10 Hours In Kota Bharu

Shortly after my day trip there last October, there was a free seat offer by Firefly and having enjoyed my trip, I decided that I wouldn’t mind a return trip sometime after Eid this year. I checked the offer for last Saturday, 23 July 2016, and was lucky to secure free seats for both the trip there and back. Alhamdulillah!

We left for Subang Airport at 07:17 and arrived within 20 minutes. I had already checked in online but as I brought my long brolly along, I had to get a tag from the counter for the brolly. I didn’t have to check it in, I merely needed to hand it over to the cabin crew after boarding the plane. I didn’t quite know how to tell the good-looking bloke at the counter but he understood me when I resorted to English and answered in English too (thank you kind sir for not being like those jerks who acted all superior when replying to my English queries in Malay; I do understand Malay but most times, I think and speak better in English. And there’s no point to act all arrogant).

We landed at Kota Bahru airport at 09:35 but I left the terminal only after confirming the flight time back to KL (the time stated on the ticket and boarding pass differed so I thought I’d confirm it first). I had a longer wait for the bus no. 9 to the bus station in the city this time – 30 minutes. Oh well, it’s not as if I don’t already have to wait that long or longer for RapidKL buses! The taxi from the airport will cost you RM30 or RM20 if you hail it by the road outside the airport building. The bus fare was only RM1.80. Well, I wasn’t in a hurry and I had my novel to occupy me so it was a no-brainer: bus it was. It was already a hot bright sunny morning and barely 10:00!

The bus pulled at the bus station about 20 minutes later and after checking the bus to Billion and departure time, I walked to the gold shops around Pasar Siti Khadijah. The last time I was there, I was looking for a white gold anklet. Kelantanese aren’t fond of white gold so it was a challenge to find one. Well, this time I was looking to replace my bangle. While it’s easy enough to find a bangle in yellow gold, I wanted an oval-shaped one, not the usual round bangles. There weren’t many there and I didn’t really fancy the designs of those few oval bangles. I spotted a few Cartier-inspired Love and Juste un Clou bracelets and Hermès-inspired Clic Clac and while they were in yellow gold, they were wayyyy too big for my wrist. There were also some Pandora-inspired bangles and Tiffany T bangles but I’m not a fan (yet). I walked around and even ventured to the other side of the market and the few gold shops at the market itself but the few that were there didn’t catch my fancy at all.

I hurried back to the bus station after purchasing some mineral water and fish satay from a street vendor and caught the bus no. 23 to Billion Shopping Centre. I gotta give it to the bus company: the bus was punctual! I wanted to go to a fragrance shop there that I had visited when I was in the city with Abah and Mummy. I left after performing prayers at the adjoining Renaissance Hotel. I had to wait a bit for the bus back to the station.

Back at the station, I checked the schedule for the bus back to the airport and was informed there was one departing at 16:20. The 17:10 bus would not run that day. I had about 100 minutes plus to kill so I went back to the gold shop and then to the market to shop.

I returned back to the bus station laden with purchases sans new bangle at 16:10. Again, the bus was on time, in fact, it left a minute before its scheduled time. The traffic back to the airport wasn’t heavy this time (unlike on my last trip) and we reached the airport in 20 minutes. It was still too hot to be out and about so after checking out the two restaurants across the street from the airport, I went into the terminal to wait. I killed time by making progress on my novel.

At 18:00, I went to get a tag for my brolly then I went to find dinner. It was still bright and hot and the sun was glaring in my face. The first restaurant was full of people but I didn’t stay as it didn’t have seafood tomyam (I’m reducing my chicken intake; I started this just before Ramadan) and besides, people were smoking openly there. The second restaurant was devoid of people and yes, it told me something but it had seafood tomyam and no one was smoking. I ordered seafood tomyam and hot barley and both were way below par.

I returned back to the airport and quickly went in. The flight from Subang landed late so we only boarded at 19:30. We were airborne within ten minutes though and landed at 20:35. I went to collect my brolly from the cabin crew but some idiot placed my brolly below all the passenger check-in bags so I had to wait a while before I got it back. As a result, I had to perform jamak takhir instead of jamak takdim prayers. Mehhh.

