Day 7 | Romancing Romania

Tak da pepe nak di lomance kan pung... saje bikin suspense. Hheheehhe....

After dumping our bags in our surprisingly nice hostel/hotel(we still confuse on the rating for this but who care as long as it is to our benefits, hehehhe... Anyway, we deciding earlier on even before we started the trip that we will be taking the Bucharest Hop-On Hop-Off bus (despite we paid the fine, sigh... can't get over this - GERAM GILER!). Focus LILY!!!

We took our 5-7 mins walk to the HoHo bus stop, according to Wahidah this is the cheapest HoHo, hemmm.... after looking at the route, tak banyak pung. So, oklar especially since it do night ride as well (yeay we could catch sunset! Am a sucker for sunset mode). By the way, this HoHo is not the same as the red HoHo that we have been taking but the concept is the same, thus it's fine by us.

As I said earlier (did I?!??!), the distance was 5-7 mins from our apartment to the bus stop which also double head as the HoHo bus stop. Along the way, we saw this church, my first impression is that their architecture is very much different from those I have seen in Western Europe countries, they play with brighter colours more - that’s one thing for sure. All the white, yellow and gold and silver, well… that was the first impression. In fact the shape (can I use this word, architectural student I am not), maybe the word design suits better (!?!) is slightly different too…

And another thing, which impresses me; knowing that Romania is a Christian religion country, it surprises me that they are actually of Romanian Orthodox Church (I should not be generalizing, I know. Bad Lily…sigh! Ignorant me!). The reason why I say this is because I can still see the priest walking around in black robe and at first I thought they were rabbi (still wondering why I thought of this, everyday there’s something new for me to know and learn here) but then I asked helpful Mr. Google.. Boy! Was I wrong. Hhehehe….

Oh yah! The area where we stayed are actually a student quarters or area, thus youngster are loads here (AND fashionable too, I will tell you this story later - it’s a joke AND as usual, IT’S ON ME! Hahhahah…). Overall, Piata Unirii area is prettttty SAFE, no worries on this but then again one have to be STREET SMART lar right!?? *wink*. There are old buildings and houses in this area looks very very the ol-skool, we even saw students sketching these buildings - I think they’re architecture student and plenty of them here. I can just imagine the interior décor, sure classic and cun giler, but maintainance nye part tuh; tobat malas!

Cara I travel kat most Europe country senang, I always take the Hop-On Hop-Off bus, it can be slight more expensive then major public transportation BUT the reason why I love them so much is because….

1. Affordable -  idak ler mahai sampai leh pengsanG
2. Coverage - they cover the MAIN attractions. Eg, HoHo in Malaysia covers Istana Negara, public bus mana pegi situ! Istana Budaya? Seksa siut… kekadang lepas kan jek site sebab confusing & susah.
3. Distance - they tend to cover FURTHER places too which is beneficial to us first timer
4. Timing - as we can hop-on and hop-off at any point of time, this make sense as we know roughly how to PLAN our day
5. NARRATION - this is important, for I KNOW, no matter how much you read; no way you can remember all of them kan kan… So, when you take these buses, they will provide you with ear-phone (colorful ones - depending on country) with language selection. PERFECT.
6. View - higher view  for good observation sight and pic taking opportunity of cause
7. Reccee - it gives you opportunity to “reccee” and revisit some places next day if need be.

Amacam? Orait dak? Check out this link for all the HoHo available in most part of the world, do bear in mind that some are not operated by the same company hence for those that is not shown on this site, please google it yah. Eg: Bucharest HoHo doesn’t fall under this site/company, nor the one in Dubai. London/Athens have 2 operators etc etc… pandai pandai choose ler yek.

Abit melalut lak, obviously we passed by many places ler kan, one that caught my eye was the Arc de Triomphe ie in English it’s Arch of Triumph; apparently this structure exist in few countries ie Paris (the most famous one of cause), Italy etc etc… [Na, Nanti ko leh tangkap gambar yang kat Paris nye, TIPS : gi masa sunset, panjat naik atas dalam EU$15 kot, tangkap the biggest & busiest roundabout in the world as well as view of Eiffel Tower, it is located on the most famous street in the world gak - CHAMP ELYSEES]. Untuk yang nak tau Arc de Triomphe nye sebutan in French ialah Ar(g)k Du(e) Trio(ng), yang I bracket tuh, bunyi “ghain or nga“, French memang banyak bunyi ni, basically Melayu gi sana senang lar. Hehheh… Kelass dak kite! By the way, this one is smaller then Paris’s and the street are not as glamorous as Champ Elysees either J

We stop about 500 meter from here to head for????

Hard Rock Café Bucharest!!!! It is said to be one of the biggest in Europe. Kalau nak tau, banyak HRC kat Europe nih mostly nye restaurant, tak banyak yang ada dance floor UNLIKE Asia nye. Kitenye cam club, ingat lagi masa I kat Rome dulu, mamat tuh interview serious baik punye sebab dia rasa kitenye best, dia nak relocate (konon!) sebab very the happening. I riak giler masa tuh.

This HRC is located at the biggest park I ever set foot in, even bigger then Ueno Park in Japan ari tuh (and I thought Ueno was big, but duh!). Really! Check out the lake?!?!? Park pic and story in next entry yah… sebab besau sangat!

2 things to bring to your attention, pic below says it all.

Dog litter plastic - is everywhere near/in the park (Zali main bayang bayang tangan lak dah!). So, the area in and surrounding it is soooooo clean, kid you not. Malaysia??!?!?? Buat ler similar kan, for cat and dog. Ish! Gomen…

Historical monument - with detail information & signage. Malaysia gomen?!?!? Again!??!?

As usual lar, while waiting for our HoHo bus, pic taking time and little detail for your view and expectation setting kot ada yang nak gi.

Check out the buildings, it’s different from one to another in every sens - very Eastern Europe. And guess what????

Some or most that caught my eyes was with SILVER DOME, hah! Awat tuh? Normally its gold or earth colour right. After CAREFUL thought my Cik Wahidah kite…. Ehehhe…. Conclusion dia yang brengset!

