Amsterdam, The Netherland

holland = windmill

I went Amsterdam 2 weeks ago. This is a trip which different with all the trip that I went before because the main purpose of the trip is not going for sight seeing but for the night life at Amsterdam. =)

1. drugs
no doubt, Amsterdam is famous for that. A country which smoke weed is legal. Along the street, you can see coffee shop everywhere. Every street at least will have 2 or 3 coffee shops. Obs…forget to explain, the meaning of coffee shop does not mean you can drink coffee there. Instead it means you can smoke weed there. The product of weed is not only in cigarette, it also came in lollipop ( I wanna buy to bring back to MY so much!! But worry later get caught =P ), cake ( so called space cake), chewing gum, candy. Besides, there have one type of mushroom which called magic mushroom. It is really-to-eat. A mushroom that can make you hallucinate after consume.

Did I try? Er…yes, of course. =) But, I admit that I am scare, only smoke a few puff of tobacco + little little weed, the cheapest indeed.

How do I feel?…er….feel like the world is spinning lo. =)

As I heard, different people will have different reaction and feeling after drugs. Those drugs will strengthen your personality which either be positive or negative. Fyi, my travel mate keep on smiling for the whole night after the cheapest tobacco + weed.

2. red light district

cannot take picture of the girls, so...''fancy'' chocolate as a replacement?

er hem….sophie and I were expecting that there will be naked women standing in front of the glass door. We were disappointed. They are not totally naked, however, in their very very sexy bikini. Read from a lot of websites, it is forbidden to take picture of those prostitute. Of course, it is rude by the way. So, no picture here.

The first time we reached the red light district in the morning guess what we saw? Super duper fat and ugly auntie who wear bikini and sat there waiting for the customer. Eaukkks….i was thinking…what the?!! This type of quality?? Cannot be!

After that, I get to know that renting the glass window is something like renting a shop. If you rent at night, the rental is expensive. It is much cheaper during the day time. So if your business is not so good, of course you will rent in the morning. So who will rent the window in the morning?

I went there at night again. And now..it looks more a like…better quality now, haha…Those girls will knock on their window when there are single guys walk pass. A way to promote themself. They will not invite youngsters who walk in a group since they know those youngsters are there to 'see' but 'buy'. Some of them will talk in their phone, do manicure in their own space. Even you stand in front and look at them, they will totally ignore yous existence and treat you as transparent. (maybe because I am gal, not potential customer)

The glass room is really a cute space. And I have to say, really convenient…it is a small room which occupy with a bed, a basin, and a chair. There is a huge glass window with curtain and door. Once the customer enter the room, pull up the curtain....shh....

We over heard the negotiation between the client and the prostitute. It is about €50 from a quite pretty girl. What type of service does that €50 included, then I am not sure. We suspect €50 is just for one time. No kiss, no squeeze. =P

Most of the pretty girls will not stand at the main street window. The main red light district street are not so many prostitute shops. If you walk to the small small alley that split from the main red light district road, you can see even more! Those alley are as small as only 1 person can pass at once. I saw one asian prostitute lo! Not bad not bad.

3. club

once 11pm, not only have to queue to enter, but also need to go through metal detector before enter.

We went a famous club named "Escape" at 930pm. Usually I will go clubbing from 10pm to 12am at Kuala Lumpur or Penang. We were early that night and I was expecting to sit in the club for some drinks while waiting for the club to fill up. That is how we used to be at Malaysia, I think. Surprisingly, when we reached the club, it is written Business Hour 2300 – 0500. what?! Not yet open? We waited till 11pm then only able to enter the club. Before enter, we had to go through metal detector! This is the first time I saw a metal detector for a night club.

At Amsterdam, most of the street are dead, pretty dead from 8pm – 11pm even red light district also the same. After11pm, only can start seeing people flow into the street. The city is dead from 8-9am as well, it wake up on 10 or 11am. It is a city which is so focus on the night life until everyone there seems to be sleep late and start late.

4. beer + absinthe

heineken logo

World famous beer, Heineken brewery is located at Amsterdam city. Heineken Experience is a famous things-to-do there. What does it means by Heineken Experience? It means you can experience how Heineken brew their famous beer step by step. You are not only allow to visit their brewery, you are entitle to taste the beer there as well.

I thought Heineken experience is closed under construction when I visited Amsterdam. I read the news from Heineken official website. But a guy who is selling bus ticket told me that although it is under construction still it open for visitor. Yeah! yeah!