So that was my ten hours in KB. Will make another trip if a similar offer crops up!

Boarding the plane

View from up in the air

Another view from up in the air

Siti Khadijah Market. This area was still closed last October. Was so glad to see it has reopened

Cat at Siti Khadijah Market

My less-than-satisfactory early dinner. I rate it 3/10

Cat at restaurant

All About The Money

So, it’s 10 Syawal today and the middle of July. I’m sure some of us are already counting to the days to payday and this is perfectly understandable considering we just celebrated Eid. Of late, I find myself in tight financial situations too myself due to a variety of reasons (one time it was because I had to settle Mummy’s estate and paying the administrator’s fee for helping me settle it; then it was when I decided to pay for my LASIK in full instead of opting for instalment; another time it was because I was cheated from a purchase; a few times it was because of repairs; and other times it’s because I was lusting after bags, yes plural). But hey, no regrets. I don’t believe in regrets and I try not to have any because life is too short anyway (life is just too short to have regrets and too short to beat around the bush).

As such, I decided to have share some tips to those of us observing financial diet for whatever reason.

Cut down on dining out. Besides, it’s healthier to buy your own food and cook yourself. You can control the amount of sugar and sodium you put in, eliminate colouring and artificial flavours, and choose healthier ways to cook like steaming, grilling, roasting and baking.

Cut down on recreational activities. When we were at home from boarding school on school hols once, Akak and I had the following conversation:

Akak: I’m bored

Me: Well, what’s boring costs nothing. What’s not boring will cost you though.

And yeah, when you think about it, a lot of recreational activities that are interesting cost money (bowling, watching a movie, going to a play, dining out, travelling, paragliding, shopping...). Activities that are not interesting don’t usually cost money. Such is life. Choose activities that either don’t cost money or cost very little. If you want to exercise, go for a walk or run instead of joining a gym. Spend an afternoon at a museum or art galleries instead of at the theatres. Better still, stay in and be firm about it. Surely there are a lot of things you can do at home: reading, tackling those domestic chores, cooking, gardening, working out...

Oh, make up your mind! Just stay in!

Cut down on pampering activities such as massages, pedicure/manicure, facial treatments...

Cut down on shopping, be it physically walking into shops or catalogue shopping or online shopping. Window shopping is fine as long as you have the restraint and control. Make a shopping list before going to the supermarket or hypermart for your grocery shopping and try to go early to avoid the crowd and after a meal so you won’t be tempted to buy too much food.

Buy good quality goods. Quality lasts a long time. Don’t compromise on cheap fast clothes that go out of fashion after a season. Be a smart savvy environmentally-aware ethical shopper. Avoid clothes-shopping errors (check the guide by Lady Sarah here, here, here and here. Oh and do practise wardrobe maintenance too). Invest in classic quality accessories, shoes and bags. It’s taken me a while but I’ve started investing in bags and shoes.

Invest in fashionable, versatile and chic clothes

Buy pre-owned or pre-loved instead of a brand new item. You won’t believe it but a lot of pre-loved goods are in pristine gently-used condition. This is a big market in some cities. London has quite a few charity shops (check this and this out) and it is one of the things to do in the city. I myself went to visit a few shops on my recent three trips there (it all started when I spotted a second-hand book in a store in Bayswater...).

My haul from my trip last September

Consider selling your things that you have use or no longer have any use for. One man’s trash is another’s treasure and all that. Hold a jumble sale, sell it to Cash Converters, sell it on mudah or other social media platform like Instagram.

Jumble sale

Do it yourself. Instead of sending your clothes to the cleaners for ironing, pump the iron yourself. Learn how to mend your own clothes or fix and assemble things, in short, DIY. Where you previously engaged some help to clean your house, do it yourself. Trust me, you get more satisfaction that way. The downside is you get more backache though!

Make sure you know what you’re doing before attempting DIY!

