Gwenology.Com | The Effervescent Traveller

Easen Chen at Raffles City, Beijing

2011-12-17T02:19:00.002+08:00

Right before we left for the airport, we actually spent a few hours just wandering around Beijing. The last place before the airport was actually Raffles City Beijing, which was developed by Capitaland. A Singaporean company.

When we entered, there was such a huge queue! And for what, you may ask, Easen Chen was coming to town! Honestly, I had no idea who Easen Chen was. But that didn't stop me for getting into the hype of waiting for the singer to make his appearance.

So, Jimmy and I hurdled with a big group of people at one of the car park entrances where Easen is supposedly entering from. Here's a special shout out to Jimmy for his patience! We waited for an hour. I also had to pee urgently, but nonetheless, we waited it out to see Easen!

That's the guard that, well, guards, the entrance of Easen Chen to Raffles City Beijing. As we were waiting for Easen, Jimmy gave me a crash course on Easen's most famous song and his Chinese name, which I kept on repeating, just in case I got it wrong.

I was so bored that I began chat up this girl named Christina. She's a student from Northern China, currently studying in one of Beijing's universities. She even brought her dog along to wait with her. Her dog's name is Nu-Nu (Girl-girl, in mandarin).

Look at that crowd!

After an hour, this was the best photo of Easen I got. Yes, he's the one with the green shirt, and black and purple culy hair. Was it worth it? Maybe not. Waiting an hour for a singer that I don't really know. Sorry, Easen, I don't listen to Mandarin songs. But hey, it was certainly fun!

Here's a better shot of him at the autograph-signing ceremony. He's the one in light green.

With that, I left Beijing with a smile and such a sense of accomplishment. Not because of Easen, but because of the amount of experience I gained within my short time spent there. I, once again, counted my blessings.

Education, Hospitality and Wine in Beijing, China.

2011-12-17T02:17:00.000+08:00

We started the day to New Oriental. China's number 1 private education provider. They have classes mainly on the English language. You can sit for TOEFL, IELTS and many other international English examinations through New Oriental. New Oriental brands themselves as someone who can help Chinese students pursue their education overseas.

With Mr. Kong (left), one of the top people of New Oriental.

Us, at the New Oriental office in Zhongguancun (the Chinese equilavent to America's Silicon Valley).

Next, we had the opportunity to visit Crowne Plaza Zhongguancun, Beijing. As Beijing is so huge, they actually have several Crowne Plaza's scattered around China's capital. Crowne Plaza's presentation was interesting. The HR Manager was engaging and personal when she tried to reach out to us. It was quite queer sensing like she was trying to recruit us to join her hotel though.

Oh, by the way, did you know Christmas is not celebrated in China? 25 December is not a public holiday.

The HR Manager, standing next to me. She started as a receptionist, and in 3+ years, climbed her way to the top as HR Manager.

Lastly, we visited Dragon Seal Wine Company. They are one of China's top winery. Their wine has a French influence and is surprisingly very specialize. The staff that briefed us, Jason, was very knowledgeable on his subject matter of expertise. And that, was very impressive. I'm also happy that he stayed in Kuala Lumpur when her was pursuing his higher education at Taylor's Subang. Isn't the World so small?!

There we are. Outside of Dragon Seal.

It was the last company of our visit and really signalled an end to our corporate trip. It was hard to believe that 9 days just flew by like that. However, I am glad to say that I have learnt so much on the trip and realize that I have loads of growing up to do. I know I may be young, but why start later when you can start now?

Tiananmen Square, Beijing

2011-12-17T02:11:00.002+08:00

We also had the opportunity to visit Tianenmen Square. It is the World's largest square, and it's smack in the middle of Beijing, China. It has frequently been the centre of demonstrations in China.

I would just like to point out that it really is cute seeing how Tianenmen Square has a 4-star rated toilet. Issued by the Beijing Tourism Administration. And don't worry, it really is a quality Chinese toilet. So, when you need to take a leak while taking a stroll in the square, fear not! They have clean toilets at your disposal.

I also realized that this is the first time that I am travelling overseas alone. It really is different than travelling with my family. However, I've decided that travelling with friends and family is the way to go for me. I can't imagine taking photos of myself at top destinations all over the World like the below photo.

Did you know that below Tianenmen Square are thousands of layers of bricks? That's why it's probably the safest place in Beijing, in event of an earthquake.

I took a photo with a Chinese guard, despite his protests! Well, not really. It was just a quick camwhore moment. But I'm glad it came out well. Check out the infamous green uniform!

By the way, Tianenmen Square becomes very quiet after 2.30pm. It really is a great time to take all the photos your heart desires. Also, you don't need to keep asking people to move out of your photo frame.

Beijing Hyundai and Hai Di Lao Steamboat

2011-12-17T02:07:00.000+08:00

The only automotive company we visited in China was Beijing Hyundai Motors Company. It was a 2 hour drive from our hotel. So, it was a good time to rest, as we were having heated discussions the night before.

In general, Beijing Hyundai was yet another company that was very deligent in making sure that all their products were of top-grade quality. In fact, in their factory, they had 3 lines of conveyor belts just for testing the vehicle for perfect performance and any manufactural defects. I think by this time, it really busted my own myth that China has many profucts of low quality. China does have many high quality product, but the mass media does not highlight them. In this way, we are 'manipulated' in thinking that China only had low quality products.

The above photo above is us eating at this famous steamboat franchise store called Hai Di Lao. It is relatively new to the F&B industry, being only 2 years old. However, it is the fastest growing local franchise restaurant in China. Now, what's so special about Hai Di Lao? Honestly, the food is a 3.5 out of 5. But what really won our hearts was their customer service.

While we waited our food to be served, or after we were done eating, we can use all the restaurant's services, free of charge. For example, you can get your nails done, or get your shoes shined! And yes, it is absolutely complimentary. All you have to do is line up, or leave your name and number, so that they can call you when your turn is up.

Imagine, there is also someone situated in the toilet's basin area to pass you a hand towel for you to wipe your hands. My gosh, this is what I call great customer service.

Shopping in Beijing, China

2011-12-17T01:25:00.003+08:00

Ironic, isn't it? First, they complain it's cold. The next thing you know, they're buying gelato. This is why the China group is just so fun!

As many of us know, China is famous for their array of weird things to eat. Even if it's not so commonly eaten. I saw snakes, scorpions, worms, cockroaches, beetles and such. Jimmy adventurously attempted to try the scorpions. It was too funny watching him walk around helplessly trying to finish what he had bought. And no, I did not try the scorpions. Maybe, next time.

Wang Fu Jing is a famous shopping haven in Beijing. It has up-market brands housed in the shopping malls that line the street. All the way from Armani to Zara. But in between these shopping malls, there are small street markets that are just dying to be explored. I really enjoyed shopping here and am guilty of buying quite a number of items from the area.

Up-market.

The night market.

The above photo is a man that works in the night market. He carves names onto small little stamps. And you can put your Chinese or English name. It is usually stamped in red. I bought 4 from him, each for every family member. I think it's cool that every Chinese should have one for themself. For some reason, it gives me a sense of pride. Maybe you would like one too?

The Great Wall of China in Winter

2011-12-17T00:59:00.002+08:00

I believe any trip to China is incomplete without visiting the Great Wall. So, on one of our free and easy days, I suggested to our group that we should go to the Great Wall. Some were reluctant because this part of China can be terribly cold during this time of the year. However, after much persuasion, we gathered 7 out of 13 members to our Great Wall adventure.

It took us 2 hours via bus from our hotel in Beijing to the Great Wall. Throughout, I accummulated my much needed energy for conquering the great wall, i.e. I slept the whole way. But when we arrived, I was bouncing with so much energy and excitement for the Great Wall!

As you can tell, I was ecstatic! Did you know the Great Wall is the World's longest wall and the biggest ancient architecture? I mean, the Great Wall was over 6,000km long! The purpose of building the Great Wall was actually to defend the Chinese empire from Mongolian and Manchu enemies to the north.

We took one hour to reach Beacon Tower No. 9 if I am not mistaken, which is at a length (from our starting point), of 888 metres. Not bad in one hour, I think. But at 888m, you'll be surprised that there's little people around. So, we actually had the chance to take many photos and even, plank. It was hilarious but such a fond memory!

On our way down, we saw some monks. I decided to approach them to get my photo taken with them. They obliged quite happily, although they requested that all who took photos with them have to kneel/squat. I did think this was a little odd. I found out that these monks were from Thailand.

Anyways, I would like to end this post by saying that the Great Wall is a must-see for all visitors of China! You're only exempted if you've been there before and had a good feel of ancient China.

Peking University and Chao Yang Theatre

2011-12-12T04:34:00.001+08:00

We were all pretty eager to meet with the students of Peking University (PKU), which is one of the top universities in China. We had the oppurtunity to be hosted by the students of the Guanghua School of Management. All our hosts were from the Business Asia club.

The photo below was our discussion group. But Jimmy is missing! We discussed about the property bubble in China, Chinese culture, typical Chinese stereotypes, life as PKU students, where do Chinese youths hang out on weekends and everything else under the sun!

This is Xiao Qiang. We have the same birthday!

Same year. Same month. Same day.

But, different time!

PKU is blessed with an incredibly beautiful campus. It is also huge! To a point where most students need a bicycle to travel around campus. One of the students told us then when winter fully kicks in, the lake will turn into ice, and everyone will use it as an ice skating rink!

They also have a variety of restaurants around campus, and we spent lunch with the Chinese students while we exchanged more laughter and stories.

After we said our goodbyes to the PKU students, we headed to Beijing Chaoyang theatre in the evening. It was built in 1984 and specializes in the art of Chinese acrobatics and was chosen as one of the best Chinese cultural centres in 2001.

The men that jumped through the hoops was so entertaining!

The girls on bicycle was very impressive!

They also had a globe where some motorcyclists went in and drove around in circles. It was an interesting twist to the general performance.

The entire cast.

