Deutschland - Day 1 (25 April - 7 May 2016)

Although I slept quite a bit during the long journey, it couldn't be compared to a sound sleep in warm, cozy bed.  Sleepy, tired me was jolted awake by the crisp, fresh air of Frankfurt. Temperature was probably around 10C but it felt more frigid due to the constant frosty wind. Even the 5 min walk from office (training venue) to a bakery for breakfast had me shivering. My trainer could tell straight away that I was a 100% tropical girl :D 

Since my flight landed at 6:00am, it was too early to check-in to hotel. Plus, our training was scheduled to begin at 8:30am, so the toughest thing for Day 1 was me trying really hard (but sometimes in vain) to stay awake (=_=) . All the snacks in office helped hehe 

Our partner company got us season pass for public transport (€25.70 for adults for 1 week ticket) so that's how we will be getting around for the next 2 weeks. You should consider getting it if you are going to be in the city for at least 4-5 days and plan to get around with public transport since single ticket cost €2.75 one way.

In the evening after class, one of the managers drove us to Motel One at Frankfurt Messe as I have luggages.  That's real kind of them since flagging a cab would easily set me back by €30.00 AND I didn't know how to give directions! It was a clean hotel, located close to underground train station (U-Bahn service, Line U4, Festhalle / Messe Station) as well as a shopping centre (Skyline Plaza).  Both the bed and pillows were comfortable!  

After unpacking just what I needed for the night (I couldn't happily unpack everything since I needed to move to another branch of the same hotel chain for 1 night, something about this place not having room for the entirety of my stay), I headed out to explore the neighbourhood. Europa-Allee was a pretty quiet district with the main attraction being Messe convention and exhibition centre.  Otherwise, there are just a few office buildings with  a couple of residential areas as well as rapid transit stations (S-Bahn service, Line S3 & S4, Galluswarte Station & Messe Station).  

Weather was getting more biting with light drizzles so I rushed back to hotel. Feeling a bit hungry, I stopped by Skyline Plaza for takeaway Chipotle dinner.  Recee of this mall turned out to be quite satisfying as there were several shops ranging from supermarket, drug stores, clothing shops like Zara, H&M to food court. 

Here is the vlog of my first day.   Pardon the quality as I'm just familiarising myself with making videos (O.O)

Let's call it a day and good night everyone!

Adios!

xoxo

Miss N

Deutschland - Schengen Visa Application for Product Training (25 April - 7 May 2016)

When I received an email about product training course in Germany, I was both excited and anxious.  Excited because it means a trip to Europe!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeee 

But at the same time, I was quite anxious since I would be alone and it was a place totally foreign to me! I mean I have been to quite a few places in Asia.  Outside of this continent, Mister and I visited the States together and that's it.  

Other than unfamiliarity,  I was distressed about EU visa application, thanks to my Myanmar passport.   Travel agents were also reluctant to apply visa for me since their business will be blacklisted by the respective embassies if I overstay in Europe.  So I decided to apply visa and buy air ticket on my own, and hotel accommodation will be handled by the training organiser.  If you are like me and need a visa, let me walk you though the process, which was quite painless if you could provide all  required documents.

Travelogue to Guangzhou - Farewell (March 2016)

On our last day, we had time to pack and go out for leisurely breakfast before having to flag towards the airport.   

We were out of hotel by 9am and apparently, it was too early for shopping centres to open haha so we took a stroll around the neighbourhood!

Travelogue to Guangzhou - Free and Easy Day Tour (March 2016)

On 5 March, my dad agreed to just spend 2 hours at the fair to let me indulge in a bit of sightseeing in Guangdong province's capital.  Thank god for that.  I have had enough of the bland exhibition food and jostling crowd packed into Pazhou halls.

Travelogue to Guangzhou - Free and Easy Shangxiajiu (March 2016)

We flew in on 1 March 2016 and departed on 6 March.  With the exhibition going on from 2 March to 5 March, there wasn't much time left for sightseeing.  