KONONNYE… This is because Romania is the land of Dracula origin (korang tau kan? Transylvania kat sini ler), it is known that Dracula will die if you shot him with a silver bullet right? Thus, the silver dome is SUPPOSE to wade of Dracula lar….. Like this oso can ah Cik Wahidah oooiiii???!?? Hhahahhaha…. Team Jacob? Team Edward you guys??? Mamat sini lagi hensem dari diarang lerr…

After Maghrib keluar balik for night view, will story the night view in next entry ler kot. Till then… 

La revedere…. Maknenye bye bye ler tuh…

Credit hyperlink : Wikipedia, Hop-On Hop Off Bus

Malaysia Hotel Booking Calculation - HELP!

Travelholic sekalian umat, camna nak kira yang bawah nih?

TOLONG!!!!!

Ish! Awat ler aku pail ilmu hisab dolu... Hehheheheee....

Day 7 | Romania - Ignored & Fined (again)!

Another day, another country, another adventure.

Sigh.... It has been awhile since I update this trip. Jom…

Obviously my trip to Greece covers 2 countries despite that the initial plan was Greece and it’s Aegean Islands. But Zali said, since we paid so much, can we “pleeeeaaaaseee” cover another country in Europe (might as well kan konon nye). Cam kesian pulak, travelholic in a making ler kan, hehehhe…. I was thinking too, since our objective was to cover Santorini and we manage to extended to Mykonos which I successfully forgotten how we went about deciding or even finding out on Mykonos is beyond me (of course Athens memang sahih sahih dah masuk dalam trip nih). Apa kata kite redah another country….!!!

Thus, as it was my task to do any “big” transportation findings/costing/blah blah blah…., so there I go searching (more like surfing) dutifully… First, hemm…. let’s look at the map and the surrounding Greece countries, perhaps I can cover one of them via land… neh…. Not doable or more like - they don’t look that interesting. Then GREED got into me, heheehehe…. Looked at Warsaw, Prague, Budapest etc….(jauh tuh) Nope tooooo expensive (I do have budget you know!). Argh… annoyed then, I checked via my favourite darling todate Miss. Expedia… jeng jeng jeng… GOT IT!!! Bucharest for RM1,100 per person - RETURN FLIGHT + ACCOMMODATION for 3D2N, I thought that was very reasonable. Don’t you think so??! That’s it, we’re set and ready to go.

The flight was super early that we have to call for a cab since the subway is yet to start it’s operation. We left our king-kong luggage at Athens hotel and only brought over our hand-carry and small backpack (ahh…. always make sure the hotel you stay do luggage storing, sonang if they do). Anyway, we reach the capital - Bucharest at 9ish morning (giler awal). This is where the journey begins….

First impression & experience upon touch touching down :

1. They really don’t receive many DIY tourist like us from Asia, they asked us a lot of questions (1 immigration counter for each f us, and they counter check with each other - kebetulan each counter sorang but giler suspense). “Who are you traveling with, which hotel, why, how many days, where are you going after this, when you arrive Greece, when are you flying back to Malaysia from Greece (eh! Cam over lak)” Bear in mind, we are staying in hostels, obviously they would not have heard of it before (sebab bukan hotel chain kan) thus we tend to sound as if we were crabbing lar… susah ler cam ni. But we got thru it despite it took slightly longer.

2. We went to the tourist information counter, and guess what? It was fully glassed with a little hole for you to talk - not that friendly for a tourist info counter huh! First time I see such, how can they hear or understand you right? Taking into consideration that there bound to be some language barrier (but very very minimal actually, hence senang jalan sini). Man! She was so not helpful and we only ask what’s the best way to get to our hostel. She said, take cab, tapi MAHAI ler minah oooiii…. So, we decided to go to the bus stop downstairs but we saw another counter opposite for train, ahhh….better. The friendly lady at the counter said this “Wasn’t you from the tourist information counter just now? Didn’t she help you?” We were err…..”Errr… She didn’t help much” we said. “I am amazed, you mean she didn’t help? What is she doing?” The train lady said… panic mode, takut depa gaduh cat fight kang. But she was very helpful, she said take bus to the city it’s easier, we asked for train - she said it is too complicated. Masa tuh I dah nak kata “Try us, serious; how hard can it be? Have you seen London & Paris Metro map? I survived them!”, but masa tuh, tak nak argue ler kan and macam riak lak kan.

3. The bus is sooooooo super slow, I think it was like 50km/hour, the distance from airport to city is below 20km I think or slightly more but it took like an hour to reach Piata Unirii. Sungguh berkhemat…. penat diri dalam bus. But safe we felt ler kan, not like our local Mini Bus, those that can remember would know what I am talking about (it‘s near death experience every time).

OK lar…. I guess it was a culture shock experience as none of us has been to Eastern Europe before… It’s a brand new feeling, all excited and curious, well…. That was before we got summoned again (reminded me of my New Zealand trip - Yup! Got a tix in New Zealand 10 mins after we drove from Greymouth), I think either we are jinx or we are setting a trend for ourselves *hemmm….. Not something I honestly looking forward to*. How it started? Nih cite Nye…

We went to purchase the bus tix, we told the lady (whom can’t speak a word of English) that we need to go here (showing the address) and there are 4 of us; English, map and sign language all at the same time (memang chicken and duck talk). She go like “ ahh…. Ok ok…” and key-in her cashier machine and times 4pax. We paid and was given 2 tix… ERRR… 2 tix??? Wei wei??!?? It’s 4 of us, I siap tunjuk satu, dua tiga, empat lagi….Ish! Minah nih… Dah ler minah kat atas tadi cam loghat! Minah ni pulak blur. Panic attack! AGAIN!!!

She said, “ok ok ok…”; this is what she tried to explain and I am very deadly SURE I understood it clearly, but if there’s a Romanian reading this entry, please verify as I might have been wrong. She said to tap the tix TWICE on the sensor portion (tap just like Malaysia Touch & Go card on our local bus), each card to tap TWICE as it is 2 person per tix. And she gave us the receipt which stated all details as well as 4 person. OK lar we suppose… we accepted, thinking this is how the bus system in Bucharest works and it does protect the environment, GO GREEN Bucharest! Noble giler!

