31 March, 2009 – Brussels, Belgium – Day 3

Today I just decided to wander around Brussels without any planned agenda. We all know that the famous Manneken Pis is one of the main highlight and a major landmark in the City of Brussels. A bronze statue of a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. However, looking at the town map, I noticed that there were actually 3 different Manneken Pis statues in the town of Brussels. Despite the little boy, there were actually another statue of a little girl (Jeanneke Pis) and also one of a dog. Intrigue, I made up my mind to find and "collect" all the 3 mannekken pis while I wander around the city (mission accomplished by EOD). See them in my album (album link below)

Rue des Bouchers, a street near the Grote Markt is basically lined up with various seafood restaurants, where you can have a seafood meal for 13euros, mainly targeting tourists. However the reviews from the internet are not favourable towards the food quality / service standards. At the Grote markt, there were a group of school children playing games. Each group will have a game board with Brussels' main tourist attractions on the board. The children will throw a dice, and then depending on where they landed, they need to go to the places of interest, get some information or photos and maybe answer some questions before coming back to the Markt and continue on. It's such an interesting way for the children to learn about this historic place :)




Wandering on, I got attracted by the sweet aroma of chocolates. OMG, it was heavenly :D Just standing outside the store itself admiring the macarons, handmade chocolates etc with the sweet scents probing out from the store is such a treat to my senses. Some of the chocolates stores have some very beautifully and creatively decorated / arranged artwork using chocolates. Of course all these comes with a hefty price tag for a backpacker like me... so just pure admiration and sniffing will satisfy me.

Another tip for those of you visiting Brussels, go to the carpark named 'Parking 58' @ Rue de l'Évêque, to enjoy an aerial view of Brussels city without having to pay a single cent. take the lift to its 10th floor, and a big parking terrace will open in front of your eyes. From here you can get a beautiful 360 degrees view of Brussels. Open daily from 7am until 1am (or 2am Friday and Saturday).





Photos of Brussels
Photos of Antwerp

30 March, 2009 – Antwerpen, Belgium – Day 2

It’s a beautiful day today, again sunny with clear blue skies. I made myself a cup of tea and had an apple and the ginger biscuits. I logged on the internet for a while and chatted with my sis over breakfast. After that, I went to the Brussels Noord station, bought a return ticket (€13.20) to Antwerpen. The officer told me the train will be leaving in 10mins from platform 11. So I board the train at platform 11 and I double check with one of the passengers on board. She told me the train is going to Antwerpen but there are some technical issues now hence she wasn’t sure when the train will depart. Also she told me that the train has stopped there for over 20mins so it is better for me to board another train. I got off the train and asked the train conductor at the platform where he told me to go to the opposite platform. Soon, a city rail train arrived and I checked with one of the passenger and he confirms the destination. The interior of this train is different from the train I boarded just now. The city rail train has PVC seats while the Intercity trail has a more comfortable seats. We had to change at Mechelen station, and I only knew this because I saw the girl whom I know was also going to Antwerpen alight the train. After 45mins, we arrived at the Antwerpen Central station. I got a map from the tourist info counter and went out to explore.

*Note: A year later after I came back from this EU trip, I came to know about the flash mob dance which happened at this very station. More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi", in the Central Station of Antwerp. with just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt! Those 4 fantastic minutes started the 23 of march 2009, 08:00 AM. It is a promotion stunt for a Belgian television program, where they are looking for someone to play the leading role, in the musical of "The Sound of Music".Sound of Music | Central Station Antwerp (Belgium)

Antwerpen is known as the fashion city of Belgium. The streets were lined with all the famous brand names you can think of. I had no problem maneuvering around this town as the map is clear and the streets clearly marked and organized. First, I arrived at the Rubenshuis (Ruben’s house), which is the former house and studio for Peter Paul Rubens, now also a museum. There were a café next to it with visitors sipping a cuppa under the warm sun. I passed by a shopping mall so I went in to search for food. As I went in, there was this ‘Antwerp Chocolate Store’ and one of their chocolate is the ‘Antwerpse Handsje’, chocolates in the shape of a hand. Maybe when people eat it, they can "Hi-5" with the person beside him? :p At the centre court, there were a ‘garden’ with lots of doll rabbits in conjunction with the upcoming Easter Holiday. The rabbits are really cute and adorable. I bought an apple waffle from a brasserie for only €0.95. Although this is not the original Belgian waffle (square in shape and only have sugar on top), but it tasted really good. Yummy yum... Walking on I came to a square with a statue of Petro Paulo Rubens, located at the Groenplaats (Green square), which was originally the Antwerp's central cemetery until Emperor Joseph II banned cemetery inside the city and converted it into a square. Hilton Hotel Antwerp is here.

After that I visited ‘De Kathedraal’, cathedral of our lady. This is the largest Gothic cathedral in the Benelux countries. The Cathedral of Our Lady houses a number of significant works by the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens. Following the map, I walked through the Grote markt (the market square), with Guilds richly decorated with golden statues; ruihuis (Antwerp canal), ethnographic museum, silver museum, The Steen (next to the canal), Museum Platin-Moretus, beguinage & beguinage church, Saint Andrew’s Church, Theaterplein. In the middle of the market square, stands a statue of Brabo, the legendary giant slayer, who controlled the river traffic and demanded exorbitant tolls from those using it, or else he will cut off one of your hands in replacement. Brabo killed and cut off the giant's hand and threw it into the river, hence the name Antwerp ('hand thrown' in Dutch). The statue of the giant can be seen at the Steen.


That evening, I bought a Faro beer from the supermarket only to realized it needed a wine /cork-screw opener which I couldn’t find in the hostel... bummer

29 March, 2009 – Brussels, Belgium – Day 1

This morning, I woke up at 6.45am, pack up my stuff and checked out around 7.30am. I walked to the Amsterdam Centraal Station and took a metro to Amstel Station (5 stops away). The trip only requires 2 volume of the strippenkaart. I noticed the time board showing the time an hour later (meaning instead of 7.40am as shown on my watch, it is already 8.40am). I panicked, has the time changed? Oh dear, I sure hope not. Otherwise, it would mean I’m surely missing my 9am bus to Brussels. I am praying this is the same mistake that happened as in Wales. Arriving at Amstel station, I saw a clock, showing 8am. I am slightly relieved. I head over to the Eurolines office and on my way there I saw a bus leaving the station. I entered the office and there were 2 officers there, a man and a woman. I approached the lady officer:

Me: Hello
Lady: Hello, where to?
Me: Brussels.
Lady: What time is your bus?
Me: 9 o’clock.
Lady: What is the time now?
Me: Err… eight.
Lady: No, it is already 9.05. The time has changed. The bus has left.
Me: Oh shit... (panicked)
Lady: (paused for few seconds) The next bus to Brussels is at 11am. I will check you in later. Please take a seat first.
Me: Oh, err ok. Thank you. (pheewww…. relieved….)

