xezabelx : wŏn'dər-lŭst'

Penny for your thoughts.

2010-10-20T04:32:00.000+08:00

I have a few things on my mind these days and I don't know where else to put them, and guessing it will be relevant to this trip, I will put them here.

1. Homeless

More commonly in Eastern Europe, I see people begging on the streets for money. In Prague, there was a man kneeling entirely on the ground with his forehead touching the floor, his hands held out holding a bowl. I remember taking a picture of him, and now I feel quite horrible. Today alone in Budapest, I encountered dozens of homeless. There was a midget who looked quite healthy, and he was holding a cup. There are only one kind of homeless that I feel sad for, and they are the elder women. I feel really sad for them, and I gave 200 Ft to one woman on my first day here in Budapest and she took the money and mumbled something. I'm sure she was happy enough. It could have bought her a chocolate... Then there was another old woman with a scarf over her head (not Muslim) and she was bent over entirely, kneeling down, her face to the floor and she held out a bowl and she was constantly rocking back and forth as if praying. I think she was really begging in that sense. I just passed her by with a heavy heart. Like most people, we don't give money even if we want to just because we don't want to "break the momentum" of walking. I'm positive. Once in a while, I will turn back to give something, like I did for the first woman. My heart breaks every single time. Here, I've seen men use their dogs to get money. This man had his dog play dead/sick and he was stroking the dog and people stopped by to give money more often than to give to a man with one leg missing a few meters away. I found that quite upsetting because people would give to a dog that plays dead and the owner is fit as a fiddle and there's a man with one leg less and no one cared much about. I would have helped the dog, too, if it was really sick. I've passed y many homeless sleeping in the underground pass. They sleep in groups and have blankets, and of course, they smell. Some of them are loud and obnoxious. They are usually the younger group. I was walking with Mariann (my Hungarian couch host) and Emelie underground towards Astoria and some guy went up to me and started talking in Hungarian. I obviously ignored him and he started to shout when I walked away. Mariann stared at him and I asked what was it he wanted and she said he wanted money. If that's the way they ask, it's not going to work. And he's a fit person, he's young, and I'm sure he can work but he's not. It's a sad thing. Old people sit around the steps with an old hat or plastic cup and give sad stares to passing strangers. I'm not saying you should give every homeless person you pass by, but give the right ones.

2. Destiny

Destiny is a cheesy thing. I don't know what it is, because I don't really know what my destiny is since I don't even know what I want in life, nor have I fallen so deeply in love with anyone that I think is my fated one true love, but I know it's a weird thing that makes you think. I may be confusing it with fate but I think they're almost the same thing, just that destiny leads your to fate, and fate leads you to your destiny. I'll stop confusing you. Anyway, I remember my first European stop in Belgium. The first day, in Brussels, I was waiting for over five hours at Bruxelles-Midi since the person I was due to meet wasn't going to be free until 6PM, so I waited around a lot at the station. I caught sight of a guy. I can't really tell how old he was, maybe 21 or 22, and he was alone. What caught my attention was actually the Eurail pass he was holding. I was thinking he was probably doing a solo trip like me through Europe. He was looking for a place to validate his pass (I assume), because that's the only reason anyone with a pass needs to look for some information counter at any train station. I was guessing he was starting his trip. He never looked at anyone, only searching for what he really wanted to find. After five minutes of queuing, he realized it was the wrong queue. (Ah, the random things people do when bored and trying to pass time... People-watching.) I knew, but who was I to tell him? He went to the tourist office (where I validated mine later) and I never saw him anymore. That was September 16 2010. Today, in Budapest, Hungary, thousands of kilometers and one month from Brussels, in the busy streets, among many Hungarians, I saw him. He had the same long hair in a messy ponytail, a little bag pack, the same indifferent look and enthusiasm as when I last saw him in Brussels. It took me a while to recall him. I only saw him for 5 seconds and we passed. I think he didn't see me. He probably didn't see me, or even know me at all. But I knew him. It was weird for me, because it occurred to me all of a sudden: "What a small world!" I couldn't contain myself, but I did, anyway. It took me a while to convince myself it was the same boy I saw in Brussels almost one month ago. That's not it. The same night, Mariann, Emelie and I went to a nice place to have some amazing cakes and on the way back, I saw him again. This time, it was entirely dark and I'm sure it's somewhere near the same street or a few minutes away. He probably lived in a hostel near there. The thing is, I saw the boy again! I couldn't believe it. I saw him for three seconds and was in awe and just couldn't believe that destiny was happening right there and then. ("Awe" reminds me of Hansi, this unbelievably adorable and endearing Austrian guy I met in Vienna if you read my Austrian posts; it's his favorite English word) Fate was working. I don't know what, but it was freaky. Maybe we're supposed to be good friends? I'm not sure. He's like me, I don't know what race he is. He looks slightly like what Ananda Everingham is, this mixed Thai actor. I sort of don't want to see him again. Because I told myself if I did, I would ask him if he was traveling alone, what his name was, where he's from, where he would be going, etc. It can't be that the world is so small, right? Well, Emelie and I passed a couple we met in Olomouc today on the way to Heroes' Square. They didn't see us, though. Maybe the world is small, or maybe there's some weird fate... I'm not too sure.