Join a local library. I brought two box-full of books to the KL Library to donate in mid-October 2015 (I had previously enquired if a donor could join for free but was told no). There was a promotion then and they were offering free membership so of course I joined. Members get to borrow three books for two weeks. The one that I frequent near Merdeka Square is closing for renovation though (if it hasn’t already). But there are other outlets that you can go to. To be honest, I only started borrowing in mid-March of this year; I really should have started going much earlier. I already have too many books and have given away at least five boxes of books so far. So joining a library means I don’t have to buy as many books. I also exchange books with a colleague so we get to read more books but not have to spend as much as we did before. And yeah it’s a good thing we like the same genre!

KL Library network info

Take public transportation. It’s environmentally friendly and you don’t have to worry about filling up, finding parking, insurance, road tax, possibility of being involved in an accident, being summoned, wear and tear, repairs and maintenance.

Thank You Allah

Dear Allah

Words cannot even begin to describe my gratitude to You. In fact, words are inadequate to describe my gratitude to You for everything but I shall try anyway. So, here goes. Thank You Allah –

For letting me reach another milestone and allowing me to celebrate another year on this earth alongside people I cherish and love. My birthday this year fell on the 1 Syawal too! What joyful occasion to celebrate my birthday and with so many people too. And I don’t have to apply for leave this time around, what a bonus!

For letting me pursue things that I love and doing things that I enjoy.

For the family I have, annoying and irritating and testing as some members are.

For the good health, bar the rare flu occurrences, that I enjoy.

For the wealth (rezeki) You give me. Some may say I’m not an ambitious person but I’m happy doing what I do now. I don’t care for the extra responsibilities that come with a promotion. I don’t think I’m being complacent, merely content and redha with what I have.

For the good education I had and the thirst for knowledge that You bestow.

For making me love reading.

For making me understand, value and honour time.

For the friendships fostered, some many years ago, some recently, that last to this day.

For my love for the good things in life. Yes, I have a life-long weakness for branded goods and now luxury goods and I do believe it’s allowed to live my life while I’m still alive while balancing my deeds for the afterlife.

For being perfectly normal. For not being born with any major illness. For not being born a special-needs person and being a burden to my poor hardworking parents. For my pair of legs that I really utilise (even though no amount of walking will get rid of the darn cellulite!)

For the opportunity to travel and meet people, enjoy other cultures, have a different experience.

For listening to my woes, my anguish, my sadness, my joy, my happiness and for always being there.

For everything else: the air I breathe, the full moon I always enjoy watching, the occasional rainbow that awes me every now and then, the beautiful flowers, the lovely fragrance of flowers, the simple things in life.

Thank You, Allah, for all these and more.

Please continue to bless me and my family members and friends with love, rezeki, good health and wealth. I also pray for peace for all Muslims around the world especially those in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Myanmar. Amen.

P. S. I underwent LASIK surgery a year ago today. Alhamdulillah, it went well. I can’t recommend it enough! In fact I probably should have done it sooner but Allah had His own plans for me.

Here We Go Again

It’s that time of the year again. After a month of abstinence, patience, control, restraint, reflection, appreciation and ibadah, we will celebrate Eid tomorrow. And the way some celebrate it here, I’m not sure why we even bother observing Ramadan when Syawal becomes a month of wastage and flaunting. I don’t like and have never liked the way it’s celebrated here – in excess and in ways not even Islamic. Only Malaysian Muslims celebrate Eid for a month just because they fast for a month in Ramadan. Anyway, maybe it’s just me. But I sure as heck don’t look forward to Eid. I don’t believe Eid is the only time children/the young should remember their aging parents/family members and make the trip to visit. Am I supposed to be flattered with your visit when you never deigned to visit or attempted a phone call the previous 11 months? I don’t think the purpose of Eid is for the womenfolk to be slaves in the kitchen preparing food for the guests. Oh sure, some willingly put themselves through this but you can still have a good time celebrating together without going overboard. If it were to me, I’d just order the dishes and that’s it. I’d rather be in the air-conditioned office than slaving at home over the stove. I’d rather earn the money and pay someone else to do it for me and why not when I don’t have the expertise or interest or inclination.

Anyway, let’s all have a moderate Eid. No need to go to extremes, no need to be extravagant, no need to flaunt new clothes. You deserve to dress yourself in something special everyday anyway, not just during Eid.

