangkau, dengan harga 250INR untuk single room. 

McLeodganj

Note: Saya baru tau kalo ada shared jeep ke Mcleodganj dengan harga yang sama yaitu 20INR, ini baru saya tau waktu saya berangkat dari McLeodganj ke Dharamsala. Jadi kalo ga ada bus Dharamsala ke Mcleodganj, bisa tanya shared jeep ini. Happy Traveling :)

I feel ashamed

When I ask others to say honest, but I still say lie.

When I ask others to be loyal, but I do betrayal.

When I ask others to stay, but I am leaving.

When I ask others not to cheat, but I do cheating.

When I expect others to help, but I am lazy.

When I expect others to be on time, but I am late.

When I expect others to care, but I ignore.

When I want others to be nice, but I am rude.

When I want others to smile, but I am mad.

When I want others to be open minded, but I am judging quickly.

When I want others to be respectful, but I am disrespectful.

When I hate racism, but I still choose a friend to be with.

When I judge that’s not good, but I am doing it.

.

.

I feel ashamed to ask others to do good, while I am still doing bad. Don’t you?

.

.

Silent

Silent is loudest of speaking
When fighting or debating become useless
Silent is the best action

Silent is not a weakness

Silent is better than talking sh*t
Silent is better than hurting
Silent is better than manipulating

Silent is healing

The High of Mentality Level

The high level of mentality, when you are still okay when you are slapped by person you feed, when you are betrayed by person you trust, when you are ignored by person you help.