Year End Review - 2016

Another year of maturity accompanied by another year of wisdom (plus some wrinkles), I am hereby embracing 2017 wishing that this will be a great year ahead.

Summarizing my 2016 as below:

- Higher rental that comes with a smaller space.

+ Finally moving out of the rural “garbage patch” and closer to civilization.

- Increased daily traveling distance to the office.

+ Peaceful mornings and nights in a more tranquil environment.

- Higher cost of living and lesser savings.

+ My new housemate - the adorable pug who likes to sneeze and wipe it’s nose on my pants leaving all traces of mucus and saliva (yet I still love him dearly).

+ Traveling to 8 different countries in a year seems to be the best part of life. [Musical February (Vienna), Scenic March (Ireland), Floral April (Netherlands), Artistic May (Barcelona), Gourmet June (Malaysia), Violet July (Mayfield Lavender), Paprika August (Budapest), Seafood October (Lisbon), Adventurous November (Malta)]

- Being on most of the journey and on the road alone is less fun.

+ Visited China Town more frequently than before merely to appease my cravings for Asian foodstuffs.

- More time and effort is required for the work-out after gaining the unwanted weights.

+ Continue to discover new stuffs and improvement areas in life.

- Living the Londoners lifestyle of commuting by trains during peak hours and “enjoying” the frequent delays, cancellations and long waiting hours in the cold.

+ A great relieve to have my PTPTN settle up.

- Losing touch with some once-upon-a-time friends.

+ Wonderful pre-birthday celebration having spicy steamboat and cheese fondue.

- Celebrating my birthday alone and in a totally stressful and messy condition.

- 2 sets of irresponsible tenants who gave me a lot of troubles and headaches.

+ Knowing that I still have some true friends who are always willing to give a hand.

Surviving the year without any official new year resolution seems to be flowing positively at this point. Other than some common struggles and dilemmas in life, there is really nothing more that I should be complaining about. Hmmp…looks like I am ready for the new year, and wishing my network of acquaintances the best of health, wealth, success and happiness. Dreaming as well for world peace where everyone will play their part to make the world a better place to live.

Malta - November 2016

Looking up a destination with a warmer climate is all I need to end this Autumn, and after a glimpse on the world map, this Mediterranean island of Malta with the average temperature of 20°C is absolutely the perfect and ideal destination for my next vacation.

5th November 2016

Without many flight options from London Heathrow, the 11.25am departure time is just the perfect one. The in-flight safety video of Air Malta featuring the animated knight is rather cute and creative. However, their online web check-in service was incredible…and incredibly slow where it took me almost 2-3 minutes to load each and every page in the step-by-step check-in process.

After the 3 hours and 10 minutes flight duration, I am feeling the heat of 21°C blowing straight onto my face once I stepped out of the airplane. I am all excited to switch-on my holiday mood and leaving all the hassle and stress of life behind. At the arrival hall after crossing the border controls, my name could be easily spotted on a white paper held high by the driver. The driver was again surprised to find me without any additional baggage since traveling light has become one of my common practice where I have only a handbag and a laptop sized bag pack with me for my 5 days and 4 nights journey. The service that I’ve booked is supposed to be a shared transfer, however I was lucky to be the one and only guest at that hour hence I get the privilege to occupy the whole vehicle for myself. At the cost of €16.00 for a return service, this is absolutely a great deal and the most convenient option for a carefree escape. 

The Preluna Hotel & Spa appears to be quite rundown and way below the 4 stars standard, however with their great services and excellent location, there is really nothing more for me to complain about. Not having a tight schedule, I spent my evening sauntering at the Tigné Point in Sliema and walking to and fro St. Julian. The Seaside Promenade Walk with the 2km pavements having an unobstructed open sea views is excellent for an evening stroll.

One of the down-side is definitely the fact that most of the restaurants were only opened at 7.00pm and therefore I am often in a starved and desperate situation looking for food to fill my all-time famishing stomach. Being an absolute seafood lover, the “sea food platter” on the display board of the restaurant - Paul's Seabreeze immediately caught my attention. With the price of €20.00, I get to enjoy the tiger prawns, mussels, clams, squids, salad and chips.

The “guessing game” seems to be something on-going because many of the locals (in the restaurant, at the ticket counter and on my way to Gozo) are trying hard to guess the origin country that I came from but none of them guess it right…lol

6th November 2016

It is quite rare that I will be up early for breakfast during holidays, and this is as well my first time taken by surprise where the serving of breakfast was 15-20 minutes late. The foodstuffs served at the breakfast counter was somehow average, but at least they took the effort to serve something different everyday which is definitely a plus point.