I do try - as I do on other days - not just during Eid, to keep the house in order. It’s a losing battle because dad isn’t the neatest person and he makes a lot of mess. He probably doesn’t even notice his mess or that I clean it up for him. Such are men!

As usual, I feel sad as Ramadan comes closer to its end. I tried my best, Allah. Please forgive my shortcomings and do grant me another Ramadan, insyaAllah.

Last but not least, these are some of the LOLCats’ Eid Preparations:

Clean up the house

Clean the outdoors - or outsource it to a professional clean up crew

Set the house to order

Try on new clothes or your still new clothes and make sure they fit and you like them. Otherwise, toss them out!

Set time aside to mend clothes if and when necessary

Make sure you iron your clothes early in case there’s a blackout or you’re prevented from ironing for some reason

Cook, or if you are hopeless like I am, be useful in the kitchen and help out

Help out with the batter, the mixing, the kneading, the baking etc

All that done, all that’s left is all that’s left is to ask for forgiveness...

...and the to go for Eid prayers and wait for the guests to arrive

Wishing everyone Eid Mubarak. Exercise moderation in your celebration and food intake and do drive safely.

Adek’s Week Off: Epilogue

First off, I know, I know, I haven’t been diligent about updating my blog. There are times when I feel I have so many things to share but have difficulty forming them into words. And there are times when I just struggle to find anything to talk about. I’m sure it happens to some other bloggers too.

Anyway, this was my second week-long trip off. I used to go on a fortnight-long leave but because dad was not well in July and August of 2015, I could only manage to go for a week-long trip in September 2015 (I went to Taiwan instead of my usual European trip in May 2015). And because it was only for a week, I decided to try to pack less than usual and not check in my bag on RyanAir. Well, I did and I found I could do it. I could actually pack light! And I repeated this feat again on my recent trip. Oh, I’d travelled before to Padang/Bukit Tinggi, Jogjakarta and Krabi and not checked in my bag either for those trips but then again, I didn’t need to pack jackets or shawls for chilly days/nights for these places and the duration was about 4 days on average. RyanAir provides a pretty generous 10 kg cabin baggage allowance (AirAsia provides 7 kg) and I do find it quite adequate. I have to give up a few things though: souvenirs and fridge magnets even for myself.

Previously, I used to return back from Europe on Friday, arriving into KL early Saturday morning. Well, I have been arriving back just the day before I was due to return to work for many trips now. My long-since retired boss once told me that she never suffered from jetlag (her children were all studying and working in England and she visited them often) and that she would return to work the very next day after arriving home. I remember thinking, whoa, if she could do it, then so can I! And that’s what I’ve been doing and I find it’s a good way to combat any jetlag. I refuse to be one of those annoying moaners who’d whine about needing another holiday to recover from their holiday. Insufferable brags!

I must also admit that I’m a kiasu traveller. I’m one of those who would rush off the plane to clear immigration. I would visit the lavatory in the plane just before it starts to descend or wait until I have cleared immigration before finding a bathroom. I’m the girl who will run to catch a train leaving in two minutes because I’d rather do that than wait another 15/20 minutes for the next train. Hey after all, time is precious and with one-week breaks, my time is limited! I don’t stop at cafes to have a cuppa. It’s walking and exploring and being on the go. Sure, I do stop every now and then to have a snack but that’s it. I walk anywhere between 7 to 13 km a day when I travel although I did walk more than 27 km on my first day in Lebanon and about 26.6 km in Cinque Terre. Alhamdulillah, thanks to Allah for giving me good health and a good pair of legs to put to use.

I love ruins and I’m of those who are happy to spend a few hours in a museum trying to absorb the history of the city/country. My priority is to cover the main attractions before shopping. Of course I love shopping but the main reason I travel is to visit places and learn about them. Shopping is a bonus.

I’m a planner: I plan where to go, where to stay, mode of transportation, transportation times, transportation alternatives, etc. (I had once spent a cold night outside Venice train station with my mates because when we bought the tickets, we should have said 23:00 hours instead of 11:00 p.m. because we got issued the 11:00 a.m. tickets instead. It was something I hope not to repeat.) I do make adjustments to my plan as and when as I want to be flexible and not too rigid. E.g., I may plan to visit a place on Monday but decide to go on Tuesday instead and switch the itineraries. Or I may decide to site A, site B followed by site C but change my mind and do site B, site C and site A last.

