.:a sUdDeN sLiP:.

Day 3-DISNEYLAND

"Dude!!! It’s 7:30.."
Well, our last night walk had taken it’s toll. I forgot to lock my alarm before bumping onto the bed, and our one and only hope - Izwah - also overslept. So, we rushed for a quick bath (which end dup really quick) and grab a quick breakfast at the next door restaurant. To arrive late in Disneyland was the last thing on our mind!!!

After breakfast, we rushed to the metro station and took up the 2nd (blue) line to Nation Station ,where we will change our line to reach Disneyland. Just after we bought our extension ticket and leaving the station, did Atak realize,…my/his/Blue’s camera wasnt by his side.

Panicked, we decide to get off the train at the next station and return back to Nation, in hope to find the camera. Well, apart of the nice company that the French had offered us so far, I guess they still can’t resist the temptation to take a free camera left in the ticket counter I mean.,.who wont??? (I wont)

Atak was disappointed because he lost so many pictures….I was worried because it was me who borrowed the camera..and Izwah was annoyed because we’re already late..

I guess we just need to get over it. So, we continue our journey to Disneyland with mixed feelings. Undeniably,there’s less excitement than 1 hour before but it didn’t took that long for us to recover..

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After a 40 mintutes journey, we arrived at the main gate of Disneyland…What a dream!!!! For me…I never thought that I’d be the first one from my family to reach Disneyland..(plus the fact that I didnt know there’s Disneyland in Paris)..and if it wasnt because of Atak, I’m sure I’m gonna miss this place. I thought Paris is the city full of fashion and romance, but it looks like that she did offer something to the kids.

OK..so first we head to the Disney Studio..yup!! It’s the heaven for those who curious to know about "behind the scenes" of all great film like Armageddon that use Disney Studio special effects..and voila!!!beside the amazing special effect experience, we also had the chance to see the live show of "Motors Action"…it shows how some amazing effect are produced in those typical hollywood-street-chase movies..over all..it’s superb!!!

well, so suddenly it’s raining all over…and whilst it doesn;t matter much to me, Atak sure felt like hell cause he went there just wearing a t-shirt and short…ha..deserve u right

Soon after, we head for the Disney Theme Park (we’re lucky enough cause we bought the ticket with special offer, which enabled us to to both park, instead of having to choose only one of ‘em)…well, not many thing able to amaze me here..I suppose if I had come here 10 years ago, perhaps I’d be amazed by what I saw…I mean..uh..how could I be thrilled to see a Mary Poppin’s merry-go-round???Anyway, I took my chance of riding all the roller-coaster here..and overall, I managed to ride 3 of them..that still leaving me behind Atak and Izwah whom managed to finish all 4 rollercoasters available in the Theme Park…After the last ride. I had accidentally bend my neck too far forward, and I suffered from some minor neck "discomfort"..better not risk for the 4th ride then…

It’s amazing how fast time passed by when u are enjoying yourselves. Without even realizing it, the sun already setting in the west, and it’s time for us to head home. We plan to dine outside..and no more the next-door restaurant..so we better head back to our hostel early before all the shops closed down…

When I stepped out from Disneyland, ahead of me a father was carrying his tired son on his shoulder..and the ambient colour of the sunset could not make the picture any more better………

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Atak remembered that somewhere near the "moulin rogue", he saw a halal-restaurant. Not want to risk losing another fine dinner time, we simply agreed to the suggestion and head to Moulin Rogue…by the way, this is our chance to see the "Red Windmill" during it’s operation hour!!!

With all the gleaming red neon light that decorating the whole building, Moulin Rogue couldnt be any more "redder" than that
and really, the area look more alive than during daytime..A lot of people lining up towards the Moulin Rogue entrance..I suppose we just wouldnt be lucky enough to get a ticket for a one-night show, and even if we were, I dont think I could afford it…

In front of the Metro entrance, there’s a hawker selling fried almond and nuts.I bought two packets of ‘em, and it’s really taste nice. I think I can get some of ‘em to bring home..I know how my mom love this kinda stuff

