wangyng

Langkawi!! here i come!!
Singapore, Singapore
MI 362 to Langkawi.. leave in less than 8 hrs.
i have to pack!
but what luck i have... a trip to the beach area and it's that time of the month for me!
probably wont get to do any water sports now... BUT that is not gonna stop me from having a good time!
written by  wangyng on July 25, 2009 from Singapore, Singapore
from the travel blog: Langkawi - Solo trip July 2009

Day 1
Phuket, Thailand
Let my holiday begin!
I touched down in Phuket at around 9.30pm last night. By the time I got to the hotel it was about 11pm. Tired and sleepy, I scanned through the 80+ channels only to find 5 English channels. Went to sleep with LOTR (dubbed in Russian) on TV.
Got upgraded to Deluxe cos they were fully booked
Day 1 was pretty chilled, actually all my days are usually chilled. HAHA! Woke up, had breakfast, laze around a little, then took the free shuttle to Patong Beach. Walked around the streets looking at stuffs but not really keen to buy anything. So I just had a pancake from a street/bike hawker and went to the beach.
Hawker making my order of pancake
Chocolate & Banana Pancake, Phuket style crepe
The beach is pretty crowded with hawkers and vendors trying to sell you stuffs or services, like any commercialized beaches. Like hair braiding, massage, food, sarong, hat, jet ski ride, and beach chair (yes they charge you for that but I don't know how much). But they weren't persistent and most would usually leave you alone after u politely tell them 'no'. The rain comes and goes at almost every hour but luckily they were mostly passing showers. Walked into a little street where there's loads of italian food and massage places. Made a mental note to come back here for massage. There's 3 art shops that caught my attention. One in particular was own by a deaf artist. Unfortunately the only painting I liked in the shop wasn't for sale. Tough luck!
I love the Buddha painting with the frame but it is not for sale :(
I decided to walk to the paralleled road as I recall seeing a big market that reminds me of ChatuChak on the way to the beach, but not as huge of cos. It started raining as I was walking there and decided to take shelter in a nice looking cafe that has a huge 'illy' sign. The cafe looks so nice and quiet so I decided I MUST have a coffee here! I ordered my latte and proceed to sit indoor. It was just me and my coffee in that whole indoor sitting area... PURE HEAVEN! Absolutely LOVE that place (not forgetting the latte cost only 95baht)! I finished my coffee in between a few sms and some photos. Only after I walked out of the building did I realised that I was actually in the Hard Rock Hotel. No wonder everything look so nice! This is actually my highlight of the day! :)
So happy to see this cafe!!
The market was pretty boring to me as nothing has a price tag on it and I am not in the mood to bargain. Actually not very interested in the stuff they offer as well. So I went back to the street and got a foot massage (a proper massage, NOT reflexology!). The Thai lady seems to know I have an injury in my left ankle cos she was spending a lot of time on it. The massage was pretty good and left me sleepy...
Getting ready for foot massage! YAY!
Went to the beach again as it was almost time for the sunset. There were lotsa clouds today but least I get to see some sort of sunset. I sat on the beach for about 30 min and left when the sun disappears behind the clouds.
Sunset @ Patong Beach I
While waiting for the shuttle back to hotel, this VW van came outta nowhere and transformed itself into a bar. After hesitating for a good 10min, I sat down and ordered a mojito at 100baht (that's less than S$4). The drinks were served in plastic cups, well, I did just pay 100 baht for it. But I have to say, the mixed drink tasted WAAAY better than the last few 1s I had back home (and I paid S$16 for each of those)!
100 Baht Mojito from the VW Bar! The taste ain't bad I must say!
By the time i got back to the hotel, I was flushed red! I wasn't sure if it was from the sun or the mojito! Waited til I was back to normal color before heading to dinner nearby. I had pasta in the end. Actually wanted Thai food and thought the place served Thai. Only to find out they only serve Western food. It was late I was lazy to move somewhere else so I made do with it. Dinner was ok but I was trapped at the restaurant/bar for a good 1 hour due to heavy rain. The lady boss told me it's like this every night and tomorrow as well. In the end, I went to the convenient store next to the restaurant/bar and got a poncho so I can walk back to the hotel in the rain.
I am hoping to go to the Phuket town tomorrow and I really hoped it would be more sunny tomorrow. Well, least be cloudy but not raining. Reiki please grant me the perfect weather tomorrow! Thank you!! :D
Reminds me of a restaurant I saw in Europe
Weather check, showers through the day
I like this street! I had very good lunch and massage here + the art shop!
grilled meat/seafood anyone?
So many paintings of movies
written by  wangyng on August 21, 2012 from Phuket, Thailand
from the travel blog: Phuket! 2012

Finally... I found a site for my travel blog!
Hougang Central, Singapore
yes! after a few days of searching and trying out different travel blog sites, i finally decided to plant myself onto this one! it's a fairly new site i guess and still in work-in-progress (as mentioned at the bottom of this page) but it looks good so far!
anyway, i really don't know how often i'll be blogging but hopefully often enough to keep my friends and family updated on what'd happened to me and where i'll be heading... cos honestly, i don't really know... i mean there's plans worked out and all but life doesn't always goes as planned does it? after all, the real fun in travelling is the unexpected surprises that comes with it... that's what i think, at least! as long as i get through it fine that is! so... i'll be writing about these experiences over the next 3 months... hopefully it'll be fun, exciting, and full of wonderful surprises (fingers crossed!).
countdown to departure date - 11 days
written by  wangyng on March 15, 2008 from Hougang Central, Singapore
from the travel blog: Hello Europe!!

Day 2
Phuket, Thailand
Well seems like Reiki worked and gave me the perfect weather today. It was all sunny and no rain at all! Woohooo!!
Was planning to go to Phuket Town but then I was aching and feeling lazy. So I decided to just chill and do pretty much nothing. LOL
PhadThai in a homely style thai restaurant
My day started with a lunch at a very quiet restaurant tucked at the end of a small street. I read online somewhere that they serve very home-cooked style Thai food. I walked around a little before I found it. It was actually in the little street I had my massage yesterday! The food was nice and not too pricey. I had Phad Thai and Spring Roll. They were so yummy! I was full but couldnt stop eating the Spring Roll! I think I will go back there again tomorrow if i have the chance!
Thai Spring Roll!
After lunch, I went around searching for postcards. I looked at all the souvenir shops but couldn't find any. The 1s at post office looks awful! I finally found some nice 1s at the supermarket. I spent the next hour or so writing it at the same nice cafe @ hard Rock Hotel before heading back to the hotel. Love that cafe!
I spent some time lazing on that patio outside the hotel room. It helps when there's a cute boy who stay in the room adjacent to mine. :)
I went to the beach right outside the hotel to watch the sunset. There were street hawkers there and it was quite busy. I got myself 2 chicken wings before heading back to the hotel. Actually wanted to eat at the beach but there's a dog eyeing my chicken and even followed me all the way back to the hotel! In the end I ate them in the comfort of my room. The chicken were YUMMMY!! Goodness I should have just eat street food all the while! Cheap and Good!
Hawkers by Kalim Beach, the BBQ chicken wings were good!!
I had dinner at a nearby hotel. It looks like the food wont be too ex and it gives me a homely feel. True enough, The green curry was nice. The waitress told me I look Thai. She said her sister is also very fair like me, so if i spoke Thai, they will think I am Thai. So much for my limited Thai. LOL
Thai Dinner!
I went to another hotel nearer to my hotel after dinner. The bar is opened til 12am. I ordered a Tequila Sunrise and tried to read. There was a guy with a guitar playing for a short while. It was nice. The sea, a nice drink, live music, quiet bar, a good book... c'est la vie! Pure BLISS!
Supper drink: Tequila Sunrise
Tonight is the last night I will be spending in Phuket. Tomorrow night, I'll be on my way back to reality...
Sunset @ Kalim Beach II
Sunset @ Kalim Beach I
Sign by the stretch of bars... Well... booze is quite cheap I must say
written by  wangyng on August 22, 2012 from Phuket, Thailand
from the travel blog: Phuket! 2012

Arrival - at a chill out guest house in a little village
Kuah, Malaysia
the trip that i have been waiting for is finally here!
i booked this trip about 1.5 months ago... big mistake!
cos waiting for this day is a torture...
then in the 1.5 months... too many unpleasant things happened...
that i wished the break would come sooner... but of cos that didnt happen.
well... i can only say this is one long anticipated SHORT trip!
got on the 0840hr flight to Langkawi.
arrived in Langkawi at 0955hr.
picked up by Mark and had a quick tour along the way to the guest house.
Pondok Keladi is where i'm staying for the next 3 nights.
it's tucked away in a little village near Cenang, where the main stretch of hotels/resorts are...
close enough to the main area but far enough for peace and quiet.
a very nice place with friendly guests, owner, dogs and some wildlife like squrriels and monkeys (i heard).
i didnt do very much today... just walked around the main stretch...
looked around a few shops... and duty free..
had a nice walk on the 2 beaches, Cenang and Tengah, watched the sunset there too.
Tengah beach has 1 of the nicest sunset i've seen...
only 2 other places beat this so far: Danshui in Taipei and Cable Beach in Broome.
i couldnt stop clicking during the 15-20 min sunset!
of cos i am not the only one too...
Sunset - Tengah Beach
had a nice dinner at an italian restaurant to end the day...
Linguine with garlic prawns... YUM!!
it's only 9pm when i started feeling tired...must be the early flight ...
gonna try to rent a car or bike so i can go around the island quicker!
tomorrow is gonna be great!!
written by  wangyng on July 25, 2009 from Kuah, Malaysia
from the travel blog: Langkawi - Solo trip July 2009

iNsomNia
Hougang Central, Singapore
ok... it's 4.30am now and i can't sleep!!
what's wrong with me?
i suspect i'm already living in europe's time zone in singapore!
so my body and brain are already preparing themselves for the time difference??? sometimes things can be soooo weird!!
since i can't sleep i might as well blog
anyway, i'll be off to europe in just under a week!
i'm starting to feel the excitement as the date gets nearer!
my friend told me "that feeling will hit u when u board the plane"
since a month ago, i have taken out my trusty old backpack from the dark corner of my closet (the backpack has been with me since 1997 and still as good as new!)
i started to pack little by little.
when i say 'pack' i mean i started chucking things i need to bring into the pack... or in the backpack zone (which means anywhere within 2 feet on the floor where my pack lies)..
so now i have things lying on d floor of my bedroom... from books to clothes to daily necessities to little gifts i might give to people i meet on the way... (meaning a really messy section on my floor! -see picture-)
mess on my floor
it's all good but i figured i need to do some serious packing real soon!
i haven't done a long trip like this (3 months trip) in a few years.
the last time i did that was in 2003 when i did conservation volunteer work in Australia... that was real fun and i met some really cool people!
so i am hoping to meet lotsa nice people on this trip too!
o ya, i'm gonna be travelling with a good friend from uni
we're both hoping we wont kill each other on this trip... haha
ok it's 5 now and i can hear the bird chirping outside my windows and buses turning into the bus terminal near my place...
i better get some sleep
countdown to departure - 6 days
written by  wangyng on March 20, 2008 from Hougang Central, Singapore
from the travel blog: Hello Europe!!

the journey begins
Bangkok, Thailand
ok, our journey begins with a 8.10am flight. Eve had a little drama on her way to the airport and i was thinking she wont make it to the flight! -gasp-
but she did so it's cool.
we stopped here in Bangkok, for transit.
it's almost 4.5 hours of free time in the Bangkok airport and it's totally boring there.
WiFi/internet cost a fair bit there so we didnt go online, the shops didnt really interest us and everything there seems pretty expensive.
we sat in 3 different cafes before deciding on the final 1.
we each ordered a drink and sat there for like 3 hours, half the time stoning away... i even managed to take a nap sitting there.
snooze in bkk
impressed with myself for possessing such skills that i never knew i had! haha
anyway, we were glad to be boarding our next flight to London... personal screen, the movies, music and games... cant wait!
on the way to board plane to London
written by  wangyng on March 26, 2008 from Bangkok, Thailand
from the travel blog: Hello Europe!!

London!
London, United Kingdom
i couldn't be more happy getting off the plane after a 12-hour ride without personal screen! it was quite a shock for us that on a long-haul flight, the carrier has no personal screens facilities!
anway, we're glad the flight's over and landing at Heathrow Airport marks the real beginning of our trip i guess...
we took the tube to see our 1st host, where we will be staying for 2 nights...
it was fairly easy getting there cos we had specific instructions from the host herself and a friend in London.
after about an hour on the tube, we finally reached our destination, cold, wet (like the London weather!) and jet-lagged.
it was in a nice cosy apartment near High Street Kensington station.
Abby, our host, greeted us warmly and immediately made us hot tea. we sat by the fireplace and chatted... for a moment, that felt like heaven!!
with a little help from our host, we sort of decided on the route tomorrow...
so, am going to bed cos we'll be walking heaps tomorrow!
Abby & me!
written by  wangyng on March 26, 2008 from London, United Kingdom

Day 2 - London
London, United Kingdom
so... after a little bit of planning and advice from our host, we set off bright and early in the morning (ok, not that bright considering d gloomy weather of London)...
first stop, Portobello Market in Notting Hill.
Streets leading to Portobello Market
this is 1 of d closest place we can walk to from where we are staying.
the market aint as busy as it would be on weekends and some stalls were not open... but it works for us as we probably enjoy the walk more that way.
there are quite a lot of antiques shops and it's actually cool to see some really old toys, little tools, bottles, etc.
the fresh food market was very tempting indeed and i couldn't resist buying something in the end...
Portobello Market, Notting Hill
Strawberries!
we headed for the nearby Kensington Garden afterwards... after getting lunch on the way, we decided to picnic there.
ok maybe not exactly a picnic cos it was tooo freaking COLD to sit on the grass even with a ground sheet!
so there we were, having lunch, watching dogs, joggers, and familes goes by, occasionally a pigeon or 2 tried to sneak up and steal our food
but we manage to fight them off... it actually feels really good sitting in a huge n beautiful garden...
Eve & me having lunch in Kensington Garden, London
besides the fat squirrels running around freely in the garden, we did manage to see the famous gold statue at the Albert Memorial.
Albert Memorial Hall in Kensington Garden, London
it was a HUUUUGE statue... far larger than what the photos made it out to be! there's also the Royal Albert Hall which is directly opposite the gold statue. was hoping to watch something there but it cost way too much!
the day ended with us going to Harrod's which is kinda like a really posh Mustafa Centre... anything u need, u can pretty much get it there... from food to furniture to shoes and jet ski!?!
then it's dinner with our pal from uni Kat that we havent seen in a while... a familiar face in a foreign land always brings warmth to the heart...
Katherain & me in front of Covent Garden Market
so we'll be heading to Oxford tomorrow, a historic town full of academic high flyers (gosh how i hate them! ok fine, i'm just jealous!)
should be a history lesson in the trip itself!
written by  wangyng on March 27, 2008 from London, United Kingdom

