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Saturday 30 January 2010

Grabbing the Opportunity

The semester one examination week just ended and second semester will commence this coming Monday. Some of us had finished their exams two or three days ago. A few of my friends now have gone for ‘jalan-jalan’ in Spain!

To my surprise, those guys have been planning for this long time ago and they managed to get their ticket for just 16 pound for a return flight. What a bargain! This is how we integrate strategic planning in life as a student =)

There are many offers and bargains out there, and some of them are just dirt-cheap airline tickets. One pence, two pence? You name it. What you have to do is just to hunt for it.

First, allocate one or two hours looking around on the net. Try to look for cheapest bargain to anywhere within Europe for example.

Secondly, get some of your friends to join you. Two or three other best friends would be okay. You don’t want to enjoy your end of semester with someone whom you are not close with.

Thirdly, go pack your stuffs!

Fourthly, come back and enjoy your second semester =) yeay!

Friday 29 January 2010

The chronicle of wish list

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I have heard people with dreams of spending their rest of their lives travelling around the world. I found this very interesting. First you work hard, get lots of money; retire from nine to five job (or even longer for some of the profession), look for travel agent, read some travel blogs, then off you go – spending the rest of your life fulfilling your dream. But wait a minute! Speaking of travelling around the world; which part of the world is it? Well, here is my wish list:-
  1. Bandung and Jakarta, Indonesia
  2. Bosnia
  3. Cairo, Egypt
  4. Paris, France
  5. Marrakesh, Morocco
  6. Makkah and Madina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  7. Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE
  8. Tokyo, Japan
  9. Istanbul, Turkey
  10. Prague, Czech Republic
  11. Malaga and Granada, Spain
  12. Taman Negara (National Park) Sarawak, Malaysia
  13. Somewhere in New Zealand
If you could notice, my wish list does not cover ‘around the world’ because I just don’t feel like going to the other half part of the world. It will be such a waste. You can see them a lot on TV.
I don’t want to wait until I am old to start making the wish list a places-I’ve-gone-to-list, instead I will find a way to make it possible ASAP. If I were to only depend on my daytime job…which now I am still a student, so it will be difficult for me. To have a good travelling experience one must have good planning.
Budget
When
How
Those are the three keywords which one must understand in order to plan for a good holiday. I will explain about that later.
Till then, see ya!

Sunday 17 January 2010

Amsterdam - The Saga Cotinues

Day Three

Amsterdam is popular because of its network of canal which stretches out all over the city. There is a story behind this. The version of the story goes like this . . .

Once upon a time, the ruler of the City of Amsterdam has put a plan to control the flows of water in the city. City of Amsterdam is a city below the sea level hence water is everywhere. So the ruler ordered the construction of canal network as a method of controlling the water flow and as well act as a transportation network. Hence, the canal we see today. The End.

You can do more research on this. The story that I got was...I think from Majalah 3.

You can get to literally anywhere using the water taxi. The concept is like Hop On Hop Off Bus in the city of Kuala Lumpur. So we decided to try the water taxi. I can't remember how much we paid for the ticket. We bought a one-day ticket which is valid for 24 hours.

The taxi service is very very....very slow. There is no rush during the cruise. You will cruise calmly and harmoniously with the quiet surrounding of the canal. This kind of transport is suitable for people does have to sit for exams...because you will not feel the urgency of getting to next stop. It was so relaxing and you can sit anywhere in the boat, because there were no passenger during that time.

The water taxi has many routes and it also has its own schedule. So you can plan your journey in the city easily. Let the pictures below do all the talking =)



I think this the city council.



Some Dutchman ship.

Before continuing with next photo, I have some notes for you. Please don't be amazed if you see some boat house. Some of the Dutch literally lives in the boat or small ship where they park their house near the canal bank. This boat-house is like the normal house, they have everything - TV aerial, toilets, kitchen, yard, post box.