3. Supermarkets
Travelers, it is true. Shopping at a supermarket and buying the little things are much better than eating at a restaurant. All you need is a well-equipped kitchen and you're set! For last night's dinner, this morning's breakfast and this afternoon's lunch, Emelie, Mariann and I spent 10 Euros altogether and we had a great meal! It's almost equivalent to 1 Euro a meal per person! We bought bread, sausages, chips, milk, eggs, pasta, vegetables, and cheese, and Mariann bought Nestea and cream cheese and we had a feast throughout those two days! It is unbelievable, and we still have milk and eggs and bread left. They are so basic and you can make so many things with the many things you buy! Yes, we do eat the local cuisine once in a while but you should really hit the markets and buy things back, especially in Eastern Europe! There are so many interesting foods and snacks and buying them back to cook in a kitchen in a hostel or someone's house is always worth it! And the cooking process is fun. Finishing the pasta and sitting around and having a good chit chat was amazing. It's something I highly recommend even if you stay in the Four Seasons!

4. Couchsurfing

A single working female, one warm couple, one lonely handsome guy, one weird working girl, five crazy party guys, a neat freak student girl, one psychedelic guy, three fun vegetarians, one funny birthday girl... These are my experiences so far couchsurfing. Every one of them are different and I could not ask for a better experiences. I've been to so many houses and felt different about everyone of them, and had amazing experiences (interesting ones, too) so far and look forward to more. I can't ask for a better way of meeting anyone than this. The good things about couchsurfing is accommodation that you don't pay for, a localized experience, meeting local people and their friends, a home-stay, and a different experience and broadened mind! Bad things? Hardly! There may be the awkward stalling of Facebook friends request acceptances and sad, sad goodbyes but there's always a new experience in every new city with a new couchsurfing host! You learn so many things from so many people learn little things in new languages, learn about the lifestyles, their house habits, meet their friends, and it helps that most of the time it is definitely safe to put your things in someone's house than a hostel. With the new people, we cook together, hike together, dance together, drink together, party together, celebrate together, laugh together, go completely crazy together! We share thoughts on music, politics, learn about geography, where our countries are, exchange world facts and teach each other languages and practice old ones in the back of our minds, share stories, we cook new things and introduce new food to people, impress others of what we can do, share our travel experiences, dreams, jobs, studies, be so comfortable like old friends, joke about Canadians in South Park, laugh at how chewing gum or gum of any sort is banned in Singapore, and what more? It's amazing. It is just... God! I cannot believe my mother introduced me to this system. I wouldn't have asked for anything better! I miss some of my hosts right now! Some houses are amazingly huge and some are so beautifully personalized, I can't even begin to describe! You'll have to sign up for an account to start hosting someone, and you'll realized the beauty of it all.

Vienna again!

2010-10-15T09:21:00.000+08:00

We went to the Zentralfriedhof and the Wienerwald and Wienerweinweg! (tongue twister much?)

First it was the St Stephen's Cathedral, THE landmark of Vienna!

And this is the shopping district surrounding the church. It is SO BUSY and you can people watch there. It's pretty amazing. Obviously I HAD to do some shopping!

And now... Guess where I'm having a little picnic? :)

Guessed yet? There are a LOT of "people" there!

Any ideas? It's somewhere moms would TOTALLY push their babies for a good afternoon stroll...

It's a cemetery! It's the Zentralfriedhof where Mozart and Beethoven's tombstones among many others reside!

It took us a while to find Beethoven! :( But ALAS!

Mozart!

Brahms!

Strauss!

Do I look like a Canadian woodcutter to you? Hehehe.

We also "took" some grapes from the vineyards!

It was real good hike up the hills and I finally saw the Wienerwald. It was on my MUST do list! And now I must check it off! :)

After that we went to the cheapest Italian restaurant in Vienna aka Pizza Mafiosi! That pizza right there costed only 3.60 euros! We had to share it! And when we got back, I cut my fringe and I look pretty insane now but whatever. Slept at 7PM and woke at 1AM! I shall go back to sleep!

A week in Vienna ... and counting!

2010-10-15T08:42:00.000+08:00

This is Vienna. My host Eva and friend Emelie and I are chilling under the sun at the Museums Quartier! That's what people normally do on sunny days. This was on a Saturday!

This lovely thing is called Sturm. According to Eva, it's produced only seasonally and it the fall and it's really sweet and tastes almost like soda! It's wine.

We also met a few of her friends for some games and Sturm at a cafe before we headed to a club called The Loft where we did the craziest dances!

This is my current Facebook profile picture! I got the XXL lollipop in Olomouc and finally had it here in Vienna. I'm in front of the Karlsplatz Kirche if I'm not mistaken!

That rainbow there is so awesome. Therefore, rainbow = Emily! (My best friend back home. HOLLABACK!)

Warning to all Singaporeans, crows here are huge and fat and scarier. They're almost like chickens!

Even Emelie is avoiding it!

Then on Sunday afternoon it was time for knitting! This is Eva and she's good at it.

This is Hansi (Eva's litttle bro) and he's not so good at it... before! Now he's almost finishing a (too small) hat!

This is me cooking them a Chinese meal that's almost entirely vegan! The eggs were not!

I'm sure dad will be so proud of me! Right, dad? It tasted pretty bomb!

And they did the dishes after. Which was so sweet. The other guy there is their childhood friend and room mate, Rathi. He's such a zen person! He is learning to teach qi gong professionally!

This is another day, and we're at the Belvedere. It's a beautiful place! We hiked up to the Gloriette, something Rathi suggested to do to get an amazing view of Vienna. And right he was!

And then back at the house there was Hansi whom we bumped into literally at the supermarket. He's so nice and funny and he always makes me laugh for some reason.

