Sorry for the long hiatus! I've really been too lazy to update my blog nowadays. Prefer to "nua" my time away when I'm not traveling.

In any case, I really should note down at least a few points about the trips that I've been to till now, lest I forget about them in time to come. Yep so here goes!


Kiruna, Sweden:
Hmm let's see... I don't even know where to start talking about this trip! For one, we have been planning this trip ever since we got to Copenhagen. Problems and obstacles just kept popping out from everywhere, and lots of time and effort was spent to overcome these.

And even up until the last moment, we just went ahead and booked everything when everything's not settled yet. Imagine us rushing to get the tickets and make reservations on the day of the trip itself. To be honest, it was a reckless decision to do so. One wrong move and there goes our trip and money.

But luckily luckily luckily, everything went smoothly. And here starts our adventure, up north, into Sweden, towards Kiruna.



For those who know me well, you should know that I have motion sickness. So traveling 24 hours on a train (or a few trains) wasn't really my cup of tea. And indeed, I was already half dead when we reached our destination. But in any case, it was all worth it. This trip was really a once in a lifetime experience. We did SO many things that can only be done in winter.

All at a temperature of around -30 degree celcius.


It was SO cold until our fingers and toes hurt, even when we wore as much as 9 layers of clothings and look like huge stuff toys. But it was still fun though. And here are some of the activities which we did!


1) Snow Mobile


Yes we rode the snow mobile, which feels like riding a motorbike in the snow. Going as fast as 90km/hr is no joke, especially when the freaking cold air blows onto your face. It is painful just to keep your eyes open, not to mention the uneven snowy ground which makes u bump up and down so hard your bottom hurts.

And as if that was not torturous enough, I was thrown off the snowmobile by my "trusty" room mate, Donaphan, who took such a sharp turn that I flew out of the snowmobile, 50 meters away, and rolled on the floor 99times, before standing up and pointed something at him (if he can see through my glove).

Just joking la. Haha fact is, I DID fly out of the snowmobile due to him, but nothing happened to me and of course, I did not point anything at him. (or maybe i did?) Hahaha.


2) Ice Fishing


Well basically, all we have to do for ice fishing is, find a spot in the frozen lake and start digging until you see water before you start fishing.

Sounds easy enough right?

It is NOT. We spent 4 freaking hours out in the super cold weather to dig the hole that you see in the picture. 4 HOURS! And we still didn't see any single drop of water. So we decided to give up since we had to rush to another activity.

The stupidest thing is, another group of people came by and asked if they can continue digging our hole. We, as good and kind humans, of course agreed. 10minutes later, when we passed by the place again, they were sitting around and FISHING. Yes fishing not digging. Apparently, they only spent like 5 more minutes digging and water came gushing out.

Boo.


3) Skiing


Well, to be exact, we did cross country skiing, not the ski down the mountain kinda skiing. There is a vast difference between this 2. This skiing is like, walking. It's just like walking with sticks stuck to your feet and aided with 2 walking sticks. =/

So, as you can probably imagine, it isn't too fun to do that. Haha. To make the experience more enjoyable, we went and found some slopes to ski down on. And in the meantime, we made friends with some hongkong pretty girls who were there for a holiday! =))


4) Visit the Ice Hotel


A hotel made purely out of ice. How cool is that! (no pun intended) Ever single thing, from the exterior walls to the interior beds and toilet bowls are all made out of ice. And people DO actually stay inside. They must be the coolest people around eh? (pun intended)

One regret was that we didn't have alot of time to tour around the hotel and so I didn't manage to get any souvenir there. Wanted to get the ice cups they have over there though, but I figured that it would melt by the time I bring it back to Copenhagen. =/

Oh well.


5) CAMPFIRE


Who would have though that I would have the chance to gather around a campfire again after being in Scouts in secondary school?

And the biggest difference here is that, this is the first time in my life that I really appreciated what a campfire brings to me. Warmth. Both from the fire, and from the friends around me. Imagine being in the utterly cold weather, and seeing everybody surrounding the fire trying to get warmed up, and eating piping hot food and drinks cooked using the campfire. It is such a touching scene that I would have bet that anyone seeing it will drop a tear or 2.

But well, I don't bet. Hahaha. THE point is, it was really a good feeling to see everyone gathering around the campfire. =)


6) Heart To Heart Talk (aka HTHT)


Well, I probably should have mentioned that the point of our whole trip was to catch the Northern Lights. And in order to catch it, we decided...... Not to sleep!