On our first day, we hopped over to the renowned Shangxiajiu pedestrian street.  Officially opened in 1995, Shangxiajiu is the first of its kind among shopping streets dedicated to pedestrians only.  I think you can purchase with peace of mind for items with prices written down.  On the other hand, for items without price stickers, try to bargain, especially since you can find similar items in the hundreds of shops lining the Shangxiajiu pedestrian street. 

How to get there:

ChangShou Station on Metro line 1

Exit D2

Beginning of Shangxiajiu pedestrian street, where you can indulge in some bargain hunting for everything from clothes, shoes, accessories, souvenirs to even luggages (in case you end up buying too many to carry :D)

Travelogue to Guangzhou - Exhibition days (March 2016)

Despite the proximity of Myanmar to China, I had never been to the world's most populous country till now. There are 3 huge dental exhibitions a year in China, held at the nation's 3 biggest cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.  Given the availability of direct flight from Yangon as well as Guangzhou's not so harsh temperatures in March, I and my dad attended 2016 Dental South China Exhibition held at the capital of Guangdong province. 

Travelogue to Pyin Oo Lwin - Myanmar's Hill Top Getaway (4 Jan 2016)

We left hotel slightly later around 9:45am as we had to pack all our stuff and checked out.  We grabbed breakfast along the way, popped over to the market to buy some souvenirs and snacks before heading to Dee Dote Blue Lagoon, located between Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin. 

Travelogue to Pyin Oo Lwin - Myanmar's Hill Top Getaway (3 Jan 2016)

Due to our late bedtime previous night, we only headed out around 930am towards the Pyin Oo Lwin Central Market, near clock tower. 

Purcell Tower

Built in 1934 by Gillete and Johnson Co. of England in commemoration of the Silver Jubilee of the reign of King George V of Britain

Travelogue to Pyin Oo Lwin - Myanmar's Hill Top Getaway (2 Jan 2016)

Right after ringing in a new year, we embarked on a trip towards the hill top getaway "Pyin Oo Lwin". This trip was further made special by our little fur-guest - Mr. Milo (a fur baby of our friends, Mike & Rachel).  After getting a doggie of my own, I realised how tough it must have been for our friends and Milo. Just think of unannounced bathroom breaks and a risk of Mr. Milo running out of our mini bus.  Heart-stopping!  So good job Milo, you had been such an angel!!!

Mt.Popa with Friends - 22 June 2015

We took our time savouring breakfast, chilling around the resort and packing our bags before checking out.

Bagan with Friends - 21 June 2015

In Bagan, locals believed that their wish will come true if you visit these four pagodas namely Tant Kyi Taung, Law Ka Nan Da, Tu yin Taung, and Shwe Zi Gon on the same day, before noon. Of course, you can only make the same one wish at all four spots. 

Due to the widespread locations of the four pagodas and the need to take ferry across Ayeyarwaddy river to reach Tant Kyi Taung, we set our alarms for 4am and set off from hotel around 430 am.  Our kind hotel F&B team went an extra mile and prepared packed breakfast of fried rice and watermelon juice for us!

The route to the top of the mountain to pray at Tant Kyi Taung was so rough and it is recommended you rent car and driver from locals.  If your group is big and want to save money, light truck (20,000 Kyats per round trip with capacity up to 15 pax) is the one.  However, expect the ride to be quite bumpy.  We hired 2 small cars, which accommodated 5 pax each. Rental fees including driver was 18,000 Kyats per round trip for each car. 

Sun rise view from Tant Kyi Taung 

Bagan with Friends - 20 June 2015

I had been to Bagan once with my family when I was about 12-13 years old and another time with Mister, during his first visit to Myanmar in 2012.  I did share about my second trip on this blog but bear with my writing as I had just started blogging then. Hopefully I have improved since then? 

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.com/2013/03/myanmar-day-4-bagan-22-may-2012.html

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.com/2013/03/myanmar-day-5-bagan-popa-23-may-2012.html

USA Trip Day 30 - 3 Oct 2014 - San Francisco Suburbs

I had to finish packing early as my highschool friend would pick me up around noon for lunch. 

We haven't seen each other since I was 17-18 years old so it has been a decade! I was happy our friendship remained the same despite being apart for such a long time. 