In these Maltese islands, public buses is the most common way of getting around. However taking this form of transportation is somehow a nightmare because of the massive crowd and as usual, there will certainly be some assholes amid the multitude. Planning for the right timing is crucial because the bus services to certain places comes only once in an hour, just like this one towards the Blue Grotto.

I always have the illusion that I have landed somewhere in the middle east because of the vast extents of desolated grounds and the design of the houses which were built solely from the limestones (exactly like what is shown in most of the documentaries). After spending hours at Blue Grotto and the coastal town, I picked a nearby sea-view restaurant that serves the local dishes, including the Maltese Rabbit Stew for lunch. Being fully refreshed by the meal and drink, I continued a 1.7km walk to the Ħaġar Qim & Mnajdra Temples which are the megalithic temple complex surrounded by an archaeological park.

 

After leaving the museum, I was in a dilemma between a 25 minutes wait to get back to Valletta or a 45 minutes wait heading towards Mdina. But at the brink of my patience and physical strength, Valletta rises above the other hence bus 52 is my final decision. Arriving at Valletta in 30 minutes, I simply mooch around the town going through the alleys which eventually leads me to the Waterfront. Taking a lift ride at €1.00 (first time having to pay for the use of an elevator), I reached the top of Upper Barrakka Gardens and spent quite sometimes there relaxing while waiting for the sunset.

7th November 2016

While searching for something exciting and extraordinary to do in Malta, I came across this package from Viator costing £82.20 that comprises the two ways hotel transfer, a set lunch, the quad-bike and helmet rent, and the ferry + speed boat rides between the islands.

This quad-bike tour is definitely the highlight of my trip as I enjoyed very much this new and exciting way of exploring the island of Gozo. Our tour guide - Mark is an excellent instructor. Together in the tour is a couple from the States and 4 of us in one group is just the perfect number for this excursion. While completing the safety agreement forms before we hit the road, the guide just could not believe my age and even uses the calculator to confirm once more making sure that I am above the age of 21. I just have to thank him for making my day because I am already so far away and above that minimum age…lol

Learning to handle the quad-bike itself is fun but on the other hand it consumed much physical strength hence this full day tour wasn’t as easy going around the town, the narrow alleyways and some uneven paths. The views of the island are amazing and breath-taking, we could as well see some local architectures and better appreciate their indigenous cultures. We ended our tour around 5.00pm and gathered ourselves at the jetty waiting for the remaining participants who went for the jeep tour. Our outing is supposed to include a short visit to the island of Comino, but unfortunately the surging waves and bad weather interrupted our plans and we could only take a quick glance at the Blue Lagoon before returning to the main island of Malta. Inside the speedboat with a group of strangers, the ambience was surprisingly harmonious where everyone were laughing, teasing and helping around while we were continuously hit by the waves and splashes of water along the way.

The L'Artist is one of the highly recommended restaurant by Tripadvisor where their delicious food comes with great services. After a long day-out, I certainly prefer to dine-in at this nearby restaurant with my favourite seafood platter and with a glass of white wine to wrap up the day.

8th November 2016

After a sufficient amount of time spent dawdling in bed, I finally get myself ready to kick start another day despite that the weather wasn’t looking great. Even though I have seen enough of the cathedrals and churches in Europe, yet I still spent €10.00 to enter the St. John's Co-Cathedral hoping to appreciate something different. I would praise that this is a splendorous cathedral made of gold, with each and every corner exquisitely built and furnished. After getting myself some souvenirs in central Valetta, I still have plenty of time and therefore decided to visit the old city of Mdina. While I was wandering around looking for the right platform and the right bus to Rabat, there is this kind soul who approaches me and directing me to the correct bus service thus saving me plenty of time and effort.

 

St. Paul's Catacombs is a wide archaeological site with multiple entrances to the underground crypts. With the entrance fee of €5.00, one could spend almost half a day visiting and admiring the crypts. However I was deeply disappointed because the one and only catacomb with the real mummies was closed! Looks like I am lacking the luck in greeting the mummies after all.

Since I have specially booked myself a sea-view room this time, there is no reason for me not to enjoy sitting at the balcony with some snacks and delicacies. On this last night of my trip, I ordered some sushi for take-away so that I could comfortably relax and enjoy my dinner in the hotel room.

9th November 2016

Since the pick-up shuttle service will only arrived at 2.15pm, I have requested an extended check-out hour so that I could spend longer moments in the room until 1.00pm. I was somehow grateful that the internet service on my mobile device has a sudden breakdown and disconnecting me with the cyber world during my last hour’s walk along the coast, I was therefore able to pay more attention to my surroundings and better appreciating the scenery and delighting myself in the sea breeze.