Like, any other weeked, Andy suggested another way to unwind. Next to our KTV club, we went to play pool. However, we left early because some of us had plans to climb the great wall the next day!

Infamous Chinese KTV Culture

2011-12-12T03:55:00.001+08:00

It was our first night in Beijing, and we were all craving for a break. And guess what Andy suggested? Being a Chinese himself, KTV was the way to go! For the less informed, KTV is basically Karaoke Television. Usually a music video played on the TV with lyrics beneath, and you're suppose to sing to the lyrics! Be your own superstar!

We hung out in McDonald's for a while before going to the KTV. On a totally unrelated side note, did you know that most fast-food restaurants in China serve bubble tea as part of their menu? Even McDonald's and KFC! Oh, by the way, I read a business report once that KFC is actually much preferred over McDonald's in China. That's because KFC really tried to adapt to the chinese culture. For example, they have egg tarts and rice on their menus!

Party people.

I'm honestly surprised at the price we paid for the entire karaoke room. It was a total of RMB1400, with change! We had 9 people, 4 hours of karaoke time, unlimited snacks and 60 bottles of beer. Yes, you read right. Sixty. And my goodness, was the room huge! I think Singaporean and Malaysian KTV rooms are really lacking in size when compared to these massive Chinese ones!

KTV with these new friends was so fun! We all sang and laughed the night away!

Even Jimmy loosened up!

Our entire group! But Dwi is missing!

I think this was during Westlife's Flying Without Wings.

This was such a Dreamgirls spoof version. Aren't we just charmer?

The name of the KTV we were at.

It was interesting that it was considered as a private and up-market KTV. And yes, they offered the girls to us. But we refused. We were all joking with Andy that he should say that he had 7 girls with him. And that we wanted the boys! Ah, we the jokers.

The song of the night, in my opinion, was Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield. The song is pretty annoying when you hear it on the radio, but singing it during karaoke takes it to a whole new level. Try it. You'll be amazed at the amount of *ahem* sunshine it creates!

OCBC China and Mengniu, Tianjin.

2011-12-12T03:29:00.001+08:00

Once again, we awoke to one of those cold, windly mornings. The weather was further confirmed when we were in the lobby of OCBC China and we saw the forecast for today's weather. Isn't it ironic that hot is at 1 degree?

OCBC China, although considered as a 'big' bank in South-East Asia, holds a pretty small market share in China. It is incredible the amount of local Chinese banks there are here. I found that it was interesting that they only targeted a small segment of their potential market. This is mainly for larger corporations and as a medium for Chinese companies that are interested in investing overseas.

After OCBC China, we went to Mengniu Dairy Group. They were founded in 1999 and was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2004. They mainly manufacture and distribute dairy products in China. It holds the most market share in the dairy segement. They have an array of products ranging from milk, ice cream, milk powder, cheese and such.

The Mengniu factory was huge. Even bigger than Ting Hsin! They had also had a production line but what was interesting, was that how not all the lines were in use. ~~It did give a slight impression that Mengniu did not fully utilize their maximum production capacity.~~ Kiat Lay actually corrected me by saying that the production line at Mengniu will only run when they receive an order due to the short shelf lifespan of their products. However, a tour around their factory really show us that Mengniu really takes care of the quality of their product, like other top brands in their respective fields.

Did you know that throughout the production of Mengniu's milk, no part of the milk is exposed to air outside of the contained production area? There are even special transportation system to move the milk from one building to another within the factory so that the milk does not need unnecessary exposure to foreign particles.

We had to wear shower caps on our shoes before we could enter the factory!

Master Kong and LOLGWE, Tianjin.

2011-12-12T02:52:00.001+08:00

Master Kong instant noodles are the number one Instant Noodle company in China. Ting Hsin International Group (they own Master Kong) invloves the production and distribution of instant noodles, beverages and baked goods. The group is originally from Taiwan but has definitely established its presence in China. In fact, their Taiwanese market actually only covers a small part of their annual sales figures.

Did I also mention that it was freezing!? It was cold and windy! Usually, it's the wind that kills you. Anyways, after yesterday's successful first official 'working' day, we were excited for today as well. the Ting Hsin general manager saw to our arrival and gave us a thorough and friendly introduction to Ting Hsin's past, present and future. He also happily answered all our questions with much zest and enthusiasm. He promised us an entertaining tour of their instant noodle factory later on.

The above photo is Jimmy, Steph and Dwi in a monorail. Yes, Ting Hsin has it's own monorail. For what? To take you 50m away from their HQ to the front doorstep of their factory, also known as the World's first Instant Noodle Museum. Was it necessary? Absolutely not. But was it impressive? Yes, incredibly. In a way, it is Ting Hsin's way of showing that they have made it in China with their products, company culture and general way of doing business. After I saw their production line, I can say that Ting Hsin is pretty impressive, and totally safe for consumption! Everything is so systematic and professional. It makes me want to build my own production line.

Ting Hsin's Master Kong brand of instant noodles have over 200 flavours. This is to accommodate to all the different taste buds and liking of 1.4 billion Chinese. Each part of China is inclined to a different taste bud, whether sweet, sour, salty or spicy. And, Ting Hsin has made one for almost every taste bud imaginable. Out of the 200, there are 5 (which is pointed out in the photo) that appeals to the general Chinese population. They really ensure that their quality instant noodles satisfy their customers! I generally really enjoyed my tour at Ting Hsin. And yes, they did let us try their famous ~~Roasted Red~~ Braised Beef Instant Noodles (A special thanks to Kiat Lay for correcting my mandarin.

After Ting Hsin, we headed to a company at a more outskirt part of Tianjin called Land O' Lakes/Great Wall Enterprise (LOLGWE). It is a joint venture between an American company and a Chinese firm. It focuses on providing customers with quality ruminany feed products as well as technical services. Separately, LOL and GWE are the market leaders in their respective countries. However, when they merged to form a joint-venture, it is interesting to see they face a different set of challenges to their work.

We were also given a tour around their factory. Now, this was a vast difference between Ting Hsin and LOLGWE. LOLGWE was more informal, while Ting Hsin was very structured. There was quite a lot of dust and small particles in the air due to the type of products they were dealing with. Their company only started in 2005, so they are considered as a new company in the market.

We spoke to the general manager about some of the questions we had. I asked about the type of challenges that LOLGWE encountered with post-merger. The GM admitted that this is still an on-going challenge. Some have been solved, some are in the process of solving while some new ones are cropping up. This really taught me that to build an enterprise as large as Ting Hsin, they all have humble beginnings like LOLGWE and sometimes, people tend to forget that. They want to get to where Ting Hsin is now, but they do not want to go through the blood, sweat and tears required at LOLGWE's initial starting phase. This really has further enforced to me that the beginning is always the most difficult.

We were all required to wear construction hats when we toured the factory. Adorable, aren't we?

Tasly Pharmaceutical, Tianjin and Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City

2011-12-12T02:06:00.001+08:00

The first ever company we visited was Tasly Pharmaceutical Group, based in Tianjin, China. The company primarily engages in the manufacture and distribution of pharmaceutical products. Tasly's most well known product is the Cardiotonic Pill. It prevents and treats coronary arteriosclerosis, angina pectoris and hyperlipemia. In the September 2011 issue of 'China Entrepreneur' magazine, Tasly was voted as one of the 'Top 50 Globalized Chinese Enterprises of 2011'.

The ride to Tasly was a little intense. Many of us were nervous as it was the first company we were seeing and the presentation has to be fully done in Mandarin. A day before the trip, the 8 of us actually gathered to discuss regarding the types of questions we wanted to ask and had them all translated into Mandarin.

The above photo is Tasly's Star Avenue. It is their way of showing appreciation to their staff. What they do is, ~~if you have worked with the company for a number of years~~ outstanding employees* will get their footprints imprinted onto this walk. And Tasly promises that it will never be removed. The heightens recognition and respect for the employees. Furthermore, when you have achieved something in Tasly, they will also give you a different coloured lanyard. I think this is a innovative way to keep employees motivated and interested to be a part of Tasly.

*Special thanks to Kiat Lay for correcting this point.

We were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to sit in one of those boardrooms with our discussion with their General Manager. It really makes you feel like a boss, sitting in one of those big, smooth leather chairs and having a mic in front of you. By the way, you need to press a button to speak into the mic! We discussed our questions here and the GM was very informative in answering all our questions, and to make sure that Tasly have really taught us something about doing business in China and how to make it there.

Outside of Tasly. Shan Shan is missing!

After Tasly, we went to Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City. It is a project built around the concept of a harmonious and sustainable community that meets the needs of an urbanising China and will be a modern township where 350,000 residents can live, work and play. Many parts of the Eco-City is still under construction and is expected to be completed in 2014.

The idea behind the Eco-City was intriguing and well thought out. Imagine condominiums that have fresh oxygen supply because trees are planned every 3 floors, and the windows are built in a way so that the oxygen is allowed to flow into the homes. Imagine that all the rubbish bins in the city are all connected to a big rubbish bin stored somewhere. This means that whenever something is thrown in the bins, it goes straight to the main bin. Regular clearing of rubbish bins are not needed anymore. Imagine that the condos there have a special system that will collect rain water, and it will be supplied to your home through a different piping system so that it will allow you to recycle your usage of water. Pretty smart, don't you think?

But the real question is, is it realistic? Yes, seeing all these graphs, charts, models and even a show house is impressive. But the Eco-City is 40km from Tianjin's city centre. In a few years time, will the air pollution from the bigger cities evade into the Eco-City and not make the city so 'eco'? Or, what if the rubbish bin system clogs up? Do they need to go underground to rectify the problem, as the 'channels' where the rubbish flow is all built beneath the city. These are important questions to ponder on.

Unfortunately, this part of our visit felt more like a salesman trying to sell us a condo unit. However, I did enjoy the presentation a lot. Anyways, here's a photo of me and my roommate, Charlene!

How to use Blogger, Facebook, Twitter in China

2011-12-07T21:58:00.001+08:00

In Tasly Pharmaceutical Group's conference room.

