Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2013. Show all posts
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Europe and Middle East done (but cost me what?!)...
Now that I'm back home, so begins the inevitable tallying up of my expenses of my 80 day trip. I might just say that I'm really pedantic when it comes to this kind of stuff, and I actually recorded my expenses daily in my notebook while travelling, both what it was that I paid for and how much it cost. As such, I was able to transpose that all into an excel spreadsheet, before I could play around with the numbers. Gotta admit, I actually quite enjoyed playing around with my excel spreadsheet. It's just so satisfying when the formulas work and you find out interesting things in your data. Haha I sound like such a nerd. Anyways, because of my pedantic record keeping while on the road, I was able to break down and analyse my expenses according to city, as well as expense type, which was broken down into food, transport, accommodation, sightseeing, entertainment, souvenir, gift, miscellaneous and leftover. Like I said, "pedantic".
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Dubai, the final leg...
Day 76
Said my goodbyes to Fetty and Fadzli as I checked in for my flight (within a minute - the airport was just empty), and headed through to wait for my flight back to Dubai. Slight delay but not like I had anything urgent to attend to in Dubai. An hour flight later and I was back in Dubai. Clearing immigration was simple once again, although the guy was pretty interested in my ethnic background. He seemed genuinely confused that I called myself an Australian when I was clearly Asian. Landing back in Terminal 2, I was told there would be shuttle buses to the larger terminals where I could get the metro. They never came. Ended up taking a taxi to the metro instead.
Said my goodbyes to Fetty and Fadzli as I checked in for my flight (within a minute - the airport was just empty), and headed through to wait for my flight back to Dubai. Slight delay but not like I had anything urgent to attend to in Dubai. An hour flight later and I was back in Dubai. Clearing immigration was simple once again, although the guy was pretty interested in my ethnic background. He seemed genuinely confused that I called myself an Australian when I was clearly Asian. Landing back in Terminal 2, I was told there would be shuttle buses to the larger terminals where I could get the metro. They never came. Ended up taking a taxi to the metro instead.
Saturday, 7 December 2013
9 years too early for the World Cup...
Day 70
Given the extravagance of Dubai Airport's Terminal 1 and 3 (their "international" terminals), you would expect that Terminal 2 (for budget and "domestic" flights to Abu Dhabi and the surrounding Gulf nations) would be similarly fashioned. Not so. Pretty small and drab. But I guess I wasn't really there to check out the airport or duty-free. I was only an hour flight from Doha, Qatar, and seeing my sister (Fetty) and brother-in-law (Fadzli), along with my nephews (Adam and Aqil) and niece (Iris), and that was all I cared about. They had relocated there Fadzli's work, and had been there for about a year.
Given the extravagance of Dubai Airport's Terminal 1 and 3 (their "international" terminals), you would expect that Terminal 2 (for budget and "domestic" flights to Abu Dhabi and the surrounding Gulf nations) would be similarly fashioned. Not so. Pretty small and drab. But I guess I wasn't really there to check out the airport or duty-free. I was only an hour flight from Doha, Qatar, and seeing my sister (Fetty) and brother-in-law (Fadzli), along with my nephews (Adam and Aqil) and niece (Iris), and that was all I cared about. They had relocated there Fadzli's work, and had been there for about a year.
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Goodbye Europe, hello Middle East...
Day 66
Said my goodbyes to Elina and bid farewell to London. My flight was to fly out of Luton Airport (quite a way out from the city) but I had booked a shuttle bus so no issues. No dramas with check in and security, although I was able to get a bottle of water through the scanner. Guess they don't check the bags that carefully. Boarded my Easyjet flight and in no time, I was back in Emmenbrucke and doing an afternoon cycle through the Swiss forests, before settling down in my relatives' restaurant and enjoying a delicious dinner and a night of recounting my many adventures. That's pretty much it for Day 66, you don't do much when it's a travel day. Although as I unpacked my backpack and did laundry, it hit me that my trip was coming to an end (well, the Europe component at least). Scary. I don't think I'll ever be ready to leave. There's always more to see.
Said my goodbyes to Elina and bid farewell to London. My flight was to fly out of Luton Airport (quite a way out from the city) but I had booked a shuttle bus so no issues. No dramas with check in and security, although I was able to get a bottle of water through the scanner. Guess they don't check the bags that carefully. Boarded my Easyjet flight and in no time, I was back in Emmenbrucke and doing an afternoon cycle through the Swiss forests, before settling down in my relatives' restaurant and enjoying a delicious dinner and a night of recounting my many adventures. That's pretty much it for Day 66, you don't do much when it's a travel day. Although as I unpacked my backpack and did laundry, it hit me that my trip was coming to an end (well, the Europe component at least). Scary. I don't think I'll ever be ready to leave. There's always more to see.
