Lisbon, Portugal
It is another great summer destination. However, it is also cold in this part of the world. First of all, I kena cheated by the Taxi Driver. 10 euros....argh!!
I must admit that I didnt do much research about Portugal prior to going to Lisbon, all I know is that it is has something to do with Macau and Cristiano Ronaldo. Thats all, but I'm glad I have go there and learn so much more about the country.
The people are generally nice and helpful and do you know English is their 2nd language, so they have to take it from 6 years old, so the new generation all knows how to speak English.
Even though the city is flooded with tourist, the feeling of the gothic Lisbon is still there. With old building structure and natural beauty, it just seems so good to be true.
Even though everywhere is close, the slopes make is hard to walk and longer to walk. Never in my life that I been going up and down the slopes so much, other than JCC in Brunei.
Personally, I feel that the sight of Mosteiro dos Jeronimos made my trip and just by seeing made my trip worth it. I dunno how to describe, but you know that this monastry is something that didn't come by easily....
Inside this monastry is also nice. With light coming in from the little window they have, it makes the whole place feel like we are living in the past.
Does this picture look familiar? yeah, you dun only see it in Brazil. This is my 2nd time seeing it, the first being in Cuba and now in Portugal. Looks like I dun really need to go Brazil to see this statue......
This picture is exactly the same one that is taken in Lonely Planet, looks like I can be the next photographer for LP. =p
All of us heard about the Portuges Egg Tarts, but how many actually tried it from there. I did. But is ridiculously priced, and is not Egg Tarts...Is Creme Bulee.... But is really nice...
Had codfish fillets with fries....
Our host, Carla and Ruy is super nice. Ruy is a director in the movies scene in Portugal and Carla is a arty farty person, who cooked us really nice dinner. How simple their dinner is feels like as if we are eating in a restuarant. :)
Have been taking lotsa photos of nice nice things in europe, time for an ego trip....
Inspired by Davina in her Train pix...
The strength of a man...
If one desmond is makes the world a better place to live in...these amount of desmonds will make this world a perfect place to live in...=p
thoughts by |nnoc3nt @ 15:23
0 - your voice
Being my virgin trip to Africa, I was expecting alot more different than what I have seen here. But basically, it makes me feel as if I'm in Middle East, but in this case, Middle West instead of Africa. Maybe is because there isn't any black people around. I feel so bad sterotyping, but I think at least this trip open up my eyes as to what Africa is really about. Personally, I do not really think Morocco is a good representation of Africa, but you get the idea of how things here work.
The first impression, is at the airport. There are like at least 8 lanes at the immigration queue just before we legally enter Morocco. They provided so much more manpower in terms of security as well as officer to stamp our passport, but you wouldn't imagine how long it took. It took me at least 20 mins to wait for the officers to start working. All the passengers are queuing up and waiting for something to happen. And apparently, some people have preferrential treatment. They do not need to fill in arrival form and they do not need any stamps on the passport, or the officers just take the passport from them and stamp it without them queuing up. I dun understand how preferential treatment is given, given that all of us are on a budget flight, which means to say that there shouldn't be very rich or famous people on board.
The picture above was taken right outside the place that I stayed.
With the sunset and the birds, what can me more perfect than the company of this dawn's scenery.
Cous cous is what I have been dreaming of eating, ever since my first time trying it in Toulouse, France. The cous cous here is really good.
And then, there is their local delicacy, Tajines. Is just ingridents cooked in a boiler that shaped like a dome shaped ceremic bowl.
Then this is a typical local dish, Is just chicken, fish and some sauce, together with their local bread and Mint Green Tea. Is really good...
Becasue the people in Morocco speaks french, you should not think that they are french people. I tried their "Escargos" thinking that they are clams. They are snails...and they dun even taste half as good as the ones I ate in France. :(
We drank a bowl of soup. Is just a plain soup, which is really cheap. :) Not really good nor bad. Is just a taste that I cannot tell you how good/bad it is.
We did all our makan at this square which is a UNISECO world heritage, and is called Djemaa el-Fna. You get to see fresh orange juice at 0.60SGD per glass and lotsa food stalls at night at really cheap prices. There are also many small stores that are doing henna, snake charming and story telling (which attracts the most attention).
Did some funny comic strips with the nice shadows that I have conceptualised....
Together traveling with me on this trip is Wendy who is doing her exchange in Sweden. Guess what, she got herself a Swedish boyfriend.....
A weekend here may proved to be short, but we have comprehensively cover the whole place. I must say that in the Medina area (the old town), there is no street names. So unless you are a local, you will definitely be lost...it is really like a maze. And the kids will tell you where to go, and you will have to pay them if they lead u, even though u know the way. So sometimes u have to walk in other directions even though u know where to go. Is just like what it was written in the Alchemist. People are all around trying to trick you. They have 1001 ways trying to con you. So if you are not careful, you will just fall into their ploy.
I really hope this first step that I made into Africa, will not be my last, and would inspire me to want to conquer Africa in the years to come. Is always good to make the first step, it is because, I would then be able to push myself to do more of it...I hope I can, and I know I can. Marrakesh has left me a good and vivid impression and I long to see more of it in this continent. See you soon Africa.
Actually other than this church at the mountain, the other interesting aspect of this church is simply too hard to be missed. You know that you can purchase candles in the churches and light it. But here, you just have to put a dollar into this machines and the "candle" will light up.
And also, you have confession box where you do not have to see the priest. The sign reads, press the bell for confession. It definitely doesn't mean press the bell and the priest will come out and give u a confession. I suppose the priest will be in his office, so all you have to do is to go into the box and press for the bell which acts as an intercom and you can say do your confession over the intercom. This is becoming more and more high tech, I wonder when will be the day when you call the priest up with your mobile and tell him that u want to make a confession.
The weather is really good especially so during winter and summer. Winter is never too cold and summer, u can get all the sun you want. :)
And the church beside the cemetry is equally nice as well.
The night life is really good, and I cannot wait for all the fiestas to set in, and I will be partying all night long. This is a picture of the Gothic.
For every good thing, it definitely comes with something bad. Just into my 4th day of stay here, someone put her hand into my pocket where my wallet is and tried to pickpocket. Thank God, I was so blessed to have such an experience, I mean I heard it from almost all my friends who visited Barcelona and told me that they got mugged, and I'm wondering when is my turn, and I finally got a chance to experience it. The way she does it was so professional. We were all entering the train and I was one of the last few to enter, and she gave way to me which essentially make her the last person to enter. This plan is so well thought off, imagine after taking my wallet, she can just back off and even when I realized, it would have been too late, because the metro has already moved and she is already out of the train. But thank God again for allowing me to catch her hands, and she had to quickly jumped off the train, because I think she saw from the look of my eyes that I'm definitely going to go after her. I'm hoping I get a chance to nab the next mugger and see what he/she gotta say.