As you all know, I am now in Tianjin, China. I was quite frustrated with the great firewall of China as it did not allow me to most importantly, blog. I actually found an alternative to blogging where I will email my blogpost directly from my email to my blog.

But I did not like the outcome, it came off as very unprofessional and unattractive on my website. Therefore, I told myself that I needed to find another way, as soon as possible. I went around on Google (which is allowed in China, by the way) to find out about proxies and VPN (Virtual Private Network).

China is pretty smart. They almost blocked all websites that has the word 'VPN' in the domain names. As for websites with free daily proxy addresses, I don't quite know how to use them. I tried following the instructions, but it was a little too confusing to me. But, if you do know how to use proxies, kindly look at WindTunnel.Com.

As for those who don't know much about proxies (like me!), I found out how to use the VPN. Like I've said before, all domain names with the 'VPN' letters in them are blocked. So, it was challenging to find one that allowed me to use and/or download a VPN software. Honestly, it would be easier to find VPN softwares and such when you're not in China. So, maybe you'd be interested in doing that if you're not in China.

But nonetheless, one was found! The company is called PackeTix.Net. It is a Japanese website and it's (my favourite internet word) FREE! So, what you do is, you go to this link, and look under 'Installation under ActiveX Control', and just follow the instructions followed. And of course, remember to accept all the terms and conditions.

PacketiX VPN Client Manager will then be downloaded to your desktop. Whenever you want to connect, just double-click, and you're done. It's basically simple and straight forward to use. There you go, go ahead and climb the great firewall of China.

You Cannot Access Blogger in China

2011-12-07T01:45:00.000+08:00

In Changi Airport, before we left for China. The lady that tried to take our photo for us did not really know how to use a camera. It was quite cute, as we stood standing in front of the Eiffel Tower for the longest time ever, and other people wanted a photo ala Paris.

We were in the airport at around 7am to get our long-awaited SIM Education Abroad: 5th SIM Global Education Learning Program to start! After checking in and all, we all had our last meal we paid in SGD. We ran all the way to gate A14 and was on board the flight to China!

Arrived.

We arrived in Beijing, and that was when the cold hit us. I had a feeling that I did not pack enough clothing and was starting to feel a little worried. But c'mon, if I can't get a jacket to fit me in China, where else can I go?

Daytime is short in winter.

Our dinner place.

Good food!

It's ironic. We're in China, but our first meal is Korean. But it was pretty tasty and satisfying. After the meal, we checked into our hotel. Now, let me say that Charlene and I had a pretty big room. We didn't know why though.

Jimmy was so excited for tomorrow that he asked us to all meet and discuss the type of questions we'll be asking tomorrow. Frankly, I am quite happy that Jimmy did it, cause now, I feel more prepared for it.

Tomorrow, we'll be seeing Tasly Pharmaceutical Group and Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco City. They will be our first company visits during the trip. Wish us luck!

Pompeii in the Blazing Heat

2011-11-30T23:57:00.001+08:00

I visited Pompeii back in June 2011. I was very excited about it but unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. Maybe it was because the internet painted such a beautiful picture of the ruins of Pompeii, or maybe it was just the Italian sunshine?

Anyways, for those who don't know, Pompeii is famous for being destroyed by ashes by Mount Vesuvius. Although the volcano is currently dormant, many have claimed that its' next eruption is way overdue. You see the white long telephone look-a-like thingy? That is a guide. There's a map that takes you around the place, so you press the buttons on the guide and it shall explain. But let me say that the lady who rented us these devices was rather curt. I didn't like her.

As you can tell, okay, maybe you can't. But Pompeii was a city were technology and intelligence was running high. For example, to prevent people's feet from getting wet. They have mini pedestals on the pedestrian walkways so when it rains you can step on those pedestals. These pedestals are placed in a way that horses and their carriages can pass without any problem. It's really the little things that count!

But geez, the heat was just so overbearing. It was incredibly difficult to really appreciate the place. Yes, a lady actually took off her shirt.

Whenever a volcano eruption happens, it's the ashes that kill you. You can't breathe, you can't see. Some survivors have actually recorded that they were not able to see sunlight for the longest time. They could not tell apart day from night.

But none the less, mum, dad and I made the place fun anyways!

I would like to make a special shout out, happy birthday Ivan! 30 November babies are cool, but you're the coolest! Love you, bro. See you in 2 weeks!

On another note, I am currently having my exams. 2 more papers to go! I will be flying to China for a Corporate Trip with my university. I will, of course, be updating you along the way, so keep yourself updated! (;

The Best Way To Travel!

2011-11-18T01:21:00.000+08:00

After hearing my 6 months break travelling around many parts of the World, many of my friends ask me, "So, Gwen, out of so many modes of transportation, what is the best way to travel?" I've never really thought about it before. But when I think about it, motorcycling is the best way.

Travelling via motorcycle is relaxing. You can go as fast as you want, or take your time and stop at every single rest stop along the way. You really get to see the country in a way that driving, taking the bus or the train will never achieve. You get to soak up the Spanish sun or smell the Italian breeze. You get to rub shoulders with the locals and have coffee at their favourite diner. It is an experience.

I travelled on motorcycle with my dad in Spain, Portugal and Italy in May and June 2011. In Spain, we covered many places, e.g. Santiago, Villafranca, Salamanca, Llanes. In Portugal, Porto and Guarda. In Italy, we stayed in Florence, but travelled to Sienna, Pisa, Sant' Gimignano, Arezzo and others. It was glorious! The scenic and curvy routes were planned out every day for you. All you had to do was hop on the motorcycle, and go!

Luggage. How did we carry the luggage? We travelled with Edelweiss Bike Travel. They are a tour company that organizes motorcycle tours in 6 different continents, one of them being Europe! They had a support vehicle trailing behind us. So, all the luggage goes in the van. There's even a back-up motorcycle in the van, just in case anything screws up.

The amazing van can also be converted into a picnic setting!

Oh, and with Edelweiss Bike Travel, you don't need to plan for dinners and where to put up for the night. It's all taken care of. They book great hotels and even do the little things like, putting your luggage in your room. Therefore, when you arrive after a long, fantastic day of riding, you can go to your room straight to relax and take in your new surroundings. And the food is of the best quality. Yum, yum!

Either way, I really support Edelweiss and their travel style. In fact, we have a joint venture. Hello, my name is Gwen, and I am a brand ambassador for Edelweiss Bike Travel. So, if you are interested in Edelweiss Bike Travel, or just have a question or two about travelling, drop me an email!

Rainer Buck, Managing Director of Edelweiss Bike Travel.

And, me.

What to Pack for a Ski Trip?

2011-11-14T03:24:00.002+08:00

I miss skiing. My family used to make it a point to ski every year, if we could. But ever since I started university, planning for holidays just got more challenging. It's tough because my brother's school holidays need to coincide with mine so that we will be able to go on trips.

Anyways, in the later part of the year, it is normal for us to go skiing. But we have also learnt that sometimes, travelling in February/March to ski is actually a better timing because it is off-peak season. Therefore, you get amazing hotel and ski rates! Although I have to admit that the snow is not as powdery as I would like it to be, it still satisfies my skiing needs.

When you stay on the equator, you don't have winter. That is why we were so intrigued by winter and her activities. How does snow feel? What is it like to wake up to a White Christmas? Is it easy to build a snowman? Well, while you ponder on these thoughts as you book your ski trip. I've got something for you!

I've been skiing quite a number of times. Each time, I am in charge of making the checklist. And as you upgrade and improve on your checklist, you will come to a stage where it is perfect, and you don't need to add anything else. That's how I feel about my checklist.

So, to ease your mind, here's mine. It's the November 2011 version. Please feel free to add and subtract all you want. But I think it is helpful to have a guideline on what to bring. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

2 Weeks 'till Exams!

2011-11-14T02:23:00.002+08:00

Time really flew by, didn't it? I can't believe I've already been in Singapore for 5 months! I would be lying if I say that I have not grew accustomed to the lifestyle here. Like the rest of the World, I agree that Singapore is fast-paced and competitive. But I don't know, I think it's fun. It challenges you. It forces you to grow up.

Anyways, it's hard to imagine that my 2nd semester is already coming to an end! Exams are in two weeks and my preparations have started today. I am honestly quite surprised at my go-getter attitude to study TWO WEEKS prior to the exams. But hey, maybe it's a sign that I'm kicking some old habits?

I'm taking Business Statistics, Business Communication and Financial Accounting this semester. And yes, I have revised a little bit from each subject today. You want to know a secret? I feel good when I study. Really good. When I think about it, maybe studying is my guilty pleasure. Who knows!

I have travel plans coming up! Oh, finally, right? I will be travelling to Beijing and Tianjin from December 5-13 with SIM. It's a Global Learning Corporate trip so there won't be much sight seeing. But no worries, I will update you on my first hand experience in China's rapid business world! *squeals in excitement*

After China, I will be returning home to Malaysia for a few days, and then, the family and I will be travelling to Thailand. I don't much details on this because I didn't plan it, but I'm hoping we won't be needing to turn our car into a boat for flood areas. But I do know we'll be going to Chiang Mai!

Ala Italia

2011-07-04T19:08:00.005+08:00

Newsflash! Many things have happened since my post about Venice. First of all, let me apologize for not updating. The internet in Italy wasn't very good. Besides that, it was also expensive. 5 Euros for an hour! That's almost daylight robbery!

Anyways, after Venice, dad and I went on a scooter tour in Tuscany for a week. In that week, we had 5 riding days. Everyone stayed in Florence, and did day trips out to Pisa, Siena and Mucello, just to name a few. We rode on the Vespa 300cc Super Sport. It was fun! We had a great group and a lot of laughter.

Dad and I even had to chance to see David!

Upon leaving Tuscany, we entered into Rome. Mum was already in Rome waiting for us. We spend about 4 nights there. We did the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Vatican, St. Peter's and all the other things people do in Rome. We also had a lot of gelato (ice-cream). My favourite is called Gelato Artiganale. Yum!

My favourite place in Rome.