Got IT! Bus came, on board we go, city it went…. All went smoothly and slowly (remember 50km/hour). Then 2-3 station before our stop, the tix conductor came on board in grey uniform (2 of them), since we look different, we were approached and asked to produce our tix. Zali gladly pull it out and show her, she said where’s another 2 tix (remember we were give 2 tix only), we explained clearly and she said we were wrong, then we got panic and wondered; how the hell would we know, we bought from the bus counter at the airport. Tak kan salah kot kan kan kan… marah ada, geram ada, panic ada…. Arghh…..

She said she have to fine us or we will be taken to the police station (WHAT????? Over a bus tix, banyak keje diarang), we then show our receipt and pointed out the price, she said “No no… and insisted to fine us or police station we go”. We said ok we pay the fine, thinking it should be the different ie pay the other 2 tix plus probably RON$XX for the fine right?!

Guess how much we were fined? Additional RON25 per person as she claimed we should buy the daily pass (even if we feel that we don’t need it as we are going on board the HoHo the next day which is CHEAPER then this; however we don‘t feel like arguing), plus the fine of RON100-150 if I remembered clearly (Zali handled this), meaning per person is RON50-75 (exchange rate is 1:1 to our RM currency). Kinda a mood spoiler for whole day masa tuh.

We were so not happy even we said we just arrived and we were tourist, she saw our passport pulak tuh. Yeah, we saw her employee ID so we figure she is not a conwoman ler kan, makna nye kene dengar cakap. We got down at our stop (finally) and decided to forget about it (which was freaking hard sebab it’s RM75 ok!!!!).

We got down and start looking for direction and asked around but no one could help (muka orang tengah pissed memang garang kot), then we decide to just take a cab for RON20 as it’s much easier. It was actually 5mins walking distance from where we stand… ek elaaa…. Tak pa ler, masa tuh dah bengang kan. But those who wants to go, please stay at Horoscop Hotel, it’s right smack at Piata Unirii and not hidden like ours.

After looking at our room in Prince Park Residence, the “upsetness” are all GONE, it was HUGE; there’s balcony for BBQ, the attached bathroom is superbly clean and look like 4 star hotel (it is apparently), it came with kitchenet and utensils, TV, dining table etc… giler gempak ok! And I have to say this, the bed is SUPERB, rasa cam tak nak bangun!

Money well spend! Marah terubat!

Credit hyperlink : Wikipedia, Prince Park Residence, Horoscop Hotel

WINNER Announcement - Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Doha!

The places above are NOT the winner prizes of cos (So, Jenggel, ko tak ler dapat ikut kan, ehheheh).

Anyway, my selection was depending on the answer or at least closest answer, name, date and timing ler kan. OK! You guys probably wondering what are the answer next who are the winners kan kan kan (jang dok tipu, tobat korang dok terngiang ngiang apa kah answer nye (dramas gilos).

The answer are as below :

1. Desert safari/4x4 or dune bashing in Dubai
2. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi
3. Blokarting or sand yatching in Doha

And the first winner is ... jeng jeng jeng....

1. ZurynHenney

2 & 3 is a tie as atas sebab sebab tertentu yang cuma I jek paham. Hehhehe.....

2/3. Wenny & BlueEwoke

So, to all the winners...

CONGRATULATION!


And after my Romania entry nanti I will do another contest yek, and the gifts best punya!

Please email me your address at lilyriani@hotmail.com


See you in next entry!

Give Away Prizes Reveal. Quick! Guess!

QUICK!

Those that have yet to submit their guess(es) for THIS contest, cepat submit.
Deadline 16 Nov

I thought I should entice you with the gifts pic, tak tau ler leh entice ke dak kan.... ntah ntah I sorang jek perasan gempak. Anyway, it's the thoughts that count, nak sedap kan diri sendri.

Anyway, untuk tidak melengah kan masa.... *cam real jek*, below are the prizes you will be getting...

3rd place
Mykonos (Greece) fridge magnet
Pouch form Beijing
Toiletries from Hong Kong

2nd place
Santorini (Greece) fridge magnet
Pouch form Beijing
Toiletries from Hong Kong

1st place
Santorini (Greece) fluffy toy fridge magnet
Pouch form Beijing
Toiletries from Hong Kong


Ingat nak tambah lagi but tunggu sampai Romania trip nye blog entry yek.... then I buat contest lain.

Nampak so so jek, but magnet tuh susah nak dapat worr... sebab nak gi Greece di masa terdekat nih memang perit due to debt issue and instability. *Umpan tuh*...

Anyways, give a good try for fun *wink wink*

26 fakta tentang globetrotter bernama..... LILY

Dalam banyak banyak tagging (baru 2-3 kali kene pun but perasan & riak giler), nih ler paling complicated, dah leh 2-3 part si fatt nih lotak, ada solan bonus lagik tuh hah, tak cukup kena ada gambo…aaand….. Stamp passport. Aku gi interbiew kat mikrosop 5 kali pun tak se banyak nih…(idak ler dapat keje tuh pun, depa kata jawatan MD tak leh ramai kat Mesia…..; depa dengki kot! Wei Lawak jek tau) Fatt fatt…. Penangan writers block ko brutal, travelholic seantero kene impact! Kuang kuang kuang….

*popping in pain killer sebab fening nak pikiq camne nak start*.

Akan tetapi, jeng jeng jeng….. lepas baca john, na, zilla, biq, kemang nye entry… ish! Jeles ler if aku tak terjah bersama sama sama sama…. Siap tak leh concentrate keje dok pikiq apa ler nak nulis… mana nak cari gambo… draft duk dalam otak dah, alang kah bahagianye if otak leh di letakkan kat copier machine then copy to email file kan? Ish! Bahagia!

Aku nulis penat, Fatt; ko kene baca minima 3 kali tau… else aku omit ko dari list nih (eh pulak, padahal si Fatt yang originator). Ober ober… giler kuasa sungguh aku nih.

