A trekking trip to Nepal in 1999 proved a heady experience for Singaporean Vivian Baniya in more ways than one.

In the country's capital of Kathmandu, she met Nepalese trekking guide Sudip Baniya, 33, which was the first step in a long journey which culminated in them marrying on Sept 18, 2004.

Mrs Baniya, a 33-year-old church executive, recalls that he played the consummate host, showing her and her friends around his country.

She says: 'When he left us to guide another Singapore couple, I felt lost. I missed him a lot and didn't have the mood to do anything else.

'That's when I thought: Shoot, I've developed feelings for him.'

She made the first move on returning home, sending him an e-mail to thank him for his hospitality. Over the next two years, they exchanged 'several hundred' messages.

This despite the fact that Mr Baniya spoke and wrote little English, and often had to consult a dictionary or ask his English-speaking friends how to craft his words. And in a city where power outages were common, there was also the challenge of finding a reliable Internet connection, says Mr Baniya, 33, a travel adviser.

Two years into their long-distance relationship, he moved to Singapore to study for a diploma in IT and also to be with his girlfriend.

But there were other hurdles.

Mrs Baniya says: 'Back then, people were always looking at us thinking: 'What is this Chinese girl doing with this guy?'

Once, on bumping into a friend when she was out with her Nepalese boyfriend, she instinctively dropped his hand and walked away as if he were a complete stranger.

'I'm ashamed to say it now but I was ashamed then,' she admits. 'But eventually I decided that if I wanted to be with Sudip, I would have to be bold about it.'

Asked if he was hurt by the incident, Mr Baniya, whose quiet, contemplative nature is a stark contrast to his wife's gregariousness, merely shrugs and says: 'It's nothing. I understand.'

Another stumbling block arose: Her parents baulked at the idea of their daughter dating someone they saw as a jobless, lesser educated man from a Third World country.

'They were concerned that he was not going to give me the life that I was used to,' says Mrs Baniya, who completed her studies to diploma level.

He jokes: 'Of all the 5Cs, I have zero Cs.'

After about three years, she finally mustered the courage to speak to her parents about marriage.

Seeing that she was so determined, her mother finally gave her blessings - on the condition that the couple remained in Singapore.

The pair's mixed-culture union works because they do not let other people's expectations get to them. 'To me, education and background was not an issue and never an issue. He is strength to me and he's there whenever I need him,' she says.

Mr Baniya says he loves his wife because of her confident personality. 'She doesn't like to show her weakness and that makes her real.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.