The shuttle service was very punctual and I got picked up on time to the airport. I have a sudden crave for KFC since the night before and without a second thought and further hesitation, I walked straight towards the counter of KFC at the departure hall and surprisingly that tasted so good and I love those crispy hot wings.

In general, the people in this island are warm, lovely and kind. There is hardly any communication concerns because almost everyone speaks good English. Most of the people enjoyed a simple lifestyle and are less obsessed with the luxury goods, and most of the vehicles are second-hand cars imported from Japan. This is especially a great reminder for those who lives in large cities (yea…I am just one of them) that a simpler lifestyle does not generates less satisfactions and happiness. Looks like my list of the re-visiting countries has continue to grow, as I would definitely love to return to this wonderful island again in the future.

Portugal (Lisbon) - October 2016

Having a mate to travel together is always a blessing, moreover having a foodie to travel along is absolutely fun! Nonetheless, this has not been the best time to travel due to the recent slumps of sterling where the exchange rate is at 1:1 against Euro or even lower (thanks to Brexit yo…). 

8th October 2016 (Saturday)

As the flight was scheduled to depart at 13:45 from Heathrow, we have plenty of time in the morning getting to the airport and lingering in the terminal. First time flying with TAP Portugal, we find that the customer comments were true whereby a delay of 30 minutes is rather common and expected. For our lunch In Heathrow Terminal 2, we decided to randomly pick a restaurant to dine-in and regrettably came to this Ca'puccino Cafe. There is no one at the entrance to guide us to our seat, and we waited long to get served as those staffs seem to be well-trained to avoid eye contacts with the customers. Surprisingly, the first thing the staff said to us after a long wait is demanding us to change from a four seater table to a two seater desk while the whole restaurant was not even 20% occupied. The ladies sitting two tables away from us also commented that the restaurant was in fact empty so why bother asking us to shift. If this is their so called policy, their staffs should have pointed us to the right seat in the first place. What a terrible and unprofessional service. We eventually loses our patience and appetite hence walking straight out of the restaurant. After doing some research while writing this blog post, I came across dozens of comments condemning the services of this restaurant and therefore what we encountered was probably something common and regular after all.

After getting ourselves the Lisboa Card at €39.00 in the Lisbon Portela Airport, we took the Metro from Aeroporto to Alameda. The Metro system in Lisbon was extremely convenient and easy with only 4 metro lines: The red, yellow, blue and green. Anjos is the nearest station to the Czar Hotel but is always jam-packed. Luckily most stations along the green line were close enough to reach by foot. The check-in process at the hotel was quite smooth but we were surprised that both single rooms given to us were different. The one with bath tub is without a coffee machine, while the other without bath tub is with the coffee machine but charging €1.00 per capsule?! In addition, the wifi was almost unusable throughout the stay. (Ok….more complaints to come)

After taking an hour’s time to refresh ourselves, we headed out to town as we couldn’t wait to hunt for a famed seafood restaurant to satiate our hunger. We were lucky to grab the last 2 seats in Solar 31 da Calçada without an advance reservation, however it feels awful sitting right beside the tank where we were looking straight at the crabs while they were being caught and brought into the kitchen getting ready to be served on the table. (I am so sorry crabby…) One thing I realized is that adding salt to a glass of coke is extremely rare and uncommon in Europe because anyone sitting beside me is staring and whispering while I was doing so. Even my colleague from Finland was once amazed by the same hence I am supposed to conclude that this is some odd Asian (or Malaysian) preference and flavouring? We did enjoyed the grilled octopus, fresh white fish, the crab and the mouth-watering clams, and I would give them a high rating of 9/10 for their food and services.

While on the way walking back to the hotel, we were shocked by a “racing tram” as neither of us have seen such a tram at a high speed on the road. Looks like there are hidden surprises everywhere if you pay enough attention to the surroundings. 

9th October 2016 (Sunday)

Waking up around 8.30am for breakfast, we were rather disappointed by the choices we had at the breakfast counter. Claiming to be a 4 stars hotel, many things were in fact below standard. After the light breakfast and a small chat over the table, we were ready to kick start our day.

Our first stop is Belém and we spent almost an hour in the queue trying to enter into the Torre de Belém (Belém Tower). Luckily the weather was warm and sunny accompanied by some cooling breeze which suppresses our annoyance. After entering the tower, we were amazed to find another line of queue towards the top of the tower but we were rather exhausted and gave up the idea of reaching to the top. 

