Adek In Sydney 2017- Part II

Friday, 14 July 2017

We had decided to go to Parramatta today and left our room at almost 10:00. We walked up to Circular Quay (took us 45 minutes), bumping into fellow Gooners along the way. After consulting electronic board, we went to the designated wharf and waited. There was a bit of confusion as the boards first showed our ferry departing from right side and then showed it departing from the left side. We departed later than scheduled too. It took one hour and 23 minutes to reach Parramatta by ferry but at least you get to experience riding the ferry. Parramatta is the furthest stop inland that ferry can go.

At Parramatta, we waited for the Parramatta Shuttle Bus that takes you on a continuous loop around downtown. We got down near Parramatta Park and left not long after. We then took the shuttle bus on another loop before getting down near Centenary Square. To be honest, I found Parramatta a tad underwhelming. We then went to Westfield Parramatta as we wanted to find free wifi – the mall provided it, Alhamdulillah! – to check in for the flight back. We’d only arrived a couple of days earlier and would already be departing after the next couple of days. Well, I didn’t intend to stay too long in Sydney anyway. It has become more and more expensive over the years and I sadly only earn Malaysian Ringgit.

I then went to browse some stores to find some wipes that my sister asked me to and after a dozen stores and spending 10 minutes on average at the wipes aisle of those stores, I concluded that the particular brand that she wanted was no longer in production. I bought some crisps and then went to check out Target before leaving. We got the train back to Central within 3 minutes of its departure and it took only 26 minutes.

Today was my last fasting day so after prayers, we cooked dinner at the kitchen a floor up.

  

Saturday, 15 July 2017

I slept again after Suboh and got up after 08:00. We left for Paddy’s Market after breakfast but didn’t buy any souvenirs. We came back at almost noon and stayed in. I took advantage of this and made progress on my book. We left at 17:30 after having dinner and performing prayers and went to Central station. This time, there was a direct train to Olympic Park. Even better!

We headed directly for the stadium and entered (hardly any queue by the time we arrived). Our seats this time were at the fourth row from the boards that separated the pitch from the spectators. The crowds around us were more vocal too this evening and there were always a few individuals trying to get us to start chanting. So much so, one bloke in front of missed one of the goals (he was too busy looking back and rallying us). I also heard another chap a few rows behind saying that we all just wanted to watch the match.

This time, the rush back to the station wasn’t as bad as on Thursday and we managed to squeeze into the first train that arrived. There were some vocal Gooners in the carriage we entered and we all sang our way back to Central station. Now that was fun!

Sunday, 16 July 2017

I woke up early this morning after the post-Suboh kip to finish packing. We had a late breakfast and left at 09:45. We followed the same route back to the airport that we took on Wednesday in reverse and arrived at the airport almost an hour later. After dropping off our bags and getting our boarding passes, we cleared security and immigration. There’s no prayer room once you clear immigration so I performed prayers in the parents’ room before making my way to the gate.

We took off on time and landed at KLIA at 20:00. The bags came out well after we finished performing prayers and we took a Grab back to KL.

So that was my third trip to Sydney and sixth to Australia. I doubt if I’ll be back because there are many more places that I haven’t been to. Thanks anyway Sydney for all the memories.

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Just a bit on my Airbnb: from the airport, you can take a cab or Uber (AUD20-40 depending on traffic and terminal (departing from international terminal would cost more), or you can take the Airport train to Central. The Airport train costs AUD16.22 from the airport to Central with an Opal card as you have to pay the airport access fee of AUD13.80 so we chose to walk to Wolli Creek instead. The Airbnb is pretty near Central station, about 15 minutes’ walk away. You can also take a bus from Eddy Avenue Stand C, routes 338, 374, 376 and 391; get off at Flinders St near South Dowling, cross at the lights and walk three minutes downhill to the front door. We chose to walk.

We had to get the keys from a locked box at the unit next door and after opening the door, walk up the stairs to the first landing where the bathroom and TV room are. Our room is one of the two rooms just a few steps up the landing and it overlooks South Dowling St. There is another flight of stairs up to the host’s housemate’s room, a bathroom and kitchen and another room above the kitchen (accessed from the kitchen). The two other housemates couldn’t be friendlier.

