Spanish Trail

2004-03-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

8am

Woke up groggy. Still jet lag. Since Sue is going to the office by 10am, I have to move out by that time too.

Left the souvenirs for Elly on her dressing table and a few bars of chocolates in the fridge for both of them.

Had shower and packed my things back into the bags. Sue helped me again bringing the bags to the car and I sent her to the LRT Wangsa Maju station.

Contemplating on going back straight or stop at KLCC. Decided to stop at KLCC for brunch and buying story books before shooting back to Malacca.

Went to my favourite Kinokuniya Book Store and bought a few fiction books. Went down to Burger King and had lunch. I managed to find a secluded spot. The place starting to crowd. Called Along and told her that Im stopping by to send the stuff to her.

Bought KFC fried chickens for Aqil and Aqilah coz I know Along would rather have take outs than cooking herself.

Drove to Ampang and both the children were excited about the t-shirt and the chocolates... ops! the chocolate bars were melted hehehe.. I left them in the car when I parked at KLCC.

Spent hours talking with Along and I didn't realised that it was already late afternoon. Had to make my move now otherwise mom would start her rounds of nags.. so of I go.

Decided to take the trunk road and took almost three hours to reach Ayer Keroh hehehehehe

Mom was so excited with the stuff I bought for her. The only thing was her Spanish-made leather slipper was a size smaller. Got nagged for that.. grrrr.. other stuff were okay.

This time I bought more house decorative items rather than my usual bells, key chain and t-shirts. Unlike the earlier trip where I bought a lot of non-displayable stuff for myself and her. hehehehe. Got nagged for that.

Sometimes it is hard to please tough cookie like her. But still some of that non-displayable items I bought three years ago remained in her glass cabinets in the living room...

2004-03-13T23:09:00.000-08:00

We were woken up by the stewardess who are serving breakfast. We were already somewhere in India and have many hours to go before reaching home.

I don't feel like eating and declined the food. Jules like the coffee..

A few hours later, finally I had the energy to open my eyes. Went to the toilet to freshen up. Spent time gazing into empty space outside the tiny window and watching non-interesting movie. Its the Master and Commander movie starring Russel Crowe.. really not very interesting at all. It was the same movie showed on our way to Amman.

This where Malaysian Airline topped some other airlines. At least in MAS, we have our individual tv screen in front and games to play. The Asian food, of course not that delicious but passable.

Anyway, by the time they served lunch, I was famished, for skipping two meals last night.

Though I left out the bread, I like the salad with crunchy carrot slices and cabbage. The meat is okay though and this time an excellent chocolate moist cake. I declined the hot beverages but drank a lot of orange juice.

The plane finally reached Bangkok International Airport and all the Brits disembarked. Some were excited holding the Lonely Planet and other travel guides for Thailand, I guess new timers and others looked they have been here a few times before.

Gush of humidity hit me when the airport ground handlers opened the backdoor to do some cleaning work and stack the food supply in the plane. I took the opportunity to use the toilet and walked around the empty plane.

After an hour, the empty plane soared back to sky on the way to Kuala Lumpur. So it would be another two hour before the touch down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

We met a Singaporean Indian lady who was in Paris and Switzerland doing sales to promote the hotel she worked for. She said her hotel was trying to get more Indians residing in Europe to come to Singapore and stay at the hotel. Quite an interesting job, I told her.

She said she will be catching another flight back to Singapore later. She was contemplating taking Air Asia to Senai and take a bus to Singapore.. wow! quite a long journey.

6pm.

The plane landed at KLIA and I was greeted with familiar scenery of palm oil and late afternoon sun. Ah! Its just nice to be back home. Said goodbye to the new friend and bid her good luck for her trip back to Singapore.

Once in the airport, another long queue at the immigration counter even at the electronic check point. There were almost an equal number of foreign and Malaysians waiting for their turn. Hmm..

Once we settled that, we proceed to the baggage area. Have to wait for our bags. The carousel was moving but there was no sign of our bags. Jules double check the electronic information board, yep we were at the right carousel. There were many bags placed on the floor and one of them can't be ours. Oh! Its belong to the Indonesian workers.. hahaha.

Finally got line for my Celcom and immediately called Mom. Told her Im okay but cannot talk long as battery is running low. Told her that I maybe going back to Malacca tomorrow. She was a bit disappointed but said ok.

Saw the group from the Great Eastern and they were also looking for their bags. Finally the first batch of bags emerged from the square opening. Yep they were from our flight. Saw my bag and then found Jules!

Put the bag on the trolley and decided to browse the KLIA duty free shops because Jules wanted to buy cigarrete for her colleagues in the office. I wanted to buy some more chocolates but they were too expensive here so decided not to buy anything.

By the time we went out the arrival hall, it was already 7pm and Ardie and kak Uli and her two children were already there. So we crammed into Bidin and talked about local news.

It seems that everybody were concern about the Madrid bombing. Tracy even called Ardie as she was concerned about Jules. Told them we got all the sms but were unable to reply back because we ran out of credit. We were already in Jordan when the bombing strike at Madrid's Atocha station.

Told them that my sister also called me when we were in Petra. My dad even called Wisma Putra asking whether any Malaysian especially his daughter were involved in the bombing.

Our conversation later strayed to the local politic scenerio as election is just around the corner. I groaned. It seems that I still have to cover General Election in Johor.

We stopped in Nilai to have dinner. We had nasi lemak.. Yum! After two weeks of bread and tuna we consumed except at Minna's house in Hull, it was nice to have spicy and hot sambal nasi lemak.

After dinner we stopped again at Keramat because Kak Uli wanted to buy some dinner for mom (my mak angkat hehehe) so Ardie went out to buy some roti canai and dishes while all of us waited in the car.

Once back at the apartment, I told them that Im going back straight to Elly's flats in Wangsa Maju. Tomorrow Im going back to Melacca. So I shook hands with everybody and took the car keys from Ardie and put my bags into the car.

Called Sue, she said she was alone at home. Elly went back to Ipoh. Okay. Told her to wait for me and help me unload some stuff up to the house.

My handphone battery went kaput by the time I reached Wangsa Maju and by the time I found the parking lot. Luckily Sue was waiting for me and she help me bring the bags up. Told her that I have some chocolates and souvenirs for her and Elly and everyhings compacted in my big bag.

That night we were just gossiping and I told her about our journey. She said she also planning to go on backpacking tour sometime soon.

I took out the chocolates and souvenirs for her and Elly. It was almost 3am when we finally slept.

2004-03-12T02:28:00.000-08:00

6pm

So we headed back to the hotel, when once on the way, Mr Mohammed cursed slow drivers.. hehehehe The first time I saw the man showed his displeasure.

He dropped us at the hotel and told us that Mr Hassan will come to the hotel around 9pm to bring us to the Queen Alia International Airport for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur.

We freshened up and decided to check out and later have dinner while waiting for Mr Hassan. By the time we were at the reception counter, Mr Hassan was already waiting for us.

He was surprised when we told him that we've checked out and asked the porter to put the bags in his car. We tipped the porter. It was a custom here that everybody in the industry seems to thrive on tips from foreign tourists.

We were on the way to another hotel where Mr Hassan said he need to oversee another group of tourists.

He asked how was our day and we told him what happened. He was shocked when we told him that we did not go on the horse ride. He insisted that the tour package included horse ride. He told us to write a formal complaint to the tourism ministry on our guide who in a way conned us and left us in Petra.

He left us there while he made some arrangement for the group tourists. They were from Malaysia too. They were from Great Eastern Insurance and mostly were Chinese. Only one Malay man out of more than 30 people.

We dutifully did what he asked and used the hotel's paper to write the complaint letter. We were sitting at the night's manager desk when suddenly the phone rang.

"Wanna me to pick it up?" asked Jules.
"Unless you want to be the night manager," I said.
"Why not,"
The phone continue to ring.
"You're insane," I said.
"Okay I pick it up."

True enough, Jules picked up the phone and said "night manager." Lucky the person at the other line had put down the phone.

The front desk manager who saw us just smile. Well, I don't like to hear the irritating ringing, do you? Jules reasoned.

We also finally wrote our postcards to be sent home. We have bought the stamps from a small post office in Petra. So we waited for Mr Hassan to arrive.

11pm

Mr Hassan arrived and we handed the letters to him (Each one copy) for him to hand them over to the tourism ministry and we proceed to his car.

The temperature had dropped tremendously low compared to the sunny afternoon we had in Petra. Lucky we have my leather jacket with me so we were quite warm. From there we proceeded to the Queen Alia International Airport.

The security check in the airport is so tight its bordering rediculous. After we took the paid push carts and porters, we put our bags on the converyor belt for x-ray check and later to the custom and immigration for another check.

We had to literary open every bag even make up bag for checks and it was hassle for backpackers traveller who had many compartments and locked with padlocks. Furthermore the officers did not even help to close the bags.

Just imagine that these check is applicable to everybody even those who come with tourist group. There were two officers doing the check and everybody have to wait for their turn.

From there we proceed to the ticket counte to confirm our flights and check in procedure. However out of every bad news there is always a good news. And this time, there was no limit luggage that we can carry so our heavy bags were happily carted away via the conveyer belt and on their way into the plane.

We took the time browsing the duty free shop and decided to buy more chocolates to bring back. My backpack was already heavy but yeah, why not more chocolates.

At the same time we were trying to locate a post box but couldn't find anywhere in the airport so we asked a security guard and he told us that a postbox is outside the airport and later offered to post the postcards for us. We gave him the postcards and thanked him.

Once we made our chocolate purchase, we proceed to the waiting area. There was long line outside the boarding room. Another security check.

We get into the line and there was only one officer doing the passport check and another manning the x-ray machine, while other officers sat and chatted among them. Typically Arabs.

We put everything on the conveyor belt for x-ray check and pass through the body check box. My turn and the darn machine went off. This was the second time metal detactor went off on me. The first time when we stopped here on our way to France. So, knowing where to go, I went straight to the private box for women and a woman officer use another metal detector and checked me again. Of course it went off at OBVIOUS places including my camel boots.

Waited that the waiting area with all the Brits who were on their way to Thailand via Amman. About 15 minutes later, a group of Chinese tourists joinned us... and all hells break loose. They were noisy hahahaha.

Half-an-hour later we boarded the plane and this time it was full house. We got another window seat. I slept most of the time we shot across the many time zones. Of course we got food in plane but again there were breads. I took two meals that were served but declined late night snacks.

The lights were dimmed and there was no good movied shown. The window shutters were down and like many others in that same Airbus, I was lost in dreamland...

2004-03-12T01:30:00.000-08:00

9am

Undoubtedly the most famous attraction in Jordan is the Nabatean city of Petra, nestled away in the mountains south of the Dead Sea. Petra, which means "stone" in Greek, is perhaps the most spectacular ancient city remaining in the modern world.

Despite Mr Hassan's suggestion that we visited the tombs of several famous muslim clerics and the 'Ashaab-e-Kahf' cave the story of seven sleepers, we decided to stick to Petra although it would be three hour drive away from Amman.

Mr Hassan sent his colleague Mr Mohammed to accompany us to Petra. Unlike the chatty Mr Hassan, Mr Mohammed is a quite person. I asked Jules to sit in front as I don't have any topic to talk with Mr Mohammed.

Earlier, we received sms from Has asking where we are, but since there is no more credit, we could not reply her sms. Seconds later she called. Told her that we saw the news and we are no longer in Madrid but now are in Amman.

Petra is located just outside the town of Wadi Mousa in southern Jordan. It is 260 kilometers from Amman via the Desert Highway and 280 kilometers via the King’s Highway. All along the journey, we were very sleepy as for the past few kilometres outside Amman, it's all arid landscape with badouin camps scattered in the dessert.

Halfway we stopped at a roadside tourist craft plaza where Mr Mohammed had his douse of a cup of coffee while we browse the souvenirs. This was much better than the one Mr Hassan brought us yesterday.

On the way, Jules phone rang. It was for me. It was Along asking anxiously where I was. Told her that we were already in Jordan and will be flying back tonight.

"Mak risau. Abah sampai call Wisma Putra tanya kalau ada orang Malaysia kat sana," she told me.

No no.. tell mom and dad, we were already in Jordan. She said okay.

Petra

The city was the capital of the Nabateans Arabs who dominated the lands of Jordan during pre Roman times and they carved this wonderland of temples, tombs and elaborate buildings out of solid rock. The Victorian traveller and poet Dean Burgon gave Petra a description which holds to this day "Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time."

Yet words can hardly do justice to the magnificence that is Petra. In order to best savor the atmosphere of this ancient wonder, visit in the quiet of the early morning or late afternoon when the sandstone rock glows red with quiet grandeur.

For seven centuries, Petra fell into the mists of legend, its existence a guarded secret known only to the local Bedouins and Arab tradesmen until in 1812, a young Swiss explorer and convert to Islam named Johann Ludwig Burckhardt heard locals speaking of a "lost city" hidden in the mountains of Wadi Mousa.

Burckhardt disguised himself as a pilgrim seeking to make a sacrifice at the tomb of Aaron, a mission which would provide him a glimpse of the legendary city. He managed to bluff his way through successfully, and the secret of Petra was revealed to the modern Western world.

We were given a guide who will give a tour on Petra. Also included in our tour was horse ride. Unfortunately instead of telling us this the guide gave impression that we can take a horse ride with extra charge.

Archaeologists believe that Petra has been inhabited from prehistoric times. Sometime during the sixth century BCE, a nomadic tribe known as the Nabateans migrated from western Arabia and settled in the area. They grew rich by levying taxes on travellers to ensure safe passage through their lands. The easily defensible valley city of Petra allowed the Nabateans to grow strong.

From its origins as a fortress city, Petra became a wealthy commercial crossroads between the Arabian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures. Control of this crucial trade route between the upland areas of Jordan, the Red Sea, Damascus and southern Arabia was the lifeblood of the Nabatean Empire and brought Petra its fortune.

Much of what is known about Nabatean culture comes from the writings of the Roman scholar Strabo. He recorded that their community was governed by a royal family, although a spirit of democracy prevailed. Strabo also notes the materialism of the Nabateans.

With its incorporation into the Roman Empire, Petra began to thrive once again. The city may have housed 20,000-30,000 people during its heyday.

The fortunes of Petra began to decline with the shift in trade routes to Palmyra in Syria and the expansion of seaborne trade around Arabia. In 363 CE, when the free-standing structures of Petra were thrown to the ground in a violent earthquake. Fortunately, Petra’s greatest constructions were preserved, carved as they are into the rock faces.

It is not known whether the inhabitants of Petra left the city before or after the fourth century earthquake. The fact that very few silver coins or valuable possessions have been unearthed at Petra indicates, however, that the withdrawal was an unhurried and organized process. One theory holds that the city of Petra was primarily a religious and administrative center, used occasionally as a fortress during times of war.

It seems clear that by the time of the Muslim conquest in the seventh century CE, Petra had slipped into obscurity. The city was damaged again by the earthquake of 747 CE, and housed a small Crusader community during the 12th or 13th century. It then passed into obscurity and was forgotten until Burckhardt rediscovered it for the outside world in 1812.

It was so dramatic walking along 2km Siq path, a narrow winding valley flanked between these tall pink stones. The path narrows to about five meters and the walls tower over 200 meters overhead, casting enormous shadows on the niches that once held icons of the gods Dushara and al-Uzza meant to protect the entrance and hex unwelcome visitors.

The entrance to the Siq was once topped by a ceremonial arch built by the Nabateans that had survived and remains can still be seen today. It heightened the excitement that at the end of this tunnel, we will found a huge breathtaking view of what the local called "Rose Treasure".

Tourists had started pouring in during this month of the year. According to Mr Hassan, March and April are the best time to visit Amman where the weather is very pleasant during the spring time. Besides the normal mat sallehs, Chinese tourists in buses came to visit Petra. The sound of tourists entertwined with the sound of pounded hooves of horses or horse carts ferrying tourists who were too tired to make a journey back to the entrance.

We met a few Malaysian students there but we just pretend to jual mahal to them. Anyway, there were just boys.

After the winding pathway, the Siq suddenly opens upon the most impressive of all Petra’s monuments al-Khazneh (Arabic for "The Treasury"). One of the most elegant remains of antiquity.

