A Social Observation

Assalamualaikum

Artikel kali ini adalah berkenaan pemerhatian saya terhadap masyarakat Barat selama saya menziarahi Dublin, Paris & London dalam tempoh 2 minggu. Ini adalah semata-mata pemerhatian saya semata-mata. Mungkin ada benarnya & mungkin tidak.

[1] Masyarakat Barat masih menebal malunya.

Saya berkata demikian kerana sepanjang saya berada di sana di musim panas, JARANG sekali saya berjumpa mereka yang bercium, bercumbu-cumbu atau berpeluk-pelukan, baik di taman-taman atau di tempak mana sekalipun. Boleh dibilang dengan jari kalau terserempak pun.

Justeru, keadaan sosial remaja Melayu hari ini meniru apa? Tidak dinafikan apa yang dipaparkan cerita dari Barat itu tidak menggambarkan sepenuhnya bahawa disebalik masyarakat yang pincang, ada juga yang baik. Seperti ada negatif, semestinya ada positif.

Saya siap berpesan pada adik saya yang sudah pun ke Malaysia, bersiap sedialah untuk melihat kejutan sosial Melayu hari ini dibandingkan 6 tahun lepas.

[2] Kemudahan Pengangkutan Awam.

Kemudahan pengankutan awam mereka amat baik sekali. Sekalipun keadaan nampak lusuh dan tidak berkilat, tetapi gerabak keretapi yang membentuk sebahagian sistem pengangkutan awam terAMAT-AMAT EFISYEN. Tiket seharian (day ticket) mereka berharga dalam 5.30 pound di London (untuk Underground kawasan 1) dan Euro 17.00 untuk di Paris (untuk Metro, RER & Bas kawasan 1).

Anda boleh kemana sahaja di London & Paris hanya berpandukan peta Underground di London atau peta yang disediakan oleh stesen pengankutan awam di Paris untuk pelancong. Semua kawasan utama terutamanya kawasan pelancongan, kawasan komersial & taman-taman awam dihubungkan secara berkesan oleh jaringan pengangkutan awam ini. Anda tidak perlu berjalan jauh untuk menikmati semua ini. Dan sistem keretapi@LRT ini menghubung juga kawasan yang 2-3 jam perjalanan jauh & lapangan terbang.

Di Malaysia, malangnya saya berpendapat keadaan ini belum tercapai - buat masa ini. Saya amat berharap Kerajaan Malaysia dapat menggunakan duit subsidi minyak untuk menambah baik dan mengembangkan sistem pengangkutan awam (terutamanya LRT) ke kawasan Shah Alam, Subang, Klang dan sebagainy. Buat 2 tingkat macam RER kalau boleh, boleh ramai lagi orang naik. Tak le sesak macam sekarang ni.

[3] Pembuangan Sampah & Kitar Semula

Budaya kitar semula amat kuat disini. Sudah menjadi norma masyarakat. Plastik sampah untuk bahan-bahan yang boleh dikitar semula dijual berasingan dan ditulis RECYCLE.

Untuk membuang sampah pula, anda perlu membeli pelekat untuk buang sampah dari City Council yang bernilai Euro 4 setiap satu dan melekatnya di plastik sampah sebelum anda membuang sampah. Jika tidak, sampah anda tidak akan diangkat sehingga ia berderderai di hadapan rumah anda sendiri. Anda tidak mahu itu terjadi bukan?

Oh ye, sundries shop, SPAR (macam 7-Eleven) & supermarket di Ireland tidak menyediakan plastik bag percuma untuk barangan yang anda beli. Kena bayar harga yang tinggi untuk mendapatkan plastik beg dan anda akan dipandang pelik kerana memerlukan plastik beg, nampak sangat tak sayang alam..hehehe. Di Tesco, saya mendapati anda kena ada beg sendiri untuk membawa balik barang-barang yang dibeli dan juga anda boleh bayar sendiri barangan tersebut di Self Check in Counter! Check-in barang sendiri dan bila nilai belian dipaparkan di skrin, anda cuma perlu masukkan duit dalam slot. Macam beli tiket komuter. Tak perlu ada Cashier!

