Summer Trip Travelog: Tour Package

The most crucial part of traveling is the planning.

There are so many things to take into account: accommodation, transportation, attractions to visit, food, peoples’ preferences and budget. The amount of time you have to invest for research alone is endless when you have no clue where to start.

I was busy with school when the idea came up and therefore, I did not have much time to spend on searching for the best deals available on the net. Because my roommate was very excited about it, she did most of the hard work. She ended up choosing a tour package with Kelana Convoy that covered a lot of places in such a short amount of time AND most importantly, within our budget.

The best thing? We did not have to worry about finding our own accommodation, transportation and meals. All the bare minimum of those were included in the package. I mentioned bare minimum because the basics were: tent accommodations, transportation from each country to another (which was the tour bus) and most breakfast and dinners.

Extra money would be needed to cover cabin accommodations, sleeping bags, attractions’ entrance fees, local public transportation, meals that weren’t provided (lunch mostly), hot shower (yes, you have to pay for hot water at some places), flight arrangements and also pocket money. Other than those, you’re paying £485 which was around RM 2637 ONLY per person to cover 5 European countries within 9 days. Pretty much a steal, eh?

The next few summer trip posts will cover most of the places I visited with Kelana Convoy and also, my overall experiences. Check ‘em out if you’re interested in budget traveling (but I am not going to be reviewing the tour package per se because that’s not my focus).

Photo credit: Sylwia

Summer Trip Travelog: Thoughts on Northern Ireland

Our main goal in Northern Ireland was to visit as many attractions as possible, hence the tour and the limited time available for exploring Belfast city itself.

Based on our bus rides (and adventures while getting lost) around the city, I found the city to be really beautiful and unique: there are mixtures of modern and old building here and there. (I am very tempted to add some comments about the architectural values of them but I am not going to humiliate myself because, I know none.)

It was such a waste that we did not allocate more time to wander around. We could’ve gone to visit the place where Titanic was built‼ I did not even know that such thing existed there. I only found out about it when we were buying fridge magnet as souvenirs...I really lack general knowledge, don’t I?

Anyways, in that short amount of time (before and after the Giant Causeway tour), we did manage to experience a bit of the ‘local culture’. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that the locals were really nice to tourists like us. Every single time we seemed to be a bit lost, someone would always offer to show us the way to get to our destination without even having to ask for help!

Once, we were somewhere in the city, trying to find our way back to the bus stop. One lady saw us holding maps upside down and all and genuinely asked if she could help, which we gladly accepted. People like them really made the process of getting around so much easier, and less scary!

I would definitely recommend to visit Northern Ireland for those who get excited seeing grasses, trees and rocks. The landscape views were breath-taking and I would say they’re one of my favourites that I’ve seen so far. If not, just come and visit it to say hi to the extremely nice locals! :D

Last day of school

Today is officially the last day of school for Winter Term 2015.

My last day was yesterday. It still feels surreal. I do not want this to end just yet…

My final year was more than great, it was awesome. I got along really well with my course mates. I actually had real conversations with them and not just the mere ‘hello, how are you doing?’ stuff. I talked, I made jokes, made people laugh, annoyed people, learnt from people, taught people… you know, the things normal people do.

I never thought that I would feel so attached and boy, was I wrong. When I thought of doing grad school, I thought I would be glad to do it somewhere else, not Carleton. But now, it just feels so hard to do, to leave.

I guess it’s because I spent so much time in school in my final year compared to the last three years of schooling. Usually, me going to school only meant going to class. For the past two semesters, I went to school even on weekends, stayed beyond schooling hours.

Overall, I would say that I had a great ending to my school year, alhamdulillah. The passion took forever to kick in but I never felt any more productive than I have ever been this semester. Next, the finals, I hope I would end it with a bang on my transcript too. Pray for me, inshaAllah!

PS: Bear with me as I have withdrawal symptoms for the next few days, weeks, months, years even!

2.75-Year Goals

I am that person who keeps random list of things. I keep them in my phone, in my book, on post its, everywhere! List of things include books to read, things to buy, movies to watch and so many more.

Recently, I found a blog that has a post titled ‘101 in 1001 days’ and of course, I fell in love with the idea. It is essentially a challenge for myself kind of thing and since I am soon to be a graduate slash jobless person, why not do something productive or meaningful to kill some time? #wishfulthinking

I came up with a list of things that I think is achievable in a period of 2.75 years and it should appear here. I might not follow-through with all of them because my source of motivation is inconsistent and some things are just hard (not impossible) to achieve. BUT I will try my best to cross off every single one!

All I need is that push and strong will to keep going so that I have something to look back and be proud of. :P

Now, bring it on!

What I've Been Reading 005

I have got to keep this list up-to-date before I forgot about everything...

1. The Distance Between Us, Kasie West

But knowing about someone doesn't equate to knowing them.

You have as many options as you give yourself.

I enjoy this book mostly because of Caymen. She was portrayed as a girl with dry humor but I really thought she was funny. Maybe I was just in the #mudahterhibur team... The story was pretty cliché but cute nonetheless.

2. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han

Moments, when lost, can't be found again. They're just gone.

For me there was -- is -- nothing better than walking on the beach late at night. It feels like you could walk forever, like the whole night is yours and so is the ocean. When you walk on the beach at night, you can say things you can't say in real life. In the dark you can feel really close to a person. You can say whatever you want.

I felt it a week before we left, every time. And then of course, when the time came, I was never ready to leave. I wanted to stay forever.

I read this book because I really liked To All the Boys I've Loved Before and I have seen this book in Chapters for so long. I was a tad disappointed that it wasn't exactly up to par...Belly was just annoying to me. However, I liked the last quote very much because it hit very close to home.

3. Pivot Point, Kasie West

"Wait, are you saying a love interest has to annoy you?"

And that reaction - my inability to react - scared me more than anything.

I expected this book to be as funny as The Distance between Us but of course it was not. The book was about a girl who can see situation in the parallel world if there was two different choices available to her. It was interesting but a bit confusing.

4. It's Not Summer Without You, Jenny Han

It wasn't the thought that counted. It was the actual execution that mattered, the showing up for somebody. The intent behind it wasn't enough.

Well, because I've read the first book, I should read the second one, right? Conrad was confusing as ever and Belly was still annoying...heh. The quote was an argument against the phrase 'it's the thought that counts'. The phrase couldn't quite be applied to all kind of situations, could it? Sometimes, actions speak louder than words (or thoughts).

5. We'll Always Have Summer, Jenny Han

A fight is like a fire. You think you have it under control, you think you can stop it whenever you want, but before you know it, it's living, breathing thing and there's no controlling it and you were a fool to think you could.

Girls with boyfriends, she'd said, limit themselves to a certain kind of college experience.

Belly was in college and she was still immature. The decisions she made were almost always impulsive and senseless and I have no other words to describe how childish she was. I liked the last quote because it rings true at some point. :P