It is carved out of solid rock from the side of a mountain, and stands over 40 meters high. Although it served as a royal tomb, the Treasury gets its name from the legend that pirates hid their treasure there, in a giant stone urn which stands in the center of the second level. Believing the urn to be filled with ancient pharoanic treasures, the Bedouins periodically fired guns at it: proof of this can be seen in the bullet holes which are clearly visible on the urn.

The majestic Rose Treasure drew oooh and aahhh from the tourists including us. It was really like the "Indiana Jones - The Last Crusade".

We entered the Treasure with hope of finding more "treasure" feast for the eyes but it was not so. It was an empty hall carved from the beautiful red stones. Excavations are still being carried out as archeologists found more historical sites around the Treasure.

The guide left us here as he claimed that he wanted to perform the Jumaat prayer. We follow the tourists flow that leads down the ancient city. The number of niches and tombs increases, becoming a virtual graveyard in rock arching around behind the 8000-seat Amphitheater.

Instead of turning to the amphitheater, we headed to rock of Jabal Khubtha where the Royal Tombs are located. The first is the Urn Tomb, with its open terrace built over a double layer of vaults. The room inside measures 20 by 18 meters, and the patterns in the rock are striking. The Urn Tomb commands an impressive view and was once used as a church in Byzantine times.

Next along is the Corinthian Tomb, allegedly a replica of Nero’s Golden Palace in Rome. Finally, the Palace Tomb is a three-story imitation of a Roman palace and one of the largest monuments in Petra.Around the corner to the right is the Mausoleum of Sextus Florentinius, a Roman administrator under Emperor Hadrian.

From there we went down back to the Amphitheatre which was originally thought to have been built by the Romans after their defeat of the Nabateans in 106 CE.

It is now believed that the Nabateans cut the Amphitheater out of the rock around the time of Christ, slicing through many caves and tombs in the process.

Along the colonnaded street you will see the ruins of the public fountain, or Nymphaeum. At the northwestern end of the colonnaded street is the triple-arched Temenos Gateway, which was originally fitted with wooden doors and marked the entrance into the courtyard, or "temenos", of the Qasr al-Bint. To the right of the Temenos Gateway, or Triumphal Arch, is the Temple of the Winged Lions. This was named after the carved lions that adorn the capitals of the columns. The temple was dedicated to the fertility goddess Atargatis, who was the partner to the main male god, Dushara.

We have agreed to meet Mr Mohammed outside after 2pm, so after spending time inside the Siq sitting on the bench and people watching and admiring the valley, we walked out to meet him for our late lunch at one of the hotel. I noticed there was a iron tower of look like communication tower on top of a house next to the hotel. A smaller version of Eiffel Tower.

We left Petra and again we stopped at another stop-over for Mr Mohammed's dose of coffee. Jules went to the toilet. She said it was an expensive one. Either (I think) .75 dinnar or US$1. She paid the US$1.

The temperature dropped a bit when we left the stop-over and on the way back to the souvenir shop. Mr Hassan has gave instruction to Mr Mohammed to bring us there and Jules brought her plastic bag of the souvenirs with her.

It was already evening rush hour time when we reached the souvenir shop. Jules brought her stack and showed the owner that she was overcharged. The owner was obliging and refund the money to her.

2004-03-11T03:59:00.000-08:00

7am

I didn't know that sun rises in Amman.

The time was only 7am but the sun glared into our room like it was 10am and once you're up it was impossible to sleep again. I can also feel the heat seeping through the non-tinted window.

Rushed to the toilet for Subuh prayer and getting ready for breakfast and today's itenirary.

According to Mr Hassan, today we are going to visit Citadel, Roman emphitheatre and later to the Dead Sea.

We went down for breakfast and was quite disappointed with the limited choices. There were bread and butter some cereal and milk and thats all I guess. Well has to make do with whatever we can eat hehehe The orange juice was so sweet though. I guess Arab like sweet things. I can still feel the sugar stuck in the throat.

Mr Hassan came exactly at 9am and he told us that we will head straight to Citadel but before that he will helped change of sterling to Amman dinars. Gave him £60 while Jules gave £50 to exchange for the dinars. I don't remembered how much was the exchange rate but it was almost the same. Basically 1dinnar equavellent with RM6. At the Citadel's entrance, Mr Hassan handed us over to a tour guide that impressively could also speak English, French and Spanish.

Most of Amman’s noteworthy historical sites are clustered in the downtown area, which sits at the bottom of four of Amman’s seven hills, or jabals. The ancient Citadel, towers above the city from atop Jabal al-Qala’a.

Citadel is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon, and excavations here have revealed numerous Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains.

The most impressive building of the Citadel, known simply as al-Qasr "the Palace", dates back to the Islamic Umayyad period. Its exact function is unclear, but it includes a monumental gateway, an audience hall and four vaulted chambers. A colonnaded street also runs through the complex. To the north and northeast are the ruins of Umayyad palace grounds.

Close to al-Qasr lie the remains of a small Byzantine basilica. Corinthian columns mark the site of the church, which is thought to date from the sixth or seventh century CE. About 100 meters south of the church is what is thought to have been a temple of Hercules, today also known as the Great Temple of Amman. The temple was built in the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 CE), and is currently under restoration.

We noticed that the grant for the restoration work came from Spanish Government. Our tour guide wo took us to a speedy tour around Citadel told us that the Spanish Government was interested to offer the grant as it has Islamic history such as in Andalusia province.

Also on Citadel Hill, just northwest of the Temple of Hercules, is the Jordan Archeological Museum. This small museum houses an excellent collection of antiquities ranging from prehistoric times to the 15th century. There is an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a copy of the Mesha Stele and four rare Iron Age sarcophagi.

The Museum is open from 08:30am to 5pm daily. On Fridays and official holidays the museum is open from 09am to 4pm.

We noticed that the Citadel is still the favourite place for locals to unwind and enjoy the beautiful view of the settlement on the next hill and also the Roman Amphitheatre.

Situated downhill from the Citadel and five minutes walk east from downtown, the Roman Theater is the most obvious and impressive relic of ancient Philadelphia.

The theater, which was built during the reign of Antonius Pius (138-161 CE), is cut into the northern side of a hill that once served as a necropolis or graveyard. It is very similar in design to the amphitheater at Jerash, and can accommodate 6000 spectators. The theater is still used periodically for sporting and cultural events.

Two small museums are built into the foundations of the Roman theater. The Jordan Folklore Museum is in the right wing of the theater and displays a collection of items showing the traditional life of local people.

At the other end of the theater stage, the Museum of Popular Traditions displays traditional Jordanian costumes, including fine embroidery and beautiful antique jewelry. It also houses several sixth-century mosaics from Madaba and Jerash.

We did not go to either of the museum due to lack of fund! Waaaaa! But we still enjoy the big amphitheater. Jules decided to climb up to the above specatators seats but the steps were very steeps and some had already worned out that only one missed step can send you to tumble straight down.

To the northeast stands the small theater, or Odeon, which is still being restored. Built at about the same time as the Roman theater, this intimate 500-seat theater is used now as it was in Roman times, for musical concerts. Archaeologists think that the building was originally covered with a wooden or temporary tent roof to shield performers and audiences from the weather.

We had a break at the cafe near the amphitheatre before continuing our journey to the Dead Sea. We ordered lemonade.. again BAD CHOICE for me. The sugar kind of stuck in my throat. It was sooo sweet. Next time if I decided to go to Arab country, I would bring mineral water to delude some of the sugary and sweet drinks.

The Dead Sea is 75 kilometers long and from 6 to 16 kilometers wide. It is fed by the Jordan River, but it has no outlet. As its name suggests, the Dead Sea is entirely devoid of plant and animal life. This is due to an extremely high content of salt and other minerals about 350 grams of salt per kilogram of water, as compared to about 40 grams in the world’s oceans.

This high concentration is caused by a rapid rate of evaporation. These natural elements give the waters of the Dead Sea certain curative properties, recognized since the days of Herod the Great over 2000 years ago.

The Dead Sea is also famous geographically as "the lowest point on earth," lying some 400 meters below sea level. In addition to the historical significance of the "Salt Sea," as it was referred to in the Bible, the Dead Sea is today an important and rich source of minerals essential for agricultural and industrial development, as well as for the treatment of various medical conditions such as psoriasis. Visitors to the Dead Sea come away with an unforgettable swimming experience, as the high density of the water makes sinking virtually impossible. Indeed, swimming is also difficult, as one is lifted too high in the water to be able to stroke properly. More appropriate is the often-photographed pose showing a visitor reclining in the water, leisurely reading a perfectly dry newspaper.

yep, I took photos of German tourists frolicking in the dead sea. I was boring that day. I don't want to even dip my feet in the sea, although Mr Hassan urged us to swim in the lake.

So we just sat under the shade and people watching admiring God's creation and the story of Prophet Lut and how Allah turned the village of Sodom upside down and over the centuries it became Dead Sea.

2pm

We proceed to a Labanese restaurant near the resort and had lunch there. The dish selection was better and there were a lot of meaty dishes rather than fish or vegetables. But there is one special fish that the locals like. We had sumptous lunch and chatted with Mr Hassan on his work and family.

Here, buffet meal did not include drinks so if we order any drink we have to pay for it. Jules took mineral water while I choose coke. Like any drinks, the coke here is slightly sweeter.

On the way back we stopped at the shop selling souvenirs which Mr Hassan claimed belong to his friend. Everything in the shop was too touristry and mass produced that we do not have any choice of having authentic tourists souvenirs. Due to the currency, some of these souvenirs were too expensive.

We don't really like the things in the souvenir shop but out of respect for Mr Hassan we decided to just buy some things to bring back. It took us a few times going round the shop to finally decide the things that we want to buy.

During these process of searching and deciding, we were followed by the owner's sister who can speak good Malay. It was impressive at first but after a while her following us, was anoying. But trying to be polite we just grit our teeth and forced a smile.

After almost an hour browsing and finally purchasing the goods, we headed back to the hotel to have our dinner and rest.

At the hotel, Jules told me she was overcharged by the shop and suddenly her mood dropped. She felt cheated. I don't blame her. Told her that we will go back to the store and get her refund.

We had dinner that night with a group of policemen we figured were attending a course and staying at the hotel. Had rice and chicken and several type of vege salad.

Madrid Bombing

Saw the late night news. Madrid, Atocha station was bombed. More than 100 people died and hundreds more injured. It was shocking!

We were lucky to have leave Spain two days ago.

No wonder there was police check at Barcelona station. They must have receive words that there was going to be an attack at train station, just they do not know which one.

Furthermore Spain was preparing for general election.

2004-03-10T23:24:00.000-08:00

5.30am

Woke up early today for Subuh. As usual the water was cold! And as usual too I snuggled back under cover. Can't sleep, so browse the tv watching news. The weather improved a bit today, however there will be snow scattered here and there. The temperature was below 10C brrrrr....

By 7am everybody was up. Abg Annis is going to work and will come back around 10am. We've decided to leave Hull around 10am so that we can reach Heathrow around before 3pm and will have plenty of time to check in.

After morning shower, I helped Minna making breakfast took my laundry and packed my bag. Jules was still sleeping, so woke her up.

By 9.30am Abg Annis came back from work and we are getting ready to leave Hull. But one more place to go before we leave.... TOILET!

Put everything in the car and picture time. Took picture at the living area that is still under construction and take picture outside the house then off we go to London Heathrow yea!

It was snowing on the highway.. not really bad. Just enough to dirty the windscreen hehehehe.. but still excited with the winter in UK. I guess being born during winter time (northern hemisphere) made me love cold weather, especially when one was born, raised and work in tropical country... :-)

Anyway, we reached Heathrow around 2pm and immediately went to the counter to check in. Everything went smoothly so after checking our bags we decided to lepak and this time Abg Annis said he will belanja coffee at Starbucks.

"Ni, remember the big mug we had in Manchester? How about one now?"

I just grinned. "Yeah! Why not!"

We did not get a mug though but we had tall paper cup of cafe latte and hot chocolate. It was heaven! Oh yeah! I finally paid Minna for the leather jacket. Now the jacket was mine!!

An hour before the boarding time, we said our final goodbye. It was good to see them again and I don't know when will be our next reunion. Love them like my own family and hope that they will always be happy together.

Walked inside the duty free zone and we decided to go separate ways. Will meet at the boarding room later. So I browse the perfume area and book store while Jules were looking for some sports stuff.

Nearing to the boarding time, I went to room 22 and saw Jules was already there. There were a lot of Brits taking the Royal Jordanian Air. I guess they are on their way to Thailand. Royal Jordanian Air offered cheap flight ticket to Thailand via Amman.

It was already 5.30pm and we boarded our flight to Amman. It is going to be six hour flight from Heathrow to Amman. Again we got the three aisle seats for ourselves. Since we got nothing to do and the movie was not so appealing, we just sleep the whole journey.

We reached Amman around 11pm and after the immigration check, we met Mr Hassan who was holding a placard with my name waiting for us. He brought us to the Space Hotel and told us that our two day ziarah will start tomorrow.

Mr Hassan was a nice person who's wife was also a journalist. He was impressed when we told him that we are journalist too. So we talked about local politics and the women scenario in Amman.

That night we were so beat that we fall asleep almost instantly.

2004-03-09T00:33:00.000-08:00

I dont like Barcelona

Its got nothing to do with the buildings or the city. In fact Barcelona is considered one of the best cities in Europe. However, this beautiful city had never hold any good memories for us.

The first time we were here, Minna's bag was almost carted away by snatch thief and it was here that we witnessed the Enam Jahanam modus operandi stealing wallets and targetting tourists like us.

And this time, the train which was supposed to reach the city at 9.30am only stopped at the platform half-an-hour after the slotted time.

I was stopped by the policia and we only found out that Gerona is 100 km away from Barcelona, we missed the bus by minutes and we almost ran out of money!

I was among the chosen ones selected to have my bag scanned and searched by the police. We were just stepped off the escalator. Jules was ahead of me and she headed straight to the information counter. I was looking for her when a policeman flashed his badge at me and told me to follow him to have my bag searched. Wei! What is this? I explained that we were trying to catch a plane from Gerona to Birmingham..

"Just take a minute," he said and continued ushered me to the bag compartment area. I was still looking for Jules. Finally she saw me.

"Alamak Jules! Aku kena tahan!" cheh! these policemen.

There were several others in front of me and a few from the same train. I put my bag on the conveyor belt for the x-ray scan. Then the policeman checked my passport and asked where I enter Spain. Told him that we enter from Orly Paris and showed him the stamp. Then he asked me to open the bag.

I've compacted my bag and it was stuffed to the brim with my things. I was reluctant to open the bag as it would be difficult to close it again. But the policeman insisted.

My chocolate bars that I put in my bag formed a square black thing if seen through the x-ray monitor. I guess he thought that I was carrying a bomb or something so he kept wedging his hands inside the bag to pull my chocolate bars which I wrapped in plastic bags. I told him it were chocolate bars I bought to bring home.

He pulled out the plastic bag halfway and peered inside. He even sniffed the bars. "Ah! chocolat!" he exclaimed.

Yeah! I told him did I not?

The search took about 10 minutes and the policeman saw my exasperation helped me to stuffed the bars back into the bag and zipped it close. Thank you. He gave me a pat on the back and said thank you and sent me on my way.

I met Jules who were waiting for me. She was with the policeman who stopped me earlier. "OK?" he asked me. I just nodded. I was not in the mood to entertain anybody. Do I look like terrorist? Grrr...

We proceed back to the counter and asked how far it is to Gerona and which transport I can take. She said we have another five minutes to catch the bus to Gerona and other alternative is to take a cab. The airport is about 100 km away.

God! Why was it so difficult for us to go to UK?

I decided to withdraw more money from the ATM machine and look for a cab. There is no other alternative but to take a cab to Gerona Airport. We have an hour to reach the airport and another half-and-hour to check in.

So we met a taxi woman and told her gerona eoroporto. Asked price but she did not understand English. So I used sign of money. She wrote down 110EUR. Thats the most expensive taxi ride I have ever took.

Jules was not in the mood, so she slept the whole journey. I was too worried to even feel tired although I hardly sleep in the train. I kept looking at the time and prayed that we would made it to the airport before the flight depart.

We made it. It was an hour before the departure time and we paid the taxi ride. She gave discount and asked for EUR100 only. Okay. While I paid the fare, Jules pulled the trolley for the bags and we almost ran to the RyanAir counter.