My comments are that the room is slightly dusty (those with dust allergy should avoid it) and the dustbin in the kitchen just overflew, and the housemates were not diligent about keeping the kitchen counter and sink empty so a few times I washed up their glasses and crockery. I know I wasn’t paying to stay at a hotel (too dang expensive and even this Airbnb didn’t come cheap what with inflated Sydney prices) but I would have appreciated a cleaner and tidier kitchen. Not sure how frequent garbage collection is there or why no one bothered to take the trash out. Those are my main comments.

Adek In Sydney 2017- Part I

This plan was hatched on 9 December 2015 when I first heard Arsenal were planning to go to Sydney. Then seven months later, in early July 2016, I received an email from Arsenal informing of a 48-hour priority window to secure tickets for the matches against Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers. So on 16 July 2016, with the help of CT, I tried and finally managed to secure tickets – and all whilst preparing drinks for guests who came to visit (it was a few days after Eid then). Having secured the tickets, I then searched for air tickets and finally purchased a return AirAsia ticket. Truth be told, I was planning to visit Sydney again having been there twice before, or any part of Australia as I’d been there 5 times before. But hey, never say never.

In mid-February 2017, I decided to search for MAS tickets instead and bought them via Expedia. I had made a booking at a hotel via booking.com before deciding to source a host via Airbnb. After having a couple of reservations declined and one cancelled, I finally managed to secure a room at a flat in Surry Hills. Phew, Alhamdulillah! Then it was just a matter of time of waiting for the tickets to arrive (electronically in my case) and applying for a visa.

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

I left office and got a ride from my dear colleague to KL Sentral. I was fasting today and broke fast at Le Meridien Hotel. After performing prayers, I had some char kuay teow (the taste left much to be desired though) before going down to take the bus. I had a sudden fear of the 21:30 bus being full so decided to take the 21:00 bus and it turned out to be quite empty. And I found out the flight was retimed to depart 20 minutes later than scheduled. Strewth.

We reached KLIA after only 50 minutes and after dropping off our bags, we went in. I had my main meal then as I was planning to fast the following day.

Wednesday, 12 July 2017

We took off after midnight and as usual sleep was elusive. I liked the area where I sat; the first row of economoney and there are only two rows in that space before the food preparation area. We were not business class but we were somehow isolated from the rest of the cabin class passengers. Sleep was elusive as usual and at one point, I got up and had some water as I was feeling dehydrated. I then asked one of the cabin crew, Miss Afiza, when breakfast would be served as I was planning to fast the following day. She told me it would be served 2.5 hours before arrival, i.e. about 07:30 Sydney time but 05:30 Perth time. I had checked that Suboh was at 05:50 in Perth then so technically if they served us on time, I would be able to have my breakfast as predawn meal. And what do you know, Miss Afiza came and served me ahead of everyone, including those with special dietary needs. She remembered our conversation! How thoughtful, sweet and considerate was that? I had my meal gratefully. Syukur alhamdulillah. She did tell me to hurry as Suboh was approaching. No problem, I thought.

We landed into a wet wet wet Sydney at 09:50 but our plane was made to wait on the runway (along with about 5 other planes ahead of ours). A while turned out to be 45 minutes and I was desperately holding my bladder throughout. We were finally assigned another bay as the plane occupying our designated bay was still there. I was worried that there would be a long queue at immigration but I needn’t have worried as the officers were pretty quick. We did have to queue to clear quarantine though but we cleared it without much ado.

After freshening up, we went to WH Smith to buy Opal cards. I’d done my research and AUD20 would be sufficient to load into our cards. The chap manning the counter was on the phone and looked and sounded distracted but he asked us what we needed and we told him. After asking for directions from a lady to Wolli Creek, we set off, passing by another WS Smith shop.

It was pissing rain and we walked about one km to Wolli Creek. It wasn’t far but it wasn’t much fun in the rain. At the station, we looked at the electronic displays before heading to the right platform to Central station, not realising the machine where we had to tap our Opal cards. I had to return back to the station entrance to tap and was not happy at all to find that one card had AUD40 value while the other had no value. I asked at a nearby kiosk and they couldn’t do anything either as Opal is run by a different private company. I was seething at this point and was angry that I had to part with another AUD20 to reload the empty card. Stupid WH Smith man. Damn you!!!