I waited for about 15mins before the lady called me again to check me in. But while waiting, the 2 of them were chatting and I guess they were kind of amused by the error people made when the time changes. Well, they were speaking in Dutch so I can just pretend that I don’t understand (although I can guess what they are talking about)I was so very embarrassed and you can almost see my head down on the floor. Well, lucky for me I didn’t have to pay any extra money / penalty fee for the change, only time wasted. So I waited in the lounge and ate my croissant. Apparently I am not the only one making this mistake. Another girl (which was actually one of my dorm mates) came in at 8.22am for the 9am bus to Paris. Well, she wasn’t as lucky as I am as the lady officer told her that the bus seems to be full so she will be put on the waiting list. After a long and boring wait, I finally boarded the bus which apparently stops at Brussels before going to Paris. There are still a few seats left but the girl wasn’t allowed to board, until the very last minute.

So off we went to Brussels, but first we stopped at Den Haag to pick up another few passengers making the bus fully seated. I was quite tired from the early wake and also from my sickness. So I slept most of my way to Brussels, only waking up off and on to look at the views outside. Around 2.30pm, we arrived at Brussels Noord Station. I went into the Eurolines bus office to enquire about the bus to Paris but couldn’t purchase the ticket yet as I need to find out how and when I will arrive back in Brussels from Brugge. So I decide to first go to my hostel. With the direction from a guy and also from the hostel, I found the hostel without any difficulties. But the reception is closed until 4pm. Luckily a guy opened the door to let me leave my luggage in the luggage room. Without the load on my back, I went back to the Brussels Noord Station to check the train to and from Brugges. I first checked it on the automated ticket machine for the pricing of several day trips that I’m planning to make while in Belgium. Then I went to the counter to purchase the return ticket for Brussels – Brugge. The lady officer was very kind and friendly. She asked if I will be going to other places like Antwerpen, Gent etc. because I could buy a combination ticket for 10 trips for €73. Those 2 places were indeed in my plan but I would only need 6 trips in total. Unsure if that would be a better option, I told her I will come back to her later. I went back to the automated ticket machine again to double check on the prices between the places I wanted to go to. Some simple maths confirmed my suspicion as I would only cost me around €50 odd, so I am better off without the combination ticket. I went back to the lady officer and told her I just wanted to get the return ticket which cost me €25.80. After settling the logistic, I walked back to the hostel.

The weather is very good today, with clear blue skies and it’s sunny. There were stretches of modern high office buildings between the Noord station and my hostel. As it is Sunday, there weren’t much traffic on the road. I walked back to the hostel and the reception is now open. I checked in and was assigned to room 201. Luckily they have a lift so I do not have to walk up the stairs like I did in Jacobs Inn, Amsterdam. Again I was the first in the room with 3 double-deck beds. I chose the lower bunk next to the window and heater. The toilet and shower is in the room and they also have a locker in the room. There is even a small balcony next to my bed looking out to the main streets. Cool. There is a huge lounge next to the reception where there are 4 computer terminals for free internet surfing, a TV area and a self-catering kitchen. The whole hostel is spotless clean.



After settling down my stuff, I went out for a quick tour around. I arrived at the St. Katelijne Church. One interesting fact about this church is that the Belgians installed a public urinal (on the left side when facing the main church entrance) here to ‘drain the potatoes’. In Italy or Poland, you might end up in jail if you pee against the church. I had to be careful when I wanted to take a second photo, a guy just walked right in to take a leak. Next to the church there is a square where there are fountains with animal leaning backwards spitting out water. One thing I noticed here is that the animals at the fountains are all designed to be arching backwards. I’m not sure why. Wandering around, I came by a supermarket, I wanted to go in to get some groceries but the security guard stopped me saying it is closed. Luckily I had bought my water earlier on. So I went to get a donor kebab (€3.50) and went back to my hostel as I really need to plan and make bookings for my second leg of my travel.

After showering, I brought my laptop downstairs to the lounge to surf while I eat. I had some problems connecting to the internet and while trying, a guy came up to me and asked if I could connect to the internet. He told me that the reception gave him a password but since the hostel network was unsecured, there was no place he could key in the password. I went to the reception to get the password and tried some options but failed. The guy wished me good luck and left. I went back to the reception and asked for help. The reception guy told me that the WIFI signal is a little weak hence sometimes it is difficult to connect. Apparently the browser would bring you to a secure website where you then key in the password given to gain internet access. He gave me a direct link to the portal and asked me to try again. I tried and this time it works. The guy came back and saw me surfing so I told him the little trick I just found out and he happily went away. Surfing the whole night, I came up with no conclusions on my forward travels. All seemed to be a little too expansive. I wonder if there is a cheaper way to travel if I asked at the local stations? However, should I wait until the last minutes? With so many question marks hanging on top of my head, I went to bed. My cough worsens at night for some reason and my throat felt tight and hurts a lot especially at night. All these symptoms sort of disappeared during the day time, except for a few occasional coughs.

P/S: Did you notice that traveling from Amsterdam to Belgium, I didn’t mention about passport checking? That is because there weren’t any. Strange… does that mean that once I entered the EU countries, I can travel freely from one country to the other? Then how would they keep track on my length of stay in a certain country, or maybe it doesn't matter?

28 March, 2009 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Day 3

The day started off with rain and overcast sky. It gave me perfect excuse to not get out of the bed early. Although on the other hand, I was praying for the rain to stop as I’m going to Keukenhof today to see the tulips. Last night was a pretty bad night as I coughed continuously during my sleep and my eyes teared non-stop due to the cough, and I have a very bad sore throat. I lingered in the bed until around 10am after most of the girls have gone out. Took my time to get ready and had an apple for breakfast. Then, armed with my waterproof jacket and umbrella, I went into the streets heading to Leidseplein to catch a bus to Schipol airport. It is still drizzling but there were quite many people around, mostly having breakfast at café and restaurants. I passed by the McDonalds and went in to have a Quarter Pounder burger (€1.95). After my meal, the rain has now stopped. I proceed on to Leidseplein bus stop. I waited for about 10mins before the bus no. 197 came. The journey took about 30mins to Schipol airport. From there, I changed to bus no. 58 to Keukenhof, which took another 30mins.

Arriving at Keukenhof, the sun is out and blue skies on the horizon. Great!!! I walked into the huge garden. Soon, I see tulip bulbs all around. There are various types of tulips, in many different colors. I wandered around the big garden, taking loads of photos. There are several main buildings (green house) around the garden where the flowers are located. I went into the first one and was overwhelmed by the gorgeous tulips inside. There are a lot of visitors inside; all armed with cameras, compact, slr, dslr. Professional, semi professional, amateurs, everybody is enjoying themselves, taking photos of the beautiful flowers, or their loved ones with the flowers. I just kept shooting the various types of tulips in different colors and shapes. This is the first time I’m surrounded with so many tulips and I am absolutely loving it. In this building also, there was a live orchestra band playing wonderful music. Hence you can see a lot of people (including me) dancing or tapping to the music. The music just lifts up the spirits and enlightens the atmosphere.

