Prague: Day 1 (^^)

So I've told you how the crazy idea just popped out and how I finally got myself a two-way ticket from KL to Prague just 2 days before the trip hikhikhik.. Itu baru drama mukadimah.. I decided to work on the day of my flight and take an evening off.. and memang takdirNya.. I was busy to the max that I only got to the airport by 1.30 pm whereas the flight to KL was at 2.05pm.. People were already queuing for boarding hikhik seb baek sempat drop-off baggage...

My bro was already waiting in LCCT when I arrived and he sent me to KLIA. Got my euros from him and we had an early dinner together. He left early and therefore my loneliness starts.. Went to the bookshop and bought a Lonely Planet travel guide. Bumped into my best friend in primary school and she told me that my flight have been canceled due to bird strike, Ades.. Hearing this, I thought "There goes my short Euro trip.. It'll be shortened like it's not short enough.. duh!"

KLM was very efficient at resolving the matter. Passengers were boarded into other airlines and they even settled the connecting flights so that we'll arrive at the destination at the intended time

"Miss Salleh, do you mind taking the flight tomorrow at the same time"

"Yes I do mind.. I already made bookings for my accommodation and I would really appreciate it if you can get me a flight that arrives in Prague on the 20th please~"

So they arranged a new flight for me... the AWESOME EMIRATES.. It was 6 hours flight to Dubai then 6 hours from Dubai to Prague. The flight to Amsterdam was supposedly at 11.45 pm. The new flight was scheduled at 2 am. Penantian yang berbaloi.. when I entered the aircraft.. Jakun sekejap.. I start to realize what pleasure and luxury I've been missing from boarding low cost airline~ uiseh! 

But I was too sleepy to take the pics of the cabin.. So zZzzZzzZ.. Kroh kroh kroh.. 

The transit was about 3 hours so I performed my Fajr prayer at the airport.. Seb baek Islamic kan, prayer room memang merata-rata. But Dubai airport was extremely crowded with transit passengers. It is by far the most crowded airport that I've ever been in.. The bench were full.. The restaurants were full.. And everything looked so expensive and I felt poor~ (-_-")

Betapa adhoc nya la trip ni, I don't even know what currency UAE is using, I don't know what's the exchange rate is like.. Maen beli jak souvenir guna magic card.. Balik Malaysia baru aku fikir heeee

And emirate's in flight service and food deserve a compliment too.. Memang terbaek dan halal~

The movies were latest ones tapi aku pilih untuk tengok Hotel Transylvania, Taken 2 and The Raid: Redemption.. Kena kasi ketawa aku oleh orang sebelah sebab tengok sambil tutop muka dengan bantal.. Ganas btol!

Dalam banyak2 film Melayu, Hantu Kapcai jadi pilihan Emirates haha

The guy seated next to me was a Slovakian who lives in Czech. He was away for 3 months to escape the winter and was quite surprised to find it was still cold in Czech. 

"This time of the year, it shouldn't be this cold.. Ice should already melt.. Everything should already be green and flowers should be in blossom in a few days.. But not this year.." he said..

He was very concern about me being alone in Prague. Asked about my transport to the hotel from the airport.. And was shocked when I said I haven't got any plans yet..

"Dear, everything will be written in Czech.. You'll be confused.. You better get some friends with you"

And after that he helped me get my backpack on my back.. haha O0o0 mesti dia rasa aku sangat budak sebab kecil (-_-") 

I have always been an obsessive travel planner.. I would already know how the transport system works and how to get to a destination months before a trip. But this time I was definitely clueless.. Went straight to the money changer and then the info service.. The lady at the counter has fair English fluency and she didn't say much although I needed more info actually..

GG: Hello. I need help on how to get to the central.. (mau cakap lagi tapi telah di potong)

Lady: You buy this 90 minutes tickets for 32 Kc. Take a bus outside; cross the street then to your left. Go to the last station, Djevick and from there take metro.

Paid 32 Kc and did just what I was told. I wanted to ask more but the lady continued to do what she was doing so malas la.. And minutes after that, I found myself inside a bus filled with people whose appearance are much superior in terms of complexion and charm and they were talking in languages that are alien to me. Masa ni ada rasa mo nangis because I can't understand a word! Not even a word! Tapi nasib baek lah kacak so I just stole a glance at some of the best looking ones dan menikmati pemandangan indah haha 

The journey to the central took less than 90 minutes. When the bus stopped at Djevicke, I took a train to Mustek and from there to Karlovo namesti. The Metro system is easy to understand and the signage are clear. Sangat sistematik; susah lagi LRT di KL tu. RA & I almost took the wrong train in KL because the signage are confusing!