Oxford
Oxford, United Kingdom
we were greeted with rain once again on the 3rd day.
we started packing up right after we woke up in order to get the noon bus to oxford.
getting to the bus station is fine but getting to the right bus berth proves to be difficult and stressful! we were sent to 2 different buildings by different people... in the end, we walked to n fro the 2 buildings twice! i was certain we know the road between the 2 buildings very well by then. when we finally got to the right berth, the bus left almost immediately after we got on. thank goodness we made it otherwise we will need to wait for another hour (and pay for another bus ticket!).
after abt 2.5 hrs of bus journey (should be faster but there's a jam in London), we finally reached Oxford and were greeted by our host Mark, a grad-student in Oxford Uni and we are to sleep on his sofabed. he took us out immediately to see the Ashmolean Museum after we droppped our bags as the attractions closed rather early in Oxford. the museum was holding some Egypt exhibits (including a real mummy!) at the time and of cos the house collection of paintings and scupltures.
Ashmolean Museum
we left the museum just before closing time. Mark then took us on a quick orientation of the town (since everywhere else seems to be closed). all the buildings are historic and most of them are more than 300 yrs old! the buildings looked really nice and all but after a while, all the buildings looked the same especially for non-locals like us! i had a very English dinner (mash & sausage) at a pub/restaurant and we called it a night. still jet lagged and tiried from the drama in the aftn!
our 1st stop in the morning is d Bodleian Library. it's d oldest library in Oxford. it took 65 yrs to build and was completed in 1488. it holds some of the most precious manuscripts from hundreds of yrs ago including the very 1st edition of shakesphere. becos of d priceless manuscripts/books, the library only allowed scholars (masters & above) into the library and they are only allowed in the section they are researching in. it is also 1 of d 6 libraries in UK to have every book published in UK. it has more than 8 millions books to date and still growing! as space is running out, the library has started to digitize some books and may continue to do so... we were not allowed to take photos inside the library due to copyrights issue. but i can say the library in Harry Potter movies, yes they looked like this 1. the library tour itself soooo feels like a history lesson.
Duke Humfrey's Library in Bodleian Library
The Divinity School - Bodleian Library
the next 2 places we went to, we didnt have real good luck. The Modern Art museum was closed to prepare for the new exhibition starting the next week. so it was quite a bummer. we then head to Christ Church. we want to see the Dining Hall, which was used to shoot the dining scenes in al of Harry Potter's movies. unfortunately, the dining hall was booked for a private function that night n was closed to the public! i cant believe our luck! arghhhhh
we took a long walk to the next destination, which is the Pitts River Museum. it was right next to the Museum of Natural history. both the museums was full of interesting exhibits and there were lotsa kids there running around filling up their little book of information. a pity we got there pretty late and only managed to spend 1.5 hrs in the 2 museums. we did see some huge dinosaurs' in there thou!
Dinosaurs @ d Museum of Natural History, Oxford
we were still pretty disappointed with not seeing the Dining Hall in Christ Church and told our host about it. he suggested us attending the service the next morning and then staying back in the church and maybe get a glimpse at d hall. so we decided to heed his advice and head for the service in d morning.
this would be my 1st service at a Catholic Church. more than half d time i didnt know what's happening... well u cant blame me! d last time i attended a service in a church was when my Christian friend got married! anyway the service took 1 hr and we left to roam around d church. we walked to an area where we thought it would lead to d dining hall. we were right! however, there was a person there guarding the stairs who wont allow us to head up to the Dining Hall at all!! we werent even allow to get a glimpse of d hall! sobs!
Dining Hall @ Christ Church - we REALLY wanted to see this!!
Christ Church Cathedral
just before we left, Mark took us up to the top of the Nuffield Tower. we were able to see most of Oxford from there! the view is really nice (least d 10 storeys we climbed was worth it!). we were asked which buildings
Host Mark & me at top of Nuffield Tower
we recognized fr d tower... none, zero, zelch! we couldnt recognized at all!!!! talk abt bad memory n geography! ahahha
so that's our 1st 'history trip'! i'm sure there's more to come later!
written by  wangyng on March 28, 2008 from Oxford, United Kingdom

London (Part 2)
London, United Kingdom
ok... so we headed back to London before our next stop in Worthing/Brighton.
actually we dont NEED to go back to London but it's easier to go places from London since it is well-linked by all sorts of transport medium.
our next host is an animal lover + single mum. she has 3 cats n 2 dogs.
the room we are sleeping in is the living room where the dogs usually sleeps... no no we didn't have to sleep with the dogs..
as messy as it is (i dont think any1 can imagine the level of messiness!!), we slept really well that 2 nights cos we were soooooooooooo tired!
anyway, we met up with Kat again n also Eve's sister-in-law n friends for dinner opposite Enbankment tube station.
Kat n us took a long walk along Thames River after dinner.
Eve, me & Kat along Thames River
the night view was nice n there's some street buskers singing along the walk... the lights, the atmosphere... it feels pretty romantic actually.
we walk for almost 1.5hr, til we see the London Bridge before heading back for the night.
lights along Thames River
Lights in a tunnel along Thames River walk
we took the next day really easy, just going to the markets in Camden nearby. Camden is known for their markets so u can imagine there's lotsa tourists there even on weekdays.
Stables Market in Camden
the actual Camden Market, rather small compared to Stables Market
after walking through 2 markets n a street full of shops selling shoes n all kind of hats, we both ended up buying something... i just feel like i need to buy something there! hahah
busy street between the 2 markets
for dinner, we met 2 friends (Oway n YiYing) of our friend in Singapore,
the gals brought us to a really famous n popular Japanese restaurant (u MUST make reservation to eat there n it's usually fully packed with back to back reservations!)
Oway, me, Yiying
the gals are great fun n really nice people! it didnt feel like we just got to know each other (of cos, bitching about common friend helps break d ice quickly! ;) ). we had drinks afterwards n met Jeff. great food n good company, i think that's a good last night in London!
next stop, we're heading to the beach: Worthing! we actually wanted to head to Brighton but we only managed to find a host in Worthing, which is 30 min drive fr Brighton. dont know what to expect for the beach here but still looking forward to it!
written by  wangyng on March 30, 2008 from London, United Kingdom

Worthing
Worthing, United Kingdom
after our bus experience to Oxford, we are NOT going through that drama or stress again. so we made sure we got the the bus station well in advance, and made sure the information desk person gave us all the information at one go and not in several segments!
we actually plan to see Brighton but only managed to find a host in Worthing (as mentioned in my last blog entry). the bus is going to Worthing n makes a stop at Brighton. our bus ticket only gets us to Brighton. we started to think we should get to Worthing and do a day trip to brighton the next day. luckily for us, the bus driver allowed us to stay on the bus and get off at Worthing without charging extra!
yes! there's nice people in London too despite hearing sooo many cold tales!
our host David came in a taxi to pick us up! he also gave up his bedroom for us and slept in the living room cos he said he is a gentleman and will NOT let ladies sleep on a couch! i actually feel bad about that but he insisted in his pirate-speaking way and it was a done deal, no negotiation!
we manage to take a quick orientation walk around and see the Pier before sun set. the beach is more pebbly than sandy and seems to be great for surfing.
Me at The Pier at Worthing
we saw a number of kite surfers on the bus ride and it was quite amazing (especially when we wont be able to see much of this in Singapore!)
we then head back for a nice dinner courtesy of our host and spent the evening watching tv, drinking wine, listening to music and chatting about travelling experiences.
o yes, i forgot to mention that i was sick for the past few days being jet-lagged, travelling, trying to get used to the weather and that time of the month all happening at the same time, my body decide to go on strike!
so the only full day i have in Worthing/Brighton, i was sick in bed, trying to sleep it off. Eve went on to Brighton alone and when she got back, told me it was ok I didnt miss too much. phew!
our 2 nights stay was cut short as we decided to spend a night at the airport due to an extremely early flight (7.40am!). the morning train to the airport was cutting a bit too close to our flight time and we didnt want to risk it!
waiting to board the train to Gatwick Airport from Worthing
so...... here's my 1st time sleeping in an airport!
it was just past midnight when we arrived. there were already many travellers sleeping in the lounge area. some were nicely tucked in their sleeping bags... we each took a bench and started our night at d airport. at this time i remembered the lazy chairs/day beds we see in Changi Airport and learn to appreciate it more! being able to occupy 4 seats is not bad but of cos the day bed would be MUCH more comfy...
anyway, i was still rather conscious with many people walking around (and of cos bright lights!!) n i couldnt sleep. i reckon i only slept ard 4.30 am cos i was way too tired! (recovering fr a flu is quite quite tiring!)
we got up and checked in around 6am and all went smoothly.
we then head for breakfast at McDonalds (where else!??) before boarding.
the plane ride is juz an hour and we'll be in Brussels Belgium. Chocolates & waffles (& beer of cos!) here I come!!
written by  wangyng on April 2, 2008 from Worthing, United Kingdom

Brussels, Belgium
Day 9
with such an early flight, we reached Brussels ard 9.45am. this is where we start feeling the language barrier, almost everything is in French or Dutch. we only make things/directions out from the little diagram beside d words.
anyway, after 45min of waiting for our luggage, we head for the bus station, following instructions given by our host in Brussels, Bertrand. we need to change to a tram at one of d stops and we had to ask for directions. she started to direct us where to go and which directions to take for the tram, in French and at d same time with lotsa pointing and signing! we didnt understand what she was saying but we understood her directions. it was a rather funny sight i have to say!
on tram in Brussels
Graffiti ads along tram route
we managed to follow d lady's instructions and reached our destination without much trouble. after a short rest at our host's nice home on the 4th floor, we took a tram just to see a bit of d town. we ended up near the Atomium! nice surprise! This Eiffel Tower of Belgium apparently went thru some major cleanup and is now shiny n Bright!
Atomium behind me
we tried to have an early night but we werent very sucessful at all! we spent the night cooking n chatting with our host over dinner.
Brussels' couch, in a spare room at Bertrand's home
d weather wasnt much better than yesterday but we started on our walking tour anyway. we walked thru the 'posh' street where all d big brands are (obviously we didnt do any shopping there!). our 1st stop is Palais de Justice. d building is HUGE n really old n wasnt maintained. so it wasnt very nice. but d building was on a higher ground n we managed to get a good view of Brussels city from d back of d building.
we then took a long walk to the Royal Palais de Belgium. apparantly there's 2 palaces, 1 is in d city and d other just outside. or cos we werent allowed in to neither of them so we only took photos outside it.
Royal Palace behind me
we went into the Brussels Park across d palace n had ice cream there! yes we were freezing but eating ice cream! it was cool! d ice cream doesnt melts easily cos of d weather so u can really enjoy it slowly!! there are many statues in d park but none of them were well maintained. some were covered with algae n other slime. d fountains were either dried or really dirty. so it was quite a pity that the beautiful park was not very pretty.
on our way to d Grand Place/ Grote Markt, we pass by this nice little garden Place du Petit Sablon where there's lotsa statues of important people who helps bring prosperity to Brussels. what i cant understand is that ALL d statues has huge calf muscles! every single one of them!
Hotel De Ville at Grote Markt, Brussels in daylight
we walked thru the shopping areas where we had a late lunch... fries! our host had told us earlier that d fries here are excellent n we must really try it! so we did that. they were indeed nice! more chunky n tasty n they dont turn soggy when they're cold! yum!!! after lunch, we actually visited some chocolate shops and of cos we have to buy some chocolate... how can i walked into a Belgian Chocolate shop without buying chocolate!??!?!?? we went into 3 stores n bought something from each shop (all were dark chocolate, my fave!!!). we decided to stop entering chocolate shops cos we knew we will be tempted to buy more...
just going to these few places in d city already took us like 3-4 hrs! the city is not as small as our host told us!! we decided to wait for nightfall so we can see d Grand Place/Grote Markt at night with all d lights. we picked a not so crowded restaurant just behind the main square and ordered mussels. a huge pot was served shortly, with fries (a little toooo much fries in 4 hours). it was really nice to have a piping hot pot of mussels in a cold weather like this! d mussels were really good n fresh and we cleaned d pot out without much effort! guess what we have for dessert?...... yes! waffles!! i ordered 1 with chocolate sauce... very very yummy but a tad bit overloaded with sugar.. ahahahah...
Mussels dinner!
by d time d sun went down around 9pm, i was pretty happy cos i think i won't be able to stuff myself anymore than i did! saw d nicely lit Grand Place/Grote Markt. it was very very beautiful indeed! we were clicking our cameras away like there's no tomorrow! i think we might have taken tooo many... hahah...
Hotel De Ville at Grote Markt at night
me at Grote Markt/ Grand Place
we walked to the infamous monument of Belgium which is very nearby. it is a very small statue actually... lotsa tourist were exclaiming about how small it is! of cos as a tourist, i need to take a photo of it...
Mannekan Pis
we headed home after that... it's been a fruitful day in terms of camera and food! hehehe......
written by  wangyng on April 4, 2008 from Brussels, Belgium

Brussels part 2
Brussels, Belgium
we had plan to head to the Basilica Koekelberg at d edge of d city today. there's an exhibition on DaVinci n it's d last 2 days of the exhibition. we wanted to leave ard 11.30am but it was rainig quite heavily so we decided to wait. we only left ard 1pm when d rain turns into a drizzle.
after getting info in d city centre and walking ard a little, we decided to just head for d Basilica.
d metro stop is a fair bit of walk away from the Basilica. we need to walk thru a huge park b4 getting to d Basilica. it was a really long walk (ard 30-40min). we could see d Basilica getting bigger as we get nearer.
Elizabeth Park, leading to the Basilica Koekelberg
when we finally enter the compound of d Basilica, we can feel it's really really is H U G E !!!!!!!! i cant describe how HUGE it is in words! after a few pic (everyone looks tiny in photo), we head for d exhibition entrance.
Basilica Koekelberg
it's ard 4pm by then n did we get a surprise. there's a looooooooooong queue to get d tickets! d queue was sooooo freaking long dat we couldnt see d start of it (it was in another room). we were trying to decide if we shd see d exhibition or not. we ended up queuing almost 1.5 hrs to get d tix n another 30min to enter d exhibition ( it was way too crowded to let everyone in at d same time). by d time we actually enter d exhibition, it was about 5.45pm! it's a pretty big exhibition talking abt Da Vinci as a man, an artist, an architect and scientist. it was pretty detailed... there's his art work, his architectural work and his inventions. let's say i know him quite well now...
The Last Supper at the Da Vinci exhibition
we finish d exhibition ard 8pm. our host Bertrand n his girlfriend Prisca waited for us to have dinner cos we are going to try d Thai takeaways near his home which he said is really gd. we gave him a chopstick d night b4 as a thank you gift and he was really happy with it. he was using the chopsticks. he had mentioned he will display d chopsticks in his kitchen cos he likes it so much. dinner is good n we had a nice chat.
Me, Prisca n Bertrand
the next morning, Prisca was heading home n she dropped us at d antique flea market near where she stays. this would be our last stop b4 we take d evening train to Brugge. there's a lot of nice things at d mkt but i cant buy any. i really wanted to buy d camera but carry it on d 3 mth trip would be a nightmare! and in d end, i probably have no place to display it at home anyway.
at d flea market
Brussels' couch, in a spare room at Bertrand's home
as we walked home fr d flea mkt, we head to this italian restaurant which was recommended to be cheap n good. unfortunately for us, after a 30 min walk, we were greeted by a dark interior and tightly shut door. what luck! we ended up going to a nearby fast food restaurant QUICK (the Belgium version of Mc Donald) b4 heading back to pack.
so this ends our time in Brussels. til d nx town.....Brugge.
written by  wangyng on April 5, 2008 from Brussels, Belgium