[4] Barangan dapur yang murah

Selama saya di Dublin, saya dapati barangan di sini memang murah. Pemerhatian ini dibuat dengan tidak menukar nilai Euro kepada RM. Boleh dikatakan Euro 50 boleh membeli barangan dapur untuk seminggu. Berbanding di Malaysia, RM 50 hanya boleh beli barang dapur yang tidak sampai pun sehari!

Tidak terhad kepada barangan dapur, barangan keperluan seperti pakaian juga murah pada musim SALE. Kadang-kadang pakaian boleh didapat pada nilai Euro 1 pun ada!

...Itu sahajalah yang saya terfikir sekarang ni.

The Changing of Guards

Assalamualaikum,

As promised earlier, here's a video of the Changing of Guards at Buckingham Palace. During this time, the Royal Malaysian Army guards have already went home after their stint for 2 months at Buckingham Palace

Trip to London

Assalamualaikum,

As promised, here is an entry of my trip to London. We (my brother & I) were there for 2 nights. We actually spend only 1 day exploring London. We arrived on Friday evening, so every attraction place is closed. We explored Kensington Garden which is near to Malaysia Hall where we stayed.

[1] Kensington Garden - we spent nearly 3 hours walking in the garden. Our feet was getting sore from all those walking. But the garden was extremely lovely. Oh yes, this is where Princess Diana Memorial walk is located. Kensington Garden is also where the Kensington Palace is located.

Kensington Garden Map

Swan at Kensington Garden lakeRoyal Albert Hall which is near Kensington Garden

[2] St. James's Park - a lovely park too. Lots of wildlife here. We visited here the 1st thing on Saturday morning as we were on our way to Buckingham Palace

[3] Buckingham Palace - we waited nearly 30 minutes in the plaza in front of Buckingham Palace just to watch the changing of guards. It was fantastic. Although when I saw the guards, I kept picturing Mr. Bean doing a makeover on the guard..hehe. Will upload the video on it later.

[4] Westminster Abbey - another Royal Church where the monarchy installation & Royal wedding are conducted. [5] Big Ben - a very big clock indeed. The building is near the Westminster Abbey.

[6] Eye of London - look like a huge bicycle tyre. Didn't go up though as I had no money.

[7] Tower of London - this is where all the Queen's crown and regalia are kept.

[8] Tower Bridge - although the building looks like it is made of stone, it is actually made of steel inside it. The bridge will lift and lower itself in the middle to allow passing liner on River Thames.

[9] British Museum - unfortunately we arrived here very late as it was near closing time. But the exhibition that we saw was spectacular. Shame that we didn't get to see the exhibition on the Islamic civilization and the Malay world.

[10] Trafalgar Square - there's no more pigeon here. The square is actually small. I was a bit uneasy here as at that time they are celebrating 60 years formation of Israel!

[11] Harrods at Knightsbridge - goods sold here is really expensive. But if you compare 1 pound = 1 ringgit you can very much get the same thing in Malaysia. The interior is too much. A bit gaudy I can say. The Gardens Mid Valley is much better-off.

[12] Hyde Park - after a day walking and Tubing around London, this is where we took some rest admiring the scenery, the swan, exhaling the fresh air and sitting on the grass.

What I love about London is the park. Different from Malaysia. Here we can see people lying on the grass taking a nap, having their lunch. I guess because of the conducive weather, you can do that. I doubt you can do the same thing in Malaysia, too hot.

I'm Back in Malaysia

Assalamualaikum,

Alhamdulillah I'm back again in 'tanahair tercinta' Malaysia. As MAS will always announce when the plane approaches KLIA, "Kepada semua warganegara Malaysia, selamat pulang ke tanahair". I always felt good when I heard that. Anyway my flight was actually delayed by 2 hours in London, Heathrow due to the lateness of cabin crew. Not their fault, but the massive traffic jam in London caused by lorry drivers on strike. Anyway I reached home at 10.30am in the morning. My, am I so glad to be home.

