Monday 5 December 2016

Plitvice Park, Croatia


Okay jom sambung lagi cerita Croatia. Following the previous post, upon our arrival at the bus station we quickly dropped our bag at the bus station. Luckily it does not cost us quite much. Much better to leave the bag than carrying it around with us walking up and down the hill and everything. Since we have bought the ticket beforehand we don't have to wait that long. The cost of the bus ticket is not that expensive it is around HRK 80 to 100 (Croatian Kuna) which is approximately 10 to 13 Euro. The journey is about 1 hour ++.  Sebab lama sgat perjalanan maka tido la keja haha.



Plitvice National Park is seriously one of the must see attraction if you come to Croatia. Serius, konfem xkan menyesal. Usually the time of the year for tourist to visit is during summer. Tapi ramai orang kalau summer. So maybe you might want to try late summer or spring. Winter not sure I dont think you will be able to enjoy it sbb even when we went there during summer it was cold but not that freaking cold just that breezy cold. The entrance fee for the park is around HRK 55 around 5.50 pound and 7.25 euro. You can get discounted ticket if you come in group, students and children's ticket will be slightly cheaper than adults. 

Upon entering the park, you can actually feel the breezy wind blowing softly to your face. View dia memang sumpah breathtaking! It really does feel worthwhile to have to endure the long journey and not to mention food issue haha. That's why it's very important to bring makanan okay. Memang makan roti ja time ni dhla jalan jauh lapaq pulak tu. Ada ja kafe kat situ and you can always eat it if you decided to eat fries or something seafood. Tapi dah kedekut tahan ja laa haha. 

So Plitvice National Park is VERY BIG! I didn't even know what is all about at first. I just thought that it was a park with air terjun tu ja. But no it is very huge! And all the slanted slope and everything memang mencabar jugakla *sbb lapaq kot* haha and also since I didn't know it will be that big memang p sana pakai sandal serlung tu ja memang. Wrong shoes baby wrong! Should have worn the sport shoes but well redho ja la haha. Walk first, feel the pain later. But walking in nature, you don't have to rush it you just have to soak it all in :)

I present to you the breathtaking Plitvice Park :D

Yang ni time kitorg kat atas lagi baru kat starting point. Mula2 tgok memang WOW cantek gilaaa. Pastu nampak plak orang lalu kat situ. MUST GO!









Two roads diverged, which one will go ganna take :P 


Punyala besaq Plitvice ni sampai kena naik bas okayy. It is like going from point A to point C lebih kurangla cause it is quite far jugak. Boleh ja jalan tapi rehatla kaki tu dulu iyedok. Bus ni free tapi adala point dia kat mana yg kita kena tunggu so beware.


After dh stop kita jalan lagi. But this way around we are actually crossing over the huge lake by a bridge. And here I thought naik bas tu dh habeh kahkah. Tapi sebenaqnya boleh ja kalau nk chow lepas turun bas tu sbb ada pintu kluaq jugak kat situ. Time tu kami xmau kluaq kot pintu lain sbb takut sesat so not taking that risk. Plus, I wanna walk through the bridge on the first pitcha that I took keke.

Here's a compilation of wefie :D

 Sori Kak Yanah tidoq pulak time ni haha

 Here we met some Malaysians too. Malays everywhere hehe.

 Okay sori Kak Kira pulak lena time ni haha


We have walked so much that the moment we saw the boat which is used to transport people from this side of the lake to that side we were VERY relieved. The only problem is ramai gla orang tang tu. Like seriously ramai dok beratoq dan bersesak2 kat situ. And that is when the unthinkable happen. Qilah pitam -.-  
It all started when we were in line waiting for our turn utk naik bot. Time dok bersesak2 tiba2 Qilah cakap rasa mcm nak pitam and yeah immediately after that she fainted. Cuak wey time tu and time tu semua org bagi kami naik bot dulu. Luckily she's recovering time atas bot. And that peeps that is why we need to have friends okay ;)



This is where the boat stops. 




Immediately after you are out of the boat, you can find toilet, cafe and other facilities. So selagi x sampai sini and you are hungry be strong baby haha. We stayed here for a while and rest. Tapi xdkla rehat sgt. Ingat dh dekat betoi dgn pintu masuk td rupanya kena jalan lagi kay haha. Jauh la jugak tapi xla mcm awai2 tadi it was better keke. But despite all the penat lelah sakit kaki, I am very happy and bless to have been given the chance to witness these very beautiful scenery ;)

And you know what, we have walked 20,000 steps that day. Ha amekaw. Lagi slim la maknoks. Dahla makan roti dan telan ayaq ja haha. 

