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)