Since we checked in late, they only gave us 15kg each of bag to check in. Mine was 19kg while Jules made up the rest of the 40kg that were displayed on the monitor. Have no other choice but to swipe her credit card for the rest of the weight.

Got our boarding ticket and headed to the departure hall. It was on the second floor of the airport. Halfway waiting, there was an announcement on the PA system that the passengers for Ryan Air have to proceed to another departure hall which is at the other side of the airport.

By 12.30pm, we were already in the plane waiting for the take off. It will be three hours flight from Barcelona to Birmingham so we took the opportunity to get shut eyes.
The flight was three-quarter full so we had the three seats for ourselves.

The sun and blue sky were slowly replaced by grey clouds.. the captain announced that we were already in the France air. It would take another hour to reach Birmingham. Time for another shut eye.

The sky looked gloom when we finally touched down in Birmingham airport. Filled in embarkation form at the immigration lane and waited for our turns. The officers asked a few basic questions before letting us go and we proceed to the carousel to wait for our baggage.

Went into the toilet to freshen up. Been couped up in the train staring at mamat bunga and listening his ngada-ngada voice over the phone with his girlfriend made me feel that I need to wash at least my ears hahahaha. Then it was Jules turn to freshen up.

Minna and Abg Annis were already waiting for us outside. We hugged each other and Abg Annis said he wanted to belanja us dinner. Well, okay. We were actually hungry because we did not have any breakfast or lunch. It was already 5pm and my stomach had protested by singing the keroncong song hahaha.

Off we went to the parking area and Abg Annis had a hard time to put our big bags into his cute Fiat Punto boot. Minna gave me my leather jacket. Yea! Finally I got my leather jacket, the one that she bought for me for £50.

We stopped at this one warehouse shops area where Abg Annis said he wanted to buy some tools and where we can have light dinner. It was already 6.30pm and we were browsing some shops while waiting for Abg Annis to select his tools.

It was almost Mother's Day celebration and most shops displayed gifts for mothers. From towels, to kitchenware to clothes to almost everything available for gifts to mom. Jules went in sports shop but none of the shirts appeal to her.

Finally we went to Pizza Hut and Abg Annis ordered some vegetarian pizza for us. It was nice to finally reach UK and meal with them. We talked about life in UK and how's Minna is coping there and our journey in Spain.

After dinner, we headed for another hour journey to Hull. It was already 8.30pm and Minna gave us the master bedroom for the night. After shower and performing the solats, we went down to cook for dinner and wash our dirty clothes.

Told Minna that I have craving for nasi goreng so she made one for me yea! I got my nasi goreng!. Minna had already made chicken curry earlier and fried some chicken and vegetables. We heated the dishes and later carted them at the living room for dinner. The living room was a dining room before but Abg Annis was doing some renovation work at the actual living room so they converted the dining room as both dining and living temporarily.

I saw a lot of improvement at Abg Annis house since I came here in Queensgate street, last year. There were rugs covering the furniture and there are more feminine touches. Where once the fireplace was bare now it filled with scented candles, valentine and birthday cards and other knick knacks.

So after dinner, we chit chat for a while and headed straight to bed. While Jules took the bed, I opted for the futon and browse the tv channels...

2004-03-08T03:55:00.000-08:00

11am

We are checking out from the hostal today.

The bags were heavier, so we hailed a cab from hostal to train station. It would be our last day in Granada, the city that I had fallen in love and learnt some valuable lessons on Islam and politics.

We put the bags at the coin-feed compartment and decided to explore the city just carrying our backpack along. We took two big compartments, one for each bag. Took all the necessities and put them in the bagpack and shut the door.

We finally finished writing our postcards last night and mailed them at the yellow post box in front of the train station, and started our walking journey.

The day was sunny so I've discarded my fleece jacket and stuffed it into the backpack. I was wearing my Sarawak Deer Cave T-Shirt and noticed that everybody who saw my shirt tried to read the wordings. Hahaha for once I am proud to show off the rich natural heritage of my country.

Today Jules decided that we should go to every tourists spots that are in the city map. Last night we had studied the places that we need to go and ticked the ones that we have visited. So, today we are going to finish off whatever places that we have not visited minus the ones that are too far away. This way we can cover and take pictures at almost all the tourists spots in Granada.

First destination was the Fuente Del Triunfo, a square near Avienda De La Constitucion where like any squares in Europe have beutiful fountain and monument. The square was just opposite Royal Hospital. The sky was blue and there was not a single cloud hanging over us. From there we walked to the Puerta de Elvira (Door of Elvira) an arch at another entrance to Albayzin. From the arch the paths would lead to Monasterio de Santa Isabel la Real (Monestry of Santa Isabel la Real) and Palacio de Dar al-Horra (Palace of Dar al-Horra) and Murallas del Albaycin (Walls of the Albayzin).

From Puerta de Elvira we crossed the Gran Via de Colon to San Juan de Dios Gran to Basilica de San Juan de Dios (Basilica of San Juan de Dios). We were greeted with the cacophony of bells ringing so loud that I can't even hear what Jules were saying to me. So I just signed to her.. "Take my picture here!"

We were on church conquest. From the basilica we headed to Iglesia de San Jeronimo (Church of San Jeronimo) and to Iglesia de los Santos Jusdo y Pastor (Church of the Saints Justo and Pastor). Again it was siesta time and most of the shops were closed for lunch and rest. Only a handful were opened especially the ones that were run by the Chinese.

We headed to Cathedral and again we had to dodge gypsies selling olive leaves to us. We kept going in and out the shops near Cathedral until we found another 'chic' shop selling nice and expensive looking souvenirs. I found the similar fragile white glass like the one I broke in Sevilla. This time it is Granada. I bought the glass and handed over to Jules to carry. Yea!

Near the cathedral was the Capilla real or Royal Chapel and the Palacio de la Madraza (Palace of la Madraza). During the sultan rule, madraza or madrasah (religious school) must be near to the house of worship (masjid) which is in line with the role of the masjid itself as not only a place of worship but also the centre of education.

From there we walked to Corral del Carbon - kind of a fort that still retain its Islamic architecture. Took a few pictures outside the fort as the place is closed for the day. Inside the fort is another courtyard but it was a shame that we could not enter the place.

From there we visited another must "spot" the McD hahaha. Its already late afternoon so the fast food restaurant was not so crowded when we entered. As usual we bought the Fillet meal large and enjoy the last meal in Granada.

From there we walked to the Plaza Mariana Pineda and people watching. Its time where the old people went out and enjoy the day. Granada has become more like tourist city where hostals, hotels and shopping complexes like El Corte Ingles flourished. Took some pictures here and there and just wanted to explore the city.

We just follow the crowd and later found that we are nearing the Rio Genil. Decided to walk along the river and enjoy the scenery. We reached Paseo Del Salon and follow the river. Took some pictures with snow capped Sierra Nevada in the background.

Paseo Del Salon and the adjoining Paseo De La Bomba are like a strip of garden along the riverside and like almost every road and garden in Andalusia, these gardens were also lined with orange trees.

Jules were so fascinated with the orange fruits and since we reached Sevilla she has been trying to get at least one fruit to taste. Unfortunately both of us were too chicken to pluck one from the many trees lining the street.

Here at Paseo De La Bomba, she felt she must taste at least one orange fruit. We looked for tree that a bit hidden and looked around us. No one was around.

"OK now! Pluck one!"
Jules quickly selected the fruits that she wanted and plucked not one but four fruits.. Her reason, one for her, one for me, one for Minna and one for Abg Annis. hahahahaha.

We sat at the bench nearby and Jules peeled off the thick skin revealed a nice juicy orange. Popped one into her mouth and offered a slice to me.. Err no thanx. Looked sour. "Was it sour?" I asked her.

"It doesn't taste good," she said and peeled off another orange fruit.

"Tak sedapla Ni," She told me.
"I think, that's why people didn't bother to pick the fruit. It did not taste good.

"But the colour was so orangy ye Jules," I told her
"Look can be very deceiving ya."

Hahahahaha there goes our fruit tasting in Granada. Jules dropped all the oranges back under the trees and we continued our walked along the river. Lucky Jules had iron stomach. At least she did not feel squeeshy after that foul tasting orange hehehe.

We turned at Pte Verde and walked at the other side of the river and back to Pte Blanco and leisury tracked our way back to the centre.

This time we decided to spend time at the Internet Cafe. We still have a few hours to kill before we need to go back to the train station. It was already 7.30pm when we reached the internet cafe.

There were too many people inside. Mostly tourists who use the same communication service to gather information, make bookings, send words to family and friends, browsing the internet or just updating Real Madrid football matches.. like Jules.

I was sitting next to an English couple who have difficulties to log in. I had the same problem when I first logged in but being young and intelligent (ahem!) I solved the mystery easily but not for this elderly couple, who like me have very very limited Spanish knowledge. So, being a kind person that I am (again ahem!) I offered my "expertise". In just less than a minute he logged in. Thank you very much.

Jules neighbour was a young couple who was watching the real time football match. Its the guy who watched and the gal who had to accompany him. The girl was so bored that she ended reading Jules mail, not that Jules mind because she was only updating her friends on football and F1 match hehehehe.

After an hour at the internet cafe, we walked to the train station. Freshen up and took our bags from the compartments and get ready for another 12-hour journey to Barcelona.

The Talgo train was already at the berth when we brought our bags at the platform. Asked the conductor whether we can board the train and he said yes.

It was a very very very long journey

We got the four seats that facing each other. There were already two Japanese girls sitting in their seats. One was facing mine, the other was at the next aisle. Told Jules that this will be the most uncomfortable and long journey to Barcelona.

Jules said she wanted the window seat. The seat opposite her was still empty so she can stretch her legs while I had to align my legs and Im afraid that these legs of mine would be cramped once we reached Barcelona.. urgh!

The train was slowly filled with the night passengers and by the time it was completely full. The seat in front of Jules was occupied by an annoying mamat bunga who came to the station with his girlfriend.

OK, we don't have anything against mamat bunga but the reason they were called that was because they were annoying. Granted his girlfriend was pretty but pleeeeaaaassseeeeeee... its not like WE ARE GOING TO ngurating him! I don't know whether he felt honoured to be surrounded with Asian girls or he was naturally annoying.. ok enough!.

Jules kept bumping her legs with the guy all along the journey. Pity her. My butt hurts so much and my knee cap felt that they were realigned. A group of young people were sitting at between trains were talking loudly while drinking beers and eating panini. Yep! This was a long journey from Cordoba to Barcelona.

My whole body ache...

2004-03-07T05:12:00.000-08:00

7am

We are ready today to conquer the La Sabica hill for Alhambra, today. So after doing all the wajib, we get ready to go up the hill for our tour in Alhambra.

There are two choices to go up, either take a bus or we can walk. We opted to walk. The morning was cool and they were hardly any traffic. As the road was narrow, the authority only allow one traffic flow in one time.

Because of the narrow roads, only mini buses (like mini intrakota) buses can go up the hills. Sometimes these buses would be packed with tourists. Of course if we opted to take the bus than the journey would be much faster but we missed out the adventure of going up the steep hill.

La Sabica was one heck of a hill. From the tarred road to the entrance of the Alhambra compound, the climb was not that difficult, but once we passed the entrance lies the challenge.

It was a gravel road and there were concrete benches for travellers to rest between walks. There were older English couple who were as crazy as us who choose to walk rather than taking the bus. We just smiled at them as the couple kept taking rest between walk.

We were so out of stamina that we were already huffing and puffing half way. We giggled, making jokes of each other's poor condition. And in a way waiting for the old couple to keep up with us. Just for companion ler....

Half way up I was already groaning. We are still farther away from the castle. The elder couple also laugh they discovered that it was still a long way to Alhambra.
"Another hill to climb eh?" The man said to us. We grinned. "Should have taken the bus rite?" I said.
"No, this is fun," said the guy.

A shoeshine saw our entourage and offered to shine our shoes. We declined with a smile. The nice shoeshine man told us to cross the road and said that the Alhambra is just around the corner. Following his advise we crossed the road and again he offered to shine our shoes.. "No thank you"

While I declined, the English elder guy said "why not"

And I wondered why did we crossed the road. If we just follow the path that we used earlier, we would reach the Alhambra ticket counter without the need to cross the road again! Cheh, this shoeshine man!

There were already long lines at the ticket counter. One line was for those who had made bookings while another for those who not.
We paid EUR8 for one person and was given ticket for three entrances - the main, the castle and the Alcazaba (the fort).

The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic root which means "red or crimson castle", perhaps due to the hue of the towers and walls that surround the entire hill of La Sabica which by starlight is silver but by sunlight is transformed into gold. But there is another more poetic version, evoked by the Moslem analysts who speak of the construction of the Alhambra fortress "by the light of torches", the reflections of which gave the walls their particular coloration. Created originally for military purposes, the Alhambra was an alcazaba (fortress), an alcázar (palace) and a small medina (city), all in one. This triple character helps to explain many distinctive features of the monument.

There is no reference to the Alhambra as being a residence of kings until the 13th century, even though the fortress had existed since the 9th century. The first kings of Granada, the Zirites, had their castles and palaces on the hill of the Albaicin, and nothing remains of them. The Nasrites were probably the emirs who built the Alhambra, starting in 1238.

There is hotel in the vicinity and other monuments such as a former madrasah, palace of Charles V where visitors can check out more than 500 years old carpet and tapestry which are preserved and in good condition.

From there, we enter the La Casa Real and basked in its splendour of intricate carvings of arab phrases praising Allah. The Alhambra contains the three divisions usually found in a Moslem palace, including a reception salon and the royal apartments Chamber of the Lions. This spectacular chamber is the work of Muhammed V and illustrates the most beautiful possibilities of Granada Moslem art. Throughout this chamber a subtle air of femininity and daintiness is sensed, in keeping with the function of these private apartments, devoted to the placid enjoyment of home and family life.

I was evesdropping on the a Spanish who explained to his friends in English on the history of Alhambra. His explanation was different from the normal tourists guide explanation. He explained how culture and peace flourished under the Muslim king rules. How the muslims had lost in politics and made deal with Christian monarchy on the fate of the Andalus people.

"Alhambra was not defeated in any war but because of politics. People and modernisation flourished under the kings rule so they do not want to leave the province," he said.

"However, the Christian monarch did not honour their end of the bargain after they conquered Andalucia. Instead they give three choices to the people. Stay and convert to Christian. Refused and died or flee from the country. Some choose to stay and others leave the country that they loved very much."

Hearing the story from him really opened my eyes on what the fall of politics can do for ones country and religion. May Allah bless my country and me my religion.

My favourite..
The Court of the Lions is characterised by its profound originality, a harmonious merging of East and West. It has been compared to a grove of 124 palm trees, most with double columns, around the oasis of the central fountain with its twelve lions. The twelve-sided marble fountain rests upon the backs of the lions. Water, so essential as a decorative element acquires here an exceptional importance. It ascends and spills from the basin, which has been compared with the 'sea of bronze' of Solomon's Temple, to the mouths of the lions, from which it is distributed throughout the courtyard. A lovely qasida (ode) by Ibn Zamrak circles the rim of the basin.

Four large halls border the courtyard. The first, entering from the Court of the Myrtles, is the Sala de los Mozárabes, whose name is perhaps derived from the three stalactite arches which form the entrance to the Court of the Lions. To the south is the Sala de Abencerrajes, famous in legend with a gateway decorated with lazo (ornamental knots). The detail of dome showing stucco mocarabes, muqarnas, and attawriq stylized foliate designs, 14th-15th century.

Light penetrates the hall through 16 graceful fretwork windows. On the east side is the Sala de los Reyes which is unusual and resembles a theatrical set, divided in three sections which correspond to three lovely porticos, separated by double arches of mozárabes (stalactites).

North of the Court of the Lions is the Sala de las Dos Hermanas, so called because of the two large marble flagstones flanking the central fountain and spout. The adjoining hall is the Sala de los Ajimeces with two balconies overlooking the Garden of Daraxa. Between these two balconies is the Mirador de Daraxa, dressing room and bedroom of the Sultana and a delightful retreat in this secluded section of the palace, in the style of a bay window or mirador.

The last hall gives access to the Peinador de la Reina, also called the Tocador. An open gallery and an airy little tower, it was once designed as the residence of the Empress Isabel and later of Isabel of Parma. Some restored frescoes portray scenes of Charles V's expedition to La Goleta. In the Christian Alhambra Within the Alhambra enclosure there are also monuments which are exclusively Western. For example, in the Jardines de los Mártires there was once a monastery of the barefoot Carmelite order.