After that I went back out to the garden and continue on exploring. The next building I went into was filled with orchids. My mum loved orchids. Some of the orchids on display here she planted before. At another building were some flowers like lily and sunflowers and also they were sort of associated with fashion. There were also lots of sculptures around the garden. I really enjoyed walking in the big garden, breathing in fresh air and admiring all the lovely flowers.



Outside in the garden, there were various types of "chairs" made of straw bales with a big fork acting as the back support. Met a very cheerful mum who offered to take a photo of me sitting on the special chair and even asked her little boy to join me on one of the big straw chair. After visiting all the buildings and the gardens, I went back out to take bus no. 58 to Schipol airport and transferred to bus no. 197 to Leidseplein. On my way back to my hostel I stopped by a supermarket to get some water and croissants for dinner and breakfast tomorrow. Back at the hostel, I showered and had yogurt and croissant and then started packing up as I’ll head to Belgium tomorrow.

Here's the link to all my photos Amsterdam, 2009

27 March, 2009 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Day 2

I woke up at around 7.30am, peeped out the window, beautiful blue skies awaits. But I was kind of reluctant to get out of bed just yet so I slept in for another hour before pulling myself out of bed. All the other dorm mates are still fast asleep. After freshening up, I ate the remaining 2 chocolate croissants before setting out. It is pretty cold outside even with the sun. I walked to the GVB Tickets & Info office next to the tourist information counter to enquire about the bus ticket to Zaanse Schans. Again, I need to get a queue ticket but luckily I needn’t wait long. The lady officer told me that I could get a return bus ticket for €7. Next question I asked was that if I could use the strippenkaart for the trip instead. She wasn't sure so she asked another senior lady and the answer is yes I could but she didn't know how many columns of the strippenkaart I would need for my trip to Zaanse Schans. So I bought a strippenkaart with 15 volumes for €7.30.

I walked out to the bus platform and waited for bus no. 91 which will take me directly to Zaanse Schans. The trip took about 40mins and it cost me 5 volumes on the strippenkaart. The bus system here is pretty interesting. You get on the bus, tell the driver where your destination is and lay your strippenkaart on the counter, then the driver will stamp on one of your strippenkaart’s columns (depending on how many zones you are traveling) using a stamp. Going outside of Amsterdam, I passed by some residential area. Most of the residential here are on low rise flats of 3, 4 or 5 storey high. One thing that stood out is that they all have big windows. And unlike the windows in the Amsterdam buildings, these windows are just a big piece of glass without any patterns or sections. Most of the windows had their curtains opened hence you can peek into the décor inside. I must say most of the decors are really nice.

The bus no. 91 stops next to the Zaanse Museum in Zaanse Schans (the last stop). I can already see the windmills from here. As soon as I step off the bus, a scent hit my nostrils, it’s familiar, sniffing hard, I recognized the smell as the cocoa smell similar to those in the Bukit Batok area (some years back when I visited my friend staying there). I walked into the Zaanse Museum as the tourist info counter is there. The lady officer provided me with the area map, explained to me the 2 types of Zaanse Schans Pass that I could buy. The full pass covers all the fee paying museums (Zaanse Museum, another smaller museum, clock museum), free entry to the first mill and then discounts on the subsequent mills. The second pass just covers the Zaanse Museum, free entry to the first mill and discount on the subsequent mills. After some thinking, I decided I will not purchase any pass and just pay for the mills that I wanted to go to. Each mill charges €3 per entry. There are some workshops like the cheese factory, clog making factory etc which are free to enter.

Armed with the map, I set off to explore the area. There are several mills along the River Zaan. The people who lived along its banks and who had grown rich through trade and fishing, built their first windmills around 1600. Initially they used the wind to keep their feet dry, but later on they used it to develop an entire industrial area. Barley, paper, wood, cooking oil, mustard, tobacco, hemp and many other products were processed in 1000 windmills in the Zaan area. From 1850on the work of the windmills was taken over by soot-spewing steam engines. Now, only 13 windmills survived, as monuments of industrial and technology.

First, I entered the cheese farm, where they show how cheese are made (too bad the demo is not on while I was there) and then you can get your cheese in whatever size you like at the shop behind. Next I visited ‘De Kat’ (The Cat), a dye mill operating since 1782. A brochure was given to me and it says ‘Welcome to De Kat. Your visit to the mill is at your own risk.’ Okay, point noted. Inside at the ground floor you see 2 huge wheels spinning and crushing on the chalk stone, turning them into chalk powder. Then you can climb up steep and narrow staircases up to see the upper part of the gears which spins the wheels. You can climb 4 storeys high and on the second storey, you can climb a short stairs which leads you out to a platform so you can gain a better view of the mill from the outside. The sail of the mill is also located here at the platform. The miller turns the sails, mounted on the 15-ton cap, into the face of winds. He also regulates the speed of the windmill by means of the sails and boards. While inside the mill, you can definitely feel the power of the wind as the wooden platforms would shake and rattle as the speed increases.


After coming down from the mill, I bought a cup of hot chocolate with free cookies for €1.50. It’s nice and thick and warmed me up a little. Down the route, there are also saw mill, oil mill which are opened for visit. However, I didn’t go into the rest of the mills but just took photos from the outside. I followed the route to the last mills before turning back. Then I went to the other side where the clock museum and the smaller museum are located. The views are just lovely. The buildings here are all constructed in wood and painted in green. Turning back towards Zaanse Museum, I visited the clog making factory. In here, they have a display of various types of clogs, some with very sophisticated carving and some in peculiar shapes and sizes. There is a demonstration of how clog shoes are made. Traditionally a hand-made clog would take around 3-4hours, but now with the machines, it only takes around 5-10mins. The clog-making machines operated like imprinting the keys, where you have a master sample and then the machines just mold the new clogs out. Simple. I bought some postcards and also a stamp collection from the souvenir shop. I had to go to another souvenir shop to get some stamps so I could post them off. After that I took the bus back to Amsterdam Centraal Station.

I got back to my hostel around 5.21pm, showered, and had an apple. Then about 6.25pm, I went out again to join the Red Light District walking tour. The tour costs €10 and there are about 20 of us. It was quite cold, so our tour guide, Alex started of the tour by asking us do some stretching and jumping exercise, haha. Then, we were off to explore the Red Light District. Alex told us that there is a World Cup qualifying match between Scotland and Holland hence the many Scotts in town, showing their patriotism and support. We were taken around the area, showing us some quirky shops, passes by many window girls, seen the door of the hardcore gay pub. Alex told us the history of the Red Light District, how it began and told us that the government is currently planning to close down this area. So many of these windows has been closed down and turned into a display window for local artists. At one point, the group were split into boys and girls group as the boys were sent up the street where the ‘ladies’ can come out of the windows and 'touch' the customers, luring them into their place. Since the girls are not so welcomed there, Alex took us down through the town’s narrowest lane and waited for the boys to return.