I don't know about others, but I very much prefer face to face catch up over emails or Facebook. I feel that giving time to be with each other shows sincerity in keeping that relationship, rather than just for show to others in social media. 

Do you know what else I was happy with? Lunch!

This family-run Millbrae Pancake House has been around for almost 60 years and I must say, pancakes were delectable. (But IHOP would still be my No.1, shhhhh)

USA Trip Day 29 - 2 Oct 2014 - Across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito

What a whirlwind voyage it had been! We took it slow today, and left home around 10am to visit Mister's late grandfather. After stopping by to get a bouquet of flowers, Uncle drove us to cemetery, where we paid our respect to the deceased.

After a brief stop at Target, we took a spin to Mountain View's Castro Street around noon for lunch. It's a lovely area with diverse options of restaurants, to spoil you for choice. 

 Mountain View's Castro Street

 Isn't it a delightful place to enjoy lunch al fresco? 

USA Trip Day 28 - 1 Oct 2014 - National Cathedral & Zoo in DC

After a full day of touring museums and sightseeing that covered several iconic buildings which formed the heart of the American political system, we wanted to do something completely different. So we diverged from our original itinerary and took a impromptu trip down to the National Cathedral & Zoo.

With a Virgin America flight to catch at 5:10pm, we managed to reach National Cathedral by 10:30am after a 30 minute commute using subway and bus (30S or 33 or 96). 

Gothic Architectural Style 

USA Trip Day 27 - 30 Sep 2014 - Smithsonian Museums

After an extremely light lunch, we prowled the many isles of various Smithsonian Museums. It was indeed a great way to escape the scorching hot afternoon sun. The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex.  It is made up of a whooping 19 museums / galleries on top of the National Zoological Park! The best thing about this complex? Most of them are FREE and open almost everyday!

Smithsonian Institution's Castle

Open daily 0830-1730 (except Dec 25)

Completed in 1855, this building houses visitor centre, castle cafe and museum souvenir shop.

USA Trip Day 27 - 30 Sep 2014 - Home of POTUS & FLOTUS

Our first stop of the day - The White House.

We left Days Inn hotel around 10:15 am and took Red Metro from Van Ness UDC Station to Metro Centre Station, 5 stops away.  Along our short stroll from metro station to The White House, we felt a sense of tranquility and order, perhaps too rigid and strict, but without the jumble and chaos we witnessed in other metropolitans like San Francisco and New York City.

Definitely the cleaner part of the USA

USA Trip Day 26 - 29 Sep 2014 - Philly's Benjamin Franklin Parkway

After a light lunch at the Reading Market, we hopped on a bus towards the Benjamin Franklin Parkway - a scenic mile-long boulevard that starts at City Hall, curves around Logan Circle and ends before the Museum of Art. We reached the heart of Philly's cultural centre, comprised of several famous sights around 2pm.  Our plan was to take bus all the way to the Museum and walk back towards City Hall at leisure.

Museum of Art

Address: 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 17:00 (everyday except Monday)
Entrance Fees: US$ 20.00 per adult for 2 consecutive days access including entrance to the Rodin Museum 

USA Trip Day 26 - 29 Sep 2014 - Free and Easy Philly

We woke up, packed our bags, checked out of the hotel, left our stuff with the storage bell boy and left for breakfast at IHOP around 1030am. Oh my, that was my very first time at IHOP and I was asking myself why I didn't discover this place sooner?!! 

Amazing taste would be an understatement for a brunch at IHOP 

USA Trip Day 25 - 28 Sep 2014 - Founding Story of the USA

We woke up in the wee hours and took subway towards the 34th St - Penn Station.  While our Bolt bus departure is 815am and google map route indicated trip duration to be around 1 hour, we set aside almost 2 hours just to be sure.  It was barely after 6am on Sunday, so the train frequency might not be what we were used to in Singapore. We didn't want to take any chance of missing our bus :D

It was good that we left our friend's place around 630am, as we had to take 2 train services and the bus afterwards (I think it was M34, 5 stops). There were only 15 minutes to spare by the time we reached Bolt bus! Phew