Best way to fly to Pulau Perhentian and save you time and energy!

Dah banyak minggu duk survey cara terbaik untuk ke Pulau Perhentian, tapi tak ramai yang berkongsi cara kalau nak menaiki kapal terbang. So, harini aku share pengalaman kitaorang menaiki kapal terbang. The best is to take flight ke Kota Bharu. So, misi pertama untuk ke sana, of course cari package penginapan dan sebagainya. Tapi sebab aku nak pergi semata-mata untuk ambik course open water diving, aku terus minta pihak ocean13scuba settlekan bab transport dari jeti ke pulau dan bab penginapan.

Why flying is the best option to go to Pulau Perhentian

First of all, there is no direct flight to Pulau Perhentian. So, the nearest option is to take a flight to Kota Bharu airport, which is 40-45 minutes to Kuala Besut jetty - the best gateway to Perhentian Island ;)

We opt for flying because, we are short of time and we wanted to save our energy. Travelling by road can be long and tiring, and we have very little time in our hand to waste it on recovering the kepenatan after haha. Flight to KB is only 50 minutes, memang cepat dan mudah.

Kalau nak naik bas pulak, ada budak-budak kecik, takut banyak pulak hal diaorang nanti nak ke tandas dan sebagainya.

Malindo Air sangat selesa dan luas

How to buy cheap flight ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu 

I have used skyscanner to compare ticket prices, and Malindo Air was the winner. But, when booking, I used budgetair.com as it offers the lowest price, and there is no hidden charge (unless if you want to add on stuff like free cancellation or insurance-like).  The flight that we've got is quite cheap, 4 adults and 3 kids, cost us RM 800 to and fro KL-KB. The flight was for Sunday-Khamis (We stayed a night in Besut just to berjalan raya around my mother-in-law's kampung).

We arrived Kota Bharu around 8:30am, we then have some breakfast in the airport lounge area, then only make our way to Jeti Kuala Besut.

From Kota Bahru airport you can easily buy a taxi coupon to Besut Jetty for RM78. Look for the taxi booth near the arrival hall. We were lucky that we find a big taxi that can fit us all, so we only needed one. The journey to jeti Besut took us about 40 minutes.

How to go from Besut Jetty to Perhentian Island

This part was not mine, since it was pre-arranged by ocean13scuba but I will just share our experience. The best part of this arrangement was, only 4 of us are going for the diving trip, but each family brought along their parents, kids, and some siblings too, so we became a big group of maybe 30-ish people, just enough to fit a speed boat!

There are plenty of things you can do while waiting at the jetty. There's food stalls, clean toilet that you can pay even to shower, souvenirs shops and many travel agents that offer over-the-counter deals, so if you don't want to pre-book your boat arrangement, you can also buy it there.

Speed boat ke Pulau Perhentian

From Jeti Kuala Besut, it is about 30 minutes by speed boat to Perhentian Island. We stayed in Shari-la Resort Perhentian Kecil, a very convenient resort as there is a cemented walkway from the jetty all the way to the resort and through their individual chalet too. So you can use the typical roller bag to bring all your stuff over! No sand will be in your way :)

The speed boat that we got was not as luxurious, but it is ok, as long as it takes us safely to Perhentian, and most importantly, FAST! But when returning to Besut, we got a better looking boat, complete with cover, I really don't understand why the big difference :D

Oh yeah, the price is typically the same for any agent, speed boat to and fro will cost you RM70 per adult and RM60 per child.

Mesmerizing view welcoming us upon our arrival

The walkway to Shari-la resort - roller bag friendly

The Shari-la resort entrance

The resort is individual chalet like - complete with air conditioner (suitable for mat-salleh like children of mine haha)

3M enjoying the trip to Pulau Perhentian 

South Korea break

Hanasayor.. sayoran.

Korea was a great break, although we have 3plus days, it is enough to make us feel like coming back but during much nicer weather... say autumn? We can't survive the winter there! It was horribly freezing and we can only manage to walk not more than 30 minutes outdoor before feeling numb on our toes.. gosh.. i do not know how i survived living my life throughout winter in London last time! Some more going out wearing sock on top of a pair of crocs! haha.. ancient history.. i miss that day  though :)

We took AirAsia X to fly off to South Korea, upgraded ourselve to Premium using the Option Town offer, only paid like RM100++ for the upgrade, which is sooo worthy of the 6 hours journey with the super comfy fully reclined seat (more like a single bed to me). And yeah.. the steward/ess are much nicer to you too. So, that's how it feels traveling on Business class huh? Bilelah nak dapat rase tu..

2nd day, we felt like a bit adventurous, checking in to Korean traditional home stay, which by expectation is some nice home owner that will serve you breakfast and make your bed for the night in a spacious yet traditional woody room. AND how wrong was I. The room is not only small, literally fits 2 people lying on the floor flat with some room to stretch and to make it worst, the bulky traditional furniture take up most of the space.AND the worst is finding that the floor heater is not really circuling the air, so in order to feel warm, one have to lay flat on the floor. Gosh.. memang saje design untuk org masuk tido terus ni!! Mengecewakan! :(


Here's our souvenirs to kill 2 minutes of your precious time.. hopefully you enjoy it, (kutuk dalam diam je la k..hiks)
http://vimeo.com/36152098

Kuching Marathon Aku datang!

15 August 2014.. Me, my husband, 3 kiddos and their nanny together with Tok Mi, Tok Di and cousin Arif flewn to Kuching via AirAsia. Our short trip there mainly for the Kuching Marathon on 17th of Aug, which happen to be my husband's birthday. 

When we first arrived in KLIA2, our expectation from all the negative comments received from friends went up once we entered departure area. Nothing fit their comments. Everything is new, clean and excellent. There are walkalator too. In overall, we love it. The flight took off and arrived safely on time despite a slight bad weather that the captain professionally managed to re-route and avoid.

Once we came out from the immigration, we went straight to get car rent. Driving was no problem at all. We checked into Hilton, and lucky enough being given the waterfront view.  

We then went to collect our marathon pack in Plaza Merdeka, where we ate our dinner. The price of foods were slightly expensive in compare to Peninsular. 

The kids are all exausted and already asleep. So we (my husband and I) left them with the nanny and go for a walk near waterfront. Amazingly Hilton hotel is strategically located.. everything is very near and within walking distance. Our first destination is to cross the Santubong river to check out the other side's food court. We took the 1 ringgit boat and crossed it within less than 5 minutes. At 9 pm, the crowds seems plenty. We just browse around to seek for special and interesting food to try. Frustrated with the food court, we head back to Waterfront, as we have past by people who are enjoying set of crispy banana fritters cheese being served by one of the stall there.