The Church of St Mary is built upon the site where the royal mosque formerly stood. The Monastery of St Francis, which is now a parador, was erected upon an Arab palace and has the additional merit and sentimental value of having housed the temporary sepulchre of the Catholic Monarchs - Ferdinand and Isabella, until their transfer to the Capilla Real. Palace of Charles V The Palacio de Carlos V or Casa Real Nueva as it is better known, was commissioned by the Emperor in an endeavor to emulate the Palace of the defeated Moslems and also to provide for himself a habitable residence. Construction was started in 1527 under the direction of Pedro Machuca, who had studied with Michelangelo in Italy. The palace is built in the form of a square and comprised of two main parts: the first, in Tuscan style, and the second with Ionic pillars.

From there we went to the Alcazaba, the oldest part of the Alhambra. It was reconstructed upon the ruins of a castle in the 9th century. The most solid towers are those of the Homenaje situated to the south, and the Quebrada at the northeast angle. The most elaborate interior is the Torre de las Armas. My feet hurt of climbing those narrow stairs to the towers, so I let Jules have the excitement went up the tower while I checked out the communal bath area. The stone where I sat felt cool like it still being used by the army and public.

However all these towers surpassed by the impressive Torre de la Vela. Its bell is rung on special festive occasions by young girls in the hope of warding off spinsterhood - dated though this sounds these days! This is the tallest tower of the walled enclosure, and the panorama seen from here extends towards unlimited horizons. Its silhouette is a significant symbol to the people of Granada.

At the entrance of the Alcazaba is the delightful Jardín de los Adarves, also called Jardin de los Poetas. From its battlements our gaze is drawn to the towers of the hill in the foreground. They are the Torres Bermejas (red or crimson towers), the "castle of great worth" of a famous border ballad. Their bewitching name is evoked in the music of Albéniz or Joaquín Rodrigo.

From the Alcazaba towers, we enjoyed the view of Albayzin, imagining how the kings before us enjoyed the view while sitting on the patio sipping coffee. Jules said it was like the king was looking over the people while they looked up at the sultan.

Then we noticed that all the churches are facing to certain direction. Mecca! It's a glaring confirmation that these churches were masjids before.

(excerpts taken from http://www.andalucia.com/cities/granada/alhamhistory.htm)

From there we walked to Generalife.. if by the looked from the tower, situated on the other side of the hill. But when we walked to the place it was actually quite near.

The word 'Generalife' has been translated as 'garden of paradise', 'orchard' or 'garden of feasts'.

After the city was conquered, the Generalife was granted by the Catholic Monarchs to the Granada Venegas family. The promenade leads to the Patio de la Acequia which is the most celebrated spot and the heart and soul of the palace grounds. On the western side there is a gallery of 18 arches. The northern portico is called the Mirador and has five arches in front, slender and stylised and three behind made of marble with stalactite capitals. Through the north portico is the Patio de los Cipreses, with a pool in the centre.

The distribution of the small ponds is charming with their frames of oleander and myrtle. A stone step leads to the Upper Gardens which were once olive groves and today boast a handsome esplanade and modern gardens. Here is the unusual stairway with its cascading waterfalls which was described by Navagiero as early as the 16th century. The stairway leads to a modern, uninteresting edifice of several stories. At the far end is the large open air stage where the annual International Festival of Music and Dance is performed.

I liked the fountain and according to the signs, the water for all the fountains in Alhambra came from a spring situated on top of the tallest hill near generalife. There are steps to the area and small drains where water flows along the parapet. The water was cool and I trailed my fingers in it. But after that climb, we were disappointed when we reached the top because there the spring was locked behind closed door. There was no way we can see the spring inside. Even the drinking fountain was dry!

We went down the other way and went through bamboo trees trail. The bamboo trees formed some sort of tunnels shielding the visitors from hot sun. The trail meant that we were already towards the end of our journey in Alhambra.

We spent some five hours inside the Alhambra, enjoying the scenic view, basking in the colourful history of Muslim sultans hundreds of years before. Admiring the Islamic architecture that had endured the time to allow us to continue visit and admire the harmonious elements of water, animals and humans in this red stones castle called Alhambra. We took a lot of pictures in here.

On the way back to the entrance, Jules filled our water bottle from the drinking fountain. The ice-cold water trickled down my throat and I felt that the spring water had rejunvenated my strenght to prepare me for the journey down to Plaza Nueva.

"Ahhhh.. the best water that I had ever tasted," said Jules.
I could have not agreed more.

The journey down the gravel path were trickier than the journey up. Due to its steepness, we have to take baby steps down to avoid from sliding all the way to the bottom.

Jules said we must applied F1 brake to avoid from sliding. Yeah right! With Jules every mechanical element must be equivellent with F1 Technology and every creative maneuver should be like football tricks.. okay.

Enough of that, we managed to go down back to the modern world safely and now we were already famished with hunger. Again, we stopped at the Al Andalus and this time we ordered Aruzze Arabe. Alone. Jules said Aruz meant rice so we thought that should be okay.

But surprise surprise, the aruz came with only aruz alone with sprinkle of glass noodle on top. Erk? We looked at each other and grinned. Have no choice but to eat it all hahahaha..

We had a wonderful time today. The journey up the Alhambra was like a dream come true. The reason why I came to Granada. To trace back the centre of Muslim civilisation in Europe... I really had a good time although I only ate a plate of plain rice with glass noodle and a bottle of coke.

2004-03-06T23:07:00.000-08:00

YA ALLAH (SWT)

All praises are for you Allah, how I hope that you are there.
For sinful though I know I am, your displeasure I cannot bear.
Never, till this moment, did I realize how much I've strayed.
Never, till now, was I more conscious of all those times when I should have prayed.

For sins are like heavy baggage, that one carries through Life, the airport.
Why didn't I realize sooner, that Earth is but a place of sport?
Ya Allah! Forgive me. Save me from the fire of Hell.
Forgive me as you did my parents, from Jan'ah though they fell.

Ya Allah! Protect me. From myself for my soul is weak.
Let me not falter ever, for Jan'ah is the abode I seek.
Ya, Allah! Please help me. For I don't understand and thus, I fear.
What happened to all those moments when I never doubted that you were near?

My actions once were guided, by my faith which, once, was strong.
Ya Allah! Please guide me. What happened, what went wrong?
Each footstep that I used to take, I took with you ever near my side.
The Quran was my faithful companion, Rasoolallah my beloved guide.

How I yearn for those bygone days Allah, for I know that the day comes near.
When we'll each receive our just rewards, and Truth will stand sparkling clear.
Life is like a spider's web Allah. We get caught in its trick snare
So thoroughly are we disillusioned, time for salat we cannot spare.

I sit here and I wonder, Ya Allah! Why did I fall so low?
What happened to my faith Allah? Where did my Iman go?
In this earthly life of ours, so often does sin seem right.
Falsehood seems to be the truth, as if days are confused with night.

Man is an imperfect creature. And thus, Man shall always wrong.
For the road to Jan'ah is rocky, and the journey seems awfully long.
Ya Allah! Our creator, we are all just pieces of clay.
Please help us with our steps in life, and let us not lose our way.
All praises are for you Allah, I know that you are near.
I know that you have read my heart, and my words I know you hear.

anonymous

I felt that I need to tell the history of the Mezquita Mayor de Granada

The opening of the Mosque of Granada in the summer of the year 2003 celebrates an historic reunion as it looks out in greeting towards the majestic silhouette of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada. The Great Mosque as the soul of the Alhambra promises to become a characteristic feature of the landscape of Granada.

The Mosque of Granada signals, after a hiatus of 500 years, the restoration of a missing link with a rich and fecund Islamic contribution to all spheres of human enterprise and activity.

The Mosque of Granada also reflects the undimmed vitality of the prophetic message encompassed in Islam and its immediate relevance to the current situation in Europe and the Western World. The renewed aspiration of European muslims today is to contribute to the amelioration of a world beset by intolerable dilemmas and every kind of injustice. The way of Islam offers natural and viable alternatives to the headlong and voracious impetus of the consumer capitalist system, which is destroying all human values and in consequence the humanity of the society in which we all share.

What is a mosque?

The word mosque originates from the Arabic word masjid which means ‘place of prostration’. Prostration is the most visible expression of submission to the Creator of the Universe. The muslim prostrates 5 times a day – at dawn, midday, mid afternoon, sunset and finally when the light of day has completely disappeared from the sky.

Anywhere on earth, which is not in some way polluted, can be a place of worship and prostration. Nevertheless clean and protected places have always been reserved by muslims at the centre of their cities since the beginning of Islam as places for the congregational prayer, these places are known as mosques.

The mosque is at the heart of the muslim community and is not only a place of prayer. It is also a place for study and the transmission of knowledge. Some mosques were even schools and universities. The first mosques were also sites for local governance where decisions upon the affairs of the local community were taken and were also places of public gathering.

A series of charitable institutions built themselves on to the great mosques of the Islamic world. Notable amongst these were hospitals, hostelry for travellers, dining areas for the poor, orphanages, schools, public baths and often rent free market places. These various institutions reflected the cellular structure of a caring and generous society built purely on the principle of pleasing the Creator.

What is the Mosque of Granada like?

The Mosque of Granada is composed of three main, contrasting elements. These are the garden, the prayer hall (which is properly speaking the mosque itself) and the Centre for Islamic Studies.
The Garden looks out over the valley of the River Darro towards a vista of the Alhambra standing on the Mount of Sabika, etched against the peaks of the Sierra Nevada. It has two fountains of classical andaluz mosaic surrounded by plants of local Mediterranean species, such as pine, olive, pomegranate, orange and lemon.

The Mihrab – prayer niche which indicates the direction towards Mecca – is an exact replica of the famous mihrab in the Mosque of Cordoba. Panels of cedar wood from the Atlas mountains carry a hand-engraved ayat of Qur’an listing some of the divine attributes. The multi-coloured marble tiles are identical to those of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The great ‘Qibla’ windows are replicas from the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The mosaic fountain in the patio giving on to the prayer hall were manufactured according to a thousand year old andalusian design and technique by master craftsmen of Fez.

The Alminar - the minaret from which the call to prayer, the ‘adhan’, is given five times daily - is a tower designed and constructed in the original Albaicin style. Under the eaves it bears the Islamic declaration of faith in kufic lettering, “There is no god but Allah - Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”

The Centre for Islamic Studies has a library with texts on Islam in arabic, spanish, english and other languages as well as audio visual aids. It has a conference hall with a seating capacity for 140 people along with an exhibition area. The main reception area is on the lower floor in the entrance foyer where a bookshop, craft items and souvenirs of the mosque are located.

What are the main activities generated by the mosque?
The five prescribed daily prayers are offered in the prayer hall of the Mosque at their allotted times. The congregational prayer – al Jumu’a – is celebrated at midday on Fridays. There is a daily programme of recitation and study of the Qur’an and Islamic jurisprudence – al shari’a – for both adults and children throughout the year. There is also a continuous programme of conferences, arabic language classes, exhibitions and courses on subjects related to Islam and its legacy in Spain. All interested members of the public are welcome to attend.

There is also a point of contact for muslims in any kind of difficulty, offering assistence to the traveller.

2004-03-06T02:56:00.000-08:00

7am

We woke up shivering. It was still cold outside and early morning we can here hurried footstep coming down the stairs. All tried to beat the crowd at Alhambra.

Tourists had started crowding Granada especially Alhambra although we are still in winter season (towards the end)with traces of spring coming in. We read in the guidebook that Alhambra is extremely crowded during spring that sometimes it is almost impossible to get entrance tickets in Alhambra if no bookings were made earlier.

I was so lazy to get up and get myself wet early in the morning. The ablution I took before Subuh prayer was tortured enough and I felt (at that time) taking a shower would be like committing suicide. I don't think I can stand the cold. But for the sake of personal hygiene and being an Asian through and through, I know I must take a shower, at least once a day.

So off I ran to the bathroom, shade my nighties and had a shower. While in the stall, I contemplated should I washed my hair. Oh! What the heck, since I am already in shower, might as well I wash my hair so.. with the ice-cold water that numbed my scalp, I shampooed.

When it was Jules time, I just sat back and laughed watching her doing her little dance from bed to the bathroom. Like me, she also shampooed her hair. Because of the weather, we need to shampoed our hair regularly, otherwise it would be coarse and stuck to our head like we glued them there.

Our first agenda was to go to Internet Cafe and book for flights from Malaga to Birmingham or Liverpool or Manchester or Heathrow. We found several sites that were suggested by Minna but most of them had last minute price meaning exorbitant!

So, we decided to use our EUR coins and called one of the service. But, we were told that the flight service are for EU or UK residents. Others are not eligible to use the service. WHAT? Meanwhile, all flights at Easyjet.com were fully booked so we have no other means to fly out from Spain to England. The last resort was to try Ryan.com but the setback was we have to take the flight from Gerona Barcelona. We have just bought train ticket to Malaga for EUR11.21!

Asked Jules input on this and she said we have no choice but to take Ryan Air and take train ticket to Barcelona. So after checking mails and updating our journey to friends and family, we ventured out to the train station. We decided to walk to the train station while enjoying the shops along the road.

At the train station, there was one coin operated internet service, so we decided to just try and book the air ticket from there. For EUR3 we managed to book, paid and confirmed the air tickets from Gerona to Birmingham. Each around EUR28.88. We consulted the customer service at the train station and bought the 10.20pm train from Granada and reach Barcelona around 10am. Since our flight would be around 12.30, we figured that we would have enough time to go to the airport.

It was already past noon when we stepped out from the train station. Stop by the Marcedona (another supermarket) near the train station and bought mineral water, bread and other necessities. The price here was slightly higher than super marcedonia in Sevilla. We stopped by a stall selling ice-cream and the temptation to eat ice cream was so great. So we bought a cone each. Just like when we were in Sevilla. Jules bought grande with two bolas hahaha.

We decided to rest a while before starting our journey to Albayzin. Although there are buses to the settlement, we decided to just explore the old quarters on foot. That way we can admire the houses and huff and puff while going uphill. Later enjoy the spactacular Alhambra view from there.

So, after performing solat jama' zuhr and asar, we prepared some tuna bread and bottle water, we started our journey following the tourists map and my lonely planet guide.

We enter the Albayzin through Santa Ana, where the cobblestone road became narrow with buildings on the left side and river Darro on the right side. The road was so narrowed that only one vehicle can pass by on the one way road. However due to high number of tourists walking along the road, even cars and buses had to make way for the slow-paced people.

There were many cats and ducks turning the river banks as their permanent residents. So many people would stop by and just looked down to watch the cats antics. They were cute with tails straight up and wagging, watching the tourists watching them with hope that one of these two legged non-fur creatures would throw some goodies like tunas and crackers for them, instead of trying to imitate the purring or spitting at them.

From there we followed the map uphill as short cut to San Sabastian and to the newly built masjid which name we did not know yet. The cobblestone lane were narrower here and more steep. We just concentrated on not to slip and fall flat on our faces.

We stopped at one clearing where quite hidden from the tourists but still can enjoy the view of Alhambra. It was getting hotter by minute so we decided to just find the mosque.

We made several wrong turns and were already sweating when we finally found the masjid, tucked between houses and have the most splandid view of Alhambra.

It was small yet beautiful masjid, the entrance is on the side and once visitor stepped in, they will be greeted with a garden and view of Alhambra. At the gate, there is one sign welcoming visitors to the Mezquita Mayor de Granada and the dos and donts in the masjid's compound.

My heart started to pound just as my feet walked along the garden to the entrance of the masjid. With "bismillah" I stepped inside the masjid's entrance to the ablution area for muslim. There the area was cordonned off for visitors.

We met a person that we assumed the caretaker of the masjid and Jules gave salam to him. He looked at us suspiciously and when we motioned solat and mentioned muslimah.. he was convinced that we are muslimah and finally answered our salam and showed us the door to muslimah.

Yesterday, Jules received news that her aunt passed away so she was very badly want to read the yaasin for the deceased. Both of us did not bring along our yaasin doa book with us and hoped to be able to read yaasin in the masjid.

Mr Cabre, as we learnt his name afterwards, told us that we can take our ablution at the special ablution area for muslimah at the lower ground and performed our solat.

