For The Sake of Argument

PARIS UNTOLD - end of summer 2003

I was reading the page before in my journal. It was on my trip to Paris. Sad. It only covered the 1st day of my visit and even that was incomplete. What a shame it is not being able to share the adventures of travelling alone to a place filled with snobbish French whose reluctance to speak English gave me a headache. Although i was armed with a travel guide that has all the important phrases in it, the pronounciation is a different story alltogether. Anyway, no point trying to squeeze every memory out now. Cerita basi plus the memory is locked away somewhere in there i cant possibly get them all out. Just to illustrate how forgetful I am Lank once said that if my brain could be detached I would have left it on the Tube a long time ago. Yeap, no stories about how I almost got conned the first thing upon arriving at Gare du Nord but thanks to the little travelling experience I've gained plus my own untrusting nature, I managed to fend off trouble. No stories about how the hotel I stayed in reminds me of those dodgy rumah tumpangan on top of chinese coffee shops in Penang (but it was clean so thats bearable i guess) and how I climbed Tour Eiffel and when i say climbed i mean climbed the steps to the 1st 2 platforms, or how i bumped into young cute police officers on blades, and how I fell in love with the not so famous Place Vendome and the nite cruise along the River Seine and how I walked and walked all the way to Montparnasse only to find that the Jardine Atlantique could be described by the Malay proverb indah khabar dari rupa. So while my ITALIA memory is still intact...let me spill the beans (yeah, like its some sort of top secret..haha!)


Buongiorno ITALIA!!- winter 2003

Day 1 - Dec 17 VERONA

Left Nutford for the airport at 4 a.m. Hadnt really slept for the past 3 days. Did 8 hours in total during that time span. The nite saw me leaving the college grounds at 11 pm to finalise LINK and submit it thru a fren. Brought it upon myself, its becoming a habit- not good. Was convinced that I could finish that 80 ++ page-report (60++ on the main body alone) early. Yet again.. not quite. Because my file was 20MB the computer pulak buat hal...really slow and i cant edit nor print the report as a whole on the Dept's computers..damn! Took me an extra 6 hours to finally wrap up (not to my satisfaction if i may add but i really hafta go home). Dahla I had a Marketing presentation the same afternoon, fortunately groupwork, takde la burden sgt and the day b4 Jap test and i have to more or less clear my room cos my hall needed to be evacuated during christmas. So all in all u could imagine the immense pressure i was under during that critical period.

Met the rest of the pack i.e.. Burr Burr and Bear Bear at Stanstead.The flight was sheduled to take off at 7.30 am but we only did that at 8 (runaway congestion- what else).Got into Verona Brescia at about 10.40 and hopped on a bus to Verona which took an hour or so.

The first thing we did was head for the Arena in Piazza Bra. Its like the colleseum only smaller and possess less historical significance. Today, its used for the staging of theatrical and musical performances as well as some other events. Looking like garbage out of fatigue and the truckload of luggage i was carrying, we took a tiresome walking tour to Piazza Erbe. The whole length between these 2 squares is the major tourist and shopping district. Since it wasnt summer, it wasnt very crowded. There's a famous open market at Erbe which would drain the wallets of an unreasonably thinking tourist. I instantly fell in love with the masquerades..boy werent they lovely and frightening at the same time. I couldnt see any use of it though and they are bloody expensive too. Balik rumah buat seniri laa- paper mache letak glitter glue byk byk.

Then we went to the Casa de Guliette (Juliet's house) where there's a statue of the fictitious character and the balcony where the famous balcony scene (the start to this tragic romance) purportedly took place. The venue was packed with visitors, reckon they were mainly local youths though. Amazed at the zillion love notes and messages adorning the entire wall, not to mention chewed gums (gross!!). Dont know whether to call it vandalism or the other side of the coin, plain romantics. There's a myth that says (if I'm not mistaken) that if you touch the right breast of the statue, you'll be blessed with true love. Thats why you would find it shinier than the other. So i took a picture doing exactly that not cos i believe in that rubbish but becos its the only time I could do something as absurd without risking being labelled a pervert.Hahahaha...There is also Romeo's house which is not as popular and Guliette's Tomb but it was out of our way. Siap ada tomb ni... So, did Shakespeare make the story up or not?