He's trying to look like a graduate here! Graduate of Wisconsin. He pulls a real funny Australian accent, too! We played a guitar duet to Promise by Akira something... It's a Silent Hill soundtrack. He's so good at the guitar! I played the tune a few times and he can play the whole song with me!

This is another day in Vienna and Emelie and I went to the Prater Park! It's an old school Viennese theme park!

We took the ferris wheel! It was a great view. Pretty scary because there were no grilles whatsoever.

THIS RIDE IS SO AMAZING: I can't say enough. It spins round and round and upside down and all. It's the only ride so far to make me sick and I haven't even eaten anything!

This is near the Kündertwasserhaus. Some artsy guy famous in Austria! Like Austria's Gaudi!

This is a very nice public park called the Stadtpark. It houses a famous statue made of gold of Josef Strauss.

This is the third picture of this place! I was very tired!

At night there was band practice. This is Hansi's and Rathi's band and they play indie, sometimes indie rock. It's kind of awesome. They're playing a show Friday night at a club! They're Daisy O'Hara and they're Austrians singing in English. Pretty sweet!

Wait for another Viennese update! x

short update

2010-10-05T15:42:00.000+08:00

I shall update this when I get to Olomouc. Cesky and Prague were amazing. I did a LOT of walking uphill and down. :| Need to catch a train!

See the pictures!

Munich II

Prague

Cesky Krumlov

All my pictures on Facebook!

2010-09-27T15:30:00.000+08:00

Okay in Cochem there was a lack of Wi-Fi, in Munich on the first night there was EXTREMELY slow internet and now I finally uploaded all my photos I have on Facebook and added captions from Amsterdam to Munich so go see them!

Windsor
Brussels
Brugge
Amsterdam
Cochem
Munich

I don't know if I will post too many pictures here. My computer is really slow and I don't always have hours of internet :( I'll try to write though!

And by the way the Oktoberfest was AMAZING! xxx

Day 1 in Amsterdam!

2010-09-21T06:26:00.000+08:00

Amsterdam... What can I say? It's like trying to commit suicide walking on the streets. You're trying to cross the road. One moment, you're looking out for the trams. The next, there are several cars are coming and coming fast. And in both directions. Then, someone one his bike is ringing the hell at you. He isn't slowing, so you better run because there are more of them. Then you bump into other pedestrians and when you reach the curb, you realize you're just inches away from having the street car run you over. It's hell on the road... But what can I say? It's a one-of-a-kind experience. It makes me smile every time I survive all these whenever I get to the other side of the street. And now, I have someone to laugh with!

Emelie and I bought some Greek salad and potato chips and sneaked and sat behind a hotel car park and ate our breakfast there. Like hobos. It rained in the morning and we were chased out of our cheap hotel, the Quentin Arrive, and had nowhere to go so we sought shelter there. We were almost done when the hotel guy chatted us up and told us bon appetit. He was really friendly. I might have liked him there for a minute! :)

Oh, did I mention the potential of Dutch males? I've seen so many today that made me go "omgomgomgomg" and adjust my hair and all but today wasn't my day. I haven't washed my hair and I look a mess! You know, I even followed this man for 5 minutes at the Van Gogh Museum today just because he looked like a midget Zachary Quinto AND smelled SERIOUSLY good. Some major cologne pour le homme right there.

Look at that, that's DANGER coming from ALL directions. You have to add in the pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers! :(

I visited the Van Gogh Museum today for free with the I Amsterdam card. It cost me 48 Euros for 48 hours with unlimited transportation and free entrances and 25% discounts on a lot of food and shops in Amsterdam. The Van Gogh Museum was thoroughly interesting. I wasn't very artsy but I enjoyed it well enough. It was just amazing to witness in person, Van Gogh's paintings! There was also a little section for Claude Monet, whose works I personally enjoy more. No photography was allowed in there, and I didn't take one of me and a sign... Because the sign wasn't nice and there were a lot of people and queue lines and all. I have the ticket, though, and I'll take it together with the OV chipkaart (transport card) and the I Amsterdam card tomorrow or something!

That's the Royal Palace under renovation of sorts. :( And that FAMOUS I Amsterdam sign!

Lunch was a 1.95 Euro Cheeseburger meal from Burger King! Such a steal! Snacked here and there along the way. There is NO way I could go without food. I drink a bottle a week though. But I still tend to need the bathroom like once every hour. I'm sure it's due to the fact I sweat WAY less here.

Some English guy doing some stunt. I didn't stay though, because I didn't want to feel bad about not giving money!

With the I Amsterdam card, we got this free tea and coffee at De Bijenkorf, some posh department store. We hung out there for a while and sorted out things, and planned our itinerary for Tuesday!

Strangely, this Dutch fries stall is called Manneken Pis! I had a small fries. And it was still a LOT! Cost me 2.50 Euros.

Somehow, I find the Eiffel Tower one amazing. Last row, fifth from your right. Right!?

Bicycles EVERYWHERE! And there are also a lot of pretty boathouses.

I found it interesting they had Chinese street signs, too. I think I was somewhere in Chinatown... Or Little Asia!

Some streets kids HAVE to be accompanied by adults. Such signs are often in alleys or red light streets. Obviously!

Strange doors, don't you think?

You can see the red lights. These are the "windows" where the prostitutes stand behind in bikinis and neon lights to attract men... Or women, I don't know. (I obviously didn't take pictures of the girls. Respect!) I think they charge 35-55 Euros for blowjobs alone, and pay 75 Euros or something like that for a room/window for a few hours of "work". That's the world's oldest profession for you! I read it in an Amsterdam guide book!

