Happy Holiday

I just want to take this opportunity to wish everybody Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I am flying to KL today and off to HKG tomorrow. There will certainly be some traveling updates soon....

Until then, have a lovely holiday season!

cheers,

Some Updates

It has been a while from my last update! Well.. guys, sorry, I was busy traveling around, setting up my apartment, visiting my sister and friends etc.

It is always good to be back home and standing on home land soil. Food is good, weather is warm although often raining in the evening. But, I still felt like I am holidaying, from Penang to Kuala Lumpur, from Klang to Puchong, from Bukit Bintang to Bukit Jalil...

Travel zones changed from one continent to another, so does time zones. I guess, I am still traveling.

It is the month of December, the city has decorated with lots of festive decorations. I guess my holiday mood will continue to swing and I will have some more updates for your guys soon!

But, I do not have frequent internet connection. Just stay tune... will be right back soon!

Back home!

After a total of 15 hours flying, waiting and flying time, I arrived in Penang airport on Friday morning!

The hot air in the 26C temperature blew in as soon as I left the air craft.

Joyce and Vivien were outside waiting to collect me and my luggages! I was glad to be back home again.

I am sure I will have a busy schedule when I go to KL next week.

As traveling will be slow down for time being, this blog shall be use to share my day to day happening until my next holiday trip in December.

One Way Ticket

Flight No : MH 017
Duration : 11 hours 55 minutes
Depart Amsterdam : Thursday, November 17, 2005 - 1200
Arrive Kuala Lumpur : Friday, November 18, 2005 – 0655

Connecting flight : MH 1138
Depart Kuala Lumpur : Friday, November 18, 2005 – 0920
Arrive Penang : Friday, November 18, 2005 – 1015

Had flown this Amsterdam – KL sector for a couple of time and I bet this trip return home is going to be different feeling.

What is waiting for me back home is definitely more exciting and something that I have been looking forward to….

See you guys back home!

Count Down..

I have forgotten about why I asked for November 17 flight booking. I always thought that my return flight will be November 15; for a reason to leave this place after 2 months quitting my former job.

This small mistake has given me some awful home sick moments and made me really bored of my stay in Papenburg.

The weather is grey, raining and cold like the rest of Papenburg days that I could remember.

I was squatting in an apartment that currently nobody is staying and needed to clean it up before I leave at 6am on Thursday morning. But, isn’t there a cleaning lady Frau Muenster that have told me she will wrap and clean everything next Monday?

I was just lazy to go out for food and cycle around the town and repeat myself the same routine I will do after I have no job in Papenburg but just leisure time!

So, why did I have a November 17 ticket? Well, God knows! I just wanna go home now and am sure counting down every minute of my return trip!

The only bonus thing I could mention is I am so fortunate to be able to use SK laptop for internet. He is just too kind to hand over his laptop for me to kill some boring time!

Eemshaven

Date : August 3, 2005
Location : Port of Eemshaven

I drove back to Eemshaven from Papenburg few days before M/S Norwegian Jewel ready for operations. Skies were showing the stormy and raining sign. Surface was wide and across the view there were not much human beings nor animals. What a deserted place! When winds were blowing and the pedal of the power mills turned, I just felt small in this huge ground that bearing nobody until I saw the ship.

Butterflies at Dover

Date : August 6, 2005
Location : Port of Dover, England

Sailed with M/S Norwegian Jewel to Dover and disembarked in Amsterdam.
Went out on shore to city centre with L; along the sea front, there was a city carnival held by the city council.

We walked along the way and saw the ship as the background in front of a decoration store selling colourful butteries. Hence this picture.

View from Hauptkanal, Papenburg

When I came back to Papenburg from Paris, I realized that there were some changes and improvement to the main canal. The link that was still under construction before I left mid of September is now ready.

I went to Hapag Lloyd Travel Agency to pass the Virginia Beach Sand souvenir to the agent I knew. The windmill directly opposite their office has refurbished and install with the missing pedal. The boutique on the right had also completed its renovation.

Papenburg is not a town that will inspire poem or song. Papenburg may be a good place for retired seniors. Other than that, please do not count on its small German town charms that you are looking for to bring home because it does not have one.

I am not being cruel to have unpleasant comments about a town that I live for years. I just want to keep it plain so that I do not have to miss it too much and have sleepless night back home for losing such a great opportunity being away from it. I just want it to be another town that I visited in North America, Europe or Asia that will be in My Moments memories for a while and stay in the photo album for story-telling and share with friends on a cosy night out, as simple as this.

Dr M

My mother asked me was my shoes completed “Kaputt” after my recent vacation? I did not notice the result of my shoes being abused for the past 2 months on the road traveling around because I have too many pair of shoes.

After the question, I examined my shoes and indeed they are just worn out!

I bought this pair of shoes from Ashendorf Shoes shop “Klahsen” for EUR 49/- in year 2004 spring. It was a 50% discounted price and it is a UK brand Dr Martens but a Vietnam made product. It is a really comfortable pair of leather casual shoes in beige or light brown. But after recent trip, it became dark brown!