We walked round a bit more, took some pix and marvel at the architecture and just to breathe in the atmosphere. But we were all very tired so all we were looking forward to was our hotel room and so by about 5 pm we were on our way to Venezia. oh btw, Verona's bus drivers are lunatics. There was no reason for the rides to be bumpy but hell they were. Takdela sampai terbang2 we all but yeah, u feel like u're on some wild ride up some gravel hill road. Is that supposed to be Italiano??? Hmmm...

It wasnt difficult to find our pre-booked lodging. And like all of the accommodations I've arranged for it was very close to the train station. Excellent location, across the canal from Santa Lucia Stazionne.Got a room for 4..good, good, private bathroom, fridge, kettle, some biscuits, coffee, cups, strirrers, telly, nice, clean. First things first i.e.. Food. We didnt get as far as the recommendations by the reception but we had pizzas at a small cosy restaurant which has the cheapest menu in sight (almost all restaurants displayed their price lists outside the premises). Ada that Italian atmosphere...I suppose its anologous to Restoran Mamak back in Msia. Balik smayang & zzzzzzz....

Day 2- VENEZIA

We were absolutely flat out.Missed subuh and the plan to have an early kickstart went out of the window.Powerpoints in Italy could only be used for 2 or 3 parralel pin plugs.Different from the UK which has similar system with Msia.Without an adapter we cant recharge our appliances so no (mobile's) alarm to wake us up. We didnt leave the hotel until 12 ish (aarrgghhhhh!!!!). Yes, I know its winter, short daytime so all the more reason why we should have started early but this is purely circumstantial. We bought the 24hr Vaporetta biglietti. Other than by foot, the vaporetti (boat) is the only mode of transportation within the lagoon via the canals. Even the Emergency units and businesses used boats. It was amazing. I've never come across anything like that before. How cool and unique is that!Venice has a lot of character. The buildings were very very old and clustered together. Some were well cared for, some ramshackle, shabby, devastating, some areas were dirty, some resemble wreckages. One might think that this is all sore to the eye. On the contrary. Think its very pretty.There weren't any skycrappers. I bet the tallest building is prolly around 10 storeys high only. The whole journey to Piazza San Marco was truly a splendour especially as we were approaching our destination.The basilica at the end of the Grand Canal reminded me of Budapest but just that bit. The entire city albeit small, is not very well structured, I cannot even begin to tell how many times we got lost amongst the countless number of little alleys and lanes. Small, cute shops filled these alleys selling masks of all sorts, puppets, witch dolls, glass items..yeah, Venice is most well known for being the centre of the glass-blowing and lace industries. We wondered off just to have a look atthe less visited sections but completely lost track of where we were. God! Unless u have all time in the world...Stick to the major routes! In the end we did manage to get to San Manin enroute San Toma which was like really2 far from where we were initially.

That night after unsuccessfully locating a good reasonably priced eatery in the area proposed by the reception we settled for a very Italian Osteria, the price list isnt too bad but haha! Our bill totalled Euro50 for a small portion of pasta and a drink each and one bloody dessert shared amongst us.The coperto (cover charge) was a bout euro3 pp..not only have bird & I been overcharged by the Money Changer that day we were really upset with Clarke Kent (the waiter) for ripping us off. So ppl, check for Cover charge on the display...do not be deceived by cheaper prices. And another note, retaurants dont generally serve dinner b4 7pm cos we found a Mexican place (yeah, gi Italy makan Mexican..) and they werent ready and told us that.