During the tour, we stopped at a place and there was a pink scooter parked there saying ‘ex-porn star’. Some of the tour mates took photos of the scooter. I noticed that the window girls nearby saw the cameras and was quite sensitive / annoyed by it as she quickly drew up the curtain until they were done with the shooting. Yes, here at the red light district, you cannot photograph the window girls or else you are just asking for trouble. Some of the more aggressive ladies will come out, grab your camera and throw it to the canal; or they will flick you with a shot of urine... In this area, whatever sexual fantasies you had in mind, there will be a place to satisfy whatever you want. Live sex show, peep shows, sexual theme bars, sex shops, pornographic video booth, fetish parlours, lap dancing clubs, and a sex museum. Then there are all sorts of window girls, tall, short, fat, skinny, young and old, different nationalities and also transvestites.

One of the most famous venues in the Red Light District is the world-renowned Casa Rosso live sex theatre, presenting a series of shows and erotic acts. Another similar venue is the Banana Bar, where the drinks are poured by a group of topless barmaids. And for an extra €50, the same waitress will perform a series of sexual favours including the consumption of banana from the private area. Other than these, there are also private clubs, escort agencies and massage parlours. The entire tour lasted about 1hr 45mins and the group head down to the Belushi bar. However, me and several others who weren’t interested in having a drink head back to Central Station and back to my hostel. This tour was quite an eye opener to me. It’s absolutely safe to wander around by yourself as there are police paroling around the district. However, I wasn’t that brave to wander around by myself hence taking up this tour is well worth it.

26 March, 2009 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Day 1

Before the ferry’s wake up call at 6.45am (for the 7.45am arrival at Hoek of Holland at 7.45am), I was woken up by the sound of someone trying to open the door. I wasn’t sure if it’s at my cabin door, so I got out of the bed, walked to the door and listen (no peeping hole on the door). I listened for awhile but no movements outside, so guess not. Not fully recovered from yesterday's long journey, I went back to bed until the wake up call. It was such a struggle to get myself out of the cozy bed and be back on the road.

After freshening up & had the chocolate croissant as my breakfast, I went out briefly to take a sneak peak of Amsterdam before returning to get my luggage as the ferry approaches the dock. Stepping off the ferry, there are 2 immigration and passport control counters. EU and EER passport holders can queue at either side while other passport holders like me need to queue at the counter on the left. The officer asked me a series of questions: why are you here, are you here alone, how many days you’ll be here, where are you going next? Pretty standard Q&A. Just outside the ferry terminal is the train station where I boarded the 8.21am train to Rotterdam Centraal at platform 2. I'll be arriving at 8.53am, just in time (with a bit of running) to catch the 8.58am train to Amsterdam Centraal. This Intercity train is a double-deck train where the upper decks are categorized as quiet zone. I only knew this after I went up exploring to the upper deck. The journey to Amsterdam Centraal takes about 1 hour 10mins. As we were approaching Schipol Airport station, the ticket conductor came to check the tickets. He told me that I am sitting at the wrong compartment, my ticket is for standard class (meaning 2nd class) but I am now sitting in the 1st class compartment. Oooppsy… luckily he wasn’t strict or fierce. I apologized, grabbed my stuff and went to the 2nd class compartment but there were no seats available so I went to the lower deck and sat down. Phew. Along the way, I noticed that the landscape here is absolutely flat. There were no hills or mountains, just pure flat lands and rivers / canals.

I arrived at the Amsterdam Centraal at 10.03am and its slightly drizzling & it's very cold too. I followed the direction as instructed from my hostel but wasn’t sure if I was in the correct direction. Maybe I’m looking a little lost at the junction, a Turkish man passing by kindly stopped and asked if I needed help. I showed him the hostel address and he pointed me the direction. After that I had no problem locating the hostel. I checked-in but the room wasn’t quite ready yet as their check out time is at 10am. So I waited at the lobby area and used the pc there to surf the internet. Met my sis online so I chatted with her for a while. Half an hour later, I was given the key to the main door, room door and also for the locker. My room is on the 5th floor and we enter from the door next to the hostel reception. It was quite a climb up the narrow staircases with my heavy baggage. The whole of 5th floor has been changed into a 10 bed female dorm so it is pretty spacious. There are 10 single beds, 5 on each side, with the center being divided by wooden beam. I am at bed E, next to the window. There is a small kitchen located at the corner.

Then I went back to the Amsterdam Centraal station to check on the train ticket to Brussels. The ticket would cost about €44 and after checking with the officers, there is some maintenance work going on Sunday (my traveling date) so I need to change quite a few times, making the whole journey long. With that info, I thought it would be a better idea to take bus instead. Next, I went to the tourist information centre opposite the central station. Here, the system works as if you are in a hospital / clinic / bank, where you need to get a queue number and wait for your queue no. to be called before proceeding to the counter. At my turn, I asked about the Keukenhof combination ticket (to see tulips), Zaanse Schans (for windmills) and also the location of Eurolines bus ticket office. I felt that the lady officer wasn’t very friendly and a little snobbish though I still managed to gather the info I wanted from her. Coming out of the centre, it is still drizzling. I made my way to the dam square because the Euroline office should be behind the dam square at Rokin street. Feeling a little hungry, I bought a cone of fries. Here, the locals normally have their fries with mayonnaise sauce and you actually have to pay extra €0.35 for the sauce. I took the chance to ask for the direction to Rokin street. She directed me the way and I quickly found the place. Walking in town, I noticed there were many ‘men in skirts’, the Scotts are plentiful around. All of them in their traditional kilts attire. Many of them singing and chanting away in groups.

I walked into the office, and enquire about the bus to Brussels. It will take about 3hrs 15mins and cost €17. Not a bad deal considering if I take the train, it would also take about 3hrs and the price is more than doubled. I bought the ticket and was told I need to take a metro to Amstel station to board the bus. After settling all the transportations, I walked around Dam Square. This is my second time here. The first time was about 4 years ago, on a business trip. I flew in with 3 bosses but I was ‘lucky’ to not get a flight back together with the bosses as the flight was full. So I got a day off and I wandered around Amsterdam city. It was around end June then, where there were blue skies and sun shine. The square is busy and crowded. I sat at the square together with many others. Now four years after, I am at the same place but the atmosphere was totally different. Cold and wet, the few tourists just quickly took a photo of the area and left. I then went to a pharmacy to get some medication as I am developing a cough. Later, I passed by a supermarket and went in to get some food. Inside, I saw this ready meal with Malay wordings: Sate Babi, Babi panggang... funny :p

After shopping, I had a very long walk back to the hostel as I kept going the wrong way and couldn’t find my way back. My bearings are totally off today. A couple of times, I thought I’ve found the way but only to find it was wrong. Was it due to the lack of sleep or was it due to the oncoming sickness? (Shrug) Finally, I got myself back to the hostel after so many wrong turns. I rested for a while at the hostel before going out again. The rain has now subsided; it is not so cold now. Armed with my camera, I went to the canals, just behind my hostel. Walked along the canals for a while, the same trail I’ve walked 4 years ago. Reminiscing. Took some photos and went back to the hostel as it is getting dark. Back in the hostel, to my surprise, the other 4 beds at my side were occupied and they were all sleeping. So early? Its only about 7pm. Anyway, I went to shower and then microwave my ‘babi panggang’ + fried rice as dinner. Feeling tired, I think I’ll join in the rest of the crowd and sleep early tonight.