And so, what can we do if we don't sleep? That's right! HTHT!

*** **** *** **** **** * ***

Yes everything we said that night is a secret. That I wouldn't blog down. Haha. In any case, I think I have already forgotten about most of it anyway.

And, guess what?

We did not manage to catch the Northern lights. =(


7) Dog Sledding


This is probably the most memorable activity that we did in Kiruna. Well at first, it may seem a little cruel to sit on a sled and let the dogs do the job. But riding through the vast snow plain in the middle of the night, with the ultra clear night sky and the bright full moon lighting up the way... No amount of words can truly describe the feeling.


All in all, this Kiruna trip is really one heck of a fantastically memorable trip man. Only after being through Kiruna can we truly say that we have really been through winter in Europe.

And up next, when I have the time, I will be blogging about my trip to Amsterdam, the city of sex, drugs and lots of fun. Haha stay tune to find out more! =D

Poland, Warsaw Part 2!

This will be more of a personal experience post, i.e. what I experienced in Warsaw. =)


Well, in Warsaw, English is not widely spoken. So it was real funny at times trying to get some of the things we want. We had to signal, point and sometimes even draw on a paper to tell the people what we want. And they had to do the same to us. Just imagine us wanting to eat chicken, and we had to act like a chicken.

Despite this, traveling in Warsaw isn't hard. Most tourist spots are centered around one area, so walking is all it takes. Public transport is also quite convenient, and not to mention cheap. 3 days of unlimited travelling on public transport (metro, tram and bus) costs only 8 zlotty, which is only around $4SGD! Compared to Copenhagen, 1 ride alone on the metro, no matter to where, costs 13.50DKK, which is around.. $3.50SGD!



Accommodation wise, we stayed in a hostel called Hostel Yellow. At first, we were skeptical as there were no review of it anywhere on the internet. And with it being one of the cheapest in Warsaw, it sounded rather sleazy. But we still decided to stay there as it was relatively near the town center and it was only for 2 nights AND breakfast was included.

I personally was pleasantly surprised during our stay in Hostel Yellow. The reason for it not having any reviews was because it was very new, like just opened 2 weeks before we stayed in it. And because of this, everything was very clean and new. Additionally, the owners speak English and were very friendly (compared to other Polish people we have met). Only downside was that the 8 man room we stayed in was rather cramped, but it was still reasonable given the price we paid for. All in all, if you all are thinking of going Warsaw, I would recommend Hostel Yellow as a place to stay if you are looking for a cheap and clean hostel, with breakfast included.



There were some moments during our travel where to me, it feels damn romantic. It feels just like a scene taken right out of a drama series.

For example, imagine ice skating in a winter night, with light snow, with romantic music being played, and not alot of people on the rink, and dim lights. Seriously, it feels like I'm right smack in the middle of a korean drama series. It really feels damn romantic while skating and enjoying the weather and seeing the snow and all.

BUT! I have learned a very important lesson. It may seem romantic from the outside, but it isn't all the same from the inside. Firstly, you MUST know how to skate, or at least 1 of you (if a couple went) must know how to skate, so that the other can be led and taught by you. This is especially important in a country where almost ALL of the people in the rink knows how to skate. Take us for an example: While we were trying to skate in Warsaw, people were laughing at us and zooming past us as all of us were novice at ice skating. But oh well, we didn't really mind that much as people won't recognize us anyway, so we just went on and learned step by step.

In any case, ice skating in a winter country with snow falling with a few people in the rink and with romantic lightings and music is SERIOUSLY damn romantic TTM! At least that's what I feel la. =D



Romantic moment number 2: Walking through the streets at night, while looking at the European style orange lightings, with a light snowfall. Words can't describe how it really feels. But it is seriously a moment to share with that special someone. And how I wish I have that someone to share the moment with. =(




All in all, I really do love this little trip. Warsaw has so much to offer, but maybe that's also because this was the first real travel we did since we got to Copenhagen, so I'm more easily wow-ed and everything feels so refreshing.

But in any case, this is a trip that I will definitely remember. =)



P.S: Running to catch a plane on last call isn't fun. Everybody was looking at us like we were some crazy Asians playing catching. But anyway, it felt very much like we were in Amazing Race. Which is quite amazing by itself. Hahaha.


P.P.S: BUT no more running for last call planes please.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! =)

I just came back from Warsaw, Poland! It was a very last minute decision to go to Warsaw actually, with a proposal made by ganjiajia on 11/2/10, planning and booking of tickets until 4am in the morning, and us flying off on 13/2/10.

