Europe! Summer 2010 (Part 1/2)

I'm not very good at writing. I know some people who can really express their thought perfectly through written words, and I am not one of them. Bear with me, please?

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Why do you keep on traveling?
Because I'm curious.

Why do you do go alone?
You wanna come with me?

Aren't you afraid?
At times yes, but you'll never get anything done if you yield to that fear, you know.

Don't you get lonely?
Yes. But I learned to find ways around it.

That's the whole point of travel.
To learn. With the world as your teacher. University of Life.

Ahh questions, questions.
Sometimes I think some people ask you questions to bring you down, so that they feel better about themselves.
They ask questions, hoping that you'll make blunders. Sigh.

Last summer trip was a success, I must say.
No matter how broke I've rendered myself.


I came to Paris, with the hope of tasting Paris like a Parisienne, and not like a rushed tourist. What I had was the best of both worlds.
van Gogh, Monet, Versailles....bliss. And then there's macarons, pain au chocolat, and now I can't get the image of seabass with creamy leak out of my head. I even had the escargot! It was pretty good, I must say. You won't catch me dead with anything siput-like back home.
Thanks, Jihan.
Now I can officially say that "Hey, I've sampled French Cuisine. It's amazing, but nothing can ever beat Malaysian food!"


City of a Hundred Spires.
Prague was amazing. It was my first time in Eastern Europe, and boy, I was hooked! Everything felt foreign. Qila showed me places, taught me some tricks (rather dirty) =)
I savoured the art scene. Ballet + orchestra = happy.
I ended up extending my stay there, originally from three days, to a week.
The perks of being unemployed =D


And then there was Budapest.
An absolute beauty by the Danube river, which had me going for cruises thrice!
The superb hostel I stayed was right next to the Danube, the owner was lovely, and the other guests were nice too.
If you are planning a trip, do not miss this gem!


Travel details and tips:

1. Transportation:

The cheapest way to for Paris-Prague route is by bus. I definitely recommend Student Agency buses, which are based in Prague. Great service, cheap (even cheaper than any other buses), very friendly, on time departure. The bus picks up passenger on a designated lane along Rue du Faubourg St Martin, Paris (Metro: Gare de l'Est). There is no proper bus station, so don't panic. You should see the bus parked by the roadside immediately from the Metro exit.

Prague, on the other hand, has a more proper bus station: Florenc. I arrived during wee hours and it's really not that scary; just a little. There should be other passengers around, just stay under the lights.

For Prague-Budapest route, you can take either Student Agency or Orangeways (Hungarian bus company). I took Orangeways for this route. Must say that I rather preferred the service from Student Agency. Both bus companies will have a stewardess on board who can speak English, so no worries on language barrier. Also note that unlike Student Agency, Orangeways charge for baggage on the spot, so get ready with small change.

2. Currency

I'm not fond of carrying cash around, I don't like the idea of traveler's cheques so I relied heavily on my MasterCard Debit card, which worked perfect for almost everything, especially in France and Germany (Czech Republic and Hungary don't offer much of the service). For money withdrawal, the exchange rates are also favorable, and there is no way you will be cheated. Mark my words, because I was cheated by the exchange lady while changing Czech crown to Hungarian forint. She gave me 200 forints notes that was no longer under circulation (I totally forgotten to google the currencies beforehand). Luckily the man who sold me a magnet noticed my notes and pointed out that I can get them changed at the National Bank. Hassle still.

3. Stay:

I stayed with friends in Paris and Prague, so no advice there.
In Budapest, however, I stayed at this cute female hostel, Anadin's Hostel, which really felt like home than a hostel. I'm definitely recommending female travelers to stay here, unless you are the super partying type, because there isn't any clubs around here, only restaurants.


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To be continued: Europe! Summer 2010 (Part 2/2)

Coming soon

I promise I will publish travel posts next week.