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Musical binge in London's West End...
Given that I did most of the London attractions last time (not that I didn't do them again this time), I will refrain from elaborating too much about them. However, what was different about this trip was that I splurged on musicals and shows, and took advantage of what London's West End had to offer. I feel like this blog post will be more about the different shows that I saw, so apologies in advance if that doesn't interest you. I did see some new sights, so I will also speak about Hyde Park, Science Museum, Greenwich and the Harry Potter Studios.
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Viva la France...
Day 56
Slept through my alarm so didn't leave the apartment until a bit after midday. Given that my Musuem Pass expired today, I dedicated today to mainly museums, as well as a few attractions which were covered. Climbed up the towers of Notre Dame to check out the view as well as the stone chimeras. Apparently gargoyles are used for water drainage and since these beasts were purely for decoration, they were chimeras. I was also up there when Quasimodo rang the bells which was quite an experience.
Slept through my alarm so didn't leave the apartment until a bit after midday. Given that my Musuem Pass expired today, I dedicated today to mainly museums, as well as a few attractions which were covered. Climbed up the towers of Notre Dame to check out the view as well as the stone chimeras. Apparently gargoyles are used for water drainage and since these beasts were purely for decoration, they were chimeras. I was also up there when Quasimodo rang the bells which was quite an experience.
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Paree 'olds ze key to your 'eart...
Day 51
Another travel day. Honestly it is so draining after a while. At least today was only a 90 minute flight (as opposed to train or bus), but throw in all the airport procedures and the time drags out. But hey, I should just be thankful that I even get to travel. And my destination was Paris, one of my favourite cities, and be surrounded by so many people speaking French!! Sexy. And I would get to see Tash and Aniqa again which was even more exciting!!
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
The old capitals of Czechoslovakia...
Day 47
Off to Bratislava, Slovakia today!! I have no idea what's there. I'm stopping there more to tick off another country and plus it's on the way to Prague. Noticed that there was an inconsistency between the Eurail app and the book regarding the need for reservation, so decided to check that out in case I had to stand for hours again like my Stockholm to Copenhagen trip. Turns out you could just jump on. Done. No dramas on the train trip. Almost had a heart attack when the guard said I hadn't filled out the travel date on my pass (you get fined if you haven't). Turns out she was just blind and couldn't see the black pen. Afterwards she complemented me on just how perfectly filled out my pass was. Guess that was a plus.
Off to Bratislava, Slovakia today!! I have no idea what's there. I'm stopping there more to tick off another country and plus it's on the way to Prague. Noticed that there was an inconsistency between the Eurail app and the book regarding the need for reservation, so decided to check that out in case I had to stand for hours again like my Stockholm to Copenhagen trip. Turns out you could just jump on. Done. No dramas on the train trip. Almost had a heart attack when the guard said I hadn't filled out the travel date on my pass (you get fined if you haven't). Turns out she was just blind and couldn't see the black pen. Afterwards she complemented me on just how perfectly filled out my pass was. Guess that was a plus.
Friday, 8 November 2013
From crawling in caves to relaxing in thermal baths...
Day 43
On my overnight train with two other people in my compartment. This time, I was on the bottom bunk. Annoying thing is that the bottom bunk is converted from the chairs, hence everyone sits on them until they want to sleep and that's when the chairs are flipped to become a bed. Thus you can't sleep until everyone else is ready to go to bed. Also it's a lot harder to sleep when the lights from outside are flashing in your face since the blinds don't go all the way down. Had a moment of panic halfway through the night when I woke up to see someone standing over me, but then realised it was just one of the guys in my room trying to unlock the compartment door to go to the bathroom. Another downside to being on the bottom bunk. Honestly I don't think there's any advantage to being on the bottom bunk. At least breakfast was provided which was a nice start to the day after such a restless night.
On my overnight train with two other people in my compartment. This time, I was on the bottom bunk. Annoying thing is that the bottom bunk is converted from the chairs, hence everyone sits on them until they want to sleep and that's when the chairs are flipped to become a bed. Thus you can't sleep until everyone else is ready to go to bed. Also it's a lot harder to sleep when the lights from outside are flashing in your face since the blinds don't go all the way down. Had a moment of panic halfway through the night when I woke up to see someone standing over me, but then realised it was just one of the guys in my room trying to unlock the compartment door to go to the bathroom. Another downside to being on the bottom bunk. Honestly I don't think there's any advantage to being on the bottom bunk. At least breakfast was provided which was a nice start to the day after such a restless night.