I forgot the name of this canal. They have names for each of the canal.



We stopped at one of the diamond factory. The factory entry situated just by the canal bank.


Then we continue with the most efficient transport of all time - walking.

Day Four

Today is the most exciting day. We decided to go out of Amsterdam a bit. One of us was saying that it is quite a waste we don't go and see the popular Windmill. So we went to the Tourism Info Center. They gave us some direction and guide to Zaanse Schans.

We took a train and the journey was about one hour and continue walking after arriving at the station. And you can see this from far:


So the place is like a culture village where they everything in one place. Like cheese making facilities, wood shoes factory, sheep farm etc.




Above is cheese making factory.

In a nut shell, this place has everything so you don't have to go to other places in Holland to see all this.

Day Five - Final Day

We had nothing much to do this day. All of us can't wait to go back to Soton. Well, our journey back to Soton was not easy. You can read "Coming Back From There"

Till then, Have a nice day! Tchuss!

Anti-break

Assalamualaikum to all! yes...may God grant peace to everyone =)

Yeah, in the last entry we mentioned about the coming exams etc. and sort of signaling to everyone that this site will be on a break. Well, it's good news! We will continue publishing posts even though it is exam period as nothing should stop you doing anything ;-)

So our next entry will resume the last episode about trip in Holland. But this will take sometime so please bear with us. Then hopefully Italy will come, and then story about 12 guys roaming around Scotland castles and highlands, trip in China and many more to come.

We will also publish our travel wish list in this blog and hopefully everyone could share their wish list here in this blog. This is what Holiday Chronicle all about - Sharing your passion in travel and exchange experiences.

See ya!

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Break

Erk... bad news. We will be having exams next week. Well we actually had one just now (German oral exam). Therefore I assume that dearest husband won't have time to post up new entries on holidays.

To all my friends who will be sitting for their exams, would like to wish all of you best of luck. Need one myself though . . . but anyway, keep yourself warm and away from doing unnecessary activities.

To husband,
Stop playing with your Air Force 1 and get back to your notes please! Ich liebe dich ;-)


Monday 11 January 2010

Manchester

Manchester, the city that most Malaysians do talk about. I wonder why (konon). Basically the city is busier and definitely bigger than Southampton. I find the public transportation is very convenient BUT most buses are too sempit! Lutut pun kena backrest seat depan. Haiyayai. But anyway, as usual I will let the photos do the talking.



How to get there from Southampton :
Get a direct train from Southampton Central to Manchester Piccadilly train station. Approximately 4 hours due to the innumerable (ok, exaggerating) stops the train has to make.

Food :
Halal restaurant is available at The Trafford Centre. Argghhh I forgot the name but it is actually a chinese restaurant. You can even have Harry Ramsden's fish and chips. Well if you miss home cooked food, then bring some from home with you =)

Accommodation :
I stayed with my younger brother in a budget hotel, Hotel International, right in front of the Manchester Piccadilly train station. The beds were not comfortable at all. But they didn't cause us any severe back pain since we only stayed there for two nights and we did spend most of our time in the city and Old Trafford stadium.

Hotel International

Old Trafford Stadium




The city at night



Sunday 10 January 2010

From Amsterdam – Getting Around in Holland

From Amsterdam – Getting Around in Holland

Peace be unto you all =)

Last entry was a summarize of everything we did in Amsterdam. Now is the sequel. Don’t worry, it will not be a 3 hours long-tiring-movie-like sequel. Sit back and enjoy reading!

Day One

We arrived in Schiphol Airport. Honestly, I never knew the name of the airport until I arrived there. Seriously, I am not joking. The immigration and everything else was fine. We headed straight to the train ticket counter. The journey to Amsterdam took us around 20 minutes.

So, we arrived in the city and we were quite lost. Why? Because we didn’t know that we need to take a tram since we never ride on one before. One of us asked a passersby and she showed us how to buy the ticket. We got our ticket (ticket is singular because we bought one ticket for five of us). Basically we were in deep confusion.