As a kiasu traveller, I try to cram as many places as possible into it as I want to get the most out of my trip. I once travelled through 14 countries in 2 weeks (some because of flight connections). It’s bad enough that I have to travel 12-13 hours to get to Europe and be stuck at some airports for hours so it’s imperative for me to make the best out of the limited time I have at my disposal. My trips are therefore not what some would view as a relaxing vacation because it can be packed and hectic. I don’t mind taking an overnight bus or train if it means I can arrive into a new city the following morning. Besides, it saves me accommodation. I also overnight at airports if I have a ridiculously early flight the next morning or arrive too late to find my way into the city and accommodation. I don’t like sleeping at airports because I can never sleep in them but I’m prepared to do that instead of missing the flight or wandering alone at night trying to find my accommodation. Having said that, I did have to venture out in the ungodly pre-dawn hours to get a bus to Luton and Girona before. And I also did have to take a very late night city bus and wander to find my hotel and all because Eindhoven Airport closes from midnight until 4 or 5 in the morning.

I do stay at hostels but usually in a single room because I don’t like to be stared at when I perform prayers. I had stayed in dormitories before though. I don’t mind staying at B&Bs or pensions and some are really artfully charming.

I know people who get up late, who like walking leisurely and stopping for a cup of coffee etc, reasoning they’re on holiday. I understand that but I’m not one to do that. I get up early and I set off early. I’m a kiasu traveller and the early bird catches the worm after all.

I like to think I’m an environmentally conscious traveller. I launder my clothes and not resort to disposable innerwear. I take the public transportation. I bring a water bottle and a tumbler along and I either boil water or buy a huge bottle of mineral water (5 litre) to refill my water bottle. I bring along a canvas bag so that I can pack my purchases in it instead of resorting to plastic bags (some countries charge for carrier bags so having a canvas bag is really handy). I bring travel-size toiletries instead of buying them in each country and leaving them behind. Packing efficiently also reduces an airplane’s carbon emissions – the lighter the airplane is, the less fuel it burns - and I’ve since cut down on the printed papers (I now save them on my iPad instead). For more tips on how you can be a green traveller, go here and here.

Apart from being a kiasu traveller, I’m also a kiasu ‘unpacker’ (I’m not a kiasu packer though; I do iron my clothes in advance but I don’t pack them in the bag until the evening before or sometimes the morning before my flight if my flight is in the evening). This means when I get home, I immediately unpack. In between, I head to the kitchen to bring my dirty clothes and pill box and clean the kitchen table, sweep the kitchen and dining areas and even mop those areas. Then I resume unpacking and I’d finish unpacking an hour within arriving home with the bag all stored away and clothes and toiletries all kept away. I don’t like to procrastinate because the bag isn’t going to unpack itself and I still have to do it sooner or later so why not there and then? Then only would I relax. (Back when I was staying fulltime at micasa, I’d unpack, put all clothes that needed washing into the washing machine and run it, grab the broom and sweep the floor before mopping the house and washing the bathrooms. Yes, I believe in delayed gratification.) An hour after arriving home and I would have unpacked and cleaned the kitchen. I would then take a short rest before getting up and pumping the iron. All these help me acclimatise back to the local time and keep the jetlag at bay.

Right. That’s that chapter closed then. Hmm, now where shall I head for next?

Adek’s Week Off: Some Pictures

I brought my new-to-me Leica to Europe but unfortunately some pictures were over-exposed - funny this didn’t happen during my trip to Tanzania, Zanzibar or Malawi. I’ve since had the lady at the Leica store here have a look and she was very helpful in setting the camera for me. Yes, I must admit I’m one who’ll just focus and snap and not know the technicalities and functions of a camera (I know slightly more now after dropping by the local store). I didn’t take a lot of pictures with my iPhone or iPad as I was relying on my Leica. Anyway, here are a few that I took with my devices.