Part I

1. Perkenalkan diri anda secara ringkas
Hi! I am Lily, I am a travelholic. Hehheheh…. Bunyi cam orang masuk alcoholic anonymous jek…. Aku mix sebenarnye, aku ikut mak aku; basically bapak aku lelaki, mak aku pompuan so aku pompuan ler kan. HAHAHHAHAH…… bangang dak?!?!

Nama betui aku memang Lily, Riani tuh separuh dari my middle name. Aku skolah cina dari kindy sampai ler pom pive. Environment aku memang ciiiiina jek except ngan family aku. Cousin aku penah kata, you are too Chinese to be a Malay and too Malay to be a Chinese. I think that’s the best description of me so far ler.

Aku memang perangai giler, banyak cakap.... chup! KorrekSION, aku banyak MERAPU and MEREPEK. Other then that, please refer back to the above highlighted in green. Hahhahah….

2. Sejak bila anda terjebak dalam dunia travel?
Awat solan nih cam majalah MANGGA nye interbiew for new and upcoming artist? Tak pa, aku akan tetap menganswer ngan diva nye.

Bapak aku lelaki (tunggu…. ) yang kaki jalan; baik dalam or luar nogori, mak aku pompuan…. yang tak nak kalah bab jalan nih sebab tuh ler diarang kahwin each other. Yang best nye, diarang tak penah travel obersi bersama waima dengan anak anak nye EXCEPT Singapore. Bab Singapore nih masa skolah rendah lagi aku dok gi every alternate month, siap naik balloon gitus. Citenye memang aku nih di train untuk berdikari naik turun kapal terbang sejak zaigot lagi..

3. Yang mana satukah menggambarkan diri anda; traveller atau tourist?
Yang nih aku siap google nak kan defination sejujurnye but apparently it’s a worldwide debate. So, I think I am a little bit of both kot (nak menhumble kan diri nih to all the otai otai sekeliling), depending on country and time ler…. Sooo nih hah konklusinye => aku rasa aku ni THE Travelling Tourist, or is it a Touristy Traveller?

Apa macam? Atau atau atau aku nih Travelist? Or Tourler? Hhahahha….. Ko pikiq ler sendri. Hah Fatt, ko kupas nih cepaaat!!!

4. Konsep berjalan jenis apakah yang selalu diamalkan? ie. backpacking, memandai sendiri, tour agency
Ini complicated sket sebab depending masa bila and negara apa.

Masa 90’s dulu mana ada DIY, so semua trip yang cousin bawak babysit tuh; dia ambek package yang cater for our group jek. Tiap ari plan leh tukaq ikut suka depa.

Masa early 2000, dek di sebabkan internet pun tak berkumandang sehebat skarang ,so package ler jawabnye.

Late 2000, akibat perasaan yang pandai lagi riak, hence bantai DIY terus menerus ler… sampai ke tika dan saat ini.

So far, rasanye memandai sendiri best lagi kan kan kan travelholic skalian BUT certain places, certain day I masih ambek ground package sebab at times, I nak kesantaian, speed and detail explanation in terms of geography, culture and history. I did this for India, Morocco and NZ (for Milford Sound). Europe I selalu relay on Hop-On Hop-Off bus ler… sonang.

5. Siapakah travel partner anda?
Yang nih interesting, korang sure kata aku bias giler but hakikatnye aku memang BIAS, tak kenal waktu mahupun BULU.

- Cultural/historical places and off the beaten track - Wahidah AKA Andrea Gail
- Repeat and shopping countries - Anna and/or my sis
- Yang semua tak hingin cam Laos, Myanmar etc - Grace and/or my sis

WHY? WHY? WHY? Sebab you suruh orang suka shopping gi tengok architecture & history? Mati kutu dia, tobat merungut memanjang 24/7. I dah penah try ok, leh putus kawan bab travel nih. Kene 2-3 kali dah, lepas tuh tak travel sampan ari nih ngan dia, dah masuk 4 tahun dah. Lepak can but no travel. Ish… serik!

Part II

6. Bilakah kali pertama anda bercuti ke luar negara?

First trip jauh yang aku pegi selain dari Singapore masa kocik dolu is during collage days, my cousin suruh aku tolong babysitkan anak anak dia masa diarang holiday; dia kata all trip paid for and aku bawak duit shopping jek. Aku OK je ler! Teka gi mana???? US of A siut!!!!! Gi Las Vegas & Orlando Disneyworld 2 minggu. Kalau dia tak ajak pun aku AKAN menyumbatkan diri ku dalam luggage dia.. Giler apa tolak tuah berguling gulang gulong cam tuh…. Ikut babe! Siap ampu berbagai lagi… kot she change her mind kan (nak tau cite detail, cari blog US aku). Lepas tuh, brake tak makan ler tuan hambo… melangkah laju ke negara lain…

*eksaited nye pasai, aku hampir somersault gi collage masa dapat berita tersebut, but at the end somersault triple loop jek; sebab mak aku kata banyak kete nanti eksiden*

7. Senaraikan nama tempat/bandar/negara yang telah dilawati setakat ini
Ko serious Fatt? Ko jangan kata aku show-opp lak nanti… kecik ati *biaq pun badan besaq*. Hahhahah….

America, France, Switzerland, England, Italy, Spain, Greece, Romania, Sweden, Belgium, The Netherland, Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Morocco, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, India. Rasanye….

8. Pernahkah anda melawat sesebuah tempat/negara yang sama lebih daripada sekali?
America (2 - both pree), France (2 - both pree), China (3 - somoa pree sebab business trip then extend), Hong Kong (5 - skali jek bayor, lain pree co bayor but bukan business), Australia (3 - 1 jek pree), Vietnam (3 - sendri bayor), Thailand (ada lebih 10 kali kot but 6 kali jek pree), Indonesia (pun lebih kurang 10 kali, cis; aku half Indon ler, confirm banyak kalinye kan but ONLY 2 kali gi jumpa relative, yang lain holiday, pree 3 kali ke Bali sebab ada co event kene handle), Singapore (tak yah kire ler kot… nih ntah berapa juta lemon ntah, HQ co pun kat sini, half yearly meeting confirm kat sininye lah).