Luckily enough, we arrived at our hotel after walking quite a distance from our stop. A new problem awaited us. Our room was for two (or three), but again…there were five of us. So we quietly sneaked into our room and made it! We had a short rest in the room before dinner.

Day Two

We set foot in the city. I myself discovered many new and interesting things. One of them are this:

Waste bin: Iceberg concept

The waste bin may look small and not enough to accommodate even one person’s waste (not that kind of waste, it’s the rubbish kind waste), the clever thing is the main storage is underneath the bin. Can you see the sort of pole sticking out from the green box there? A waste lorry will come and use a robotic hand to lift the waste storage by grabbing the pole. Another thing is, could you see boxes somewhere around the bin? Yeah ;-) they are just like Malaysians!

Another interesting thing that I would like to share is, there are many abandoned bicycle in the city! They are everywhere!

Below are some pics of our activities on the second day:

We went to Madame Tussaud

In front of the Torture Museum, a nice museum

They have this. I think this restaurant is everywhere.

And many more which I can’t recall. We had fun in the Madame Tussaud because we were surprised by the living wax figures! Please refer to Mr. Ikhwan for funnier version of the story =)

to be continued….

Barcelona- Spain


Somewhere over the mountains~ On our way to Barcelona.

Went to Barcelona with my dad in March 2008. The weather was brilliant throughout our stay.

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain. The city where Camp Nou is situated. Yes you football fanatics, pay Barcelona a visit. Asyik2 Old Trafford ja ;-p

How to get there :

Took an EasyJet flight from London Gatwick. EasyJet is quite similar to AirAsia. Book early to get cheaper fare and best holiday deals!

Tour :

Basically we used the train to get to places. It is very convenient since there are tube stations everywhere. The system is more or less like what we have in London.

Places to visit:

Let the photos do the talking eyh ;-)

  • La Sagrada Familia

Sagrada under construction.

  • Olympic Port

Sedia senang diri!

  • Camp Nou

Tak sabar ye abah.

The Nou Camp (Camp Nou)

In the Camp Nou huge gift shop.

Lucky enough to capture the unknown footballer. haha.

  • Las Ramblas

The artists in Las Ramblas

  • Boqueria Market

  • Moll d Espanya

  • Monument of Christopher Columbus

etc.

Amsterdam – The Notorious City

I was in the first year of my studies in Southampton therefore it was indeed my first ever vacation; three weeks of Christmas holiday. There were other two big events going on during that time but I decided not to go to any of them because I found them a bit dodgy. Anyway, it was five of us young, immature and brave risk taker boys – Safwan, Hazim, Nazrul, Ikhwan and I. So we decided to go to Amsterdam.

Those are the boys and the plane
The City
From what I see, Amsterdam is a city which is huge and crowded with cyclist and abandoned cycles – they are everywhere! The city has great Canal network and you can use the water taxi to go to any part of city. It was during December, so I find it very dull, super dull. Not a good time to visit Amsterdam. You could see modern and colonial times buildings everywhere in the city. Unfortunately we couldn’t enjoy the city very much as some parts of the city were sort of under renovation – a huge one.

Me, the bicycle and the canal
The Night
I myself, am not the kind of person who always go out at night. So I never had the chance to really explore a city at night. Yes we did go out, just to get some fresh air and experience the place called “Redlight District”.
The Food
Food was good. Especially when the restaurant owner is like your brother and he gave discounts for every food you eat. Know why? Because he believes that our religion is same as him. There are a lots of Indonesian food restaurant which can recognised by ‘Indonesicsh’ word. There, you can find many delicacies which are very similar to what you can find in Malaysia. But hey, we never tried any of the restaurants, why? Because we can only eat the place where:
1) they say they serve halal foods
2) or they put the ‘Halal’ sign in the restaurant