We reached Central station after about 12 minutes and I was not amused to find that the machine deducted AUD5.95 from my card when the fare should have been only AUD2.36. Seriously?! Barely a few hours after arriving and I was already pissed off. It was still pissing rain when we walked out of the station, crossed over to Foveaux St that climbed up until the Crown Street intersection (no wonder it’s called Surry Hills!) and continued on Fitzroy St until we reached our Airbnb room (an upgrade from this room just next door to the one we stayed at).

After freshening up and performing prayers, we left and walked out and walked up to Sydney Opera House. The weather was acting up again with brief spells of sunshine alternating with spells of drizzle. I broke my fast at Sydney Opera House and on the way back, we stopped at Gelato Messina at Gateway Plaza. We also dropped by Romeo’s and Aldi to buy food. We reached our room after 8 p.m. and rested.

Thursday, 13 July 2017

I woke up at 04:45 and had my pre-dawn meal. I had another kip after Suboh prayers and got up after 08:00. We left after 09:00 and headed out. It was a beautiful winter’s day with endless skies overhead and not a cloud in sight. What a welcome change from the day before! We stumbled upon The Salvation Army shop at Crown St and had a browse. It had a good selection of clothes, household items, toys and books and some shoes and accessories. After that, we went to check out Hermès (branded luxury goods cost more in Australia but I wanted to check out the offerings) before heading to Queen Victoria Building. Anyway, after The Salvation Army shop, I didn’t feel like browsing the departmental store or other high-street shops. We then went to Woolworths and then Coles before I detoured to Paddy’s Market. I spotted a few Gooners there in their Arsenal tops (I was wearing one too beneath the shawl and jacket). I stumbled upon the produce area (never been to that area of market before and it’s mainly run by Chinese Indonesians. I finally bought some broccoli but not before telling off the rude obnoxious seller not to be so rude. I then returned to the Airbnb. There are some road works going on in some parts of the CBD, just like around the airport on the way to Wolli Creek.

We left at 15:15 and headed to Central station. Our match ticket included free public transportation until early the following morning so we followed instructions and crowd to the platform. We took the train to Lidcombe where we had to change trains (and platforms) to Olympic Park. We arrived early enough and after walking around the food stalls selling various snacks and the various Arsenal kiosks, we decided to head over to Pullman Hotel. I broke fast there and even performed prayers at a small corner in the hotel lobby (no prayer room in the hotel). We only made our way to the ANZ Stadium after 18:15 and the stadium was still empty. There were a couple of giant screens showing highlights of goals etc. and after a while, a few groups of school kids decked out in their various sports attire came out and walked half-way around the stadium before disappearing into the tunnel. The stadium started filling up and the Arsenal lads finally came out to warm up at 19:35.

The match kidkced off just after 20:00 and we sat back to enjoy. Well, we did get occasionally frustrated with Theo and Welbz but we finally managed a 2-0 win. We left at 22:30 after battling our way out of the stadium to the train station and to the platform. This time, the train took us directly to Central station without us having to change trains at lidcombe. Alhamdulillah. We dropped by Woolworths Central as I wanted to buy some milk (Woolworths closes at midnight). Then we walked up the hill back to the Airbnb.

To be continued

Charmed Life

I’m going to do another frivolous post today and this time I’m going to talk about charms. Specifically bag charms and includes bag accessories too. Do you do it? Do you dress and accessorise up your bags?

I read that it could be a cultural thing. For instance, in Japan, the girls there love to accessorise their bags and even have gizmos hanging from their handphones. In other countries, some women sniff their noses at this idea of accessorising one’s bags: they feel expensive bags should not be saddled with charms or accessories, nor do the bags need them in the first place. Parisian women especially don’t wear big logos and other accessories on bags. They claim they like to be mysterious and they consider too many accessories give a cheap look. They prefer to project what they claim is understated luxury or understated elegant nonchalance.