We too decided to try the banana set. And the looks and smell are as delicious as the taste! We called Tok Di and co to join us, and within minutes they arrived. We even ordered sate set.. Which cleverly came with green lemang and few pieces of breads. The sate even taste better than in Semenanjung! There's no burn on the beef at all, and it is very soft. So like you've guess it, we ordered our second set. Full tummy and happy, we head back to our hotel to rest.

Kuching special sate

Next morning, we head to Kuching Cultural Village. The entry ticket for adult is RM60 and kids is RM30. But you can get a cheaper bargain if you took van transportation along with the ticket. You can ask the hotel you're staying with.

There are cultural performance twice daily at 1130 and 4pm. The performance is worth your time, funny.. And entertaining. It also plays like a short course history lesson, where they introduced all different races of Sarawak in musical. After we've done with the performance, it's time to walk around the village. Oh yes, I almost forgot.. When entered, you'll be given individual passport that you can stamp from one long houses to another. In each longhouse, you got to learn more of each culture from the place they live, clothes and activities. 

An interesting bridge to try

We ended our tour with lunch at the restaurant. I for once braving myself to try the local dish. The lunch set consist of Umai, Assam ikan, Manok Pasoy, pumpkins and rice folded in banana leaf. Honestly I can stomach Manok & pumpkin dish and not the other two. Not my kind of taste I guess. 

Rent out costume for Rm10.

At night, we went to try seafood dish in Top Spot food court. The place is crowded, but there are plenty of tables around. The services is fast and the taste is delicious. When it comes to the price, I was shock that off all our order consist of big prawn, squid, kerapu, crabs, veges, rice for 9, It didn't even reach RM200! Maybe becoz I was used to Qatar's price, which are all super expensive. Hehehe. Overall, we are all very satisfied with Top Spot. A must-go place to dine! We head back for an early rest, as the next day we'll join the marathon as scheduled to start from as early as 3am for full marathon. My hubby took half marathon which starts at 5am. I just signed up for 10km which starts at 6am. Overall, we love the event, race starts on time, water station every few kilometres and the route took us through friendly neighbourhood. Many makcik2 came out from their house and stand by the road cheering all the runners sportingly. And whilst running through the transition from dark to light.. we were welcomed by rooster's loud and proud calling. It is simply amazing. 

As expected, I did my worst this time. With no training for almost 2 months (I blame Hari Raya the most), my body was not ready. I couldn't go as steady as I could before, but thanks to coQhealth Shaklee, I could still finish the race, it could have been worst! I told myself, this is like training.. Walk run all i can, until I reached the finish line.

There were 6 of us from Qatar who came to Kuching just for this event. All of us are actually together in this small group of Malay runners in Qatar that we called PelariStyloYo. The founder and captain, Syafie Ahmad did his 7th Full Marathon there in Kuching. I am nowhere half of his achievement. Everyone was happy and satisfied to run our first Malaysian run together, even it is during holiday season, where everyone is still in the mood for ketupat and rendang, with none or minimum training. At least we've done it and not backing out :). 

Qatar PSY: Running Kuching Marathon 2014

After breakfast, my family and I heads to some adventure.. Seeking to watch Orang Utan. But unfortunately, we arrived during the break hours. And the note also said it is not recommended to see during this fruit season. So we opt for second best - Jong's Crocodile farm & Zoo. It was amazingly big, with lots an lots of crocs! I think it is actually a much better activities than looking for the Orang Utan to be honest. What make Jong's Crocodile and Zoo farm special are the way they landscaped the area, you will pass by some big lakes, then going through jungle using hanging bridge made out-of wood whilst the crocs waiting patiently right underneath. Just imagine when the bridge breaks! :D

After our accidental-yet-amazing tour around the place we head back to Kuching for lunch. Restaurant Nusajaya is simply the best in town! Had nasik goreng ayam masak merah and I literary licked the plate! heh..

That night, was my husband's 33rd birthday. I have planned to make a simple surprise celebration for him with whoever available in Kuching, and of course, the running buddies are all there to celebrate. Our plan worked out perfectly, with Mr Ai, looking touched and slightly red hehehe. After the small celebration at our hotel room, we head to cross the Santubong River (i:e Waterfront) to chill at Barok Cafe, which is a cool surrounding to be at. The slight raining adds to the amazing atmosphere.  

The next day, its time to head back, making one final stop at the Kek Lapis factory then we go straight to airport. Flewn safely with Airasia with thousands of happy memories. 

Kuching.. will we come back? 

Yes of course!

-Yeen -

Semi Marathon de Paris 2014

My super special birthday this year. Not only I received blessing to enjoy myself with my friends in Paris, but I got to buy just the thing I once thought impossible.. still thought that I was dreaming.
Anyway, let's not keep you bore with my yada yada.. and go straight to my story of the above mentioned right?

Enjoy!

We were all excited to join Paris Half Marathon which coincidently fell on my birthday. 
We've registered several months before, wayyy before our first half marathon in Chiang Mai. 
Determine to make a trip of the year.. with 7 of us, running towards the finish line together (in spirit at least). 
But like wise man says, we can only plan, but HE is the one who'll decide in the end. 
No matter how hard or consistent we've trained, no matter how firmed our booking is, 
at the end of the day.. only 2 of us made it to Paris HM..

It was funnily enough that each one of us suddenly caught with some obstacles. Started with H, 
she got pregnant (not that it could have slowed her.. she ran her first HM in Dubai while being pregnant too). 
But due to doctor's advise.. it is better not to join any race.. jogging on its own is ok, but not a race, 
as she might have push herself too hard, plus she is in her 5th months of pregnancy (I know right? WHAT?! 
5months and not showing at all? :)

Then it's L's turn.. she just started working at a new company. In her interview, she already mentioned her plan 
for HM Paris and her boss is ok. But nearing the time, her boss did not fulfilled her promise. She didn't provide
her full support and back L's plan to go on with her planned holiday when COO rejected her leave request .
So she had to cancel and withdraw from our trip. :(

Then,  more and more of us faced obstacles. I was hesitated too. I do not have anyone looking after my kids 
from 5th to 7th. My new housemaid are schedule to arrive on the 2nd.. and I do not know her capabilities. 
Will she be good with kids? But since my husband insist that I continue with my plan, I carried on.. 
And so the drama begins.. few weeks to the actual travel date, more and more drama arised.
One with housemaid issue, one with a sick mother-in-law, one with a sick father, all had to withdrawn from the plan, although all paid for the registration. And the last was A, 1 day before the race, she just can't get into any flight.. all flight were fully loaded. So that's that.

Off the 4 of us go:- yeah.. luckily there's 2 more friends still joining for the trip but not for HM; 2 with a pure shopping mission and 2 with half-hearted HM mission AND a little bit of shopping mission (yes, it did started small- honest to God! :D). We took Pegasus airline, it was dead cheap when we booked it, QR1400 to-fro with a day stop over in Istanbul on the returning route. The flight was smooth, just a small delay due to some 'technical' problem - whatever 
it was. Our 3 hours transit in Istanbul was fun, even it was just around the airport. Few hours later, we arrived Paris- Orly airport. Took a brilliant pre-booked shuttle to pick us up and drove straight to our hotel in de Porte de Vincennes. Click here for the shuttle website. 