 

We continued West to the town of Cascais. The initial plan was to look for a decent place for lunch since we do not find anything attractive in Belém, but the fantastic landscape caught us by surprise and we ended up spending the rest of the day in this coastal town. We were having fun taking crazy pictures along the beach and the sand was so smooth allowing us to walk around barefoot. We were fortunate to find Clo-Clo Seafood Restaurant in one of the alley and once again the duo small-sized Asian ladies ordered a table full of foods including the cheese and bread as appetizer, followed by the grill prawns, seafood risotto, mussel tagliatelle and some drinks.

 

Subsequent to the heavy seafood meals that we have had during the day, we were craving for some light dishes for the night hence this nearby Grande Palácio Hong-Kong Restaurant appears to be the best choice for dinner. Claiming to be looking for a light dinner, we ended up ordering a big bowl of dumpling soup, a plate of duck rice, a portion of chicken claw and a plate of glutinous rice balls.

10th October 2016 (Monday)

Food poisoning is one of the worst thing that could happen amidst an overseas vacation (whether it is due to unhygienic food, over-eating or the curse and revenge of the crab remained unknown…but soon to discover that it might be the Norovirus that spoils my holidays after all). Our initial plan was to visit Sintra for a full day however the fever is draining my last bit of energy hence I was left with no other options but to give up the idea of going out and remain well-wrapped in the blanket. My full day was spent lying on the bed trying to fall asleep. I’ve booked a 4 stars hotel expecting to enjoy some better environment and services, but I was so wrong because even the basic respect and tranquillity seems to be too much to ask for in this hotel! The housekeeping services has been the worst I have ever experienced. Despite putting up the “Do Not Disturb” sign, the staffs still tries to get into my room and eventually opened the door while I am still in the room. They came back knocking on the door after a few hours asking if I want housekeeping, I declined and replied with “No Thanks”, but they called again to my room by phone asking the same question once more. I have to just get a few items from them to prevent being asked the same question repeatedly, and I really wonder what is the purpose of the “Do Not Disturb” sign since they could not even respect the choice of the guests. I have an almost sleepless afternoon because there were loud noises produced by the staffs ceaselessly throughout the day including the loud slam of the doors countless of times and throwing of things loudly while cleaning the neighbouring rooms. I was left with no choice but ended up writing a full page of negative comments on their feedback form.

11th October 2016 (Tuesday)

Being 90% recovered on the next day is almost a miracle and on this last day of our trip, we decided to ride on the Number 28 tram but after waiting for 30 minutes in the queue, we estimated another 1.5 hours waiting time hence we left the queue and took a stroll in the old town of Alfama. I am still not giving up the idea of trying the Pasteis de Nata, but disappointingly it wasn’t as good as I’ve imagined.

Getting ourselves the 3 days pass (Lisboa Card) is absolutely a bad decision and eventually a waste as the value we have used is so much below the cost of the pass. The overall weather during the day was lovely and sunny, however the temperature usually drop drastically in the evening after 6.00pm. This has always been the indecisive moment to consider whether a thicker jacket should be brought along despite the limited hand-carry allowances…lol. All in all this is still a great and memorable trip accompanied by a wonderful friend and I would love to return to Portugal once more in the future hoping to be in a better health the next time.

想做个勇敢的自己，勇敢做自己的自己

我的生活，欠缺了洒脱。除去身外之物的钱财，不靠谱的友谊，不踏实的工作，控制不了的健康，那自己的人生里，究竟剩下什么？每个人，都选择了自己的路，踏上了不同的旅程。年轻时的我们，没有心计，没有野心，只有梦想。不论是友情还是爱情，都比较单纯。如果人生的一点一滴都可以像影片般被记录，再被播放，那么我们会察觉一生中，我们往往错过了许多细节。每一个阶段的过去，身边的每个人都选择了自己的方向前进，为人生的下一站努力。人，就是要学会现实，学会寂寞。如果有下辈子，我会向往什么样的生活？

我会希望能有一个普通的童年，不用被逼着成长的童年。一个不需要学会独立的自己。单纯也好，愚昧也好，只要不复杂就好。二十年里搬了十次家的日子真的很累，仿佛没有一个方向和真正的落脚之处。飘浮的我，等待的也许是一个让我安定下来的理由。世界很大，却没有一个属于我的地方。下辈子，我只想做一朵温室里的小花，有人呵护，不需要逞强及逼着自己成长。下辈子的我，真的不想与这辈子的我相遇了。