Brugge
Brugge, Belgium
Brugge is a small historic town full of medieval buildings. we reached d train station ard 6pm and our host for Brugge, Anouchka picked us up at d train station.
she told us d walk to her place is about 20min. on a normal day, that would be fine. but with more than 20kg worth of bags on each of us, that is tooo long! we took more than 30 mins cos we were walking so slowly fr d bags. we are however, glad to know she lives in a small house (we dont have to climb any stairs to get in!!). our couch is an air mattress in a separate room on d 1st floor (which is level 2 for us). 1 of us can also slp in d living room couch on d ground floor if we prefer. i took d room upstairs. eve wants to take d living rm (so she can be close to d computer n tv n avoid d stairs! haha). d stairs is a bit hazardous. it's small n steep steps can be rather dangerous esp in d night.
we had a quick n simple dinner of toasted ham n cheese sandwich courtesy of our kind host. after dinner, we took a quick walk and to see d town at night. it's really quiet as all shops/attractions closed by 5 or 6pm but the yellow/orange lights really compliments the old Stone buildings/structures. we went back, looking forward to see the town in daylight.
1 of d bridges in Brugge at night
Belfort at night
written by  wangyng on April 6, 2008 from Brugge, Belgium

Brugge part 2
Brugge, Belgium
it's day 13 on d trip.
both of us didnt slp well cos it was soooo cold! d heater went off automatically and we didnt know how to switch it on. so we had to endure d cold for d night.
after breakfast, we head to d Belfort. we each got a Cyclo3 ticket which gets us into 3 museums (including d Belfort), 1 day of bicycle n a free drink at 1 of d museum. there's 366 steps to get to d top of Belfort where we can get a paranoma view of d town. d steps were narrow and steep and it goes round a pole. as we gets closer to d top, d stairsway gets narrower.
Belfort in daylight
juz outside entrance of Belfort, Brugge
i thot i was gonna pass out n die many times during d climb (yes i need to exercise a lot more than i did)! having ppl going up n down d narrow stairs makes it even more challenging than it already is!
on d way to top of Belfort, Brugge
counting down, steps to the top of Belfort
when i finally reached d top (yeah! i actually did it without passing out!!), d view makes it all worth it! it's d highest point in d city and u can really see d whole town from there. did i 4get to mention that there's 16 bells of different sizes (for different tones) at d top of d belfort which make musical chimes each hour. it was playing when i was near d top. i can actually see d mechanics that makes d bells work. pretty impressive that the bells have produced music since d a few centuries ago.
View from top of Belfort
we didnt do very much as it was already pretty late and we were quite tired from d climbing (weak, i know!!). so we just went to check up on trains to Antwerp, went to d supermarket, had a very cheap dinner coffee + soup n bread, then head back. we chatted with Anouchka and watched her favourite show, the Australian "Home & Away", with her. i cant believe i'm watching Australian soap in Belgium!! i dont even watch it in Australia! we went to bed, after finding out how to switch on the heater. so no more cold night! yippie!!!!!!
written by  wangyng on April 7, 2008 from Brugge, Belgium

Brugge - Day trip to Damme
Brugge, Belgium
day 14
cycling to Damme from Brugge
it's a beautiful day today so we made use of our Cyclo3 ticket and took a bike out. we cycled to Damme, a small little town next to Brugge. it should take just over an hour to cycle there as it was pretty easy route. we just need to follow d canal n d cycle path. d road was pretty flat most of d time so it wasnt so tiring cycling there.
d road to Damme was beautiful! u can see trees, grass, wild flowers, n little houses along d canal n of cos beautiful reflections of d clear blue sky!! the ride was mostly enjoyable, except for d swarm of flies on n off annoying me.
little houses along the canal (cycling to Damme)
a nice spot to sit n chat or do nothing!
Damme's known for their pancakes so how could we miss out on that!! we started looking for a nice cafe/restaurant to have pancakes once we got there (ard 2pm). as we were looking at d menu at 1 of d cafes, this cute boy came out n started speaking to us in English. we decided on this restaurant n sat outside d patio so we can be in d sun (unbelievable i know! in Singapore we usually run away from d sun!!). d young boy say he will inform us when he is making d pancake so we can see how he makes it. we decided to move indoor as some roadwork was going on n it was quite noisy. we went in just in time to see him making d pancakes. his quick moves tells us that he is an old hand at that. i ordered a pancake with ice cream n some kind of sweet alcohol. d ice cream was wrapped in d pancake and with alcohol poured on it. d pancake was flaming when it's served so it looked really cool! it tasted really yummy too!
pancake maker at Damme
flaming pancake! can u see d flame?
we headed off after d pancake cos we wanted to try to visit a museum b4 it closes at 5pm. we didnt manage to make it to any museum cos we were distracted along d way by sceneries n other stuff. we ended up doing a canal tour instead. we were d 1st to board the boat but it filled up really quickly. at 1 point i was thinking if more ppl came on board we would sink!! we didnt of cos... (that was juz my drama queen moment).
during canal tour
juz another building
d canal cruise is a really nice way to see d little town. with explanation of buildings n people, it made u appreciated the history of d town more. of cos by now i couldnt remember much except that in the earlier centuries (13th - 15th), u know how rich a family is by the windows of their houses. they had something called Window Tax. the more windows a house has, d more tax to pay. n if the owner has no money to pay d taxes, the government will seal up a window. that is why some of these old houses have windows that's sealed up. another i remembered is that Belgium has more than 250 different beers. to a non beer-drinker like me, there's only 2 kinds: d nice 1 and d not nice 1... i'm sure a true beer drinker will say otherwise...
that aside, d canal cruise was really nice. we went to Begijnhof after the cruise. d Begijnhof is a quiet area where d Benedictine Sisters stay. d compound has a huge daffodil garden, which makes Begijnhof a hot romantic spot. i really enjoyed d peace n quiet there. we went into d church n d Sisters were all there doing their prayers. we left d church pretty quickly and d prayers were over shortly after. we saw all all of them walking off to a particular house. there's isn't many of them now, about a dozen n they r really old. they smiled at us as they walked pass us. they look like very nice grand mothers u want to have.
Daffidols & trees!
before we head home, we had dinner at this Italian restaurant near where we stay. d restaurant seems to be run by true italians. most of them have a tummy and look like they came off the Godfather movies! d pizza is really nice! thin crust n generous amount of toppings!! that's what i call a good pizza!
written by  wangyng on April 8, 2008 from Brugge, Belgium

Brugge to Antwerp
Antwerp, Belgium
since we r taking an evening train to Antwerp, we made good use of our last day in Brugge. my butt hurts so much from the cycling! all the roads in Brugge are brick roads. so u can imagine the bumpy ride the whole time in Brugge. i think all the people in Brugge who cycle regularly have butts of steel!!!
we still have our bikes til 5pm so we went around on it as much as we didnt. but it's much faster and saves us a lot of time. anyway, there's a market every wednesday at d Grote Markt so it was nice to be able to catch that b4 we leave. it's a fresh food n flowers market so it smells really good there! i bought a nice roast chicken leg for dinner... was sooo happy! i love roast chicken n havent had a chance to eat that since i got to Europe. so i was extremely happy n so looking forward to dinner!
flower stall at Market in Brugge
Market at the Grote Markt
we then head to Groeninge Museum, where it's full of Flemish paintings. d paintings are nice to look at but i think i would appreciate it a lot more if i do fine arts.
then it's off to Church of Our Lady which is just nearby to see d infamous 'Madonna & Child' sculpture/statue done by d great Michelangelo. d precious statue is surrounded by glass panels to protect it. we couldnt really get a close look at it cos there was like 2 metres of space from where we can stand and d statue. but i guess that is enough?
Madonna & Child by the great Michelangelo
we ran off quickly to Heilig-Bloedbasiliek, where d blood of Jesus Christ (Holy Blood) was left in a scroll/capsule like thing. d Holy Blood is only on display each day from 2-3pm. a priest will hold the blood in his hand n every1 who wants to can go touch d scroll/capsule n be blessed.
inside the Heilig-Bloedbasiliek
priest holding the Holy Blood
this is how d Holy Blood is retained... in a scroll
we return the bikes (finally!!!! no more bumpy ride n painful butts!!) and head to the Grote Markt area once again for a mussels lunch. hmmm.... i like d mussels in Brussels better. maybe we picked a bad restaurant.
after lunch, we walked around a bit more before heading home. we passed by this big ice cream shop with long queues so we decided to join d queue! d ice cream is really yummy n d wafer cone taste so fresh n nice! happy n satisfied, we head home to pack n get ready for Antwerp.
[fast forward]
after about 1.5 hrs on d train, we got to Antwerp. our host Yuri met us at d train station. he lives 5 min walk away from the Centraal station n on d top floor of d 5-storey building. he is really into Asian stuff so we had lots to chat about. he has been practising Taichi for 6 yrs so i can ask him almost everything about it! he also likes Asian films n had watched quite a number. we feel like we're in Asia! we spent d night talking about films n drinking tea n talking about what we do (did) for work. feels like a great start for Antwerp!
written by  wangyng on April 9, 2008 from Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp
Antwerp, Belgium
Antwerp is probably more known for as a fashion city than for its sights. True enough, the fashion sense here is more interesting than the sights it can offer. only d Steen Castle and St Paul Church leaves an impression on me.
St Paul Church
Steen Castle
d apartments along d river bank are really nice thou! i was walking along the river n thinking "i wanna stay in that apartment" many times!
nevertheless, i had a gd time in Antwerp becos of my host Yuri. he is probably more Asian than a lot of the Asian i know! he like Asian food, is into Asian films, and has been practicing Taichi for 6 years! we spent so much time talking about Taichi cos i have been interested but didnt really get into joining a school. we also discussed about films we like and would like to watch.
Yuri also loves to cook so he cooked us a nice vegetarian lasagna (he's really into organic food and is 90% vegetarian). yummy!!
Yuri's dinner for us
but the highlight of our trip has to be d Taichi class. Yuri's master was unable to make it and since he is d eldest disciple in Antwerp, he is taking over d class! he actually lets us join d class for free! we did some breathing and warm up exercise and d class did the form, which we only did a very small part. then he was teaching us Pushing Hands, which is pretty fun but difficult! d session ended with him practicing his broad sword. very cool!
after d Taichi session, we head back to his place to have dinner. Yuri was invited to spin at his friend's pub/club later that night. oh, i 4got to mention he also DJs for fun (he has a full set of gear!).
his friend, Izzy, owns d club/pub. it does private parties more cos of its small n cosy size. Izzy mixed a drink for each of us and boy were they stroong! eve was always trying to add more ice n soda to her drinks so it's like her glass is always full!!
DJ Yuri at work!
we met another CS host at d club who took us to another pub/restaurant for drinks. we had planned to leave pretty early d next day but we didnt think that was gonna happen cos we only left d place around 3am!
we need a good sleep and i know we will have it thanks to d alcohol n d long day! guess we wont be leaving in the morning now....
this is me when i'm annoyed
cat waiting for her owner by d shop's display window
Markt Square Antwerp
written by  wangyng on April 11, 2008 from Antwerp, Belgium

Antwerp, Belgium to Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands
The Hague, Netherlands
since we couldnt make it for d morning train anyway, we decided to leave in d afternoon. eve went to do her final shopping spree while i stayed home n chill.
a painting by Yuri's grandfather
we finally left around noon and had our final Belgian waffle while waiting for d train. we got off at Rotterdam as planned and stored our luggages in a big locker. after walking around for about 30 min, we only saw big tall buildings and a realy really big/loooong sea port! we got bored n decided to head to Kinderdijk, where we can see d most windmills in Netherlands! Kinderdijk is about 1hr away by bus and the bus doesnt run very often. we were set on heading there thou so we waited for d next bus, which was about half an hour.
the hour bus ride passes pretty quickly (especially when u dozed off!). there were some nice sceneries to Molenkade so it was cool. when we finally reached Kinderdijk, it was almost 6pm. most of d visitors are already leaving and the shops are all getting ready to close. we had a quick browse n coffee b4 heading to d windmills area.
windmill at Kinderdijk...
... windmills...
it was freezing cold n bloody windy! but i still took sooooo many photos of the windmills! it was almost near sunset so d skyline was nice too! i cant really explain or describe d sight so here they are in photos.
... & more windmills!
windmills at Kinderdijk
we didnt really stay long cos we need to get to Den Haag b4 it gets too late. with d bus ride and train ride, it took us almost 2 hours to reach Den Haag. we took d tram as instructed by our host Yorien. as we got off d tram, still trying to figure which direction is d right direction, we heard "u are just on time ladies!". i was pretty happy she came to picked us up at d tram stop cos we would have gone d wrong way and we were real hungry by then! so she brought us to her home, which is a nice 2-storey apartment on d top floor of her block (only 3rd floor actually). we are to sleep on d top floor, which is kind of d attic/living room. we chatted over dinner with Yorien. she suggested us going to Keukenhof tomorrow (Sunday) as she can drop us off on her way to meet her friends. we decided to accept the free ride and head to bed pretty early.
written by  wangyng on April 12, 2008 from The Hague, Netherlands

Den Haag - Day trip to Keukenhof
The Hague, Netherlands
as planned, we woke up around 8am (or earlier??) to have breakfast with Yorien and to catch her ride to Keukenhof. this is our 1st official ride from a host. her ride is a Peugeot Cabriolet. eve had to squeeze into d back seat cos it a 2 seater with a really small back seat. we had d top opened all through the 40min trip. was pretty cold but fun! we saw some tulip fields even b4 reaching Keukenhof.
when we got to d entrance around 10am, it was already waaaaaaaaay PACKED!!! ok, a bit of background on Keukenhof. it a huge garden full of flowers, apparantly the world's largest flower garden with about 7 millions flower blubs are planted annually. it's only opened like 2 months in a year between march and may. u can do an internet search for more info.
so, that explain why there were HUGE MASSES of people at the garden. we were expecting to spend about 3 hours in d garden. but after we got in and saw d actual size of Keukenhof, we knew there was no way we will leave in 3 hours!
flower power!
there was soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much flowers!!! (much becos we cant count them any more!!!) there's flowers of all colours and all sizes! especially d tulips! i think there are more than 100 species of tulips in d garden alone! it really is amazing to see so many flowers blooming at d same time! words really cant describe what i see. gotta thank my friend amy who strongly recommended the garden to me. we took soooooooo many photos there and i think i'd never seen so many species of flowers at 1 time.
tulip!
tulips!!
there's a lot of creativity in the container used for planting the flowers. so it was all nice to see. here's some more photo...
flowers in boots at Keukenhof
arts piece at Keukenhof
psychedelic flowers at Keukenhof
nice backyard to have
nice colourful flowers at Keukenhof
Tulips field at Keukenhof
yes we both went crazy with d photo taking (eve's camera went dead b4 we even left d garden!)
after 6 hours at d garden, we left n head to d nearest train station for home. Leiden is about 1 hour by bus and is d birthplace of the famous artist Rembrandt. there's Rembrandt everywhere! we spent a couple of hours walking around town to try n soak up d artistic feel in d air... i think it didnt work cos i still cant paint or draw to save my life!!
we figured we had enough for d day by then n head back. ready to rest our feet and have a gd night's sleep.
written by  wangyng on April 13, 2008 from The Hague, Netherlands

explaining my hosts
The Hague, Netherlands
ok, before i go on, i probably should explain about the host thing, which some people is probably confused about.
i joined this wonderful project called Couchsurfing. this is a community of people who offer their couches/spare bed/floor for anyone in the same community. so u search for someone who can offer to host u and u write them a request. if d person accepts u, then u r sorted for that place. but this is not a place for free lodging. be prepared to interact with d host and spend time with them and even cook for them. me n eve did that and it have been a whole lot of fun so far! met all sort of people, d coolest n most fun people! some of them were great chefs too!
a friend introduced it to me some time back so i decide to try it on this trip. of cos there's some mishaps along d way but nothing so bad that makes me wanna stop doing this. never regretted joining this!
many of my friends think i am mad to be doing this. but i'm sure many will join this after i finish this trip! i'll also be an experienced couchsurfer by then! haha...
so... actually i dont know if any1 actualy reads my blog becos no1 leave any messages or comments... i might just be talking to myself after all!?!
anyway, now i think couchsurfing is d coolest way to travel! Couchsurfing ROCKS!!!!!
written by  wangyng on April 13, 2008 from The Hague, Netherlands

Den Haag - Day 20 of trip
we agreed to cook for our host Yorien tonight. her name is actually Hilgien but it was tooo hard to pronounce for people so she uses Yorien to make things easy for everyone.
anyway, she was pretty excited about us cooking cos 1) she gets to eat food from a different country, 2) she has some1 cooking for her so she has food when she gets home from work. we head to d city to walk around a little. was really a quick walk as we need to buy d stuff we need fr d Asian Supermarket then head home to cook cos Hilgien has to go work out after dinner (most of our hosts has such healthy lifestyle that we feel ashamed of ours!).
this is d 1st time we r cooking for a host so it was quite exciting for us too! eve is making soup and stir fry vegetables n i'm making curry chicken. Hilgien was home before dinner was ready. but she was extremely happy to see us cook. she says it's d 1st time ever that she come home to d smell of food in her kitchen (since she moved to this apartment). she was taking photos of us cooking n all.
she was very happy with our dinner n told us we are most welcomed to stay another week as long as we can cook for her! i wasnt too happy with d curry as i bought packet curry paste n it didnt taste very good n it was a tad bit too watery! but it was acceptable i guess. n d most important thing is my host enjoyed it!
Hilgien with our dinner
Hilgien dropped us at a beach near her place after dinner. d beach was fairly quiet with a few joggers n dogs walkers. we managed to watch d beautiful sunset. awesome!
Sunset at Duindop beach
o yes, i made a new friend in d city today. he's really cute and i fell in love with him immediately. here's our photo.
a new friend!