Bali 'Feb 2011

 

25th March, 2009 – Traveling from North Wales to Amsterdam via London Euston (Day 14)

This morning, after packing my luggage, I had a long breakfast while listening to the radio. Then I went for a leisure walk to the other side of town. It was just too cold out there I can't stand it. So I went back to hostel to watch TV (one tree hill and Gilmore girls) and had hot tea. The hostel owner was doing his cleaning and maintenance so we had a lovely chat.

Around 12.45pm, I grabbed my luggage, went to get a subway sandwich and head to Bangor. Took the 1.10pm bus arriving at the Bangor train station at 1.45. Waited at platform 1 for my virgin train from Bangor to London Euston. My pre-booked seat is backwards facing... bummer. While having my sandwich, I noticed there are small LCD displays on top of the seats stating if the seats are available or had been reserved. I found 2 forward facing seats nearby which were not reserved and move over. Much better now. Use the traveling time to read up on my LP guide, jotting down some places of interest in Amsterdam and Belgium.

Arrived in London Euston at 1745pm and walked to the Euston Square station and took the tube to Liverpool Street station. Then I went to pick up my pre-booked 'rail and sail' ticket. The 'rail and sail' from Stena Line's dutchflyer service provides city-to-city travel for passengers wishing to travel from Britain to Holland, where you pay just one price for your travel from London to the Harwich International by train, then board the ferry for an overnight sail (in private en-suite cabin) to Holland, and then again take a train to any of the dutch train station. A paper is given to me as proof of my rail ticket from Liverpool Street station to Harwich International station. There are 2 trains I could take, first one at 2018pm (final station at Harwich town) but I decided to take 2038pm train which terminates at Harwich International station. While having my dinner at Burger King, there's a group of Asians there, listening to their voices and conversation, I know they should be Malaysian. (hehe just entertaining myself)

I board the East Anglia train to Harwich International at platform 9, arriving around 2200pm. The train station is just next to the ferry terminal. Went up the escalator to the ticket counter to pick up my second half of ticket, my boarding pass for the ferry and also the rail ticket from Hoek of Holland to any dutch train station. All passengers waited at the waiting lounge for 5 mins before we were allowed to board the ferry. It was a very huge ferry with a total of 10 decks. I am in deck 8, room 8213, a single cabin inside (meaning no window). It's a great cabin all to myself, there are 2 bunk beds, a sofa, a toilet, a table, and one huge mirror. All these for just ￡57, well worth the money. The boarding pass also acts as the door key which has a bar code on it. After putting down my stuff, I went down to deck 7 for a little exploration tour. There are café, restaurant, game area, casino, cinema, duty-free shopping to keep you entertained if you are not sleepy. Went back to my cabin, showered and laid down to sleep after this very long traveling day.

Photos of Wales,UK

24th March, 2009 – Caernarfon, North Wales (Day 13)

I woke up at 7.45am today; Sarah told me that they are leaving the hostel this morning to Chester for another game. At breakfast table, I was joined by the team's coach and also some of the Rugby boys. The boys are ever so lively and loud. After breakfast, I walked to the tourist info center to get some inspiration on what to do today. The counter is not opened until 10am so I just took some brochures and walked to the bus station. I originally wanted to head down to Porthmadog and Portmeirion as I was attracted by the great photos of Portmeirion on the brochures. Portmeirion is a village on the Snowdonia coast which was built by Clough William-Ellis between 1925 to 1972 and was the location for The Prisoners in the 1960s. From Porthmadog, there is the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, a small friendly railway where you can ride on the vintage train, climb up the steam and diesel locomotives during the stop at the Engine Shed. It sounds pretty interesting but sadly it is not open until 28th March. Looking at the bus time-table, the bus to Porthmadog doesn't leave until an hour later. So I changed my plan to first go north to Conwy since the bus no. 5 to Conwy had just arrived. Again, I bought the Red Rover ticket to cover my transportation for the day. From Caernarfon, the bus first goes to Bangor where the bus driver change shift before continuing to Conwy. The entire journey takes a little more than an hour, passing by several small villages. The weather is really good this morning, blue skies with the sun shining brightly.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Conwy can truly lay claim to being one of the finest remaining medieval walled towns. Upon reaching the town, the first glimpse of the town reveals the majestic ramparts of Edward I's imposing castle, built between 1283 and 1287. Alighting at the bus stop, I make my way to the tourist info center at the castle entrance. The kind lady there gave me a map of Conwy and also showed me how to go up the walls and also the location of the Britain's smallest house. I bought 4 very beautiful postcards of Snowdonia and North Wales for ￡1 and post one of them before walking the walls. The walls retained three of the original gateways and make an exciting walk with spectacular views to the quay and the pretty yacht-filled harbour beneath. A verdant mountainous backdrop complements the scene. From the highest point at the wall, the whole Conwy town comes into sight. I went round the walls that are opened to public (some parts are not accessible) taking lots of photos.

After I'm done with the walls, I went down to visit Britain's smallest house, which faces the harbour. Unfortunately the house is not open at the moment so I could only take photos from outside. Then, I bought myself a Chicken Salad sandwich from the 'Spar' shop and had it by the harbour. A few seagulls and pigeons loitered near my bench, hoping to share my sandwich. Well, I know I shouldn't feed the birds but then one of the seagulls 'calls out' to me... I'm not kidding you, the seagull looked straight at me with its small innocent eyes and squawked! I gave in and shared a little bit of the bread with him. After that, I went through the bus timetable to find that the last bus that runs between Porthmadog to Portmeirion is at 3.50pm. I doubt I could make it there in time and back. Hence I alter my plan, intending to go for this walk near Ryu Du, in search for fairies in the woodland. However, the tourist info lady told me that it is a little difficult to get me there and I would have very little time there before dark. Changing my plan again, I decided to go to Llanduno, a seaside resort town nearby. I took bus no. 19 and the journey only took about 15-20mins. The wind has picked up quite a bit now and the sky turned grey again. The town is pretty crowded with tourists. After alighting at the bus stop, I head straight to the Great Orme Tramway leading to the Great Orme Summit for views in North Wales.