Well, this and the Roman Forum.

The hustle and bustle of Italy's capital city made us grin from ear to ear, but we had other plans. We picked up our rented Ford Fiesta from Hertz and drove to the Amalfi Coast via Pompeii. Now, I had high hopes on Pompeii, but the weather was just scorching. After Pompeii, we drove to the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast is on one of those "1000 things to see before you die", that was why I decided to take the family there.

This was how all these houses were built on the coast.

And, it is. It is beautiful! It reminds me of the French Riviera. But a lot steeper with narrow roads and crazy drivers. It's a sight to behold though. It's interesting how they sell wedding packages in the Amalfi like crazy. And almost everyday, you could see someone getting married. Hmm, it's nice to know love's still around.

A wedding in Positano (a town in the Amalfi Coast)

After the Amalfi coast, we went back to Rome and flew home. Ah, you have no idea how much I've missed the friendly Malaysian attitude, the sound of people talking loudly in shops and the sheer smell of Pandan leaf. Dad and I ate all Malaysian meals on the way back via AirAsia. We ordered teh tarik too! Hehe, some things just aren't suppose to change.

Venice is full of tourists!

2011-06-16T06:11:00.003+08:00

However, the night is much less crowded because most of these tourists are day tripers. Usually from cruise ships that stop in Venice. They really do come by the flocks and just crowd the entire city. It's incredible!

Dad and I outside of the Campanile di San Marco. It was originally built as a lighthouse. But now, it's more of a view point. As far as I can see, it's the highest building in this part of Venice.

Check out the background!

The queue for Basilica di San Marco was so long! We decided to visit other stuff first.

The view from Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace). It is the most impressive circular building in Venice. many rooms and secret passages inside. However, it can only be truly enjoyed with a guide. Which we didn't have.

The is the view from one of the small holes from the Bridge of Sighs. The bridge is part of the palace. It is used for prisoners.

Look at the upcoming storm! Dad and I decided to have lunch, and when it poured, the line for the basilica shrinked, and that was when we started to line up! Hehe!

Inside the basilica.

Venice is an amazingly romantic place. As a personal opinion, even more so than Paris!

We went for a glass blowing demonstration in Murano. Murano is the most famous island on La Laguna.

Burano island is famous for it's lace and colourful houses.

On 12 June, we were able to witness the annual Vogalonga race! Many gondoliers race acorss the Grand Canal. It was quite funny, but they were a little too far to take close up shots!

Vibrant Venice

2011-06-16T05:52:00.003+08:00

From Milan, we took a 3 hour train ride to Venice. Now, dad and I were excited to go to Venice because we have read that it is unlike any city you have ever been to. And, it is! There are no vehicles in the Venice. So, Venice has a waterbus system taht works like a Metro line. The only difference is that it costs €6.50 per hour and uses a boat instead of a train.

At the waterbus station.

There are so many people on this waterbus that it is tilted on one side!

Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge).

The view of the Campanile di San Marco, from the Grand Canal.

Check out the building our hotel is in!

I guess, you can call it 'authentic'?

Venice is actually an archipelago of islands, connected by all these bridges. Venice has so many small alley ways which they call 'calle', many bridges and of course, canals running through all the buildings.

Their ambulance boat!

It's Milan, darling! Milan.

2011-06-16T05:21:00.003+08:00

After a nice break in Malaga, we headed to our last country of our 3 month Europe tour - Italy. Our first stop in Italy was Milan. We took an EasyJet flight that lasted for about 3 hours.

Milan has the second largest Catholic duomo (cathedral) in the World and the fourth largest in Europe. This is the interior of the duomo.

The view of the duomo from the very back row, near the entrance.

Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square) right outside of the duomo. as you can see, it was drizzling. And that was why we could not get a photo of the exterior of the duomo. Those are Japanese tourists under their umbrellas. They probably just arrived from a tour bus.

Next day, we went to Castello Sforzesco (Sforzesco Castle). It has 12 museums and galleries within its' walls. It really is a big place! The last restoration was completed in 2005. It houses Michelangelo's Pieta' Rondanini.

We passed by the duomo again so that we could show you the exterior of the cathedral! By the way, the architecture is Gothic.

The arch behind us is the entrance to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery). It is a shopping mall where brands like Gucci and Chanel line the streets. It has a nice dome-shaped cover in the centre and is terrific for people-watching.

See where my right foot is place? There's actually a hole in the ground where the bull's balls are supposed to be. Acoording to the Italians (or more commercial purposes), it is good luck to step on the bull's balls and turn in a circle. It's hilarious watching people all over the World doing it. Me, included.

Lastly, we went to Basilica di San Ambrogio. The basilica is not that grand compared to the duomo. However, the crypt was really fascinating. In the photo above, lies the body of Saint Ambrogio and his brothers. Skeletons and all!

Renting a Scooter for Cueva de Nerja

2011-06-16T04:53:00.003+08:00

As usual, we slept in a little and skipped breakfast. Instead, we went to a place where we could have brunch. The tapas was reasonable and quite tasty too!

Alcazaba.

Next, we rented this pretty little scooter from EasyScooter! It was a simple process. And let me tell you, riding a scooter in Southern Spain makes it so easy for a person to get around.

On the way to Cueva de Nerja (Caves of Nerja), we met a really nice Swiss man who has retired in Malaga. His name is Alberto. He has been living in Malaga for 3 years. He shared our huge plate of paella with us.

In Nerja, this place is called Balcon de Europa, which means the balcony of Europe.

Look at the view!

The caves of Nerja was a pretty place to visit and all. However, it was all paced within the cave. Not really an adventurous type of caving. Still, it's worth a go if you have never seen a cave before.

Watching a bullfight in Marbella, Málaga.

2011-06-08T07:35:00.005+08:00

Spain is internationally-renowed for their bullfights. Therefore, dad and I decided to attend one to experience it for real. Bullfights are usually on weekends. Unfortunately, there wasn't any in Málaga. However, we heard that there was one in Marbella. So, we headed there!

That's me and the poster for the day's match.

At Plaza de Toros de Marbella.

One of today's toreros (matadors) is David Fernandez.

At the starting of the corrida de toros (bullfight show), a lady on a horse will come out from the torero entrance. After that, all the toreros will come out, greet the crowd, greet the president and each other in their traje de luces (suit of lights).

Next, they open another door and let the toros (bull) out! The toreros will then 'play' with the toros with their capotes (cloths). Usually, a few toreros will be playing with the bull at once.

After a while, two banderilleros (toreros which are not the main bullfighter) will punch in two banderillas (the blue things you see hanging on the bull). Each torero has 2 banderillas to poke onto the toros' back.

After that, the main torero comes out with a espada de toros (sword for bullfighting) to be used to kill the bull. But as you can see above, sometimes, accidents happen. But no worries, the torero was unhurt!

After that, the torero will kill the toros with one strike with the espada de toros. After the toros is killed, the banderillero will make sure that it really is dead.

When the crowd cheers as the torero bows to the crowd, many spectators will hold up pañuelos (a type of white hankerchief), while cheering and shouting towards the president. It is up to the president to decide whether was the bullfight good or not. If it was good, he would give the signal and an ear from the toros would be cut off and awarded to the torero. 2 ears if it was great. If it was amazing, the tail would be awarded.

On David Fernandez's 2nd bullfight, he was awarded 2 ears. He blinked because he suddenly thought of the bull.

Luiz de Raminez, from Ronda, is probably one of the most determined toreros yet!

Now, I know some of you may think that it is cruel. But hey, watching a corrida de toros is one of those things you have to see, at least once in your lifetime. If you ever go to Spain, I highly recommend you to watch one.

Also, it is usually not as gory as one would think. There wasn't much blood, honestly. However, it is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The next one dad and I are planning to watch is the one with the picador (torero on a horse). Some people have said that it is even better!

On another note, I would like to thank Pablo (the night receptionist at Petit Palace Hotel, Málaga) for helping me with the Spanish names and translations. You really are the best!

Dude, Where's My Rental Car?

2011-06-07T06:43:00.002+08:00

We wanted to have some Chinese food when we were in Granada. Using the GPS, we found one and went ahead. We parked a little far away and walked. After our dinner, we went back to our parking spot and saw this.

Where is our car!?

We came back from the Chinese restaurant and saw that one car was missing. A million scenarios ran through my mind. Dad and I decided that we go back to the chinese restaurant and speak to the waitress about our problem. She was so nice to walk uphill, all the way to our carpark to help us.

And that was when we found the green sticker! The green sticker means that our car has been towed away. Who knew we weren't allowed to park there! There was no 'X' sign on the floor! The helpful waitress proceeded to call the number and help us flag down a cab so that we can go pick up our car.

The entrance of the Pound.

Dad sorting out the documents and a €100 fine.

Well, at least we got our car back.

Note to all. If you are in a foreign country and do not know where to park. After you have parked, stop a local and ask him or her is it okay to park there. I honestly can't think of any better way.

Alhambra, Granada.

2011-06-07T00:00:00.003+08:00

After a good 2 weeks of motorcycling in Northern Spain and Portugal, we went to the Madrid airport and picked up our rental car from Hertz. We were surprised that they provided us with a Mercedes-Benz B-Class. But, we weren't going to complain.

Dad in the car.

The car had a sun roof!

We were heading towards Málaga for the next 4 nights. However, our guide from the St. James Way tour told us that if we had the time, we should go visit Granada. In the end, we followed his advice and took a look at Granada's old Moorish castle called 'La Alhambra'.

The gardens for the Sultans.

The view from the Sultan's castle.

Alhambra, from a distance.

Dad and I.

Us, again.

It's nice looking at the city from high above. One thing we noticed about European cities, they don't have that many tall buildings like in Asia. Check it out!

Dad at the entrance of La Alhambra. Did you notice the Jawi writing on the top? The reason being Spain was once conquered by the Arabs. They called them 'Moores'. Therefore, some of the Southern cities of Spain has names that sound similar to Arabic. For example, Almeria.