As much as I like the European cities that I visited (Dublin, Paris & London) especially the environment, fresh air, transport system, goods, sales, etc, I prefer to be in Malaysia. Eventhough I was not born here, but here is where my family is. Here is where, whenever you're in trouble or have problems, support is always at hand, be it from family members or friends. I will always love to visit Europe or any other countries for that matter, but not to stay and work there. Studying might be an exception. I will feel lonely if I do.

Now that I'm back on home soil, I'm spending the rest of my weekend trying to get my clock in tune with the local time. Still feeling jet lag. Next posting will be about my trip to London.

A Paris I Went To

Assalamualaikum,

Yesterday, 25/6/08 my brother & I went to Paris for a day. We went there in the morning and went back home to Dublin at night. We spent nearly 8 hours walking around the city either by Metro, RER or walking itself by buying a 1 day ticket. The longest distance we covered by foot is from Champs Elysees to Pont Neuf which is around 5km. Now I'm having blisters on the ball of my foot.

In Paris, we did what tourist with not much money to spend do, sightseeing. We went to:

1. La Defense - a modern skyline of Paris and where an enormous hollow cube like La Grande Arche is located.
2. Arc De Triomphe - a very huge arch in the centre of Paris. This and La Defense are in an axis.
3. Champs Elysees - where we saw the Grand Palais & Petit Palais
4. Place de La Concorde - a very large square where The Obelisk - a gift given by Viceroy of Egypt to King Louis-Phillips - was situated.
5. Jardin des Tuileries/Grand Couvert & The louvre - a very-very long garden and a very-very long building. This is the longest distance that we walk since we started walking from Champs Elysees.
6. Cathedral Notre Dame - we reached here after we got lost for 10 minutes after exiting the Metro Station. Here we just took photos of the front facade. Too tired to explore.
7. Eiffel Tower - the last tour destination. We went straight to the top floor. Which is 276m above the ground. Here we had a commanding view of Paris. It was so beautiful to see the whole city lay out before your eyes.

All in all, I can say that Paris is indeed a beautiful city with excellent public transport. Oh yes, not to forget a clean river.

Dublinia

Assalamualaikum,

Setelah seharian berkurung dalam rumah kerana cuaca yg terlalu 'windy' dan hujan, semalam saya ke bandar. Kali ini saya berkunjung ke Dublinia, Dublin Castle & Trinity College Dublin sekali lagi. Di Dublinia, saya dapat melihat asal bandar Dublin dari zaman Viking. Boleh dikatakan Dublinia ini serupa muzium tetapi yang interaktif. Ada barang yang boleh ditulis, dibaling, dibuka, ditekan dan sebagainya. Menarik sekali. Dublinia ini asalnya tapak gereja. Malahan di sebelah Dublinia ini adalah Christ Church Cathedral.

Di hadapan Dublinia
Di jambatan yang menghubungkan Dublinia dengan Christ Church CathedralChrist Church Cathedral

Setelah hampir sejam berlegar di dalam Dublinia dan sekitar Christ Church Cathedral saya berkunjung ke Dublin Castle. Di sini sebenarnya hanya tinggal 1 menara asal. Menara ini sebenaranya sebahagian dari 'fortress wall' yang mengelilingi asal Dublin.

Dublin Castle

Kucing yang besar sekali yang dijumpai di taman bersebelahan Chester Beatty Library

Di Trinity College saya berkunjung ke bangunan-bangunan yang terletak di bahagian belakang. Juga padang di situ yang ketika dikunjungi sedang diadakan perlawanan kriket. Saya juga berkunjung ke Book of Kells (kitab Bible yang dekoratif & berwarna-warni. Wujud sebelum kedatangan Viking) & Long Hall, iaitu perpustakaan tertua (400 tahun) kerana sekarang sedang dilakukan proses pemuliharaan. Perpustakaan ini 2 tingkat dan semuanya diperbuat dari kayu (alangkah bagusnya kalau saya ada perpustakaan seperti ini). Maaf gambar untuk Book of Kells & Long Hall tidak ada kerana tidak dibenarkan mengambil gambar.