After dinner, we walked to Rialto (the famous bridge with its middle occupied by stalls selling souvenires) and hopped on the boat back. The ride back was romantic but unlike Paris, the city was not glamorously lit up after dark. but the tranquility transcends you back in time.What was it like for them in the 10-11th century when naval, maritime and fishing were the main activities. Outside the concentrated, busy regions, venice could be frighteningly quiet. If u get assaulted somewhere, the only ray of hope u have is for superman to come to ur rescue. Oh by the way, on our back to our room for Asar that afternoon, we bumped into a young Msian family. Burr got to talking to them which is a blessing really cos then we could ask them if they would like to ride on the gondola with us tomorrow and split the fare cos oherwise we cant possibly afford it. Its about E 80 for the whole gondola hire. They said yes. YES! I'm going on the Gondola...hurrah!Hurrah! Naseb baik ade Burr...if its up 2 me i'd be too shy to say a word to strangers.

DAY 3 - Still Venice

We got up early cos we wanted to fully exploit the little time still valid with our tix. Went to a couple of islands away from the lagoon i.e. Left at 7.20 & reached Burano at about 8.45. Indeed, Burano is so-ho cute. Its a small fishing village with as well as the heart of lace making, a v. small community whose houses were painted in bright colours. Makes u feel like u r in Looneytoons. Ended our visit with caffe latte and hot choc at one of the few cafes. Yumm2x! The best!!! And on our way back to the docks, got distracted by this lace and linen shop which costed me EU28 (bought a table runner 4 me mom). Was reluctant at first, but Koala said she'll buy it if i dont want it..so i guess it must've been something.Fretting that we'd miss the boat and would then hafta wait for another hour or something, we raced to the docks..alhamdulillah boat tak sampai lagi.

We stopped at Murano, the capital of glass making. We wondered around a bit during transit earlier, but Bear2X is crazy about glasses...she used to paint them back in Msia, so we made another tour of the many2 shops on the way back. And guess what?? we went frenzy over the glass pieces, i myself bought a pair of ear rings and a couple of bracelets cos they were cheap and incidentally missed our boat. All in all we were 50 minutes late to meet the Msian family we met yesterday and though i was half-hearted about the gondola now, i cant possibly back out now cos i'll be butchered to pieces if i do.

The family followed us back 2 our lodging cos we suggested that they leave their luggage at ours instead of paying the standard EU3 per bag at the storage facilty. After smayang and haggling with the operators, (earlier 1 of them told us that its 70 for 40 mins but suddenly they hike the fare to 100..what tha???) got the fare at 70 and the ride experience if i could paint a picture for u it'd be like not only Janice from FRIENDS would cry "Oh. My. GOD!!!!"...U guys..if u get the chance to go to Venice try not to miss out on this opportunity. Its pricey but go at full capacity and haggle. The Eu10 each was well worth it. It was the highlight of our visit i must admit.I suppose us being late and all happened for a reason cos otherwise i might have backed out. Took a dozen of pixx some unnecessary..juz 2 b sure that we captured the moment. The navigator took us around the back, small canals, surrounded by less attractive and could-be unpleasant areas unknown and hidden away from the tourists where the real lives of fellow Venezians were evident.

That nite after sending the family to the bus terminal (yeah, like we lived there..haha) we went hunting for a "Billa/Co-op" i.e the supermarket cos we couldnt afford anymore osteria and restorante. Difficult to locate cos of the language barrier to get the directions rite. Found it at last.U could actually get some authentic Italian food by weight over the counter ..and they were quite good and definitely markedly cheaper. Mozarella alla parmigiana....It was identical to the mouthwatering, delicious, delectable "Eggplant Parmigiana" I had in the US...One could certainly survive on Veg food in Italy (unlike the UK) cos they are so good. Bought tix for Florence, treno leaves at 9 am 2row (nak leave earlier but more expensive cos different operator kot).