If pree, pegi 3 juta kali pun aku ok, if bayor sendri…. 3 juta kali aku pikiq. But cam Thailand, Indonesia tuh aku pun confuse ngan diri aku… awat nye dok repeat? Fatt tulun solve kan mystery ini!

9. Letak gambar salah satu tempat yang ingin anda ulangi dan nyatakan kenapa
Aku kiasu Fatt, semua nak ulang leh dak? Sebabkan… there’s about 198-200+ country in the world, aku dah tak leh repeat kot. Hehhehe…. Cakap jek but sure repeat Nye, sudah ler ko LILY oooi….

But seriously… aku ada 3 countries that I don’t mind to revisit.

Italy - Cultural, architecture & history…. Aku highly rekomen, Italy better then Greece ANYTIME!
Morocco - Sama as above but the heart of the people captured me. Baca blog nih if nak story nyee
India - Baca blog Na & Biq, sama jek storynye - TAK PUAS! Betul dak Biq & Na?

10. Nyatakan 3 tempat/bandar/negara yang ingin anda kunjungi di masa hadapan
Ini solan misleading; so Fatt, aku nak bonus point!

Key word dia “ingin” ke ? Or “masa hadapan”? If “ingin” jawabnye 198 countries minus 25 countries ler… balance figure tuh AKU SEMUA HINGIN! If “masa hadapan”, aku tak leh cakap kang bocor ruhsia give-away contest aku kat sini. But by gambo sure ko pun leh teka kaaaaaaaan…..
*sambil mengaru kepala cam ne nak jawab*

11. Ceritakan pengalaman kelakar/manis yang pernah dialami semasa bercuti
Yang allah… kene expose kan diri ke??? Astagfirullah…
*sambil berpikiq sat, nak mana paling bodoh YET manis*

Rasanye masa kat Morocco kot, sampai jek Marrakesh from Casablanca, we all naik cab. Cab driver tuh tanya we all Muslim ke sebab si Wahidah pakai tudungkan. We all kata ahah, then dia tanya “where you going to breakfast?” masa tuh bulan posa *Ah! Giler dak, bulan posa pun travel, murah lagi siut sebab minus meal kan…. Cekap dak we all!*. We all kata tak tau lagi because we just arrive. So dia kata “musafir? Ahhh….”, so dia berbesau hati jemput makan kat umah dia ngan family. Us both kata ok but nak check in kat Riad dulu, so okler dia come back at 6pm cam tuh.

Kat bilik we all nyesal sebab pepandai jek accept kang dia jual we all ker, campak kat Sahara Desert ke (dah memang dekat Sahara tuh)…risau giler masa tuh. But we all tawakal and meet him up (bawak few of our food over as ole ole plus a pario), dia pick us up and bawak outskirt, berapa kilo Nye ayat kursi aku baca ler masa tuh, sia ingat jalan, ambek gambo etc… kot nak menapak balik. Rupa rupanye, dia HONEST, bawak balik umah jumpa anak bini… meriah makanan diarang…. Dia kata banyak pahala kalau tolong musafir plus bulan posa…. Terkedu dak?!?? We all pikiq evil macam macam, walhal… If kat Mesia,tobat kene jual dah ke apa ke kan?

Finalenye, anak pompuan dia keep in touch ngan we all via FB & MSN sampai ari nih!…. RINDU Morocco nyeee….. Nangis! Aku siap blog lagi kat sini…

Fatt, awat ko buat aku rindu Morocco? Ish! Ko kejam ler….But ko serious kene pegi.

12. Ceritakan juga pengalaman memalukan/buruk yang pernah dialami semasa bercuti
Yang ni pun nak ke? Hak ni 3 hari 3 malam tak habih!
Lokasinye ada;ah England di Heathrow Airport. Suspense dak…korang jangan senyum dulu, tunggu sampai abih baca tau…

*Aku ler pulak senyum sendri sendri memikirkan kebodohanku*

Gi ngan cousin plus 5 orang anak dia, so on the last day flying back to KL; aku dok sebok mengepack pack barang bebudak nih ler. Dah lock luggage and bawak turun to the cab everything, tetiba ade pulak barang lupa pack dalam luggage so aku campak masuk bagpack aje ler. Apa susah unpack dak?!

Tak kala sampai kat airport…. *masih pikiq awat bangang masa tuh*, during check in tuh, cousin aku laki bini lepas dulu, then anak anak dia, last baru aku sebab aku kira sweeper ler (to make sure semua ok). Tetiba masa backpack masuk xray scan, security stop tang bag aku, dia suruh aku step aside… ISH! Awat lak nih. 3-4 security rush kat aku, ala ala nak kepung dah, semua orang tengok ler. Cousin aku muka angin tanya awat, aku kata “ntah…”. How would I know right?? Aku lagi ler panic.

Security tarik bag aku, then suruh aku bawak keluar barang satu satu SLOWLY… aku dok pikiq, ada orang sumbat dadah dalam bag ke? Ish! Tuhan jek yang tau how scary it was…then finally aku bawak keluar bende 4 segi kecil warna putih, depa nampak, terus senyum and walkie talkie kat sebuilding “ALL CLEAR“… depa lepas kan aku… nak tau apa bende tuh dak?

