John Denver - Leaving on a Jet Plane

leaving on a jet plane!

two more days, i will be flying back to kuala lumpur for good! i'm still very doubt on the decision i made. somehow, my parents are happy and excited! for myself, i have mixed feelings! im a bit upset for leaving here (i love europe) but at the same time im quite excited as i will be meeting my family and friends again.

the past 20 months have been very exciting (the best in my life)! i actually dont wanna leave europe but i dont have any other option. i have already been jobless for 6 months and if i keep waiting, i might get myself into serious mental illness (i already suspect myself of having mental disorder). the recent recession hasnt recovered and pound is still very weak. not just in the british soil, the situation in mainland europe is pretty bad as well. with chaos in greece, icelandic volcano still erupting, financial problems in spain and portugal and so on... maybe leaving europe isnt a bad decision.

anyway, i have yet to get enough of europe. i have not yet stepped into greece, croatia, portugal, norway and poland. i really wanna go to those countries! im sure i will be coming back to europe in the future. europe is like a heaven to me! beautiful places and great shopping. i need a few more pairs of paul smith shoes! after 20 months of shopping in europe, i think i will not be buying many things in malaysia. everything in malaysia is so overpriced! so, i gonna target of visiting europe once a year, starting 2011.

i'm still in uk but my parents already have plans for me in malaysia! they want me to get an apartment in kl and settle down. i dont really believe in marriage and they knew about it but my mom is still hoping for miracle. anyway, hope she gonna understand one day! what can i get in kl? aside for stupid politicians, overpriced clothes/ shoes and low wages, kuala lumpur isnt that bad! i can have many good friends around me and eat good food everyday and the most important, i can see my parents very often!

as for my travelling life, there are still many countries in asia which i have yet to travel. where will be next for me... for rest of 2010, i hope i can make it to laos, sri lanka and vietnam. in 2011, hope i can make it to china and india!

well... going back to kl isnt that bad after all! hope i can get back to technip and enjoy the life in kl i once had! all the best to myself!

21/05/2010

flirting with the romantic side of europe!

czech has long been in my wishlist but somehow i didnt manage to go until a week ago. czech is so different from other european nations i have visited. the country is extremely beautiful and being a budget traveller, it is a dream destination... everything is so cheap! a superb bohemian dinner (with czech beer of course) costs not more than 7 pound. for 8 days, i used less than 200 pound for souvenirs, transportations, entrance fees and meals.

i kicked off my czech expedition at the world renowned city, prague. somehow... i'd feel like i was in korea rather than in an european country. i saw koreans everywhere!! i'm 100% sure they are korean. why? japanese are more polite and talk with manner and 10 out of 10 korean aunties perm their hair (is it a culture thing? no idea). back to prague... the city is so inspiring and absolutely romantic! the city is just like a painting...

Prague Castle

St. Vitus Cathedral

Prague Castle

vltava river, prague

church of st nicholas

charles bridge

prague city

on day three, i took a bus to south bohemia and visited ceske budejovice and cesky krumlov. ceske budejovice is the home to the famous beer, budweiser. i have lost count on how many bottles/ glasses i have drank in czech. ceske budejovice is a nice city but nothing to be amazed. the story is kinda different with cesky krumlov. the town is so charming (of all the old towns i have visited in europe, only bruges in belgium can rival this place). for those who are planning to go to czech, make sure you include this charming town in your itinerary. i'd feel like i'm there to film a fairytale.

ceske budejovice

cesky krumlov

day four, i explored two charming towns, telc and trebic. telc is the home to a very beautiful town square. telc is listed in unesco world heritage list. trebic is famous for its old jewish quarter which is also a unesco world heritage site. it was my first time visiting a jewish area (hope my muslim friends wont hate me for it). beside the jewish quarter, trebic also has a very beautiful square and basilica.

telc

trebic

on day five, after checked-in at the executive room at holiday inn brno, i took 1 hour bus ride to komeriz. the chateau in komeriz is listed in unesco world heritage list. komeriz is a very relaxing town with beautiful park and garden. after done exploring komeriz, i took another bus ride and arrived 1 and a half hours later at olomouc. olomouc is an extremely beautiful city (100 times better than ceske budejovice and brno). the city has many squares, fountains and architecture wonders. i snapped more than 100 pictures at the main square (horni namesti) alone. the holy trinity column is so damn cool! but somehow, olomouc isnt a very popular tourist spot. it should deserves the limelight like other czech cities.

komeriz

olomouc

day six, i explored lednice, a small town in the south of brno. sadly, the beautiful chateau was on renovation. to be honest, the nearby park isnt as interesting as described. i should have visited the nearby town (valtice) as well. from pictures, valtice seems to be a very nice place for a spring afternoon walk. anyway, i spent the rest of the afternoon at brno city.

lednice

brno

on day 7, i spent the morning in litomysl. i really like litomysl. the chateau is a unesco world heritage site. it isnt a very big or grand castle but very pretty. i will let my pictures below do the talking.

litomysl

day 8, i explored the famous kutna hora. the town is the home to a very eerie and spooky church/ ossuary. bones are used to decorate the church! it definately not a place to go after dark. the town also has many other interesting churches/ cathedrals.

kutna hora

czech has so much to offer! the whole country has many interesting attractions and so much to learn and of course, good beer! after spent slightly more than a week in czech, i finally understand why everyone wanna go there! the country is so beautiful and fit everyone's budget. i didnt need to spend a fortune to enjoy the best in the country! czechs are helpful and friendly which made my whole trip even more meaningful. folks... start planning your czech exploration now and i am sure you wont regret!

for more photos, click here.