[L.E.P.A.K series: Amsterdam] Chapter 18: Trams, Bicycles and Boats

So where exactly are we off to now? I bet the above picture is very telling. 

Oh yes, we are heading towards the A in the L.E.P.A.K series! 

It's time for some XOX Amsterdam yo! 

 *excited*

But first, it was time to sleep! The bus was not exactly the most comfortable place to call it a night but nonetheless, we were so tired from the full day's walk that we practically fell right into sleep. We were waken up somewhere along the way when some officers came on board to check out travelling documents. Surprisingly they were more strict towards fellow Europeans who were travelling with their IDs than us with our passports. So we went right back to 'bed' as they busied themselves down the aisle. 

 We woke up again some time later just before 5am and saw that we were already very close to our destination. Unlike when we were on the bus to Edinburgh where we woke up to see the beautiful sunrise shining down on vast fields filled with sheeps, here we woke up to darkness illuminated with cold street lights. 

 We were scheduled to arrive Amstel Coach Station at approximately 6.30am but found ourselves at our destination way before 6.00am. The entire station was soulless with just us passengers wondering around, seriously in need of a toilet. Hahaha. There was no one around and the train station next to it has not even started its operation for the day yet. *yawns* In fact, it was not even manned and we wondered in and out of the platform freely without the need of a ticket. 

Still, not wanting to get into trouble we bought ourselves some train tickets and rode the first train out of the station towards Centraal Station. When we arrived though, we had problem checking out of the station since our tickets were never actually checked-in.

 Our lucky streak of meeting awesome people continued as the friendly stationmaster approached us and opened up the gates for us. He warmly started a conversation with us and asked us where we were from. When we told him we were from Malaysia, he threw us off by speaking the Malay language. It was the standard "Apa khabar?" and stuff but still here at Amsterdam?! Wow! 

 We said our thanks and headed off to hunt down some breakfast 

and found ourselves with some...

...'Gai Dan Gou'? (English: Egg Cake) 

 It was hilarious. Obviously we had no idea what we were actually buying except it' was food and it fills the stomach at only 1.70€. One bite into it and we looked at each other and asked "Gai Dan Gou?" Hmm.... wait... 

 *types 'Eierkoeken' into Google Translate* 

 Hahaha.... and it does indeed translate into "Egg Cake". OMG!

Our first and main itinerary of the day was to catch the train out to Zaanse Schans, a village just outside of Amsterdam that offers visitors a countryside feel of Holland. Because of its easy accessibility, it is also a much favoured tourist spot. It's like your one-stop destination for all things Holland. 

 However since it was still early, we decided to step out of the station and 

enjoy the early morning beauty of Amsterdam instead.

We were greeted by the extensive tram lines. Something we rarely see back home.

But what's mesmerising about Amsterdam is of course its canal and its buildings. The water in the canal was so crystal clear that it completely mirrors the beautiful scenery above it.

While Paris may awe you with its luxurious beauty, Amsterdam's simple beauty 

simply tugs the heart and soul.

Instead of sharing our space with a crowd of people, we found ourselves making way 

for 'Tai-lou' Big Bird and his gang.

Yo, whatcha looking at?!

There's really nothing much to say when the picture alone is saying a thousand words.

All I can say is that it's true that the early bird catches its prey. The best scenery are those 

at the early hours of the day where you can see the city slowly coming to life.

Time for a compulsory "I was here" shot.

Imagine there are people who call this their home. 

Oh oh! Ever thought of going into the window cleaning business?

Well, this is the way to do it! Real dandy. 

 We then made our way back to the station, bought ourselves two tickets off the ticketing machine and was happily on our way to Zaanse Schans.

Off we go again! 

Such a lovely way to start the morning.

[L.E.P.A.K series: Paris] Chap 17: Meeting Madame Mona

Alright! That was certainly a loooong rest since the last L.E.P.A.K post. No time to sit and linger anymore. It's time to get up and go, go, GO! Boy were we determined to hunt down Mona Lisa. Determined enough to set it as our goal before dinner. So we walked and walked until we got distracted by the beautiful night view outside.

The sun had set by then and the lights were on. Pretty. 

 We finally found that little turn we kept on missing and was on our way 

to meet Madame Mona...

... but alas, we got distracted once again. 