First stop after check in: Race Bib pickup! And there goes our touristy story. Been here, done that.. yada yada.. now let's go straight to the race shall we?

2nd of March 2014,  waking up a year older. I was not that excited to run. Maybe because half of me, still can't 
adapt the fact that I'm now running on my own without my husband-my mentor, my motivator AND most of my 
running buddies - which are my reason to stay strong. I was a bit scared, but not as scared as I was when I did 
my first HM. This time, my mindset is already thinking - do not push your limit.. run as you please as long as you finished. I know.. not the kind of motivation that one should share in the story of running. But to tell you the truth, 
I could not feel the same eagerness that I had when I did my first HM anymore. Maybe it was Paris - too beautiful 
and so much to do that we somehow 'unintentionally' diverted our intention. yes.. we were lack of discipline indeed.

We did however enjoy the ambience. It surely was different. It started as early from our journey from our hotel- 
waiting for our lift down, few of other runners are also there- ready to run. From top, they completely looked 
normal in their winter jacket, but when we look down, only we realised- they are in the same mission - in their 
running shoes. All the way to metro station, we'll find more and more runners. Our trip via metro was a bit of a challenge too, we didn't get to ride it until the 4th train came by. All others were packed with runners. 
It was awesome. Me and N felt so tiny compare to all mat and minah saleh's runners.

Our journey to the start point was challenging enough- it almost felt like my Hajj experience, with thousand of people pushing their way on the opposite. Due to some miss-communication when dropping our bag, me and N got 
separated. I felt lost. Darn it.. Calling/ Whatssaping didn't help- all line were too busy. After 15 minutes, I decided to 
wait for N in our curfew area- Alhamdulillah, I saw her. The joy, was like a kid who got lost and found by the parents! We briefly hugged. It was an emotional moment, we needed each other at the start point. At least with each other, 
we'll forget all those obstacles and could enjoy our little run.

10 am..but... we were kept waiting.. and waiting. and exactly 1 hour after the supposedly start time of the race, we, 
the idiots who were honest enough to chose our target time to be more than 2hour were being 'released'. 
Yes, we were divided into 4 categories: Smart, dumb, dumber and dumbest. We were obviously the dumbest. 
(Lesson learnt: NEVER EVER take the last categories, lie and just take the fastest target time, you'll know why 
if you keep reading my story).

I ran alongside N, just so we'll motivate each other, at least for the first 3km, after which, we got separated. 
Sorry N! I honestly wanted to run with you until the finish line- but that darn coQ health made me go a little faster although not as fast and as determined like I was in ChiangMai. But as I admit before, my target was made lower.

But the good side of this HM, along the way from start to finish, I think not even 100 meter apart, 
there's always people cheering or people entertaining the runners; band, singers, you name it. They were all high spirited, and the song that they sang or the drum that they pounded were amazing. These was something new 
for both of us. It keeps us energized. Felt like an on-going parade.. and we were really celebrated.

5km- the first water station; I was ready to replenish myself, but what do you know? No water anymore.. demmit.  
This is when the 'dumbest-group' story begins. Remember we were released 1 hour after the race started? So, 
this is expected. Of course there not gonna be anymore water for us losers. We were just the idiots who thought 
we could participate in such a big event to get some sort of accomplishment for ourselves. We were the idiots who thought 'doesn't matter how slow you go, as long as you finished' when the race organizer didn't even consider us loser, let alone our need to keep going by hydrating ourself. Yes, we were that stupid.  I saw people going through 
the garbage tank for water. It was sad and humiliating. Although I started to feel thirsty, I couldn't bring myself to 
do the same. I try my luck by asking other runners who I saw have a little spare of water, (which come to think of it, might have got their water from that pile of garbage too haha whatever). N said, she took her water from leftover 
bottle she found lying 'near' the garbage tank. Pitty her.

8km, the route is getting harder- it was a steep road all the way- I kept my slow-jog mode until a lady past me by walking. Demmit! I was too slow! Might as well walk.. so I did. (mistake no 2)

10km- I  thought my luck will get better- but now, same story for water. Nada. So I had to beg from other runners 
again. Putting aside any shame.

15km - now at least there's some energy drinks, not much.. but there was, and some oranges too. Finally some 
sense of decency.

19km- After the up and down route, I was no longer in the mood of constant running, yes..I walked most of my way 
up a hill and run the rest of the other 'flat' route. The most challenging was that last few kms .., I was de-motivated, 
or what us runner call it 'the wall'.. I was past by other motivated runners, one by one. I can even see a very old 
man in front of me- my guess he was pushing his limit- poor him. Did he got any water  along the way, I wonder? Suddenly I swear, I heard my husband's voice 'You.. sikit lagi you..' , I broke to tears. Oh my god.. it felt so real.. as 
if he was running besides me. It motivates me to run a little bit faster.
Not long after, I ran past the old man, and kept running to the finish line. Arrived after 2hours and 44minutes to be exact.
At least there's still people there, and there's a host with his microphone- trying to cheer all the finisher, interviewing them.  I runner who arrived shortly after me broke to tears. She must have push herself so much to be that 
emotional. Yes, running was emotional, when you cross that finish line, with the sought-after medal awaiting for you, you will feel all your efforts are paid off.

But I can't see any medal. No one was waiting for us with medal at the finish line.

I felt strange, where is my medal?

Maybe I have to walk to some desk to get it? So I thought, fine I'll wait for N to finish, and go and get it together. Approximately 17 minutes later, N arrived.

We walked and walked but nobody is around, we found some guys who looks 'official' and ask about our medal, but sadly he responded 'Sorry, all finished'. 'WHAT THE ??!'. That's it, the medal, which supposed to be, my 'birthday present' and the symbol of our small victory.. is no longer available. I seriously didn't get it. How can they not understand the feeling of being let down like this? I can accept if we were told upfront that the first xx runners will 
get medals, and none for the rest. But, how can you assume that everyone who ran this HM don't mind the medal 
part? We've flown thousands of kms to be here, just to be let down?. How simple and easy for them to do that and claim as one of the best event in the world. Did you purposely prepared medals lower that the numbers of 
confirmed registration? :( How aweful.. I felt cheated.
We left empty-handed and heart broken. We no longer have any mood for any other activities- let alone for any 
picture. We went straight to hotel to rest.

That concluded our Drama to Semi Marathon de Paris 2014. Not only the drama started from before the trip, but it somehow cursed us until our return. Somebody is in need of 'mandi bunga' for sure.

xxxxxxx
Dissapointed,
BIB 50502, Semi de Marathon Paris 2014.