To my delightful surprise, the tram up the summit is operational (coz the lady at the tourist info told me the tram is not running). So I bought a single way ticket (￡4, return ￡5.40) and board the tram. The Great Orme Tram is Britain's only cable-hauled street tramway, comprising of four of the original Victorian Tramcars. There are 3 trams running every hour and mine started just 8mins later. The ride up is pretty smooth. as compared to the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Going up, Llanduno's sweeping bays is in view. There are residential houses along the tramway. Soon we arrived at the Halfway Station, where we changed to another tram to continue on our journey up to the Summit Station. The higher we climbed the windier and colder it got. Next to the summit tram station is The Great Orme Summit Complex and also there is a garden beside the station. Then there is nothing else but vast green lands and the open sea. I braved the very strong wind towards the fields near the summit complex. Tears filled my eyes as they were pierced by the cold winds. Behind the complex is the Cable car center which is closed at the moment. Then I fought my way opposing the wind towards the other side of the field. Going up a slope, it was so hard to walk in a straight line as the wind is pushing me aside and I tried my best to fight back. So strong is the wind I sometimes had to just stand still to steady myself. Good thing this is not at the cliff edge else I might just be blown down the cliff into the sea. It's just too cold and windy up here and the view is very blurry and misty I could not see much except for the sea hence I quickly came back down and started descending towards the town. I purposely bought the single way ticket as I wanted to walk back down hoping to have more photography opportunities.

I followed the trail next to the main road. Soon, I come to a farmland where there were sheep with long pointy horns grazing at the grass. It is the first time I see this species of sheep. There were 2 shepherd dogs noticing my arrival hence watching me closely and even barked at me warning me not to try something funny (what would I do... steal the sheep? hahaha). Next to the farm is the Great Orme Bronze Age Copper Mines. This is the oldest metal mine in the world which is opened to the public. I just looked from the outside and continued on descending. After the Halfway Station, the descend became very steep road. I carefully walked down afraid of injuring my knees. Finally I made it down to the main station and walked to the promenade and around the town. The wind has turned down a notch down here but it is starting to drizzle. I quickly make my way to the city centre to get a bus back to Caernarfon. It's another 1.5 hours back to Caernarfon via Bangor. While munching the ginger biscuit I bought the other day, I noticed the time displayed on the bus is an hour later than my watch. Has the time changed (due to the day light saving)? Oh dear, I must clarify this either tonight or tomorrow morning else I would miss my train back to London tomorrow.

Back at the hostel, it is back to quiet and relax mode since the rowdy rugby team has left the venue. I cooked myself the remaining beef and salad I had left last night. Over dinner, I switched on the cd player with some light & easy music while reading a magazine. Loving this moment of relaxation. Tonight I have the room all to myself. Yippie!!! I paid the hostel owner ￡30 for 2 nights so instead of the original ￡45 for 3 nights, I am just paying ￡34.50 (￡4.50 paid for deposit), a savings of ￡10 !! Double yippie !!!

23 March, 2009 (Mon) – Caernarfon, North Wales – Day 12

Well, it turns out the only noise affecting my sleep was from the lady herself as she was snoring away in her sleep. Lucky I had my earplugs ready. I slept until 7.45am and went down for breakfast were there are toast, bread spreads, cornflakes, oats, coffee and tea. I had a big breakfast before heading out to the Snowdonia National Park. I took bus no. 88 from the bus station and bought a Red Rover Day Pass (￡4.95) to Llanberis. Llanberis borders on to the Snowdonia National Park, attracts up to 12million visitors a year and Snowdon is internationally renowned as being an icon to the nation. At 1,085 meters (3560 feet) it is also the highest peak in both England and Wales. The Snowdon Mountain Railway runs to the summit of Snowdon in fine weather, since its completion in Victorian times in 1896.

The bus ride took about 25-30mins and I alighted at the bus stop where the Snowdonia Mountain Railway (SMR) station and the Llanberis Lake Railway station are located. The lake railway is not running today but the mountain railway is operating. The next train is leaving at 11am and the return ticket costs ￡16 (if you called one day ahead to book the earliest train at 9am, you only pay half price). As the weather is not very good today and there are strong winds, the train will only go up to the Rocky Valley station, which is 5/8 of the distance from the summit and we are not allowed to leave the train during our 10mins stop up there. I was hoping that the misty and cloudy weather will get better later on.

With an hour and a half to spare, I walked to the tourist information at the city center. Llanberis is a lovely little town and it is rather quiet at the moment. People here are very friendly, broad smiles and greetings as you meet. I took some brochures from the tourist info center and bought postcards. The post office is just across the road so I went in to mail my postcards before making my way back to the SMR. The air here is so fresh and clean, the environment so tranquil and serene.

Entering the train station, I see the steam-engine train that would take us up the mountain. The train officer punched my ticket and waved me onto the train coach. It is just a one-cabin coach with the engine at the rear side. At 11am sharp, we started our slow ascend to the mountain. The railway track is lined just next to the valley or cliffs. The first sight that comes to view is the beautiful waterfall on the left while the rest of the main sights were on the right side of the coach. There was an audio commentary pointing out the sights as we pass by them. Sheep runs freely at the hills and one of them was even resting just beside the railway track. The weather is still very misty hence it is difficult to see the sights clearly. Along the way, we saw some hikers walking the trail to the summit although it was not advisable to do it. Soon, it started to drizzle and as we climbed higher, the rain started pouring really hard. We arrived at the Rocky Valley about 30mins later where we stopped for 10mins. There were 3 guys who tried to go down the train and were immediately stopped by the train officer. During the stop, I changed my seat to the right side on the way down so I could see clearer the sights I missed just now.

By the time we arrived back to the station, the rain has subsided a little. I went to the cafe next to the station and had a peppered steak slice as lunch while waiting for the rain to stop. After lunch, I visited the Welsh National Slate Museum. There, I learn that Llanberis is a new village which grew due to the slate quarrying industry. The industry, which started with a number of small workings in the 18th century, was organized into larger operation and by 1870 it had reached its peak employing 3000 men. The slate industry is still alive today but modern machinery used contrast with the simple hand tools used previously. In the museum, you could see a demonstration of slate splitting and examples of tools and quarryman's living accommodation. The present LLanberis Slate Railway runs on the track that was built in 1842 to transport slate to Port Dinorwic. After the closure of the quarry, the equipment and manpower were available to rebuild it and the Lake Railway reopened in 1971 providing a scenic ride along the shores of Lake Padarn.

After the slate museum, I followed the trail along Lake Padarn. Llyn Padarn or Padarn Lake is the result of millions of years of earth movement and volcanic eruptions, and over two million years ago the Ice Age began to form what is seen today. The weather has changed for better now, with a hint of blue skies and sunshine. However, the strong and cold wind blowing is still freezing me to the bones. As the skies cleared up, the Snowdon Mountain and the rolling hills nearby are all clearly visible. I told myself that I must return to this place again one day during the Summer time to admire and to fully appreciate the magnificent Welsh beauty. The stroll along the lakeside is absolutely wonderful with lots of photography opportunities.

