[L.E.P.A.K series: London] Chap 24: Buckingham Palace

The good and bad of travelling on your own is the fact that you can make it up as you go. Good in the sense that you have the freedom to do anything and everything the way you want. Bad in the sense that when things don't turn out the way you want and you hit the panic button with much time wasted. Though that itself is an experience on its own.

Getting lost is part of the frustration and joy of travelling.

Our initial plan according to my 32-pages itinerary was to catch our ride from Mansion House Underground (which was a few blocks away from St Paul's Cathedral) to Victoria Underground. It's an easier direct line with no interchange. From Victoria we were supposed to take a stroll to Buckingham Palace Garden. 

 Well, that was the plan. But here's what happened.

We opted to play it safe and use back Bank Underground as our start point. We decided we were more comfortable changing tubes than exploring new roads. We found our way to Victoria Underground with no problem at all. 

 Then we stepped out. Took a good look around to figure out our way. And gave up. Hahaha. We went back into the station and took the tube to an even nearer station, Green Park. See! We're making it up as we go.

It was not a bad turn after all because the park was a beautiful sight 

in a winterish spring kind of way. Hehe.

We were running out of time as the Changing of Guards ceremony begins at eleven. 

Since we didn't exactly prepared to take this scenic route, we took the leap of faith and followed the crowd, hoping they will lead us to Buckingham Palace.

Even with the time limit, we still can't help ourselves from stopping 

to take a photo with spring. Lovely (minus the lady behind me). 

Finally, Buckingham Palace was in sight. And so was the thousands of spectators!!

Even a newscaster was here! Come to think of it, we might have appeared in some random programme as one of the tiny little faces behind her. Haha. Should have gave ourselves 5 seconds of fame right there. Shameless.

Look at that crowd yo!

And so it begun! 

The band was loud, the horses were magnificent, the guards were dignified.

It's a pity it was winter, so all we saw was thick grey overcoats instead of their bright red uniforms. We were allowed to stand anywhere except the main entrance and on the road for obvious reason.

So how did we manage to get such a shot? *grins* Well, we were still allowed to walk across the entrance like any other pedestrian way, we just can't stop and stare. Which we did not. We quickly took the shot within the pause of a few seconds before we were urged to speed up and cross. Hehe.

Did you know that horses shit like nobody's business? Hahaha. Serious. 

There were shit everywhere on the road as the horses delight themselves. *sweat* 

Don't worry, I will not show you poo-poo. =P

Instead I will show you one more zoomed in shot of the guards.

And just like that, the ceremony came to an end and the new guards were in position.

Bye bye guards and shameless horses! 

As for us?

We took the opportunity to continue camwhore around the vicinity. 

Here's me in front of the Victoria Memorial.

And here's me in front of Buckingham Palace.

Let's not forget about Cik Anai, shall we? 

That's her attempting an "Attention!" pose.

And that was our uneventful participation at the Changing of Guards Ceremony.

Next up! We're catching another train out to somewhere...

...not too far away from London. ;)

[L.E.P.A.K series] Chap 22: Goodbye Amsterdam!

We should have seen it coming when we 'decided' to miss our train out of Zaanse Schans. That was the sign of our short streak of unfortunate incidents. *sad face* It all begun while we were waiting for our train to arrive. We knew for sure that the train heading to "Centraal" was our definite ride back to Amsterdam but there was a train scheduled earlier for a different destination. We were not sure if that train will be passing by "Centraal", so we decided to play it safe and wait for our 'sure' train. 

 To our surprise almost everyone got on the first train that arrived, putting us in a state of indecisiveness. Should we hop on or not? Hop? No hop? Hop? No hop? By the time we were done panicking, the doors have closed and we watched helplessly as everyone leave the station. *double sad face* 

 We consoled each other by convincing ourselves that playing it safe was the smarter choice and took that extra 20 minutes or so to rest in the quiet train station. Little did we know the bad news that was waiting for us back at Amsterdam. 

