July 15th...

OLA!

Has it been that long since I blogged? Yikes. Then again I really haven’t had much time since getting back…there was work, work, more work, and slotted right in between was my recent convocation at the Uni Science Malaysia right up north (Penang). Was it fun? Yeah, kinda, but not the convocation itself specifically. I was just pleased to meet most of my old course mates once more, most of whom are the same joes and janes I knew from back in the day.

I missed them. But at this juncture of my life, I also miss my Euro trip…fondly.. My journey took me from Cambridge to London, down to Paris, back up to Cambridge again, onwards to Rome, crossing right over to Prague, and finally back north to London once more, where I blew all my money. Yes. All of it.

But In the span of that month, I’ve traveled further than I’ve ever been before, seen things that I’ve only read about, and learned the tube maps of several major cities.

The Brits for example had the Tube which covered absolutely everywhere, albeit being slightly unreliable at times. Londoners hate it and abhor how small, stuffy, and hot it is. The unknowing Malaysian (me) however thought it quite comfortable. Hot and stuffy? Hardly! On a hot day my car boils eggs and bakes cookies inside. No, the Tube is most comfortable thank you.

Well I made it a point to capture images everywhere I went, and as you’d guess, I ended up with thousands upon thousands of pictures, of which I’ll post from time to time…starting with just a few pics before I reached Cambridge:


It’s the 15th of July and my mum, being my mum, still packs my bags anyway. These bags will soon look a whole lot more weathered than it is now (one of them will actually travel to Germany without me…).


The whole ‘no liquids on board’ rule was new to me, having not traveled as much as others, but airport staff are MORE than happy to point out what you can or cannot carry.


Looking back at this picture, my family seemed a bit too happy to send me off. Especially the little one (I later learned that she took my room in my absence, that little rascal!)


I zoned out while watching them load the ‘Pangkor’. It was a surreal experience, yet terribly exciting as I knew that this was the trip I’ve been waiting for nearly two years.


Safety briefing is now presented via video…cool.


And as luck would have it, a junior during my Mass Comm studies happened to sit across the aisle from me! A familiar face is never a bad thing.


Turning my attention to my side, I noticed a strange television-cum-playstation remote thingy. It is truly a magnificent invention – it plays games, change the channels, and calls for service whenever you please! (I jakun, I know.)


The flight wasn’t full at all. In fact, even my little camera bag and London guide had their own seat with pillow in tow. Not bad MAS.


The 12 hour flight is rather arduous if you’re in economy class, but I couldn’t be bothered. The onboard information channel is especially interesting…it told us the height, speed, and where we were flying over. The thought that I was miles above India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan simply amazed me. Too bad we weren’t stopping over for tea.


But I finally arrive in England, all messed up and tired. But despite my stiff legs, aching lower back, sore eyes, and various muscle spasms, I couldn’t be happier to see her at the airport :)


Yes, we had to travel for a few hours still to Cambridge, but it didn’t matter. The evening sky from a bus couldn’t have looked any better :)

(next post, Cambridge…the fairy tale town.)