Later, I was undecided if I should return to Caernarfon town or to continue exploring other areas here at the park. Finally, I decided to hike up the hills to the waterfall I've seen on my trip up the Snowdon mountain. The hike was quite easy and I am really glad I did it. The trail is through some residential and as I walked in a boy on his small red bike waved and said 'Hi' to me. I stopped and waved back with a broad smile. I asked him where is he going and he pointed down the road. So I said bye bye and continue on my way. There is a viewing point across the railway track, giving me an opportunity to take some photos of the railway track. Cool... There was a group of visitors at the cliffs of the waterfall so I too went down the path. It's quite a sight to see the beutiful waterfall up close. As it soon approaches 5pm, I went back down to the road and waited for my bus back to Caernarfon.

Back at Caernarfon town, I bought some diced beef and salads for dinner. At the hostel, the hostel owner came up to the room and apologized for all the noise from the Rugby boys. Also, he told me he would only charge me for 2 nights instead of 3 as compensation. I told him I didn't mind at all but thanked him for his nice gesture. I showered and then cooked myself a nice bowl of beef stew using the chicken soup pack I had left. While taking the bowl out to the dining table, I accidentally spilled the hot soup and burnt my hand a bit. The hot soup is really good after a day in the cold wind but the beef is very chewy. With the boys out until 8pm, it's good to have a quiet place to wind down after a long day out. Again I felt like I am actually staying at a friend's place rather than a hostel.

22 March, 2009 (Sun) – Caernarfon, North Wales – Day 11

The night before, the hostel reception told me that there was no bus going to the Dublin port although I find that a little hard to believe. So while googling for the price of the taxi to the Dublin port ferry terminal, I discovered that there is actually a ferry connection bus from the Busaras to the Dublin port at 7.30am, and it only cost €2.50. Woohoo, if this is true, then I could save about €12 as it would costs me around €15 to take a taxi there. So I woke up early this morning, checked out and walked to the Busaras so I would have ample timing to check out if the ferry connection bus is still running, else I'll just hop on a cab. Inquiring at the ticket counter gave me a positive answer, there is a bus going at 7.30am to the port and I was the only passenger in the bus. The bus ride took about 15- 20mins and I am surely glad I didn't try to walk to the port as it is still quite a long way in after the junction entrance which I need to turn in to as pointed out by the O2 guys. The whole compound was very huge with lots of trucks and freight containers and also a row of the Guinness trucks. I walked into the terminal centre and checked in. Similar to taking a flight, you can also check-in your luggage so I checked-in the big backpack and took the elevator up to the waiting lounge.

We couldn't board the ferry yet so I had bananas as breakfast while waiting. About 8.30am, we were called upon to board the ferry. Following the instructions, walking down some flights of stairs, we were led out of the building where a bus is waiting to shuttle us to the ferry docked around the corner. I am boarding the Irish Ferries's Jonathan Swift today from Dublin city to Holyhead, Wales. The ferry carries both cars and foot passengers. The lower 2 decks are for the cars while the upper 2 decks are for standard class and club class passengers. The ferry is much bigger than the one I've been on previously from Isle of Skye back to Scotland. On the main passengers' deck, there are 2 brasseries where you can buy some snacks or have a drink. There is also a Bureau de exchange, a shop and a game arcade area. The whole journey took about 2 hours. After alighting the ferry, I went through the immigration counters and collected my backpack. Next, I am supposed to take the train to Bangor. However, the rail was not in operation today, so all the foot passengers board a rail replacement bus to either Bangor or Chester train station. I alighted at Bangor and then took a local bus to Caernarfon. I waited for 40mins at the bus stop (in cold winds) before the bus no. 5 to Caernarfon came. I had plenty of time whilst waiting so I checked out the bus timetable and discovered that the bus frequency was reduced to once every hour in Sunday hence the long wait.

Arriving at Caernarfon bus station, I didn't know where to find my hostel as there wasn't any clear instructions. I saw an Argos store across the street so I went in to ask the girls at the cashiers for help. They weren't very sure about the location but they were very determined to help. Initially there were 2 girls at the counters and both of them didn't know so they asked another colleague whom also hadn't any clue. Then one of them suggested calling another staff of theirs over the phone to ask for the direction. It is quite cool to listen to them speaking Welsh while discussing and then turn and speak and explain to me in English. After thanking them, I followed their direction into the city centre. The town was very quiet and calm today. As soon as I step into the square, the Caernarfon Castle stood majestically in front of me. The mighty Caernarfon castle is possibly the most famous of Wales' many castles. It is built by Edward I, not only as a military stronghold but also as a seat of government and a royal palace, its majestic wall and battlement tower above the walled town. Further down is the promenade and the sea. Again, I asked another local lady at a store for directions and this time the lady instantly pointed me to the location of my hostel, just down the road.

The lady owner checked me in and showed me around the house. Immediately I liked the place as it has a homey feeling. The entire house was nicely decorated and very clean. The ground floor is the living room while the kitchen and dining hall is at the basement. All dorm rooms are located upstairs. She told me that the hostel is full tonight as there's a big group coming in later. The owner actually stays at the house behind so it's pretty convenient. I was checked in to a 4 bed female dorm with a double deck bed and 2 single beds. I took the lower bunk of the double deck. After settling my stuff, I went out for a walk in this lovely little town. Many of the stores are closed today and only the cafés, restaurants, pubs and some souvenir shops are open for business. I bought a spicy Italian sandwich from Subway as lunch. I couldn't find a seat in the small store hence I ate it outside at the square in the chilling winds overlooking the castle.

After that, I walked down the street to the promenade where there is a bridge linking the mainland to the small island opposite. In the freezing cold winds, I strolled along the pathway for quite a bit before turning back. It is such a lovely place to be after the cosmopolitan city of Dublin. Everything here is so peaceful, quiet and relaxing. I was walking back towards the city when a 'grandpa' stopped me for a chit chat. He used to be a radio technician on boats sailing to the Asean countries including Malaysia. He is rather chatty and told me quite a bit of himself. From his stories, I learned that he was divorced and his children are living in Australia. Well, I guess he is just a lonely old man. He even invited me for a cup of tea when we met up at the square again but I politely rejected his offer as I wanted to continue on exploring the town.