 Le Notti d’Oriente B&B, Lecce

 About to spend time drying my clothes!

 Breakfast. And the sun was out the next morning!

 LuckyHouse B&B, Pisa

 Dining area and kitchen

 Italian breakfast is typically sweet. Self-service at the B&B

 This flower tree gave such sweet fragrance. Wonder if it’s in the same family as murraya

 Central Hostel Milano and the view from the kitchen

The long crazy line at Milan Malpensa tax refund. Most of the claimants were Chinese tourists, a few Arabs, a smattering of Caucasians. But I salute the Italian tax refund folks - I got my refund after only ten days (as opposed to almost two months when claiming at Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle and Rome Fiumicino!)

Adek’s Week Off: Part V

Thursday, 5 May 2016

I woke up early for morning prayers and stayed up. Even then, I found myself caught up in work emails and had to rush for my breakfast. What else is new, eh. I hurried to the train station to make the 07:36 train to La Spezia, well, as fast as I could with my hurting feet and all. This time, I managed to get the ticket and arrive at the platform in time. I was determined not to repeat yesterday’s episode again.

There was the usual slow train ticket-buying process at La Spezia again and of course I missed the 08:55 train to Riomaggiore. I decided to visit Manarola first and spent half an hour there before catching the train back to Riomaggiore. I spent longer at Riomaggiore, walking up and down the village, exploring alleys and even climbed up to the castle. It was a hazy day today compared to the bright sunny day of the previous day.

I left my heart in Riomaggiore and took the 11:25 train back to La Spezia. I was planning to take the 12:15 Regionale train to Firenze and was determined not to let the queue at La Spezia ticket office spoil my plans again hence why I arrived early. There were about two dozen people ahead of me in the queue and I began to time how long it’d take for me to be served. Surprisingly, it took only ten minutes for me to be served – but then again, two people ahead of me waved me through as they were waiting for their mates.

I bought the ticket and shuffled to the platform. The train came and it was quite full so I was glad to have gotten a seat. I read my book and even managed some kip. I had to change at Pisa and had less than ten minutes to do so. Well, it turned out I wasn’t the only one of course – I spotted a few familiar faces who were also on the train from La Spezia-Pisa train on the Pisa-Firenze train. The journey took an hour from Pisa and when I arrived at Firenze Santa Maria Novella station, I headed for the ticket office to buy the return ticket to Pisa. I was lucky as there was a separate (with hardly anyone) queue for regional trains so that was done quickly and before long, I found myself in sunny blustery Florence.

I had visited Florence twice before so I wasn’t really going to do much sightseeing. I waddled to Basilica di San Lorenzo then shuffled to Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. I went around it slowly before heading to Ponte Vecchio. A bit of history: Ponte Vecchio is the oldest and most famous bridge spanning Arno River and is the only Florentine bridge to survive WW II. It is lined on both sides with shops, most of them jewellers and my, what gorgeous pieces they had! Florence is a great leather heaven if you’re looking for leather products: leather bags, jackets, shoes, belts and things made from leather like bookmarks, key charms, card cases, key holders, bracelets etc etc. I didn’t really stop to browse as I wanted to catch the 17:00 train back to Pisa.

I headed off to Piazza degli Strozzi where Louis Vuitton is and then to Hermès (ahem) and after my purchases, walked to the station about ten minutes away (my hurt-feet pace). I arrived at 16:45 and walked to the platform.

Back at the B&B after performing prayers, I dithered about going to Piazza dei Miracoli for the leaning Tower but my feet protested. I did consider walking in my flip flops (good idea I didn’t leave home without it!) but when I considered it would take 35 minutes to walk there, I decided not to. I don’t mind walking but my feet were protesting big time. Instead, I stayed in packing. I had dinner and hit the sack after 22:00.

Friday, 6 May 2016

I woke up at 04:00 today and after performing prayers and freshening myself, I went down with my bags and had breakfast. It was too early to have breakfast but I gotta eat something otherwise I might faint from lack of sugar. I left at 05:20 and walked to the station, as briskly as my hurting feet could take me. I had checked the platform and knew I must head to platform 5 for the train to Milano Centrale. There were a few others at the platform so I didn’t feel especially concerned about my safety, plus the dawn was about to break anyway.