Farewell Dinner, back in Madrid

2011-06-06T23:09:00.002+08:00

After 2 weeks of motorcycle riding with these amazing people, we had to have our farewell. It really was an incredible trip, filled with fun, laughter and so many new experiences.

We have 3 different types of cheers. 2 in German and 1 in Cantonese. We also cause a commotion when we do our special cheers. Uwe and Chris always look around to make sure no one's staring at us.

The T-Shirt ceremony. At the end of every tour, Edelweiss presents a T-Shirt with the tour you have done to each participant.

My T-shirt!

Dad's T-shirt.

Gaby. Our woman rider throughout the trip!

Hans.

Guenter.

Uwe. The fastest rider of the trip!

Tom.

After our T-shirt ceremony, we went to the bar. As usual. Everyone was happy and laughing a lot. Definitely a great way to end the trip.

I highly recommend Edelweiss Bike Travel to all bikers that would like to tour the World via motorcycle.

So, gemma!

(That's 'Let's Go!' in Deutsch.)

Heading back to Madrid, via Àvila.

2011-06-04T06:23:00.001+08:00

We drove back to where we started 2 weeks ago, Madrid. I can`t believe that 2 weeks have passed by so quickly. I`m gonna miss these bikers!

The second one, from the front, is me. I`m riding the BMW F650GS.

In Àvila. They have a complete Roman city wall that has a length of 8,200 feet.

It`s quite interesting how the entire city is `boxed` in.

The cathedral of Àvila.

The view along the way. Today`s roads weren`t that curvy, but towards the end, there were nicer curves.

Dad, acting funny, as usual!

To Salamanca, Spain`s University town.

2011-06-04T06:18:00.001+08:00

The morning started off really windy and cold, again. But amazing roads with perfect curves towards Salamanca. Salamanca is also known as the `Golden City` because the historical areas are completely made out of sandstone, which is, in the colour of gold.

Look at the wind.

One of the best biking groups I`ve ever been with.

Taking off, one at a time.

We just got back into Spain, from Portugal.

Photo!

Chris wanted us to take photos with the bulls. Dad was trying to scare the bulls towards us for the photo. Epic fail, I tell you.

That`s dad on the left and Uwe on the right.

Salamanca`s famous cathedral.

To Guarda, our last day in Portugal.

2011-06-04T06:12:00.005+08:00

We left Porto in the morning for Guarda. It was quite a cold morning, in fact. The night before we stayed up late for dinner and of course, the usual beer session. Hehe.

Exhausted dad.

The riders!

My delicious Portuguese tart and me.

We had one of the best lunches ever.

Beautiful views of Portugal during our ride towards Guarda.

The `wall` on the left is actually the wall of a dam.

Dad at Sierra de Estrela. Portugal`s highest mountain range, at 1600 metres. It was absolutely magnificent. I had no idea Portugal was so incredibly spectacular until I saw this. Sierra de Estrela is a paradise for hiking, skiing and biking.

It was also very windy up there. At 12 degrees Celsius and wind chill. Brrr!

Porto, Portugal.

2011-06-04T06:06:00.001+08:00

We had another rest day in Porto! Porto is famous for its' port wine. In between the city, you will see the river Douro. The historic old town is north of the river Douro, the port wine city Vila Nova de Gaia is on the opposite of the old town and the harbour is in the Northwest.

River Douro.

Laundry day! Some clothes had to be dried on the bike.

Folding clothes and under wear.

Angela and Chris during the river cruise.

Dad and I on the iron bridge.

Tom and I in front of the Cathedral. We weren`t allowed to go in because it was Siesta time.

Trying Offley Tawny port wine.

Chris, Hans, Gaby, Guenter. The official wine tasters for Edelweiss` St. James Way tour!

Drinking from Uwe`s enormous beer mug.

Porto`s beautiful nightline.

The iron bridge dad and I took a photo on.

Ola, Portugal!

2011-06-04T02:19:00.001+08:00

From Baiona, we travel towards Northern Portugal's most famous town, Porto.

Dad is pointing at Portugal, from Spain. These two countries are separated by a river. Please excuse the mist, it really was very misty. And, cold!

Coffee stop!

Look at that! We are so high up, there's nothing behind us.

At the border to Portugal! Fun fact. The Portuguese language is actually closer to Italian, than to Spanish.

Portugal is so pretty!

Credits to Tom, for this shot!

The view from one of our curvy roads.

That's Gabriella, leading a whole bunch of men! She's a really good rider!

To Baiona, Spain.

2011-06-04T01:53:00.001+08:00

We left Santiago de Compostela and headed towards Baiona. And as usual, we have our coffee stops. Today's coffee stop was at Lalin.

Trying to help boost the economy. (;

Obedient bikers.

We had really nice curvy roads along the way.

Our tour guide for the day was Angela. Look at the amount of dead insects on Angela's motorcycle! Well, she probably has the most because, as the guide, she's right in front.

This part of Spain really reminded me of Nepal.

Gabriella, from Austria. Probably the most fashionable biker I have ever known. (:

How not to wear your motorcycle jacket.

When we had our picnic stop, Chris really surprised us with this!

Chris has gone out of the way and got someone to cook us roast chicken. Let me tell you, having roast chicken in the middle of a foreign country with awesome new friends is just amazing.

This is our hotel in Baiona. It used to be a castle.

Baiona is famous for being the first place in Europe to hear about the existence of the American continent. On 10 March 1493, the caravel 'Pinta' landed in Baiona to spread the news about the New World. The Pinta was the first ship from the Christopher Columbus expedition that arrived in Europe.

The view from our hotel room.

A Day at the Beach

2011-05-30T06:00:00.001+08:00

Today is a free day, which means we can do whatever we want. Our guides, Chris and Angela had a plan that we could go to the beach. To the beach, we went!

The Northern Spanish coast.

There was a lively Saturday market there.

Dad, in his totally relaxed mode.

Group shot!

Chris, Hans and Rainer. The 3 Musketeers that braved the cold water!

Rainer tried to get us to go in, but failed miserably. We're Malaysian, we come from a country that has beaches with warm water, we're just not used to the cold water. Haha!

Like many European, after a dip in the Ocean, they get some sun tan. We stayed in the shade the entire time, just chilling out and breathing in the sea breeze.

We also had a great lunch!

My favourite, prawns!

The yachts.

I climbed so far, for this photo!

Dad and Angela in a Salsa club. It was Saturday night, and the club was empty!

Rainer and Hans with the Cuban Cohiba cigar.

The 3 happiest men of the day?

Yes, I think so.

Destination: Santiago

2011-05-30T05:52:00.001+08:00

We were heading towards the end of the St. James Way, Santiago. The day started of again with mist. It was also really cold. Once, the temperature dropped until 7 degrees Celsius. That's really cold, especially for a Malaysian!

We took a break at a little town on top of the pass.

Feel the glory?

I decided to join in with the pilgrims and get my first ever cathedral stamp. I got the stamp on the back of my International Drivers' License. It now has 7 different stamps on the back!

After leaving the town, we rode into the mist again.

And, this is how the place looked right after we passed the mist.

We were having another picnic when we saw some pilgrims and called them over for some food. Boy, were they hungry! But we had loads to share. (:

That's me and Hans (furthest right) with our 3 pilgrim friends from L.A., California. They are Megan, Ravi and Steve. They have been on the trail for about a week and still have a week before they reach Santiago. Look at Megan, she even took off her shoes!

When we reached Santiago, there were quite a few pilgrims sleeping and just relaxing.

Pilgrims take an average of 2-6 weeks to reach Santiago. We reach Santiago in less than a week, using motorcycles. So, maybe if you want to take the St. James Way next time, motorcycles would be a better alternative? However, you will not qualify for the Compostela. The Compostela is the certificate presented to pilgrims who completed the St James Way either on foot or on bicycle.

Dad and I in front of the Santiago Cathedral. No Compostela for us though. (x

Villafranca, Navarre, Northern Spain.

2011-05-30T05:36:00.001+08:00

We are now directly on the St. James Way. The 'complete' St. James Way is about 200km long and takes 6 weeks to complete on foot or on bicycle. The people who go through this are called pilgrims. They go to each cathedral and get a stamp on their 'pilgrim passport'. They are suppose to end their pilgrimage in Santiago.

How to get to Santiago from here?

Since pilgrims don't carry a lot of cash, they have a certain restaurants and hostels that are built specially to accommodate them. The castle behind us is actually a hostel built for pilgrims.

The view from one of the passes.

Pilgrims walking, we are riding.

This one is also built for pilgrims to stay in. Majestic, no?

Close to Villafranca!

At the viewpoint.

We had an awesome hotel, and this is us, before having dinner.

From Llanes to León

2011-05-30T05:12:00.001+08:00

We started our ride to Leon with spectacular views. We rode through through the passes in the mountains. The roads were curvy and the view was amazing, as usual. (; At this point, I think that people who say that Northern Spain has nothing to offer is completely lying.

At one of the passes on the Northern Spain mountain ranges.

As promised, curvy roads.

Sometimes during our trip, we are not able to have lunch in a proper restaurant. At times like this, we will have a picnic. Today, our guide was Chris. So, the picnic setter was Angela. Just look at the spot she picked for our picnic! Just like a postcard.

After our picnic, we suited up and continued on our journey towards Leon!

That's me with the BMW F 650 GS.

Dad and the GS at a huge lake.

This is the Cathedral of Leon. It is the first cathedral in the world that uses stain glass.

Yeah, I am the type of girl your dad has always warned you about. (;

The first stain glass ever used in a cathedral in the World.

Llanes is Pronounced as 'Yanes'.

2011-05-30T04:57:00.002+08:00

Even more beautiful riding along the Spanish roads. I realize at this point of time, I know the difference between European riding and Malaysian riding. One of the main points is that, they take their corners really, really fast. Anyways, here's more photos for your enjoyment.

The weather was just great. It wasn't that humid, the sun wasn't burning, it wasn't dark. It was just perfect. And then suddenly, we rode into probably the biggest mist I've ever seen. Just look at that!