ALARM CLOCK AKU campak masuk last minute tuh! Depa ingat BOM!!!! Cousin aku ketawa cam nak rak! Korang kene paham; to my defence, zaman dulu takda handphone, so kene bawak ler clock gedabak tuh hah! Hahhahah…. BODOH dak.
*actually, cite mafia kat Italy pun bodoh malu gak, lain kali ler….heheheh…*

13. Adakah anda suka mencuba masakan tempatan bila berkunjung ke sesebuah negara?
Aku bukan foodie, aku makan gitu gitu jek… so bab makan and gamba makan memang penyeksaan tuk aku. So, senang cite, semua sedap ler

14. Letak gambar makanan tersebut dan ceritakan tentang keistimewaanya
Keistemewaannye, bila aku makan apa apa, aku KONYANG! Hahhahha…

Part III

15. Yang mana satu menggambarkan diri anda; backpack atau beg troli?
Aku trolley dolly babe! Without a doubt! Cite cite dulu kononnye nak jadik stewardess but gomok, pendek and eye sight problem so tak apply. Ehheheh Ini jek yang closest to it, kuang kuang kuang…

16. Letak gambar bag(s) tersebut dan ceritakan sedikit sejarah dan berapa banyak tempat/negara yang ia telah ikut anda berjalan
Ngak fair, sebab some bag dah al-fatihah. Yang ijau nih latest, brandnye Benetton, kaler ijau kaler peberet and saja pilih supaya dari jauh leh nampak, orang curi pun segan. So far, ketaatannye mengikuti ku kemana jua ie Thailands, Singapore, China, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Hong Kong, Greece. But if ada orang nak bagi bag baru ok gak kan, but make sure werne ijau ok!

Backpack kecik tuh Timberland size S, ikut dah banyak negara gak, suka sebab kocik.

17. Senaraikan 3 barang yang wajib dibawa setiap kali bercuti
Camera, iPod, PSP

18. Senaraikan 3 barang yang kalau tertinggal pun takpe
PSP, Laptop, botol air

Part III

19. Apakah perkara yang sering dilakukan setiap kali bercuti (contoh : update blog, tulis poskad, amik gambar)
Ini memang orang vain-glorious macam aku jek yang akan memahami & menganswer keje giler nih.

Before trip – sure beli bang 1-2 lai baju sebab tak nak semua trip baju sama, ini pulak bergantung kepada destinasi & fashion tak kala itu ler. And kalu tak salah, Biq jek ada konsep cam nih… gi India, baju ijau, gi korea, jacket merah…. Ko jangan tak tau Bi, aku memang hobby stalk ko! Hahhahahah…. Tambah tambah company ko tuh competitor company aku… HAHHAHA…. Ko rasa company kite check dak blog kite nih? Hahahah….

During trip – Gambo and gambo and more gamboooo (tetiba terngiang lagi itek gembo gembo, ek ellaa), postcard tuh mesti kat anak colleague aku, my sis & nieces. Now ada additional list, byya, gil im ra, john & kemang (dah key-in dalam handpaun dah…next trip by default. Korang jangan lupa anto kat aku gak tauu…!!! Musti! If bawak NB aku, sure ber-FB & blog ler apa lagi kan…? Chup, plus beli subenir.

Post trip – Pecah pukal subenir and ilmu hisab keling (jangan kecik ati bab ni). Sebabnye, dalam bahasa cine, ada satu perkataan tuh sebutan nye “kelingsou” maknanye ilmi hisab keling ie kira balik sapa utang sapa utang sapa, selalunye Wahidah ler financial analyst trip (Eh! Kan tuh day job dia, by default ler during trips kaaaaaaan). Then spreadsheet akan di anto, which after that pandai pandai ler maybank2u ke pemiutang tuh. Amiiiiin….. err… Greece nye macam lum m2u! OPS!!!

20. Mana satu yang tepat untuk menggambarkan diri anda, seorang yang suka bergambar atau malu-malu kucing?
Please refer to the previous question answered in PINK. Buruk ke, lawa ke, tangkaaaaaap. VAIN-GLORIOUS is the MODE!!!

Nape? Nape? Sebab aku perasa aku s—comei yang tembam and pendek. Aku sorang jek species nih, so aku tak nak extinct tanpa leaving aku nye spot. Hatta arakian….. aku nih sendri HARUS di pilem kan analog or digitally. Lantak ler korang nak jeles….

*flipping hair kiri & kanan sambil muka mendongak ke siling ngan megahnye, BUT ebiko sikucing jek yang ada skarang, cis…. Baru nak nunjuk, kureng asem!*

21. Letak gambar anda sedang bercuti dengan posing yang suke hati nak diva ke, bajet bagus ke, tak kisah
Aku pun nak sekiasu John, Kemang, Biq, Na dan seluruh umat travelholic seantero…. AND aku nak korang tengok betui betui gambo yang aku menerjah kan kakiku bak Sailor Moon anak didik Muay Tai tuh, ada story disebaliknye yang setakat ini belum ada contender.

RM10,000

Apa yang RM10,000? Rege gambo! Percaya dak? Aku tipu buat apa? Siap ada bill lagi okay!

Cite nye gini, aku gi Penang (gamba tuh kat Blue Mansion yang Na baru gi tuh) and masa tuh giler tangkap gambo terkinja kinja… adek aku mensuggestkan aku leap from a bench and do a Sailor Moon kick in the air atau ala Spice Girl lar. Aku rasa baguih giler idea tuh, aku pun “HAIIII YAAAA” in the air, but atas sebab BERAT aku hence INFLEXIBILITY aku; korang tau ler pepatah mat salleh - the heavier you are, THE HARDER YOU FALL thus aku jatuh cam Godzilla! Gambo memang nampak real but after tuh takda gambo dah sebab… kene rush balik umah kawan, cousin and adek aku jenuh urut, kaki bengkak giler. Jangan anda lupa bahawa untuk orang vain-glorious cam aku, ini ada sehorror Pontianak Kampung Pisang. But sebab aku yang drive, aku kena ler drive balik kete… sampai jek KL terus gi sepital x-ray… Dr. kata ligament aku torn 50% so kena operate ler jawab nye, the bill???

YUP! RM10,000 – nasib baik company bayor! So, mahai dak gambo tuh?

Sapa berani challenge? Meh masuk gelenggang Muay Thai, tengok sapa jatuh paling macam nangka busuk. Mariler..

22. Anda seorang pengumpul souvenir? Jika YA, apakah jenis souvenir tersebut?
Chup! Chup! Subenir ke? Ke subenirssssss ke? Ehhehehehh….. priority ofcos ler besi berani peti ais. Rasanye majority pun bende sama dak?! Suka tahap gaban seperti gambar kat bawah. Brutal dak? Yang peberet skarang yang fluffy nye….rasa comei sangat. Setuju dak rakan rakan?