Strange cows... Strange shop. I forgot what it sold.

Waiting for the tram back to Elise and Casper's place. We realized, after 20 freezing minutes, that we were waiting at the wrong area...

This is Casper! I don't have one yet of Elise. They're both AMAZING. I felt so at home. The apartment was small and cozy and they even had an air mattress for us, two sleeping bags, blankets, towels, food, tea, fruits and so much for us... And they even let us do our laundry! They're interesting and caring. I can't wait to have dinner with them tomorrow night! Also, they left us their house key. They're so trusting! That's the magic of Couchsurfing. Even Emelie is impressed by the hospitality. We're planning to buy them wine or something. Chocolates, yes?

We have a long day ahead tomorrow. The Heineken Beer Tour, Rembrandt's house, Anne Frank's house, canal ride, free croquettes, the windmills and tulips... Truly a Dutch experience to be had. Hope you enjoyed my first day in Amsterdam!

Goedag!

2010-09-19T21:08:00.001+08:00

I'm in Amsterdam!

I'm just chilling at our cheap hotel. We're too tired to move around. Oh. I have a friend with me now for I don't know yet how long. She's Émélie from French Canada. :)

Now I see a LOT of bicycles. EVERY SINGLE STREET has them locked or people trying to run you over with it.

Will explore soon. Meeting the Dutch couchsurfers tomorrow at noon!

-- Posted with BlogPress via iPhone --

Location:Haarlemmerstraat,Amsterdam,The Netherlands

Scenic Brugge!

2010-09-18T23:11:00.000+08:00

Bocca is amazing. It's a takeaway pasta! I'm going to have more for dinner. Eat it at my dorm!

It is evident that it is autumn!

I saw this random flea market. I think it's only on Sundays!

I went to the church with the statue of Madonna with child. It's one of the rare Michelangelo arts OUTSIDE of Italy!

There's THE Madonna with Child! Woohoo!

Some porn chocolate! I want the white chocolate one!

There is the Beer Wall of Belgium. It has all 750 beers from Belgium! I think it's 750.

This is me on an almost daily basis to write at a cafe!

This is the Belfort by night. It is in the market square.

And this is a quaint little chocolate house. There's the chocolate maker busy at work after closing time. Shops usually close by 7PM.

Panos is a GREAT place for great pastries at a great price. It's quite empty by 9AM so it's the best time to go in and get pastries.

Apparently a LOT of people can't take good pictures. :(

That right there on top is a self shot, again! :)

Inside here is the famed HOLY BLOOD. The chalice that was taken on a crusade to Jerusalem in the 12th Century. True Catholics believed it once carried Jesus' blood. COOL!

This is a little private courtyard called Hof Bladelin.

More self-shots! :)

That's all from Brugge. If you ever come here, go to Bean Around The World and stay for at least two hours. You can hear all kinds of interesting conversations. People are friendly and curious, and there's a 10% discount for students, and there is free Wi-Fi! What else can any traveler ask for?

Tomorrow, I leave for Amsterdam! :)

Lost in Brussels

2010-09-18T22:47:00.000+08:00

I have been to Baker Street... STATION. Hahaha. I shall visit there soon. I just passed by there on my way to take the Eurostar.

And that was my "leaving London" stamp!

My first impression of Brussels wasn't too pretty. I freaked out a lot. EVERYWHERE smells like piss AROUND the Bruxelles-Midi station. Don't get me wrong. The rest of the place is fine, just the district around the station.

That's the Brussels train. There are two kinds. One is more modern and metallic and this one is the older one obviously! I took the train to meet my Belgian host, Geraldine. She is EXCELLENT in English! We cooked dinner. Well, she cooked!

And check out this rice bag!

Voila! Oh Geraldine's place is so quaint. It's a typical apartment for one in a very quiet and seemingly posh neighborhood at the end of the train line!

There is our dinner! Then we went to bed early. The next day, I had to explore Brussels myself!

That's the Sablon Church! It was extremely gorgeous. It was my first European church! Woohoo!

Such a bad picture. Some solo tourist took it for me.

In an elevator down. And passed by some cute shops and cafes!

They allow dogs everywhere! It's crazy. You can bring dogs in cafes, trains, and train stations!

Outside this church... I forgot its name... I had some Belgium fries aka FRITES!

Frites!

Weird store over there!

It's an Express Carrefour! It's pronounced KARR-FOO.

It was REALLY filling! It doesn't look very big but trust me it was enough to feed two!

I bought me some chocolates! I bought them for the family but I realized after that I wouldn't see my family until 4 months later so I don't think the chocolate would be fresh.

Some random guy posing! This happens a lot in Europe, as I've observed in Belgium so far. At least one in each town.

See the signs? Dogs are allowed. In malls.

I got lost for two hours. In Brussels. Trying to find Mamma Roma, this awesome Italian restaurant. I won't explain too much on that but just one thing. People are EXTREMELY helpful. I was late for 40 minutes trying to find the place but Geraldine was an angel and did not leave the place, and she even made rounds in her car trying to find me!

Mamma Roma is a place where pizzas with many different toppings are cut up to any size you want and weighed to see how much you pay. It's so cool, right?

So I have been sitting here for over two hours. I still need to update on Brugge!

Windsor Castle and a bit of everything!

2010-09-18T22:09:00.000+08:00

This is Auntie Lali and that is Shaun. I don't have a picture of Uncle Shan, but I shall take one when I go visit them again in December!