This time by a gigantic art piece. I say it just goes to proof my earlier point that 

Europeans have a thing for BIG THINGS. Hahaha. 

 Sure enough, we finally found the biggest crowd at the Louvre, all gathered to lay their eyes on Mona Lisa. It was impossible to get a good shot with her when there was a whole bunch of people to share the spotlight with. Not to mention she was shyly hiding behind a protective glass and surrounded by a barricade. Talk about being anti-social. Tsk tsk tsk. I came all the way just to see you, 'mam. 

 Oh well, you're even more famous than celebrities these days after all.

So I humbly settled with what she has to offer. *click* 

Boy do I look tired out in the picture. *sigh* 

Now that our mission is complete, it's time for a good French dinner!

We had enough of walking for the day so we decided to head down to a restaurant 

inside the Louvre. Nothing overly fancy but still a very 'luxurious' place compared to all 

the budget meals we were having for the past few days. All that savings certainly deserved 

one good meal and what better place to dine finely than Paris, right?

I ordered my very first cup of coffee since I arrived at this side of the globe. 

Truth to be told, the coffee was not very impressive which was kind of disappointing since I was kind of hoping to be wowed by it. *sad face* Now, those little sugar cubes and complimentary nougats on the other hand was conveniently brought home as my little momentos. Muahahaha. So Chinese. So proud of it. :P

Now for the recommended affordable dish-to-try in Paris, Croque-Monsieur! 

Yummy. It was not bad at all. Cik Anai being the bread-potato-lover that she is 

preferred this to our another order. 

 BUT! I stand to differ!

Because I was in loved with this other dish instead. 

Yuuummmmy Poelon de moules au curry et poireaux. What?!!?! Haha... or in English, 

Mussels and leeks casserole spiced with yellow curry. Again WHAT?!? Leek? Eww! 

And why go all the way to Paris to eat curry. These girls are not in the right state 

of mind are they. :P 

 But I see no leek and instead lots of what looks to me like alfalfa sprouts. Hmm... 

and nope, the curry was not spicy at all, obviously. Spiced? More like herbs maybe. 

Either way, it waaasss delicious. Well, at least to me lah. Each to their own.

I love it enough to insist Cik Anai to take a picture of me with it. Yum! 

Oh and in case you're wondering about the cost of a meal inside the Louvre, well, the Croque

 was 15€ and the mussels was 9€. Not to outrageous I guess for a tourist spot.

Now that we are all recharged and energised back to at least mid-battery level, 

we're off again to hunt down our next 'target'. Venus de Milo. By then, the museum was pretty much cleared of tourist. Yay!

That gives us time to linger and take our time at every single thing that 

perked our interest. Like insanely beautiful architecture!

The Nike of Samothrace or also known as the Winged Victory of Samothrace. 

Why such a faraway shot instead of a close-up you say? Well, we were left in awe 

of the sight of the empty stairway actually. Hahaha. Earlier in the day, this place was packed 

with visitors as these stairs was the cross-road to different halls. There were people walking 

from in every direction and there were also those sitting along the stairs, at the feet of the statue. There were people everywhere and now, waalaah! A lady and a statue.

And finally! Venus de Milo was surprisingly easier to locate. Maybe because 

we were more calm and less distracted by the crowd. The down-side of a night trip 

to the museum is the lighting though. :(

One last compulsory shot inside the museum. *click* There are a lot more to see in the museum actually. All that we saw were only in one of the three wings of the museum. Imagine that. Museum enthusiasts can easily spend three days in here and still complain there's not enough time. So yeah, this would have to do for us this time around. If the chance do come by again, I'll be sure to drop by and awed all over again. *smiles*

We decided to step out again for a night shot of the museum.

It was a bittersweet feeling for us as it was also time to bid goodbye to Paris. 

BUT WAIT!

Not before we visited La Pyramide Inversée aka The Inverted Pyramid. Hehe. 

With that, our mission here in Paris was finally completed. 

 Or so we thought! 

 Who knew we had one last adventure before finding our way to the bus station. *sigh* 

For us, Paris does not sign off 'with love' but instead 'Paris... with adventure'. We headed towards the one route that we knew of, the route that we came but alas, we somehow got ourselves a little lost. With the clock ticking away, we hit the yellow panic button. 

 Eh? Eh? Eh?!? 