In other countries, it’s pretty much do what you love although it does look like it’s mainly Asian and American girls who like accessorising their bags, me included. I say, to each her own! I love accessories myself and hardly leave home without a fashion necklace or bracelet or rings. On some days, I may wear a couple of necklaces, a couple of bracelets and at least a couple of rings and on top of all that, I also put on a flower brooch and/or belt. If there is one accessory I don’t leave home without, it is my watch. I get upset if I somehow forget to wear my watch because I rely on it so much and my wrist just feels naked without my watch (I don’t get as upset if I leave my handphone behind so you can see which one I value more or rather which one’s absence I would feel more). So it’s a natural extension for me to also accessorise my bags with a simple bag charm or twilly (I may have even invested in some charms for shoes too but if I did, I can’t recall where they are now). I don’t go overboard (at least I don’t think so!) and I don’t accessorise all handbags that I carry, only selected ones. I don’t accessorise my Chanel bags but I do accessorise some of my Louis Vuitton and Hermès bags. Some bags are already heavy enough even without the added bag charm so I only use light charms. I also draw the line at spending on Fendi Karlito and monster bag charms: they are expensive and I don’t find them appealing.

There’s also a comment that twillies are so last decade but hey, I want to enjoy carrying my bags without having to deal with the headache and heartache of premature wear and tear on the handles. Also, twillies help absorb the oil from my hands. After all, I’ve spent a fortune on my bags so it makes sense to me to care for them in my own way.

Is bag accessorising a young thing? Well, I’m a believer of ‘you don’t stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop playing’. Maybe one day I’ll grow out of it. Yeah, I can’t see a lady in her 50s still rocking bag charms but hey, fashion changes and who knows it wouldn’t look and sound so odd in the next decade or so.

What about you? Do you accessorise your bags too?

Visiting Etiquette

I thought it’d be apt to touch on visiting etiquette (as some of us are still in Eid celebrating mood) and yes, this post is also inspired by Chef Wan’s recent Instagram post.

As Chef Wan mentioned, do give the hosts some time to spend quality family time together especially on the morning of the first day of Eid before descending upon them. Be considerate and mindful that the hosts would also like to seek forgiveness from each other and take family photos together. After all, the hosts may not meet each other as frequently as they would have liked either and as everyone are together and all donning new clothes, of course they would like to capture that moment. Guests can start visiting after 10:30 or 11:00 and no later than 21:00.

Do not expect too much from the hosts. The intention of visiting is to reinforce the relationship with the hosts, to seek forgiveness and wish each other well. Not solely to eat. If there is good food, Alhamdulillah, that’s a bonus. If not, simple cookies should suffice. Don’t make the hosts feel pressured into going out of their way to prepare special dishes for you especially if you come to visit after the second day of Eid.

Do not overstay. Sure, you want to spend time together with the hosts, to catch up and reminisce the good old days but remember that the hosts may have had other obligations or engagements that they’re too polite to mention to you. Our good neighbours once visited until way past 11:00 pm and while I love them and all, I had to stay up to wait for them to leave (I have to pass the hall to get to my bedroom). I had to sleep and get up early the next day to go to work (they’re pensioners and don’t have the need to rush home). I’ve had a particular cousin who once came in the afternoon and stayed on until it was dusk so of course we invited her and family to perform Maghrib prayers together as we didn’t want them to miss the prayers should they suddenly be caught in an unexpected crawl on their way home. They finally left after 9 pm. I think they were expecting us to invite them to stay for dinner (I was also getting hungry by then) but I didn’t as we only had enough food for the two of us for dinner. Abah was also prevented from going to the madrasah as he is wont to do every evening.

If you bring small children or toddlers, do keep a sharp eye on them. Make sure they behave and not run amok in the hosts’ house. Make sure they do not pile too much on their plates (and same goes to the parents/guardians too!) and they do not spill any food or drinks anywhere. Some parents these days are content to watch their little terrors run around the house, terrorising the hosts’ pets, opening up cupboards and drawers etc. and doing nothing about it. If anything, they seem proud to have bred those little monsters. They shrug off any feelings of guilt by saying they are kids after all, let them play. They are blind, mute and deaf to the destruction of their precious monsters. If that was me, I’d be given an evil side eye by Mummy. We were all disciplined by our parents when we were small (I sure do hope so!) so why don’t we also discipline our offspring? Why would we want others to label our children as unruly and lacking discipline? And surely you don’t want to leave the hosts feeling angry and stressed after your visit at the stains and any ruined furniture. You wouldn’t take it kindly if that had happened to your home either.

Do give your hosts ample notice of your intended visit instead of just barging in. This is to save them any embarrassment of maybe having an untidy house, being indecently dressed to receive guests or being unable to play hosts because they are unwell. Having given notice, by no means though should you expect the hosts to be serving special dishes when you have given notice of your visit; after all, the visit is to reinforce your relationship and to catch up with each other.