The spiral marbled stairs brought us down to the huge room for ablution, toilets and shower rooms. As a muslim practice, each stalls have their own water hose for cleaning. I felt very humbled to be given the opportunity to perform my solat on this Andalus land that have not heard a single azan for the past 500 years.

Now, like a drop of gem from heavan, Islam had started its mark on the land where the Muslim empayar once ruled. My tears trickled while I was performing my solat sunnat masjid and once again solat Asar. Ya Allah.. The Most gracious, thank You for giving me the opportunity to kneel to You.... in this land where the call of muazzin was absence before, where Your house of worships were raided and converted. On the land that was once before blessed with knowledge, culture and peace. Where Islam was once flourished.

It was already 6pm when we decided to leave the masjid. Our tiring journey had all paid off. Our wish to solat in the masjid was fulfilled and today I felt my journey was completed.

We went down a different path. There were a few tourists in front of us and we decided to follow them. I still have my map and Lonely Planet guide with me so I don't think that we will get lost in this maze of small lanes in Albayzin. Unlike the mat salleh tourists who kind of running down the steps, we savoured every step down the path.

There was a procession at one of the old church in Albayzin and we decided to walk faster not to have the procession ahead of us. Finally we reached the end of the lane where houses were replaced with shops selling souvenirs, tapas bars and restaurants.

It was already 7pm and there were too many tourists here. We found our way out of the busy lane to the business district area where chic boutiques were still opened despite the time that was already 7pm.

We checked out the windows and stopped by at almost every shops selling clothes as Jules wanted to buy Ardie slacks or jeans. They still have sales going on. We browsed the stores and finally stopped at one shop selling bags.

The shops selling assorted bags from fine piel to cheap bags. Jules was attracted to the red bag while I like a patched like bag either in blue, cream or black choices.

It was only EUR16 (after sales) and I could not decide which I like. Blue was common, black can match with everything but I have many things in black so I choose cream colour.

It was just my day today. I finally bought a bag (with many compartments) that I can use for leisure or to the office. Yea!

More shopping.. bought some tshirts for the nephews and nieces and meself. More bells, keychain and some souvenirs to friends in the office.

2004-03-05T23:32:00.000-08:00

6am

We woke up early today and after Subuh prayer, started packing our things. The train would leave Santa Justa train station at 10.20am.

Yesterday, after all that walking, we decided to explore the city at night but I overslept hahahaha. Spaniards are known for their night life but we did not experienced it in Sevilla because I OVERSLEPT, Jules too. I only woke around 10.30pm. Asked Jules why she did not wake me up earlier, Jules said I was sound asleep that she did not have a heart to wake me up.. my sensitive friend hehehehe..

Anyway, we spent the night watching the tele.. which was hanging above my bed. Well I have to "reposition" myself if I want to watch TV. Anyway, there was nothing interesting on so we were just channel surfing. Spaniards love game show so almost every channel, they have game shows or talk shows. From politics to entertainment to hardcore talk. They even have talk show similar to Jejak Kasih.

After a McD meal dinner (the one we packed after our late lunch yesterday) Lays and chocolate, Jules entertained herself with channel surfing with the remote and I just lazed around on my bed with the instruction.. hehehe surf. stop. surf. stop.

Well, the tv reception was not that good, so we have a better reception channel and then we have one with foggy pictures. Anyway, while channel surfing, we stumbled into the ahem! the XXX-rated channel hahahaha... its err well... aaaa.... not very stimulating hahahahaha. More to disguisting. so channel surfing again.

This time we stopped at this one talk show about prostitution and drugs and the impact to the society and economy.It was very interesting how the issue was presented. They interviewed the public, politicians, prostitutes, drug addicts and even go undercover for fresh perspective. The end product was overall story, the pro and cons about these vices. What I liked about the show was the balanced way it was presented.

While the cops went undercover to buy drugs, they even went to Amsterdam and interviewed joints that sell drugs openly (legalised by the government). The questions whether it was a good move and whether Spain can emulate the move as way to contain drug problems in the country. While drugs may be a problem, another social illness - prostitution - was also given equal attention. The producer even invite prostitutes to give their view and showed viewers on their "expertise" in satisfying their customers who kept using their services. So they have these couple wearing ridiculous masks and performed "lurid" scene with each other but did not go beyond the "foreplay" hehehehe.

Although we may not understand Spanish, the show was "educational" enough especially on journalism aspect where they tried to present balanced reporting without being too judgemental. Right! Well, I guess watching the couple strutting their stuff was kinda "educational" too.

Anyway, after packing and readying ourselves for another two to three hours journey to Granada, we paid off our lodging and hailed a cab to Santa Justa.

Unlike the train from Palencia to Madrid, the train from Sevilla to Granada was not as grand. There was no special compartment for big bags or large backpacks so it was kind of first come first serve basis. We just stuck our bag at the empty space at the end of the coach and put our plastic bags and paper bags on the compartment above the seats.

I saw many Japanese now travelling to Spain, probably the country now made famous by Beckhams with Real Madrid. Hmm.. communication was still a problem when the ticket inspector having difficulties explaining to these Japanese tourists. So they kept going off and on the train clutching their guide books. Well, we don't know where these tourists were heading to and again with communication barrier, we don't think we would be much help to these tourists.

The train stopped at almost every station and the view was spactacular especially when we enter the country side that were abundant with olive trees. This was the first time I saw so many olive trees in vast orchards. So our view was either olive trees, plains and box like houses. Well, it was different from the lush greenery and colourful tulips in Amsterdam and snow capped mountains in Austria and Switzerland.

Spain and especially Andalusia is trully a sunny country where the Brits took the apportunity to soak the sun and tanning their bodies.

There were two coaches in this train that headed to Granada and at almost every train we see different people. The number almost equal between the tourists and the locals. Train is still the best transportation to take between Andalusia provinces. It is still cheap, efficient, fast and connecting the main cities.

Well, my time enjoying the scenic view ended when a family of a mother and three children boarded the train. They looked like Gypsies. The mother, a daughter and two boys between eight and 12 years old. While the daughter sat with the mother and her elder brother,the eldest started his "journey" to the back of the train and to the next coach.

There was no problem with the eldest and his expedition, however the problem started when both brothers sitting in their seats. I don't know whether it was the sunny weather or the beautiful scenery, but these two started tapping their coins on the steel flap table and singing in Spanish. Ok five minutes I can endure but all the way to Granada? Please, somebody please tell these two kids to shut up!

I glanced at the clock, we still have at least 30 minutes more before reaching Granada, I tried to block them off by pretending to sleep, but sleep eluded me. I kept hearing the thunking sound when the coin met with the metal flap table, and their off-tune singing like nails scraching the glass window in a language that I don't understand. Grrrrr.....

3pm

Finally we reached the train station at Avenida de Andaluces off Avenida de la constitución and immediately bought ticket to Malaga. The nearest international airport in Andalusia is Malaga and we figured that we can save time if we buy train tickets to Malaga immediately.

Once the transaction is completed, we hailed a cab to Hostal Vienna. The cab driver was young and yet very helpful to us. This what I like about the Spaniard guys hehehe. So upon reaching the hostal, he helped us carried our bag to the hostal door. Paid the cab ride along with some tips (just a few coins hehehe) we went up to the reception.

The hostal reception was very narrow where it can only accomodate only two people minus the big bags. Visitors have to stand on the steps and deal with the reception that kinda look like a hole in the wall. The reception guy gave us a choice. A room next to a reading area or another one two stories up.. errrr.... we take the one nearest. We don't think that we can lug our big bags up the spiral staircase to the third level. No thank you. Although the room has a glass window separating the room and reading area, at least it has thick curtain for privacy.. well its okay.

The set back in this hostal was that it was quite expensive but at the same time did not have a television. I guess the reason was that with all the activities that we can do in Granada, who needs tv? Well, we do! Another set back was the airconditioning system. We cannot control our own airconditioning as it was controlled by the front office. It was switched off at 11.30pm daily and will be switched on around 7am. Well its either we shivered with cold or we freeze our butt with cold. Well, it was cold!

The beds were put closed together with narrow opening for us to negivated our over-porpotioned bodies in between. The next solution was just to jump on the bed once we take off our shoes, but the good news was that the beds did not creaked. Yea! And there was extra blanket for us. Yea!

The bathroom was okay and basic, but the window was next to a kitchen of another house. So, if we opened the window, we can see the guy next house. So close the window. The bath tub was small but has a raised portion where you can sit down (not squatting) while having a shower. The towels will only be changed in every two days (stingy!) and there was no extra towel to put as carpet to step on when going out from the bath tub. Bah!

So, after zuhr and asar jama' prayer, we explored the old city. We took the tourists map from the front office and decided to do the actual exploring the next day. So, today we just want to see what the souvenir shops have to offer. We went to the Nueva Plaza opposite the hostal and check out the tapas restaurants. Found one muslim shop called Al-Andalus so we decided to check it out.

While the shop sells muslim food with halal sign, it also sell local-made beer called Alhambra Beer. It was disheartening to see this but we decide to buy our borcadellos from this shop for dinner.

We browsed the shops selling souvenirs that were aplenty in the old city. The Muslim influence are more glaring here and we saw that there were many muslims owned these shops. Mostly were Moroccon, Turks and Algiers who came to the city. Not surprising that the number of Muslim population in Granada is rising each year.

Besides a popular tourists destination, Granada is also known as a University town and there are some 60,000 students in this province. We were told that there were quite a number of Muslim students here in Granada and their number is also growing.

Besides visiting the famous Alhambra and tracing the old Muslim quarters in Albayzin, the other reason that we visited Granada is for its new mosque which was recently completed and serve the growing Muslim population in this old city.

As its growing darker by minute, we decided to explore the city and started going up the narrow and steep lanes in Albayzin tomorrow.

2004-03-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

Today, we decided to explore the city and try to finish all the tourists spots in Sevilla.

First stop - the arts museum.

We choose the arts museum as it was not far away from the hostel, so after tuna sandwich and orange juice breakfast that we prepared earlier, we walked to the museum.

We are among the early birds at the museum that look like other old buildings in Sevilla with big thick wood doors with huge ring handles/ brass knockers.

The elderly man who was manning at the counter ushered us in. He did not asked for ticket fees. Wow! We entered the museum for free.

The Fine Arts Museum of Seville was set up since 1839 and is located in the former convent of the Merced Calzada at the Plaza del Museo. Construction works of the convent started in 1602. It is an example of Andalusian mannerism of the 17th century, designed around three Patios and a large stairway.

The Fine Arts museum of Seville was founded as a Museum of Paintings in 1835. It opened its doors to the public in 1841 with the works from closed down convents and monasteries. Today it is one of the best museums of fine arts in Spain after Padro Museum in Madrid.

The museum's impressive collection of Spanish art extends from the medieval to the modern, focusing on the work of Seville School artists such as Francisco de Zurbarán, Juan de Valdés Leal and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

The entrance, according to the brochure we took at the front desk, is decorated with ceramic cartouches from disentailed convents and monasteries. The museum is divided into 14 rooms and all have its own theme such as Medieval Spanish art and Sevillian painting and sculpture in the 15th century, renaissance arts, altarpieces by F Pacheco and Velazquez and A Cano and so on.

Of course most of these arts are to show devotion towards Christianity with paintings and statues of baby Jesus, adult Jesus, Mary lady Magdalena and so forth. From Statues to Panels to Painting, all epitome of Christianity.

I guess, the best room was Room V, a former church of what used to be the Convent of the Calced Mercedarians. The room shows part of the series of paintings executed for Convent of the Calced Marcedarian's main cloister (according to the brochure). Its high dome-styled ceiling was filled with intricate paintings.

Well, being romantic at hearts that we are, we were mesmerised with the Sevillian Romantic Arts at Room XIII. Painters such as Esquivel, Gutierrez de la Vega and Dominguez Becquer really captured our attention.

And of course Jules just have to take picture with potrait of Gustavo Adolfo Becquer a poet in Renaissance time just because he resembled ahem! Johnny Depp. Just for a record, the potrait was painted by his own brother Dominguez Becquer.

Besides the paintings, the patios are another attraction. The Moors believed that patios are important for a place of relaxation.

The building, which revolves around three courtyards and a large staircase, owes it present form to the remodelling work carried out in the early 17th Century. In 1603 Juan de Oviedo y Banderas presented the plans for the building work which began with the demlotion of the old Mudejar building. In 1612 the church was concluded and almost one and a half centuries later the rest of the fabric, a beautiful example of Andalusian Mannerist architecture was finished (brochure).

So in every courtyards theres a garden and it must be an image of paradise with its lush greenery, the four lines representing four rivers of life met at the water fountain at the centre of the patio.

Governed by mathematical proportions technique, and combination of Moors and Islamic garden concept, it has beautiful geomatric groves of trees with flowers underneath them. So these patios really serve its purpose to calm oneself and for relaxation. The sound of water trickling from the fountain, birds chirping at the trees and cooling effect of the water... ahhh a bliss.

We decided since we are leaving to Granada tomorrow, we want to take things slowly today. We want to savour the city and do last minute shopping.

So after spending few hours in the museum, we decided to have another pasta late lunch, but decided to do so after we done our shopping.

Jules wanted to buy her mom a handbag. It is a must gift as her mother collects handbags. We found this boutique selling all sorts of piel bags. She had her eyes on this particular bag for quite sometime so I urged her to just buy the bag as they were having sales at the time.

She picked this black and white elegent looking bag for her mom which we both like. Again we were having this love-hate relationship with the credit card. Jules was using her Maybank credit card and Maybank closed at midnight in hometown. So, whatever credit card transaction using this service had to be done before midnight malaysia time or equivelant with 3pm Seville's time. Looking at the time, we still have 20 minutes to browse before the transaction expired for the day. After 15 minutes of browsing, we decided to take the first item that caught our eyes - the black and white bag which was displayed behind glass window.

Asked the saleslady to take the bolso (bag) from the window, swipe the card and viola, we went out from the shop with the bag safely tucked in plastic bag.

From there we went down to supermarcedonia to buy more chocolates bars as souvenirs for family and friends back home. We figured that we have to buy it here where we can find cheaper bars rather than had to buy at souvenirs shops or the airport where the prices are doubled or tripled.

After spending another EUR10 for chocolates and lugging some one kilo or chocolate bars and bonbons, we decided to have our lunch. The time was already 4pm and we headed to one of the three bars selling paella, pasta and tapas outside.

I picked another spinach pasta and so was Jules. We savoured our food and decided to call it a day....

2004-03-03T05:13:00.000-08:00

9am

We decided to buy our train ticket to Granada today - so early in the morning while I can see vapors when I speak or even when I breath. We hailed a taxi in front of the hostel to Santa Justa train station.

I had this eerie feeling that everytime I went to station - train or bus - I felt like I went into a morgue. It was so cold!! I practically jumping around trying to warm myself. Not a creative/conservative, feminine what ever way of warming myself but I don't care. I was just so DARN (pardon my language) cold!

I asked Jules to hurry up in buying the tickets. Finally we bought the 10.30am ticket to Granada that cost us EUR15 each. One way.

From the train station, we took another cab to Sevilla Cathedral. We were contemplating whether pay EUR6 and go inside the cathedral or not. We opted not. I don't think my heart can stand the view that would greet us inside the cathedral. The beautiful former masjid turned into a cathedral. We had enough in Cordoba. My hearts bled when we saw the beautiful Quranic verses on the wall marred by symbols from the re-conquered of Andalusia. We cried.

We tried to evade gypsies women selling olive leaves by tucking our hands in the pockets and shaking our heads. Be polite and smile but never accept the leaves. Once you had the leaves in your hands you will have to pay for it.

Not just we had to evade the buxom ladies, we had to be careful not to step on the fresh hot horse dung from the horse carriages lining near the cathedral. Urgh!

Today, we are on the window shopping and souvenir buying itinerary. So off we went into this chic shop selling all type of souvenirs at good prices. I bought a flamenco CD, some keychains, t-shirts and touristy souvenirs to bring back home. Happy.

We stopped at an internet cafe to book a room in Granada. We are nearing the tourist season so we do not want to gamble again. Granada is more famous for its Alhambra castle and we expected that some hostels may be fully booked by the time we reached there.

I am a klutz

We were in Express Workcentre internet and I was paying for my internet time when I suddenly dropped mak's present. A beautiful translucent, white and fragile glass decorative. Waaaaa! I just went blank and suddenly dropped the gift. It was wrapped in paper and tucked in plastic bag. I dropped the plastic bag and the glass shattered. Mak! I just paid EUR6 for the decorative glass. Jules laughed at me. Thank you very much.