Setelah selesai di Trinity, saya berkunjung sekali lagi Grafton Street. Saja menjamu mata. Sempat juga masuk ke Brown Thomas. Kedai umpama Gardens tetapi dalam skala 1/10 saiznya. Di sini saya puas masuk semua kedai, Prada, Guess, Louis Vitton, Chloe & entah apa-apa lagi barangan berjenama lain tanpa rasa diri ini dipandang semacam kerana tidak berduit. Kalau di Malaysia, jangan harap la nak berdiri depan pintu kedai sebegini. Terfikir juga, jika masyarakat merasakan nilai mereka diukur dengan memiliki barang-barang berjenama, alangkah ruginya mereka. Kerana sesungguhnya Allah menilai setiap manusia itu dengan tahap takwanya. Moga diri ini menjadi orang yang bertambah ketakwaan padaNya.

Sebelum balik sempat singgah di Clarks, membeli kasut yang tengah 'sale'. Di sini adik saya kata Clarks umpama Bata di Malaysia. Tetapi masyarakat Malaysia umpamakan Clarks itu kasut yang berjenama. Saya meminati Clarks kerana itulah kasut yang saya pakai masa kecik. Sungguh selesa.

My 4th Day In Ireland

Assalamualaikum,

The day start with a gloomy weather and it has been raining non-stop from morning until now. The sky is grey, in contrast to yesterday's sunny weather. Today I'm cooped up in the house. I'll be freezing & wet if I decide to go out.

So I took the opportunity to finish Ketika Cinta Bertasbih 2. I find the novel not as touching as I hoped for compared to Ayat-ayat Cinta. But the storyline is good though. Now I'm on to my second novel, Bohemian by Imaen. So far so good.

My 3rd Day in Ireland

Assalamualaikum

[1] Commencement

In Ireland they don't call it convocations or graduation. It's called Commencement. The term came to Dublin University through its founding scholars in the late 16th century. The term signifies a step from one level of responsibility to another in the disputation thus student being commenced.

It was a sunny day indeed. The ceremony was over in 1 hour and it was all conducted in Latin. The registrar will call up to 5 names to come up to the stage before the Chancellor and she will give out the certificate to them and says 'Congratulation' and something in Latin. Once they got down someone will give them a very big envelope to keep the certificate and also other significant documents along with it. The hall where the ceremony was conducted was quite small compared to Malaysia Universities. I guest all the building were the original buildings built 400 years ago.

In the square facing he hall where the Commencement took place
Inside the hall

[2] City Exploration

After the commencement my brother had to go for Friday prayers behind the university. So I went exploring the city centre with 2 sisters who are my brother's friend. We went to Grafton Street. It was lovely. Oh yes, Clarks shoes is on sale. You can get 50% off which translate to RM150 per selected shoes. Got to get one of those. But that'll be later.

And then we went exploring Temple Bar, because one of us wanted to go to Hard Rock Cafe to look for t-shirts. My brother met us there and then we went to lunch at Medina, an Indian Muslim restaurant famous for its Briyani.

In front of Hard Rock Cafe, Dublin, Ireland
The river we passed over to get to Medina
The glorious food!!! Seriously when you're away from home, this will be the thing you'll savor.

After a day, we all went back home happy. My brother & I, stopped at Jervis to buy some groceries at Tesco. The we went home to Rialto on a tram. I'll upload all pictures later on. See you readers later.

I'm in Ireland!!!

