Another December Update

Hello again, I'm back with another update. Four cards this time. Two from Nepal and 2 from Malaysia.  The Nepal cards were a surprise, but I guess all cards are really a surprise. But what I mean is that the sender Chiayu is a first timer sending me cards. This first card shows us Kathmandu Durbar Square,  the plaza in front of the old royal palace of the then Kathmandu Kingdom. The Kathmandu Valley area was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1979. The square is  the center of important royal events like the coronation of King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah in 1975 and King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah in 2001.

 I'll show the stamps after this second card. It's another card sent by Chiayu. This one shows a couple of the erotic temple carvings of Kathmandu. Apparently,  erotic carvings in temples are normal in Kathmandu valley. All over Nepal on the roof struts of temples are richly detailed carvings, sometimes plain wood, sometimes colorfully painted and often of what westerners would consider an erotic nature. So if you're not 18 , you might not want to look at this next postcard. 

Now Chiayu, who lives in Taiwan, but was visiting Nepal, sent these cards in an envelope. Here are the 5 stamps that arrived on the cover. 

Let's start at the top and work down. Stamp # 1 was issued in 1994 , 1 of a set of 4 Personalities stamps. This one shows Balaguru Shadananda , a religious leader. Then we have another Personalities stamp from a 2013 set of 4 . This one shows Dr Dilliraman Regami, a Nepalese Freedom Fighter, Historian and Philanthropist.  The 3rd and 4th stamps , issued in 2011 and 2013 respectively , show Nepalese Temples. The bottom stamp, from 2006, celebrates Nepal's 50 Years of Universal Postal Union membership.

As a long time stamp collector and now a postcard collector of more than 8 years, I can safely say one doesn't receive or even see mail or stamps from Nepal all that often. So when something arrives from over there, it's great. 

Now, today's first card from Malaysia, is a fine addition to my Aircraft/Airlines on Postcards Collection. It shows a Malaysia Airlines B777.  Let's not forget that it was 2 Malaysia B777s that were lost this past year. MH370 disappeared back in March with 227 passengers and 12 crew onboard. That plane has yet to be found.  Then in July MH017 was shot down over Ukraine with a lost of 283 passengers and 15 crew.  That's 537 lives gone in a blink. Here's the postcard sent by Jean Pierre from Kuala Lumpur. 

It's really great when an aviation postcard arrives with an aviation related stamp. Jean Pierre used a 2011 100 Years of Aviation stamp showing an Airbus A380. It is 1 of 3 in the set. 

The second card from Malaysia, also sent by jean Pierre, gives a great view of the city of Kuala Lumpur. You can see the KL Tower and the world renowned Petronas Twin Towers. 

On this card Jean Pierre used a newer 2014 stamp . It is 1 of 10 in a Museums set of Hidden Treasures. 

Little interesting thing about this cancellation is the special handstamp just under the regular cancellation. It says Malaysia Day 01.12.14 . I read that as December 1, 2014 . The funny thing is that all my research shows that Malaysia Day is held on 16 September every year. Who knew ? 

Anyway, that the update for this time. Thanks to Chiayu and Jean Pierre for their cards. Take care and see you again soon.