But who would have known that it would turn out to be such a stroke of genius.


Poland, Warsaw:

To be honest, we had a preconceived idea that Poland, or Eastern Europe as a whole, is rather unsafe. If you researched on Wikitravel, you would most likely come across terms such as "infamous for pickpocketing" etc. Granted, our perception of Eastern Europe isn't exactly a place of roses and rainbows, if you get what I mean. But we still went ahead with the trip and really never regretted.


In my own words, Warsaw can be represented by several things:

1) Birth place of Frederic Chopin, Poland's composer and virtuoso pianist.
2010 marks the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth. (not that I know of until I read the magazine on my way BACK from Warsaw.) In any case, we didn't really see anything that has to do with Chopin as the museum was under renovation when we get there. =/




2) The city of Kebab and Coca Cola.
I didn't expect Warsaw to have kebab, must less for it to be FILLED with stores selling kebab. I have always thought that kebab was an Asian dish, or maybe Brazilian, but Polish? But oh well, as long as I get to eat, it doesn't really matter. An interesting thing to note is that Coca Cola seems to be a national drink for the Poles, as almost all signboards outside the restaurants will contain the Coca Cola sign and the price. So basically you can use the price of Coke as a gauge of how expensive the food in the restaurant is going to be.

In any case, you cannot imagine how blessed we feel to eat the Kebab at Warsaw. Being stuck in Copenhagen really made us feel so poor that every meal and every cent has to be counted and planned. To be eating meat (as in real, cooked-in-a-professional-kind-of-way meat) in Copenhagen is really a luxury. Therefore, since Polish food are generally cheaper than Denmark, we were literally binging on the meats in an attempt to satisfy our craving at least until the next trip.




3) A mixture of traditional and modern wonders
To me, Warsaw was really an eye-opener. I just can't seem to put it down in words, but it was simply amazing. We were uncontrollably stopping every 10steps to take a photo, as the architectural designs of the buildings are intricate, grand and beautiful at the same time. The city has at least a dozen churches in a small area, all of which are beautifully designed and built. You can basically close your eyes, turn to any direction, walk straight, and there is like a 99.99% chance of you seeing a church.

But churches are not all that Warsaw offers. There are also numerous sculptures, monuments and palaces, coupled with modernized shopping centers (equipped with Zara, Espirit, Swarovski and the likes). Even the University looks like a cultural heritage center to me. (on another note, I think it actually is!)




Shall stop here for now. Will talk more about my experiences in Warsaw on my next post! Sleeping time! =)

Hello hello! Welcome to my new blog. Just wanted to have a change in blogging environment. And since I'm in Copenhagen now, I probably should have a separate blog to pen down my feelings and experiences!


First thing first, as you all should probably have heard, there are lots and lots of snow here. And I really mean LOTS.

But, it's really beautiful out here. Everything's white, and looks pure, and it's relatively quieter and seems more peaceful. Imagine walking through the streets, looking at the European style buildings, smelling the cold fresh air (did I mention that there are quite little cars on the street as most people ride bicycles or just walked?).

In any case, yes I am enjoying my time here. How I wish that I'm not studying though, but just here for a holiday and enjoying and relaxing myself.


Oh well. Back to reality, I'm still studying here. Today was the first lesson, and I had a mini-culture shock in class. People here are really outspoken, or rather, if I may generalise a little, the westerners are generally more outspoken.

Saying hi while walking past one another even when we don't know each other; reaching out a helping hand to us when we are lost or confused; speaking out in class like it was a normal conversation, not only to ask question but also taking the topic 1 step further etc etc... It really is an eye opener for me.


For now, I'm still in the midst of settling down, and finding my way around town. I've just got a bike, (for freaking 800dkk which is around.. 200+ SGD!!), and that will be my main form of transportation around town. Hmm the coldness here is bearable, but not when the wind comes and definitely not when the ice is melting.


Food wise, I would rather not talk about it. For now, there are quite a few ups and downs, but we are still surviving. (despite the fact that we had a "special" meatball soup with "special" ingredients like screw, and some metal and plastic things. Please refer to my facebook photos.)


People wise, the NTU bunch are okayy.. But I still feel rather detached from them for some reason. I AM shy. And that's a fact. Or rather, introverted may be the better word to describe me. So I think it may take some time for me to get closer to them. I really hope that this exchange can train me to be more outspoken though. =/


Yep that's all for nowww! Shall update when I have the time. =)




P.S.: It is damn tough to make a snowman! Or even a snowball!