Den Haag - day trip to Delft
Delft, Netherlands
went on a day trip to Delft today. d very 1st thing that amused me was this map vending machine. u go through a series of multiple choice n select d map u want. then d map comes out in d lower winder of d machine. yes yes i know, so easily amused!
a machine that gives out map in Delft
Delft is know for Delft Blue, d porcelain ware. there's everything made from porcelain. cups, plates, all kinds of containers, little ornaments, u name it, they have it! it was really tempting to buy all these well made n beautiful stuff but i knew it would be a nightmare for me to carry them on d trip. so i resisted and didnt buy any!
d main area we went to is d market square, and 2 churches. i've been to soooooo many market square n churches on this trip! i swear i cant recognize each of them by now. all d market squares n churches are all in a blur! except maybe d Old Church here cos it's d only church so far with a wooden ceiling.
Delft Markt Square
Old Church in Delft
we walked around d market square n visited almost ALL d shops there. i only bought a calender cos it was easy to carry. (i knew if my mum was here she probably would buy a whole suitcase of stuff!)
anyway, we left Delft ard 6pm. today it was Hilgien's turn to cook! she said she will cook us a typically Dutch dish after work. it's a winter dish called Stamppot. it's potatoes mashed with some kind of vege/herbs that is only available in Netherlands (i really cant remember d name of that!), n sausages. u eat it with pickles n preserved onion. it is pretty tasty n very filling!
Hilgien making a Dutch dish, Stamppot
we were chatting ard d dinner table after dinner. waiting for d food to settle in b4 dessert. Hilgien decided to invite her neighbor over for a chat cos he's been wanting to meet d surfers at her place. so Richard came over n we chatted about lots of things. he is quite interested in Chinese stuff and we ended up looking at some Chinese herbs over d internet n teaching them some Chinese words.
Chinese class at Hilgien's dinner table
it was quite a fun evening n i really enjoyed it! a good last night in Den Haag.
written by  wangyng on April 15, 2008 from Delft, Netherlands

Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
it was around 10pm when we got here. d city is very very much alive! coffeeshops n smell of weed everywhere. d coffeeshops here r not like ours back in Singapore. coffeeshops here r d venue where u are allowed to smoke weed. can imagine d smell inside a coffeeshop... eeks!
anyway, our host stays right in d city and is very convenient to go anywhere. we are staying in a little house in the backyard of their apartment. d little house is self contained with everything needed for a stay (just missing a stove otherwise it's a full studio apartment)!
karen & maarten, our hosts, chatted with us over tea and helped us booked tickets to Anne Frank House. then we can skip d queue n head straight into d house. they were saying how long d queues are at some museums and how we can skip d queuing up for tickets!
there's a whole lot of museums here but i think we have quite enough from the Maurithaus in Den Haag. so we'll see if we get into any museums here.
i'm looking forward to see d Red Light District n all d leaning buildings though! it should be pretty interesting!
written by  wangyng on April 16, 2008 from Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
we are almost coming to an end to our stay in Amsterdam. i didnt really like d city actually... 1 of d few rare ones who would say this i guess. almost everyone i knew spoke extremely well of d city. well, d city is nice and all n i do feel d 'free spirit' there. but i also see (or smell) d ciggies n weed n d results of soft drugs on d streets. not a pretty sight i must say. and d city is way tooooo COLD! it's much colder than Den Haag was! maybe cos of d canals or something but it was freezing! especially when d heater in our room doesnt work. d door doesnt shut very well either so there's cold air coming in thru d door. burrrrrr......
but i do like d Dutch people. they are nice n friendly in general and very humorous. d house leans left, right, front and even backwards! very cool althou sometimes i wonder if they will just collapse 1 day!
uneven houses/building
look at the windows & d door, it's all crooked!
the cafe building leans!
there's lotsa museums here to visit but we didnt go to any (except Anne Frank House which i will talk about in a bit). we were still overloaded with Flemmish paintings from the Maurithaus in Den Haag.
at Museumplein - the red & white statue says "I AMSTERDAM"
Rijks Museum - houses some important works of Vemeer
the infamous red light district is definitely worth a visit! it's 1 of d highlights of my time here. there's women in windows all the way in the streets! 1 transsexual or transvestic opened d door of d window which freaked us out a little. but all he did was shouted 'Ni Hao' to us. quite interesting experience i would say.
Red Light District
d other place that left deep impression on me is d Anne Frank House. it was quite amazing to actually see d description right before your eyes! for some weird reason, i feel really sad in the house and felt like crying when u see her words n how she lived in d small house. very very depressing place but unbelievable.
Anne Frank statue near d Anne Frank House
i thik that sums up Amsterdam. d town of Bremen musicians is next! but before that, here's more photos i took in Amsterdam.
nice cute door bells... maybe i should get 1 for Singapore...
fridge magnets! look closely...
Amsterdam at night
The Christmas Shop - it sells all things Xmas through the year!
written by  wangyng on April 18, 2008 from Amsterdam, Netherlands

a nice warm feeling from our host
Bremen, Germany
we reached Bremen in d evening around 6+. our host Simone greeted us at the train station in her car (althou it's juz a 10 min tram ride). she is an art/home economics/P.E. teacher who is staying with her life partner and daughter. her life partner Dietrich is also a teacher teaching a few subjects including art.
bed we sleep in is in attic
view fr d attic
Rooftop at our host's apartment
we were surprised when we reached her home. the family occupies the top 3 floors in a 4-storey building/house (including a little roof top garden). and she actually gave us the whole of d top floor for our stay! d bed is in d attic accessible thru d top floor. can really feel d art teachers in them at their home. lots of stuff were made by themselves: lights stand, little ornaments, photo frames, paintings, etc. all were nicely done! very cool!
o yes, i must mention d dinner. Simone cooked us dinner in like 10 min! i was most impressed! she is like a magician at work! cutting, cooking, seasoning all at d same time. d result is a chicken fillet with cheese n tomato n a huge bowl of salad! absolutely delicious!! Dietrich welcomed us with sparkling wine n d 4 of us chatted over dinner. her daughter Afra came home shortly after n immediately invited us to join her for a night out with her best friends the next evening.
our welcome dinner that Simone whipped out in 10min!
all these gestures bring a lot of warmth to a traveller, this is like a royal treatment! i was really touched. after dinner me n eve was juz sitting by a window, admiring d view n feeling touched n grateful with d treatment. it really does feel like home...
me, Simone, Dietrich
written by  wangyng on April 20, 2008 from Bremen, Germany

Bremen - the town musicians everywhere!
Bremen, Germany
ok i 4got to mention in my last entry that Bremen was kind of an accidental stop. our host in Amsterdam couldnt have us for d last night n our host in Hamburg couldnt have us for d 1st night. so we have 2 nights with nowhere to go n Bremen happens to be a stop between Amsterdam n Hamburg. n Simone was kind enough to have us there with d last minute request. so here we are!
anyway, d town centre in Bremen is very small. a day to spend in d town centre is more than enough. like most Europeans cities, there's a market square (Marktplatz) where most activities happens. d Town Hall, Cathedral and Parliament r d main sights there.
market square in Bremen (Marktplatz)
n of cos d Bremen Town Musicians r everywhere! books, souvenirs, n different versions of d musicians statues. of cos i need to do d touristy thing n take photos with d original statue!
The Bremen Musicians! it's a belief that if u hold the leg of d donkey n make a wish, it will come true.
Simone told us about this 'thing' that starts playing a sound from 1 of d musicians each time u put in a coin. we really wanna see n play with it. we asked d tourist info centre who pointed it out on d map where this 'thing' is suppose to be. until this point we still dunno what this 'thing' looks like. i guess i was expecting it to look like a vending machine or something like that. we walked around d town centre for 30min trying to find it. no luck. we asked some1 at another tourist centre who pointed us a different area from d 1st. we circled that new area again. still no luck. Eve decided to asked a lady at 1 of d shop in d church. thanks to her specific directions, we finally found this 'thing'!! it looks nothing like what i imagined! have a look!
u put coin into this little slit on this manhole looking thing, and u can hear d sounds of d 4 musicians!
it just looks like a manhole cover! we probably passed by it like hundreds of times when we were circling the area! we were pretty excited and started putting in coins. each time u put in a coin, it plays 1 of d town musicians call. d donkey, d dog, d cat n d chicken. i played twice n Eve played 4 times so she can record all d 4 musicians. o d lady at d church told us d money put in will be given to d poor so it's cool to put in as many times as we want. there were many people staring at us when we were playing with this. it was quite funny getting all d stares n smiles from all these people. haha...
putting d coin in to hear d musicians!
Schnoor
i like this old area called Schnoor. it's d oldest quarter in Bremen. there's lotsa small houses, little shops selling interesting stuff n of cos lotsa souvenirs. some of d doors r not even my height! for once i feel tall in Europe! lol
a lane in Schnoor
the stay in Bremen turns out to be extremely unforgettable!
statue of Roland, city protector, at market square
litted candles in 1 of d churches here
Gold Sculpture near d town centre
night view at River Weser
written by  wangyng on April 22, 2008 from Bremen, Germany

we had a feast waiting in Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg's main train station is huge! our host n us spent 30min trying to locate each other even with 2 phone calls! we only saw him at d other end of d train station when he waved franticly like a mad man! thank goodness he is tall!
after leaving Bremen, i was thinking to myself, no more home cooked dinner. i was sooooo wrong! there's a feast waiting for us at Seth's place. Seth is an art director. he works on TVC, films, and prints as well. and he loves cooking! he told us he put a huge chicken in d oven before he came to fetch us at d train station. so yes, we have a fantastic welcome dinner once again! (gosh i love d food in Germany already!!)
Hamburg's welcome dinner
Seth will be sooo busy this few days. his 2 kids are staying with him for d week cos their mum is working in India for a week. so he has to look after d kids n us... plus a dog. i dont envy him! :P my impression that all kids are hyperactive is sooo right. d 10min ride earlier from train station to his home involves a lot of talking n looking at hats, glasses, clothes, gloves, n anything they can get their hands on. i'm thinking d next few days here will b quite interesting...
Seth's ride
written by  wangyng on April 23, 2008 from Hamburg, Germany

our Hamburg family
Hamburg, Germany
yes it felt like a family outing d whole time we are in Hamburg. Seth always have to bring d kids along (sometimes d dog too) if he is going out. here's him taking us out to show us d nearby port:
Seth with kids & Eve with dog - sweet family pic aint it? hehe...
anyway, here's what we saw/did during our stay in Hamburg:
the Port
we walked to d port n went on a boat cruise.
view of the harbour fr the boat
d cruise wasnt really nice (cos we had nicer 1 in Brugge) and Seth was disappointed as well. but we did see some things like d biggest dry dock in Europe, some parts of d port has traces of WW2 (wals with bullet holes) and some nice views of d riverside. so it wasnt all that bad.
Rathaus (TownHall)
d Rathaus is beautiful! both exterior n interior are really nice. d sculptures, d fountain, d pillars... i'll let d photos speak
Rathaus - meaning townhall
inside Rathaus
STRIKE!
smokers on strike against Banning of smoking in public area
smokers were protesting against d newly passed regulation to ban smoking in restaurants n pubs etc... we were caught right in d middle of it while waiting for Seth to pick us up n go to d supermarket! it felt like we were in d strike too! weird but cool! hehe...
cooking
yes we cooked here. i made curry once again (Europeans seems to love curry a lot!) n eve made stirfry vege. it was cool cos d kids helped prepare d vege. but they didnt get to eat them cos they had to go to bed. Seth like d curry a lot cos it's really spicy! i like it better than d last time i made it too. i give myself 85% this time.. :D
kids helping Eve with cooking
Seth enjoying our dinner
St Michelis Church
yes, we went up yet another church tower. this seems to be our favourite sport now! haha...
view from top of St Michelis
St Nikolai
from 1 side, this gothic church looks perfectly intact but it was destroyed during WW2. only d tower remains and part of d other walls. it is now a memorial more than anything.
St Nikolai - a different view
d statues there, with d atmosphere, r so powerful that it really affected my mood. i felt disturbed n sad n depressed. a heavy heart to say d least.
statue "Angel on Earth" at St Nikolai
statue "The Ordeal" at St Nikolai
note on "The Ordeal"
Chilehaus
i wasnt really impressed w this building until i saw d shape of it n learnt about d history. this ship-like building is build of more than 4.8 millions bricks. it is 1 of d building that survived WW2 unscathed n is considered an important architect of d city.
ChileHaus
on our last night in Hamburg, Seth cooked white asparagus with Hollandaise sauce n potato. this dish is usually eaten in Spring (which is now) n it is a very typical German dish. this is actually d 1st time i ate (n saw) white asparagus. it doesnt really have a lot of taste but d Hollandaise made it yummy! i think i like d sauce more!
Chef Seth at work!
we went to d red light district in Hamburg as well, d Reeperbahn. i think after u've seen d red light district in Amsterdam, everywhere else is considered tamed...
will be heading to Berlin tomorrow. kind of dreading d train ride cos d German trains are ALWAYS packed! 1st class or 2nd class, they're always packed! plus it's friday tomorrow... i dont have a good feeling about it...
written by  wangyng on April 24, 2008 from Hamburg, Germany