Geez kena janji baru nak gerak bontot la kan. Bagusssssssss

Eurotrip Day 1

I'm in Paris.
Don't know what to do.
Covered most tourist attraction on previous trip.
I wanna go see Van Gogh and Monet today. But they're unavailable on Mondays :(
So I think I'll go around merayau cari ice cream, maybe to the Lafayette later.
Jardin? Mungkin.

Vietnam Part 3 (Saigon)

I'm leaving tomorrow midnight, and I just realized that I didn't finish my Vietnam post.
Sheesh.
Vietnam tak habis cerita lagi, NZ langsung tak bukak cerita lagi, ni nak jalan lagi. Bila nak write on all these Nadia?

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Ho Chi Minh Attractions.

Vote is for Cu Chi tunnel.
Ok Cu Chi is not exactly in Ho Chi Minh City, it is approximately an hour away.
Sounds far and a little boring, but this. is. the. bomb.

The Cu Chi tunnel was dug (with HANDS ok) by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War with the Americans.
I've told you that it was manually dug.
Now get this, the extended length of the tunnel is more than 200km, stretching beyond Vietnam to the Cambodian borders.

Great feat, I tell you, and it does pay off on their behalf against the Americans.

To get a local touch to the experience, try contacting Saigon Hotpot. They run free guided tours, mainly by youngsters keen to practice their English. Sounds too good to be true? Trust me on this. They're marvelous! You just need to pay for the fees of both you and you guide, though I personally do not think its enough, so we treated our guide for a yummy-licious lunch the next day, as token of gratitude. Donations are always welcomed but should be directed to their Director.

How to get there:

1. Tour companies - They are all over Pham Ngu Lao Street and Bui Vien Street (Backpacker's District). Price starts from 4USD.
2. On your own, by taxi. But this will cost a bomb.
3. Own your own, by local bus. Absolutely cost effective, works well if you have the whole day to spend.
   

hugs and kisses

It feels so damn good when you go back to see the kids you've taught, and their eyes sparkle when they see you.



Life update:

1. One more paper to go, then goodbye undergraduate world (amin!).
2. Heading north for a month. Stay tune for updates from Europe!

Hey you. I don't like you.

Hey you.

You. I don't like you.
You asked for my father's help.
You came to my house, passed me a bundle of handwritten papers.
And gawd aren't your handwriting so bad.
It's even worse than mine!
What? You expect my father to type it for you?
Since when did he became your clerk?
This is not the 90's where only a bunch of people own computers.
Even then, I would expect that you make an effort to find one, and fix your own mess.

You. I don't like you.
My father is trying to save your ass.
And what are you doing?
Sitting back and relax.
My father is so busy he's losing his sleep.
And you didn't even call to ask about him, and what you should be doing, how he's progressing.
Who the heck do you think you are?
You think those bundle of papers is all you should do?
Are you mental?

Hey you. I don't like you.
Better not appear in front of me.
Or bitch slap it is.

Panic! is here.
And I take it as a blessing.
Under normal circumstances, I only panic a few days before exam.
This semester, its 2 weeks away!
Wohoh!

Pray for me!

ps: This will be my final semester. I will make it, insyaAllah. Confidence baby, confidence!

And the plan is to be unemployed for a few months. Priorities to dream-catching, and long abandoned family and friends.

I feel like going for 'slap and scream' spree at the faces of these NOISY renovating people.






Except they're renovating my house.

Stress!!!!!!!!!!!

Torn

Ahh.
That dilemma.
When you want to find yourself on the other side, so badly.
But you don't want to find yourself in that picture, half of you missing.

To choose between that childhood dream of yours.
And this dream you're dreaming now.

And to decide, who wins,
when the head says Go,
but the heart says No.

What do you do, when the choices you have, will eventually only make you curse yourself?

Less than two months to ensure that I will not hate myself.

And approximately two months to ensure that I have enough funds.

p/s: My robins have flown away. For a better life, I pray.