Assalamualaikum,

Flying Off to Ireland

Assalamualaikum,

I'm in the plane right now flying to London. From there I will take Aer Lingus to Dublin, Ireland. I took 11 days of unpaid leave just to be there. Currently just boarded the plane.

From Kuala Lumpur at 10.05 am, I will reach London at 4.15pm. From Heathrow, I will then take a flight to Dublin at 7.10pm and will reach Dublin at 8.25pm. My brother will pick me up at the airport.

And now, I'm going to enjoy my flight, sleep, read some books, walk around the plane until it touch down at Heathrow. From then on, I will enjoy 2 weeks of holiday in Dublin, London & Paris.

See you readers in 2 weeks time. I'll be back on 3/7/08.

It is not to be...

Assalamualaikum,

The dreaded call came when I was in the middle of reading the Qur'an. Seems like it is not to be..
Seems like I'm not getting married at the intended date & time. Problem arises not on my part, but on my fiance's part. Legal matters that is (I cannot disclose what it is). I don't feel sad. The turn of event is what I've always anticipated when I decide to chose him. Only Allah knows why. I take solace in my prayers, fasting & reading the Qur'an.

All in all, I will be away for 2 weeks starting 18/6. I'm going somewhere to de-stress (all this turn of events is making me depressed). I'll be back on Malaysian soil on 3/7. Hopefully by then everything will turn out all right. Amin. To You Allah I turn.

Eid Mubarak

Assalamualaikum buat semua..
Salam Eid Mubarak saya ucapkan. Dah lama rasanya tak update blog ni.
Anyway, I had an eventful raya even though it's just for one day. The most important thing is not where you celebrate raya but with who you celebrate raya.
Whether it's in Manchester or in Machang, if you celebrate raya with family, it'll be the most happiest day to you.
This year I just celebrate raya in my father's kampung in Klang (10 minutes drive from my house) and then we went to my aunt's (my mother's sister) house in Klang also to visit my grandmother (my mother's mother) who is very ill now. If she were well, we would've have gone to Mersing, Johor. But that was not meant to be. I pray for my grandmother's well being. Amin.
Oh yeah!! this is the first time in my life I spend the 2nd day raya at home. Takla rasa sunyi mana pun. Ok je..

A TRIP TO BEIJING

Assalamualaikum..

I’m back after a few weeks hiatus.
Missing..? Nah..just went to China couple of weeks back and also I’m too lazy to update my blog.
So this first entry of the month will tell you of my trip to China.
I went there for 5 days. 2 days for the flight to and from China-Kul and 3 days exploring Beijing. Well not really exploring, more of sightseeing.
Here’s the chronology of event.

DAY 1:
3.00 am – I just start packing my suitcase.

4.30 am – Asked my brother to send me to the airport and reach there at about 5.30 am in the morning. There I met with my tour leaded group Hasniza and checked in my luggage. I did my Subuh prayer while waiting for the rest of the group.

8.15 am – I checked in for boarding and by 9.00am I’m already in the plane (Airbus) to China. The plane took off at 10.00am. The only thing I like about riding in planes is during the take off. You feel the rush when the plane thrust forward to lift into the air. Other than that, it is quite boring.

3.00pm – after nearly 7 hours, I finally reached Beijing International Airport. The airport is quite small for an international one. I’m in the opinion that KLIA is still the better.

6.00pm – our tour leader in Beijing, Johnny, took us for dinner first. The dinner was in a Chinese Muslim restaurant. The dinner was good. Not so much different from our food. Only that ther use a lot of meat, capsicum and egg plant. Looking at the food, I know that it is easy to cook..heheheh..

7.00pm – it was already dark. On our way to the hotel, we pass through the Tiananmen Squre. I never thought that it was so huge. We also pass the picture of Mao Ze Dong hanged on the gates to the Fobidden City. There were lots and lots of people. Some playing kites, some just walking around and some are tourists. I guess the Chinese people like to walk about and ‘lepak’ outside and not in clubs or discos. Didn’t see one anyway.