Berlin - it's a complicated feeling
Berlin, Germany
yesterday was an extremely eventful day in Berlin!
1stly, i wanna say i really really HATE the train system in Germany. it totally SUCKS! we got 1st class ticket for d train. we didnt know it was a MUST to reserve a seat (u have to pay like extra 20euros to do that). so it turned out that these "expensive Premium" seats are all reserved! i ended up with no seats in d 1st class cabins! d 2nd class cabins aint any better either. there's loads of people standing around. it was horrendous! i ended up sitting near d luggage area with a number of passengers with d same problem. d trains staff was sooo f!!!ing rude i couldnt believe it! she was telling a passenger who was sitting on d floor of d luggage area to go away n not sit there cos it was blocking her way to reach other cabins! i was thinking 'then get us all seats u f!!!ing b!tch!' gosh this is sooooo f!!!ed up! after paying a shit load of $ for d 'premium' seats, i sat on d floor of d luggage compartment for d 2 hours journey.
obviously i wasnt too happy when i reached Berlin. i was so hoping to quickly meet our host at d station n head to his place so i can recover fr d horrid train ride. we waited. no1. we called. no answer. we sent an sms.... after 30 min, our kind host sent an sms n told us he cant host us anymore cos of work emergency n we shd go to a hostel. we didnt looked up any hostels previously cos he was telling us no problem staying with him. so we were there at d train station,tired, with no host, no internet access n no idea which area to go for hostel. managed to get d tourist centre to give us a list but still dunno where to start. we called our Hamburg host Seth for help. cos we remembered him saying he has a really gd friend who lives in Berlin who got him on CS(CouchSurfing). so we sat in McDonalds while trying to decide on d hostels & waiting for Seth to call us back.
after about 2 hours of sitting in McD, i walked around d huge train station trying to find internet access. when i got back to McD, Eve was saying Seth's friend Britta just came and is buying food! n that she says she will try to help us sort something out. by d time she got back fr buying food, she said she found a couch for us. we were totally impressed! but our host is working late n heading to her brother's housewarming party later so we should go to d party n meet him there. wow! from having no place to stay to being invited to a party! i was speechless!
we accepted d invite to d party. Britta was gonna get some much needed sleep before heading to d party. we decided to spend a little time walking around town n meet Britta when she heads to party.
so our 1st night in Berlin ended in spending a few hours in Hakersher Markt, eating an Asian dinner at a cheap Wok place, going to d party filled with tattoos, dreadlocks, alcohol & smoke, finally eating our accidental life-saver host, then heading home at 3am in d morning!
this is d most eventful day on this trip to date. what an experience!
so today we took it easy n just went to supermarket n spent some time walking ard city.
cant wait to see what else Berlin has to offer!
no photos today. next entry perhaps!
written by  wangyng on April 26, 2008 from Berlin, Germany

Berlin - need to go back again
Berlin, Germany
Berlin is huge n there's soooo much to see. ended up staying in d city 1 more night than we expected but still couldnt finish seeing what was offered.
we went to soooo many places... where do i start... hmm...
Tiergarten was d 1st place we went to. it is a huge garden with a huge memorial in d middle of d park.
Victory Memorial at Tier Garden
it's a pretty nice garden to juz sit around and have a pinic. we see some ppl playing frisbee as well. there was a big kid carnival there when we went so there were loads of families.
along 1 of d rivers
Brandenburger Tor at sunset
we walked thru d Tiergarten n head to Brandenburg Tor. we went there twice, once when there's still daylight, then we passed by it again around night fall. it looks really grand n magnificent when d lights come on.
Brandenburger Tor
the Holocaust War Memorial is really big. it has a gloomy n depressing feel especially during d evening when we were there. d shadows played a huge part in how it looks. walking thru d blocks, i cant help but feel solemn n low.
Holocaust
Holocaust again
we went to yet another depressing place, the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.
entrance to Sachsenhausen - Nazi's concerntration camp
it was HUUUUUGE this is actually not d real camp where d Jews were housed but build according to d exact model of d actual camp. there were jail cells, torture area, etc. there's also a number of memorials for d Jews. i didnt feel as strongly as i felt when i was at d Holocaust thou. maybe it was way too big and not as many things to see. so it was pretty tiring walking from 1 pt to another pt. we spent like 5-6 hours there, juz walking d grounds of d camp. it was sooooo tiring! after we left d camp, my host Johannes n I was soo tired we juz wanna go home. we took a different way back to d train station n it turned out to be d wrong way. we attempted to walk past d rail tracks. we were half way thru when an announcement comes from the station. Johannes turned n said "that means us". apparantly d announcement says something like "no trespassing on d railway tracks". it was kinda funny! so we had to turn back where we came from n walked a big detour to d station.
ok i need to talk about my host Johannes.
Johannes the pizzaman!
he is d kind soul who took us in after learning that we were stranded at d train station. he juz got back from a business trip then n was really tired but took us in anyway. without even looking at our profiles on CouchSurfing or knowing who we are. he turned out be a really humorous guy n loves to cook! he made pizza 1 night n pasta on another. yummy! chatting with him is a great pleasure cos u end up laughing all d time. we also watched a few movies together. o yes, he offered his place for 2 more nights than we planned. we stayed 1 more night than planned in d end.
ok i think i will stop here for now cos it's turning out to be an extremely long entry. more later...
written by  wangyng on April 29, 2008 from Berlin, Germany

more on Berlin
Berlin, Germany
continuing fr d last entry... more of Berlin.
moving on... we visited Checkpoint Charlie, where d entrance to US's territory from Germany and vice versa. there's this guy dressed in the military uniform near d checkpoint, he has all the 15 ORIGINAL stamps from d WWII. u can have all these stamps in your passport for 10 Euros or something near that amount. of cos i didnt get it! not many people got it cos it cost too much! i saw an American couple getting their passports stamped just before we left d checkpoint.
Checkpoint Charlie
officer at Checkpoint Charlie who can give u all 15 original stamps of the checkpoint for €10
a little further down d checkpoint, there's a long marking on d ground where d berlin wall used to be. it's running across d road fr each side of d pavement. it's hard to imagine how d wall affected d people of berlin...
marking of the Berlin Wall's location
of cos we passed by the huge square where the German Cathedral n d Concert Hall is. we didnt go in thou...
German Cathedral n concert hall
and of cos d Rathaus... we cant miss it! it's huge and very RED!
Rathaus in Berlin
Berliner Dom is next! we didnt actually had plans to go inside this church for a look. but it looked soooo grand outside n d photos looked really good, we decided to go in. it was a good thing we did cos it was really beautiful inside! it feels like a palace!
Berliner Dom
ceiling of Berliner Dom
it was HUGE as well! i was just in awe half d time inside (d other half, i was busy being a tourist - taking photos!!). we also went up to almost d top of d domwhere we get a good view of d city. if any1 is going to berlin, i really recommend this church. really worth paying for!
altar of Berliner Dom
view from top of Berliner Dom
then there is this Fernsehturm, d highest building in berlin. my host johannes keeps saying it's d talest building in the world. i think he was being sarcastic... or not???
Fernsehturm - d highest building in Berlin (not very tall at all!)
d Topography of Terror is another place dat's really depressing. it is a really long stretch of exhibits of Secret Services/Police n d victims n how they were treated, etc. very effective to make u feel upset n uncomfortable there.
Topography of Terror
Reichstag - the parliment building
on 1 of d nights, we visited d Parliment House Reichstag. there's a glass dom on d rooftop where d public can visit for free.
Reichstag roof - view fr right outside the glass rooftop
there's of cos strict security at d entrance. every1 had to empty their pockets n go thru a metal detector, like at d airport. but d view on d top was really nice, no wonder it's 1 of d most visited parliment house in d world.
inside view of Reichstag - parliment building
we cant leave Berlin without visiting East Side Gallery of cos.
East Side Gallery - me vandalising!
d longest stretch of d old berlin wall, it has since become a long stretch of wall paintings of various artists. visitors left their views/messages on d walls as well. of cos i couldnt give up d opportunity to vandalise legally!
so that mark d ending of our berlin visit! there's just soo much more to see. d clash of past n present, u can really feel it here! amazing!
our farewell breakfast for Johannes
so as a big thank you to our kind host for letting us stayed more nights than we planned, we got up really early on d morning we are to leave n cooked him a nice breakfast. he was really happy cos he loves french toast!! really need to thank him for taking us in d very last minute n spending so much time with us (we even visited him in his office n had long coffee breaks! good thing he is his own boss!)
so here's to future visits to Berlin!! n to our new found friendship!!
toast to us all!
written by  wangyng on April 29, 2008 from Berlin, Germany

Dresden - a stop in Germany before Czech
Dresden, Germany
i'm getting really lazy to write entries on d blog so i will probably be putting more photos than words here..
Dresden is a 3-4 hour quick stop before we head to Czech Republic. it's a beautiful little town that everyone says we should absolutely stop by... so we did... it is indeed a beautiful small town... d kind i like cos it's so small n u can reach everywhere by walking... so am gonna let d pictures speak...
fields of flowers - taken on train
Dandelion - i cant believe i took this! postcard quality!
Frauenkirche from afar
Frauenkirche - rebuilt after destruction in WW II
Fu¨rstenzug (Procession of The Dukes) - important people for Dresden
The Hofkirche - yet another church i saw
The Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden - it should look even better at night!
Zwinger Palace
houses along the river - taken during train ride, near Czech border
written by  wangyng on April 30, 2008 from Dresden, Germany

Prague - beautiful city, unhappy people
Prague, Czech Republic
National Museum in Prague
my stay in Prague wasnt d most beautiful 1 but definitely memorable. as much as d city is really beautiful, d people seems to b very unhappy n dissatisfied... they dont seem to like tourists or juz any1 who doesnt speak czech.
we didnt find a host here too so we went to a hostel. it was d 1st time we went to a hostel for this trip n it was such a bad experience! this dated back in Berlin. they called n told me d hostel is overbooked and i cant have a room for 4 nights as per my CONFIRMED BOOKING email says. johannes was with me when that happened n he said that is not my problem. so he helped me speak w d hostel n then called up the booking center (a different site) n made a complaint. the booking center managed to confirmed my booking. when we were checking in, a guest at the hostel told us all his money n valuables were stolen from his room. on the 2nd night, i was back from sightseeing and went back to my room. i was shocked to see the room now has 4 beds (instead of 2) and all our belongings were no longer there. we went to the reception to ask about it and d staff says we need to change our room. i was upset n say why didnt anyone tell us. d staff said someone tried to contact us but we were not contactable. this is an absolutely lie cos we only left the hostel at 12pm, and they have my phone number from the booking form. d staff then said he just started his shift n know nothing about it n brought us to our 'new room'. our stuff were all over d room, things throw in whatever bags n bundled together. this is absolutely repulsive as i had stayed in many hostels and never had any experience like such! i had to worry about whether my stuff will go missing from this room again everyday i am there. and every morning, we hear some1 complaining about missing stuff. very very unsafe hostel and the management has no respect for the guest's property n privacy. i will never go back to this hostel n i urge everyone not to go there if u have a choice... hostel name is Sokolska Youth Hostel in Prague.
great experience so far isnt it... d city was definitely a hot tourist spot cos i think i saw more tour groups here than all d other cities combined! from all over d world!!! u cant get any photos WITHOUT any tour groups in them. let's put it this way, u r lucky to be able to move from 1 sight to another! Charles Bridge has soooooo many people dat we were stuck in 1 spot for 20min... i worry for my safety on d bridge. it is sooo packed, i dunno if d old bridge can take it. but thank goodness for d good old QUALITY of ancient builders, it stands strong n firm of cos! but i got really tired easily fr trying to get fr 1 pt to another pushing thru d crowd n queuing for entrance... it was really crazy!!! juz see 4 urselves...
Powder Tower
Stare´ Me?sto - main square in Prague where EVERYTHING is!
the Jews' High Synagogue
at the entrance of the Jewish Cemetery - crowded
St Vitus Cathedral
The Astronomical Clock at Stare´ Me?sto
a HUGE crowd waiting to see d Astronomical Clock chime at the hour
Charles Bridge - still F***ING crowded!
on Charles Bridge - it was F***ING crowded!!!
i took part in the Free Hug Campaign in Prague!!!
but there is some good thing of cos... at d square, there's some people doing d free hugs campaign. these people comes from all over europe. of cos we have to be part of such a meaningful project!
czech is also known for its honey cake. i understand it totally cos it is absolutely delicious!!!
Honey Cake - a famous cake in Czech Republic
just looking at d photo makes me drool.... yummmmmmm...
The Prague Castle
of cos d prague castle is another big spot u have to go. b4 goin to d castle, i saw many postcards of d Golden Lane in d castle. building in d lane looks soooo nice n colorful n picture perfect! i was really looking forward to that. but... of cos i could never get d perfect picture as in d postcards.. cos there were... yes u guessed it... lotsa tour groups again!
changing of guards at Prague Castle
overcrowded Golden Lane in the Prague Castle
Rotunda of St. Martin at Vys?ehrad - a little chaple/church
we went to Vysehrad. it is a very nice area every visitor should go. it's free n u get a really nice view of d city. we juz sat there for an hour or so i think, enjoying d view n peace (no tour groups there!) it's a piece of heaven!!! ok i am exaggerating but after 4 days of squeezing thru ppl trying to get to places, it really is nice to not have to push or be pushed! it is a nice end for our stay here.
view fr a stone window in Vys?ehrad
view of Prague from Vys?ehrad
the Vltava River - taken from Vys?ehrad lookout
at The Vys?ehrad cemetery
sunset in Prague
written by  wangyng on May 3, 2008 from Prague, Czech Republic

Plzen - student town
Plzen, Czech Republic
i need to talk about d bus.. we so arrived in style to Plzen... NOT!
our bus to Plzen &^@%@&(
we were at d bus station, waiting for our bus while looking at all other buses, thinking "maybe ours will be like that new 1, or that 1 over there with Wifi! dat'll be so cool!" then when our ride came, our jaws dropped! it really dropped!! it was this old bus that looked like it belongs to d 80s in Singapore! not d most comfortable or nicest smells! but we made it!
Plzen is pretty much a small student town. so things are not so expensive compared to Prague. our host Miguel is a Young medicine student from Portugal. correction... our host is a cheeky smart alec who has d answer to everything! it was fun thou to see eve n him squabbling over d littlest things! we also attended 1 class with Mig. d lecturer was kind enough to let us sit in... althou i suspect his intention was to make fun of us by asking us questions on acute appendicitis (d topic of lecture that day)...
Mig made dinner - steaks
mig n us each cooked a meal for each other. no i didnt make curry this time cos it was really making me sick! i cooked stirfry veggies with oyster sauce n beef slices n steam egg. a nice n simple meal. mig loves d egg so much he insisted i gave him d recipe... which are juz eggs n water n some salt to taste....
our dinner for Mig - soup & stir fry vege with beef
Velka´ Synagoga
d Synagogue n d memorial left d deepest impression i guess. d memorial has loads of Stones. each Stone has d name of 1 victim of d Jewish massacre. it was a lot!
stones with names at Old Synagogue
memorial at Old Synagogue
we only stayed 2 nights but it was really fun n i really enjoyed d stay n Mig's bringing us around. he invited us to go to Portugal as well. so now i have a definitely place to stay in Portugal! yeah!!
nicely painted benches at a park near where we stay
sunset from Sky Cafe
u get drinking water from the springs in the mountain here
Town Hall
Plague memorial at town square
The West Bohemian Museum
a gate at St Bartholomew
St Bartholomew Church
inside St Bartholomew
view from top of St Bartholomew
our last meal in Plzen - pork knuckle & ribs! yum!!!!!
written by  wangyng on May 6, 2008 from Plzen, Czech Republic