 Finally we found our way to the metro station only to discover it was already closed! Wooot?!?! Panic signal hit orange. Danger Danger! We headed out to the streets only to be greeted with a lonely street and a sad few pedestrians. Panic signal reached bright RED because we had no idea how to go about from here because we had no freaking idea where we were. 

 Weee!!! Heart-pounding excitement. 

 The thing was, we had a bus to catch and if we missed it then we're practically stranded in Paris. Yeah, worst come to worst, we can somehow manage a night's stay in a hotel but still.... *tick tick tick* 

Time to ask for help!!

We quickly approached a young lady who seemed to be on her way back from work and asked for the nearest metro station and guess what!! She kindly offered to guide us there. Hooray! WAIT! Should we turn our suspicious mode on? No time yo! It's time to believe in the greater good of mankind! 

And so we followed. 

 And so we arrived safely to the metro station. 

 *phew* 

 She even asked if we know how to manage our way with the ticketing machine and we said yes as we already have our carnet of tickets ready. We expressed our deep gratitude as she smiled and wave farewell to us. Yup! She was not heading to this metro at all. She just took the extra effort to help us! *sniffles* Together with the guy who helped us ordered our lunch earlier in the day, I'll say French people are so not what some made out to be, snobbish or unfriendly to those who knows no French? Well, not to us at least. 

Thank you Paris for a wonderful and exciting experience like no other! 

It will forever be a day we will never forget. :) 

 Now it's time for a rocky night's sleep on the bus as we get ready 

to wake up in another country. Weee!

Tom Yam Kung is Tom Yam + Kang Kung?

Eeek! Lame pun is lame.

Anyway, we're really doing things differently this Chinese New Year. First with our kimchi-fied reunion dinner and today I decided to spice up the festivity with some sizzles from our neighbouring country. So we headed over to Aroy Chang Moo Kata at Burma Lane for some yummy Thai food. Cik Datang had previously offered me a promo voucher that entitles me to a set dinner for four for only RM78 nett. A pretty good deal for a big meal where a total of six dishes were served. 

So here we go!

The lame joke of the day! Tom Yam + Kung.

*food blogger mode on*

The soup was filled with generous ingredients from prawns, slices of fish flesh, 

cuttlefishes and mushrooms. The kang kung was not the usual sambal kang kung that we 

eat in Chinese 'zhu char' but instead carries a little tinge of sourness in it. Guess that's 

how the Thais prepare it. A tad weird for mom and me but a total hit with young sis. 

Dad seemed indifferent about it. 

Next up was Green Curry Chicken and Cha Om Omelette. 

I didn't taste much of the green curry because of the many dishes that were served, 

we decided to 'ta pao' it home. Hahaha. As for the pizza-looking omellete, well, 

we're still figuring what's the vege in it. *goes off to google* Oh! The vegetable in it is... 

*drumroll* Cha Om! Hahaha. It's actually Acacia pennata. *as if I know what's that* 

It was served with that little bowl of sambal. Yummy. 

Next to be served was the highlight of the meal, Phad Phed Fish!

The fish was stir-fried and served in a thick aromatic curry, topped with 

lots and lots of basil leaves. I like this even though I'm not a big fan of fried fish. 

I prefer my fish steamed, plain and fresh. Oh oh, and I like my fish as a whole. 

A big NO NO to a slice of steamed fish flesh. 

Oops! Went out of topic there. Hehe. Anyway, there was one more dish after that. 

Thai style deep fried chicken wings served with Thai chili sauce. Unfortunately, it came after we were all busy digging into our food, so no heart to take picture anymore lah. 

Just eat lah! 

Now, here's something worthy to mention about Aroy Chang Moo Kata. You see, Cik Datang 

had previously patronized this place and commented that the bowl of rice served was 

outrageously tiny that everyone definitely needs a second helping. It was the size of a tiny 

soup bowl. She said she had made her comments to the owner but not sure if they will actually take note of her feedback. 

Well, they did!

We were served with four regular size bowls of rice and only need one extra serving among 

four of us. Extra points for listening to customers' feedback. I know that for a fact because Mr Boss (well, I assumed he was the boss or person-in-charge at least) was very much interested in our opinion on the food. When mom enquired about the surprisingly good lemongrass drink, he quickly asked us how was the food when we had not even started on our meal yet even though the dishes were already on the table. LOL. Talk about real enthusiasm. Hahaha. He notably enquired again when we asked for the bill. *claps claps*

So yup! 