Gabriela and Guenter from Austria. Look at the mist behind them.

Our crazy group! The one who's holding onto the deer statue is Rainer. Edelweiss Bike Travel's Managing Director. This is proof that MDs know how to have fun too!

Peregrino is Spanish for pilgrims. We have this sign on the back of our guide's motorcycle. Isn't it cute?

After the mist, the weather got better. But not as clear as before.

Mountains behind us.

Everyday, we have 2 coffee breaks. One before lunch, and once after lunch. Coffee breaks are actually butt breaks in disguise. (;

Angela, our tour guide of the day, was driving so confidently on the curves!

Tom and dad in Llanes. The cliff behind them is called Paseo de San Pedro. It's like one of those look-out points. However, you cannot ride the motorcycle up there. Hehe.

Llanes is a small town by the coast. Dad and I went to the supermarket there and found that the people are so nice and friendly. Llanes is a traditional fishing port and currently they also rely on tourism to help boost their economy.

Honestly, it's just one of those nice, little towns which I love where everyone knows each other. (:

Riding to El Burgos.

2011-05-27T05:20:00.001+08:00

We started the day by going to a local winery called David Monero. Surprisingly, they don't export this beer. So, you can only have some here in Spain. We were offered some wine to taste, but Edelweiss has a strict no drinking and riding policy. Instead, many of us bought some bottles to enjoy when we're back in the hotel.

After riding for quite far, we reached a roundabout with a pilgram statue on it. Rainer went on the grass to take a photo with it. The one holding the camera is Günter. This roundabout means that we have officially entered the St. James Way.

We stopped by at La Rioja for lunch and to visit a cathedral. The cathedral is named the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de al Calzada. The Romanesque cathedral has a unique tradition of keeping live chickens inside to commemorate a legend that involves, yes, you guessed it, chickens.

The interior of the cathedral.

After our stop there, we went to our final destination of the day, El Burgos. It is a small, but happening town.

At the cathedral.

And of course, tapas and beer before dinner. A Spanish tradition.

We had a surprise in store for Tom, too. Happy birthday, Tom!

Driving Towards the St. James Way

2011-05-27T02:10:00.001+08:00

Photos of our group, in action!

In front of the hotel, ready to ride.

Curvy roads.

The state of Castilla y Leon.

At a viewpoint! Rainer, Tom, Hans, Uwe, dad, Günter and our guide for the day: Chris. Chris and Angela take turns guiding the group. When one rides, the other drives the van.

Driving in the forests.

A slight accident. But no worries, we're all okay.

Happy riders.

Perfect for a postcard.

Candid.

Just breath-taking. (:

First Taste of Spanish Roads

2011-05-27T01:52:00.001+08:00

Every morning after breakfast, all of us would gather at a spot and the guide for the day will give us a briefing on what to expect for that. Eg, places of interest, road conditions, weather and of course, the route.

There are 2 routes to each destination. In the morning, we can mark down the routes on our maps. Here's dad with Tom. Tom is from Toronto, Canada.

Our guide for the day was Angela. Here she is, giving the briefing with Chris standing next to her.

Suiting up for the day.

Unfortunately, I had fever the night fever and was feeling very sick. So, I sat in the van with Chris. Well, I slept most of the time. The medicine wad powerful, cause I had no more fever the next day! I still have a sore throat though.

For the first day, we couldn't have a proper lunch stop. Instead, the van can be converted into a picnic table! That was just incredible.

The riding team. From left to right, Günter, Gabriella, Uwe, Angela, dad, Tom and Rainer.

Look at the view at our picnic stop!

Edelweiss' St. James Way Tour starts!

2011-05-27T01:40:00.001+08:00

The moment has arrived! Our first ever tour with Edelweiss Bike Travels has begun! First off, we started with a short briefing with our two tour guides, Chris and Angela.

After explaining the basics, dad had to frank his credit card for insurance purposes and just in case there were damages to the bike. Very professional. After that, we walked down to the garage to see the bikes!

8 bikes, in total. All BMW, most of them are new.

Dad was acting like a little kid when he sat on his BMW F650GS.

After all the bikes have been checked, a more detailed briefing followed. First, in German. Then, in English.

There was a dog competition nearby. And Hotel Axor Bajaras allowed pets, so many beautiful show dogs were running around the field. Aren't they cute? It makes me miss Easter.

Our motorcycle adventure starts the next day!

Madrid, the Capital of Spain.

2011-05-27T01:18:00.001+08:00

After Barcelona, dad and I went to Spain via a rental car from Hertz. They gave us a brand new Mercedes B-Class, if I remember correctly. When we first received it, the kilometer reading was 24km. When we returned it, it was 600+km. Yes, the Mercedes was completely utilized.

Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real)

Real Basilica de San Francisco el Grande.

At SOL. They were gathering demonstration for a strike later during the night.

Signing petitions.

They paste their manifesto posters everywhere in the square!

Spreading the word.

According to the man who sold me a Spanish SIM card, he said that the demonstration was about the high unemployment rate among the Spanish youths (40%), healthcare and how they wanted 'real' democracy.

After spending only one night in Madrid, we went back to our hotel at Axor Bajaras and waited anxiously for our motorcycle tour to start.

La Sagrada Familia

2011-05-21T20:22:00.003+08:00

The most impressive work from Antonio Gaudí is La Sagrada Familia. It is the ultimate icon of Barcelona, Spain. I am so completely blown away by the place.

When Gaudí was awarded his degree from his university, his professor said, ¨I do not know are we awarding this degree to a genius, or a lunatic.¨

(Photo doesn´t belong to me.)

The church, when seen from the outside. As you can see, construction is still going on in the church. Construction began in 1882 and is expected to be completed in 2041, even with today´s incredible technologies. I believe that La Sagrada Familia is all about the detail.

The interior of the church has so much natural light!

This is how the church looked like when an official ceremony is in session. The Pope was there too. Gaudí designed the church to be an acoustic pleasing area too. He made the walls with a curved surface, so when the choir sings, their voices can be heard throughout. La Sagrada Familia can seat 1000 choir singers. Majestic, no?

The ceiling was designed to look like a forest. Don´t they look like trees? Gaudí wanted parishers to feel like they are in a serene, beautiful forest while praising God.

With Nev and Carol. Our new friends from Sydney, Australia.

The exterior of the church changes from one wing to another, as Gaudí planned. It is to show the different stages in Christ´s life. Upon completion, thsi Roman Catholic basilica will have 18 tall towers, with the tallest at a height of 560 feet. It is projected to be 60 meters wide and 95 meters long.

We took the lift up to the tower. This is us, standing bravely in the strong wind. The view from the tower is nice. But because of the pillars, you don't see that much. If you're interested in a view, I recommend from Park Güell or by the cable car near Port Vell.

I feel so inspired by Gaudí.

As I am typing this, I am actually in Madrid. In about 3 hours time, dad and I will start our riding tour with Edelweiss Motorcycle Tours Company for a 2 week ride around Northern Spain and Portugal, following a route more commonly known as ´St. James' Way´.

Barcelona is Gaudí´s Playground

2011-05-21T19:55:00.005+08:00

I believe that Antonio Gaudí is one of the World´s greatest architect. For his time, his ideas were definitely out of this world. Even now, his legacy is just being carried on by so many people. It´s just amazing. His most famous work is La Sagrada Familia, which I will over in my next post. In this post, I am covering Parc Güell and La Pedrera.

The view from Parc Güell.

This man works in Parc Güell as an entertainer. He´s sitting on air!

Parc Güell is famous for it´s mosaic. Gaudí used them to design the park´s benches, staircases, ceilings, walls and pillars. Originally, Parc Güell was constructed for some private land owners. But the project fell out, as the developer ran out of money for it.

The park from the main entrance. During the final stages of Gaudí´s life, he bought a property here and lived out his final moments here on Earth.

La Pedrera is somewhat a low-rise upper class apartment. Centuries ago, the landlord contracted Gaudí to design La Pedrera. Gaudí has always been very intuitive about the effects of lighting on an area. So, with Gaudí´s help, the apartments inside are well-lit.

Gaudí insisted that a huge ´hole´ to be made in the middle of La Pedrera so that natural light can stream through all the tenant´s homes.

Gaud´s is definitely a creative one.

The roof of La Pedrera was built in a wavy manner and is not flat. There are many steps on the roof, and it goes up and down. Gaudí seem to think that one should not disrupt the flow of nature and therefore had more curved surfaces than most.

After La Pedrera, we walked back and guess what we say! Kuala Lumpur boutique store! The brand name is Kuala Lumpur and there were no Malaysians in the store. I think everyone spoke in Spanish.

My honest opinion is that if you want to see Gaudí´s best work, just go straight to La Sagrada Familia. And, if you want to see all of Gaudí´s work, leave La Sagrada Familia for the last! Yes, it´s that great!

Ola, Barcelona!

2011-05-21T19:27:00.002+08:00

Dad and I arrived in Barcelona at 10pm at night. And, we saw thyese 3 people trying to snatch a guy´s bag ibn the train station! Oh, the adrenaline! :O But they didn´t succeed, dad, the almost-victim and I all saw him. After we reached our hotel, we just died on the bed. So tired. And that is why, we started our tour the next day!

We went and visit FC Barcelona´s Fanshop and bought merchandise! We´re just trying to support the local economy. Haha! There were just so many people there! And, the queue to enter the stadium for the tour was just incredible.

Dad liked our new hotel. Except this soup packet!

Our place is really close to the famous La Rambla street. Feeling lucky, we bought a lottery ticket, each. Still today, I still haven't found out whether dad or I have won €9mil! Fingers crossed!

Mercat St Joseph De La Boqueria. It's quite a busy place to walk in. Many tourists taking photos and all. I think it's a great place for photographers. The place is just intense with colours and different textures!

Pretty colours!

And, more candy! Hehe.

At night, dad and I bought tickets to watch a live show entitled, ´´Opera y Flamenco´´. It was a mixture between the two. A one hour and 15 minute show which was so new to the both of us. I recommend every tourist to Barcelona to see it. It´s just so traditional and impressive!