Brloh & Ceske Krumlov
Brloh, Czech Republic
on the bus to Brloh
Brloh is a very small village about 45min bus ride away fr Ceske Krumlov, which is where we wanted to stay initially. but cos there's no host from Krumlov who actually respond to our requests, we decided to go with brloh. besides, how often do u get to stay in a village in d mountains... just d bus ride to d village gives u magnificent n panorama views!!
nice landscape - on way to Brloh
nice view from bus to Brloh
frank, our host stayed with his parents (retired), who are very open-minded, generous and warm people. d parents only speaks czech so it was impossible to really speak with them much. we managed however, to 'chat' with mum pointing n lots of actions. it was quite fun actually!
breakfast by Frank's mum
mum is a typically stay home mum who cooks n look after d family. d whole time we were there, mum was always baking or preparing food. so we had home cooked food n freshly baked desserts all d time!
Cesky Krumlov - another view fr tower
o yes, we went to Ceske Krumlov for a day trip. it is a very small town, very beautiful like Prague, but not nearly as much tourist as Prague. we did d usuals, went to d castle, went up a tall tower to get a 360 view of d town, walked thru d long stretch of souvenir shops, n had a really good lunch!
The Castle
The Castle tower - nice colors!
Ceske Krumlov - view fr castle tower
partial view of river fr castle tower
Church of St. Jos?t at d Castle
i want windows grill like these too!!
castle garden
d chef cooking my order
big lunch in a restaurant in d castle garden
Frank & dad with me
our last full day in brloh, we did d mountain trek around the area. frank n parents will drive out n go trekking furtherer away fr d village. they showed us d starting point for d trek/walk. it is pretty simple, we just need to follow d sign.
just follow the sign!
start of trekking route
it was not a difficult except for 1 hill that was really steep. i think it's a 45-degree slope! but besides that, it is not too difficult n we get really nice views all d time.
great view here!
peace!
resting for lunch
remains of monastery
it was really difficult to leave this time cos i had such a great time here. d sceneries but mainly d people. frank n his parents r really d nicest people. we also met frank's neighbor who is 2m tall (darn should have taken a photo)!! he is also a very nice person to hang out n chat with. i felt like crying when i left Brloh. this was d most drama moment for me on d trip so far! but being traveller, saying goodbyes r usual so i juz had to go n be thankful that i had a great time here, n maybe secretly wish/plan to be back again someday...
written by  wangyng on May 8, 2008 from Brloh, Czech Republic

Vienna - a heaven for opera fans
Vienna, Austria
Vienna feels like Berlin, very big with lotsa sights but more leaning towards classical music n opera than history like Berlin. u really feel it in d air! it's like so many people walking d streets holding some kind of string instruments: violin, viola, cello, etc. u cant not feel d culture here. here's pictures:
Hofburg - 1 of d buildings
Maria Theresia Statue in Maria Theresia Platz
Karlskirche
Museum of Fine Arts
we wanted to see d Vienna choir boys. we were told that they will sing durin d sunday church service, so we went but we see no choir boys. it was some middle-aged guys, who were probably former members of d choir. it was a bit of a bummer but o well....
Rathaus from afar - this view is nicest cos drest of d buildings have maintanence work goin on
another sunset taken from train on the way to Vienna
Burgtheatre exterior
inside Burgtheatre
a hall inside Burgtheatre
typical Austrian dumplings with meat/bacon fillings
there's some realy nice food here as well! they have dumplings with fillings. kinda like our chinese dumplings but made with flour n not rice. n d my host Daniel brought us to this restaurant that serves a huge portion of Wiener Schnitzel.
HUGE portion of Wiener Schnitzel - kinda like our chicken cutlet
it was such a huge serving, i ate only half of it n brought d other half home for lunch d next day!
i'll juz let d pictures talk as usual for d rest of d trip in Vienna.
inside Museums Quartier
cloudy day in Vienna
Sisi Museum (part of d building)
collections of plates inside Sisi Museum/Silver Collection
Scho¨nbrunn Palace
at a fountain in Scho¨nbrunn Palace Park
Walking up to Glorietta - its top is juz above d horizon
Glorietta - inside Scho¨nbrunn Palace
Vienna - view fr Leopoldsberg
Vienna at night - view fr Leopoldsberg
Stephens Dom - it is actually waaaaay bigger than it looks in d photo
Upper Belvedere - the huge building is used as exhibution hall
looking towards Lower Belvedere from Upper Belvedere
Holocaust in Vienna
Holocaust closeup
written by  wangyng on May 12, 2008 from Vienna, Austria

Salzburg - Mozart everywhere!!
Salzburg, Austria
on way to Salzburg from Vienna - can feel the Sound of Music already!
Salzburg - a little town flooded with tourists (but not as flooded as Prague is, that was overflowing!!) mostly cos of 2 things: 1) as d birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (if u dont know who he is, do an online search!); 2) where "Sound Of Music" was shot.
1 of d many Mozart memorials - this 1 is along the way to the lookout
if u didnt knew that b4 going there, dont worry, u will know it once u reached. there's so many statues/pictures of Mozart that his image is now implanted in my mind permanently! everything seems to be related to Mozart. u even see an image of Mozart holding chocolates. Mozart selling chocolate!?????? my guess is he might not be too happy about it...
an old tree in Mirabell Gardens
fountain in Mirabell Gardens - where DoReMi was sung in Sound Of Music
same as d locations for "Sound Of Music". there's soooo many different companies running tours to all d locations with detailed explanation of which scene was shot where. u probably would know if u are a big fan of d film. u can see some examples in here.
another location seen in Sound of Music
d d locations looks nicer in d film i thought. but of cos coming fr this industry, they must have done a lot to make sure d place looks even better than it already did, with perfect lightings and all. maybe also cos when d film was shot, there wasnt as much tourists going to these places... but still, it was nice.
LinzerGasse - streets full of elaborated shop signs
besides that, there's a shopping street with lots of elaborated shop signposts. some of them r very impressive i must say!
view of Festung Hohensalzburg Castle from the city
and of cos a castle, Festung Hohensalzburg. i've been to a number of castles or fotresses now but somehow i never got sick of them! maybe i will by d end of d trip... who knows...
we couldnt find a host here so we cut short our stay here n went to a hostel. after d Prague experience, we didnt really have confidence in hostels so decide to juz spend a night. but this 1 proves to be clean n safe. the hostel played "Sound Of Music" in d common room throughout d day. so if u r really bored or really LOVE d film, u know where to go.
we met a nice korean gal who is a fellow couchsurfer. she couldnt find a host here as well so came to d hostel too. we spent a long time talking about our CS experiences n only went to bed when we almost woke d whole room up (they were all her friends thank goodness). she left early in d morning but we are sure we will see each other on CS!
i always liked small towns cos it feels more cosy n intimate n less populated/crowded. but somehow i dont feel as much for this town than Bremen or Brugges. it is still a beautiful small town nevertheless so here's photos to prove it.
Mozarthaus - meaning Mozart's House
Petersfriedhof or St Peters Cemetary
walking up to lookout
Salzburg city fromt he lookout
Festung Hohensalzburg Castle tower/entrance
city of Salzburg with Salzach river
view from highest pointt in Festung Hohensalzburg Castle, see the mountains n d alps behind the mountains!
written by  wangyng on May 14, 2008 from Salzburg, Austria

Munich greeted us with free beer!
Munich, Germany
it was a pretty amazing 1st day in Munich!
FC Bayern (they r fr Munich) won d national football. so they r giving out free beers in d city centre.
written by  wangyng on May 17, 2008 from Munich, Germany

Neuschwanstine - fantasy castle
Fussen, Germany
visited d castle that inspired Cinderella's castle. it was awesome! so huge n beautiful! d interior is just as grand! every single wall in d castle is a painting! no wall is bare! each room has a opera story. unbelievable! Ludwig II is a definite romantic for sure!
written by  wangyng on May 19, 2008 from Fussen, Germany

Titisee Lake
Titisee, Germany
view of black forest fr Titisee
went to see d famous Titisee lake today. it's abt 40min train from Freiburg.
we spent 1hr on pedal boat. we can see d black forest from there. it is nice! great weather! beautiful place! another perfect day trip!
pedal boats at Titisee
shop selling load of cucoo clocks - they get annoying after a while
o... went to a shop that sells cuckoo clocks and grandfather clocks. d cuckoo clocks was annoying me after a while... especially when u have 100 of them going off 1 after another! they gave me a headache! i like the grandfather clocks, the modern ones look absolutely charming!
didnt do much else except go check out souvenirs shops. it's a trap!!! bought so much souvenirs! in d end i decided to stop going into them... in case i bought more.
that night, we met up with our host Insa n her friends. they brought us to a football Field. it was pitch dark as the Field has no lighting at all. there were groups of people sitting around campfires they built. it was nice lying on d grass, near a fire in the open air in the cold weather, under the stars...
roaring fire build by insa's friends at a football field somewhere
this is d last night in Freiburg, and in Germany. tomorrow, me n eve will part. she's heading to Spain and i'm heading to Switzerland for 2 weeks! more alps! cant wait!
written by  wangyng on May 23, 2008 from Titisee, Germany

zermatt - too windy!
Zermatt, Switzerland
me n kat went to Zermatt today. n i found out Eurail is absolutely useless in Switzerland! i had to pay so much for all d private mountain rail lines and have NO discount for d cable cars!! if any1 is travelling, please buy a Swiss Pass instead. it cost d same price n covers these mountain rail lines or u get a bigger discount than Eurail gets! and u definitely get discounts on mountain cable cars!
i had to pay full price for d cable which only went midway to Klein Matterhorn! cos it was way too windy for d cable to be safe, they closed d section to d top! i am sooo annoyed! crap crap CRAP!!!
only got halfway to the mountain. the cable ride itself was a horror movie! we were packed into this cable car jammed packed with ... a BIG Thai tour group!! there were like 50 of them! d vehicle was soooo fucking packed we cant even bend our elbows!! we were so afraid that the cable car will not hold out and fall!!! plus all the Thais talking at d same time! gave us a HUGE headache!!!!!! that 20mins feels like forever!!!!! when we had to change to another cable car for the next section, we pass on the one with the Thais. we rather wait 30min for the next one.... yes it was THAT bad!!
in cable car from Zermatt to Trockener Steg - midway up Klein Matterhorn
it was still freezing when we got there. the snow is starting to melt and it's no longer ski season. there's bits of snow here n there. it was windy n drizzling too! we could hardly keep our eyes open in the outdoor! half the time, we were in the cafe and the other half, running out n in of the cafe to take photos.
it was freezing cold cos of d stong wind!
view fr lookout at Trockener Steg
not a very exciting day for us at all. disappointing to say the least...
on way bak fr Zermatt - 1 of d many Swiss lakes
sunset - on way to Bern fr Zermatt
alright, i think i will head to Innsbruck to ski n not Switzerland. it definitely cost less!
written by  wangyng on May 26, 2008 from Zermatt, Switzerland

met a nice old lady in Montreux
Montreux, Switzerland
went to Montreux today for a day trip. didnt get to do much cos i woke up late (like what's new right?!) n got there late. did d tour in Chateau de Chillon (d famous castle in on Lake Geneva), d castle, went on a 1.5hrs cruise, saw d Freddy Mercury statue...
i met a nice old lady while waiting for d ferry/cruise. she was juz sitting on a bench at d jetty waiting for her friend, n i was waiting for d next ferry back to d city. she started talking to me about d past n future... she asked "is our future in front of us or behind us?" "are we going into d future or leaving it behind us?" deep questions i muz say... but it was nice to hear her stories n views on that...
was actually going to take juz a short 15 min ferry ride.. but d nx ferry comes in 1.5 hrs... n i can take d cruise ard Lake Geneva n be in d city in d same time... so i went on it (also cos i get on for free!)... it was really cloudy n foggy today so i cant really see much on d lake... all i know was d lake is fucking HUGE! n after a while... having been on other lakes, d sceneries started looking d same.. or not as nice as before (probably thanks to d fact dat i only see thick fog!)... anyway, managed to take a short nap on d cruise... o, i think i saw France fr d cruise too... since d lake is right at d border of Switzerland n France....
i got back around 9 n my host Kelvin has another couchsurfer Sean staying d night. dinner was still being cooked in d oven so we had a late dinner together. Sean was teaching Kelvin d guitar n they were singing when i got back... nice to come back to such an nice cosy atmosphere...
i shall see Geneva tomorrow... o yes, d Euro 2008 starts tomorrow too.. it will be d beginning on a noisy 2 weeks...
written by  wangyng on June 6, 2008 from Montreux, Switzerland

Football Fever begins!!! in Switzerland
Geneva, Switzerland
today, EURO 2008 begins! host countries Switzerland n Austria are infested with football fans from all over Europe. i can say that cos i witnessed it in Geneva. d 2nd match of d season is played here in Geneva, Turkey vs Portugal. since d aftn, there's supporters from both teams roaming d streets in respective t-shirts/flags. cars were honking at other supporters of d same team or against supporters of d other team.... i dont really know cos they were just honking all d time... many were holding horns n sounding it every other minute. some fans just started singing their national/team anthem on d streets. u can really feel d craze n d fanatic behavior... so loud, so enthusiastic, so rowdy, so high-spirited, so aggressive, so friendly, but for me... mostly annoyance... it was soo difficult walking thru d old city with all these fans trying to outdo each other in singing, clothes, horning, n all that stuff... d old town feel was lost amongst these rowdiness. although nice, i cant really enjoy d old town with such commotions hitting me everywhere i walked... such a pity..
tomorrow i head to d much anticipated France. i can only hope d weather will be good... fingers crossed!
written by  wangyng on June 7, 2008 from Geneva, Switzerland

music appreciation n age
Luynes, France
went to a live band performance with our host's homestay exchange student. he is a 17-yr-old thai (still a kid!) and his friends here are playing in the band. he asked if we are interested to go see his friends' band n we said yes.
it was held at this little pub in Aix-en-Provence. d band wasnt a good band to my standard. d drummer was always in his own world n not with d band n d singer doesnt sing very well. they seem to have d "i play in a band so i am cool" attitude. Youngsters... that seem so far away to me. hahah... all d Young kids there seem to think d band is good n had great fun. i m beginning to think that as u get older, u have higher expectations for live music... or just music in general. u dont enjoy just loud music n u learn to appreciate good musicians a lot better... gosh i'm definitely getting old!!
d thai kid had 1 pint of beer. he got a headache from that, couldnt walk straight (but insist he is fine) n later passed out during d ride home (our host came to pick us up). it was quite funny but cute! reminds me of my 1st few drinking experiences. i wasnt as bad as to passed out but i turned red pretty quickly n had allergies reactions all over my body d next day! ahhhhh youth! how far away that seems from me!
written by  wangyng on June 10, 2008 from Luynes, France