Monday, 4 November 2013
Berlin, I love the nightlife...
Day 37
As my final night in Copenhagen involved numerous drinks and drinking games, the morning of Day 37 was not fun. And to think, I had seven hours of travel ahead of me. The body just ain't as tolerant as it used to be. In the end, a healthy breakfast of Maccas seemed to do the trick and it kept the nausea at bay as I sat on the rocking trains. Halfway through the trip, it hit me that Denmark and Berlin are separated by a sea. How the hell does the train go over without a change? Soon enough I discovered how when an announcement came over the loud speaker telling everyone to get off the train as it was going into a ferry. Not one of those tiny harbour ferries. This was a huge ocean liner. It was actually quite cool to make this trip over the ocean, plus I could enjoy the cool sea breezes from the upper deck. As we reached Germany, I got back onboard the train and soon enough I was in Berlin.
As my final night in Copenhagen involved numerous drinks and drinking games, the morning of Day 37 was not fun. And to think, I had seven hours of travel ahead of me. The body just ain't as tolerant as it used to be. In the end, a healthy breakfast of Maccas seemed to do the trick and it kept the nausea at bay as I sat on the rocking trains. Halfway through the trip, it hit me that Denmark and Berlin are separated by a sea. How the hell does the train go over without a change? Soon enough I discovered how when an announcement came over the loud speaker telling everyone to get off the train as it was going into a ferry. Not one of those tiny harbour ferries. This was a huge ocean liner. It was actually quite cool to make this trip over the ocean, plus I could enjoy the cool sea breezes from the upper deck. As we reached Germany, I got back onboard the train and soon enough I was in Berlin.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Braving the elements in Copenhagen...
Day 33
Checked out of my hostel in Stockholm and headed to Copenhagen. As the long train journey began, I noticed that the usual panels above each seat indicating whether it was reserved or not were missing from this train. I then heard over the PA that it was a high speed service to Copenhagen. Shit. It was then that I realised that this train required a reservation. I checked my book and sure enough it said a reservation was required. However I then checked my app which I've been using quite religiously on this trip and it said a reservation wasn't required. Nevertheless, it was pretty obvious that one was required.
Checked out of my hostel in Stockholm and headed to Copenhagen. As the long train journey began, I noticed that the usual panels above each seat indicating whether it was reserved or not were missing from this train. I then heard over the PA that it was a high speed service to Copenhagen. Shit. It was then that I realised that this train required a reservation. I checked my book and sure enough it said a reservation was required. However I then checked my app which I've been using quite religiously on this trip and it said a reservation wasn't required. Nevertheless, it was pretty obvious that one was required.
Friday, 25 October 2013
Meatballs, ABBA and oh so many photos...
Day 29
Pretty much just a travel day. Didn't really do anything today. Checked out of Warsaw hostel, walked to the coach station, and caught a coach to the airport. Had a lot of time to kill since I'm very paranoid about missing flights so I usually get there way too early. Was felt up quite thoroughly by a big Polish security guard after going the metal detector. After that moment of intense physical contact/heat, it was just boring waiting at the gate for my Ryanair flight to Stockholm. Soon enough it came time to board (walking onto the tarmac as usual) and an hour and a half later, we were preparing to land in Stockholm. As I stared out the window, I had no idea how much further we had to go. It was only once we descended below the intense cloud cover that I realised that we were pretty much landing. Visibility was just that poor. Anyways, at least the pilots were able to do their stuff and get us down safely. Caught an airport shuttle into the city (took about 90 minutes...we were pretty far out from the city) and checked into my hostel. Despite having done nothing all day, I was exhausted. Early night.
Pretty much just a travel day. Didn't really do anything today. Checked out of Warsaw hostel, walked to the coach station, and caught a coach to the airport. Had a lot of time to kill since I'm very paranoid about missing flights so I usually get there way too early. Was felt up quite thoroughly by a big Polish security guard after going the metal detector. After that moment of intense physical contact/heat, it was just boring waiting at the gate for my Ryanair flight to Stockholm. Soon enough it came time to board (walking onto the tarmac as usual) and an hour and a half later, we were preparing to land in Stockholm. As I stared out the window, I had no idea how much further we had to go. It was only once we descended below the intense cloud cover that I realised that we were pretty much landing. Visibility was just that poor. Anyways, at least the pilots were able to do their stuff and get us down safely. Caught an airport shuttle into the city (took about 90 minutes...we were pretty far out from the city) and checked into my hostel. Despite having done nothing all day, I was exhausted. Early night.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Rendezvous in Krakow...