 Upon arriving at Amsterdam Centraal, we hurried off to the ticketing counter to check our train schedule out to Brussels where we will be catching the Eurostar back to London. Our initial plan was to spend around three hours or so to explore Amsterdam itself before heading off. Instead, we were informed that the next train and apparently the only train for us was leaving within the next hour, minus the buffer time we need to be at the platform, all we had was approximately half an hour left. It was a major disappointment! 

No time to feel bum though.

Time to make the best of our time at Amsterdam.

No bad news shall stop me from putting a smile on my face. 

That's me in front of the iconic Centraal train station.

From here on, we went on a snap and go mode.

Yet, once in a while, we can't help not to stop and stare. *grins*

Look at that crowd!! 

If only we had time, we wouldn't mind lining up for some real Hoh-lan-shuuu (apparently Cantonese refers potatoes as Holland Potatoes, not sure why the specific country though, probably because the first imported potatoes were from Holland?) Wait.... going out of topic here. Anyway, it was a bummer we couldn't try the what-we-assumed-to-be-awesome potato wedges. After all, potatoes are Cik Anai's absolute favourite.

Amsterdam is certainly a very *ahem* liberal place for business.

 Be mindful that coffee shops here do not necessarily serve you coffee. Hahaha.

This is really an interesting place to be I tell you, and we didn't even make it to the red light district where women parade themselves openly behind (oxymoron? lol.) full length windows.

Even their taxi is one of a kind.

Not to mention the people. Hehe.

That's about as far as we went from Centraal station and we had to 

make our way back. *sad face*

Here's another trademark of Amsterdam. The triple X. 

You'll see XXX at every possible design anywhere.

*sigh* And with heavy hearts, we bid farewell to Amsterdam. I initially wanted Amsterdam to be just a stop, look, go destination to check it off my travel list. However, I didn't get to finish 'looking', so now I'm left wondering if I will ever be back again to do so. 

 With our time cut-short at Amsterdam, we found ourselves with some extra time at Brussels-Midi Station instead. So off we went...

Grocery Shopping!! 

Hahaha. That my friends, is a giant vending machine! It's crazy, really. I did not even realised I was standing behind one until Cik Anai exclaimed "Omg, that's a vending machine!" 

 Mind you, this is not where we did our 'shopping'. There is in fact an actual supermarket right behind this vending machine. The funny thing was the entrance of the supermarket was smaller than the machine itself. We went in to scout around for any goodies to buy, like Belgium chocolates!! 

 We were 'inspecting' the chocolate aisle when a lady beside me, tipped me off in a low voice, saying the chocolates here were outrageous in price. She can get the same chocolates in the same supermarket in town at a much lower price. Well, that's no surprise since Brussels-Midi Station is an Eurostar stop which means a whole lot of tourists commute in and out of the station every day. Tourist spot, ergo tourist pricing. Boohoo.  

Since we bought enough chocolates to go around in Zaanse Schans, and since we were specifically told that the chocolates are expensive, we opted not to be 'cheated' and instead stepped out with bottles of mineral water. Hahaha. Water is essential and it is cheaper here than back in London due to the currency exchange. So us 'poor' travellers chose to carry a 1.5 litre bottle each (my vague memory seems to tell me that Cik Anai bought two bottles o.O) just to save ourselves a ringgit or two. So kiam siap right? Hahaha.

And since we still have MORE time. Sigh. How I wish all this time was spent in Amsterdam instead. We chose to sit down and have our third 'sit-down' meal in a row!

Mezzo Di Pasta. 

Pasta in take-away boxes like Chinese take-outs in the US of A. *grins* We don't get pasta take-outs like this in Malaysia. But it was not the boxes that made us all giddy with joy...

It's what was inside! 

Look at the cheeeeese. Yummmmmmy! Though the entire pasta experience wasn't one to shout about. :P Not exactly awesome stuff but not to bad nonetheless. 

 With our stomachs filled and loads of water in hand, we catch our night ride back to London for a good night's sleep back in our hotel room. A luxury really, after two days of intense walking and an awkward night on the bus. Hehe. That's the end of our short yet very memorable adventure in Europe. 

 Next up, back in London!

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining but Sometimes If You're Lucky Enough You'll Find Gold :)

Good Morning Penang on a Friday morning!

It's things like these that make waking up wee early and travelling across

the sea every morning to get to work that wee bit more worthwhile.