Anyway, here are some pictures of my time in Windsor on a day out with Shauna. She's so fun, and since she drives it's much easier for us!

Anyway, parking is really not cheap in England. Or London. I can't remember, but we are in Windsor and parking isn't child's play!

This is the Windsor Castle. The Queen is always watching! :) I didn't go in though. It was 8 pounds to do so.

Apparently I have a cafe in Windsor that I don't know about! And a dragon!

Someone is enjoying herself!

Apparently, she's not the only one!

So much that they're competing for her attention! HAH.

Queen of the Swans... Heh. Shauna didn't enjoy the swans so she was happy about being just the camera person.

One thing Shauna enjoys greatly (and pretty much every English person)... FRIES! No, I mean CHIPS! Don't call them French fries. Especially not in McDonald's. They're chips.

Okay, Snowies are AMAZING. I got them in a candy store. Pretty awesome. I got Snowies for Shauna!

Then after, we went to Slough and I seriously was amazed in Poundland, Poundworld, and 99P store. It's peanuts to the English!

And these are the Halloween stuff on sale!

Check these! They're in the clothing corner at Tesco Extra in Slough. I love Tesco. It's SO HUGE and the clothing are ALL SO NICE. The best store should be Primark though. I got jeggings there for 5 pounds!

Cute little buddy costumes. My twins have to wear these. ~~What?!~~

And Shauna and I went to watch a play. It was pretty amazing for a country English play! It was 10 pounds a ticket. We got moved to the rows closer to the front because there were empty seats.

And here's a picture of Shauna, Shaun, and myself! Taken by Lali. She loves me to take pictures. She finds it amazing a Singaporean girl is traveling on her own!

I don't know which one is better. You decide! :)

Thorpe Park

2010-09-18T21:43:00.000+08:00

This is Thorpe Park. That was a cloudy Tuesday when Shauna and I went there with two of her mates, Matt and Kenneth. I think. It was either Kellan or Kenneth. I'll refer to him as K.

I forgot what this was called but it was pretty good for a starter. I was literally shaking when it went down again and again!

This is part of the Saw Maze which was a new attraction. A haunted maze. It was pretty amazing. The funniest part of that day. Matt was made to be first in the line (we had to go in lines) and Shauna, me, then K. And more people behind. Then Matt got scared so many times, of course. I had my head down a lot but looked up anyway only after I heard Matt shout. That means the scare for that moment was over. Am I smart? Yup!

Then the fun part was we got lost. There were no signs (it was seriously dark) and all we could see were exit signs. We thought they literally were EXIT signs, to leave the maze so we avoided them a lot. Well, Matt avoided them. Then we ended up getting lost a lot, getting into dead ends, pointless corners, latched up gates, etc. I don't even know what we were walking into half the time! Then actually, the whole point of the maze was that you were supposed to get OUT of it, as in escape, so we had to follow the exit signs! They weren't real exit signs, but exit signs for us "trapped victims" to follow and escape! We took too long and did many detours and ended up snaking through throngs of people in the dark. It became too funny. K was really quiet, I forgot how Shauna was (she's usually brave, anyway!) but all I remembered was Matt screaming because he kept having people in costumes jump at him from nowhere!

Okay so we definitely had to sit on Saw The Ride. It was a really long queue and we had some pasta Auntie Lali got Shauna and I from Tesco. Then we sat this crazy thing.

IT IS VERTICAL. IT EVEN GOES IN A BIT WHEN GOING DOWN. I ALMOST PEED MY PANTS.

I sneaked this shot. :)

There were really cool arcade games like this where you had to balance on a topsy turvy ladder to ring a bell.

Now you see how good the prizes are? A lot of people were carrying some giant banana and monkey stuffed toy. They're not typically cheap toys! So different from Singapore!

We had KFC. I had some popcorn chicken. It's so cute how the meals come with little scented tissues to clean your hands.

We watched a 4-D show and got really wet. I hated it because a) it was really cold and b) Shrek 4-D in Singapore's Universal Studios is much better. Sorry, guys.

Then we went for the river rapids ride. There isn't a full shot because . . . well, obviously.

I don't know where my pictures of Stealth and Inferno and the rest are but yeah, they were amazing rides. One of them even had problems and stopped for like 20 minutes because someone threw up noodles on the platform! It was THAT crazy! And the PA system announced, "Smells like noodles!" or something like that. Everyone was confused. Then we all inhaled. Noodles, indeed.

Stealth is AMAZING. You got up to 80mph in 2.3 seconds! As Matt explains it, it's magnets that do the magic.

Tell me what you think of it. According to them, it's the best ride. And the scariest. I thought the SAW ride was scary! And I had to go on it TWICE!

There aren't anymore relevant pictures. The rest are here, including the pictures from Windsor and the day out with Shauna. :)

Short update from Brugge, Belgium

2010-09-17T21:03:00.000+08:00

Okay so I am in Brugge, Belgium and I have to say this is a truly picturesque little town. It really is small and I can walk from one end to another in under an hour. I walked from the train station to my hostel with 15 kilos on my back. Not the most fun but still!

Right now I am waiting for all my electronics to be out of battery before I leave this wi-fi place. I need wi-fi SO BAD. And the owners are Americans living in Brugge.