The posters on La Rambla.

(Photo doesn´t belong to me.)

The Flamenco dancer on the show.

(Photo doesn´t belong to me.)

Dad and I ended the night with some Tapas, which is a traditional Spanish food.

First Class train to Barcelona, via Montpellier.

2011-05-21T19:04:00.002+08:00

It was the first time for dad and I to sit in a First class train during our Europe trip. It really is more spacious and comfortable. They even have a power plug for you to charge your laptop and other electrical items! (:

Upon arrival in Montpellier, we had some lunch before we took another train to Figuras, Spain. Guess where we had lunch at?

Being the typical Malaysians that we are that enjoy good food, we found an Asian restaurant to dine in! They are 100m from the Montpellier Saint-Roch train station. They´re called Woking. Opened by sa few really nice Chinese. That´s me with the chef. Their address is: 6, Rue Jules Perry, 34000 Montpellier. Phone number: +33467588858. Do visit them if you get the chance, their food is reasonable and tasty!

After lunch, we were given some afvice from the restaurant to walk around in some places. Since we had 2 hours left before our next train, we decided to give it a go. After walking around, one realizes that Montpellier is a town where not many tourists go to. In a way, it's still very ´French´. They have a population of 350,000. There are some attractions though!

There seems to be an Arc De Triumph in every city!

Jesus on the cross.

The view and the clear blue sky!

Doesn´t this statue look like he´s changing the channels on the TV with a remote control? (;

From St. Tropez, back to Nice.

2011-05-20T01:49:00.006+08:00

Amazing ride there, and an amazing ride back. However, the internet is not co-operating with me now. So, this is the best I can post for now. I hope you like the photos!

Small boy helping big boy wth his parasail.

The beautiful coast.

The French Riviera is just too pretty.

Dad and I on the scooter.

As you can see, the view on the more Southern part of the French Riviera is very different compared to the ones in the Northern and Central areas.

The next day, dad and I boarded the train and headed towards Barcelona, Spain. (That's where I am now, by the way.) Stay tune for more updates, cause there will be plenty more!

Down South, towards St. Tropez

2011-05-20T01:05:00.002+08:00

Again, it started off as quite a cloudy day. However, there were still people walking towards the beach, hoping for a day of fun in the sun. Dad and I prayed that it would not rain and zoomed towards St. Tropez. St. Tropez is halfway through the French Riviera. From Nice, it is approximately 80km.

Stormy looking clouds.

And again, we had to pass by Cannes. There were still so many people. Especially crowding around Hotel Martinez and the boardwalk. There was a long traffic jam there too. But we had our trusty little scooter, so all we had to do was zoom in and out of traffic to escape the hustle bustle of the star-studded event.

Upon escaping the hectic Cannes, we came to St. Raphael. Despite it was only 20km from Cannes, the scenery was very different. Gone, were the sandy beaches. Instead, the sea were surrounding brownish rocky cliffs. And they were beautiful!

Ste-Maxime. Look at the clear blue sky!

The first thing that caught my eye in St. Tropez was this octopus. I got so excited. I don't think I've seen a wild octopus before. It really made my day.

Many katamarans in the sea.

Coincidentally, they were having a bike week of some sort there. Dad was excited to see so many bikes, but after passing so many Harleys on the way. He missed his too. Hehe.

Towards Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

2011-05-20T00:24:00.003+08:00

The next day, we decided to take our scooter up north of Nice, towards Monaco. But first, we passed Villafranca. A small town, which are full of yachts and expensive houses that are just by the beach or overlooking the sea!

Then, it rained.

See how misty the place looked!

It was like we wanted to drive off a cliff. Or, into another dimension.

After the mist has passed and we drove past Villefranca, we arrived in the town Eze. Eze is famous for its' perfumery - Fragonard. Fradonard is one of the World's oldest perfume factories and still uses the traditional method in producing perfume.

Did you know to make 1kg of rose oil, you need 3500kg of roses? That's just amazing! The Chanel No. 5 uses roses as the main ingredient. That's why they are so expensive.

After that, dad and I reached Monaco. They will be hosting the 2011 F1 Grand Prix in a few days time. In a way, we are lucky that we were able to get into the country via the exact roads that they will be racing on.

Monaco is the 2nd smallest country in the world, after Holy See. It is also the 2nd most densely populated country in the world. It's roughly the same size as New York's Central Park. Tourists like Monaco for it's casinos and the glamour that comes with the country. They have a population of 36,000 people. An average person can walk across the width of the entire country in 56 minutes. Great for exercising. (;

The kids of Monte-Carlo spend Saturday evenings practising capoeira on the boulevard along the beach.

We explored Monte Carlo a bit more and proceeded back to Nice. But along the way, we were distracted by the incredible villas and luxury homes in Villafranca, again. So, we rode around some more before returning to Nice.

Right Place, Right Time in Cannes.

2011-05-19T23:35:00.002+08:00

Cannes. What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear about that city? Yes, the 64th Annual Cannes International Film Festival. And we were there to catch it! The first ever Le Festival international du film de Cannes or Festival de Cannes was held in the year 1946.

The first 'crazy' thing I saw in Cannes was men dressed in white, standing in a row, promoting a restaurant or an art gallary.

One of the intresting art pieces in the art gallery.

And of course, being one of the world's greatest film festival, there were so many people there. We were really surprised when we saw the crowd. And dad and I were both asking each other, ¨Why is there so many people?¨

They should have asked me to do it! I can even speak in Mandarin, and I´m pretty good at holding signs and smiling at the camera too! :D

The paparazzi representative for the Malaysian community is... Gwen Ng! Who has sacrificed herself by standing on top of a flower pot, beside a palm tree in the middle of the street, just so she could take some photos for her blog readers! (Nah, it was fun.)

Despite knowing that there are many celebrities and stars there, I will tell the truth and say that I didn´t really recognize anybody. Yes, everyone looked dolled up for the event. All the women in glamourous dresses and the men looking smart in tuxedos. But I couldn´t even recognize one. Really shows how out-of-touch I am with Hollywood.

Did I mention I had the opportunity to walk on the red carpet? ~~Outside a boutique.~~ No, it´s still a red carpet in Cannes.

Nice and Antibes, Southern France.

2011-05-19T23:01:00.002+08:00

Although Nice and in general, the French Riviera has quite a good public transportation system, dad and I decided to rent a 120cc scooter for 65€ a day to cruise along the coastal line on our ow pace. It was such a nice ride, with windy asphalt roads and beautiful scenery.

Nice.

There was a Peugeot shop in Nice and look what was greeting everyone when you drive in.

Antibes is a small Mediterranean town that is relatively a quiet community, located West of Nice. It has the largest yacht harbour in Europe. The beaches in Antibes are different from Nice. The majority of Nice beaches are full of rocks. In Antibes, they don´t have any real sand either. So, they use artificial sand.

Bernadette and Claude own the hotdog stand called Chez Josy. The address is La Salis beach, Antibes, Southern France. They are such nice people. We bought a hotdog from them and stood there chatting for 2 hours. They have visited Malaysia several times before and loved it. They are scuba divers too! They gave us good advice around the area and treated us like long lost friends. Amazing people!

I really liked the last photo. It was a totally natural, spontaneous shot. Basically, this was how the scenery looked like from a scooter.

Au Revoir Paris, Bonjour Nice!

2011-05-19T22:25:00.001+08:00

After 3 nights in Paris, we have to say that we really enjoyed the place. Our hotel´s staff was really friendly too. This is Madjid with us in Hotel Grenelle Paris Eiffel Tour. I highly recommend this hotel to people who want to have a reasonable place to stay in, yet still be connected to the rest of Paris.

So far, we have been on the road for about 45 days. This is the route we have covered, drawn on my Europe map. We have used various methods. Car, airplanes, boat/ship, bicycles and of course, motorcycles. We have another 43 days before we return to Kuala Lumpur.

Since it was our last day in Paris, we decided to go to the Harley-Davidson shop. After that, we went to a chinese restaurant to eat. We started talking to the waitress and became good friends. Her name is Xi Xi. She has been living in France for 17 years. Plus, she speaks fluent French.

Dad and I got really adventurous and decided to take the bus to Chinatown. The ride was 40 minutes, but I was feeling so nervous! I wanted to make sure we got down on the right stop.

Chinatown was average. Nothing really exciting happening over there. The next day, we took EasyJet and flew to Nice. Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted by the palm trees and the smell of salt water in the air. It was also much warmer, compared to Paris. And then, we saw this sign.

Kiss and fly?

Being the typical chinese that we are, we found a chinese restaurant to eat in and look what we saw. They called chinese tea leaves, ¨Special gunpowder¨. That was bizarre! How in the world do you import something that says ¨Special Gunpowder¨ on the packaging!?

We were staying in a hotel at a pretty seedy area of town. And that was where we met some Singaporeans! They are students in NUS and are travelling in Europe for 4 weeks.

The Louvre and Galeries Lafayette

2011-05-19T19:24:00.004+08:00

Anyone who goes to Paris will visit the Lourve. The Lourve is one of the largest and most visited museums in the World. It was originally built as a palace. The Lourve is the home to 35,000 exhibits that are spread out in 3 huge wings of the museum.

If I remember correctly, this is the ancient Rome section.

As for kids who are not so interested in Art, they love playing with the air coming out of the floor vents while all the adults around them observe and appreciate World-renowed masterpieces.

Every part of The Lourve is decorated, including the ceiling!

Guess what is everyone so excited about?

It's Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa!

Some of you may wonder, ¨What´s so famous or amazing about the Mona Lisa?¨ Other than the fact that it has been in countless movies, it´s actually about the eyes. The Mona Lisa´s eyes are always watching you. In a sense that if you take a photo from the left angle of the room, and take one at the right angle of the room, her eyes are always looking into the lens of the camera, staring straight at you. Now, that is incredible.