The above is the pic of my 23 beds dorm. Got top bunk and I only paid RM 115 for five nights! Murah bukan?? Hehe O ya the name of the hotel is Mosaic House. And the best thing about it is, there is a halal restaurant just across the street.. Like 1 minute walk from the entrance door.

What I don't like about it is the energy saving technology.. Not that I'm against environment conservation or what.. I just found it annoying when the lights were suddenly turned off while I was reading on my bed or in the shower.. and sometimes you can't even get your battery fully charged because of this energy saving thingy.. but the place was cozy and clean (^^) but the internet connections were sometimes poor but still I was able to upload pics every night hehe

I arrived at the hostel at around 3 pm.. Had a long shower because my last bath was the morning before I went to work.. Urgh filthy~ And then as to not waste any time, I decided to explore a bit of Prague before sunset. The bunks next to mine was shared by a girl from England and Greece. So I asked them whether I could go to Charles Bridge on foot

"It's very near. You just turn left from the hotel exit and walk until the end of the block where you'll see the river. And from there just follow the pathway along the riverbank and in few hundred meters, you'll find the bridge.." *mendengar sambil admire British accent itu*

So I did just that and voilla! Charles Bridge!!!!!!

And from there I just follow the crowd haha

Believe me, that evening, there were only 2 places of interest known to me in Prague; Charles Bridge and Prague castle. I bought the travel guide alright but I only read through it once before boarding in KL.. I only opened it again on the first night in Prague because I need to plan where I should go the next day. I don't want to miss the must sees! \(^^)/

It was not that crowded on the bridge that evening. May due to the cold weather. But I really like the statues..

The construction of the bridge started in the 13th century and finished around the 15th. The statues that are present now are however replicas.. But still you can enjoy the artistic value of the baroque style.. The sculptor must have been an OCD to have sculpt so delicately~

This is a view of church of St Nicholas (^^)

I've hundreds of pics on facebook.. So tengok sana la ah.. I can only share some of the pics in this blog..

That night I had a jet lag. Was wide awake at 4 am because it was already noon in Malaysia.. Forced myself to sleep because I need to recharge to explore the city! 

To be continued~

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Solo Travel.. Finally..

Currently I'm still in Prague.. Waiting for the right time to go for shower.. Checking out of the hostel in 2 hours..

Anyway.. How come I'm traveling alone right now... Loooooong story....... Lets just make it short

Well, it was decided that we would have our first trip at 1/4 of the year because we know all tension would've piled up by then.. Opted Boracay as our destination since it's cheap and we are going to do a much much more expensive trip in the middle of the year. But then came the SS (who almost ruined my Mabul holiday) into the picture.. And he successfully wrecked our Boracay vacation because the government may not be in the SS side but it seems most of the public are saying SS intrusion was some act of valor (-_-") Tulung lah~

So, our tickets was on the evening of the 20th and since it was all ruined, we still haven't decide where to go by 17th... We were twisting and turning on our bed in a hotel in Bangi. Browsing the internet for tickets and flipping heaps of brochures that we got from MATTA fair.. And when I finally got to KK that night (17th), I finally decided I should go to Prague..It was like a calling.. "Haziah, PRAGUE!" I don't mind being delusional when it comes to traveling hikhik

So voilla! I bought the tickets yaw! Not so cheap though. But it could've been more expensive...

What I missed....

Well... This solo travel was of course by Allah's will and it never occur to me that I would do something like this this year.. As early as March.. We can never foretell what's His next plan for us and that was how I can't foretell the passing of my beloved aunt while I was on my way to Prague. She was sick alright. It was so acute that her condition deteriorate within 2 weeks. A newly diagnosed cancer but it was too late. It spread to the spleen, uterine and liver and the origin was not known.. The liver damage complicates her condition.. Enlarged liver and her skin turned yellow... 

When I first came to visit, she was still conscious but in pain. That lasted for a few days. The last time I talked to her was when Mom came over all the way from Labuan to visit.. Then I went off to KL for a friend's wedding and on Tuesday, when all the family members were called for counseling, I was there, and she was delirious. I've never seen her like that.. I've one uncle who had stroke last year and I just can't watch him like that.. It feels different when watching a mere stranger lying on the bed, immobilized or delirious as to watching someone you've known quite well when he or she was in good health.. It feels different... and in both occasions, I wept. I just can't handle it.. Too much emotions came rushing in.. Too much memories..

SPM RESULT!!!!!!!!!!