Day 4- FIRENZE (Florence)

Arrived in Florence close to 1 pm. We decided to stay in Florence a night less and leave for Rome instead of the morning after for fear that we may not get around to doing much. Got some train info (Eurostar Italy, Intercity and Regional Train, different operators and timetables, in order of decreasing standards, speed and price) tried to call the accom in Rome 2 ask if we could come a nite early but we couldnt work out how the public phone works so we gave up and told ourselves that if we have to, we'd be adventurous and sleep at the station. I managed to talk us out of staying the 3rd night although by right we would be charged for it since it wasnt a 3-day notice (phewph..).

Tourists House Liberty is located about 15 minutes walk from the station and on the 1st floor. Its small, quiet, privately owned. We came up with a hypothesis that the apartment was inherited and was too big for the owners (a couple with a 3-month old baby) so they converted it into a hotel. Bijak 2x! Its homely but the rooms are gloomy. Elements of Christianity decorated the walls. The kind of feeling I got in the B&B we stayed in at Notts for the Petronas briefing in 1st Year but to a much reduced level. Plenty of mirrors in the hallway but almost non-existing in the rooms. A bit silly. No telly, fridge, kettle like Ca Croche. Nvm.. we had each other for entertainment :).

Started our sightseeing with the Must Dos. Piazza Santa Marco which is under 5 mins away and the adjacent Piaza Santisstma Annunzia and then the hi-lite "Piazza del Duomo" where the famous Duomo (the church) can be found. Interesting but not awe inspiring. Then there was Piazza de la Signora where we had a bit too much of gelato (and it was like EU 6 for my 2 scoops on a cone) cos they were too irresistable despite the chilly weather...the locals must have thot we were a bunch of Jakuns.

Byk mimers, u know those ppl who stood or do whatever it is they do so still like a rock, face painted white, gold or u know those monochromatic colours and fancy, weird or out of the ordinary costumes. Tak ambik gambar cos sebok makan ice cream...comot aah..And an acting mimer was humoring the crowd and as we were passing by harrassed Bear2x..klakar 2X. Nak join eating her gelato off the cone but Bear refused and layan jugak by spooning him some instead whilst onlookers laughed. I guess dia pon dah boring and muak in the end so he voluntarily quitted.

Strolled along Ponte Vecchio, got in out & out of shops and after prayers and a bit of rest went out to get train tix to Pisa. U'd be amazed at how little English the ticketmasters speak, even more so in Florence. Weird cos Italy's economy is highly dependent on Tourism. But thats cool though at least it forced us to learn a bit of Italian which is a lot easier than French. And of course at some point we resorted to communicating on paper like verbally or auditorially impaired individuals. After that we nite stroll for a bit and called it a day.

Day 5 - still Firenze

Just got back from dinner at Belschuni's (ok..2 b honest i dont remember the name but it begins with a B). It's the cheapest osteria we've been to so far and the best atmosphere to top it off. The food wasnt the best though. Burr2x and I always ended up wanting to order the same dish, usually one will pass, but this time we both went for it. Spaghetti cooked in olive oil, herbs, pepper, cappers though i dint taste any of the fish but the tiny bones i felt in my mouth attests to its presence. Puny amount i guess.

Before we went shopping for Italian TradeMark tshirts at San Lorenzo market.Bought 3 for the boys (my bros)..100% cotton but thin...not the highest of quality but Msia is hot, that should work.Like the one with Da Vinci's famous drawing of the human anatomy but its a bit obscene in a not so scientific kind of way...the u-know-what at the crotch showing..hmm..boleh bawak solat tak huh? Got it anyway, since the print is small hoping that ppl wouldnt really notice unless they scrutinise..takde keje ahh..or art enthusiasts..whatever.