Dad and I were lucky enough to catch the external exhibitions by the Louvre that were held in the Napoleon Hall. The exhibitions were entitled: ¨Rembrandt Et La Figure Du Christ¨ and ¨Claude De Lorrain: Le Dessinateur Face Á La Nature¨.

I really enjoyed both the exhibits because both the artists were so daring and bold in their areas of expertise. Rembrandt painted a lot about Christ. However, his version of Christ was usually frail and weak compared to the artists of that time who painted Christ as masculine and athletic. They usually called the frail and weak version as ´Rembrandt´s Christ´.

Claude on the other hand, was the first artist who painted outside of his studio. Claude claimed that to really absorb and appreciate nature, one has to be in nature. Claude´s specialty was painting sceneries and sometimes even with mythical creatures in them. His paintings were very rich in colour and striking. He was also quite the perfectionist as he would repaint his previous paintings several times just to make sure he got it right.

This is the roof from the interior of the Galeries Lafayette. It is similar to Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur, where all the famous brands are. However, it´s interior is just beautiful. You feel as if you're shopping in a museum or a very big Victorian house!

A typical French market, Champs-Élysées and the Notre Dame.

2011-05-19T18:52:00.002+08:00

Hotel Grenelle Paris Eiffel Tour is just in front of a train station. It is very convenient for us to move around, and that is one of the reasons why it is a great place to stay. There was a typical market that morning. We just strolled through it.

Pains?

Next, we went to the shopping street of Paris where shops like LV, Gucci and Hugo Boss line the streets. It took us some time to find, but we finally got to Chanel to buy some souvenirs for mum. Oh, there were so many people in Chanel, it was crazy! And everyone was buying something, not just browsing. Imagine the cash register!

From there, we visited the Notre Dame. The Notre Dame de Paris literally means 'Our Lady of Paris'. It is the principle church for Catholics in Paris, France. It was a surprise that the Notre Dame is the most popular monument in Paris, even more than the Eiffel Tower! They have 13 million visitors and worshippers alike that visits them in a year.

The interior of the church.

Beautiful stain glass windows in the flower design.

Dad and I also visited the church's treasury for an additional 4 Euros each. There were so many gold and silver objects there, all displayed in glass casings. Many of them centuries old but were very well-kept.

And suddenly, we saw this. This is the nail that was used to nail Jesus on the cross. The original artifact, right in the church! Imagine that this nail that has pierced Jesus' skin 20 centuries ago so that he could save all of us and forgive our sins. Wow. 8 Euros well spent.

This sculpture shows how Jesus 'cheated' death, as he is the King of Kings. See the skeleton sculpture at the back? He's probably the undertaker.

Me.

Dad and I on the exterior of the Notre Dame.

Notre Dame fun fact! Did you know that to increase the appreciate for the Notre Dame, and to raise funds for its' maintainance, Victor Hugo wrote his 1831 novel ¨The Hunchback of Notre Dame¨. Smart guy, because now, everyone knows about the Notre Dame. (:

Day 1 in Paris

2011-05-19T18:30:00.002+08:00

Once we walked out of the train station, we were so lost. It was a whole new place with a whole new language. So, dad stood in one corner with all the bags and people watch while I ran around the entire place to find out how to get to our hotel. Hotel Grenelle Paris Eiffel Tour (the French spell 'tower' as 'tour'). Did you know that France has 64 million people? That's almost 2 and a half times the population of Malaysia.

My trusty map and I.

As sunset approached, dad and I were recommended by Christina and Nicolas to go to Sacré-Coeur. They said that it was beautiful. And, it was! Reminded me a little of the Taj Mahal in India. It is built in a Roman-Byzantyne style and really stands out from the usual Parisian buildings. Most Parisian buildings are built with a Romanesque style.

A lot of people also thought that it would be a great idea to be here for the sunset.

We were recommeded to see the Eiffel Tower at night. And it was so pretty! Seeing it illuminous with the night sky was amazing. Even at 10pm at night, there were so many people lining up to go to the top. Unfortunately, the top was closed, but we could go to the 2nd floor. And that's what we did.

The view from the ground.

From the 2nd floor. Upon the Eiffel Tower's completion, did you know that more than 250 million people have visited it? Wow. And it only took 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to finish its' construction.

Dad and I, with the night skyline of Paris.

At 11pm, they lit the Eiffel Tower up with lights that shine and sparkle. And from a distance, you can literally see the Eiffel Tower glittering in all it's glory.

After our time in the Eiffel Tower, we decided to walk back to our hotel when we came across this! It is a vending machine for a pharmacy. Most shops do not open 24 hours in Europe, like in Asia. So, you can buy bandages, shampoos, some basic medicine and others from this vending machine that is attached to the pharmacy. Hehe!

Surreal.

Turkish Chinese food and the Overnight train to Paris

2011-05-19T17:52:00.003+08:00

We went out with Nicolas and Christina again on the day we were supposed to go to Paris. They truly syrprised us when we went to a Turkish Chinese restaurant whose name is really difficult to pronounce. But oh, the food was amazing. The thing about a Turkish Chinese restaurant, is that it's all halal. So, no pork here. However, the tastes are quite unique and distinct.

Iskander Kebab. (Beef)

Lägmän (with lamb and really spicy)

Koy Gosh Kawapi. Imagine sate, without the peanut sauce.

Ququra (Uygur Shui Jiao). This is similar to Xiao Loong Pao, but with a different kind of dough and with lamb instead of pork.

After the incredible dinner, Nicolas and Christina were so nice to accompany us to the train station. They even help us carry our helmet boxes and my heavy backpack! It was the first time we took a sleeper train and had no idea how it worked. So, they helped us with that too. Thank you so much, Nicolas and Christina for being so hospitable towards us. Please, please come to Malaysia soon! (;

This is the size of our cabin in the sleeper train.

The view from above.

Our helmet boxes. Hehe!

Sleeping that night was surprisingly very comfortable. The train would sway left and sway right. And it was so soothing. Dad and I were so tired, we practically just died on the bed. The next morning, we were already in France, although not in Paris yet. We had such a sweet surprise!

Our train tickets included breakfast! :D They had croissant, ham, butter, tea, orage juice and other stuff. It was such a good breakfast. (:

Allianz Arena in Munich!

2011-05-17T06:53:00.002+08:00

One of the main things I wanted to visit in Munich was the Allianz Arena. Allianz Arena was one of the places where the 2006 World Cup in Germany was held at. And during last year´s 2010 World Cup, I fell in love with the German team.

Bastian Schweinsteiger´s locker and stuff is displayed in the Bayern Munich fanshop!

The impressive arena that sits 69,000 people.

The pressroom for Bayern Munich.

¨Yes, Thomas Mueller reads my blog.¨

The Bayern Munich locker room!

The even more exciting, shower room! TEEHEE.

This is where the players walk out to the field.

Another press area, usually for after the matches.

Our incredible guide, Nadine!

Me, in my Bayern Munich fan gear! (;

Munich, on Segway.

2011-05-17T06:28:00.001+08:00

Dad and I are now official Segway junkies. We´ve tried them in Prague, and we played with them again, in Munich. The Segways were a little different from the ones we tried in Prague, but they´re still a ton of fun!

The Ferrari and the Segway.

They´re filming a movie there! Reminds of Legally Blonde though.

Marienplatz. The historical main square in Munich.

Englischer Garden in Munich is apparently even bigger than Hyde Park in London!

One of the coolest attractions in Englischer Garden.

You. Can. Surf.

Our riding team. (L-R) Dad, Freddie, Laurie, Paul, Alex and me.

It´s nice how Munich has little graffiti on the walls compared to Berlin, Prague and the Central European countries I visited. However, they have this special tunnel when the city council paid professionals to paint graffiti on them. Really beautiful!

Nicolas and Christina in Munich, Germany!

2011-05-12T04:22:00.001+08:00

I thank God that we are so blessed to have such great friends. Nicolas and Christina were such good hosts even though this was the first time we were meeting them. The thing is, Nicolas's dad, Wolfgang was on tour with us in Nepal, so he recommended us to visit Nicolas in Munich. We are so glad we did!

At restaurant number 1 with the lousy waitress.

At restaurant number 2, with the great waitress, awesome food and delicious beer! Well, I liked it more than restaurant number 1. Hehe. This place is called Augustin's.

The 3 of us, Nicolas took the photo.

Nicolas and Christina spoilt us senseless. They ordered such incrdible food. Chicken, duck qnd lamb, if I'm not mistaken. It's so good, you just eat everything without really knowing the exact name.

After dinner, we walked around to check out the Munich nightlife.

Oh, by the way, did you know that if you go for the Oktoberfest, you need to wear that!? Ladies, yes, I am talking about the one on the right.

Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen, Germany.

2011-05-12T03:47:00.001+08:00

The ride to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castle was amazing. I felt like I was coming to an old town where knights and damsels still existed. It was so picturesque! There is a special route that goes towards these two castles called the Romantic Road. And, urgh, you can just fall in love.

The Romantic Road.

This isn't even all the way up yet!

The view from Hohenschwangau Castle.

Hohenschwangau Castle on the ticket.

Obviously, Neuschwanstein Castle on the ticket.

Nobody is allowed to take photos in both the castles. I'm guessing it's because of the amount of gold, silver, original structures and gifts all on display for us to see.

To walk up to Neuschwanstein Castle takes about 40 minutes. Being the lazy butt I am, I convinced dad to take the horse carriage up the steep hill and walk down instead. Dad made me laugh all the way up that I had stomach cramps by the time we arrived.

Panorama! And, us.

Neuschwanstein Castle in the back.

The entrance of Neuschwanstein Castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle is probably the most popular German castle in the World. Look at the bunch of senior citizens anxiously looking at the LCD screen to see when is their turn to enter.

King Ludwig II really did a good job in choosing location. He has an amazing view from every single window in his castle. Well, from the windows during the tour anyways. It's all au naturel unspoilt beauty.

I'm really glad both dad and I visited the castle. Although it's not the usual type of things that we see, it was totally worth driving 120km from Munich for these two castles.