Not exactly super-awesome meal but was definitely super-awesome service!

A Rather Different Reunion Dinner

Ever since our Christmas dinner last month, I was on a roll in churning out 

'special' meal ideas for the family to celebrate every possible occasion. 

From a roast-turkey-wannabe to a mouthwatering miso-marinated BBQ pork. 

Y.u.m.m.y! Just the mere thought of it is making me salivate. 

So how can we celebrate Chinese New Year 

with just another usual steamboat right?

No Siree! Now the picture above might look like any other 

steamboats in any other households...

...BUT...

Take a look at that my friends!

"Ceh... tomyam you say?"

NOoooooo! Impossibru!

That my dear friends is a kimchi-jigae steamboat yo!

Now look at that happy korean-loving sister smiling one for the camera.

You bet I'm smiling too behind the camera.

Now let us roll the date back to a few weeks prior to the highly-anticipated 

reunion dinner. It was already decided then that we were going to do a steamboat this year

but... a sudden light bulb appeared over my head and then I calculated the risk 

and voiced out the idea.

"I got an idea for our steamboat!"

"What? You want to do miso soup is it?" 

-___-

*so sarcastic and yet so close to the truth as well*

"Umm... no and I not sure if we should risk it since it's reunion dinner

but I was thinking of doing... kimchi stew?"

*few seconds of silence*

"The one like we had in that Korean restaurant the other day?"

"Umm... yup but I don't know lah since I've never tried to cook it before...

maybe we shouldn't...." 

"Ok."

Ehh?!?! Hahaha. And so Kimchi Jigae steamboat it is! 

If you must know, it was not bad at all. Hehe. The funny thing was mom kept insisting that we need more soup, so I ended up cooking two pots full and guess what, we had leftovers! Hmmph! But all's good because we threw in some noodles and had ourselves some Kimchi Ramen for lunch this afternoon instead.

Y.U.M.M.Y

So I guess it's time to look at the calendar and see what's the next occasion. 

Woohoo!

Oh oh... Happy Chinese New Year everyone! 

Meet My Oldest Friend

I knew him since day one.

He was right beside me even when I was still in my stroller with 

my pacifier in my mouth. I bet I even offered my pacifier to him but obviously 

he's so not interested... in the pacifier of course.

Because I was pretty sure he was very much interested in me.

Since he kept telling me to hug him.

Though obviously I was clueless since I had no ideas what are words back then.

I mean, I barely managed "papa" at that age.

And nope, I'm not talking about my dad here.

.

.

.

I'm talking about my Hug-Your-Bear.

A bear as old as me and probably the only bear that has no given name.

(I called the one on the right "Patches". He's also the youngest bear I own.)

Well, I had Hug-Your-Bear when I was still a baby. 

I'm pretty sure I was not knowledgeable enough back then to give him a name.

All mom did was kept telling me to "Hug you bear, Jo! Hug you bear." 

*hugs*

27 years later and he's still here with me.

And honestly, I probably love him more today 

then I was when I was a baby, kid, teenager, etc.

It's pretty awesome don't you think?

To still have your very first bear with you.

*hearts*

I think it's awesome.

A Purr-fect Family Trip! (Part III)

Note: This 3-part blog entry was part of AirAsia Bloggers Programme and is also

a Digital Exclusive on AirAsia's very own in-flight and online magazine, Travel 3Sixty. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

How can we make a trip to Kuching without visiting the home 
of the Rainforest World Music Festival!

Sarawak Cultural Village is about 45-min drive from Kuching. The mesmerising view 

of Mount Santubong as we ride on the bumpy ride exudes a sense of myth and mystery with clouds hovering above it. There are many tales revolving the place, one being about the famous Puteri Santubong where the mount got its name.

It costs RM60 per visitor to enter the Cultural Village. Not exactly ‘shoestring’ material 

but after that entire savings, we decided to splurge on this. 

 But here are few tips if you still want to save a bit! 