Since I visited during construction time, it is €5 cheaper! Basically the whole construction is 90% complete only left the main entrance path which is still under construction. So, I didn’t lose anything even visit during their renovation. The valuable part about the Heineken Experience is not able to visit how Heineken brew their beer, but is the staff will teach you how to taste beer! According to the staff, tasting beer is like tasting wine. Should smell, look at the color, then only taste! Wow….only beer…

absinthe

Absinthe is a type of herb liquor which can contain super duper high alcohol level which can go up until 70 or 85% of alcohol. Basically it is something like drink alcohol from chemistry lab la. (i heard russia's vodka can go up to 95% alcohol level, that one is really drinking alcohol from lab) Amsterdam banned all the businessmen sell absinthe few years back. The funny part is…it is illegal to sell, but legal to drink, own or buy…har? So? Doesn't make sense, right? The owner of a liquor shop told me that it is just some business trick between wine and absinthe maker. The wine maker are jealous of the hot selling absinthe at amsterdam so they go to the Parliament and making noise want to ban absinthe. So, the parliament set the rule to ban people from selling absinthe from then on.

Enough travel Europe post for time being. I wish that the next travel blog that I am going to post is a travel experience to Asia country. After so many posts about Europe, I feel that I shall write more about Malaysia instead of Europe. When I go back to Malaysia this time, I will blog more on KL, Penang, Taiping and etc. I plan to write down more on Malaysia local food. So that when I am homesick next time, at least I can read it from the blog. Can't wait to be home lo!!

Distant vs Love

Some of my friends just broke up with their partner recently. The major culprit of them walking on their own path is because they are not physically together. So called long distant relationship.

Is it physically together is that important in a relationship? Does physically together is a guarantee that the relationship will not have prob? Is it both of them dating with each other everyday means they are deeply in love?

So many husband and wife are sleeping on the same bed every night for more than 10 or 20 years, some of them living under the same roof for half of their life, still, divorce, affairs, argument...

Ain't them physically attach enough?

The soul is not there, the love is not there means it is not there.

I know...when you are weak, you wish that your loved one can be there by your side to share your sorrow. When you are happy, you wish that he or she is the first one who know the great news.

However, even he/she can't share the joy with you, the pain or sorrow with you at the first moment, is that reason valid enough to leave the one you love the most?

He or she is your love. Someone you choose that you are willing to spend the rest of your life with. I always believe it is not easy for two strangers to fall in love together, to walk the same path together. He/she is someone that you are willing to tell him/her that you love her. It is easy to break up but it is never easy to get back together once there is a scar in the relationship.

Although we are too young to talk about death, but every couple, no matter how sweet they are now, nobody can be physically together forever. One day, one of them will leave the world first. Then the partner will be living in this world...alone.

Can God of Death wash away our love even he/she left us forever? Can time faded our missing to him/her?

Even death cannot separate two lover apart

ps: this is a sculpture from Gustav Vigeland at Vigelandsparken, Oslo. One of my favourite.

money vs dream

heart talk

go for your dream. you're still young. with time to fail and start fresh. it's going to be an adventure. you're going into the unknown. give yourself that chance. you deserve it.

logic talk

money. career stability. bright future. forget your dream.

=(

Vatican City, Vatican

Whoever go to Rome, I believe that they will pay a visit to Vatican City as well.

Once I reach the hostel, the receptionist already warn us that if we are going to Vatican City, he recommended us to get up early and reach there by 730am. 730am?!! Means I have to wake up 7am in the morning to get ready? No way...i am not going to wake up that early especially going for a trip.

At the second day, I reached Vatican City about 8am in the morning....ends up....the queue to enter vatican museum is surrounding the 1/4 of the country's perimeter! sial...I was thinking, haih...this time don't know have to wait until when only can enter vatican. Luckily, the queue is moving quite fast, so it doesn't matter. Frankly speaking, it is really scary when I first saw the queue.

long long queue...

We directly went into Vatican Museum, I recommended whoever go to Vatican Museum, it is better to bring along a friend who has strong knowledge about Christianity and bible. Most of the paintings are related to the history of Christianity. Without the knowledge, basically, you will be totally blur from the moment you enter the museum until you walk out from there.

If you are travel with 2 or 3 friends, it is better to have a tour guide along. I didn’t hire a tour guide instead I rented the audio system. It cost RM50 and I didn’t even listen to half of the content but trust me, it is worth. Without it, I am like an idiot walking inside a big building. I don’t like that feeling. It makes me feel I waste my money to enter the museum.

Majority of the tour guides will speak in front of the team, then every tour member will wear one wireless earphone. So whoever left behind also can listen to what the tour guide says. Most of the corridors in the museum are narrow, it is impossible to get a place for the tour group to gather in a round and start explaining. It will block other visitor to proceed. You can hear multi national language of tour guide over there. When you choose the tour, you are not only can choose for English tour guide, but even can choose Italian, France, Britain or US accent of English!

i saw mummy!! at vatican museum

One of the most famous fresco in the Vatican Museum is God creates Adam, the first man by Michelangelo at Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo draw the 9 scenes from Book of Genesis, Old Testament on the ceiling! For me, by reading the bible especially the Genesis already make me super duper confuse. I am someone who like to imagine the picture in my brain when I am reading something. Like even when I am studying, I will try to remember the ''picture'' or ''image'' of the equation instead of memorise it. Genesis is always a chapter which is too abstract for me. Divide Land and water?? har??light and darkness?? Nevertheless, Michelangelo manage to transform it from the word to a graphic. The most amazing things is when I look at the painting, it gives me the feeling of...yes...this is what bible said...this is how it looks like...