It poured the whole day today,affecting not only our itenary but a tad of our moods as well. In the morning, passed by the Bargello, the prison turned art gallery (1 of the 2 most prominent in Florence displaying world class artworks), Santa Croche, the church in which Michaelangelo's tomb is placed near the entrance right corner by his own request. He wants to be placed there becos "when the skies slice open on judgement day, he wants the church to be the first thing he sees or is it the sight that he'd leave behind as he ascends??.." well anyway, Went to southern Florence i.e. south bank of river Arno after taking a detour to a fashionable cafe Golden View Open Bar (right on the brim of the south bank overlooking the River and the other side of town) for coffee cos tak tahan hujan.

Went to Palazzo Pitti and there's a really nice fountain in the middle of the courtyard near the entrance but nak masok pon kena bayar and for non-Artwork-buffs like us, tak worth it. The palace was built by a Medici family rival but later on confiscated by the Medicis when they regained power.Alterations were henceforth made as a cue to the rival in exile never to return. Giardino (Garden) di Boboli is part of the palace. Too bad we coudn't get in..would've been a pleasant stroll. Climbed up to Piazalle Michaelangelo..panaromic view of the entire city, takes my breath away.. and a replica of the famous sculpture, David the nude..haha! stood in the center.

On the way down, found a route up to Forte Belvedere, wanted to climb up cos apparently another scenic view. Burr and Bear not that keen but they were kind enough to accompany me...When we got up there, we cant see a thing outside the walls of the fort that trails down like a much shorter version of the Great Wall of China. If u want to get in even just for the view the charge is Eu7 ...so yeah, we all tak masok. Tension gak cos after all the panting (the hill was very steep and narrow, i almost got run down by a car). But at least we know. We went down via a different route, crossed Ponte Vecchio for the 254th time. The Bridge is lined solely with Jewellers. At least 40 of them.Cant help myself looking at WYMMs..so pretty..felt like dying just staring at them by the glass window display. sigh...an even bigger sigh...Nak!Nak! Went back to hotel to rest for a couple of hours before going out again after dark.

Day 6 - Pisa

Left for Pisa as planned, the 7.10 am R-train. The Guide said that tourists tend to only focus on the Leaning Tower and the cluster of structures on the square called Piazza Duomo (Another duomo-I'm assuming stands for Dome doesnt really concur with creative Renaissance Italy does it?) and overlook other things the town has to offer and... and voila! We are typical tourists then. I suppose seeing so many compelling architectures over a mere 5 day period is a bit overwhelming. I must say that, the square in itself is rather astounding. White separate buidlings on top of a green lawn not a single tree in sight, stands out amidst the rest of Pisa. The other buildings include a basilica - the Duomo, the Baptistery and a graveyard, purpotedly the most beautiful in the world. There were oh so many Chinese tourists mostly middleaged women who created a lot havoc stirring discomfort amongst the other tourists like ourselves. Kecoh aah.

The walk from Pisa Centrale Stazionne across the Arno (yes, the same river that runs through Florence) took about 1/2 an hour. Which isnt bad considering there was a lot to see (or not to see). The rooftop of one of the buidings directly across the bridge we took was a definite eye catcher. With Christmas in the air, someone had taken the time (& effort) to position a handful of Santa Clause dummies in what seemed like their desperate attempts to get into and down the chimneys. Ada yg terlentang on their faces perhaps been shot by a rival, ada yg tgh climb a rope up the roof..cute sgt. Piazza Dante and Piazza Cavielleri are the hearts of campus life and filled with a pleasant atmosphere. The latter is a bustling street off limits to motor vehicles and made up of a fraction of fashionable cafes and shops. To us, a visit in Italy is imperfect without lounging at a cafe on the itenary. And so we did at Dante. Not long after we headed back to Florence.

Bought some biscuits from a v. expensive cafe..they were a bit too sweet..Burr couldnt find reasonbly priced chocs to bring home 2 her flatmates and we all went to Ferragamo on my request and hahaa..still couldnt afford them. The handbags i like cost Eu 510 and the other Eu 690...sigh... Membazir laa baik donate kat charity btol tak? As much as I like it, deep down it'll make me feel queasy knowing how sinful it is to spend so lavishly on a single bag. No amount of material contentment would diminish the guilt that I'll prolly carry for the rest of my life.