Lyon has realy nice night views!
Lyon, France
our host Cyril brought us to watch d EURO2008 in a pub/bar. it's an important match between Netherlands n France. France was beaten flat (4-1)!!! as u guessed, Cyril wasnt too happy with d match or d result! but he still brought us out to another pub. anyone can pick out music from their vinyl collections n play it. it was pretty cool!
o yes, we saw some really nice night views during d drive! it was pretty unexpected! d city looks really different when it's lighted. i cant describe it in words. i am guessing this is juz an appetizer for night sceneries... Paris will be even better i heard!! looking forward to Paris!
written by  wangyng on June 13, 2008 from Lyon, France

my host in Paris ...
Paris, France
... is almost a 'lao beng'!! he is 38 years old n only listens to electronic euro dance music (which in singapore is referred to as euro trash music)! he loves MTV (still) is very happy with anything MTV (i m really surprised by this to be honest)! all that is lacking is modifications in his car n he would be a perfect 'lao beng'!! ---LOL--- i think only d true singaporeans would understand me in this one!!
written by  wangyng on June 17, 2008 from Paris, France

Wicked is absolutely WICKED!!!
i watched a musical in london for d 1st time... it was really really tough to choose which to watch! i finally decided on 'Wicked'. it tells d story of how d wicked witch of d west (in Wizard of Oz) became d wicked witch. it was great! d set, d actors, d singing, d music, d story, d pace, d humor... absolute entertainment!! there was a standing ovation at d end of d performance too! absolutely wicked performance n i totally love it!!!! i have no other words to describe it! if this ever goes to singapore, i will watch it again!!! and again and AGAIN!!!
written by  wangyng on June 21, 2008 from London, United Kingdom

Innsbruck - surrounded by alps!
Innsbruck, Austria
on our way to Innsbruck fr Salzburg
everywhere u turn, u see the Austrian alps, that's Innsbruck! it was simply amazing to see these huge mountains, the top half covered with snow... cant imagine how beautiful they will look during winter! i think i need to make a trip here during winter!!
anyway, our host, or hosts i should say... are 5 uni students (most of them major in Physics). and get this... none of them are Austrian! they are all from the south of Germany (Bavaria area). they are all into sports like skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing and stuff like that. the guy who accepted to host us is actually a model for ski products... meaning he skis really really well! some of the works he showed me had him doing ski jumps n going down some really steep slopes with lotsa stones... made me wish i can ski. oh oh... i have to mention, the balcony view of their place is AMAZING! u can see the alps.. imagine waking up to that everyday...
taken from our host's balcony - imagine waking up to this every morning
main street in Innsbruck city
the city centre is really small, so we pretty much found our way around easily. there isnt very much to see in town actually. most of d visitors are usually here for the skiing, since there's a glacier that offers year round skiing. i didnt do it though... thought i might do that when i get to Switzerland. d only thing i remembered we saw in d city centre is the Golden Roof.
the famous Golden Roof
alps n river!
we went up to a mountain nearby, Seegrube-Nordkette. there's a Gondola that takes us up to mid point of the mountain, then if we wanna go to the top, we need to take a cable car. u can also ski here during ski season. we spent some time looking for d Gondola station. by d time we found it, it was pretty late. so we just headed up to as far as d Gondola goes, then sat down, had a drink n enjoy d nice view. d walk down d mountain wasnt that enjoyable thou! it took us 1.5 -2 hrs... longer than expected. but there's nice houses n dandelions along d way to keep me occupied... so it was alright... hahaha...
the Gondola that takes us to the cable station to Seegrube
Innsbruck city from mid-point to Seegrube (1 of d mountains nearby)
sparkling words near the Swarovski Crystal World
d other thing that Innsbruck is known for is probably Swarovski Crystal World. it's kinda like a crystal museum.
at entrance of Swarovski Crystal World
when i entered the museum, it was like sparkling everywhere!! crystals everywhere, big n small, from the entrance area, to the toilets (yes the toilets too!!). i know i m not d sort who go gaga over stones but i really felt like a kid in there! there's d world's largest & smallest gem stone in the world, paintings & sculptures accessories with crystals, clothes... n a lot of other stuffs. it was pretty WOW for me...
largest jewellery stone in d world
lights - taken inside a dom at Swarovski Crystal World
i had a really good time here... d boys were really cool! we had a BBQ on d balcony with their friends n chatted for so long!! they actually reminds me of my uni days... gosh i missed that!!
Flo me Jogy in front of their May tree
so far Austria has left me good memories... and i love d train system!! it's sooo efficient n comfortable too! u never have to worry about not having a seat on d train! d best i've encountered so far! i have a feeling i will be back here...
written by  wangyng on May 16, 2008 from Innsbruck, Austria

Munich - football & free beer!
Munich, Germany
didn't do very much in Munich itself. i came here actually cos i wanna see the Cinderella castle - or rather the castle that inspired the Disney's Cinderella castle. but of cos Munich is a pretty city. with lostsa nice buildings/architect n all. and of cos, d beer culture here is ENORMOUS! so here's the highlights...
Marienplatz
Theatinerkirche
this is the main square of the city. the Rathaus, old churches n other important buildings surrounds the square. d day we were there, there was a huge football event here. it was the grand finals of d national football championship or something like that. the Munich football team (FC Bayern) won the championship n will be making an appearance at the platz later in d day. oh did i mention before Germans are HUGE football fans!? i really mean like fanatics!
townhall at Marienplatz - crowded cos of some football event
so with d national championship winner making an appearance in their home city, of cos d WHOLE of Munich are there to show their support! walkways were being closed for the event, there's fans n media n OB vans all around. so it was really really crowded!
our host Antonio n 2 of his friends met us for dinner. as we were going to get a drink somewhere else, we chance upon Paulaner booths. they were giving out free beers to celebrate FC Bayern winning the national championship. needless to say, there were loads of people there queuing for beers! d most impressive part is, there's no pushing or shoving or any aggressive behaviors at all during the queuing! although there's a number of drunks after like 1-2 hours. but still, no fights or things like that.
policemen making a formation at the area where free beers are given out
o yes, we saw 4 policemen hanging out at d area where d beers were given out. they were doing some kind of formation, a square with their back so they were facing out. they were standing there for a while so i thought i'll take a photo of them. d policeman facing us saw me holding d camera and actually smiled for the photo!! it was hilarious to see these guys looking so serious in their uniform n all, then suddenly smiling for d photo!
Schloss Nymphenburg
Nymphenburg
also know as Nymphenburg Palace in english. again, another huge beautifully made up palace! very pretty decoratives both in and outside the buildings. the buildings are now used as museum/exhibition halls since they are no longer occupied. the garden is really big! or long i should say! just look at d photo!
Nymphenburg garden
Englischer Garten
also known as English Garden. so many people we met earlier on told us we MUST see d English Garden when we go to Munich. so we did. it's d 2nd biggest city park in Europe (after Richmond Park in London) covering 3.7km². it's really really nice to be walking in d park. it was all peaceful n quiet (least when we were there!), no sounds of traffic, just birds' chirping n sound of running waters... d busy city life just disappear into the tranquility of the huge garden. we didn't managed to have a picnic here (cos d grass was still wet fr d rain earlier) but we had coffee in d really nice cafe restaurant near d Chinesischer Turm.
Chinesischer Turm with beer garden in Englischer Garten - the 2nd biggest garden in Europe
it's a really posh place, very elegantly decorated with nice furnitures n beautiful statues. we didn't stay in d garden for too long as d sky was pretty cloudy but it was enough to see d beautiful garden...
near English Garden - cant remember d name
The Ko¨nigsplatz
and there's The Königsplatz, with The Glyptothek and The Staatliche Antikensammlungen on each side. beautiful n grand historic buildings.
the Glyptothek
The Staatliche Antikensammlungen fr across the Glyptothek
well, how can i leave Munich without the infamous big mug of beer!
having a 1 litre radler (beer & sprite/7up) at a beerhouse
written by  wangyng on May 20, 2008 from Munich, Germany

Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen/Spiez
Interlaken, Switzerland
on d way to Interlaken - Lake Thun
it's another Mountain today. we had better luck today. it was partially cloudy and there wasnt much rain, just a bit of drizzle here n there.
in Interlaken
we head to Lauterbrunnen, it was the nearest and we wanted to see Waterfalls. the first Waterfall we saw is Staubbach Falls. it was near the edge of the town so we could reach by foot. the falls drop 288m down the Cliff and is made up of about 30 falls (i think??).
Staubbach Falls from afar
Staubbach Falls - getting closer!
we could actually walk up to a lookout kinda place under the fall.
way up to Staubbach Falls
it's a pretty steep n rocky slope... but not as steep as the slope in Brloh of cos!! wasnt too difficult to get there.
when we finally got there, the water actually stops, dont know why. took lotsa photo there. saw a rainbow at the bottom of the Waterfalls too!
written by  wangyng on May 27, 2008 from Interlaken, Switzerland

Waiting for the rain to stop

Special menu for the day

Nice Cappacino!

YUMMY Burger!! (& salad!)

Bangkok Burger Place, I like!

Supper drink: Tequila Sunrise

Thai Dinner!

Hawkers by Kalim Beach, the BBQ chicken wings were good!!

Sunset @ Kalim Beach II

Sunset @ Kalim Beach I

So happy to see this cafe!!

Thai Spring Roll!

PhadThai in a homely style thai restaurant

Sign by the stretch of bars... Well... booze is quite cheap I must say

100 Baht Mojito from the VW Bar! The taste ain't bad I must say!

Sunset @ Patong Beach II

Sunset @ Patong Beach I

Waiting for Sunset @ Patong Beach

Chocolate & Banana Pancake, Phuket style crepe

Hawker making my order of pancake

Getting ready for foot massage! YAY!

Reminds me of a restaurant I saw in Europe

A little cafe in Hard Rock Hotel Phuket

Weather check, showers through the day

I love the Buddha painting with the frame but it is not for sale :(

I like this street! I had very good lunch and massage here + the art shop!

So many paintings of movies

grilled meat/seafood anyone?

The cables looks like a real Hazard!

Patong Beach... too commercialized!

Nice pool @ the hotel I stayed in - Bamboo Beach Hotel & Spa

Got upgraded to Deluxe cos they were fully booked

kitchen @ Pondok Keladi

breakfast - yummy mee rebus and teh halia from a street side food stall

the little crab that was migrating fom one small pond to another outside my room.

inside my room - dressing table & cupboard

inside my room - bed & bathroom

sunset at Pantai Tengah 5 - okok i am obsessed with sunset! but the colours are sooo pretty!!!

sunset at Pantai Tengah 4 - i REALLY love the sunset!!

sunset at Pantai Tengah 3 - yes i love sunset!

Last dinner on this trip

the island is named after this animal!

how i missed BR!!!!

Tanjung Rhu beach, the cleanest beach on the main island

steps to reach the swimming area at Temurun Waterfall

Temurun Waterfall - local kids having a swell time!

Temurun Waterfall

my ride in Langkawi!! cool huh!?

this is 1 yummy cheese cake!!!!

i feel so tiny!! hahah...

waterfall vs me!

the waterfall @ Seven Wells!

walking to d waterfall @ Seven Wells

lovely dinner at an italian restaurant nearby Pondok

sunset at Pantai Tengah 2

sunset at Pantai Tengah

Grand Entrance!

Small village road leading to Pondok

right outside my room

That's the little block of rooms

Common Area @ Pondok Keladi, the guesthouse I stayed in

That's the plane flying me to Langkawi!

Sunset - Tengah Beach

sculpture in Lourve - The Aphrodite of Milos

sculpture in Lourve - The Winged Victory of Samothrace

sculpture - Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss

beautiful Paris night scene

Notre-Dame de Paris by night

Shakesphere & Company bookstore

La Seine from top of Effiel Tower

at the top of Effiel Tower

skulls n bones inside Catatombs of Paris

monument inside Catatombs of Paris

The Arc de Triomphe, near Champs-Élysées

sparkling Effiel Tower

Effiel Tower by night

Effiel Tower, taken near Lourve Museum

sunset taken outside Lourve Museum

The Palais Garnier aka Paris Opera House

taken from outside Lourve Museum

THE Moulin Rouge!

inside Cafe des 2 Moulins (the cafe in 'Amelie')

at The Basilica of the Sacre´ Cœur, Montmarte

madame croque at Cafe des 2 Moulins

nice little cafe

Notre-Dame de Paris

The Staatliche Antikensammlungen fr across the Glyptothek

the Glyptothek

The Ko¨nigsplatz

Place Bellecour

pretty street lamp

statue of boy playing flute in d garden of Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon

Lyon Town Hall

Pride Parade in Lyon

Fontaine Bartholdi at Place des Terreaux by Fre´de´ric Bartholdi (Statue of Liberty)

Sao^ne River from Pont La Feuille´e

museum miniture

looks familiar?? Spartan helmet from movie "300"

papercut silouettes - cut by scissors!

minature kitchen in 17th century

Musee des Minitures - chairs

mock up set of movie "Das Perfum"

Lyon at night

seats at The Roman-era Theatre on the Fourvie`re Hill

The Roman-era Theatre on the Fourvie`re hill

view of Lyon fr Notre-Dame de Fourvie`re

Notre-Dame de Fourvie`re interior ceiling

Notre-Dame de Fourvie`re artwork

Notre-Dame de Fourvie`re art

Notre-Dame de Fourvie`re, statue of Joseph n infant jesus

Notre-Dame de Fourvie`re Basilica inside

Notre-Dame de Fourvie`re Basilica

Saint-Jean Cathedral interior

Saint-Jean Cathedral inside

Vieux-Port in Marsielle at night

Le Palais des Papes

le Rocher des Doms

Pont St-Benezet

Philippe le Bel Tower, that's lavender in d foreground

randon art in Avignon

the city walls of Avignon

Museum Calvet in Avignon

most famous fountain Espe´luque fountain

Palais de Longchamp - closer look

a statue at Palais de Longchamp

view fr upper level of Palais de Longchamp

Palais de Longchamp

statue to remind visitors at Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

view from Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

memorial tablets at Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

rm full of candles at Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

huge stature of virgin n child at Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

d long walk to Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, view from train station

Marseille St Charles train station

Jean Pierre & Boon enjoying our dinner

La Rotonde fountain at Aix-en-Provence

Cezanne, French artist born in Aix-en-Provence

a statue in 1 of d gardens in Aix-en-Provence, he looks like he has a headache from d balcony on its head.

the old Roman Baths.. or what's left of it!

Medieval town wall near the old Roman Baths

Virgin & Child statue in a church

centuries old building along the streets

typical streets in the city... yes it's really small!!

view fr d lakeside

Freddy Mercury statue

on d cruise - i was falling asleep so had to do something to keep me awake

me n Chateau de Chillon

more of d chateau

at the dock for d ferry

taken fr d keep - highest pt in castle

long walkway along d castle wall - Chateau de Chillon

one of d courtyards in Chateau de Chillon

view fr a window - Chateau de Chillon

1 of d many big halls in d chateau, sometimes used 4 exhibition

Chateau de Chillon - taken near bus stop

my last dinner in Switzerland!