 This is at the entrance. Time dh kluar baru ingat nk tangkap gmbar sbb time awai2 pulun sgt nk masuk awai haha

Semua scenery pokok and it was between stunning lakes and green tree. Blue and green all over.

 I am wearing the wrong shoes kahkah. Happy face. 

Kak Yanah beraksi menyelematkan Qilah yg kesusahan.

In conclusion, Plitvice is really mind-blowing-ly beautiful! It worth all the pain and sweat. 
Make sure you put it in your itinerary next time you come to Croatia. Worth you time :)

Thursday 1 December 2016

Zadar, Croatia



Trip yang dah berlalu setahun yang lalu :P
It was around 30th May 2015 during our summer vacation. So in this trip it is a little bit different than before cause this time semua yang pergi semua gegirl haha #girlspower gittew kahkah
There are 6 of us; me, mint, faiqah, zie, qilah and kak kira. Here's some tips for going on a trip in a group;

1) Make sure you divide the task among the people in the group. Like for this trip; I was in charged with accommodation, mint and qilah is on the itinerary*where to go etc., faiqah on transportation, zie is on money changing/treasurer and kak kira is on activity.We even held meetings, presentation and all haha gigih.

2) Bought the tickets beforehand like very3 early. I think we bought it like one month earlier if I'm not mistaken. I use Skyscanner to compare the tickets. It is very useful cause you can filter it according to when is the cheapest month/day to travel and to where. It does help us a LOT! There is also another apps which you can use which is called Kayak. Equally good. 

3) Draft your itinerary, print it and bring it with you. Includes also in the itinerary the address of the place which you are going to stay as it may come in handy when you have arrived and is dealing with the immigration. Take a screenshot of the itinerary and also the tickets you have booked if you are travelling to different countries in one go cause sometimes the officers at the immigration will ask for that information.

4) Discuss what to bring and divide it among yourselves. Especially food. But dalam trip ni semua org malaih nak bawak makanan banyak2 mostly bawak roti ja and also chocolate lots and lots of chocolate. Megi pon boleh tapi hancurla nnt haha.

5) And lastly, be tolerate and have high patience haha. P ramai2 ni banyak kerenahnya besala lain kepala lain perangainya hehe. But it was all fun. The most important part is you have to take care of each other. Seronok2 jugak tapi keselamatan tu penting. Dok negara orang kan kenala jaga diri elok2.

Okay enough of those tips. Let's get down to the story itself. The first destination of our summer trip is Zadar which is located in Croatia. Actually this is just like a transit destination cause it is the cheapest :P Our aim is to actually go to Dubrovnik. Well not our mostly that was my aim cause that is the location of the Game of Thrones :D hahhahahahaha. So usaha selagi mampu.
We arrived at Zadar at night it just like maybe 2 hours flight from Manchester. It's not that long. Upon arriving, we booked a taxi to the hostel where we will be staying for one night. The hostel is more like a dorm they have double-deck beds. Lucky for us we are not sharing our dorm cause we are already six. The hostel is a mix-concept hence you gotta share the bathroom haha. Imagine going to the toilet wearing tudung omaigod. Nasib baik xpayah tido pakai tudung hahaha. That's why I always prefer Airbnb rather than something else. But didn't have much choice cause we can't really afford somewhere else cause it is so expensive :/
Anyhow, since we arrived at night it is hard to see how the view was in Zadar.



On board! Ryanair, always is the best mode of transportation for Eurotrip cause it is very cheap :P It was like Airasia in Malaysia.

We woke up the next morning to this view.


Rustic isn't it?
Lepas dh bersiap semua check-out and it is time to take a walk around the area.



 We were walking around this area because we are on the way to find the bus station. It seems that they have like a harbor fill with ships dekat tgah2 canal tu. So beautiful! Since time ni still awai xdak sapa pon lagi yg ada so xnampak apa aktiviti yg depa buat haha.




Stunning! Kalaula boleh naik. KALAU hahahaha



Random picture of some house on our way to the station.

Crew members :P

The journey to the bus station is quite far. But not that long like 1 hour. If I'm not mistaken it took about almost 30 minutes. It was all good cause we can enjoy the scenery too. The reason we are going to the bus station is to catch our bus to Plitvice National Park. Since that is going to be a long post I'm gonna stop here and continue again some other day :P 


Peace!

Zaanse Schans



The breathtaking Zaanse Schans. The view here was so beautiful that I think it is not fair to not share any additional post regarding this place.