On the train to Rome that night we were the only Asian looking passengers on our coach. Not sure if we were just being paranoid but we noticed that some of the other passengers were giving us the looks. Prejudice ke ape tak tau laa. Irritated we started making fun of them in Malay..laughed our heads off. This is when a foreign language that no one else understood would come in handy :). The journey was 4 hours long so we were bored to death. Read about as much as I could take in on Rome, prep for the last 2 days, accounts updated, in the end Koala suggested Truth or Dare, yup the most ridiculous game ever thot of in the universe. But I was unrelenting, suggested that we play a more intelligent game. This is the point where u'd say "There goes geeky Whoda". Actually we had great fun. Its like a quiz but the answers could only be either true or false. Each one of us took turn to ask the other two a Question which could span from personal life to politics, anything under the sun so long as its logical or its a general knowledge..like i cant ask about Reaction Engineering etc. It was really funny the way the questions were raised or structured. And at the end of the day on top of the good laugh, our breadth of knowledge increased...well not by much but hey thats better than Truth or Dare. And then we had the confession session, girls talk which ended with us metaphorically hurling a stream of fire balls at the opposite gender..hahhaha...nah, we dint get that far (unfortunately)...

When we got into Rome we were approached by a man with a free tourist info tag who offered us a 20 Euro pp accom deal which we took almost instantly cos we needed a place 2 crash and 20 is reasonable. Well that is until after the 20mins walk and actually looking at the place. Hmm...malas nak backout tho we could actually do that so we just stayed on. The state of the place..lets just say its a room in a lower working class household. And the flat is tiny without a distinct seclusion from the tenants/owners who also lived there. Macam tumpang rumah kawan...lets put it that way. Only that the kawan isnt exactly a firiend and the condition of the kawan's place isnt great-crammed. Indeed the owners were desparate to cash in on us and she got more than she deserved. We all dint go out that nite. Its difficult 2 explain y. The room was a double so the lady had to shove in an extra bed and make it whilst we were standing there. Agak tak lalu nak tido jugak laa but belasah ja cos this is what u get if u r on a budget and u wanna play safe.

Day 7- ROMA

We left the flat by quarter past 8, located our pre-booked accom Euro B&B (which didnt serve breakfast by the way) another converted private apartment which was only 5 mins from Termini Stazionne (once u r familiar with the area) to our convenience. You could tell that eventhough its just a few euros extra its multifolds better than Robin Hood the nite b4. Left our luggage and after breakfast at one of the street cafes below the Piano (Floor) 4 premise, we got a day pass and headed straight for Campagdilio or in English Capitoline Hill.

Piazza Venezia was WOW! Very impressive, built quite late, I think somewhere at the beginning of the 20C. The weather was rough however. Overcast, extremely windy almost unbearably freezing us to death. We dindt go into the museums surrounding Compagdilio and trust me, the hill is not what one would normally perceive as a hill cos its equivalent to say a 4-storey high building. The real thing did not resonate with the description in the Guide...It's like "Laa..ni ja ka?". Get the picture?? The interior of the Palace cum museums may have been a different story all together, now that we dont know.

The Imperial Fora is just a flight of stairs down from the hill. We spent quite some time marvelling at the ruins while trying to apply history to it all. Predating Imperial Rome from the times of the Hadrian, Trajan then Caesar. The wind subsided a bit. As usual, when go travelling one should have a bit of imagination to make the most out of the visit. Sadly, there werent sufficient sighboards to indicate what is what, let alone a description of the importance of each site. An American guy was giving a free guide narrating the stories of Romulus and his twin (I'm tempted to say Ramesh..but haha..isnt that Indian??) and the birth of Rome as well as the stories behind the most impportant structures. Reckon his majoring in History and needed the practice. We have still so much to cover so we didnt stay with him long.