The International Monument to the Reformation n the code of arms (on ground) in University of Geneva

a street in d old town

chess anyone?? (University of Geneva)

old canons on display in d old town

honey n almond crepe - nice but the flaming crepe in damme win!!

crazy football fans roaming d streets cos of EURO 2008

The Jet d'Eau in Lake Geneva

ghandi stature in a park near UN

old UN building - originally League of Nations

our guide explaining UN structure

UN a art showground

one of d confernce hall inside UN building

broken chair in frnt of d UN

L-R: me, sean (fellow couchsurfer from US), kelvin (host from Malaysia, in Geneva for 5 yrs now)

my couch in Geneva

Croque Monsieur - d most common french food u can get fr cafe/bakery, cheese oozing out in between 2 slices of ham... yummmmmmmm

momument to General Rapp - with water foutain

House of Heads - many mask or sculptures of heads were used to decorate this house, hence d name

St Martin Church

a little lane in Colmar

by d riverside

colourful old houses!

some houses on d street

train station at Colmar

Bruat Fountain in a park near train station

on d way to my 1st French town!

trees amongst d thick fog

Strasbourg Cathedral

1 of d streets in Strasbourg

sign vs real thing

popular postcard shot of Strasbourg - near petite venice

some streets in Strasbourg - cute buildings like this thru-out d whole city/town

old bridge - 1 of many

main sq in Strasboug

this is d train station... yes train station, NOT STADIUM!

church in strassbourg

my host Daniel & his flatmate Barbara

crossing d river - the boat is tied to a rope that runs thru both banks of d river

some of daniel's work

Tinguely Fontain at night

part of old town at night

nite view of basel w Mittlere Brücke

red munster - always a construction site

1 of d Spalentor - old gate

old town in b&w

The Cathedral

Red Townhall at Marktplatz

Mittlere Brücke & Rhine River

Rhine River - seperates main n little Basel

Luzern clock tower

more of d old wall in Luzern

typical swiss photo - alps n houses

one end of d old wall in Luzern

Chapel Bridge in Luzern

the clogwheel train dat takes us down fr Mt Pilatus to Luzern

view of lakes fr Mt Pilatus

almost d highest pt in Mt Pilatus

top of Mt Pilatus

view of lake in cablecar

up up n away - cable car that takes u to top of Mt Pilatus

getting closer to heaven!

in cablecar fr Luzern to Mt Pilatus

view fr river - most sights of Zurich city r in here

walk thru d old town in Zurich

Grossmünster church in Zurich

typical coffee n donut set u can get in most swiss cafe

sun & clouds - on river cruise

still on river cruise

enjoying d river cruise

sun is out! (still on river cruise)

d castle in Spiez

Spiez - very beautiful town

castle n mountains behind me

kat n me sitting by d river of glacier water -Trummelbach Falls

nearing end of tour - Trummelbach Falls

1 of d falls at Trummelbach Falls

at Trummelbach Falls - it's all FREEZING COLD glacier water!

at Trummelbach Falls

waterfall & alps - great view isn't it!

us waiting for d paragliding shop to open fr lunch break

we are trapped under d Staubbach Falls!

Staubbach Falls - i was drenched taking this photo (crazy things we do for photos!)

rainbow at d end of d Staubbach Falls

d closest i get to d Staubbach Falls

Staubbach Falls - getting closer!

way up to Staubbach Falls

Staubbach Falls from afar

in Interlaken

on d way to Interlaken - Lake Thun

sunset - on way to Bern fr Zermatt

on way bak fr Zermatt - 1 of d many Swiss lakes

view fr lookout at Trockener Steg

it was freezing cold cos of d stong wind!

in cable car from Zermatt to Trockener Steg - midway up Klein Matterhorn

Swiss alps - i cant remember where/when this is taken!

rm for summer

living rm

view from balcony

view of Bern city from Gurten

view of fields at top of Gurten

the craft market in Bern

Parliment building in Bern at night

Aare river that runs through Bern

Ogre fountain - 1 of d many fountains in Bern city

view of Bern city with bridge

view from Rosen Garten

view fr a little bridge

ugly street-thanks to EURO 2008

roaring fire build by insa's friends at a football field somewhere

shop selling load of cucoo clocks - they get annoying after a while

view of black forest fr Titisee

pedal boats at Titisee

Freiburg Munster

view fr top of lookout

walking in Black Forest - it's actually nice n green!

in cable car going to top of Black Forest

L-R: Alan, Jonathan, Andrew, Gwen, Insa, me (eve taking photo)

special treatment for birthday gal!

sing-along time!

yet another nice sunset taken from d train!

having a 1 litre radler (beer & sprite/7up) at a beerhouse

Chinesischer Turm with beer garden in Englischer Garten - the 2nd biggest garden in Europe

near English Garden - cant remember d name

view for a king - taken from a room in Neuschwanstein

view from Schloss Hohenschwangau

stairs to Schloss Hohenschwangau

Schloss Hohenschwangau behind me

the fantasy castle Neuschwanstein - from Maria bridge

ppl trying to get a nice shot of Neuschwanstein from the bridge

some statue looking towards Neuschwanstein

taken at Neuschwanstein - with Schloss Hohenschwangau in background

Theatinerkirche

Nymphenburg garden

Nymphenburg

policemen making a formation at the area where free beers are given out

townhall at Marienplatz - crowded cos of some football event

Flo me Jogy in front of their May tree

lights - taken inside a dom at Swarovski Crystal World

largest jewellery stone in d world

at entrance of Swarovski Crystal World

sparkling words near the Swarovski Crystal World

Innsbruck city from mid-point to Seegrube (1 of d mountains nearby)

the Gondola that takes us to the cable station to Seegrube

alps n river!

the famous Golden Roof

main street in Innsbruck city

taken from our host's balcony - imagine waking up to this every morning

on our way to Innsbruck fr Salzburg

Petersfriedhof or St Peters Cemetary

LinzerGasse - streets full of elaborated shop signs

view from highest pointt in Festung Hohensalzburg Castle, see the mountains n d alps behind the mountains!

city of Salzburg with Salzach river

Festung Hohensalzburg Castle tower/entrance

view of Festung Hohensalzburg Castle from the city

Salzburg city fromt he lookout

walking up to lookout

an old tree in Mirabell Gardens

on way to Salzburg from Vienna - can feel the Sound of Music already!

Mozarthaus - meaning Mozart's House

1 of d many Mozart memorials - this 1 is along the way to the lookout

another location seen in Sound of Music

fountain in Mirabell Gardens - where DoReMi was sung in Sound Of Music

looking towards Lower Belvedere from Upper Belvedere

Holocaust in Vienna

Holocaust closeup

Upper Belvedere - the huge building is used as exhibution hall

HUGE portion of Wiener Schnitzel - kinda like our chicken cutlet

Stephens Dom - it is actually waaaaay bigger than it looks in d photo

Vienna at night - view fr Leopoldsberg

Vienna - view fr Leopoldsberg

Glorietta - inside Scho¨nbrunn Palace

Walking up to Glorietta - its top is juz above d horizon

at a fountain in Scho¨nbrunn Palace Park

Scho¨nbrunn Palace

collections of plates inside Sisi Museum/Silver Collection

Sisi Museum (part of d building)

cloudy day in Vienna

inside Museums Quartier

typical Austrian dumplings with meat/bacon fillings

a hall inside Burgtheatre

inside Burgtheatre

Burgtheatre exterior

another sunset taken from train on the way to Vienna

Rathaus from afar - this view is nicest cos drest of d buildings have maintanence work goin on

Museum of Fine Arts

Karlskirche

Maria Theresia Statue in Maria Theresia Platz

Hofburg - 1 of d buildings

on the bus to Brloh

start of trekking route

remains of monastery

resting for lunch

peace!

great view here!

just follow the sign!

Frank & dad with me

big lunch in a restaurant in d castle garden

d chef cooking my order

castle garden

i want windows grill like these too!!

Church of St. Jos?t at d Castle

partial view of river fr castle tower

Ceske Krumlov - view fr castle tower

The Castle tower - nice colors!

The Castle

Cesky Krumlov - another view fr tower

breakfast by Frank's mum

nice view from bus to Brloh

nice landscape - on way to Brloh

our last meal in Plzen - pork knuckle & ribs! yum!!!!!

our dinner for Mig - soup & stir fry vege with beef

view from top of St Bartholomew

memorial at Old Synagogue

St Bartholomew Church

stones with names at Old Synagogue

inside St Bartholomew

Velka´ Synagoga

a gate at St Bartholomew

The West Bohemian Museum

Plague memorial at town square

Town Hall

u get drinking water from the springs in the mountain here

Mig made dinner - steaks

sunset from Sky Cafe

nicely painted benches at a park near where we stay

our bus to Plzen &^@%@&(

sunset in Prague

at The Vys?ehrad cemetery

the Vltava River - taken from Vys?ehrad lookout

view of Prague from Vys?ehrad

view fr a stone window in Vys?ehrad

Rotunda of St. Martin at Vys?ehrad - a little chaple/church

overcrowded Golden Lane in the Prague Castle

changing of guards at Prague Castle

The Prague Castle

Honey Cake - a famous cake in Czech Republic

i took part in the Free Hug Campaign in Prague!!!

on Charles Bridge - it was F***ING crowded!!!

Charles Bridge - still F***ING crowded!

a HUGE crowd waiting to see d Astronomical Clock chime at the hour

The Astronomical Clock at Stare´ Me?sto

St Vitus Cathedral

at the entrance of the Jewish Cemetery - crowded

the Jews' High Synagogue

Stare´ Me?sto - main square in Prague where EVERYTHING is!

Powder Tower

National Museum in Prague

Zwinger Palace

The Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden - it should look even better at night!

houses along the river - taken during train ride, near Czech border

The Hofkirche - yet another church i saw

Fu¨rstenzug (Procession of The Dukes) - important people for Dresden

Frauenkirche - rebuilt after destruction in WW II

Frauenkirche from afar

fields of flowers - taken on train

Dandelion - i cant believe i took this! postcard quality!

our farewell breakfast for Johannes

Johannes the pizzaman!

toast to us all!

East Side Gallery - me vandalising!

Topography of Terror

inside view of Reichstag - parliment building

view from top of Berliner Dom

marking of the Berlin Wall's location

along 1 of d rivers

Reichstag roof - view fr right outside the glass rooftop

Reichstag - the parliment building

Fernsehturm - d highest building in Berlin (not very tall at all!)

Rathaus in Berlin

altar of Berliner Dom

ceiling of Berliner Dom

Berliner Dom

officer at Checkpoint Charlie who can give u all 15 original stamps of the checkpoint for €10

Checkpoint Charlie

Brandenburger Tor

German Cathedral n concert hall

entrance to Sachsenhausen - Nazi's concerntration camp

Holocaust again

Holocaust

Brandenburger Tor at sunset

Victory Memorial at Tier Garden

beagle staring out of a window on 2nd floor

Chef Seth at work!

ChileHaus

note on "The Ordeal"

statue "The Ordeal" at St Nikolai

statue "Angel on Earth" at St Nikolai

St Nikolai - a different view

St Nikolai

Seth enjoying our dinner

kids helping Eve with cooking

smokers on strike against Banning of smoking in public area

Seth's ride

inside Rathaus

Rathaus - meaning townhall

view from top of St Michelis

Seth & kids

old store building - still in use

Seth with kids & Eve with dog - sweet family pic aint it? hehe...

view of the harbour fr the boat

Hamburg's couch

Hamburg's welcome dinner

me, Simone, Dietrich

our welcome dinner that Simone whipped out in 10min!

a lane in Schnoor

Schnoor

statue of Roland, city protector, at market square

putting d coin in to hear d musicians!

u put coin into this little slit on this manhole looking thing, and u can hear d sounds of d 4 musicians!

litted candles in 1 of d churches here

Gold Sculpture near d town centre

night view at River Weser

The Bremen Musicians! it's a belief that if u hold the leg of d donkey n make a wish, it will come true.

market square in Bremen (Marktplatz)

Rooftop at our host's apartment

view fr d attic

bed we sleep in is in attic

Anne Frank statue near d Anne Frank House

The Christmas Shop - it sells all things Xmas through the year!

Rijks Museum - houses some important works of Vemeer

Red Light District

Rembrant's Nightwatch done in 3D

at Museumplein - the red & white statue says "I AMSTERDAM"

Me on canal tour in Amsterdam

can u see d houses leaning along d street?

look at the windows & d door, it's all crooked!

the cafe building leans!

uneven houses/building

fridge magnets! look closely...

nice cute door bells... maybe i should get 1 for Singapore...

Amsterdam at night

Chinese class at Hilgien's dinner table

Sunset at Duindop beach

DJ Yuri at work!

Madonna & Child by the great Michelangelo

1 of d bridges in Brugge at night

Hilgien with our dinner

Hilgien making a Dutch dish, Stamppot

Delft Markt Square

a new friend!

a machine that gives out map in Delft

on way to The Hague in train

Old Church in Delft

Tulips field at Keukenhof

windmills at Kinderdijk

psychedelic flowers at Keukenhof

nice colourful flowers at Keukenhof

nice backyard to have

flowers in boots at Keukenhof

tulip!

flower power!

tulips!!

look over canal n houses in Leiden

... & more windmills!

... windmills...

windmill at Kinderdijk...

arts piece at Keukenhof

1 tickets for 3 seats! i think we got a good deal!!

a painting by Yuri's grandfather

Yuri's dinner for us

Steen Castle

St Paul Church

cat waiting for her owner by d shop's display window

Markt Square Antwerp

lunch at Markt Square Antwerp

Antwerp's couch, spare room (office) at Yuri's

this is me when i'm annoyed

inside Basilica Koekelberg

The Last Supper at the Da Vinci exhibition

a nice spot to sit n chat or do nothing!

Canal view

View from top of Belfort

little houses along the canal (cycling to Damme)

me FREEZING!!

Market at the Grote Markt

restaurants at Grote Markt/Grand Place

lighting candle in te cathedral

priest holding the Holy Blood

this is how d Holy Blood is retained... in a scroll

flower stall at Market in Brugge

pancake maker at Damme

flaming pancake! can u see d flame?

Daffidols & trees!

on d way to top of Belfort, Brugge

inside the Heilig-Bloedbasiliek

juz another building

during canal tour

cycling to Damme from Brugge

Belfort at night

juz outside entrance of Belfort, Brugge

counting down, steps to the top of Belfort

Belfort in daylight

the woods across from Bertrand's apartment

Elizabeth Park across the Basilica

Hotel De Ville at Grote Markt at night

Hotel De Ville at Grote Markt, Brussels in daylight

at d flea market

inside St Michel Cathedral

Brussels' couch, in a spare room at Bertrand's home

Basilica Koekelberg

Me, Prisca n Bertrand

Mannekan Pis

Royal Palace behind me

Elizabeth Park, leading to the Basilica Koekelberg

Royal Palace in city

Mussels dinner!

me at Grote Markt/ Grand Place

Graffiti ads along tram route

sleepy after dinner...

on tram in Brussels

Atomium behind me

waiting to board the train to Gatwick Airport from Worthing

yummy ham, cheese & mushroom crepe @ Stables Market

Oway, me, Yiying

Lights in a tunnel along Thames River walk

busy street between the 2 markets

Stables Market in Camden

lights along Thames River

the actual Camden Market, rather small compared to Stables Market

Eve, me & Kat along Thames River

Ashmolean Museum

Christ Church

Host Mark & me at top of Nuffield Tower

Radcliffe Library

Dinosaurs @ d Museum of Natural History, Oxford

Christ Church Cathedral

Dining Hall @ Christ Church - we REALLY wanted to see this!!

Christ Church, courtyard

Squrriel in Kensington Garden trying to sponge off me!

The Divinity School - Bodleian Library

Me at The Pier at Worthing

Duke Humfrey's Library in Bodleian Library

Strawberries!

Portobello Market, Notting Hill

Streets leading to Portobello Market

Eve & me having lunch in Kensington Garden, London

Katherain & me in front of Covent Garden Market

Albert Memorial Hall in Kensington Garden, London

Yummy Looking Pizzas

Abby & me!

snooze in bkk

on the way to board plane to London

mess on my floor

sampling beer in Little Creatures

Sun Moon Lake

me in freo