World of Oz

Yup.. blog yang bersarang tebuan.. shud be ready for harvesting now :P

Just so you know.. I am a mother of three now! yup.. I can't myself digest that very fact just yet.. so pardon my so many excuses of not updating the blog.

Last raya, we went back to Malaysia.. and yes.. it was a very tricky and tiring journey with the 3 kiddos. Myra is an angel - Maqeel on the other hand.. hmmmm pffff kne banyak sabor ajela. Sampai Mr.Ai said.. that's it.. our next vacation will only happen in 3 years time! yikes.. 

Talking about vacation, during our last stay in Malaysia, we managed to steal time to escape to Oz.. not that Dorothy-red-shoes-world-of-Oz.. it's AUSSIE mate! I 'accidentally' booked the flight like a year ago.. so with no choice.. hafta drag my poor hubby and 2 kiddos along with the crazy adventure.. ahaks. Mishel (that's my latest daughter) being left in Malaysia with the nanny and my lovely MIL. But I still blame it on Airasia.. not gonna fall for their promo trick anymore! :P

And best part is, another fren and her family also being hasuted to follow.. siap tolong plankan itinerary lagi :D (I use the same-above-mentioned-excuse of having 3 kiddos-and-no-spare-time.. so slamat takyah plan this time around hik hik)

So here goes the story of our vacation..


The other family (capt's) flew in to Melbourne a day earlier, so they fetch us from the airport.. Mmg plan yg sangat cantik. We rented a motorhome - yup! another motorhome adventure :) for a week, they have the motorhome for a day before we came, and we have the motorhome a day after they left and shared the other 6 days we were together venturing Melbourne-Sydney and back.



Picture courtesy of Capt's - i so love this pics.. :)











24Aug- After being fetched from the airport.. Mr Herol directly brought us all to Lake mountain resort, which is only 2 hours away to play some snow! Yup.. the still tired-and-restless-and-smelly-us juz follow the flow. No time to waste! hehe.(And in case you are wondering.. Oz takde snow ke? nape nak kne gi mountain resort? yup.. check your fact before planning your holiday, if you are after a snow fun adventure, know that even the country is in winter season.. with freezing cold-temperature, it doesn't necessarily have snow. You just have to go up the mountain, and yess.. the road is not that bad and scary, our motorhome were fit enough to climb us there safe n sound. Before entering the resort, there's a ticket booth to pay, and a-must-by-law tire chain to be rented (just in case we are stuck with heavy-snow, which is not in our case because end of August is already towards the end of winter in Oz- so less snow). Fyyyuohhh 

Snow overalls, boots and tobbagon are also available for rent.
Despite the cold and windy surrounding, the kids enjoyed their time playing snow and tobbagon for a bit. Yup.. like in any European country, shops and in this case snow resort are closed at 4, so off we go to our first campsite Marysville Caravan park, which is not far from the resort.


25Aug - The crazy long adventure begins. We traveled to Sydney! A 9 hours journey to be exact. Stayed and relax at Lane Cove River Tourist park
The next following day, taking our sweet time exploring the Opera House, Wildlife Sydney & Aquarium (Which I don't really recommend, as there is no fun watching animals from behind the glass) But then again.. kids still enjoy their time. We then take the infamous harbour cruise, which lucky for us, got a major saving ticket pack for parents and kids on Saturday.
A short but worthy of our travel time to Sydney.. coz come to think of it.. bile lagi nak sampai Sydney kan?
After the free and easy experienced, we head back to Lane Cove River Tourist park for overnight. Next morning, a quick stop at Sydney town for a shop and dine at Mamak, Chinatown. We had great time watching roti canai terbang (flying paratha) show there. 3 canaiteer- specially imported from Penang, Malaysia just to make roti canai in Sydney, how cool is that, huh?! 

Supposedly, we were meant to stop by another campsite, but because of the unsatisfying experience we had with the Wildlife Sydney. One thing, they don't even have Kangaroo! (Kangaroo section was closed for renovation) and another.. it's like seeing the animals in the zoo- no direct contact with the animal like we'd imagined. Mr.Ai and Mr.Herol decided to stay awake and take the 16hours drive to Phillip Island Wildlife Park. During which, we accidentally came to a Bull Point lookout point, having the most amazing view from the hill down towards the ocean.


Phillip Island was crazy fun.. it's worth every second of Mr.Ai and Mr.Herol's sacrificed time staying awake. Kids love it.. and we love it too. The Wallabies and Kangaroo run free.. we can touch and feed them with no fear at all. At first they look a bit intimidating, especially during our first encounter with the hungry Kangaroo- she literary hopped towards us and snatch the brown-paper-bag from my hand! But the kangaroo is actually harmless.. and very tame. Even Maqeel found it very easy to adjust and tease the Wallabies and Kangaroos.   

After the park, we dropped by A-Maze-N-Thing which have may amazing stuff that one can't think is possible! It sure challenged one's mind ;)

After the long unshowered journey, we head back to Melbourne city, overnight at Ashley Garden Parks. which is conveniently located near to the city, and easy access to the airport too. Oh.. not forgetting our quick stop at K-Mart along our way to Melbourne... buying silicone molds! Thanks to Capt's.. terguda jugak aku beli.. because they're not just cute, but cheap too! 2dollar, 5 dollar, and max 10 dollars top, for a cake carrier! mane tak borong.. huhu

The next morning, is our turn to send Capt and Family to the airport.. Since we have the motorhome until the next evening, we have decided to venture to The Great Ocean Road.. going to see the amazing 12 Apostle.

It was the right decision to make, the 12 Apostle was great.. a no-money-can-buy and no-word-can-desribed sight.

We overnight at the nearest campsite. Then head back to Melbourne the next morning. Returned the motorhome safe and sound.. checked in to Formule 1 hotel (located at the heart of Melbourne city), browsing through Melbourne city.. was unfortunate as the Queen Victoria Market was already closed, even before 3pm. But fortunate enough to have other stores opened till 8pm (they usually closed as early as 5 if not for weekend night). Early next morning took the shuttle van-taxi to the airport- for our flight home to Malaysia.

Aussie.. thanks for the wonderful experienced.. we love cha :)

Malaysia be-reak

One and a half years since I last came back to my home country. Finally the day has come.. 16 December 2011. We've booked the ticket long ago, and can't really believe that it finally arrived. It was Maqeel's first journey back to Malaysia. He didn't show much curiosity during the flight. Might be because of the late hour, just few crack of cries.. until he felt asleep.. and yeah.. the baby bassinet is no help for my too-lenghty-of-1year-old-infant. He'll sense it every time we try to put him in, and will burst with yet another cries.
Long story short..after few hours, we arrived safely with no serious turbulence .. hooray!