Like I said, I have a LOT of pictures, right? Those who know me on Facebook should be able to see my pictures from Windsor which includes Thorpe Park.And you can see the massive coasters I rode. Seriously. Saw was THE scariest thing I rode by far. It goes vertically up and vertically down. My heart totally dropped. And I sat the fastest coaster in 2 seconds. I don't know how to explain in and my computer is now lagging because I am uploading photos on Facebook. I have a lot. Seriously. But my battery is soon dying out because the plugs in Belgium are different and I am hopeless about it. I want to cry (joking) but I don't think I should. My back aches and my neck is sore. My backpack is no joke. Hah.

So far the trains looks safe. Eurostar is pretty posh and the train from Bruxelles-Midi to Brugge is pretty all right. Spoke to Emily and the family for a bit. I think I should quickly close this page so that my Facebook photos can be uploaded faster. It's so slow and I have barely 40 minutes of battery left right now and my photos are just halfway through. Will come back to this place again if my electronics have battery!

Much love from Brugge.

P.S. Check back on my Twitter page. I posted nice pictures of Brugge I took on my phone!

Short update from Bruxelles!

2010-09-16T19:27:00.000+08:00

First off, I am in Brussels. The first six hours here was not too pleasant because I was too early (later tickets costed a bomb) and the district right outside the Thalys Eurostar station of Brussels-Midi was really intimidating. I did not like it. It was a typical kind of place you would totally avoid. There was graffiti everywhere and every single part smelled like piss. Each street I crossed, there were more Middle Easterns, etc. And they looked scary. No offense to Belgians but it scared me. I did walk, anyway, at least twenty minutes far out and it was eye-opening. Then finally I made my way to Herrmann-Debroux station and met my first official Couchsurfing host, Geraldine. She is working right now so I am looking around on my own. I dont know if I can update today but I would do it when I get to Brugges where I will be living in a hotel instead. I am the Grand Market and it is AMAZING as hell. I swear it is just so picturesque. I went crazy with the pictures. I had some free chocolate, bought a chocolate teddy bear, ate some great Belgian waffle (it REALY was good) and now I am trying my best to look for Mannaken Pis myself. I visited three churches and prayed at one. I must say I am pretty good at finding places myself! :-) Will update soon. I have a lot of pictures! A LOT! I am doing great so much love to those who emailed or texted me!

P.S. The French keyboard has no apostrophe so you cant blame me :-(

P.P.S. This keyboard at the Visit Flanders tourism office has smiley keyboard buttons! I will post a picture soon!

Short update

2010-09-15T02:49:00.001+08:00

THORPE WAS SICKKKK. WILL UPDATE IN A BIT! I need to pack my things. I'm leaving in the morning for Brussels. I'm so pumped! x

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Location:Ruddlesway,Windsor,United Kingdom

Grays Farm

2010-09-14T06:50:00.000+08:00

Before the day's activities, Lali made some amazing chicken rice with fried chicken. Yes, two chicken dishes with lots of vegetables and flavorful rice. Just amazing.

That's some really nice farm off Rances Lane, I'm sure. The family brought me there to pick berries and veg but unfortunately it was closed on Sunday. So Lali talked to the old lady manning the place and managed to get permission for us to roam the farm! On normal days, people were allowed to pluck berries and veg on our own just for the fun of it and we can pay to bring them home! Such a great activity, isn't it? Anyway, we roamed further out and found the prized berries! There were so many strawberries in season and we just plucked away (even though we probably betrayed the old woman's trust). They were the best. So juicy and sweet. Not sour. Not hard. Just perfect! I loved the reddest kind. The raspberries were also amazing and very sour and you can NOT imagine its freshness. The blackberries were not yet ripe though. It was a great experience. I was pretty tired out walking the whole field! And at the end, Shauna decided to nick an unripe corn from the corn field. Pretty awesome! It was a pretty awesome experience.

About half past 11 at night, Shauna and I headed to a pub called The Queen. The Black Horse was closed at 11 so we stayed at The Queen till 12:30 or so. I had to give my passport to prove my age. I was bummed I did not bring my identity card. :( A pint of beer cost me £3 or so. We talked a bit about life and the future. Shauna's really fun! So I drank at an English pub AND visited an English farm. SWEET! x

Super noice! + pictures

2010-09-13T04:52:00.000+08:00

Hello good friends and family! I know a lot of you have been waiting for my pictures and here are those from yesterday, my first day in the European region! I did not take any during my Singapore-Dubai flight because I was quite nervous and the men next to me were rather boring so I was even more bored. And I felt awkward because it was really squeezy and I could not take out my camera! However, in Dubai, I felt recharged. Slightly tired, but when I got into the Airbus to London-Heathrow, I was awake! It was a great flight.

(I was so pumped waiting to go in!)

(Airbus A380!)

(This is the mixed grill breakfast.)

(The European sky!)

(Enjoyed a snack of shredded chicken sub and chocolate chip muffin while watching How To Train A Dragon!)

(I believe this was somewhere over Western Germany!)

(This is me before landing; I tied my hair!)

When I arrived at the airport, I kept my cool (despite repeating over and over in my head, 'OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, LONDON. I AM IN ENGLAND~~~') and walked a long way to immigration counter. And it was a seriously long queue. No photos were allowed so I was a little chicken and did not manage a shot of the craziness. About 30 minutes later, I realized I did not have Auntie Lali's address and was doomed when I reached the officer. How was I to get through when my London Travel Card was incomplete?! Anyway, after being interrogated for a good five minutes or so, the lady told me she would let me go this time. *insert HUGE sigh of relief* And my speeding heart skipped beats and I thanked her and made my way ecstatically down the escalator to collect my hideously wrapped backpack! I even forgot I had to pee!