 We did our research earlier to see where we can save up and my sister being a university student can enjoy a student rate of just RM15. That’s like 75% off the full price! Also, try to get a local to help you purchase the tickets because they too have cheaper local rates! Alternatively, there are tour agencies back in Kuching selling tickets at a discounted price of RM45. Finally, during special events like Harvest Festival and Hari Raya, the entrance fee is only RM10! So, it’s all about planning and timing your trip wisely.

There are a total seven ‘rumah’ or longhouses in the Cultural Village, each representing the different tribes and ethnic groups in Sarawak. From the very modest Penan Hut with only bare necessities to the tall and grand Melanau Tall House that is big enough for a few families, every house showcases its distinctive characteristic of each tribe. 

 These longhouses are not just empty display houses. There are actual people working and demonstrating the daily activities of each tribe. There are also Makciks (elderly ladies) frying local delicacies in these houses which you can buy and savour on the spot.

At the end of the visit, we made our way to the performance hall where a cultural show awaits us. There are two show sessions per day, 11:30am and 4:00pm. The show, like any Malaysian parade, was filled with vibrant colours, costumes and smiles. 

 At one point of the show, two warriors with blow darts easily burst some balloons at the far end of the hall. They then invited a lady audience to give it a try. She tried and tried, alas, did not have the ‘lung power’ to blow the darts that far. No words are needed in such a cultural exchange. In the end, she was ushered right up to the balloon and asked to blow again. Naturally, she popped the balloon and the crowd cheered!

It was certainly a great experience. One that we didn’t regret spending that extra bit of money on. Of course, for adventurous travellers there is always the option of experiencing real live-in longhouses in Sarawak. There are not many left these days and I most certainly don’t mind coming back and exploring them with friends in the future. But for now, I’m having a good time with the family here at the Cultural Village. 

 Oh, and there’s of course one last thing to do 

in our shoestring family trip to Kuching!

How can we go home without a picture with the cats! 

 Indeed, there’s so much more of Kuching to explore with my family and low fares 

at www.airasia.com made my family holiday a reality! =P

A Purr-fect Family Trip! (Part II)

Note: This 3-part blog entry was part of AirAsia Bloggers Programme and is also 

a Digital Exclusive on AirAsia's very own in-flight and online magazine, Travel 3Sixty. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Of course, how can we come all the way to Sarawak and not see the great apes, right? 

 So the next day, we headed out to Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre which is just
45 minutes from Kuching and charges a very modest price of RM3.00 per entry. Students and senior citizens enjoy an additional 50% discount.

 Twenty-six Orang Utans are registered in the centre with the oldest Seduku a.k.a
‘the grandmother’ is still going strong and healthy at 40 years old. However, the big boss
of the jungle is Richie, the dominant male here in Semenggoh.

 There are two feeding sessions in a day, 9am and 3pm. We were there for the afternoon
session and a word of advice is to arrive early because sometimes you may get a surprise
early visit from the apes. There is no promise as to whether the Orang Utans will
show up and a no-show is actually a good sign, meaning they could be doing well
on their own in the wild.

While some of us early birds were hanging around at the waiting area, a mama and her child appeared at the car park area and came walking down towards us. The young adult put on quite a show for us! 

 Finally, it was time to proceed to the feeding area.

That’s the feeding platform right there! We were told to remain quiet throughout 

the entire time because we do not want to startle the apes; seriously, no one wants to mess with Richie, not even the park rangers.

Because that, my friends, is Richie the mighty! 

And when Richie eats, everyone else waits. Yes everyone, both ape and men.

Only after Richie was done with his meals did the others come forward to have their share. 

I guess there’s hierarchy in the Orang Utan kingdom too. We soon bid farewell to Semenggoh and dozed off in the car. 

 Our next attraction is the Kuching Civic Centre.

A place many would skip because it loses its charm over the years due to lack of offerings. But sometimes it’s not how much a place has to offer but just that one good enough reason to go there. In this case, a panoramic view of Kuching and its surroundings.

I can even see Mount Santubong from up here. On a bright sunny day, the view stretches out to even the sea. Sure, the place might not be as exciting as seeing Orang Utans or as fun as shopping at the mall but sometimes we tend to forget simple things in life that well, make life awesome just the way it is. Simple things like a breathtaking view… the refreshing breeze when you are up high...resting your head on the railings and a good old family portrait that has everyone beaming 

Last but not least is the Sarawak Cultural Village!