Bagan Lalang
2nd days in Malaysia, we went to HM seafood restaurant in Bagan Lalang, Sepang. It was my plan for my side of family get-together. I chose the place via the recommendation that I got from the internet. I didn't realized that the place was quite far. But okla.. worth the travel n trouble :)
Food was nice.. and reasonably priced. We got all there is on the menu for our big feast, and yet harge kiteorg makan beramai-ramai (there were 13adults and numbers of nieces n nephews) murah dari macam harge makan kat TGIF kat doha utk 5adults.

So for those yang blank taktau nak makan ape whilst in KL/Selangor.. go to Bagan Lalang.. no need to go to Melaka anymore. Here's their website for more details; http://www.hmsribaganlalang.blogspot.com/ 

yummilicious seafood - demm i miss u!

While you are there, do try out their famous pepahat masak cili.. for me ok ok la.. but tgk tak sampai 5 minit dihidang.. dah licin.. so must be super-delicious to others :)



JPO
The next day, we made our way to Johor Premium Outlet. Yeah yeah I know.. so many people are overly excited about this newly opened branded outlet in Malaysia, and have check it out with their full swing of reviews. Well.. doesn't hurt to add another one from me.
I was excited ever since I was in Doha, preparing our long list of itinerary and things to eat when I heard that the first phase of the outlet is finally ready to public.
But my excitement went down a little the minute I arrived - I saw too crowded a place. (Well I am famously known to hate crowds, well not THAT famous hehe)
The outlet is new, and not running in full swing yet, so I guess we hafta cut some slack for any of it's down-sided.
In term of shopping, mainly in clothing- looking for sizes are a real challenge and there aren't that many choices anymore, maybe due to the fact that when we arrived, the so called super-mega sale just ended days ago.. so what left is just either too expensive stuff or too ugly and not that many the "in-between".

Don't judge the crowd by this picture :P

Dalam duk susah nak carik tu, dapat jugakla rembat sepasang CK (NOT Calvin Klein hehe), a wristwatch, pairs of baju kecik, a suit for him and some jeans n tops for the kids. Not bad.. jadilah sikit-sikit.. kang kopak pulak kan. Hehe.And the wristwatch nye price is not too bad.. berbaloi beli.. cam tak jauh beza ngan harge kat US.

But one thing that I still can't get my mind off was the time when I dengan slambe badaknye masuk Burberry shop from its upper-side entrance to find rows of people queuing in agony at the lower-ground entrance. What the?! Klaka.. why queue on the first place? Pastu buat dua entrance lak tu.. and jage satu side je.. kesian mereka2 yang tertipu.. (luckily wasn't me) hiks..

And yeah another good point of having this outlet in Malaysia is finally ade proper surau, and most of the salesgirl/salesman are from Malaysia, so sonang nak cakap lam BM.. kalau tak bergulung lidah den nak bertanye hehe..(seb baik takleh tawar menawar je.. :D)

After few hours, we left to Pulai Spring Resort, that was suppose to be near and convenient for a stay nearby the outlet, but I find it to be rather contrary.. Tapi, sebab kiteorg bayar harge promosi.. tak banyak komplen la.. duduk ajela.. hehehe

Melaka
The next day, we made our way to Melaka. Konon-konon nak jalan-jalan cuti-cuti malaysia.. wanted to bring the kids to see the Taman Mini Melaka, A famosa, and tempat-tempat yang sewaktu dengannye. That night we even ride the boat along the Melaka River.. bes sangat.. the view is fantastic at night! They've cleaned up Melaka well! I specially like the rows of rumah melaka village and the graffiti paints of Melaka well known legends and such. Such a beauty! I'd say even better look than the ever so-famous gondola ride in Venice.

Next day we when for a tricycle ride or also locally known as "beca" around the city (well not quite around the city, just few tourist attraction site). Myra and Maqeel got really excited..posing here and there for pictures (which we still kept in our laptop.. so god knows when that'll be out to public haha).

I love going to Melaka now, the place is not only historical, but also well kept and clean. The only thing that I didn't get to do following my itinerary was our visit to Taman Mini Melaka.. sadly they closed for renovation. I hope we get to go again during our next break in hari raya (yup! we are going back for raya this year..yay yay insyaallah).

Around KL
One day, we brought the kids to see KLCC, KL tower and around the Perdana lake to see the Tugu Negara, along with their two cousins. It was a fun outing. The first experience for their cousins too. yeah, I understand.. nobody will tot about visiting this place while living in Malaysia, but now that we are out, tot they are pretty interesting place. Next time, we'll go to the Zoo Negara, Istana Negara n all k Myra, Maqeel?

Thunder n lightning everywhere.. but luckily it didn't rain

That night, we went to Wong Solo Ayam penyet in kampung baru. Oh man, why is that nobody ever tells us that kampung baru is no longer safe for feeding! Maqeel vomitted horribly that night. And not until afternoon, we discovered that most of us too were poisoned resulting with diarrhea and stomach pain! I hate WONG SOLO! Remember guys.. be careful with this place! We ate the (delicious self-made chili in the bottle, but ended up with food poisoning.. so i guess the chili must be old)

Jump around! (yeah lucky two who didn't get poisoned)

PENANG
The following day, is the day to travel to Penang. We've already booked our hotel in Penang, so despite not feeling good.. we had to proceed with our journey to Penang. Poor aza, she had everything ready and excited to bring us to all interesting places in Penang, but we ended up not being well enough to enjoy :(
Not even had the appetite to eat all sort of food in Penang. I'm sorry Penang, maybe some other time we'll meet again k?

Nonetheless we didn't left Penang empty handed, got the chance to visit Rumah P.Ramlee, Toy Museum and Hard Rock (why is hard rock becoming places of interest for Malaysian i don't know??? tapi mestii sume nak gi situ n buy a souvenir.. are we somehow being brain-washed by it??? Pelik tapi benar). Mengagahkan diri untuk pergi jugak jalan2 even sikit sebab pikir, bile lagi?

I don't have any picture of the interesting rumah P.Ramlee.. will upload it once I got it transferred.For now, tgk gambo the brain-washed keras batu jela.. hehe

"Keras Batu"

Hong Kong Trip part 2

Disneyland!!! yes.. both kids are over excited for that particular day (but I believe my hubby is slightly more over excited..hihiks).. checking out from our hotel to move to Disney Resort for another nite stay there.

Oh yeah.. pardon me for forgetting to share some basic cost of transportation there. The taxi cost from the Hong Kong Island to Disney Resorts was +-300 HK Dollar. The taxi cost from airport to HK island was +-400HK Dollar (if I remember correctly). And you oughtta take a different colour of taxi to get to different island, so be sure to check on that before boarding. They charge more based on your luggage and toll. But that was the total cost that we paid. So, divide by the 5 (and a half) of us, that's still not too bad.. I think it is the best way to travel with the bags and everything.

