From the Czech Republic

Ahoy! Dobry Den! Dobry Vecer!
This is my first blog from the Czech Republic. And it will be full of photos , photos and more photos. And a chronicle of my journey from Malaysia to the Czech Republic.

10 September 2006
The day I was leaving for the Czech Republic. After months of preparation and anticipation , we were finally going to fly. Yahoo! Well , it's a mixed feeling:the excitement and joy to see a whole new side of the world , at the same time the sadness and sorrow for leaving behind my beloved family , closed friends and relatives.

But i guess my stay in INTEC had taught me to be more independent and self-reliant. I am no longer the mummy's boy who felt home sick all the while when i first came to INTEC. Significantly , less tears were shed at the airport although admittedly , i could not control my dam of tears when i finally bid farewell. Nevertheless , it was just small leakage and not the big burst Kuching Airport encountered two years ago.

But it was not a smooth journey all the way. Firstly my luggage was spoilt when i reached KLIA. The wheel was broken as well as the handle. And the straps buckle was off too. Then came my birth cert problem. We were about to check in but my birth cert was no where in sight as the agent was keeping hold of it.I was the only one without the birth cert. I started feeling butterfly in my stomach. But thankfully my fears were alleviated by their timely arrival. Phew!

So without further catastrophy , we departed from KLIA at 1155pm using Malaysia Airlines. And guess how much the price is? RM10330!!! Imagine that. That was the price per person per trip. And with a group of 18 students....

Anyway the 12 hours journey in the plane was truly pleasant. Of course , we were accorded VIP treatment after paying such an exorbitant fees. Hot towels , continuous supply of food- snacks , juice , supper , breakfast , ice cream and dozens of movies and programs to choose from. How i wish the journey could last longer. I watched only "Over the Hedge" and "Peach Protein" while the rest of the time was practically spent on eating and snooring off.

11 September 2006

We landed safely at the Amsterdam Schipol Airport at 6.45 am local time. It was a three hours transit. Nothing much to do here. But it's a very huge airport. So most of the time were spent on checking in and finding our departure gate.

Amsterdam airport has very stringent and thorough checking. We had to remove everything , including laptop for scanning. And another drama occured. Guess how careless i was.I was carrying a laptop bag and a hand-carry luggage.After the checking , i hastily boarded the plane with my laptop bag , leaving behind the other bag.Until i saw the compartment on the plane when i realised my luggage. Another adrenaline shot surging through me. This time round ,i felt the "ants" all over me.Oh God , thankfully people were honest enough not to touch it before i got it back.

11oo am local time , we reached Prague Ruzyne airport. Finally , we have safely reached our destination. A deep breath-in to inhale the air of the Czech Republic.Cool crispy air. Bright sun. Blue sky. Ahoy! Prague.

Officers from the Malaysian Embassy were there waiting for our arrival. We stayed a night at Hotel Maria in Prague before going to Olomouc.

There we were cordially invited to have lunch with his Excellency Datuk Salman , the ambassador of Malaysia to the Czech Republic and were brought on a small tour around Prague. More photos to come....