We bought tix to enter the Palatine, the garden above the Fora (btw, Fora is the plural of Forum which means a meeting place). Palatine dated from a different sovereign and era..much older than the Fora. A section of it reminds me a bit of the Stonehenge..though i've never actually been there yet. And the landscape changes quite dramtically from one end to the other. Its huge and there is also remnants of an ancient stadium that could accommodate a few tens of thousand of ppl.

Afterwards we went to the Colleseum which stood at the edge of the Fora and found out that each level were reserved for different social classes of spectators, how the level beneath the ground which was like a basement where most of the preps are done, storage and cages with wild beast were stationed, was covered up with a flooring to stage the competitions and how women were only allowed in thru the top of the colleseum in limited numbers. The ruins were the result of a series of war.

That night we went to the Pantheon, where the tomb of the first Roman king was put. On the way, we stopped at Piazza Nuovo where one of us was hit by a misfortune. We were bz trying to take photos when we were approached by a rogue selling GLC bands. I warned the girls to be careful cos these ppl are conmen and could get nasty. The next thing we know, he has started wrapping the yarn around Bear's wrist. Burr and I got away and stayed away. A couple more of his clan wanted to try on us but failed to.Little did we realise that at that same moment, Bear was quite frightened and felt betrayed that we left her to deal with it on her own. The thing is, I dint see the guy grabbing Bear's hand..i thot she did it voluntarily..which is a thot a bit silly given the circumstances now that I think about it. Anyway, he wanted to scam 50 or 15 Euro off her, tak sure which he meant for a silly 20 cents band he forced upon the poor girl. Thank God Bear savvy jugak, cakap she was only there 2 take photos and dint bring money with her except for the coins in her pocket.He had the balls to ask for her card..The nerve of that asshole..mana dia nak swipe? bak kata Bear in her blog...up his ass?? Bear, respect aa ..resilient! So she escaped unscathed for 90 cents. Bloody Bastard!!! I felt really guilty though, until today..so Bear if by any chance u r reading this, I'm really sorry for not standing up 4 u nor standing by u ..prolly cos I myself was a bit scared. I was selfish. How could I have walked away just like that? Had i been in her position I'd go ballistic on my frens. Sorry pal.

After Pantheon, we went to Fontana de Trevi...SUPERB! My favourite spot. Gorgeous!! Then went to Piazza Spagna and Piazza Popolo -(malas dah nak cerita so if u wanna know go grab a travel guide and read it urself). Somewhere along the way bought a double dose of gelato despite pledging not to have any more for the next 4 years after the overconsumption in Florence. Call it overpowering temptation.Then off to find Via dei Gullia cos it was deemed the prettiest 16C via (street) in Rome and they wanted to check out Mouth of Truth, which according to the picture that they pointed to in my book, should be nearby. It was such an impossible task, macam main treasure hunt only that at the end when I finally found it (whilst they went looking for a loo for Burr) it wasnt the treasure we were seeking after.Not my fault cos I found what I thot they were looking for but it wasnt the same thing. It was getting late and Burr was getting edgy cos tak jumpa loo. The cafe around the area too expensive...posh area though it dint look it. The pressure was on. For tomorrow Bear and Burr were neck on neck in their effort in search of that one piece of rock (or is it metal?..nvm). Told them not to keep their hopes too high cos dont know if we'll manage. Still a lot to cover in so little time left..Did we succeed though??.. To be continued...

Day 8 -Last day

Another chilly day it was that Wednesday. Last nite Bear proposed that we buy a single ticket each and not validate until we are compelled to. No inspectors encountered so far. Initially she was quite reluctant to propose cos she thot I'm such an angel not willing to partake the scheme. Thats not entirely true, I act on intution. If i have bad vibes or arent confident about doing something not very nice I wouldnt jump on it. The other thing is that i think Italians are not the sort of ppl to mess with.If we get into trouble with the authorities, how do we get out? Dahla nanti communication breakdown lagi susah. Thats y when we were in Venice I insisted that we be honest. But, I was quite confident that nuthing would happen 2 us that last day, ppl r to bz concentrating on Christmas, its Christmas eve. So we got only a ticket each and dint use it once the whole day.