Day 24
So last time I posted, I was on an overnight train from Budapest to Krakow. I got into Krakow at about 8am and bade farewell to Tom and Kaisey, and then went to dump my luggage at the hostel. Luggage deposited, it was time to explore the Old Town. I need to kill about 6 hours before Tash and Aniqa arrived. Luckily, much like in most other cities, there was a free walking tour that took up three hours of my time. And this guide was great. She was really knowledgeable and being pretty also helped haha. But more than that, she was just really engaging, and I actually learnt (and retained) a lot as evidenced later when I took Aniqa and Tash on a tour.
So last time I posted, I was on an overnight train from Budapest to Krakow. I got into Krakow at about 8am and bade farewell to Tom and Kaisey, and then went to dump my luggage at the hostel. Luggage deposited, it was time to explore the Old Town. I need to kill about 6 hours before Tash and Aniqa arrived. Luckily, much like in most other cities, there was a free walking tour that took up three hours of my time. And this guide was great. She was really knowledgeable and being pretty also helped haha. But more than that, she was just really engaging, and I actually learnt (and retained) a lot as evidenced later when I took Aniqa and Tash on a tour.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Not the last time I'll see Budapest...
Day 21
Time to leave Croatia and head to Hungary. Got to the station and was so confused with the train. All the carriages were labelled differently indicating that somewhere down the track they would be splitting off and heading to different destinations. For anyone planning to travel Europe, make sure to check where your carriage is heading. Don't just assume that the by being on the right platform that you'll end up in the right destination. After finally finding the only carriage heading to Budapest, we were off.
Time to leave Croatia and head to Hungary. Got to the station and was so confused with the train. All the carriages were labelled differently indicating that somewhere down the track they would be splitting off and heading to different destinations. For anyone planning to travel Europe, make sure to check where your carriage is heading. Don't just assume that the by being on the right platform that you'll end up in the right destination. After finally finding the only carriage heading to Budapest, we were off.
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Go solo with no regrets...
Day 19
Sad to leave Slovenia, but guess I gotta keep moving if I want to see more of Europe. Next destination: Zagreb, Croatia. Got an 8am train and conked out immediately. Was woken up by some guards asking to see my passport at the border of Slovenia and Croatia. I thought these border checks were a thing of the past. The Slovenian guard tried scanning my passport several times in his little machine to no avail. It just wouldn't read. I was starting to get a little worried. What would happen? He then radioed something and spelt out my name. About five minutes of nervous waiting, he stamped my passport and handed it back. Crisis averted. Immediately after the Slovenian guard left, a Croatian guard came on and asked to see the passport. You'd think that if one country already approved it, it should be ok. Nevertheless I handed it over and got it stamped within seconds (no fancy machine for this guy). This whole border check took about half an hour so we were stuck in a stationary train meaning I got into Zagreb half an hour late. Not a big deal. At least I have more passport stamps!!
Sad to leave Slovenia, but guess I gotta keep moving if I want to see more of Europe. Next destination: Zagreb, Croatia. Got an 8am train and conked out immediately. Was woken up by some guards asking to see my passport at the border of Slovenia and Croatia. I thought these border checks were a thing of the past. The Slovenian guard tried scanning my passport several times in his little machine to no avail. It just wouldn't read. I was starting to get a little worried. What would happen? He then radioed something and spelt out my name. About five minutes of nervous waiting, he stamped my passport and handed it back. Crisis averted. Immediately after the Slovenian guard left, a Croatian guard came on and asked to see the passport. You'd think that if one country already approved it, it should be ok. Nevertheless I handed it over and got it stamped within seconds (no fancy machine for this guy). This whole border check took about half an hour so we were stuck in a stationary train meaning I got into Zagreb half an hour late. Not a big deal. At least I have more passport stamps!!
Friday, 11 October 2013
Slovenia: an unexpected delight...
Day 16
My alarm went off at 3:45am and I was surprisingly awake. Guess the fear of missing my stop was enough to forgo my usual snoozing pattern. The train attendant brought in breakfast which was completely unexpected but definitely welcomed. Ended up just having the tea and saving the croissants for later. If all overnight trains were like this, I'd probably make more overnight journeys. Saves a night of accommodation and also saves travel time allowing you a full day of sightseeing when you arrive.
