wangyng

Day 2

wangyng — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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

Day 1

wangyng — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT

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

Langkawi!! here i come!!

wangyng — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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!

Arrival - at a chill out guest house in a little village

wangyng — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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!!

Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen/Spiez

wangyng — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!

Munich - football & free beer!

wangyng — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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

Innsbruck - surrounded by alps!

wangyng — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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...

Wicked is absolutely WICKED!!!

wangyng — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!!!

my host in Paris ...

wangyng — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

... 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!!

Lyon has realy nice night views!

wangyng — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!

music appreciation n age

wangyng — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!

Salzburg - Mozart everywhere!!

wangyng — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!

Vienna - a heaven for opera fans

wangyng — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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

Brloh & Ceske Krumlov

wangyng — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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.

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...

Plzen - student town

wangyng — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!!!!!

Prague - beautiful city, unhappy people

wangyng — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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...

National Museum in Prague

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

met a nice old lady in Montreux

wangyng — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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...

Football Fever begins!!! in Switzerland

wangyng — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!

zermatt - too windy!

wangyng — Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!

Titisee Lake

wangyng — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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!