原来一部分破碎的灵魂，还坚守在原地徘徊，望着那被遗忘的承诺。以为曾经的坚持和付出，会陪我达成32岁的梦想。然而梦想，总是说灭就灭。今生不被天时眷顾，我的梦想唯有等来世再实现。在那某年某月的打击中，我失去了一部份的自己。眨眼间，半辈子了，还是没有一个明确的方向。遇见，是幸运。遇不见，是宿命。安稳没选择我，既然没有依靠，我唯有努力再更努力。

有了选择，无疑是幸运。可是拥有选择的代价，却是更多被逻辑缠绕的枷锁。那在别人眼里的自由，只不过忽略了我不自由的一面。一个有我和没有我的世界，会有不同吗？活在镜中世界的我，你是否过着一个不一样的生活？以前重要的，现在还重要吗？

Hungary (Budapest) - August 2016

27th August 2016 (Saturday)

Catching the first train at 5.42am to London Heathrow and flying with Lufthansa with a single stop in Frankfurt kicks start my solo short summer vacation to Budapest. This is my first time acquiring a package (flight + accommodation) from the tour webpage and the overall experience was quite convenient and pleasant. The one day Buda and one day Pest getaway was just good enough for me to explore the basic scenes in the city.

The MiniBud in Budapest is a great door-to-door airport shuttle services at an affordable rate of €25.00 with return which saved me plenty of time and energy from figuring out how the local public transportation networks operates, and the waiting time was reasonably set within 30 minutes and therefore I managed to arrive at the hotel comfortably at 3.00pm.

The Boutique Hotel Budapest is a 4 stars hotel strategically located in the city centre close to most of the touristic spots. Even though the room was somehow less spacious than the average, nonetheless it was exquisitely decorated and their customer service were of great standards. With the Relax Room that I’ve got as part of my package, I have the additional privilege of late check-out until 6.00pm. However the shortcomings would be that the pillows weren’t very comfortable and it is kind of weird to be given 2 single blankets for the double bed.

After a quick freshen-up, I took a stroll to the Hungarian National Museum (Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum), Great Synagogue (Dohány Utcai Zsinagóga), Timewheel (Időkerék), Vajdahunyad Castle (Vajdahunyad-vár), Heroes' Square (Hősök tere) and Shoes on the Danube Promenade Memorial (Cipők a Duna-parton). The next best thing to do after the 9.7km walk was to look for a cafe to quench my thirst and to appease my hunger. I have selected one of the high-end restaurant – Dubarry Étterem along the Danube River overlooking the Budacastle, however their service was way below expectation as the waiting gap between the soup and the main course is longer than 30 minutes and I have already lost all appetite when the dish was served. I have therefore requested a take-away and slowly return to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the night. 

 

28th August 2016 (Sunday)

The classic buffet breakfast catered by the hotel was rather average but yet they provide a great start of the day for everyone.

The cooling breeze and the fresh air in the morning was excellent while I was heading to the Cave Church across the Danube river. Hasn’t been hiking for more than 4 years, getting to the Statue of Liberty is absolutely challenging because of the slopes and stairs all the way up to the top of the hill. I am glad that I did not list Buda Castle (Budavári Palota) as one of the must-visit place in my plan because observing those tour buses and the multitude near the entrance, I am absolutely not interested to spend my time queuing and squeezing amidst the crowd.

After walking another 2.4km to the Fisherman's Bastion (Halászbástya), I was literally dying of dehydration hence I couldn't complain much about getting myself a chilled drink despite knowing that it was just some coloured water that cost me a great amount of HUF2000 (£6.70).

Walking under the scorching sun and knowing that I will not make it back to the hotel without taking a break halfway, I went on looking for a dining place that I could rest my feet and refresh myself. I came to this sidewalk restaurant - Első Pesti Rétesház Étterem by chance and gladly picked an outdoor seat for my lunch so that I could enjoy observing the passer-by at the same time. The recommended dish by the staff was none other than the Foie Gras hence here goes my first trial of this exclusive dish plus having my first taste of the Hungarian Fish Soup (halászlé). 

Taking a 2 hours rest back in the hotel rejuvenates me thoroughly before heading out for the night view of the Hungarian Parliament Building (Országház). The dusk seems to be the best hour for capturing a city with lights into the photograph however I missed the best timing as I did not expect the distance to be further than I’ve thought, but still the complete night view of that golden building was spectacular and stunning.

Picking the unfamiliar dishes from the menu is part of the fun as some local cuisine could offer some random surprises. I found this “Icy Cold Fruit Soup” in the soup category which captured my attention but it ended up more like a dessert as it was a sweet mixed of berries and the whipped cream. The Stuffed Cabbage was delicious and I am indeed satisfied with the these Hungarian cuisines, their services and the rate for this dinner.