Do be punctual and respect your hosts’ time. The same cousin I mentioned earlier once rang to say she was coming with her family in the afternoon around 3 pm. I forewent my siesta and fried some pastries and then sat down to wait. And we waited and waited until they finally showed up well after 5:30 pm. I was not best pleased to have been denied my siesta and how selfish could she get anyway? What made her think we didn’t have any plans for the evening? Did she think we’d be happy to still receive her visit if she had arrived at 8 pm too? Just last Friday, my sister-in-law told my sister that she and family would be coming on Saturday morning. My poor sister went to the market early on Saturday and began to cook and cook for hours. And guess what? They finally showed up after 3 and left before 4:30 pm! It’s such a blinking shame that Malays being Muslims place such low importance on time and their word of promise and have no respect and consideration for others’ time.

Ever since Mummy left us and I moved back home, I made it a point not to cook for guests, including my brothers and their families. First off, I hate cooking and secondly, I’m not going to slave in the kitchen. It’s all I can do to maintain my sanity by going to work (travelling to/fro work and being at work already takes an average of 12 hours) and maintaining two houses. I’m sorry but there’s only one of me to do everything at home and micasa (cooking, ironing, sweeping inside and outside the house, watering plants, changing bed linens and curtains etc.) and I’m not going to spend any limited time I have left cooking. Some guests are wise enough to realise this and come bringing food. To them, I say thank you for your understanding and kind gesture. Otherwise, perhaps it would be better to head out to a coffee shop or a cosy restaurant; this way, both the guests and hosts can catch up without any interruption. And any children that are included would usually (hopefully) behave better in a public setting.

Let’s strive to be both good hosts and guests, shall we, to make any visit a fruitful one and to reinforce the relationship between the two parties. That is the intention of visiting each other after all.

Un-flat-tering Footwear

There was a directive a couple of months ago that we are all now to don covered footwear to work. This means we can no longer wear sandals, slippers, FitFlops or Birkenstock to work or out during lunch or to Friday prayers for the men. This had understandably caused a stir especially those among us who take the public transportation. I for one would not wear my office footwear on my daily commute because I walk and I walk A LOT (at least 3.5 km daily - and that excludes the walking in the office because I don’t carry my handphone everywhere).

I do get that wearing sandals or slippers at work does not give one a professional image and I agree with that (for that matter, it’s not professional to wear ballerina flats at work either despite them being covered footwear!). I take pride in how I dress for work and the image that I project because I represent my employer. I do not want to be labelled as unprofessional and I don’t want to send the wrong message that those who work where I do, don’t care about how they dress or don’t care about their professional image. But for me, coming to work in sandals or Birkenstock is not a problem as long as you shed them off and are shod in covered shoes at work.

It is causing a problem for me because I need to wear comfortable practical footwear that won’t wear off fast. I definitely am not going to wear heels to work because they are impractical for people like me who ride the public transportation and walk quite a bit. So like it or not, I have to resort to wearing flats or ballerina to work (only to work and not at work because I have stopped liking flats a long time ago. I’m vertically challenged and flats do not help me one bit) and the most practical for me are... Crocs. They are comfortable, practical, do not give off odour, dry easily should I have to walk in heavy rain, light and not slippery. Yes, some of them are not aesthetically pleasing but hey Crocs can’t tick every box.

So yes, for now, I come to and return back from work in boring Crocs. In the meantime, while I dislike flats and ballerinas, I’m lusting after a pair of Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats. But oh look at the price! I suppose I can DIY a pair...

Charlotte Olympia Kitty Flats

Until I get my paws on a pair of Kitty Flats, I’ll rock my Kitty Pumps >^..^< *meow*

Spring In My Step: Step V

Saturday, 6 May 2017

We had to get down to clear the French immigration then got on the bus and get down again after a few minutes to clear the British immigration. The British immigration was very strict; all officers were questioning those at their respective counters thoroughly. I remember once I had to show the football match ticket to the silly immigration lady who asked if I was going to watch Arsenal play in the Champions League. Anyway, this time I cleared within a couple of minutes then returned back to the bus.

As it was already Suboh, I decided to perform prayers first before attempting to sleep.