You can find this in Malaysia as well
The Accommodation
We stayed in a budget hotel where the room was very comfortable for five of us to stay. But the room was only meant for two. He he. The person at the lobby was very kind as she even allow us to borrow their small tea-pot to make tea. So five persons in a double room – three stooges on the beds, and the other two sleept on floor. Don’t worry; we were kind enough to give them our pillows.
Getting There
We booked our tickets from Flybe.com. We departed from Southampton Parkway Airport and arrived at Schipol Airport several I-don’t-know-how-many-minutes later. Then we took a train to Amsterdam and then a tram to our hotel.
Coming back From There
Duh? Seriously, you have to read this. We actually had to come back to Southampton using different route even though we had booked return flight tickets. Why? It was due to the bad weather and no planes were able to land at Southampton Airport thus flight had to be cancelled and we were stranded at the airport for several hours.
So they refunded us and we had to find another way – land and sea. We took a train next morning to Hook van Holland (if I am not mistaken) which is several miles away from Schipol Airport and then a ferry (boat) to somewhere in England.
Visa Requirement
For Malaysia passport holder, you don’t need a visa.
url: http://www.learn4good.com/travel/groups/group3.htm
“Netherlands Visa & Immigration Procedures for Group D Countries – 28 February 2008 Guide to Immigration Procedures for Students from:Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Entry visa
- For a stay of up to three months: You don’t need a visa to enter the Netherlands. All you need is a valid passport. You may travel through all Schengen countries freely.”

Miscellaneous

For Muslims who need to pray, there are several masjids in the city. Remember I mentioned about the restaurant owner who gave us discounts? He was the one who brought us to one of the masjids in the city to perform Friday Prayer.

Portsmouth – Gunwharf Quays


The Spinnaker Tower

Gunwharf Quays at Portsmouth Harbour is actually a cosy venue to shop. Personally we find that most of the goods available are affordable and definitely lower than the RRP.

Maybe it is the most convenient shopping place for those who live in Southampton City (for real??). Haha.

A few of the available shops/outlets are:

  1. Ted Baker
  2. Burberry
  3. Karen Millen
  4. Paul Smith
  5. Cadbury
  6. Villeroy and Boch
  7. Fred Perry
  8. Levis
  9. Oakley
  10. Crabtree & Evelyn
  11. FCUK
  12. Columbia
  13. Denby

etc.

When you are tired of walking and browsing, you can have a doughnut and a cup of coffee at the Krispy Kreme!

Got a dozen of original glazed eyh!

Solat:

You can perform your prayer ( solat) in the Marks & Spencer fitting room or at the hidden walkway opposite Nandos on 1st floor.

How to get there from Soton:

Just get a train from Southampton Central for less than GBP8 (return). Will take you roughly 40mins. Depends on the services offered. Make sure you disembark at Portsmouth Harbour train station eyh.

Bicester Village – The Shopper’s Spa

Bicester Village situated somewhere in Oxford is a “village” where you could get good bargains on designers clothing and accessories.

Brands:

  1. Bvlgari
  2. Gucci
  3. Versace
  4. Tods
  5. Jimmy Choo
  6. Salvatore Ferragamo
  7. Dunhill
  8. Paul Smith
  9. Ted Baker
  10. Anya Hindmarch
  11. Hobbs
  12. Ermenegildo Zegna
  13. Cerruti 1881

And the list goes on . . . Why we only named 13? Because we simply love the number 13 ;-)

Transport:

We went there with our friends by a rented MPV. We did enjoy the journey and the time spent in the “village”.

Solat:

You can perform your prayer (solat) in Polo Ralph Lauren fitting rooms. Clean, comfortable and spacious.

At night . . just before they closed the main gate.

We were there for only 4 hours due to the terrible weather on the 23rd Dec 09.

More discounts/sale were given during boxing day 26th Dec but unfortunately we were in Portsmouth at that time. Looking forward for the next visit. Yeay!

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