Sadly, while waiting for our taxi, the sky turned dark and suddenly its pouring rain! All the way to Disneyland!!!! The 11 years old Tisya starts to feel sad.. and tot there goes all her hopes of glory and joy to have her dream vacation in Disneyland.. :(

We reached the Hollywood Hotel with a warm welcome, the bell boy immediately took our luggage and stack it onto his trolley, then professionally label them together and hands out the reference card. He then pointed us to go to the provided bus to go to Disneyland. Bayangkanla.. belom check in ni.. baru keluar dari taxi jer, pandai2 je apek ni.. nasib baik betul mmg kiteorg nak buat camtu pun.. haha

So, dengan rase yang sikit2 happy and sikit terkilan due to the rain, we boarded the bus. Then 5 minutes later, we've reached the gate. Our assumption that the ticket booth would be flooded with people (like the one in Paris) was so wrong. The place is practically empty. And so was the crowds inside! Man.. memang rileks gile.. don't really have to think about the long line of queue (except for picture taking with Disney's famous idols- Mickey & Mini Mouse).

I felt quite happy to be able to take Myra in, now that she is older, she recognize most of the Disney character.. and was really happy to see them. But, the down side of taking her now was the fact that there were not that many rides to go to that suit her age (or height). There were 4 part of the whole park; the Main Street USA, the Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Pusing-pusing kejap cam dah abis.. Compared to Disney world in Paris, 2 days is the minimum time to really enjoy the whole park! But still.. I think it is just the right size of a park for a 3-5 years old kids. So, no complaint there~

from then on, starts the fairy tales of the kids.. enjoying every little bit of their time in Disneyland, ignoring the drizzling rain.

Well.. enough 'talk', now let the video do the talking. Enjoy~

We left the park right after the last shot of fireworks.. the not-so-crowded place seems packed now. Everybody were rushing to get to the hotel. We tot we gonna wait long for a bus, but the resort has everything under control. Rows and rows of buses were lining up; ready to take passengers. It was a well organized process, people were divided by numbers and quickly boarded on bus in no time. Same thing at the hotel.. lucky for us, that Me and Aizal had took the opportunity to check in earlier (we took a little detour to the hotel during our time at the park, because Myra need 'to go'). Overall, we are 110% satisfied with the services and the hospitality that the resort had shared. It was surely worth it.

The next day, the rain just kept pouring harder.. So we cancelled the plan to visit the Ngo Ping 360. Instead, we took the train to Tung Chung station, and strolled along the branded outlet mall. It has got plenty to offer, but sadly not our pocket :(. I guess ade gak hikmah hujan lebat, rupe2nye the cable car for that 360 view tour was closed for yearly maintenance.. so takde la penat je terkejar2 nak gi visit..

After few hours, its time to go home. We picked up our bag at the hotel, then took the taxi to the airport. At 1830hrs, we bid farewell to Hong Kong. Another fun filled holiday to remember.

Hong Kong trip

Gosh.. i know it has been a while since i last updated my blog. There are so many things happening that i kept delaying an entry after another. But certainly not today! Today, I will finish off my entry on our last trip to Hong Kong. (Well.. that was my determination 3 weeks ago.. hehehehe)

It was a sudden plan to go back to Malaysia, urged by a sudden 'kerinduan'.. First, we booked our flight ticket home from 2nd of June, then Mr.Ai suggested why not go to Hong Kong and take Myra to Disneyland? So, we booked our flight and hotel to HK; a 4days and 3 nites trip, 2 nite spent on Hong Kong island and 1 nite on Disneyland Resort. Then, lepas dah excited2 with the booking and all.... i discovered a joyful news, I was already 6 weeks pregnant!! So I guess we've created our spontaneous-tradition; both my babies had their chance in Disneyland while in my womb. Last time Myra had her chance in Disneyland, Paris and now baby M2 got its chance in Disneyland Hong Kong... ;) And that just mean Mommy aren't allowed to have fun with all the blood-thrilling rides! (phewwhh.. agak lega.... hehehe)

So after few days in KL, came 7th of June, joined by Mr.Ai's sister and her daughter Tisya; we took the 4hours airasia flight to Hong Kong. Myra was not that excited at all, she kept asking us to go back. But her mood turn to joy when boarding the plane, she opened up the 'meal-tray' then curiously shouted 'Mommy! Takde? TV takde?!'. Oh boy.. the joy of explaining mengapa kapal-terbang-tambang-murah- ini tidak menyediakan tv to the 2and a half years old kid. :P

Luckily, she fell to a deep sleep few minutes after take-off.

The 4 hours ride isn't a joyful one for me because of few reasons;
1. The seat is too cramped. No space to stretch your legs
2. The flight was full. No chance to get an extra seat or two
3. The back ache caused by my pregnancy
4. My squashed bladder that kept pushing regular visit to the loo.

So, note to myself; never again board a normal airasia route for flight longer than 2 hours. It really serve you with its lowest possible comfort. (Well, what you pay is what you get la pun..)

Nevertheless, on the plus side; we reached Hong Kong safely and the pre-booked meal is as good as ever.

After checked in and few hours of quicky nap, we carry on with our first destination; The PEAK. From the hotel, we adventurously took the tram to Shau Kei Wan terminus. Determine that it should be a short and easy ride to the PEAK (well, according to google map, the hotel is just a walking-distance away from THE PEAK). Well, turns out google map was wrong, luckily I took the initiative to ask the local the arah-tuju. The locals there are quite friendly, and speak good english too! I'm impress ;) So, based on the direction from one local woman to another local man, we finally reached THE PEAK! pergh.. bleh tahan jauh! Memang menipu btol la google map nih! (or izzit because the hotel's add yang tipu?!! grr...). Well, anyway.. I'm glad that we are still on track with our day 1 itinerary. Dalam sebok2 beratur nak beli tiket tu, tibe2 my phone rang.. Doha's number.. hurm.. i just simply picked it up and answered. Rupe2nye an old colleague of mine, asking if I'm interested to do a freelance work from July! Wahh.. another rezeki.. alhamdulillah.. after one year plus being a housewife, i think i should give it a try, at least before baby M2 arrives ;)

Pic: Tisya on top of Hong Kong

After spending few hours at the top, we then made our way to the ferry station (but this time by cab.. hehehe with 1 preggie lady, a cranky myra and 1 lady in period-pain, i guess cab is the way to go). We took the ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui and then waited until 8 pm to board the ferry back to Central, awaiting the so-called magnificent "Symphony of Light show'' from the ferry view. Oh how disappointing, the show lasted like 5 minutes and the only lights we saw came from not more than 10 buildings! Gosh.. talking about exaggeration! Luckily we already ventured the Tsim Sha Tsui surroundings, and found few beautiful spot to hang.