When I next woke up, we were already in England. The few trips I had before on overnight coaches from continental Europe to London, we had to drive up to the ferry and after the coach had been parked in the parking bay, passengers had to disembark and go up to the ferry decks before returning to the coach just before we arrived in England. This time, we just stayed in the bus throughout. I must have managed to doze off because I had no recollection of the ferry crossing at all. In fact, I was even wondering if we had even crossed the Strait of Dover until I looked out and saw we were on the left side of the road again. Before long, we were driving in Greater London as I could discern from the bus stop signs.

We pulled into London Victoria Coach Station at 04:45, 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. It was cold and I decided I would stay in the station until about 06:30 before leaving. Sleep was elusive so I decided to finish my book.

I left at 06:25 and walked to Victoria Station and took the tube to Marylebone station. I had earlier bought train ticket to Bicester Village for £5.50 each way (to my surprise, a return ticket would cost me more) and I managed to arrive and board the train by 06:55 (despite having to change tubes). The train left on time at 07:05 and I reached Bicester Village at 07:56. Yes, pretty early considering the shops are only open from 09:00 but I had planned to freshen up first. The bathroom was a dream and after freshening up, I went out and asked a man cleaning the car park directions to Bicester Village. He answered me in Indonesian; turned out he’s from Timur Leste and has holds both Timur Leste and Portuguese passports. We chatted for quite a while until the Visitor Centre opened and I left my bags there (complimentary! What a relief not to have to haul my bags along!) before walking to the Village. It was barely 09:00 and the shops were not opened yet although a few opened a few short minutes later. There were already quite a few other shoppers who had the same idea of me of arriving early and some came with huge oversize suitcases too!

Daffodils in May (!) at Bicester Village. I love the landscape there

I walked around and went into a few stores. After a while, I went to find Tesco. There were some roadworks and the Village was also undergoing an expansion (more shops were being built) so I had to cross the road and follow the temporary pedestrian route. I was surprised to find a Tesco Superstore this time and a bit further than before (it wasn’t Tesco Superstore that I went to before which was so much nearer). Turned out that the Tesco I went to earlier (and indeed quite near to the Village) had been demolished to make way for the Village expansion and the Superstore was built as replacement. I bought a set of meal deal (salad, a bottle of juice and a small pack of crisps) then returned to the Village.

I walked around the Village again but nothing much caught my fancy (I did see a Swarovski bracelet but it looked far too big for my wrist). There was a long queue outside Pandora (and a crowd in the store – I’m not into Pandora so I didn’t join in) and inside Cath Kidston. The Saturday crowd began to build and I even sighted and overheard some Malays (someone was commenting on if LV went on sale as she passed by me but I didn’t listen to the rest of her sentence).

I left empty-handed and returned to the Visitor Centre at noon and charged my devices. At 12:45, I went to get my left bags from the reception then went to the bathroom before going to the platform. We reached Marylebone at 13:50 and then I had to navigate the tube and stupid stairs to Goldhawk Road. This is one reason why I dislike taking the tube: the stairs. Sure, there are escalators but there are areas where there are only stairs. I finally reached Goldhawk Road station at 14:30 I think. This was my first time in Shepherd’s Bush. I dropped by Shepherd’s Bush Market before continuing on to Saint Stephen’s Avenue to the Airbnb room which I had paid for the next two nights.

After getting my keys (my host had provided me detailed instruction), I had a shower and hand laundered my clothes. I left after performing prayers and walked to Shepherd’s Bush station, stopping along the way to browse Argos catalogue (sis had asked me to find a cooler bag for her). I then took the train to Island Gardens, changing trains at Bank station, and took the underground tunnel across to Greenwich. The day was overcast but it wasn’t that cold.

I walked up to Greenwich Park and then back down (I even saw a fox! But was too slow to take my camera out to take a photo before it ran away) and then walked along the river before crossing the underground tunnel and taking the trains back to Shepherd’s Bush. I bought fish and chips from a restaurant and had it back at the flat.