And what do you know, the train was late. It finally arrived ten minutes later but left swiftly and we were able to make up the time and even arrived at Milano Centrale on schedule. I then walked to Central Hostel Milano at Viale Andrea Doria. Accommodation in Milan is not cheap – I can’t for the life of remember where I stayed on my first visit there some years ago – and I wanted a place close to the station. I finally settled on the hostel although I don’t prefer staying in a dormitory but I reckoned it was for a night only. There was a Polish girl already waiting at the reception to check in. Reception hours are 10:00-18:00 only hence why I decided to just check in and leave my bags rather than run the risk of arriving after 18:00 even though this meant limping from the station to the hostel and then back again to the station. My initial plan was to take the next train out to Mendrisio just across the border and come back later in the day and only check-in then.

Check-in took a while and the guy at the reception then brought us to the building right across the street. I tried connecting to the hostel’s wifi to check the train schedule but failed so I left after half an hour and shuffled back to the station where I checked the bus stop for the bus to Malpensa the following morning before buying return ticket to Mendrisio. I then sat down for the next 70 minutes for the train out. Well, I had my novel to occupy me.

There were two trains joined together and the second half of the train would stop at Chiasso while the first half would continue on – a kind girl explained this to me as the ticket conductor didn’t speak English - so I changed to the other train at Chiasso. The girl also helped to ensure I got on to the right carriage before leaving, how kind!

At Mendrisio, I crossed over and walked to FoxTown. I spent about a couple of hours there but nothing caught my interest. I tried finding some footwear to provide relief to my hurting feet – oh how I wished I had packed my FitFlops! – but couldn’t find anything at all. I left and caught an earlier train than planned back to Milano, this time making sure I got on the right carriage so that I didn’t have to change again like I did on the earlier journey.

Back in Milan, I trudged to Pizzeria Spontini at Via Gaspare Spontini as recommended by the hostel guy who checked us in and bought a slice of pizza to go (it was a generous slice). I returned to the hostel and had the pizza for early dinner. Oh. My. Word. It was superb!!! It only had tomatoes, flour, mozzarella cheese, olive oil andanchovies. And that was all it needed.

Saturday, 7 May 2016

I had an early night and woke up for no reason just after 3 and stayed awake. The sounds of Milan waking up grew gradually. I got up for morning prayers and finished packing. The Polish girl and I then walked to the station together and to the bus stop for the bus to Malpensa.

The trip took almost an hour and after checking in my bag, I went to the tax refund area. Oh my, the queue was just too long and too painfully slow. i had to ask some Chinese tourists ahead of me (most of them claiming tax refund were Chinese tourists anyway apart from the few Middle Easterners) and asked if I could cut in, showing my boarding pass and explaining I had to board in less than an hour. Ask nicely and you shall get and one guy allowed me to cut in. I was told, however, to go to the customs as they wanted to inspect all LV purchases so I ran over there, waited for the custom check and ran back to the counter. Then I ran to clear security, a quick visit to Hermès and finally immigration. Then it was yet another dash to the gate. I arrived at the gate panting and immediately boarded (I was among the last few).

We took off on time and I managed to doze off. I felt strangely warm and was perspiring throughout the flight. We landed at Abu Dhabi and had to be ferried to the main terminal. I went to check the Hermès boutique then went to perform prayers before heading to the food court where I would spend the next four hours. Yeah, somehow it didn’t register with me that I had seven hours’ layover at Abu Dhabi. Seven!

Sunday, 8 May 2016

We were ferried to the plane just after 01:20 and I dozed off during take-off. I did manage to doze off every now and then but was in no mood to watch any inflight movies. We landed at KLIA at 13:45 and as usual, I went to perform prayers first before heading for the carousel. My bag appeared shortly after and I was home at 15:45. I finished unpacking and cleaning the kitchen and dining area (sweeping, wiping, mopping whathaveyou) by 16:45. I had a short rest before getting up again to pump iron. Yes, back to life, back to reality...

And back to work the following morning.

Distance covered in the week I was away