23. Adakah anda menghadiahkan souvenir yang dibeli kepada ahli keluarga dan kawan-kawan?
Nih cam without fail ler, if opis mate selalunye chocolate sebab depa leh share senang, yang rapat baru barat berharga (berharga bawah 10hingit ehehhehe….)

Reletip lak, adek nak magnet and “I lap you” shirt…. Jenuh dia nak by city, if jejak 5 city per trip, banyak tuh ler I beli. Adek adek lain I beli baju & magnet ler, kadang beli handbag or cream etc. depending negara mana ler. Cousin dekat sure magnets gak sebab kecik & murah but TAK RINGAN, kekadang berat bag ada lah!!

24. Selain dari jawapan dalam soalan #22, apa lagi benda yang anda suka kumpul berkaitan dengan sesuatu tempat?
Oh! Semustinye HRC t-shirt and shotglass…. Shotglass I tak sehebat Wahidah but T-shirt HRC memang banyak. And if negara tuh ada factory outlet, siap ler wallet kopak!

Part IV

If SPM leh jawab soalan split by 2-3-4 ari cam nih kan best, leh google lagi. I so need to talk to them in MOE.

25. Seorang traveller harus mempunyai pemerhatian/observation yang baik. Nyatakan hasil pemerhatian yang telah dibuat berdasarkan 3 buah tempat/negara/bandar yang yang pernah dikunjungi (pick random)
Aku noticed semua orang sure ada India & NZ, korang dapat endorsement ke? Awat tak share…share lerrr… share lerr… share lerr…. Aku pun nak kaya gak!

OK, I will give you my observation of 3 different countries in 3 different continent.

Japan – DISIPLIN. HONEST. TRUSTWORTHINESS.
Toilet bersih leh tido ok, masa berbaris memang cam PEMBARIS (kira nye ada invisible ruler lar), scarf hilang leh report polis and jumpa balik (scarf branded but still… it’s a scarf bukan nye handbag)

Morocco – FRIENDLY. ISLAM, ENGLISH.
Cam kat Arab, masuk waktu solat jek langtak ler kedai, terus lari gi mesejid, awat aku kata Islam is sebab diarang penah dijajah leh France, in fact 2nd language is French rasanye (tengok Malaysia…sigh..), depa speaking baguih bukan baduh tau

Spain – ASSIMILISATION, ARCHITECTURE. CULTURE
Kalau nak pegi, MUSTI cover ANDALUCIA else ANDAJANGANPEGI. Sebab di jejah oleh Christina, Catholic, Islam etc hence building dia….giler impressive, cam nak bawak balik Mesia then tanam kat Putrajaya tuk jadi tatapan, boleh dakkkk? History jangan cite ler kan… FENING, but part Islam leaving significant trace memang proud giler..tak tau cam ne nak cite… gi ler…

26. Lengkapkan ayat ini. "Saya berangan......." dan ayat tersebut mestilah berkaitan dengan travel
Saya berangan bahawa “travel ada ler kerja saya, kerja adalah past time saya”. Hahhahahahha…..AND Saya juga berangan nak gi Umrah/Haji….insyaallah.

Soalan Bonus :

Letak gambar stamp passport yang paling disukai dan ceritakan kenapa (maximum 3)
Sebab ko kata STAMP, memang STAMP ler kan, orang lain semua fail! Hehehheh…..

Ngantukkk....... Zzzzzzz

My Next Trip Teaser & Give-Aways

Sapa dapat teka, stand a chance of winning 2x mystery gifts. Sonang jek...

Am currently planning for a trip, still torn between this 2 destination... travel date here in month of December so that sejuk sket. For this contest senang jek syarat nye ie seperti yang tertera di bawak nun sano...

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

T&C
1. Guess all THREE (3) pics
2. Guess all THREE (3) places (if kata nama khas or nama acticity tulis ler yek, else if general, tulis se-general nye)
3. Guess all THREE (3) city/countries
4. Write your answer on my comment column (leh ajak kengkawan participate, leh dapat brownies point, ehheheh....)

Example : Longkang @ KL/Malaysia (sonang kan)

Hadiahnye? Jangan risau, one thing for sure, it would not be from Malaysia :)


Hadiah and pemenang will be announce 1 week after the closing date. Oh yah! I will select 2 pemenang tau...


Closing date : 16 November 2011

Hyperlink credits : will be updated after the winner announcement

Day 6 | Mindblogging Mykonos

Don't ask me how I got to know or why I wanted to visit this island.

But I suspected because when I googled, HRC is also located in Mykonos. Hahahha.... Yup! I go where HRC is. Giler kan?

Been busy this week with the start of our new business quarter for FY12...sigh... now catching up with life. Psst.... I plan a give-away on the next blog entry... tunggu yek!

Well, we rode on a Hydrofoil from Santorini to Mykonos which took us approximately 2.5 hours to arrive (cool boat huh!) and of cos we were superbly excited as we landed on this island.... who wouldn't right? It's whitewashed buildings of which none of it were more then 2-3 stories height (al-kontot jek semua), turquoise Aegean Sea and clear blue sky perfected the scenery here. Personally, I felt it was nicer and warmer then Santorini (perhaps because I wasn't on honeymoon trip to Santorini kot...ehhehe.... (abit potong steam ler kan...kuang kuang kuang).

The cost for this Hydrofoil? RM230 / EU52, you can google randomly and it will always direct you the standard few liners, so you need not worry; all boats are safe (at least from what I see lar) and clean. But of cos, if there's a concern, do read the reviews; after all, everyone's expectations are different :)

Oh! Do note that the cost varies as it is base on the boat & speed that you wish, for us we felt we should pay slightly more to arrive earlier, else we loses time. There was also another worry as most site I read says that the boat are not on time, oh well.... it was true for this particular journey; it was 20mins or so delayed... so, ok lor.... (No, the sea wasn't choppy!)

This is the view from my room. Hemm... abit about where we stayed.