London skyline from Greenwich Park

Sunday, 7 May 2017

I woke for morning prayers and went back to bed and woke up again at 08:45! I hurriedly showered and had breakfast and then left to take a bus. It was so convenient there: walk out to Goldhawk Road a few metres away and bus 94 will take you all the way to Piccadilly Circus. The journey took about 45 minutes but I wasn’t in any real hurry. I had forgotten that the shops opened late on Sunday so my waking up late wasn’t a problem; even if I had left earlier, the shops were closed anyway. From Piccadilly Circus, I walked to nearby Chinatown then back to Oxford Street. I had wanted to find some books at any charity shop and decided to walk to Knightsbridge but the charity shop there didn’t have any books so instead I stopped and Harrods for a while before returning to Oxford Street via Mayfair. I took bus 94 back to the flat (and sneaked a peek over a gentleman’s shoulder to find out the footie status). Back at the flat, I repacked my purchases and stuff. Having walked at least 32.1 km today, I stayed in for the rest of the evening. Having finished all the books I brought along for the trip, I was feeling bored with nothing to read – my host or her housemate are not readers at all.

The Spirit of Soho mural

Monday, 8 May 2017

I woke up for prayers and again at 08:00. I left the flat and walked to W12 Shopping Centre to find chocolates and books. Brrr! It felt like 8 February instead of 8 May today, it was sooo cold. I returned after an hour and packed again.

I left the flat after a light meal and walked down to Hammersmith station. It’s the nearest tube station on the Piccadilly line and more importantly, it has step-free access. I’d rather walk than take the stairs with my bags, thank you very much. It took me 20 minutes of struggling but I reached the station and got the lift to the platform just as a train was approaching. Alhamudillah! It took 30 minutes to reach Terminal 4 of Heathrow.

After dropping off my bags, I went to VAT claim office at Level 1 (I was tempted to ask the women ahead of me what their jobs were because their receipts were so long!) and after having had my forms checked, I returned to Level 5 and went through security. There was no immigration check though. I then went to find the prayer room (near to Gate 3).

Our flight was delayed slightly due to the late arrival of the airplane. It was an A380 and it was empty so a few of us changed places and went in front to stretch out). I watched La La Land (I must be one of the minority few who didn’t think much of the movie, I even fast-forwarded it a few times).

Tuesday, 9 May 2017

We landed late in Doha of course (because of the late departure; good thing I had performed prayers) but this time we didn’t have to take the bus to the terminal or undergo the transfer process. We took off on time and I tried to catch some kip.

We landed at KLIA at 15:15 and my bags only appeared at 16:15 and 16:20. I took the 16:40 train to KL Sentral then LRT to Ampang Park and then the bus back to Ampang Point, arriving into the thunderstorm and torrential downpour in Ampang.

So that was my trip. I managed to finish 4 books (should have been more but I ran out of books) and covered eight new UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Alhamdulillah for the rezeki.

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Wishing everyone a blessed Ramadan Kareem. May our ibadah be accepted and continue on beyond Ramadan, insyaAllah.

Spring In My Step: Step IV

Friday, 5 May 2017

I exited the terminal building after midnight and sat on a bench. After a while, I moved to join a couple in a restaurant sidewalk. I don’t think I managed to even doze off. Maybe I did for a very short while before I was woken up by a woman who was playing with her smart phone. Shame, if only owning a smart phone makes one smart.

It got progressively colder by the minute and I was soon shivering. I stomped my feet, wrapped myself up in another layer of scarf, dug my hands into my jacket pocket but it still remained cold.

The building finally opened at 04:00 and we rushed inside. I went to use the bathroom to freshen myself up and perform ablutions. I went to have my ticket and passport checked after performing morning prayers before going through security check.

We emerged into the cold Pisa morning to find a very heavy fog but went to board the plane anyway. As luck would have it, I was again assigned to the very last row, row 33 but by the aisle this time. We waited for take-off and when the door closed, I went to use the bathroom and then changed seats to the row in front (all three seats were empty). I must have dozed off for when I got up, the plane was on the runway. I thought we had landed (checked my watch and it showed it had been two hours since we boarded the plane and our flight time was supposed to take less than two hours) but no, we were only just taking off! We were delayed by the thick fog or mist or whatever you call it. Well, at least this delay meant I could catch some kip so I dozed back off to sleep and only woke up as we were about to make our descent.

This was how thick the fog was

We landed at Paris Beauvais Airport after 10:00 and I was attended to by a gruff immigration officer who asked me questions in French. I went eh and probably spoke Italian back to him. He checked with his colleague who confirmed that Malaysians do not need Schengen visa to enter France. Duh, I almost blurted out, aren’t you supposed to know all these? Of the ASEAN countries, only Malaysians, Bruneians and Singaporeans don’t need Schengen visa.