29th August 2016 (Monday)  

I started my morning in an extremely relaxing mode and after enjoying some light breakfast, I visited the Great Market Hall (Nagycsarnok) and Váci Street nearby for some souvenirs shopping. I only spent less than 20 minutes at the Great Market Hall and another 20 minutes at the Váci Street before heading back to the hotel for a nap while waiting for the shuttle service to pick me up at 2.15pm. Despite the short transit interval of 40 minutes in Munich, I am glad that everything went on smoothly without delays.

The daily 20km+ walk is definitely a great exercise for me and I could have hatched more than 10 eggs in the Pokemon Go within 2 days only if I have the unlimited internet access that will not cost me a fortune. The average temperature of 29°C creates a two-colour tones on my skin but still I am loving and enjoying the sunshine before another winter approaches. I hasn’t spent any Forint on the entrance ticket in this trip because the more I have been travelling, the more I avoid entering the mainstream highlights such as the Cathedrals, Museums and Castles but rather favouring a relaxing meal, desserts or some drinks in a restaurant with calming ambience and a great view.

Those extremely budgeted trip with shared dormitory and hostel is gradually dropping out of my options’ list whilst I am getting older, since having a real good break is more important these days and I should be pampering myself sufficiently after all…lol

我，可以不是我吗？

有那么一天的梦里，我遇见那个我非常向往的自己，一个现实中我做不到的自己。也许梦境，是一个用来弥补人生诸多遗憾的途径，一种精神上的慰藉。如果有那么一个世界，可以没有情感，也就没有伤悲。一个机械化的世界，亦有它的优点，不需要有竞争，不需要有区别，不需要有感觉，而只需日复一日的生活，那该有多好。

在这人来人往的一生里，有谁会到最后还留下？不离不弃，是人类最给不了的承诺。在人生路上走着走着，偶尔回过头，才发现周围并没有多少个人还在身旁。如果每份伤悲都是看得见的疤痕，那么多年后的我们，会否变得面目全非？很多时候，不说并不代表不痛，不提并不代表遗忘，不放弃并不代表不累，只是也没人去在乎吧，包括我自己。 

忘了多久，一个人窝在家里渡过节日已成了习惯。也不记得最后一次有人在身边帮我庆生是多久以前的事了。越走越远的日子，逐渐习惯了一个人的步伐，一个人吃饭，一个人旅行，一个人发呆，一个人傻笑，一个人流泪，一个人承担，一个人加油，一个人幻想。

我们的曾经，和曾经的我们，都是回不去的自己。每个人都在现实的面前低头了，妥协了，接受了一个我们自己并不想要的生活。时间嘀嗒嘀嗒的过，我们的一切也只能随着漂流。多年后，我们真的还记得自己是谁吗？

真心吗？在被伤害了多少遍后，你还信吗？
朋友吗？在被忽视了多少次后，你还要吗？
真诚吗？在被利用了多少轮后，你还想吗？

以往的世界，没有负担，没有社会的现实，没有物质的诱惑，没有太多的心机，没有太多的顾忌。 但随着年龄的增长，和那不断加在我们身上的重量都让我们变了。背弃了承诺，遗忘了自我。原本珍惜的，变不珍惜了。曾经看见的，却看不见了。

那一天的出生，就注定了这挣扎的一生。

Spain (Barcelona) - May 2016

Since I have been flying almost every other months recently (Vienna in February, Ireland in March and Netherlands in April), I have decided not to break the chain of travelling and therefore ended up booking myself a random trip to Barcelona in May! And as the speed of blogging could hardly catch-up with the trips that I am making, therefore a summary format as below could save me plenty of time…lol

Airlines (Vueling for outbound and Norwegian for inbound)

My first experience with Vueling wasn’t a good one because they only offers the option of web check-in to limited countries and nationalities, hence I am forced to join the queue for a long waiting time of 1.5 hours just to get the boarding pass and without any checked baggage. In comparison, the Norwegian Air has good services and a convenient check-in process which allows me to obtain my boarding-pass through the self-service kiosk and I get to crossed over the security within 20 minutes.

The Hotel

Since I wanted a more relaxing and private holiday of my own, I decided to spend slightly more on accommodation and Hotel Urquinaona is where I picked at £198.00 for 3 nights. The location is almost perfect because it is in the central of the city and most of the touristic spots are reachable by foot. Yet my stay was a big disappointment because the room stinks to the utmost! Horrible odour was filling up the room from the draining hole in the shower area making me feels like I am staying in the cesspit and I have to find ways to cover it up during the nights. As the room was facing the street, I can hear all sorts of noises from the outside through the closed windows and I am only able to fall asleep soundly after 1.30am before being awaken again at 7.00am. Even though the breakfast provided by the hotel was rather simple, but the croissants and fruits were delicious and the staffs were friendly and helpful throughout my stay and this somehow pacified my dissatisfaction with the room.