That and the fact that I need to earn a living. :P

[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] Chapter 14: Triumphing Elysees

 As we strolled down the road with a crepe in hand (well I had the crepe, Cik Anai had her camera :P), we soon realised we were no longer surrounded by trees but instead magnificent buildings. When we saw the many al-fresco cafes lining up the street, we knew we have arrived at the famous Champs-Elysees.

 SEE SEE!

Told you there were many!

And they probably had a written code that RED was the official colour.

 SEE SEE! Told ya.

And as we walked and walked and walked, suddenly cars came out of nowhere! At the walkway! Or at least we thought that was the walkway. They came from underground, nifty eh. *snap snap* *click click*

Who can missed the grand Louis Vuitton building when walking down Champs-Elysees? 

Look at the lady in the picture, betul-betul ada gaya, mutu, keunggulan. Truly French. 

Truly Paris. No?

Something really interesting happened here. While we were busy taking photos and being all touristy, suddenly two Chinese women approached us for help. First they asked us if we knew Mandarin, while being unsure of the entire situation, we nodded a little and said yes. Then they asked us if we can help them buy some LV bags and instantaneously we went like "Whoah!!" Defensive mode on. They went on explaining to us that they have bought just enough for themselves but they have friends back home that have asked them to buy too. However there was a limit on how many bags one can buy so yeah, that was why they needed our help.

Cik Anai and I looked at each other and probably had the same thought in our minds. These people are either damn rich or are some con women at work. Either way we're not risking it. So we told them no. And guess what?

They told us they will even pay us for helping them.

Hell, NO!

And after a few stubborn sorry's and no's later, the ladies' faces turned black and finally walked away. Shhh!

As we continue down Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe grew bigger and bigger. We were figuring out how to get a good picture of it when suddenly we saw the divider in the middle of the road and got a light bulb turned on right above our heads. *ting* The divider was actually there as a midway point for pedestrian crossing since it was a pretty wide road. So while everyone was busy zooming pass us, we stood at the very tip of the divider, hopefully out of the way, and took our money shots.

*ka-chak*

"Look 'ma! I'm standing in the middle of the road."

As we reached the end of the road, right across the arc, we got ourselves another good spot for some photos. And then we were lost. We stared across the road, looking in awe of the majestic architecture before us that was surrounded by busy traffic all around and wondered... how on earth are we going to get to the other side?

The answer was well... at the other side of the road. 
The other side side. :P

TADAA!!

There was an underground passageway that led us to right under the arc. If you are a lover of art, you will find yourself walking pass street artists along the underpass. By the looks of it, if you have amazing negotiating skill, it's not impossible to get some nice paintings for a fair price here. 

As we opened the doorway leading to the arc, we were once again left in awe of pure architectural beauty. The Europeans do have the tendency to "GO BIG!" with everything, from food to buildings. 

They also have a good appreciation of space. I guess another fact to consider is that us Asians are generally smaller in body size, so we somehow see everything here as just big. 

Though I don't think we were the only ones feeling small. :) We spent a little while resting our tired feet here as we sat along the base of the columns and took in the chilly breeze. After awhile, we decided we had enough. It was not the chilly breeze that was freezing us out, it was the ice-cold marble under our butts. LOL. From here, we went back down to the underground in hunt of the Metro. Our next stop was Eiffel Tower!

That's me being all crazy while waiting for the train at the platform. We finally took our first Metro ride instead of the RER. The Metro trains are more similar to our regular LRT / MRT / Tube / Subway trains found everywhere else in the world while the RER gives an impression of a more upgraded version. 

There were cute little foldable seats on the train. Space-saving during a crowded ride yet conveniently provide extra seats whenever possible. Make sense, right? As we sat and enjoyed the view outside, we noticed something odd. The doors do not open automatically at each stop. You have to do it manually. *shocking*

So I'm ending this post with Hiyashibeeps' L.E.P.A.K Travel Tips No.9! 

See that little button Cik Anai is pointing right there? You gotta press it for the doors to open. So before you go all panicky that the doors are not opening when you are in Paris, remember that little magic button right there. ;-)