I am a klutz. I could not hold anything without dropping it first or last. Cannot drive a car until I banged it into something and sent for repair. Would stumbled into holes or whatever thing that jutted out from the earth or can't even hold a conversation properly without making the other party cringed at my choice of words.. bah!

Anyway, the decorative glass shattered into thousands of pieces. Actually I wondered why I bought mom that gift. I knew I cannot hold anything fragile. Jules offered to carry the glass for me, but no thanks Jules, its broken already hahaha.

Shattered glass aside, we proceeded in checking mails and booking hostels over the net. Jules in charge on booking the hostel while I was trying to book flight tickets from the cheapest airlines at the nearest airport to Birmingham.

We have to stopped in UK to hand over Minna's stuff that were sent by her sister-in-law. My job was to find the cheapest and nearest flight that goes to nearest airports to Hull. But, I have a problem - I can't use my credit card to book - Darn!

There is this thing about my credit cards. We can't book anything over the Net. So what was the point of having a credit card then? We can only swiped over the counter and even then if we got over the limit for the month, the banks would bar the transaction. This is the worst credit card service I had ever encountered. I want to pay off as soon as I can and refused to use the cards ever again!

Well, back at the Internet cafe, Jules managed to secure a room in Granada so were assured for our transportation and accomodation, so we were happy for the day. Jules said we could try to book the flight in Granada or we can try to call the airlines and asked them whether we can go over the office to purchase the tickets.

So assured for the day, we proceed for our outing and shopping spree hahahaha.. This time we were just loitering around Sevilla town. Trying to cover as many places as we can. From the parks and shops selling souvenirs, we made our way back to the town area and this time looking for bullfight arena Plaza de toros de la Maestranza at Paseo de Cristobal Colon and a post office to send our postcards!

The place was quite when we arrived. No wonder, it was already siesta time. We had pasta at the nearby tapas bar. Communication was still the problem. The English speaking waiters/waitresses were only at the chic and expensive looking restaurants, while the locals rarely can speak English even to explain to us the ingredients.. *sigh*

So we settled for chease pasta.. got problem swallowing hahaha. Washed down with coke. After lunch we proceed to explore the city but because of siesta time we had to be content by just lazying around the city and watched the siesta time went by.

Before that we stopped by at a shop selling ice cream. The day was sunny and we thought why not an ice cream. I got crossed eyes just looking at the variety of ice creams available in this ice cream parlour. Jules made her choice of course if its not caramel two bolas grande. Erk! OK mine grande too.. two bolas too but give me chocolate and mint.. emm havean. We sat at the bench outside, people watching.. and struggling to finish two bolas grande cone icecream...

It was already late afternoon when strolled along the riverside and headed back to the hostel carrying plastic bags laden with souvenirs and tshirts. Told Jules that we should stop at Plaza Armas to check out the arcade. I mean the place was so near the hostel and yet we have not check it out.

She agreed and we stopped by the arcade. This beautiful building, built in a Neomudejar syle, was constructed in 1889. It was a train station before it was converted for the Universal Exposition of 1992. It has three main elements and the central part is covered by a great iron and glass dome.

So the building looked very unique. The upper floor housed a Warner Bros shop and a few cafes while the ground floor was lined with cute boutiques that sell shoes, clothes, baby clothes, bags and so on, while the lower ground floor was dedicated for super marcadonia or supermarket.

Here was where our excitement heightened. The goods sold at this supermarket were considered very cheap. Jules was like a gold seeker who found the first nugget. She found 1.5litre bottled water for EUR.42 hahahaha.. She bought two big bottles that looked like dumbell.

We found chocolate bars for less than EUR.50! Bons bons for less than EUR2, tuna can for EUR.42 and big loaf of bread for EUR.42 hahahaha.

Well we followed our own rules, do what the locals do and shop where the local shops.. ladida!

2004-03-02T21:10:00.000-08:00

9am

After the Subuh prayer, I felt too lazy to even open my eyes. It was cold outside and it's nice cuddling under the thick blanket. My bed creaked but I don't mind. I guess beds in hostels in Spain are mostly creaky. Why.. just a few nights ago Jules told me that our "neighbour" at a room next door in Gaudy Hostel crashed their bed. So the couple had to repair the bed in the middle of the night. It was no surprise.. its cold winter nights and its a land where love is expressed openly ladida hahaha

I turned and the bed creaked again. Oh I forgot to tell, the bed slanted so actually I was not very comfortable laying with my head lower than my two feet.. anyway, its time to get up.

I hit the shower.. Oh my GOD! The water was cold. Unlike in Gaudy Hostel, we have a proper bath tub, here at the sol and .. hostel, we only have shower stall, so one has to be very careful not to let water sprayed all over the stall and make the bathroom slippery.

After the morning ritual of showering and waiting for Jules to get ready, we decided to explore the city and go to the tourists attractions. So our tourists trail started along the river which was just a walking distance from the hostel.

I read the map that we snagged from the hostel reception and started planning for the visits hehehe. We have decided to stroll along the Rio Guadalquivir and enjoy the view. Yep, we really enjoyed the view. The river is wide and they have river cruise for tourists to enjoy scenic view. It seems that there are other activities in the river such as water volleyball, kayaking but NO SWIMMING wierd huh. Spent some time admiring the river and just people watching.

Anyway, we reached our first spot the Torre Del Oro.. a hundreds of years old watch tower to monitor the ships coming the Guadalquivir. Translated, Torre Del Oro means Tower of Gold. It is because of the shiny and glittery of the stones when reflected by sun. Like the gold reflection, the tower has colourful pasts but now it house a naval museaum. It was closed when we were there so we just admired and took pictures of the tower from the outside.. amazing.

From there we follow the map to McDonalds! Yea! We didn't have breakfast and it was almost lunch hour. We have agreed to buy ourselves McFillet large meal. It was our first McDonalds meal during this trip grrr..am salivating already.

The fastfood joint was just across the road from the riverside. It was at among the new shopping buildings selling clothes, restaurants and bars that sell tapas.

Had some communication problem with the counter.. solved immediately using sign language. Whats so difficult? Just point and say si hahaha.. I took out my chilli sauce sachets aahhh we are in seventh heaven kekeke..

After the quick lunch, we browsed one sports store next to the McDonalds for a silverquick shirt and bermuda shorts for Ardi.. hahaha too expensive. Okay now proceed to tourists spots.

2pm

Jules made me carried a 1.5litre water in my bagpack

I had almost 2kg bottled water in my bagpack. Why can't she bought a smaller one? I argued.
"No" she said.
"We need the water. Besides bigger is cheaper."
Argghhhh! I know we need to drink a lot of water but carrying around a 1.5litre bottle can be tiring..
"Don't worry, I drink a lot. By no time at all I'll finish the water," she said tucking another 1.5litre bottle into her backpack.
"You'd better drink the one I carry," I grumbled.
She gave me a happy Yes!

I nevigated both of us using the tourists map and our second destination was Plaza Espana. We can see the tower from afar and just could not wait to explore the place. We stopped at the Maria Luisa Park which is next to the Plaza Espana to admire the trees and take pictures.. as usual. Since I got more than 600 pix memories on my 254mb memory card I "borrowed" from the office, we vowed to click and snap at every whims and desire.

Plaza Espana was magnificient. The plaza was undergoing some restoration works of the beautiful mosaics of all the Spanish provinces all around the square. It was unlucky for us to seethat the canals were dried up for the restoration work but still the place was worth a visit.

To quote a friend "If you've seen Star Wars II - The Attack of the Clones, you might have seen a friction of the beautiful plaza. One of the scenes of this movie was shot between the columns of the palace. In a science fiction movie like Star Wars, the Plaza de España looks like it really belongs in the 34th Century."

It would not be complete if one did not take pictures in front of square mosaics representing the provinces in Spain. There are some 40 provinces representing by these mosaic boxes. Unfortunately after three shots my camera battery went kaput.

Oh well, have to depend on Jules camera then. Took a few more pictures at our favourite provinces. Then we headed to the third in our itenarary.. Real Alcazar.

I read in my travel guide book that Real Alcazar was real beauty. So off we go. I got a bit lost with the map. hahaha.. actually some of the roads were under construction. I guess they were building metro for Sevilla so some of the roads are closed for trafic.

After a bit of going around and our brief stops at shops selling souvenirs we finally found Real Alcazar tucked between old buildings and narrow cobblestones lanes. It was late afternoon when we finally went in the palace after purchasing the entry tickets for EUR5.

From Puerto de Leon we enter the courtyards, the rooms that show beautiful mosaic fragments from the muslim eras to when the palace and Andalucia was captured by the Spaniards. From Patio de las Doncellas to Salon del Techo de Carlos V, Salòn de Embajadores and to the underground secluded bath of Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla (we suspect it was an ablution area for women muslims before converted into special bath hahaha). There was this one duck lazying around the ablution area for men.. though surrounded by beautiful carvings, jardines (gardens), this lone duck was the main attraction that day.. I wonder why..

Unfortunately we did not have the time to visit the beautiful jardines as the real was closing. Snap some photos at the castle.. ops Jules battery conged. Both camera conged. Bought some postcards to compensate the pictures we could not take waaaaaa!

Well, we just had to make do with whatever source we can find and in this case EUR to buy postcards and official guide of Real Alcazar. From aerial view the jardines surrounding the Alcazar was the most lush garden in the whole of Sevilla. The gardeners painstakingly taking care of the old trees and beautiful flowers. It was magnificient.

After spending some three hours inside the Alcazar, its time to head back to the hostel. Instead of using the same route, we decided to walk along the narrow cobblestone roads. My reason was if we go down the hill, we should not get lost. As Sevilla is a bit hilly.. going up means farther away from the river and going down means towards the river. However, how far we are from the hostel was the risk we have to take.

6pm

So that afternoon, we purposely lost ourselves in the maze of narrow cobblestone roads and just let our feet took us along the trails. We reached the business districts where all the imported goods were displayed behind glass windows. From designer clothes to expensive looking flamenco dresses, piel (leather) goods such as bags and shoes to internet cafe, the road is littered with shoppers both locals and tourists thus, the pricey goods.

After working hours was the time for the locals to enjoy window shopping so the roads were quite busy. Like in Madrid El Corte Ingles was also one of the popular shopping complex here. A building by its own, the place is tucked between building and a plaza. Jules said her feet hurts for all the walking.. so was I. So we decided to go down hill and hope to see the river. After 20 minutes of walking along very narrow and intimidated lanes, we finally found our bearings. The end road was about 3km away from our hostel.. our poor feet...

2004-03-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

We checked out from Gaudy Hostel today. We didn't booked any flight or train tickets to Sevilla as we had decided to take bus to the Andalusia.

The bag started to feel heavy hehehehe and we've bought our bekal for the day at the shop nearby. Bottles of mineral water, chocolate bars and Lays.. Yup we are now officially Lays-addict. Two big packets of onion flavoured Lays and eat with spinach speghetti.. a must.

We took a taxi to Estación del Sur to tak a bus to Sevilla. The station is quite a distance away from Madrid Gran Via and actually accessible by metro. But the hostel operator did not recommend it especially we are lugging heavy bags along as we need to change stations.

Taking his advise, we took a taxi to the bus station. It is a big station for long distance buses. All the ticket counters are at ground level while the buses waiting at the open lower ground level. Unlike in Puduraya where pollution from the smoke could choke you to death, the open lower level allow better ventilation and all the glass windows allow you to see whether the buses are at the berths or not.

Escalator and lifts made it easy for tourists and locals alike to carry their bags down to the berth areas so that we do not have to deal with steep steps and risk of falling and break our necks.

It took me a while to locate the counter that sells tickets to Sevilla. At last I gave up and asked Jules to take over. Jules went straight to the information/tourists counter and asked for the proper counter. Duh! Why didn't I think of doing THAT before.

We bought the bus tickets for EUR 15.99 per person for the six hour ride from Madrid to Sevilla. The bus will leave the station at noon so it would reach San Estación de Autobuses del Prado de San Sebastián in Sevilla by 6pm. I guess it would give us more time to browse for hostel. You see, we were not able to book any hostel from internet in Madrid so what we did was jotted down a few hostel names and numbers with hope that they have empty rooms for us.

there was no coin operated bag compartment anywhere so Jules offered to look after the bags while I took the opportunity browsing the shops at the bus station. They have quite an interesting type of shops. From the normal bakery that sells many type of breads and coffee, cafes to chocolates shops to this one shop selling key chain with your names and meaning.. but not really my cup of tea.

By 11.45am, we were ready to go down the berth area and look for our bus. Found the bus. So nice! Its look more like tourist bus rather than a normal express bus. Spacious and colourful with EUR 15.99 sign on both sides of the windows. We got the second last row seat. The bus has spacious bag compartment underneath and a toilet hehehe. Not bad for EUR 15.99.

MR. PAMIENTO

There was this mamat sit on the next aisle. He was alone. He looked like Adam Sandler hehehehe... Jules mentioned it to me. We called him " Mr pemiento".

As usual, I would automatically felt sleepy right after we hit the road. Furthermore I got the window seat so, bum! dead to the world. Open my eyes just enough to watch the scenery and then to the dreamland. Jules on the other hand could not asleep and was restless. The guy next to her was also restless as he could not fold his long legs to find a comfort area to lie down and sleep, so he kept bumping into Jules.

He had too much stuff inside his backpack. CDs, player and even a sound box! While he was rummaging his beg, his cute beanbag dinasour fell off.. kakakakakaka A man with stuffed dinasour? Jules laugh when she told me this.. well I was lost in my dreamland and missed that. Why we called him Pamiento?

Well, while he was looking for something inside the backpack, he took out his passport as well. He is from Chile.. so chillies in Spanish is pamiento.. so thats how he got the nickname pamiento.

After three hour ride, the bus stopped at restaurant for the passengers to stretch their legs and get some sustenance. At first we want to stay in the bus coz it was cold out there, but we were shooed out by the driver.. grrrrr!

Bought some more chocolate in the stop-over store. The heater was in full blast. Got a bit uncomfortable with the artificial heat. Like in Malaysia, the goods sold at stop over stores are a bit expensive. So we did not spent too much there. There are sandwiches sold at the cafes, but of course we could not eat the sandwiches, but it was very tempting though especially with the cold weather.. hahahaha

The stop was about half-an-hour. When we emerged from the cafe, our bus had just parked at the parking bay, next to an identical bus.. errr... which one is ours?

Jules said she recognise the bus driver.. yea! I didnt. And it seems I was not the only one. The identical bus was on the way from Sevilla to Madrid.. we are heading to Sevilla. So when the bus to Madrid moved out, suddenly this one guy who was sitting behind me on the bus started running for the bus.. aik? None of us even other passengers stopped him.. kekekeke

I guess he caught up with the bus and the driver told him that they were heading towards Madrid rather than Sevilla coz when we boarded our bus, he came huffing and puffing..

Jules said to me that we should have stopped him... and suddenly Mr pamiento replied.. "the bus looked the same." aaa? he can speak English? Jules looked at me and I stared back :-p

6.30pm
We reached Cardona and I was so mesmerized with the quaint town. I thought we've reached Sevilla already and I was quite worried.. How can we find a hotel at this small town.. but no we still have a few kilometres away before we reaching the bus station.

An hour later we were already at the San Estación de Autobuses del Prado de San Sebastián which is opposite Plaza de Armas an old train station that has been converted into shopping arcade complete with supermarcedonia and a cinema.

We lugged our bags up at the bus counter first trying to find payphones to call the hostel numbers that we jotted down at the internet centre in Madrid but WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO OPERATE THE PUBLIC PHONE.

Pathetic I know but we kept feeding the coins and stillwe could not talk to the person on the other line. Fed up, Jules used her handphone to make calls. Unfortunately all the hostels that we we called were fully booked. I was almost panic. Where would we sleep tonite? It is already 7.20pm and yet we could not find accomodation.

Jules suggested that we gambled our fate for the nite. Maybe we could find a cheap hostel with empty room to spare for the nite. Otherwise we may have to find a hotel and forked out money to pay for hefty accomodation.