21st May 2016 (Saturday)

This is the first time I thanked myself for the decision of picking the window’s seat because I did fell in love with the city of Barcelona from the sky even before I step onto the ground. The coastline is always attractive since I used to relate beaches to warm and sunny climate (though this is not always true).

Gothic Quarter & Catedral de Barcelona  

The little streets and the medieval alleyways are full of surprises. I just love the random shops that I could find along the way and it will be adventurous if you could shut-down the GPS and start exploring every pathway in that area.

La Boqueria Market (Mercat de La Boqueria)  

I enjoyed the delicious seafood platter at Bar Boquera (€26.00) and I wished I could have eaten more only if my stomach allows the additional inputs. Some vendors in the market would welcome photography by the tourists (free promotion on the web so why not), but some are rejecting pictures on their stuffs in a rude way.

La Rambla Street 

Being the most famous walking street in Barcelona, this 1.2km tree-lined pedestrian mall is an excellent choice during sunny days. You could find stretches of restaurants, souvenir stores and various street performances along the way. Do respect the profession of the street artists and consider contributing some money as a reward for their hard work if what they did brightens your day.

The Raval Cat 

This big fat cat of sculptor Fernando Botero is a piece of public art in Barcelona settling down in the district of Ramblas. It is not far away from the Rambla Street so do drop by for a picture and you will find yourself in love with this funny looking cat.

Magic Fountain of Montjuïc 

Arriving at 7.40pm, I walked around the plaza and in order to get the best and complete view of the fountain, I waited at the terrace for more than an hour before the light show begins at 9.00pm. There were street dance performances in the meantime to kill the boredom of the crowd while everyone is waiting.

22nd May 2016 (Sunday)

L'Aquàrium de Barcelona  

To some of the people, my visit to the Aquarium at €20.00 could be a surprise, but I do love animals and it is not a bad idea at all spending half a relaxing day with the fishes.

Barceloneta
Taking off my socks and my shoes sitting on the sand by the beach, I am just practising the sayings of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” except that I did not go naked while sunbathing…lol

Dinner – Limosa
A sudden downpour in the evening forces me to hide under a roof for about 30 minutes before I could start looking for a restaurant to pacify my hunger. The first restaurant that I went checking-out wasn’t providing a good service and I just walked off due to the slow and unwelcoming behaviour of the staffs. I then came to Limosa having a portion of Paella and a glass of Pina Colada accompanied by a much better customer service. 

 

23rd May 2016 (Monday)

Sagrada Família Church
Being the famous attraction of all time, Sagrada Familia was surrounded by a multitude of tourist during the start of the day. I gave up on the visit because if I buy the ticket immediately at 11.00am, I could only enter the cathedral earliest at 4.00pm due to the crowd. I would probably need to return again after the completion of this building in year 2028 since it is still under construction for now.

Park Güell

Again, if I buy the ticket immediately at 2.00pm, I will only be allowed to enter to the park at 6.00pm so this attraction is as well kept for my next visit. After spending some time in the public gardens and hiking to the top of the hill for a panoramic city view, I saw this entrance thinking that it is linked directly to Park Guell. But after completing the very short visit then I only realised that this is the Gaudi House Museum and the small 2 levels compound is all that I could visit! So wow…I did spent €5.50 not knowing exactly the place that I am entering!

Casa Batlló
If you love art, then you shouldn’t miss both Casa Milà and Casa Batlló because the artworks of Antoni Gaudi were incredible and no wonder his architectures were integrated into most part of the city.

Lunch - Divinus
Have been walking for hours, it is time for a late lunch and picking a restaurant with the best seat where I could enjoy both the sunshine and watching the people flow leads me to Divinus. I wasn’t too greedy this time and my choices were: Goat Cheese Tapas (quite a good one), Mussels (quit ok..) and Baby Squids (nothing different from the sotong goring in Malaysia?!). 

 

24th May 2016 (Tuesday)

Casa Milà
Struggling between La Pedrera and the Picasso Museum, I finally picked La Pedrera as I’ve been touring Europe for quite sometimes now and I finds museums and cathedrals looks almost the same everywhere hence I would sensibly opt for something different.

Lunch - Txapela
I have been passing by this restaurant a few times witnessing the crowd and on this final afternoon of my trip, I’ve decided to give it a try. I was dazzled by the variety of tapas they offered in the menu and have randomly picked a few from the list. Since I have not been drinking (alcohol) for a long time, one full glass of Sangria makes me feeling dizzy and sick while on my way to the airport. So… lesson learnt and I should not drink before I fly. 