8.00 pm – We reached our hotel, Bao Ding Centre. I was already quite exhausted and can’t wait to reach my room and fall asleep.Hey..I only had 3 hours sleep the day before.

9.00 pm – Yay!! Finally got into my room, well, not my room. I bord together with 2 friends. I had a quick shower and of to bed by 10.00 pm. Before that we set the alarm at 4.30 am. We were told that Subuh in Beijing is at that time. I had a fitful sleep with no dreams.

DAY 2:
4.30 am – I woke up to the sound of alarm for Subuh. Since we closed the curtain, we had no idea whether its dark or bright outside. What a shock I had when I opened the curtain, it was bright already at 4.30 am!!! Uh-oh..did this mean that I already missed my Subuh? Seems so too. I knew this would happened again after Hong Kong & Shenzhen..*sigh* had to ‘qadha’ my Subuh…

5.00 am – I’m fully awake and so are my 2 other friends. We had shower and by 7.00 am we were already down at the hotel lobby with the other group members. 7.00 am in Beijing is like 9.00 am here in Malaysia. We boarded our tour bus and heads towards the city centre to have our breakfast. Now, I don’t quite remember what we had for breakfast that day. I think it was bread, butter and jam. Also we had rice too. The Chinese sure love their rice.

9.00 am – our first tour of the day was the Tiannanmen Square and Forbidden City. The weather was a bit gray today. I think it’s going to rain. We start the tour at the end of the Tiannanmen Square and proceed slowly to the center of it. There sure are a lot of people. Even in the hazy weather.

10.00 am – we reached the outer gate of Forbidden City fronting the square. There a huge portrait of Mao Ze Dong hangs from the wall of the gate. According to Johnny, our tour guide, the eye of the portrait was painted by the artist in such a way that wherever you’re standing, the eyes seem to bore into you. This I find very true indeed.
By now I have entered the Forbidden City and true to what I read in History of Architecture it is a 3 layer city. The buildings were marvelous and were differentiated by usage according to the no. of animal carvings at the edge of the roof. After nearly walking 3 kilometers, I have reached the other end of the Forbidden City. It was quite exhausting. For photos, you can see my Fotopages.

2.00 pm – After lunch we were brought to Nujie Moque for prayer and then to a massage or medicinal parlour. There we were given a free dose of foot massage for about 45 minutes. While they’re at it a singseh with a translator gave them a pulse reading to inform them if they have any disease (I find it not true what they say..my friends says so too. I think the singseh are just saying it to persuade you to buy their traditional herbs. What’s wrong with Malaysian ones?) FYI I didn’t take up the free massage. I don’t know why, I think I just don’t like people touching my legs.

4.00 pm – We were brought to the Silk Centre. There the sales people explained to us on the making of silk from silk worm. They even show us how the silk comforter was made. I’ve seen this ploy in Shenzhen thus I’m not influenced by the sales people to buy anything. Besides, they sure are expensive!!

7.30 pm – For dinner, we had it at a Xinjiang restaurant. We were even entertained to a cultural show. The food was similar to the ones we had last night. Before we went back for the night, I manage to take a group photo with the front reception. She is so beautiful.

8.30 pm – Back to the hotel and ready for a good night sleep. My room mates went for a walk at the shopping mall near our hotel. Me? My legs cannot carry me anywhere anymore…Oooh yeh..everynight I enjoyed watching the Chinese TV. Even though I don’t understand the language, at least I understand the expression.

DAY 3:
4.00 am – woke up for Subuh prayer. There’s already twilight in the sky. Like it’s already 7 am in Malaysia. After that I went back to sleep for another 1 hour.

5.00 am – the wake up call or knocking came about this time. It was time to get ready for another day in Beijing.

9.00 am - After the usual breakfast we were brought to the Jade Centre. Here we were shown the types and quality of jades and how they are made into jewelries and house ornaments. Still I find the jades here are more expensive than in Shenzhen. I took some photos with mountain lions and ships made of jade.