I wasn’t in a hurry and wanted to charge my devices for a bit and also get online so I left the terminal after an hour and walked to the bus stand. However, the few of us who were there were told to wait in the terminal as the next bus would depart in an hour’s time. So I went back to the terminal building and continued charging my devices. I had bought the bus ticket online just before departing for Europe and it gave a small saving compared to buying it from the ticket office (Malaysia is not stated in the list of countries, I had to scroll down until I found it spelt in Arabic. Not sure how Malaysians who can’t read Arabic would be able to buy the bus ticket online). I returned to the bus stand 50 minutes later and we finally boarded the bus at 12:45.

The bus arrived at Porte Maillot after 14:00 and after buying a bottle of water from a supermarket in Palais descongrès de Paris, I headed for the métro station but it was closed. So I studied the map I picked up on the bus and decided to walk to the next station. It took about six minutes to walk to Argentine and knowing how inaccessible and not-travel friendly most of the metro stations are, I decided to walk on. So I walked along Avenue de la Grande Armée to Arc de Triomphe to Avenue des Champs-Élysées until I reached Place de la Concorde. It was a lovely spring day and it was pleasant to walk in that weather. I then turned left to Rue de Rivoli before crossing over to Rue Cambon. All in all, it was a 4-km or a 2.5-mile-walk and took me about 50 minutes. No sweat.

Today was shopping day and I had already set my target on Fauré Le Page Daily Battle and Delage Lulu totes. Rue Cambon is more famous for Chanel flagship store but I have enough Chanel bags and am weaning myself of LV and Chanel. Besides, the Chanel boutique looked to be under renovation. After Fauré Le Page, I went to Rue du Mont Thabor to find Delage but had to return to Fauré Le Page when I couldn’t locate it. The lady who attended to me help to call Delage and told me it was a showroom and I would have to take the elevator to level 3. I spent some time at Delage and finally found a Lulu bag that I wanted. The credit card machine was down though so I had to pay via PayPal. I did state my reservation about using PayPal (the exchange rates are just horrible) and the kind bloke said he would give me a 5% discount to make up for the exchange rate charge (and I still got to claim tax refund too!). After concluding my transaction, I asked him for a favour: to use the bathroom (sure, no problem) and if I could use some space in the reception to perform prayers. He suggested for me to use the showroom instead and after asking twice if he didn’t mind, I thanked him profusely. Wow, I had been expecting a hostile reception from some locals (Islamphobia and indeed this was why I didn’t care to rush to the city centre as I wanted to minimise the time spent downtown) but this kind bloke was so understanding and helpful.

I had to return to Fauré Le Page, yes, again as they had given me the wrong tax refund form (it was issued to a Filipino girl and I only realised it when I was talking to the kind bloke at Delage). While waiting for the right tax refund form printed out, I unpacked my LeSportsac shopping tote and put in the two new totes I just bought (one into another and then both into the LeSportsac). I then folded the paperbags and shoved them into my suitcase. I think the sales assistants were all gaping at me but I was going to bring along those totes in their paperbags. It just wasn’t practical and I would bump into everyone.

I left the store and studied the metro map and decided that instead of taking the metro from Concorde station, I would walk to Madeleine and take line 14 to Bercy. This meant I wouldn’t have to change lines (especially with my bags which have since multiplied...). So I walked up Rue Cambon to Boulevard des Capucines and asked for directions to the station. I was purchasing the ticket and riding the train within minutes.

It was barely 19:00 when I reached Bercy. I exited the station and there were already signs directing the way to Ouibus. I went to check out the bus station before going out to explore the neighbourhood. i returned back to the bus station after purchasing a fish burger from an Algerian (?) restaurant. I sat down and had my early dinner while charging my devices and logging on to social media.

My bus was leaving at 21:00 and I went to queue at 20:30. I was surprised to see a lot of people queuing up to board the bus; turned out the bus would stop en route in Lille and some of them would disembark there. We left just after 21:00 and I dozed off until we reached Lille. The bus stopped for about half an hour in Lille and I took the opportunity to go to the washroom and perform ablutions.

To be continued