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.