Went to Vatican City. Wrong stop (the Stazionne) but got back in and hopped off near THE Piazza San Pietro. Security check mcm kat airport. Bear toothache, Burr sejok gila so the mood was rather sombre. went inside St Peter's church..wonder around, staring at the elaborated interior..Renaissance sculptures, mosaics, icons and paintings of Virgin Mary, Jesus, St Peters, Angles etc mainly by Michaelangelo, the bisexual pervert. There was this glass casket with a body of a priest inside. The skin was so white and smooth. Dont know whether it was the real thing or some wax. Ada a couple of devout Christians on their knees praying. Curious sgt2 nya Burr & I. So we asked this guy who's from Ecuador, surely he knows kan since he was one of those praying but he spoke too little English to understand us. In the end we dont know cos we felt that its quite a delicate question to be asking and we dont know how to address it without offending anyone. Then a few chapels away was another casket this time the body looked more decayed..macam the Grinch. The whole concept behind displaying dead bodies especially in places of worship is dumbfounding. As much as I'd like to respect other faiths, isnt that exploitation? How could the souls rest in peace? In Islam, procrastinating burial would put the souls in grave agony, torturing the souls. Imagine being put on a show like that when u r dead. How appalling. Vatican City is the smallest sovereign state in the world, with the Swiss Guard as its army and its own postal system. I suppose the head of state is the Pope. The population is about 600 ppl. We didnt go around the back of the church. Apparently there is more to see but I dint see anyone going in, perhaps it was close to public that Christmas eve.

We weren't there long. Went back to Rome to the Pantheon to take photos, then in search of the MOUTH. FOUND it.The myth is that the mouth would close in on liars..chopping off the hand kot..tak tau lah. The actual function if I'm not mistaken was purely decorative. Nearby is the Circus Maximum set against the Palatine in the backdrop. Its like this huge dished field that could seat about 300K ppl i think. We made another trip to the Fora bcos the weather had improved tremendously and we played with our shadows like little kids along the way.

With a bit more time to spare we caught a bus to San Giovanni di Laterano, the 1st Christian church to be built in Rome and its close to the border. Our interest however didnt lie in another church of course. There is a market on the other side of the entrance to the city and its patronised by locals. Whilst not finding a suitable t-shirt to buy, Bear got herself a scarf which she lost hours after purchase at the Ciampano airport just outside Rome. We all lose stuff all the time. I for instance, lost the Guide for Florence. Anticipating heavy penalty if not replacement. Bear got harrased by another wacko (yet again) when Burr & I went to the loo.

We almost didnt make it back to the hotel on time bcos there was hardly any buses. When we finally got to Termini, Burr & I literally sprang on our feet leaving Bear behind cos she was drained of energy..tak makan the whole day cos of her toothache. Retrieved our bags just before 2.30 as promised then went looking for food at the huge Termini. Had problems locating the stand for the shuttle bus to Ciampano. There was no sign outside the Royal Santino Hotel as claimed. Thanks to a British traveller, I found it at the reception IN the hotel itself. Bodo aah..Naseb baik we dint miss the ride kalau tak boleh mati. I guess thats it as far as the trip is concerned. TIRING, EXHAUSTING but EXCELLENT nonetheless...thoroughly enjoyed it. Every journey has its down moments. I'd be lying if I state otherwise. But all in all BEST GILA!!! Venice and Rome being our favourite. P.s- Rome's the best value for money. Benchmark- cheapest coffee and gelati.
Ciao ITALIA!!

posted by ShopTastic @ 6:22 am |