My alarm went off at 3:45am and I was surprisingly awake. Guess the fear of missing my stop was enough to forgo my usual snoozing pattern. The train attendant brought in breakfast which was completely unexpected but definitely welcomed. Ended up just having the tea and saving the croissants for later. If all overnight trains were like this, I'd probably make more overnight journeys. Saves a night of accommodation and also saves travel time allowing you a full day of sightseeing when you arrive.
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Italian adventures...
Disclaimer: I can't get ready access to a computer while travelling, hence the lack of blog posts. However I'm now writing them on my phone so please excuse any words that don't make sense in sentences, they're probably auto corrects haha. I will try and keep more up to date with posts from now on (once I manage to catch up haha).
Day 10
The plan was to get up at 7:30am to get the 9am train. Yeah, didn't happen. Ended up snoozing and finally ended up catching an 11am train. Highlight of my morning: having an entire conversation with a shopkeeper in German. Granted it was really simple German but nonetheless no English required.
***********************************************
Day 10
The plan was to get up at 7:30am to get the 9am train. Yeah, didn't happen. Ended up snoozing and finally ended up catching an 11am train. Highlight of my morning: having an entire conversation with a shopkeeper in German. Granted it was really simple German but nonetheless no English required.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
The real Oktoberfest...
Day 4
So last I left off, I was considering whether to go via Liechtenstein on my way to Munich. In the end, I opted for a sleep in and stopped off in Zurich for two hours instead. My legs were still so sore from the hike/cycle a few days earlier that even in two hours, I wasn't able to see much of Zurich before I had to walk back to the train station. It was also the first time I had travelled wearing a backpack (also had my carry bag since I just wasn't able to pack light enough).
So last I left off, I was considering whether to go via Liechtenstein on my way to Munich. In the end, I opted for a sleep in and stopped off in Zurich for two hours instead. My legs were still so sore from the hike/cycle a few days earlier that even in two hours, I wasn't able to see much of Zurich before I had to walk back to the train station. It was also the first time I had travelled wearing a backpack (also had my carry bag since I just wasn't able to pack light enough).
Friday, 27 September 2013
Money money money...
Day 3
Sleeping patterns still not adjusted. Went to bed at 2am in the hope that I would be so tired I'd wake up at a normal time. Woke up at 5am. Fail. Anyways, today was spent exploring Lucerne (even though I had seen it on my previous trip). My uncle and I decided to act like tourists and blend in with the busloads of Chinese tourists going through all the high-end stores. It's so hard to believe that people would pay so much for some of the items in these stores. The most extravagantly ridiculous item I saw was a watch for $200K. Who needs a watch adorned with diamonds?! Nevertheless, I'll be back to buy in the future when I have so much money that I have no idea what to do with it.
Sleeping patterns still not adjusted. Went to bed at 2am in the hope that I would be so tired I'd wake up at a normal time. Woke up at 5am. Fail. Anyways, today was spent exploring Lucerne (even though I had seen it on my previous trip). My uncle and I decided to act like tourists and blend in with the busloads of Chinese tourists going through all the high-end stores. It's so hard to believe that people would pay so much for some of the items in these stores. The most extravagantly ridiculous item I saw was a watch for $200K. Who needs a watch adorned with diamonds?! Nevertheless, I'll be back to buy in the future when I have so much money that I have no idea what to do with it.
Thursday, 26 September 2013
Living the active life in Switzerland...
Safely in Switzerland!! Apologies for any weird typing or symbols that may appear; I'm using a Swiss keyboard and a lot of symbols are switched around, as well as the letters Y and Z. Anyways, let us begin the recount...
Day 1
The trip begins!! The flight from Sydney to Dubai was full, even on an A380. I was right in the middle of a huge soccer academy who I later found out were on their way to Manchester to play some matches. Pretty uneventful flight. Surprisingly I was able to sleep through most of the 14 hours which was quite odd given that I usually find it realy difficult to sleep on planes (unless I'm absolutely exhausted). I guess it's just me getting old haha.
*******************************************
Day 1
The trip begins!! The flight from Sydney to Dubai was full, even on an A380. I was right in the middle of a huge soccer academy who I later found out were on their way to Manchester to play some matches. Pretty uneventful flight. Surprisingly I was able to sleep through most of the 14 hours which was quite odd given that I usually find it realy difficult to sleep on planes (unless I'm absolutely exhausted). I guess it's just me getting old haha.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)