Alhamdulillah, while walking around the Plaza, Jules saw a small hostel sign opposite the road. We went inside and asked for the room. They have rooms. YEA! EUR42 with bathroom and EUR38 without. Obviously we opted with the attached bathroom. The room was on the second floor so we have to go up the winding stairs and another narrow staircase before reaching our errr cute room. The room was low ceiling, just enough for two creaking beds and a space for solat. The bathroom was tinier, enough for shower area and toilet. Squeezzeeee me!

Actually it was not a bad choice. The hostel may be farther away from the main attraction but there are always the choice to walk or take a cab. Furthermore, we can see the othe part of the city besides the tourists attraction.

Settled for the night, we ate whatever food that we have, breads and Lays and chocolate. We ran out of mineral water but too tired to go down and buy water.. Jules told me that she was so thirsty, she drank tap water.. my poor friend.

2004-02-29T23:54:00.000-08:00

We woke up late today. 9am.

I guess it because all that ET movie last nite hehehehe.. I went straight for shower and getting ready for outing. Its a Rastro Day.

We went out at 11am and first stop was at the internet cafe coz we need to check flight tickets and rooms in Sevilla. Hopefuilly we can get either one. Shucks! Forget to bring paper and pen to jot down the numbers so have to come back later to browse the internet again.

They have the coin operated computer. You just need to slot in EUR 1 in the coin slot for one hour usage. The first time I used the computer, my coin was rejected. I had to ask help from a Brazilian who was sitting next to me.. hehehe cute! Anyway too young I guess. We chatted while the "technician" repaired and tinkle with the computer coin slot. So he was here studying and his mom was coming over that weekend.

After emailing some friends and updating them on our journey, we headed to Rastro which is about a kilometre away from Gran Via. I had to depend on Jules as she is the expert here. The Rastro is not far away from Plaza Mayor but the walk was pleasant due to the weather. It was not too cold like 2 days ago. The sun was up and everybody was having good weather day! hehehe

The Rastro day meant that all the shops are closed (coz it is on Sunday) and the stalls are lining up the roads. They were many stalls selling clothes, trinkets, CDs, leather goods and gifts. Well, since it is one of tourists attraction, the price can be a tad expensive. What I noticed that the traders do not like you to haggle too much. For them the price is always reasonable.

We stopped at ATM first as I need to withdraw some money. At first I got problem with the ATM. It refused to return my card! Darn! Punched every buttons. Finally got my card back. Had to stop at another ATM and this time with Bismillah I slotted my card, punched in my pin, answer some questions (such as prefer language. duh!) and the amount I want, I got my money and my card back. Yea!

The Rastro is more like Petaling Street. We had to take care of our bags though, just to be caution of any pickpockets. I guess my head had loosen for turning left and right watching all the goods sold in various shapes and sizes. I got dizzy just to see the cacaphony of colours around me. It was amazing! I tried to take pictures of the Rastro but there were just too many people around me. I could not stop without stopping the traffic along!

After browsing here and there, Jules bought some clothes for her nephew and niece while I settled for brass bell I found at the stall right at the end of the street. We bought some small trinkets before heading towards Plaza Mayor.

It was called Plaza de Arrabal during medieval times, the original architect of Plaza Mayor itself was Juan Gómez de Mora, who worked during the reign of Philip III. Under the Hapsburgs, the square rose in importance as the site of public spectacles, including the abominable autos de fe, in which heretics were burned. Bullfights, knightly tournaments, and festivals were also staged here.

Three times the buildings on the square burned--in 1631, 1672, and 1790--but each time the plaza bounced back. After the last big fire, it was completely redesigned by Juan de Villanueva.

Nowadays a Christmas fair is held around the equestrian statue of Philip III (dating from 1616) in the center of the square. On summer nights the Plaza Mayor becomes the virtual living room of Madrid.
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The plaza is closed to motorized traffic, making it a pleasant place to sit at one of the sidewalk cafes, watching alfresco artists, street musicians, and Madrileños from all walks of life. Sunday morning brings a stamp and coin market. Around Christmas the plaza fills with stalls selling trees, ornaments, and nativity scenes, as well as all types of practical jokes and tricks for December 28, Día de los Inocentes -- a Spanish version of April Fool's Day. The plaza's oldest building is the one with the brightly painted murals and the gray spires, called Casa de la Panadería (Bakery House) in honor of the bread shop over which it was built. Opposite is the Casa de la Carnicería (Butcher Shop), now a police station.

On the way back, we stopped at a bakery and Jules told me to get any slice of cake I want. It was her treat for my belated birthday. Yea! Gosh! So much cakes to choose from. I settled to one cone with cream. Wow! So nice. It was like cornetto icecream but except for ice-cream it was only cream. Either vanilla or chocolate. I picked chocolate and Jules took vanilla.

8.46pm

Sitting at Cafe d Te filling in my travel journal while waiting for Jules. A glass of Cola Cao half empty. (Yeah! Call me pessimist, I don't care!)

Earlier we took metro that was almost burst with football fans, went to Santiago Bernebeu for Jules to watch her Real Madrid match, while decided to walked around town and do some window shopping. BAD IDEA.

All the shops were closed. I guess if there was an important match like Real Madrid playing meaning that EVERYBODY must close down shops and watch the match. Furthermore the match was on Sunday. nevertheless, it was still interesting to watch the empty city during match time.

I went round the whole block and had fun watching people parking their cars. Well, of course there were not enough parking bays for the cars during the match night. So everybody just park their cars at every nook and cranny of the road if they could squeeze their cute vehicles. And one thing I noticed that they don't mind bumped into other cars as long as they can squeeze and park their vehicles. It was funny. I remembered watching the advertisement on Kit Kat bar in the tele the other day. It was about a girl who was learning to park her car. Thump! she knocked the car's infront and another bumped when she reversed. You can see the panic on the instructor. She did that a few times and later gave her instructor a bar of Kit Kat.. It was funny.

Ok, about the department stores. Yes, all the stores were closed but some people still go into the department stores. these complexes were not locked except maybe Corte Ingles They just window shop and do nothing. I mean, they just loiter inside the complex. They were a few cafes opened but thats all.

We had agreed to meet at the shopping complex next to the stadium and by 9pm all the fans had started leave the stadium. I met Jules at the Cafe and she decided she wanted the Cola Cao too. She chatted happily about the game and how her idol Figo, scored the gol right in front of her. Well, Im happy that she's happy.

We decided to let everybody go and browse at some stalls selling Real Madrid memorabilia, fake of course. It was already 5C and the street was wet just been cleaned by the municipal people. I could see that patches of poodle became small ice poodle.. brrrr... so very cold!

Came back to the hostel and getting ready for bed. We are going to check out and head to Sevilla tomorrow...

2004-02-28T04:37:00.000-08:00

Still in madrid. This time we decided to do some shopping and another sight seeing. This time taking the cheapest mode - walking errr.. and metro hahaha.

We still have to stop by the AreaRealMadrid as Jules wanted to buy more goodies for her house and Bidin. Right. Im just browsing other stuff. They are all expensive now that everything converted to Euro. Not to mention because of Beckams, prices for all Real Madrid stuff had gone skyrocket. bought some souvenirs for meself (again) and things that Im asked me to buy for him.. hmm

Once the shopping is done, we walked to Plaza De Sol. Just window shopping. It was pay day yesterday so many shops have this Rabajas signs. I guess it meant sale though I couldnt find the proper translation for that. Some of the stuff were overcharged but others are still nice to see but too expensive to buy. Well, first, Im not a shopping person and second some things are easily obtained in Malaysia at cheaper prices.

I saw a pair of boots that I like but ehem! its EUR 20 and above.. errr.. no thank you. Its not that Im stingy or what but a RM100 for a pair of boots? I bought Along's boots for just £5 (about RM35) and its nice looking boots, thank you very much.

Its already way past noon and I am hungry. This time we decided to have Moroccon food. Expensive but we just want to try out. Walked at this one lane with hope of finding good Moroccon restaurant. Yup! we found it.

I choose lamb in Tallin - the famous Moroccon cuisine. It came with gravy and bread and some fries.. ummm yummy. I had naranjas (orange) juice. The service is slow though but the food is delicious.

From the restaurant we headed to Plaza Espania - well, it is just a park but quite popular among the locals. We bought some food to bring home. My orange juice and yea! cola cao. It is just a chocolate drink that we tried while waiting for the train at Palencia station. And then we saw the advertisement on tv last night. I just had to buy one container (plastic container). Jules said I was an ad junkie.. I don't care.

We just lepak at Plaza Espania and took some pictures. Urgh! its good that mine is digital camera. I really need to give Jules a photography sessions. She is horrible when taking pictures! ;)

From there, we took a train back to Gran Via and again we browse the windows of shops along the road. Tonite we were thinking of just lepak and want to have another pasta dinner.

Again we stood at the tiny window watching my favourite pakcik making the pizza dough with style. He kinda spin it with his fingers flung to the air and catch it, plap on the table and put the tomato sauce and the toppings hmmmm.. nice! But this time we asked for pasta.. spinach and tomato pasta..

Although we went back early, I couldn't sleep. I let Jules watched her football match and after she finished there was a ET movie showing... er.. Spanish version, of course!

2004-02-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

6.30am

Woke up for the Subuh prayer brrr... the water was cold. Finished and snuggled back under the blanket... another hour please...

9.30am

Checked out as there was no more room available for us until Monday. Decided to look for another room nearby. So once we checked out, we lugged our bag downstair and just rang any hostel's bell. We finally decided on Gaudy Hotel. Clean, got TV and hotshower for EUR 40.

Decided to do our laundry today. I've been wearing the same jeans for the past four days and it started to smell already.. urgh! Plus I almost ran out of undies and socks. So we compiled our stuff into plastic bags and started hunting for the laundreatte. The hostel owner gave us one sticker of a laundreatte not far away from the place last nite, so we decided to check the place out.

Brrrr... the temperature did not improved. Its colder, I can see vapors when Im just breathing.. brrrr. Clutching our plastic bags, we walked along the walkways searching for the laundreatte. Found the place and it was about 1km away from Hostel Gaudy.

It was a coin operated laundreatte and have instruction in several languages including English. They have machines for washing, detergent and drying. There are also a table for folding clothes and seating area to spend time while waiting for the laundry. There was a also a stack of magazine to browse through.

I thought it was funny that the laundreatte has a stack of magazines with half-naked men posters at almost every page but it did not stopped us for oogling though. But why ya? These men looked a bit like queers? Hehehehe.. why? Because we were browsing homo's magazine. Actually this road is famous for prostitutions and cross dressers and homosexuals so "naturally" they would have special magazine for them.. rite? hehehe. Whatever the reason, although we could not understand most words, the magazine still entertaining, educational while waiting for the laundry!

Once we done the laundry, we sent them back to hostel and the first agenda was sightseeing. So we purchased the Vision Bus for city tour. Boarded the bus at the red double-decker bus at Gran Via. There were not many people in the bus but its okay.

While the bus driver was manuvering into small lane, we saw our hockey team. Aik? There were here? Ohh they were participating in the World Hockey Games. Waved at the players, hehehe.. I guess they did not know that we are Malaysians kot. One of them looked sombong, probably thought that we are ngurating him? (duh!)

First stop, the El Prado Museum considered the largest art gallery in the world. It also exhibits sculptures, drawings, coins and other works of arts, but it is undoubtedly its large collection of paintings which has given it fame worldwide. It houses more than 8,600 paintings, of which they exhibit less than 2,000 because of lack of space available. Many museums throughout the world have less artistic riches in their halls than the Prado Museum has in storage.

The present day art gallery comes from the royal collections of the old Trinidad Museum, as well as acquisitions, donations and bequests.

Its history began during the reign of Charles III, when he tried to create a single art collection under one roof. But it was not until the reign of Fernando VII when the Royal Museum of Painting and Sculpture was created, on 19th November 1819. The kings death caused inheritance problems and endangered the unity of the collection, but with the disappearance of the monarchy in Spain the museum became national property and became known as the Prado National Museum.

From then to this date, the works of art have survived several challenges and were transferred several times during the Spanish Civil War, ending up in the Swiss city of Geneva and being returned to Madrid during the Second World War.

Nowadays, its treasures are exhibited in two adjacent buildings : the Villanueva Building where the majority of the works are housed, and the Cason del Buen Retiro.

The multiple origins of the paintings of the Prado Museum allow us to classify its works according to the nationality of the original school;

The Italian school has among others, works by Andrea Mantenga, Sandro Botticelli, Rafael, Andrea del Sarto, Correggio, Lorenzo Lotte, Tintoretto, Verones, Tiepolo and above all, Tiziano.

Early Flemish, with works by Rogier van der Veyden, Flemish master Hans Memling, Jochim Patinir, Quentin Metsys, Bernard van Orley, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Brueghel and the Flemish school with Rubens, Jordaens and Anton van Dyck.

The German, French and Dutch schools with works by Lucas Cranach, Albert Dürer, Nicolas Poussin, Claudio de Lorena and Rembrandt (Alias hehehe)

The Spanish school is represented with works by Spanish grand masters Bartolomé Bermejo, Pedro Berruguete, Luis de Morales, El Greco, Juan B. Maino, José de Ribera, Alonso Cano, Caudio Coello, Zurbarán, Velázquez, Murillo, Luis Meléndez,Goya ..... and a long list of great artists.

After spending about three hours inside the museum, we headed to Santiaga Bernebeu, for another round of tickets hunting for football match. This time, we approached one of the ulats and Jules studied the location of the seats in the stadium offered by the man. Not satisfied, we approached another ulat.

This time, Jules was happy with the seat and the row but the price EUR80 for EUR50 seat.
"Do you wanna take it?" I asked.
"Yeah, why not. This the reason why I came here," she said.
"OK. But I guess you have to watch alone. I don't have that much money to spare," I told her. She said ok.

So, we bought the tickets and proceed to the AreaMadrid at the nearby shopping arcade to buy some souvenirs. We just browse and bought some small things.

My First Snow

By the time we went out the complex, it was snowing. Wooweeee! It was windy and the snow flakes flew helter skelter. I got very excited although it was very cold. Told Jules that we have to walk in the snow "storm". Jules looked at me.
"Gila! Sejuk tau tak. Tunggu jer la salji habis turun."
"Please la hehehehe.. jom aaaa," I pleaded at her.
Fed-up with my childish antiques, she agreed and off we walked in my snow "storm" to the stadium again.
Ahh... the joy of being me. Such simple things that really can make me happy.

From the Stadium, we took metro back to Gran Via and decided to just walk and browse the shops there. We were hungry and this time we decided to sop at Jamaican Cafe and tried the pasta. I tried the Marinara.. urgh! It was a bad choice I guess. The shrimps were salty, but other than that, the meals were superb. There was a shop selling sundry so we stopped and bought bottle drinks.

From there we walked back to the hostel and stopped abain at Pizzeria. This time we bought pizza for breakfast tomorrow. I tried the Atun y pemiento. So what's the pamiento?
"Pamiento?" the shop owner said.. "wait!" He showed us a plastic container with chilies in it..
We grinned. "Okay, uno atun y pamiento pizza!" And Jules bought herself egg pizza.. yuck! (ok ok she loves eggs!)

Happily we carted our food up to the hostel room and after freshen up and solat, we dug into the food. Erkh! Can you imagine eating tuna pizza with chillies? I don't think I can swallow it down if I ever bought one here in Malaysia but in Madrid, everything tastes good.

2004-02-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

IRUN - 7.36am

I could not sleep the whole night. My body hurt and I am still hungry. Some of my "roomates" had left at two stations earlier. I don't know where we are so I asked the girl under me whether we are already in Irun. She said no. Another station. Jules woke up earlier and went to the toilet to freshen up. I quickly donned my shoes, rummaged my bag for my toothbrush and toothpaste. Brought an empty bottle along for washing.

Right after I finished freshen up, the train slowed down. We are reaching Irun and it is still cold. Once the train stopped at the station, we lugged our bags down and were stopped by the immigration officers. There were several tourists who had already gathered around the two officers and showed them their passports.

We were ushered to a room at the back of the train. Just a routine check, we were informed. As usual, the only roses among the thorns hehehe. Our names were called one by one and after answering some basic questions such as our entry point and so on, we were released.

Out of the blue, one of the officers said "Terima Kasih" to us. We were so surprised that we didn't even asked how he knew the word means Thank You. We just smiled at him and automatically answered "Sama-Sama".

We immediately went to the ticket counter and after getting the money from the ATM machines we asked about tickets to Madrid, the counter said that there was no direct train to Madrid available today so we have to stop at Palencia first and then to Madrid. We agreed and bought the tickets.