3.00 pm – After lunch and prayer we brought to The Great Wall of China. This is the ultimate of my visit to China. I have been dreaming to climb the wall since I took up architecture. The Wall was so steep and you could see it spanning the range of the mountain. Johnny said that the beginning of the Wall is near Gobi Desert and the ending by the sea fronting Japan. The length is about 6000 km. We were climbing the middle portion. I’m afraid of heights and further more not fit enough, therefore I only manage to climb to the 1st tower. Most of us do anyway. So the climb was a slow one because the riser of the steps was as high as my calf. There are no landings in between and is quite steep. Although there are handrails on both sides of the wall, I still find it hard to look back. I’m afraid I will fall. You could die falling of these walls. Once I reach the 1st tower, I was already exhausted and lack oxygen in my brain. I had to take a deep and slow breath otherwise I’ll get a severe headache.

4.30 pm – I was finally down at the base of the Wall after agonizing steps climbing down (told you that I’m afraid of height). But hey, I manage to get a certificate near the 1st tower saying that I have climbed the Great Wall on this day (it costs me RM 20).

6.00 pm – We were then brought to a tea house to be introduced to the types of tea. We get to sample a few sips too. But still the tea are expensive compared to Shenzhen.

8.30 pm – Back at the hotel after dinner and am ready for sleep. My roommates are wandering outside again.

DAY 4:
7.00 am – after the usual Subuh and getting ready, I was down at the lobby. I bought some t-shirts from the vendors that have been pestering us since day one.

8.30 am – After breakfast we were shown the Olympic Stadium. Never did I imagine buildings that I only saw in book are now right in front of my eyes!!! It was awesome. The engineering fete achieved was to me quite extraordinary. Near the Olympic ground was a Ruby Centre own by a Malaysian. They are also a sponsor for the Olympic Games 2008. Here, the owner sold us the jewelries at material cost because he was so happy to see fellow countrymen visiting his store. Thus a necklace at RM 1000 can go down to RM 200. Who wouldn’t buy it..ME of course. I’m so not into jewelry. I never liked gold especially necklace. Before we left the owner also gave each of us a free jade pendant.

11.00 am – We are now at the Summer Palace. The weather today was quite good and bright. The Summer Palace is 100% man-made. It was so beautiful. The lake was quite huge and they rear pearl oysters in it. We walk around part of the lake and then took a boat ride across. The lake is only 1 meter deep so there was no need for a life jacket to be worn during the boat ride.

3.00 pm – After lunch we brought to the markets for some shopping. I wouldn’t call it a market though, more of a stalls in a shopping complex form. Here we did our last minute shopping buying souveniers for love ones back home. I spend all my money here..hehehehe..

9.00 pm – Back at the hotel after dinner for some serious packing. I came to China with one bag; I came home with 2 bags. Not so bad compared to my friend who came back with 3 bags.

10.00 pm – Of to sleep.

DAY 5:
5.00 am – The day I’ve been waiting for. I’m going back home!!!. Already we are all in the bus. Our flight is at 9 am. So we must reach the airport 2 hours ealier. It’s like 8 am in Malaysia during this time.

8.00 am – We are already at the airport and checking in our luggage.

9.00 am – I’m in the plane. I got a window seat and already starting to feel sleepy. I can’t stand it anymore and falls asleep. Although I like to watch when the planes takes of from the ground to the air, I have no energy to open my eyes anymore..

3.00 pm – After 7 hours flight I finally reach KLIA. Had my brother to fetch me at the airport.

Overall I had a nice day. Some people complained that they were duped because they were not brought the shopping area or market as suggested in the travel itinery. To me, traveling to a foreign place is not so much about shopping. Some of the things sold can be bought in Malaysia. They think that it is cheaper, they should buy it here. They should plus the airfare cost and think about it again. Traveling to a foreign place is about discovering the culture and way of life there. There is so much to see and smell.

Lets see..where am I going next..