This is important because my dear cousin was waiting for her result to come out.. This is like something that the family have longed for for the past few months since our trip to Indonesia. Our family is too small so we get really excited even when there's small events (like I'm excited about my niece first 200 m sprint in MSSWPL this April and I'm gonna be there to watch her run! \(^^)/) So.. My cousin scored well, 7A and 2 B. Not straight A's but still that's excellent enough. Mom said my cousin is a little bit upset with her result because she wanted to get straight A (like most people do)

But Nuyui (because she sometimes stalk  my blog), I can't deny scoring straight A's in SPM was one of the most memorable thing in my life because I got what I wanted but then as you grow, you'll find that finishing school with exceptional grades is just a beginning. The path that I walked after that gets harder and harder and you can trip at any point as you pace. Stay focus on things that really matters, pray for Allah's guidance and assistance.. inshaAllah everything will work out just fine no matter how hard it is (^^)/ Yosh! Like what my friends always remind me of.. Success and Happiness matters but they mean nothing without Allah's blessing..

It's more than AWESOMENESS

I can't deny that I did feel lonely at times as I travel alone.. But I learnt a lot.. I learnt about myself too.. Traveling is more than spending money and taking cool pics.. More than laying your eyes on awesome ancient buildings and relics and extremely good looking Caucasian. It's education..

I love going to places with historical values.. Watch nature's diversity... And observe how other countries function as a nation.. Memang aku nerdy sikit bila travel but that what's traveling is all about to me.. To observe and think~ And realize that one is just a small part of this complex world who can actually make a difference.. chewah! but really I do believe so..

Hurm sooo aku aim 20 countries before I get married.. So I think I've just completed 50% of the target.. Hoo-Ah! \(^^)/

Muka excited lepas nampak deer and rabbits on a train from Salzburg to Prague (^^)

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Mabul Island 2013: Revisited

We've been planning for this trip since December.. Saw cheap tickets for March and text Z about the plan. When she said okay, I instantly purchased tickets for three; that was for me, Ricci and Fega.

Oho! But this trip was not without drama and the drama started a few hours before our flight! Our flight to Semporna was on the day when the armed Sulu men in Lahad Datu attacked the police in which 2 men on our side were killed. My mom called me 3 hours before my flight and plead for me not to go.. Her exact words were "Dorang merusuh suda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Histerical okay~

I was stopping at a red light, was on my way to my working place to settle some things before I leave for my short getaway and it was already after 5 pm. Seriously, bingung.. I posted an emotional post on my blog a few days before so obviously I was emotionally unstable..

I have 2 counselings waiting..

And I have a flight to catch in 3 hours

Bingung.. Bingung.. Bingung.. I must go!

Yah! Mata sembam lepas nangis sebab rasa diri derhaka.. Tapi pigi jugak tu :p

Well, my parents failed to talked me out of it so yah.. Pigi jugak.. I cried because I think I was a bit harsh to my mom in our conversation.. And for that I hate you SS.. But my dad sort of cooled things off when he text me at 6.30pm when I was still at the hospital..

"Cepat la balik. Tertinggal flight nanti.."

Dan kemudian bermulalah....

We spent the night at Marina Hotel. Paid RM 38 per pax for this 3 single bed room. Simple but the room was well equipped with the basics and very comfortable (^^) 

Zeq came around 7.30 am and we head straight to Uncle Chang's office. Settled the essentials and off we went to the  Mabul Island \(^^)/ 

I didn't take many pics for this trip, though. Maybe because I've been there before and this time I'm more focused on diving. We went diving in Kapalai; never been there. I saw a huge turtle resting inside a coral there!! I don't know how to exactly describe it though. Still not familiar with all the diving terms but the coral formed this space where the turtle lodged itself to rest. So, during my 3 dives I saw big nudi branch.. 3 crocodile fish.. A huge grouper that scared the hell out of me.. A giant moray eel that made my heart skipped a beat because I was afraid it would come out from that hole to eat me haha and fish that looked like some stick.. I don't remember what it's called.. And many other creatures... It's an entirely different world down there. Subhanallah....

Sunbathing.. Though they're not literally lying under the sun.. Obviously shaded haha

Saw these egg shells while strolling in the village. 

Melepak lepak di depan bilik.The most epic part of this trip was, it was on the same day when the 6 policemen were brutally killed by the intruders in Semporna. So that night my phone rang endlessly that I'd to switch it off. Z and I continued watching 'Love Actually' that night. But we were being cautious, of course.. Like we didn't roam for no reason.. It's just that we didn't want to ruin the trip with things that we are not sure of. There were too many rumours that time

Right before our first dive.. Putih masih!

Dan ini kaki budak2 degil yang lupa mo di rotate hehe

Paling awesome.. Nampak kereta kebal dekat airport Tawau!!!!!! \(^^)/

P.S. Finished writing in Prague hehe feel~

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