Here are some of the things that you may want to know:

How to get there
You can get there either by bus, train or just drive there. Since I traveled in a group, we decided to rent a car since it is easier and cheaper. Especially when you are travelling with an older group it is much more convenient if you eases the mode of transportation. The cost for the parking will cost you around 9 Euro. Alternatively, you can check this link for more info on the mode of transportation.

Is it free?
Yes! It is free to enter the vast area of Zaanse Schans. However, there are several museums in this area and that one you will have to pay if you want to enter. It is advisable to buy the Zaanse Schans  card to enjoy a more privileges. So if you are not paying for anything you can just stroll around the area it is beautiful anyway cause it is like an open-air museum.

One tips when you are planning to come here is to check the weather first and plan your journey :D When we went there, it was all windy and gloomy looks like it's gonna rain. You can also get abroad a ship/boat to take a cruise along the river there. It will cost you a little bit but I am not sure what the price is.







Zaanse Schans is actually a residential area in 18th and 19th century which are brought to life which is a good way in preserving the culture and tradition. You can see these houses being well-preserved in their on way. Most of the houses were located along the small canal which is really beautiful :D












Look at the age of the cheese; 2 years! Well the longer the age of the cheese the higher the price will be. They sell this as one of the product of their villages.
And this is where they get all the resource:

Bela kambing banyak2 :P

Hence, if you ever did come to Amsterdam please and please drop by at Zaanse Schans. Though it is a long journey from the city, it will be really worth it. Refreshing air and fantastic view :)

Tuesday 12 April 2016

#4; Amsterdam!


I will keep on posting because I know there is at least one person religiously read my mengarut stuff keke.

So the next destination during my Easter break is Amsterdam. For this trip, my travel companion is my parents, Jat and his mummy; Makcik Zam. Since Jat is quite meticulous, the itinery was completed way earlier than expected haha. Thank you jat nasib baik ada org yg teliti nk harap aku hmm ke laut jgakla last minute haha.

Onboard!

We slept at the airport that night sbb ambik tiket murah. So early in the morning lepas subuh tu terus p Eurocar and ambik keta yg sudah di-booked! Volkswagen nyahh. Since it is Europe, the driver seat is on the lest which is quite confusing for me sbb lorong simpang dia semua mcm terbalik dgn kita i dont even know how to describe it haha. Adala jgak a few times my dad salah masuk lorong sbb dh besa bawak belah kanan keke. 

Since it is very2 early in the morning, we decided to go to Museumplein first. Museumplein is a public space which locates three of the famous museum in  Ams. Rijksmuseum, Van Gohg and Stedelijk. Again I am kinda a museum junkie tp sbb p dgn geng yg xbrapa fancy dgn museum kita ikut majoriti la hmm. But nevertheleess the main reason we wanna go here is because of the I amsterdam thingy haha. Since kitorg sampai awal sgt lucky for us org xramai lagi so impian utk bergambar solo tu adala haha. Since this is a very hotsppot for tourist attraction this place will be crowded with tourist 10 am ke atas la  plus minus keke. Blakang tu is actually the Rijksmuseum. Owh kat area ni jugak ada Anne Frank's house. Kena jalan skitla but time kitorg sampai xbukak lg so xpegila. Owh and yes bila mai  Amsterdam teringat cerita The Fault in Our Stars. okay selingan,


Although it rains, it doesn't stop us. Basah lencun woii hahahhahaha

I went to take a decent picture of the museum but then I heard a loud sound of the bell tower I believe and suddenly there were a huge flock? of people came from the direction of the museum with their bicycle which I believe they were heading out to work. Tapi serius ramai gla rasa mcm nk terlanggar ak pon ada haha. Owh and I dont want to fail to mention this; Just note that Amsterdam is the city of bikes. Like seriously semua org naik gerek.

Again I am lucky sbb xdk org lagi time ni hehe

This is actually the site of the city. I think ni rumah org kot maybe

Okay random pict sbb look interesting. There were displaying the menu actually

After frust cari2 kedai halal byk xbukak lagi we decided to go to the apartment first. Lucky us on the way there we spotted shops selling halal products and also restaurant serving halal food. So marked. After arriving and settling at the apartment we decided to head out and off to Zaanse Schans we go! Sbb nk jimat masa keke. The journey to here lamala jugak around berapa jam ntah sbb dia blah atas from the city. But honestly, it was totally worth the drive*cis padahal bukan ak yg drive pon haha.

Zaanse Schans ni mcm perkampungan yg sgt cantekkkkk mendamaikan dansebagainyala haha. The windmills were so well-preserved and rumah org kat situ pon cantek2. I really love the environment there. If given a chance I would really love to stay here. Bela ayam tanam sayoq masak makan jalan2 hmm peaceful okay hehe.