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Normally those movie which transform from book to picture, most of the reader will hate the movie. Because when we read the book, we always have our own perception and expectation of the character in the book. We always assume how the character suppose to be in our brain. When it comes to movie, the picture is display in front of us, without the space of imagination, the real life is always not as nice as we thought. Ends up, book is always better than movie like Harry potter, Da Vincci Code.....

The last judgment on the altar.

But Michelangelo managed to draw the imagine from the bible and show it in such a beautiful way to us until I have to agree with it. His painting convince me to believe that what he draw is what the bible says. That is how God create heaven and earth, create the first man.

It is illegal to take picture inside Sistine Chapel. The most famous phase that we can hear from the guard in the chapel is....''silence please...no picture....'' All the pictures inside Sistine chapel are taken by my friend under risk of being caught. =P

One of the corridor in the Vatican Museum.

Every corner or ceiling or column of the museum are full of painting and decoration.

For whoever plans to visit the museum, it is recommended to estimate you have to spend minimum 3 hours there. Only the museum, not included the basilica, ok? Even you are not a big fan of the Christianity history or art, assuming every single display item, you take 30seconds to look at it also need about 2 – 3 hours to finish the museum. If you are someone who are really interested to find out more for some items, then you will ends up like me….5 hours…I am still consider fast because I try not to spend too long since I knew that I have to visit some other places on that day. Besides, I also try not to waste too much time on taking pictures ( still I took about few hundred pictures inside there). Can you imagine how big is the museum? I heard that Louve Paris is even much bigger than Vatican museum.

Err….actually I also spent some time to buy rosary as well. Vatican museum is really a good place to shop for rosary. Over here, you can get various design of rosary. Buying rosary here is not simply because it is from the holy see, it is also because many design that I never see at Malaysia. Yes, the price maybe a bit higher. I fall in love with a rosary necklace that cost few thousand ringgit. =P But those rosary are really a piece of jewellery, rosary with gold plated that can wear as necklace, rosary with silver plated, rosary with black pearl, with crystal, rosary as bracelet…However, if once you walk out from the Vatican wall, those rosary is selling at much lower price. But, I over heard one tour guide said, although it is just a wall difference, but buying from inside is consider buy from the holy see, once u buy over the wall, it is consider you buy from Italy not Vatican anymore.

I spent about 5 hours inside Vatican museum. Initially, I plan to attend sunday mass and visit the museum museum on the same day. But, it closed on Sunday. So, I have to go to Vatican again on Sunday morning and visit the museum on the other day. After the first visit to Vatican city, this time, although the general announcement start at 10am, still I reach there at 8am. (never ever 2 hours earlier to reach church, hahaha) I thought I am early but I am absolutely wrong again.

queue + queue + queue

Again!! super duper long queue. It is really a tiring mass. 2 hours queue just to enter Piazza St Pietro, usual 30 mins to Holy communion become another 2 hours to it. 15 min first reading become 1 hour only first reading....seriously.....very very tired after the mass.

sunday mass, many people leh?

At Malaysia, we will have dual lingual mass. But at Vatican City, there will have multi lingual mass...Italian, Spanish, Hindi, English....whenever the announcement is using Italy language, all Italian will stand up and hooray~~!!Hindi, all indian will be waving India national flag....and HOooray~~~!!Spanish, all the Spanish youngster will stand on top of the chair, yeah !! yeah~~!!English....cool...calm....too little Christian who speak english there. It looks like a concert more than an Sunday Mass. Luckily, when praying or some serious session, everyone still keep quiet.

never ever visit vatican city on sunday if you are not going for the mass

When the mass finish, finally I have the time to visit Saint Peter Basilica or so called San Pietro in Italy language. It is famous because of the tomb of Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles. It is huge, as huge as you can fit the Statue of Liberty in the dome where the main altar sits with room to spare!

human is tiny in the house of God

I am really astonish by the basilica. After visiting the Saint Peter Basilica, I believe there is no other church in the world could gave me such impact anymore. The size, the altar, the chapel, the carving, the nave, the fresco, the ceiling...every single corner of the Saint Peter Basic ilia is an individual piece of art.

I had visited the Cathedral at London. Yes, it is large and nice as well. But compare to Saint Peter Basilica, it is nothing. Those cathedral doesn't give an impact, such feeling. For Saint Peter Basilica, once you step in, your mouth will just drop...and...wah....My travel mate said that it doesn't look like a praying place at all because it is really too huge. A praying place that can fit 60,000 disciples?!

It is really a must visit for everyone who visit Rome and Vatican City. Finally, end my post with a picture of adorable Swiss Guard. =)