The following day, we took the tram again to the nearest bus station to go to Stanley Market. It was not that difficult to find, the bus station is just few meters opposite the Central MTR station. (Yes, i had the local help again..malu bertanye, sesat jalan maaa ;)

Myra was really excited to took the double decker bus ride. She sang 'The wheel on the bus' song over and over again throughout the journey. Even Tisya was excited, it was her very first experience, riding the tram, the double decker bus and the ferry, lucky to have an adventurous uncle and aunt huh Tisya? ;)

It was a scary journey to Stanley Market, being on top of a double decker bus, on the front row! riding the bengkang bengkok hills, we felt as if we nearly scratch the hill, for every turn it made. Kecut jugak perut.. cam naik roller coster! And some more, the bus driver dgn slamber bawak laju! huhu.. tapi naseb baik, slamat sampai..

According to google; Stanley Market is the place to go for all sorts of souvenirs and bargain hunts. But it works rather on the opposite for us, the shop mostly being unfriendly and won't allow any bargain at all. Nevertheless, there are still few shops that's still kind enough to lower down the price, but still even after the bargain, I still think it was way too expensive!

After the 'satisfying' shop, we went back to the Central, took the cab to go to Islamic Central, not far from Causeway Bay. Finally eating rice, halal dim sum and few other halal chinese dishes. But surely our taste bud can't really swallow the un-spicy chinese food, looks tempting enough, but tasted literally like a fried beef in a salty-soy, full stop! :(.

The same nite, we took the MTR to kowloon and venture one night market after another. The best is surely the 'Ladies Market'. It is simply the biggest night market there with many stuff to buy. Almost like the Petaling Street in KL. If you are looking for imitation watch, or designer items, this is the place to go, but don't expect it to be displayed on the shop, as it is illegal. If you walk around the market, somebody would definitely approach you with a file filled with the pictures of the 'hot-stuff'.

Fyuohhh.. i'm tired now.. recalling all those memories in Hong Kong.. i think i should stop here, and continue again after some time.. stay tune for our Disneyland stories! ;)

Life on a train..

As a special birthday treat from my hubby to me, I gotta choose to travel to any country by any mean of trasportation; and this time (from a tiny bit of the influence from 'French Kiss') I choose to travel by train. It has always been my dream to travel Europe by train.. I could recall the magnificient view that Meg Ryan had on that movie, when crossing Fench...It was so romantic.. but we only have 6 days, so it's a bit too ambitious if I wanna complete the whole lot! I have spent weeks to have the perfect itinerary so I could go to all those places that I've always wanted to see, even for just a lil bit. So, this is what my greedy-yet-brilliant-self had came out with for my special bday trip ever;

::London-Paris-Nice-Monaco-Milan-Venice-Rome-Pisa-Florence-Geneve-Paris-London::

People said travelling with children will put you off the mood and would mean a restless adventure, but I beg to differ. Our journey in deed have a bit of 'challenges' but the overall outcomes was considered great and worth-having. Myra was behaving so well, and look like she's enjoying the trip as much as we did ;) (and sometime.. a bit MORE! lawan tokey!)

Before I begin my short-story of our amazing experience (for us at least), here's something for u

::Useful facts/notes you need to know before travelling Europe by train::

1. Be mentally and physically ready (Seriously, when we travel.. I felt like i'm over qualified for Amazing Race! somemore with a toddler at hand! hehehe good fun though)

2. If u r a resident in Europe, you can buy Rail Europe Global pass to hop on any train within Europe except the country that u're currently living in ( but if you are only visiting, there are other pass that they have, do google it before hand ;) )

3. Bad news is even with the Rail Europe Global Pass, some train still require seat reservation or some extra charges kalau naik train laju, so in a way menyusahkan perjalanan)

4. You'll be amazed to see sampai-corok mane the train'd go. My best references came from http://www.seat61.co.uk/. I owe it to this website for giving me some ideas on how to book and plan.

5. Travel light - leave the unnecessaries at home so you can board the train in peace of mind in one go! (contohnye tinggal jela that 3 pair of different shoes?!)

6. The local train from one Europe country to another (Except Eurostar crossing English channel) won't require a check in, just validate your ticket, and hop on.. you'll still make it even if you arrived the platform a minute before departure.. (talking from experience.. hehe)

7. Bring on any food or drinks that you want and dine in like nobody's business, it's not a crime.. even when using Eurostar.

8. For people with young children, a light-foldable stroller should be your best bet to enjoy the rest of your trip with your lil one.. and don't let other people put you down with the idea that 'you-can't-have-fun-travelling-with-small-children'. We've done it.. and had proved that your lil one could just be another adventurous joy added to the whole trip!

9. Most of the big train station have essential facilities such as luggage locker and shower (for a small fee). So don't stress yourself up on dragging your luggage here n there while tourising in between trains stop. And it is really wise to book a hotel near to the station.. senang cite!

10. Lastly, seat back, relax.. and enjoy the mesmerizing view throughout your journey.

Now, since I have only few remaining days left here, with lotsa packing, clearing to do... i may only have lil energy left to blog. So, as a summary of my last trip.. here goes, some pics and notes that perhaps useful to others looking to do the same crazy things like us)

Day 1: Parieeee

This is my second visit to the romantic city, and the first for Myra. But the last time we were here, I was 4 months pregnant, so couldn't stress myself up to wait in line to climb the Eiffel Tower. So, this time, we took the chance to climb up! After 2 hours of waiting in line, we are finally up and beyond, looking down to others which had just started to line up. Just look at that photo from above.. that tiny dots of the-almost '4' shapes are actually people lining up to climb the Eiffel.. (apelaa sanggup.. bes sgt ke climb?.. tapi mmg best pun! hahaha n btw, we 'climb' by lift to the 2nd floor.. so tak penat pung hehe).

After half an hour, we went down for lunch, and let Myra running around at the foot of the Eiffel.. whilst enjoying the view. Note: Please be extra precautious when walking around major tourist area, if some woman (dress poorly) suddenly come and ask you 'Do you speak English?' DO NOT! i repeat, DO NOT ever said yes! just buat donno and walk off. They are scammers that'll attack tourist to read this postcard about her sick father, needing some money, so rather miss-used of human sympathy to make money. I mean, c'mon.. you can't all be in Paris, wearing the same type of dress begging for money for your sick father? can you? And to do it for years?! Memang kaki penipu.. (kiteorg dah terkene mase first time datang paris in 2007, so keep this in mind the next time you're in Paris!)