I was in charge of taking care of the bags and sat on a bench that looked like a rail track.. It was unique. I took a picture of the bench.. hmmm

Took off the lid of my mee goreng container and was disappointed when the content smelled funny. Spoilt already. I am soo hungry and want something spicey. Lucky Juli's prawn still okay. Shared the seafood with her.

8.45am

The train to Palencia finally arrived. It is just two coach train but modern. Spacious and have baggage compartments for travellers like us. We were given numbered seats. So it was not first come first serve. I like the train hehehehe. As usual the inspector came to check our tickets and we were happy to oblige him.

From Palencia we took another train to Madrid. This train is not as modern as the one we travelled to Palencia, but it was okay, with the bags compartments and all. Still it was comfortable.

The train ride went through rural areas and the view was spactacular and actually I saw my first snow there. Wah! what a jakun. For a person who had travelled before , this was the first time I saw snow.. I giggled like demented person! Jules just rolled her eyes.
"It's just your luck to be stucked with a demented person like me," I cackled.

Up the hill we went.. then down to the plains... into tunnels and out.. wow! I was enjoying the view that I did not mind the five hour train ride.

5.45pm

Finally we were at Charmartin Estacion and first destination would be at Santiago Bernabeu. We have to buy the match ticket. The taxi driver was amused that we want to stop at the stadium first but he understand as the reason why most people come to Madrid was to watch the match. Furthermore with David Beckhams as one of the main players, More Brits are coming to the city to give support.

Anyway, once we reached the stadium, we proceed straight to the ticket counter. Ops! tickets sold out.
Jules was disappointed. Really disappointed. I can see that.
So I had to pacify her and told her that we still can buy the tickets from the ulats in front. The ulats probably afraid to approach us to sell tickets as we were carrying our big bags along.
Took another taxi ride to the hostel area and checked in for the night.

We were lucky to find a room at the hostel as most of them were fully booked because of the match this Sunday. Jules's mood had improved a bit and I've decided that we have to go get something to eat.

So after having our first shower for the first time in three days, we performed our solat jama' maghrib and Isya' and went down hunting for food.

Jules showed me the famous Pizzaria where she and Deal used to buy pastas and pizzas. so, she recommended the Spinach speghetti and bought two. Stopped by a shop to buy mineral water and drinks to last for the next day.

2004-02-25T17:53:00.000-08:00

PARIS

Finally we reached the Paris Orly Aiport after 13 hours flight in Airbus 340. Although we stopped in Amman for a few hours, we still groggy.

When we landed in Amman in the wee hours, the temperature outside was 6C. What can I do? grinned. Well, the good news is we cant walk outside the Queen Alia International Airport. So after the hassle with the airport staff on transit flights, we cleaned ourselves and rested while waiting for the flight from Amman to Paris. It is going to be another five hours flight.. urgh!

I was feeling a bit quesy coz of the food served... argh! Am not trying to be patriotic here but Malaysian Airline is much better. They served bread cheese and some lettuce called salad hehehe.. Anyway, it may be ok if my preference is not nasi and pasta. Furthermore, it was a late night flight.. so probably lighter is better?

Anyway, we have reached Orly around noon. We were the only Asian females on board. Others were.. I guess Arabs and European.

The stewards and stewardess started distributing the embarkation cards to the passengers to fill in. Are we required? "I don't know," said the stewardess. "Just fill in, if they say no well, you can throw it away later."
Dutifully, we filled the forms until at the box that said occupation. I looked at Jules.
"Nak tulis apa?"
"Tulis jer la apa kerja hang."
"Tulis kerani tak boleh ke?"
"Kan ke kita dah ada record dlm pasport kita yg dulu. If we lied that would put us in more trouble if they found out."
"Ha? Ok ke ni?"
"Should be ok," and Jules continued writing her profession - sub-editor - on the occupation box.
With bismillah, I wrote down mine.

Well, I should have lied and begone with the consequences.

We were stopped by the immigration officers just because of the stupid occupation box.
"parlez français ?"
"non" we said in unision.
"Engles?"
"oui!" again in unision.
"Here to work?" asked the female immigration officer
"No, just for holiday," answered Jules.
"Oh tourism," said the male immigration officer.
"Oui" i said.
"In France?"
"No just stop over. Going to Madrid tonight," Jules explained.
"hmm... follow me," he and she started walking.. fast pace.

Both of us were still blured. What's happening. Where are these two bringing us..
"Come.. follow us," again
We followed them.

Through a door, into a passageway.. another door and this time through a lane. Jules twitched me on the arm.
"Hey, we went through the VIP and Diplomat Lane lah"
"wow! Rasa macam penting ler kita ni."

We were ushered in the waiting room. It was quite nice. There was a another guy in the room. While we were observing our surrounding, the guy looked like he almost in tears.
So, both of us started speculating why we were brought to the immigration office. After some time of mulling, thinking and deep in thought (cheh! pretending), Jules said it must be because of the headscarf.

Yup, boys and girls.
French Government had just passed the law that no headscarf for Muslim students and workers. And they (the immigraton) thought that we are here to cover the story and give them a bad publisity.

So we burst into laugh and were quite relax while waiting for the Immigration clearance. Our laughters brought curiousity among the other immigration officers there. So we just smiled at them. Naaaah..not worried at all.

After 20 minutes being couped up in the room, the officer came out with our passports and gave to us. He ushered us to the door.. and bye! We were on our way to the bagage claiming area.

Contemplating with Jules.. should we wear our headscarf or not?

"Oh God, I acknowledge and confess before You, all my sins, please forgive them, as no one can forgive sins except You. Forgive my mistakes, those done intentionally, or out of my ignorance, with or without seriousness. Oh God, forgive my sins and my ignorance, forgive my sins of the past and of the future, which I did openly or secretly. Forgive the wrong I have done, jokingly or seriously. I seek Your protection from all the evil I have done. Wash away my sins, and cleanse my heart, from all the sins as a white garment is cleansed from the filth, and let there be long distance between me and my sins, as You made the East and West far from each other."

At the airport information counter we asked the officer where to take train from Paris to Madrid. She suggested we go Gare Montparnasse and took a bus to the train station. The bus fare cost EUR15.

1.30pm

After we bought the night tickets to Madrid, we stored our bags at the coins compartment and ready to explore Paris. As both of us did not went up to the Eiffel Tower, the first time we were in Paris in 2001, we decided to do so this time. Thinking that the queue would not be too long due to the winter season. The temperature was around 7-10C so I was still freezing under my fleece. It's ok though, just let my fat do extra work to warm me up! hehehe. So, we took the RER ride from Montparnasse to Bir-Hakeim and walked to Eiffel Tower.

the queue was long. Although not as long as during the summer. I guess most of the European took the opportunity of going up the Eiffel and visiting France during the winter to avoid massive tourists flow during the summer. Jules was conned into buying a pack of postcards as she thought that the ones in the store at the tower would be very expensive. hehehe. I got a pack back home and don't think I need another one.

Bought the ticket up to the third tier. Cost us EUR10.50 per person. Ah.. the anticipation of going up to the top tier and face the cold windy day. hehehehe.. The lifts up to the tiers were crowded like a can of sardines. I really had to press myself to the door. Had this scary thought.. what if the cable broke? uh! don't think, enjoy the view.

Yup, the view was spactacular. I guess there was nothing interesting in this wrought-iron tower except the view of Paris. You can see the River Seine, Les Invalides, Église du Dôme,Paris Opera house, Arch De Triomphe near the busy Champs Elysees and other colourful or dull buildings. Well, its too cold, what da ya expect?!

http://ryhano.mypicgallery.com/ryhann/100-0094_large.jpg

Anyway, spent more than one hour on the tower and admiring Paris through wired fence. (Its too hight.. the fence to prevent people from jumping off the tower). Headed to the second tier and checked out the shops selling postcards and bells.. (urgh! too expensive) and the first mission of sending postcards began.

After we had too much of Paris, we went back to Montparnasse station and started to loiter around while waiting for our 7.20pm train. We were actually hungry but did not want to eat bread. So we thought of buying some mee, prawns and rice from one and only asian food stall at the station. Went out the station and saw a stall selling drinks. Ahhh.. hot chocolate. I love their hot chocolate.. so rich. Bought a second one hehehehe

7pm

There was no sign of the train. I was getting worried. Jules too. So I told her to wait while I asked at one of the counters. Oh no! We are at the wrong station. We were supposed to take the train at another station Gare d'Austerlitz, but were not informed about it. So, we proceed to the international train counter again and had the ticket changed. There was no direct train to Madrid so we had to change train in Irun - the France-Spain border. He could not booked ticket from Irun to Madrid, we have to do ourselves. OK. He booked the tickets at 11.25pm and we have to proceed to Australitz.

Took our bags and ran to the taxi stand for a taxi to Gare Australitz. No wonder the train station did not looked familiar when we arrived this morning. The temperature had dropped down to 3C and I was tortured with cold. The station was big too airy. Meaning that it is colder here with marble floor and marble walls. There was only one single heater at the centre of the station and everyone were crowding it. it was the longest four hours waiting of my life. I was cold, hungry and I can't sit down on the marble floor. My bum became numb!

Finally, the train arrived and I immediately checked our compartment. Uh! we got the six beds room and we were on top of them. Gosh! we had to climb almost to the ceiling. I was cranky already and pushed my bags up with me. Let Jules go up and then I joined her. Took off my shoes and straight went to bed. I just refused to think about anything. I want to just close my eyes and when I open them, we should be in Irun.

2004-02-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

2.40pm

Finally we got to buy air tickets after few hours hurting our two feets walking and tawaf around KLCC area. No choice but to take the Jordanian Air ziarah package. Still considered the cheapest although we had to pay RM3,136 for the return tickets. Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham flights were fully booked so we decided to touch down in Paris via Bangkok and Amman.

The promotion called open Jaws ticket. Yep. Open Jaw. I was a bit confused with the jargon earlier. Open Jaw? What? Does it mean that the promotion was so spactacular that we would be too amaze and have our jaws hanging open? hahahaha.. well not.

Open Jaws for this particular promotion meant that we can take flight to any destination in UK and Europe and coming back from any airports from these destinations. Hmm.. not bad. So we agreed to take the flight to Paris Orly airport and come back from Heathrow airport UK and stopped in Amman for the two-day ziarah.

The counter guys at the travel agency seems bored when we approached them thinking that these two selebet girls just want to waste their time asking for flight destination, but one of them was nice enough when answering our questions. They were quite taken aback though when we asked for the earliest flight to either Paris or UK. Sam (was that his name?) said that the seats are all taken to UK, however they can slot us in if we want to go to Paris..

Us : "Hari ni ada tak bang"
Sam : "Ada, pukul 10.50pm flight to Paris. OK ke?" (asking with a smile)
US : (after much discussion) ok
Sam : Serious ke ni?
Us : Berapa bang. Nak bayar ni
Sam : (tapping with his culculator) RM3,136. Nak bayar cash ke credit
Us : Cash.. Maybank sebelah ni jer kan?

The transaction begins. In we went to see our beloved kawanku who would only become good buddies during early and middle of the month. Other than that.. hmmm ;-)

Sam : Here is your Ziarah phamplet. You know that you have to stop in Amman for two days right? When do you want for your ziarah, going or coming back?
Us : (discussion again). Coming back.
Sam : Ok. So. you got the money?

We handed him the fresh and crisp paper with agong face called money to him..

Sam : Fuh! Macam jual kat McDonalds pulak
Us : Kat McD kalau beli meal ada dapat free gift.. errr tak de ke untuk kami?

He went to the back room and brought two packets of Dead Sea salts and a cap.. errr is that all? For RM3,136, we got almost two kilos of dead sea minerals? hmmmmm

3pm

Jules was hungry, so we decided to have lunch at KFC building. I told her that I want to pay my hutang piutang card credit coz I want to happily swipe them during the holiday. She agreed. Went to the Southern Bank auto teller and slotted in RM200 for the cards.

We were so hungry and I ate my nasi goreng in just 15 minutes. We were very happy that after two weeks of idling doing nothing (despite taking leave) that we finally going to Europe. We chatted happily between bites. Discussing and worrying because we have only a few hours to settle everything. Since I've packed my stuff, all I'm worrying about is how to get the staff that Minna asked from her sister in Taman Tun.

On the way back to KLCC, where I parked my car, we stopped by at one shop selling jackets and sports tshirts. Told Jules that I need a jacket as we would not be able to take my leather jacket that I've asked Minna to buy for me in Hull. She agreed. After checking one after another, I settled on the brown NBA fleece jacket for RM29.90. I pray hard that I can brace the cold in Paris ;-)

Stopped by KLCC to take the pictures that Jules had sent to be developed earlier and took the opportunity to change M'sian RM with Euro.. Alamak so ciput!

Right after that we shoot to Taman Tun and called Minna's sister in law on things that we supposed to bring for the families there. Erk... 4kg of serunding and a bag full of what? Shoes, underwears, jeans? OK, I said to myself. Just paste the smile and take the stuff. we sort these all out later.

On the way back, I can see that Jules was uncomfortable with the things that we supposed to carry. Honestly, who would like to lug around 4kg of beef rendang all over Spain? Plus a pair of high heel shoes, jeans and even this is hilarious - some small containers to make agar-agar (jelly). We had a good laugh though. Told Jules that we still have to leave some things back. I don't think that I have space for high heels as I agreed to carry all the 4kg beef rendang. Jules was contemplating on the stuff she wanted to left behind..

"I want to bring this jelly containers. This is very important. Who knows she want to do the jelly, we have to bring this," she said with straight face. I can't help it and burst laughing.

6pm

Got stuck in traffic jam. Took us about an hour from Taman Tun to Wangsa Maju. Stopped by office in Bangsar to pick Sue. She hold the house keys.. duh! Reached the flats at almost 7pm. Ran all the way to the fifth floor and lug my brand-new Deuter Traveller with wheels down the stairs and dumped into the boot. Said bye to Sue and shoot to Jules's apartment. Took fresh clothes except my bag for quick shower and solat maghrib jama' with isya'. Since I travelled from Malacca, I still had the previllege for jama'.

Called mom and told her that Im ready to go in just a few hours time. As usual, mom gave me her lecture on "jangan tinggal solat, jangan buat perkara yang tak senonoh.. pandai-pandai jaga diri etc etc..". Sometimes I felt like teenagers to be reminded all these stuff.. but then it is good to be reminded again and again..

8.30pm

Ardie wanted to drive us to KL Sentral. So we crammed into his Bidin (proton wira) all these big sizes people. Pity Bidin. I gave my Ms Wira keys to Ardie and told him to just check on her once a while. Ardie smile.. Bidin sure happy to have a female friend around...

Arrived at KL Sentral. Said thanks to Bidin and Ardie. Ran to ERL counter. Jules bought the tickets for me. Another 11 minutes to go so we immediately pushed our bags through the lane and wait in the train. Hahahaha... we made it. We should be in KLIA in 28minutes..

9.10pm

Checked in. Asked for two seats coz we do not want aisle seats. The ticketing officer didn't say anything. Just asked for our tickets, passports and "please put your bags on the conveyer belt" In just 10 minutes our begs were already on the way into the plane.

Do we need anything? naaay... I still haven't felt tired from all the run around we did this afternoon. I hope I would be too sleepy in the flight to notice the long journey.. Just hope. I dont feel thrill of the long journey, cooped in the plane. So boring.

Took the train to the departure hall and spent time browsing the duty free shops. Called mom again and Along. Told them that we are already in the departure hall and waiting for the flight at 10.50pm. Again mom reminded me to take care.. ok.

10.20pm

We were already in the departure hall. Waiting for the green light to board the flight. Saw all the stewards and Stewardess of the Royal Jordanian... wow! so gebu and cantik-cantik.

Finally, we were allowed to board the plane. Walked slowly as there were not many people boarding from KLIA. I knew that the plane would stop in Bangkok around 1am so probably there would be more passengers going to Paris via Amman.

Stepped into the plane.. smile at the stewardess..

"Your seats ma'am?"

I showed her my boarding pass.

"This way," All the way to the back of the plane.

"Your seats ma'am. You can put your begs in the above compartment"

I looked at Jules, she stared back.. "Waste our time asking for two seats.. hehehehe," I told her. We got Airbus and the window rows have two seats...