A Purr-fect Family Trip! (Part I)

Whuahh! A long overdue post that was meant for last year. This 3-part blog entry was 

part of AirAsia Bloggers Programme. If you can't wait for me to post up part 2 and 3 

(I admit I can be a tad slow at blogging.), then check out the complete entry on AirAsia's 

very own in-flight and online magazine, Travel 3Sixty. It's there as a Digital Exclusive 

since November last year. Imagine that! 

Here we go!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Discovering Kuching on a shoestring? 

It’s hard, yes. Travelling for one and travelling for four is very different but not impossible. With the right kind of help and proper planning, I successfully took my parents and my sister to the ‘Land of the Hornbills’ - Sarawak in East Malaysia. And it all started with the greatest saving one can enjoy in a travel - flight tickets!

Ticket price for four from Penang to Kuching, inclusive of luggage was only RM242. 

That’s about RM60 per person. I can barely make it to Kuala Lumpur and back with this price. The key is to book early! So when 30 June 2011 came, the entire family packed up 

and flew to Kuching! 

.

.

.

 The first thing we did upon landing and settling down was naturally to hunt for food.

It’s cheap, good and a totally different culinary experience from those back home. 

Kuching is famous for its ‘Kolok Mee’, a plate of dry noodles that tastes pretty good in my opinion. The ‘Kolok Mee Special’ (photo on the left) that we ordered was filled with extra fish fillets and other ingredients. It was so good that we actually had a few servings of 

‘Kolok Mee’ throughout our holiday in Kuching. 

 So what can you do on a shoestring trip in Kuching? 

 Easy. Like everywhere else in the world, you head out to town. In this case, the old town 

and make your way towards the Kuching Waterfront.

 

The Kuching Waterfront 

 Here you will find stalls selling all kinds of things, from the famous ‘Sarawak Layer Cake’ 
to unique handicrafts and souvenirs, such as bracelets, necklaces and ornaments made
from beads and wood.

Walking along the waterfront, we found many signs of ‘cruise’ rides and many boatmen offered to take us on a ‘cruise’ along the river. My advice, skip it! It is nothing a cheap sampan ride can’t offer. There are numerous sampans along the river and for less than a ringgit, you get to experience the real way of commuting along the river! 

 Right by the waterfront is the Chinese Heritage Museum that is funded independently by the Chinese community here in Kuching. It is a small and humble museum with just enough exhibits to make it a short yet enjoyable visit. What’s more, entrance is… yup! Free!

What’s interesting here was the short audio commentary available under each description board which plays the dialects of each Chinese community. Apart from Cantonese and Hokkien, the other dialects were almost foreign to me.

There was a set-up of an old coffee shop inside the museum. That’s me sneaking a shot right there, posing as if I’m in deep thought for my next move in the Chinese Chess. :)
As a visitor, you can also help out the museum by offering a little contribution…

…that is if you can find the donation box! 

Yup, it’s that finely carved pagoda right next to the Chinese drum. 

That’s the donation box right there! Who would have thought right? 

We spent the entire afternoon museum-hopping throughout town. I probably visited more museums that afternoon than I did in my past 26 years. If museums are not your kind of thing, I would suggest to at least visit the Natural History Museum. It’s educational yet spooky at the same time! Yes, spooky...in a good way of course, with all kinds of preserved animals at every corner to even the full skeleton of a whale. Sorry, no pictures though as cameras are not allowed in here. 

 Right behind the museum grounds was a beautiful garden with water fountains 

and shady walkways. Don’t give this a miss because hidden in the middle of the garden 

is the ‘museum cafeteria’. 

 But if you’re expecting yucky cafeteria food, boy, are you wrong!

Because what we discovered were the eccentric ‘Sarawak Laksa’ (which is an acquired taste in my opinion) and a very yummy plate of ‘Sambal Bihun’. Obviously, I love the latter more. It tasted very similar to the cuttlefish with ‘kangkong’ dish, except in this case, you enjoy it with ‘bihun’ (rice vermicelli). It might sound weird but I stand by my words - yummy to the last drop! Suffice to say that these Sarawakian hawker delights make a delicious yet very affordable meal.

Of course, how can we come all the way to Sarawak and 

not see the great Orang Utans, right?

Next up! Meeting Richie the Great.