Cantek kannnn hihi


Mana partner I? Hmmmm keke

They also sell cheese there. Harusla promote hasil perkampungan mereka jugak hihi. 

Next, we went to Volendam. Volendam ni  kalau nk samakan dgn tempat kat Malaysia ni dia mcm ala2 Puteri Harbour la or Langkawi hehe. Sbb Volendam mmg tempat utk perlabuhan. 

There is canal everywhere! 

Ha ni la harbour dia. Sebenaqnya ada mcm depa buat boleh naik kapai then pusing2 berapa round ntah tp berbayar la hehe.



Tempat jual souvenir. I suspect yg jual ni from Indonesion. Sbb dulu kan Dutch tawan Indonesia so there is a little bit of influence from both sides. Sbb I noticed restoran Indonesion pon byk kat city.

While in Volendam; eating what the Volendam eat. keke. Since there are close to the sea so of course seeafood. They even used the seasonings and sauces from Indonsiea. Owh and the makcik tu pon from there hehe.

Then we headed back. Penat haha.

The second day, we went out early to go to Keukenhof. Tempat wajib ni uolz. Memang time ni musim dia. They even provide busses from the airport to come here for the tourist. Kalau smlm kitorg headed north this one is more on the south sbb tu xleh buat sekali. The tickets were bought earlier online xingat dh berapa. Time kitrog smpai ni they were tourists from all over the world baru sampai jgak naik bas. But mostly from Indonesia. Keukenhof is actually a VERY LARGE garden. Like seriusly besaq gilaaaa. Dia siap bagi map tau and they even named the section like orange, purple mcm tu.

I dont know why I love these bare trees haha

Kreatif ;3













Actually time kitorg sampai ni tulip x bloom sepenuhnya lagi. But they have this huge place like a dome where they I believe force the tulips to bloom faster hehe. So this place is a closed environment and there were many types of flowers thereeee nak boh semua berat plak jadinya haha

Time dh nak dekat half tempat tu kitorg pusing hujan turun dgn lebatnya so basah lagi haha. Tapi nasib baik dia mcm byk tempat tertutup so bolehla berteduh. Every section displays different theme and showcase different flowers. Got this one place tunjuk orked batik okay cantekkkk.

While in Netherlands; eating what the Dutch eat. keke



See? Tulip kat luar is not yet fully bloomed thats why they have that place. 

Paling lama spent kat sini sbb tempat dia sgtlah besaq dan attractive. After that kitorg balik and went to the city again for sightseeing. 

The infamous Amsterdam canal. Okay I actually dont know what did they call it keke

Konon nk g Red Light District tp mcm x appropiate plak sbb ada org tua keke. We went around the city walking, headed to souvenir shop and it is not weird that you can get weed everywhere. Like seriously everywhere and you dont have to be secretive about it. In this souvenir shop they sell it like we sell those things like sweets etc yg kat meja kaunter tu. It is very common to smoke weed here and they even have names for it Mushroom, Muffin, Cookies apa lagi ntah Im just saying random names that I remembered from my chat with my male-friends keke. Cause I remembered when they asked me nak cookies? NAKKK dgn innocence but it is actually weed. -.- Of course they were joking but if you come to Ams please take note of these things. What may sound innocence turns out to be wrong in so many ways.

After a long walk and I think I have reach the point where I find the night life of Amsterdam really contradicts with mine, it is time to go back home. The night life was loud and the thing with Ams is they are very open about sexual thingy. They have shops that sell adult toys and actually displaying the sign clearly and it is a BIG shop. They even have adult theatre whatever that means with explicit figure and pictures on the front. Really those who love the night in Amsterdam city is either very social or they got lost. But for experience-wise it was okay provided you are not alone wondering in the city at night cause that will be scary. 

Overall, Netherlands; I really love the part of Netherlands which is on the countryside because it was more peaceful and the scenery is just out of this world. The city was great but the night life is not for me. But maybe there was a part of the city which is not anywhere near scary kalau jmpk bgtau okay keke. 

Sekadar hiasan. Restoran ni nama dia nama Berak sekian hahahahahaha

Tips for flying to Amsterdam. If you want to come to Ams during the start of tulip season try to turn on the notifications on Skyscanner for cheap flight. I think due to some agreement made between Dutch and Indonesia; the price for kl-amsterdam was only around MYR 1300+ something. But of course it was not during the peak season of the tulip. Sbb my friend came to Ams with that price and when I went there they were many Indonesians too. So maybe ada something la kan. Just try who knows. The range is between March to May. Maybe. :D