 

Netherlands - April 2016

While staring at the map wondering where I could plan for my next vacation, it suddenly crossed my mind that I should pay a visit to Keukenhof during the tulip season since I have been told a million times by a colleague reassuring that it will be a wonderful life time experience. With just a few scrolls and clicks on the mouse, I managed to complete my flight booking almost instantly. Being an absolute fan of flowers, I wouldn’t want to miss this fantastic opportunity to visit the famous Garden of Europe.

21st April 2016 (Thursday)

The train service to Leiden from the Schiphol Airport is very convenient in just 30 minutes. The Airbnb apartment that I have booked in Leiden was rather cheap at £45 for 2 nights but slightly distance from the station. The apartment isn’t difficult to locate with a GPS but I was surprised to find some creepy dolls that were “nicely” arranged in one corner of the attic room making the atmosphere rather spooky. The eeriness did spoil my first night but luckily I have a better rest on the second night with the lights on.

My day was spent in a relaxing way taking a walk downtown visiting some recommended attractions in Leiden, and of course with my way of relaxation, ice-cream definitely comes into the picture. Failing to locate some good food in between lunch and dinner hours, a set of Filet-O-Fish at McDonalds would be a great choice. After visiting the Castle of Leiden (Burcht van Leiden) and strolling along the streets, I had a very simple dinner grabbing some bread before returning to the apartment and call it a day.


22nd April 2016 (Friday)

Not being well rested the night before, I woke up in a disastrous state having swollen eyes and a floating mind while forcing myself to get up for a quick wash-up before walking to the station. It was in fact a blessing for me to be slothful that morning as my initial plan was to start my day as early at 7.00am, but after much procrastination and arriving at the station later at around 7.40am, I then realised that the bus is only available after 8.10am. I would have struggled in the cold if I did follow my schedule tightly.

With the advance ticket of €24.00, I get to skip the queue and walk straight into the garden. Keukenhof will only be opened from the end of March to Mid of May (for around 8 weeks in a year) hence picking the right time for the visit is crucial. The two main reasons of my selected dates were, firstly the flower parade which falls on the Saturday of week 16 (23rd April), and secondly the end of April is the safest time between the blooming and harvesting of tulips. The different species of tulips displayed in Willem-Alexander Pavilion was spectacular and amazing. At times, I feel like I am walking in the land of the fairy-tales because some sceneries and landscapes were just dreamlike.

After a long 9 hours spent in the garden, I enjoy a great meal in a Japanese restaurant when I am back in Leiden. While on my way walking back to the airbnb apartment, I passed by a small farm and saw a donkey staring at me. After observing it for some moments, it slowly walked towards me but was being hindered by a stream hence remaining a distance away. It was so cute and I am tempted to slightly walk off the track to get nearer to this adorable creature. I get to touch him slightly through the fence and he would turn his head and look at me if I stop following him as if he wanted me to follow his steps while he is slowly moving to the other end of the farm.


23rd April 2016 (Saturday)

I met up with a friend of mine who is working in Belgium early at 8.00am to start our exciting day. The initial plan was to spare at least a few hours cycling the tulip fields but we ended up enjoying our brunch and the Flower Parade until 2.30pm. It took us quite sometimes to find the bicycle rental store and we paid €10.00 each for a short rent until 5.00pm.

The landscapes of the colourful tulips were stunning and the weather was just perfect for outdoors.

For convenience’s sake, we spent a night staying in Hotel Crowne Plaza Schiphol which offers great services and comfortable room as it is close to Amsterdam and the train station. Having seen the sex show in Bangkok previously, both Ms Ooi and I are interested to make a comparison between the Asian and the European version of performance hence we book a visit to Casa Rosso in the red light district. But to our disappointment, the overall set-up of the stage and the performance was rather below expectation.


24th April 2016 (Sunday)

The weather was forecasted to be wet in Amsterdam today and it did rain during the morning. We then made a flexible change to our schedule and visited Zaandam instead of Amsterdam. The well-preserved historic windmills and houses in Zaanse Schans is making it a popular tourist attraction. We enjoyed the breezes (shivering), the hail on our face and body (ouch!), mustard soup (yummy), the clog making (interesting) and cheese tasting (wow).

This is another great trip I have and I do wish to return again during the next tulip season and I will definitely look for an absolutely comfortable hotel so that I could expect a good night rest and some better pictures in the beautiful fields without carrying on my face the obvious puffiness and eye-bags!