(Auntie Lali is an acquaintance of my mom's. Their mutual friend is a kind Auntie Abby! Thank you for your help, Abs! x)

The luggage trollies were really old at London-Heathrow (not sure if it's just terminal 3) so I had to endure 15 minutes of squeaking before I made it out and looked around for Auntie Lali. There were some Indians but I did not really recognize Auntie but I saw a familiar girl with a paper with my full name on! It was amazing! Hah! That happened to be Shauna and she was all spritely and stuff, very cool. She has a killer Windsorian accent. Super noice! Then we got to the car and met Uncle Shan and we drove back to the house near the Windsor Castle. EVEN MORE COOL!

There's too much to write but I'll leave it for now. I have more pictures from the farm shop and farm but I'll update another time because I have to finish up Auntie Lali's fried chicken. Ahhh. It's a wonderful 15 degrees here. And Shauna is going to be back soon and we shall head to an English pub! With love from England! x

P.S. I apologize for my lackluster and haggard appearance. Hey, I traveled back in time. Cut me some slack! ;)

English Morning

2010-09-12T13:26:00.001+08:00

It's 6:00AM and I'm lying on a springy mattress on the floor enjoying soft and pale blue views of the sky while being amazed at the fact that there is no air conditioning in this place. It's 12 degrees centigrade and isn't that lovely? Shauna is asleep and I'm sure she was sleep talking a few times earlier. It reminds me of my sister who sleep talks quite daily!

About a minute before it hit six, birds were actually chirping. It's quite strange they're so accurate about it! Right now, I just want to go downstairs and into the garden out back and enjoy the English morning but the stairs and floorboards squeak so much I'm afraid I'd wake everyone up. :( There's nothing too bad about staying in bed either, right? It's like having air conditioning without the cold air blowing. It's still air. Still. Non-moving. Amazing! And I have to admit that my short walks to the toilet down the hall reminded me of Truckee, Nevada. It really smelled like Truckee! O.O

The skies are getting brighter. I can't wait to head for the car boot sale! Much love from Windsor x

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Location:Redford Rd,Windsor,United Kingdom

Windsor, England

2010-09-12T01:51:00.001+08:00

I simply loved Emirates. The food is such a spread! I am a loser, really, because I forgot to bring my camera wire and so I can't upload pictures. I might have to kill myself right now. I watched How To Train A Dragon and it's a sweet show! Also fell asleep towards the ending of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

Getting through London Heathrow is quite a bother. :( It's especially intimidating when going through the declaration area. The queue is unbelievably long and the officer is mean-looking. I did not have the address of the place I was to stay at and I almost couldn't get through. But I did. The lady told me there would be no second time. Then, waiting for my baggage was another thing. Oh, the push carts are really old and noisy. It was embarrassing how each cart I pushed (yes, I actually changed a few times) was squeaking and all! :/

YouTube Video

Look at the clear blue skies. I'm now in Windsor, England, where my kindly hosts reside. They picked me up at the airport and the girl even had my full name written on a piece of paper! It was pretty awesome. Auntie Lali made lunch and I ate a lot, and Uncle Shan prepared tea and biscuits. There's Shauna and Shaun here as well. Friendly bunch. Tomorrow, we are going to a car boot sale! Now I shall sleep. It's barely 7 here!

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Location:Redford Rd,Windsor,United Kingdom

Dubai layover

2010-09-11T10:44:00.001+08:00

Hello! I'm now passing my layover in Dubai. It's apparently 32 degrees outside. Sweltering! And it was only 4 in the morning when I touched down! I do not have the chance to leave this airport but it's okay. I'm glad I managed to find my ways through the Transfers Hall!

Emirates was a pleasant flight. I did not particularly enjoy an economy seat with strangers because one was rather large and the other is a real sleeping beauty. He's like Fabio (romance novel lead male) but he's always sleeping, and only wakes to drink but never eat. Mr. Pot Pie on the other hand enjoys eating like me. I sat right next to the window. Fabio slept so much I had to climb over him (stepping on mine and Pot Pie's seat when PP was in the lavatory). And Fabio did not once go to pee! I'm amazed especially since all he does is drink.

The food was quite amazing, I must say. Small portions but more than four kinds of things on your tray. I have to apologize for not taking pictures. It was my first flight alone and I was just trying to get used to it!

All I did was watch The Princess and The Frog, Two and a Half Men, The Simpsons, and When In Rome. AMAZING MOVIES. The music was bland and the podcasts were mediocre to me but I'm glad I watched movies I never watched before!

Right now, I'm taking a break at McDonald's, having a small fries and small orange juice costing me S$11. Sorry, dad. :/ Also had weak video calls with the family lasting just a few seconds and spoke some to the sister. All is good so far. I am off to look at the shops! Stay tuned!

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Location:Dubai,United Arab Emirates

2010-09-06T14:35:00.000+08:00

It hasn't been easy finding a place to stay at in Munich since I'm going specifically during the Oktoberfest and 90% of Munich couchsurfers aren't open to stay with or they already have couchsurfers. Or so they say. If it was me, I probably would do the same. However, I've found a place where she's free to host on the weekdays and another girl who would gladly host me over the weekend and she said we could even cook together. I'm truly excited about that fact! Now at least I have Munich covered. I just have to find a hostel in Cochem. I want to go there, really, for some reason. I researched that months ago. Now I have to find why exactly I wanted to go there.

2010-09-02T12:34:00.000+08:00

So I've not update in a long time AGAIN, but this time it's just 8 days till my flight. I'm so excited. Who wouldn't be?

