glad to be back

In the mood of drinking banana milk tea

Got back home from my 10-day vacation finally. Home felt so good once again. The best place on earth is always home. After returning home, I started to appreciate the Malaysian weather, happy to see the sun, although it is scorching hot. China was so cold, in fact the coldest this year compared to the previous ones.

Days away from home:

Day 1 - 19/01/08 (Sat)

Reached the airport at 11pm and waited there for my flight at 5.50am. The airport is so boring but I had my lappie with me. Got a drink at coffee bean and tried numerous times to get that stupid wireless at the airport to work. It's just lousy. I had to move nearer to the router to get a stronger signal. Time passes quite easily while chatting and surfing. After boarding the plane, I found out that the legroom of the seats are so small. The journey was very uncomfortable. Cheap things are like that. Can't complain. Btw, I was trying to sleep in that uncomfortable seat as I didn't sleep the night before. Some jackass around 40-50 y/old a few rows ahead was speaking loudly throughout the flight. Cranking up the volume of my iPod didn't helped to cover his annoying voice. He was kneeling on the seat facing the passenger at the back and crapping. Perhaps he was too excited on his maiden flight. Haha. I think many people around him wanted to ask him to shut up too. The crew didn't ask him to sit down either. I was too tired, and slept (hardly) until I'm reaching my destination. We took a bus from the airport to the town area of GuangZhou. All luggages at the luggage compartment were tagged and you will have to present the slip given to you earlier to collect your luggage when you get down. I simply love this as I was always worried of my bags being lost while on bus in Malaysia. After checking in to the hotel, we hit the shopping hot spots such as Beijing Lu (北京路) and YiDeLu (一德路). The metro system there is a lot better than Rapid KL trains a.k.a Putra in KL.

Photos here

Day 2 - 20/01/08 (Sun)
Visited one of my relatives in GZ. She treated us lunch. After that, we went for more shopping, wholesale shopping malls, where things are crazily CHEAP!!! I went to try out 双皮奶, as I always see people eating in TV. It was good. At night, we went shopping again at the ShangXiaJiu (上下九） pedestrian street. The Chinese New Year smell is in the air. The whole street is beautifully decorated with lanterns and decos. I also tried 冰糖葫芦 （sugar coated strawberries) for the first time. I prefer uncoated ones. Just for the sake of trying.

Photos here

Day 3 - 21/01/08 (Mon)
Started breakfast with porridge (艇仔粥). Again it was good. Went to ShangXiaJiu again because we didn't finish the other side of the street the night before as I was tired and my legs were screaming. After that, we walked to another street called ZhuangYuanFang (状元坊). The place was so packed and we walked out of it without stopping.

Day 4 - 22/01/08 (Tues)
After settling something, we had brunch in a restaurant and the food was delicious, and not too expensive. After that, we went to YiDeLu again to get something.

Day 5 - 23/01/08 (Wed)
Woke up in the hotel with a bloody flu. Feeling not so well. I had porridge nearby the hotel before going out. After some short shopping, I reached my limits and we went to the nearby McD for a break. It was so warm inside, while the outside was so cold. The cold wind is killing me. I bought a set meal and a cup of hot coffee. I tried the pies there also. Red bean and yam pies are my favorites. After resting for 3 hours there, we headed back to the hotel earlier for some rest.

Photos here

Day 6 - 24/01/08 (Thu)
Went to my relative's house in the morning. She cooked us lunch. After lunch, we headed to the bus station to catch a bus to kampung, my kampung apparently. The bus ride was horrible. The journey took 5 hours, and the out-of-his-mind driver was sounding the horn every 5 - 15 seconds, everytime he was trying to overtake another vehicle, to prevent accident I suppose. Are chinese (as in china people) drivers blind or what? Have to use the horn so that they won't crash into you. After the terrible journey, I reached kampung at 6pm. My cousin went to the station to pick us up. When I reached my aunt's home, she was so happy to see us. It was so long since I last met her when she came to Malaysia. We had dinner shortly after arriving. I got to see the real kampung life. The kitchen is classic. They cook with wood fire, not a gas stove. Wow!! There are no washing basin, no heater. In this cold weather, it was so hard for me. Brushing my teeth was done at the toilet bowl. =.= Sleeping in the mosquito netting was another new experience. I'm not complaining too much, but the pillow was too hard and the super thick blanket was so heavy, I can barely move with that weight on my chest. But without it, I'm gonna freeze to death.

Day 7 - 25/01/08 (Fri)
It was raining when I woke up. This made the place even colder. We had breakfast in a restaurant later. After breakfast, we had a brisk walk at the small town, where people are selling things on both sides along the streets. In the afternoon, we went to my uncle's place to pray. Lunch was served there. I even got red packets because it was the 1st time I went back there.
Back in my aunt's house, I hid inside the room, under the covers as I cannot stand the cold. We even warmed our hand at the stove.

Day 8 - 26/01/08 (Sat)
We left the place after lunch. My aunt wanted me to stay longer, but its so boring, and I cannot tolerate the cold weather, and had to disappoint her. My relatives in kampung really treated us really really well. I'm like a king back there. They are very nice, simple and hospitable people. Its good being with them. The bus back to the city is not any better than the one we took to kampung, but there are less horns. After reaching the city, we went straight to the hotel and had a good bath, as kampung is too cold to bathe. We went to KFC for dinner because it is just in a mall on the other side of the road. The new burger and yam egg tart is quite good.

Photos here & here

Day 9 - 27/01/08 (Sun)
Went to my relative's house again and we had lunch together at a steamboat restaurant. The food was good and it was the most expensive meal we had. After that, we went to her house for a while before going back to the hotel in the evening.

Day 10 - 28/01/08 (Mon)
I woke up feeling so excited as its time to go home!! We checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport. After 4 hours of uncomfortable flight again, I'm back in good, old KL. Suddenly, I fall in love with malaysia for a while. Haha.. After getting my results statement from the college, my sis sent us to take a bus back home. And by 12.30am the next day, I'm finally back in my own room. What a day!!

Photos here

P/S: The 'we' in the above refers to me and my mom

I'm glad I'm sitting at my own desk typing this now!! Haha..