The shoes were forever dirty because I did not clean its leather surface once! But because of its comfort and casualness, I love it for traveling especially I could wear it day and night with no blister. I had to change the shoe lace in Milwaukee because it could not support me any longer. If there is something new about this shoe, it got to be the shoe lace.

I pack them in the box and ship home with my friend’s stuff. I wonder how many more trips this shoe will accompany me to and which regions will that be.

Somewhere out there...

Date : October 25, 2005
Location : Chicago Millennium Park

In Summer, fountain on will be formed and water come out from the floor, kids will play around and atmosphere is just awesome.

I was more inspired by the Asian face puzzle picture in the main structure that form the fountain’s boundary.

Hamburg -> Papenburg

The trip return to Papenburg from Hamburg was a little bit less emotional than my previous trip when I first met my Hamburg friends.

It was on the same platform, different Inter City train, but going to same directions bringing me away from Hamburg, closer to Papenburg again.

The train was full with people, with or without reservation. I bought my ticket 15 minutes before the departure time, taking the risk for not paying the additional EUR 1.50 reservation fees. I was lucky to get a seat in Car No 7.

The goodbye was short, but it was what I intended to do because I hate to have done a closer contact farewell when I know that I am not going to see them soon.

The train connection in Bremen, Oldenburg and Leer was on time. When I was back in Papenburg, my friend already there waiting to pick me up.

Quality time always running fast and only good memories will last at the end of the days. This short Hamburg trip definitely was good quality sharing!

Claudia and Jorg : I hope you will get a good place soon!! All the best :-)

Petite Cafe at Ependolf

I have a date this weekend with my Hamburg friends and this was arranged back in mid August. It was not a raining day, thank God! We went to Ependolf after meeting up at city centre.

Ependolf is a nice place close to city and have less tourist where only the locals whop and live.

There are many unique and lovely boutiques in this area and the crowd was not too crazy compared to the city centre we just came from. After a walk, we went to a cafe called "Petite Cafe" for afternoon coffee and German cake, "Kuchen".

I had a Latte Machiato and Strawberry Kuchen and it was really excellent!! According to my friends this cafe is famous for its Kuchen and the cafe is really petite, with different shape of tables and limited seatings, it often crowded and business is always busy. We were lucky to get a table for 3 and have good coffee time in this nice cafe.

Dinner was few hours later in an Italian Restaurant. Because of the good cake in the afternoon, I refused to have dessert after dinner in order to keep good memories of my Kuchen.

It was a lovely day and I am glad to know these friends from Hamburg. It was not too late to know them but it would be earlier, my former years working life in Papenburg will definitely be different.

Thanks, PraskiS !

Wedel

My ex-supplier invited me to visit their office in Wedel for a long long time. The excuse is always too busy and no time when come to think about it. Only few days before you want to leave for good, the time could be easily squeezed out.

Take a suburban train S1-bahn to Wedel, it is a last station of and took about 40 minutes from Hamburg city centre.

It was a raining day and after a good typical German breakfast in the hostel, I took a relaxing ride to Wedel. My ex-supplier cum friend was waiting for me at the station and welcome me with open hands.

Had a couple of lovely hours catch up with them in the beautiful show room, I left for the city centre before noon. My friend took a small ride to show me Wedel town and the Welcome Point of Elbe river where the ship pass the point and the national song will be sang, national flag will be raised before they got into the main Elbe river docks.

It was another grey typical North Germany day, but it was heartwarming to spend the morning in Wedel.

Papenburgt -> Hamburg

Bought a Lower Saxony Day Train Ticket for EUR 17 and traveled to Hamburg. The ticket has a line for you to fill in your name as the ticket owner. When I was on the first train, the conductor handed me a pen to do so. I can understand the reason behind because in the past, these tickets will be sold in a cheaper price to a second person or owner if the traveling day in done by 5pm whereas the ticket is valid from 9am to 3am for all the regional trains in the Lower Saxony State plus Bremen and Hamburg. Once my ex-colleague sold his weekend train ticket for EUR5 at 8pm after completed his traveling for that week. The weekend ticket once cost EUR 28 but now cost EUR 30, good for traveling on regional trains up to 5 persons.

I remembered when May was in Papenburg in 2002, we did one trip to Cologne with this Saturday weekend ticket for 5 persons and each of us paid EUR5.60 on all our train travel. The only disadvantage is you have to ride on regional trains and not fast train like Inter-City or Inter-City Express trains.

The journey time from Papenburg to Hamburg was 3 hours 53 minutes. Due to the connection, there is not much different if you travel on the Inter-City Train which is only got to be 20 minutes faster.

I booked self at the harbor youth hostel because I really like its location! The hostel is situated on top of a little slope above the Landungsbrucken station, excellent harbor view for its harbor front rooms in inexpensive price.

I have appointments with my supplier and my Hamburger friends this weekend, Thursday evening is basically free and easy. But after visited Hamburg so many times and have no desire to go for site seeing nor Reeperbahn red light district people watching, I went to my favourite Japanese Restaurant for a great Unagi Bento.

After a long holiday in recent America trip and Paris weekend breakaway, this Hamburg evening is plain and quiet.