Day1/2: Paris->Nice->Monaco

Kiri Nice, Kanan Monaco: Perbezaan rupe paras pantai

From Paris Austerlitz station we board the night-sleeper train to Nice. Yup, just imagine sleeping comfortably in a train from Paris and waking up to the cozy breeze of Nice the next morning. The Nice Centrale train station is small, so it doesn't have that many facilities, but luckily enough there is a shower facilities provided just outside the station. Food also isn't something to be worried about, we found many halal turkish kebab not far from the station. On the day of our arrival, is the last day of Nice Carnivale.. despite of the rain, people are outside cheering for the waiter/waitresses tray-balancing-while-running competition. The greyish sky didn't seem to hide Nice beautiful beach (just tak nampak lawa on camera laa). Nice is comfortably situated in between Monaco and Cannes- which each journey will take maximum- half an hour( by train). So, from Nice, we make our way to Monaco (Len kali laa pegi Cannes ek.. maybe for the Cannes Film Festival perhaps? hehe), along the ride, you'll go through the coastline, mmg banyak gile view cantek-cantek, lalu tepi laut.. banyak boat2 orang kaye.. i think 2nd stop from Nice Centrale, that station name lupe.. mmg the best view ever, betul2 on top of the cliff of the hill facing the sea.. cantek gile! (Sorry tak sampat ambek gamba).
Monaco.. the only city (until S'pore join) to have their F1 racing on the city road. It is a very small country.. even when I google the Euro map, Monaco came out as a tiny dot between France & Italy.. hehe. But, seriously.. kecik2 cili padi.. canteknye berseri2.. (wahh pantun!). But if you're not physically ready to walk up and down the hill road, you better not go here.. the city mostly built along hillside.. so asek kene menapak naik, or menapak turun.. huuu.. mmg boleh selim la kalau duduk situ lame-lame. And.. the best of Monaco.. of coz.. it's luxurious view of speed boats! Just look at that?! Man.. I don't mind getting one of those for my next birthday.. hahahaha

Day 3: Overnite in Milano then shoot to Venezia

Next, come Milan- stayed at a nearby hotel just few blocks away from Milan Centrale (so that dekat sket nak naik/turun train.. hehe). In Milan, kiteorang sempat la gi ronde2 setempat due, our first stop is Milan Duomo. (We bought 1 day Metro Pass that cost us 4Eur). Note for precaution: Sampai2 situ, baru nak set camera, a guy grabbed on Aizal's arm and put some kacang on his hand..then came million of doves eating it out of his hands.. (well.. not exactly millions.. but.. banyak jugak tau!). Kiteorang yang terpinge-pinge then nak lari la dari that guy, but he kept following us, pestering for money, and offer to take our photo together.. (duhh.. like I would trust u with my camera?!) So, to habiskan citer, Aizal hulur 2 Eur, but.. he demanded 10Eur!!!! bl*&y h£*l.. kacang camtu pun ko nak ketuk sampai 10?! Lepas Aizal gertak to call the police, then only he left us alone.. lege. So, be extra careful there.. don't ever let any stranger take advantage of u easily. Apart from that, Milan is superb ;)

Day 4: The romantic Venezia
It was my birthday, March the 2nd; so, biasela.. kenela at least dinner. After check-in to yet another nearby hotel to the station, we went out to dine in some cozy small restaurant in Venice. Mabeles dish! After which, i have the most 'heart-breaking' gift from Myra; she felt down face forward while climbing up on the restaurant chair while we r getting ready to leave! Benjol jugakla paler.. Seb baek tak patah hidung.. (and another gift from her was 2 set of poop! hahahaha.. tenkiu baby)
And next day gondola-ing ourself around the small island (which cost, I couldn't even bring to type!! mahal gile!). Note; jangan lupe makan the superdelicious gelato while in Italy.. kat venice.. banyak giler- and the presentation.. hurmmm.. tuhan saje yg tau betape sabarnye beta takmo makan sampai 10! hehe. Dah puas jenjalan2 we shoot off to Rome.. which journey took more than 5 hours! erghhh!

Day 5: Roma->Pisa->Firenze (only to board overnite train to Geneve)
It's Rome.. finally.. our actual main objective was to see the Colosseum, and the rest would be and added bonus. but surprisingly, during our 3hours free time, we manage to walk to the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, then shoot to Vatican city, then see the inside-out of the Colosseum before making our way to Pisa! Oh, in Rome..24hours metro ticket surprisingly cost you only 3Eur! ;)

Pic: The outcome that'll last a lifetime.. tak sie-sie for that earlier 5 hours journey ;)

Pisa..pisa.. I tot we won't make it in time before the sunset.. but luck is like on my side (throughout most of our journey even) sume mmg follow my exact timing.. bes giler. Arrived in Pisa Centrale after 4 hours train ride. It's 16:15pm.. according to my research, from there, we can get a short bus ride to the Leaning Tower. But.. we are not entirely sure on how to get the ticket and everything.. but luckily, Italian people are soo friendly and helpful, that they help to show us the way (even they talked in their language.. n we talk in our language, we could understand each other!! Magic!!) So, dipendekkan cite, sampai jugakla kami to our next destination, The Leaning Tower of Pisa.. Elok je lepas Myra pose, hujan turun lebat giler!!!

From Pisa, it's only 1 hour train ride to Florence. Actually, I didn't slot in Florence for our sight-seeing. I know I should have been.. but I've already booked a train ticket from Geneve->Paris the next day, so.. by hook or by crook, we need to take the night-sleeper train to Geneve. So, in Florence, the only view that we got was the inside of the train station.. hehe
Day 6: Geneve ->Paris -> London
The most exciting over-nite train experience. One point, I noticed that we stopped at Brig (Switzerland) for almost 2 hours. Bukak2 mate, tgk snow baruu je start. Then the train tak gerak2.. dah cuak dah.. after 2 hours, the snow is getting thicker but the train kept moving slowly then stop, still in Brig (like there's some problem with the engine) Abesla.. kiteorg ingat dah stuck kat Brig la ni.. but suddenly it made a move as normal again, and we arrived Geneve 10 minutes early!
Geneve train station boleh tahan besar and lengkap dgn facilities, so you can shower and leave your luggage in the locker room provided for a fee. From there, you can walk easily to see part of the famous Geneve lake, and see the highest fountain in the world. Biase jek pun fountain tu.. tapi dah jadi symbol kat situ. Tapi alongside the lake.. buildings die sume lawa2, and you can see sooo many famous watch maker. Office dieorg based kat situ kot? hehe.. Switzerland kan famous ngan quality watch.. tapi hafta remember, they don't accept Euro, so you have to change to Swiss Franc. Harge barang pun bleh tahan mahal..
Yup.. that's Myra with her lawan-tokey-over-excited pose.. n blakang tula that fountain (Jet d Eau).. cam air pancut kat taman tu jer, just in much much bigger scale! haha.
Dah habes bercerekarama di tepi tasik, balikla kami ke station, sebelum tu sempat gak makan kat Istanbul restaurant..akhirnye Myra dapat makan nasik.. hehehehe. Throughout the journey from Geneve to Paris, memang akan lalu banjaran Alps.. lawa giler! (But I don't bother to snap a photo, stakat ingat lam paler dahla.. hehe). So there.. my most memorable birthday gift ever. Thanks to hubby & lil Myra for making it happen. Muahhh.. leb u two sooo very the much!!
The End (penat dah! time to pack up pack up!)