Remember in previous blog entry, we stayed at this magnificent hotel? Well, this time around we need to EXTREMELY CUT OUR COST (hahahhaha...... to recover the overspend!) hence we chose to stay in a hostel or to me was more of Bed & Breakfast (minus the breakfast actually, maybe I should say Bed & Grape ... hiihihi, She gace us a plate of grape from her orchard). I was never fussy of where I have to stay as long as it is clean and accessible. Betul tak travelholic sekian? Janji dapat jalan ndak?

And you know what, this was the perfect choice as it is a walking distance to EVERYWHERE. How good can this be, ngam mou? Those sophisticated hotels are located on the other side of the island and one need a car to the town... NEH!!!! It's ok, I stay here cheap cheap and near near so its easy peasy.

The cost? RM14 / EU3.2 per night. HAHHAHAH... real shocker huh! Click here if you need to see our costing. I did say, we need to cut cost! Kiasu or not?

How can you not fall in LOVE? Sigh.... quaint giler! We took a cab which I can't remember the cost (I doubt it hit EU10 per trip) to the hostel, GUESS WHAT? 5 MINUTES DRIVE, you can even walk!!! KID YOU NOT!!! But of cos, upon arrival; we wouldn't be able to get our barrings right plus it's located in the maze lane, you can easily get lost here. The risk is too much for us we figure.

We encounter a problem upon arrival at the door step, the hostel was CLOSE. BETUL!!! The taxi helped to call the owner and he said he will arrive in 5-10mins, ok lar, we wait jek. When he arrives, he said he had CLOSED DOWN his hostel because there was a family issue back in Athens and he is required to be there. In fact, he just arrived Mykonos 2 hours earlier because he did not receive any email reply from Wahidah with regards to his notification of hostel closure. Ntah betul atau tidak sebab Wahidah check email just before depart and tak da email from dia pung. Hem....

Anyway, he was responsible enough to rebook us with another hostel which was a walking distance at same cost, owner name - Maria and she was the sweetest person! (I tell you way later). Sooooo.... no regrets with this misscomm. YEAY! (Giler nasib baik, else mana nak cari tempat tidur, kene tidur kat tepi pantai kot, ala ala trip Fatt to Korea! Hehhehe... mencabou tuh).

After dumping our bags, apa lagi, we took a stroll to the sea front ie the town, YEAH! It was only this big. Easy peasy huh! If you claimed you got lost here, I be utterly SURPRISE!

We didn't even get any direction, pandai pandai jek... it is reallllllly easy!

As we have only 1 night here and the fact that we arrive at 2.40pm, hence we don't have that much time (depart via ferry at 2.15pm the next day) so we decide to dump our luggage, refresh and jalan jalan.

The Little Venice

The plan, we walk to the town and take pics here and there and look for Little Venice & the famous icon of Mykonos - windmill. And .... the windmill must be catch at sunset! That was my requirement! No other time but sunset okay! Dengar dak???

We arrives at the "hill" as the sunset approaches.... giler excited babe! This is how the city looks like during sunset! Beautiful huh!

And of cause, the windmill is not that hard to locate.

FOUND IT!

In fact, I found a prop as well (the girl).... I think her view is nicer from my angle, perhaps I should sell it to her hubby!?!? Hehhehe....

Sigh.... God is great huh! A simple sunset can give a different impact and mood to scenery and human alike.

We were told by the cab driver that we MUST catch Petros - The Mykonos Pelican (a VERY HUGE Pelican). He is always seen in the morning when the fisherman comes back from their fishing trip with their daily catch. And we must be there by 8ish... Apa lagi, esok pagi set jam awal awal ler.

We woke up around 7ish, did a quick caribou shower (mandi kerbau ler tuh, rasa nye the guys tak mandi kot!) and walk to the market (5mins walk... I told you everywhere is near!). Some cafe was already opened by then, serving hot yummy smelly breakfast.... lapou! We took a walk and lots of pic while waiting and wondering "where is our Mr. Petros the Pelican???!"

Hhehehe.... FOUND HIM TOO!

Wanna know the story?

Legend has it that more than 40 years back a Mykonian fisherman stumbled upon a wounded pelican. He was so moved by the pelican’s discomfort that he decided to take care of the Pelican, provided the cute creature with medication and once he regained his strength decided to set him free. But surprisingly, the Pelican did not become airborne to his destined abode. Instead he made Mykonos his home. With every passing day, the cute creature became the cynosure of all eyes and became a celebrity.

It came as no surprise that when the Mykonos pelican died way back in 1986, the whole of Mykonos went into mourning. It took a person of the stature of Jackie Kennedy-Onassis to come to the rescue of Mykonos’s grieving populace and the compassionate Jackie Kennedy-Onassis rightfully donated another pelican to the island, Irene. It is learnt that the Hamburg Zoo had also donated a pelican named Petros.

A few years back, there was an instance of another injured Pelican found in Mykonos by the local people who nursed it back to normal.They named the Pelican Nikolas. Now, in Mykonos, there are not one but three Pelicans that can be seen wandering about Mykonos’s harbor.

Then obviously we walk at every alleyway, turn at every corner, peep at every lane AND look what we found on the wall..... Interesting huh!

Even a cat have privilege of having their own network here.

OK, this is amazing.... I couldn't find a single dustbin wild walking in the town... and yet the alleys are clean... giler bersih! Then.... I found him... the dustbin collector... One hell of discipline folks here! Malaysian!?!?!

When I said alleyways, I meant alleyways... YUP! This small!

There's so many stuff to show you but I think the best way is for your to check out my Facebook album here.

Well, we have to rush back to the hostel to check out and take our bags for our next LOOOOONG ferry ride to Athens.

Remember earlier I said Maria was the sweetest soul here, she got her hubby to send us to the ferry port FREE. Sayang Maria!

She said to wait here for her hubby so as usual, I will roam around to snap few pics while waiting, these are the nicer houses here lar... but not for B&B sob sob..... And next, JENG JENG JENG... how the windmills look like during day time...

Carparks HAHAHHAHA...... not as nice huh! 1 min walks from Maria's place. Dekat gilos

Bye bye Mykonos, really hope to visit you again!

Hyperlink credit : Wikipedia, Greek.com