I saw this 'Farmfoods, the frozen food specialists' store so I went in to check it out. Boy, their food is relatively cheaper than what I've seen outside. So I bought a steak & chips for dinner, a pack of biscuits and also a bottle of water. I wanted to get some 100plus for my sore throat but there wasn't any. So I end up getting a lime and lemon still water. I went back to my hostel to drop off the stuff and there was a girl, Sarah, who just checked-in. She has a very cheerful and bubbly character and she is in the Rugby team with another 24 boys. They are all high school students from Canada, currently on a rugby match tour around UK. They just came from Manchester today and they have a match tomorrow. I guess it's not easy to be the only girl in the team of boys but then from their interactions I guess they are quite close together. Quite a few of her team mates sort of purposely came in to say 'hi' when they found out there is another person in the hostel, making me felt a little awkward like I am a zoo-animal ;p

Soon,they are off to a running exercise and the whole house immediately quiets down. I took a shower before heading out again. The weather is not as cold now. I walked to the Victoria Docks and then turned back into the castle area. The town is actually quite small. Most of the people gathered at the pubs, leaving the rest of the town deserted. After a 40mins walk, I head back to the hostel for my dinner. The steak and chips meal I bought earlier on is not exactly steak but more like the burger meat and chips. I also had a nice hot cup of tea to warm myself up. After my meal, I went up to my room to meet another dorm mate, whom is from Bristol. She was on the computer examining the photos she'd taken earlier on. I got a quick peek and my, her work is brilliant. We joked about how noisy tonight could be with the rugby boys in hence we better get our earplugs ready... hehe

21 March, 2009 (Sat) - Dublin, Ireland - Day 10

After breakfast this morning, I went scouting for the route from my hostel to the Dublin Port, where I'll take a ferry over to Holyhead, Wales. It was quite a long walk and the route is sort of deserted. With reference to the simple map I had, the port is located towards the far end. When I reached the far end, there is a wide road leading towards the motorway and there was a road leading somewhere on the opposite side but there was no sign board whatsoever indicating where it leads to. After some time, I still couldn't find it so I gave up and head back. On my way back, I met 2 security officers at the O2 building who kindly gave me the direction. I am supposed to make a turn and walk all the way into a road I've passed by just now. I didn't went on to confirm the route to the terminal for 2 reasons: first, I'm not sure I'll be able to walk so far with my backpacks and second, I needed to use the toilet really bad. So off I went rushing back towards the city centre but it was so far away!!! I don't think I could wait until I reach my hostel so I just walked right into the first hotel I saw, acting as if I am one of their hotel customer and use their toilet. Hehe...

After relieving myself, I walked along the Liffey River's Millennium boardwalk and then cross the Ha'Penny Bridge to Temple Bar. The Ha'Penny bridge is a pedestrian bridge built in 1816 over the River Liffey, made of iron cast. Originally called the Wellington Bridge (after the Duke of Wellington), the name of the bridge changed to Liffey Bridge. The Liffey Bridge remains the bridge's official name to this day - though it is still commonly known as the Ha'penny Bridge. Before the Ha'penny Bridge was built there were seven ferries, operated by a William Walsh, across the Liffey.[1] The ferries were in a bad condition and Walsh was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge. Walsh chose the latter option and was granted the right to extract a ha'penny toll from anyone crossing it for 100 years.[citation needed] Initially the toll charge was based, not on the cost of construction, but to match the charges levied by the ferries it replaced.

Temple Bar in the day is relatively quieter than the night. Tourists wandered around taking photos, there is some street performer singing away in the alley, some sat at the café enjoying their breakfast. There are 3 markets going on today at Temple Bar area. The first is the book market (Saturday and Sunday) at the Temple Bar Square, which only has around 5 stores. Then I head to the food market (every Saturday) at the Meeting House Square which was not as big as I thought it would be. There were only around 20 odd stores selling various types of food i.e. cakes, muffins, breads, cheese, fruits and vegetables, olives, oysters etc. I bought a huge blueberry scone for €2. The National Photographic Archive is just next to the food market. There is an exhibition showing the works of D James Galbraith's Ireland 1970 - 1997, with quite a good photo collection showing the life in various Ireland towns between the years. After the viewing, I went to the fashion and design market at Cow's Lane (every Saturday). It is the largest designer market in Dublin offering handmade, one-off original designs. The market sells everything from silk custom made underwear to art prints to funky clothing.

Besides the markets, you can also find the Dublin Wall of Fame (Temple Lane South), a monumental tribute to some of Ireland's favorite musical heroes being acknowledged and celebrated in a permanent outdoor photographic exhibition.The artists featured on the Wall of Fame were judged by several criteria - not record sales alone, but also for their genuine pioneering work in contributing to modern popular music and for showcasing the quality and range of Irish musical talent on the World stage. It is by no means a definitive list of the Irish top 12, but each act has been highly influential in the Irish music scene past and present.

After that I visited the Chester Beatty Library, established in Dublin in 1950, to house the collections of mining magnate, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty. The present library, on the grounds of Dublin Castle, opened on February 7, 2000, the 125th anniversary of Sir Alfred's birth and was named European Museum of the Year in 2002. The Library's collections are displayed in two collections: "Sacred Traditions" and "Artistic Traditions". Both displays exhibit sacred texts, manuscripts, miniature paintings and art on paper from the world's great oriental and western religions as well as secular items. It is such an impressive collection with lots of information and details. Outside the library, is a beautiful garden where I rest and ate my scone. There are also some cheery blossom trees around adding the beauty of the garden.

My last destination of the day is the Guinness Storehouse. It was quite a long walk there and I passed by the St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Augustus Church and also a street market just opposite of the St. Augustus church before finally arriving at the Guinness Storehouse. There was quite a queue inside but the Guinness TV advertisements on show were very entertaining. The admission fee is €15 which includes a pint of Guinness at the end of the tour. I was given a floor map as it is a self guided tour and off I went with the crowd entering the exhibition hall. The exhibition inside is very interesting and informative. Coincidentally, the year 2009 marks the 250 years anniversary for Guinness brewery. The first room I entered showed the 4 main ingredients used to make the Guinness; malt, barley, hops and water. There are malts and barley on display where you can touch and smell them. There are also short films explaining each process of brewing the stout. Some of the machines used were also shown. The air was filled with the sweet scent of malt, barley and hops. Suddenly the bell rang and apparently they are just preparing to launch the next half a million bottles of Guinness. A lucky visitor was chosen to push the button to start the launch. There are a total of 5 floors in the building where you can gain much insight into the whole brewing process, the machinery used, the process of producing the big wooden barrels to hold the stout, the history, the marketing strategy, the advertisements, the Guinness cartoons, etc. There is also a tasting lab where you get to taste the different types of stout produced. Here, I learned that Guinness Stout is first exported to Malaysia from Liverpool in the late 1880s.

Towards the end of my tour, I'm ready to redeem my pint of Guinness. There are several bars that you can go to; one of them allows you to pull your own pint into the glass. I originally intended to try that out but the queue was just too long hence I decided to just to get my pint elsewhere. I went up to the Gravity Bar which was a glass-paneled window bar providing a 360 degrees view of Dublin city. It was quite a clear weather day hence a good view round Dublin city. However the bar is so crowded that it is hard to find a spot to sit down. After enjoying the view, I went off to another bar, ordered my pint of Guinness and sat down to savor the fine brew. Slainte! (Cheers in Irish)

After my pint, I walked back to my hostel, down along the Liffey River again. I stopped at the souvenir store to get myself an embroidered Irish Badge. Tonight, I bought a sweet & sour chicken rice to go with my broccoli. Quite a tiring day with all the walking but a very eventful one.

Photos of Dublin, Ireland