So far, I've found hosts (and lovely ones at that) in London, Brussels, Brugge and Amsterdam. :) As the days pass, I will look for others in Cochem, Munich, and Prague. So far, so good.

One thing though, I have sent over 30 couchsurfing requests and only 5 have returned with positive answers. Half respond that they are unavailable for many reasons. The rest don't reply at all. I have problems especially with the London hosts. Only two replied me ever since the beginning of August. However, I found a good family in London through my mother's colleague. I'm excited about them!

I have borrowed a few DK Eyewitness Travels guidebooks from the library and will dissect it this week since I have officially left work! I'm a free woman!

I hope to update soon. :)

ONE MONTH!~

2010-08-11T14:32:00.000+08:00

So it's August 11 2010. In exactly one month, I will embark on what will probably be my biggest trip ever. I just came back from Batam, Indonesia and I was disappointed that I could not find a vest there for the winter. Then, I decided that I will buy a vest when I go over to Europe. I've rerouted my itinerary once more and I'm sure it's going to be final. I'm bound to move around not following the plan but at least I'll have a guide. I know that somehow I left out Rome in between. I may need to cut down my stay somewhere else, probably.

So I will be spending three special occasions in Europe:
1. Christmas 2010
2. New Year 2011
3. my 20th birthday (2 January)

I'm kind of clueless about what I'm going to do on these dates but most likely I'll stay with my French friend Julie if she's going to be in town. She lives in Nice and I hosted her via couchsurfing at my place in May. Most likely, we're going to explore Paris together. I've set aside 7 days in Paris and I hope that will be enough!

The only thing I need left for my trip are spare batteries for my digital camera, and jeans. I have corduroy pants so maybe I don't need jeans. I could just buy them there anyway. I was thinking of bringing one main thick jacket, two inner not-so-thick jackets and one hoodie. And six tops, or as many as I can fit. I love to pack more than I can. I always have space. And I am most likely bring my dad's little notebook. I think they call that a notepad, right? Anyway I'll have that with me so I can write and upload my pictures into thumb drives. I'll also bring a journal.

...God, I am so excited. >.<

Sleeping on couches~

2010-07-25T23:36:00.000+08:00

As you should know by now, I'm going to rely on Couchsurfing for the whole of my trip, as much as I can. Since I travel alone mostly, it would be nice to live with someone I know beforehand, right? I'm trying to befriend Londoners right now! Click HERE to go to my Couchsurfing page! :)

Emirates

2010-07-17T14:19:00.000+08:00

I'm actually really excited about flying with Emirates. From all those people who've flown that, they always gave me good feedback. I hear the food is just amazing. Kebabs? Yes, please! And not to mention, Emirates is one of the best airlines in the world. I almost chose Etihad. My mother picked Emirates, anyway, which is also fine with me. I need a little layover in Dubai or I would be so bored flying 13 hours straight!

Flickr

I will be taking this Airbus A380 from Dubai to London! Isn't it amazing? :D

Flickr

And this is Emirates Economy. It's still pretty awesome. I haven't taken a commercial flight in a long ass time so this is going to be interesting.

I hope to post pictures of my two flights to London (SIN-DXB and DXB-LHR) when I reach London. Right now, I'm contacting some couchsurfers to see if I can meet up with them and stay there. I am looking to spend about five days maximum in London. I only have £150 pounds. Wish me luck!

Sorry for the lack of updates!

2010-07-03T15:18:00.000+08:00

Okay, so I'm flying off on 11 September 2010. I'm really excited. Very soon, I'll start making friends on Couchsurfing so that I have people to hang out with and a place to stay when I reach London. Then I'll move on to Paris OR Brussels to start my European backpacking trip. I need to say again that yes, I will be traveling solo. I have no friends that have the time and money both (people usually have only one of them) to go on a trip like that. I've been saving since I was seventeen and I am 19 and a half now. It's finally July. Time is passing by so fast, I can hardly believe it's about two months left till September!

I will have to reroute once again! I haven't been very involved in this blog. What is there to post? I'm not too sure. Lately, I've delved into K-pop (Korean pop) and so I've re-compiled my list of songs to listen to during the trip. I'll also download a few movies to watch during my travels. I have two 7-hour flights, from Singapore to Dubai, and Dubai to London, and back of course. I'll need at least ten movies! :)

I've followed some pretty Tumblr blogs on Europe and Paris, one of my favorite cities. I can't wait to see it in its own beauty. I've also recently revisited Snow City in Singapore with a temperature of -5 degrees Celsius. It's probably nothing compared to what a true European winter is, but it's good enough for me. I was barely in the snow room for five minutes and my nose was dripping. XD I've got to coats to bring, a few jackets and a lot of long-sleeved shirts. When I reach London, the weather will be cool, almost like what Macau was in winter. I can't believe it. :)

My goal is to show others that an European solo trip is possible without hosteling all the way, and it can be done for at least two months on a small budget. As soon as my trip is done, I shall note down my finances. That's my promise. I don't have very much saved, let me tell you. It's enough for a few rail passes and a couple of currywursts a day, but not too much. But I'll make it through. By Couchsurfing 100% if I can find hosts, I'll save a ton of money, make a load of friends, and be shown what the true locals really do. It's always fun making new friends. I hope my Facebook account explodes. ^^

That's it for today, I've nothing else to say except Monday is a holiday and I will be going out with my cousin and sister and we will be looking around for things to get me for my trip since now it's the summer sale! I'm looking for thermal socks, leggings, gloves, earmuffs, and probably a scarf or two! xx