7 minutes walking along the avenue in front of Moulin Rogue, we arrived at the mentioned restaurant. Well, it looks like much nicer and for sure, its a better bet comparing to the restaurant next to our hostel. The food is good, and I think the price is still in the reasonable range (for the parisian!!)…and they have good wine too as by what I heard (actually, read from the menu), but we really can’t verify this one…

We spend some hour after dinner walking along the red-district. Like usual, almost every "manager" tried to persuade us to watch their show. By this time, I already numbed by all the offer, and weren’t as excited as before. A walk in a misty rain sure can be tiring, and when the clock strike 12 am, we descended the stairs to the subway leading to our hostel……

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another fine night in Paris and again, I pulled my blanket over me with the feeling of satisfaction.The whole night, I keep wondering, what surprise Paris would hold for me tomorrow……..

"The hunt for the Arch de Triumph & Palais de Gaulle"

The subway is good, but we knew we missed a lot of Paris sceneries when we travelled by RER compared to the bus system, and to be frank, I like the open-air better.So, it’s the first time we’re going to travel by bus, so we studied the bus system. Around mid-day, we decided it’s the best time to visit the world-famous "Arch-de-Triumph".And while Atak and Izwah were studying the bus schedule and route,I was studying the "bus system passenger’s code of ethics" –> direct translation from French…and here I would be very happy to list some of them:-

1.Do line up at the bus stop, and give priority to the elderly and children
2.Wave / give sign to the bus driver that u wish to board on the bus, or else, it wont stop
3.Enter and exit using the appointed entrance
4.When u on board, remember to punch u’r transportation pass
5.Priority seating to elders and children (and women)–> why guys should always be the last?
6.Keep your voice down, not all people like noise –> oooppss…I cant help it..

We stopped at around 300 m from the Arch de Triumph, so we had to walk there. When we arrived, its around 4.30 pm, and the view of Arch de Triumph, with the sun setting to the west as it background was simply breathtaking. I wish I could go right under the Arch and touch its grand pillars, but it is located at the center of the busiest Paris roundabout…after calculating my survival chance (which is less than 5%) in case I would be hit by the buses, I decide to drop it off….no regret, I got a 16x optical zoom equipped video cam..this is when technology really help people

And, starting from the Arch de Triumph, the Paris main road lain down in front of us, dragging to no less than few kilometres long, embraced by hundreds of shopping lots along it. Well, its the "shoppingthon-shopping+marathon" for us (Atak especially). Hundreds of boutiques (Gucci, Zara, UCB, and what not..) with each of them offering discount (fr. Soldes) up to 70%!!! It was so intimating!!! Well, I guess it’s too intimating when Atak end up in a Mercedes-Benz show room…ok, there’s discounts available, but we are way too far from even renting a car, left alone buying one. And while Atak with his travel gear entered into the showroom, we couldnt help it anymore, and burst into big laughter imagining how the people in there gonna react with Atak presence…and just like we guess…yes, no reaction.. no one would believe someone wearing shorts and sandals could walk in into a showroom, point to the latest model car and voila!! cash on the desk!!! …….ok., thats the joke of the day

I guess I knew why most "mak datin" gain up some weight. I got up with a new fact..SHOPPING IS TIRING..and several hours later, all three of us ended up in the sidewalk Le McD …not much to talk about this place, except we had a chance to see a couple in the opposite table do the popular french-kiss..(and they’re helpful enough to help us taking some pictures), and the incident when Izwah almost knock off a flower vase while trying to take a picture of me and Atak. oh..and another thing..we cleaned up the mess we did by ourselves.That’s the "Ethiques au Le McD"

We walk and walk and walk…until we can walk no more..we thought we could finish the main road, but we finish only half of it..our last stop is the Obelisque. It is a big beautiful square with and Obelisque, and 4 statues of women sitting on a chair (which representing the European unity..dont know why 4). Its already sunset, and we decided to head back to our hostel. And while we searching for the nearest metro station in our guide book, ..voila!!!..

Honk! Honk ! a guy in a stylish looking car signaled us to come to him
"Hi !! are u from Malaysia?" he asked with his not-very-crisp English
"Yes we are"
"Oh..I love Malaysia!! Kuala Lumpur!! I’ve been there.." and the blah-blah-blah continues
The guy presented himself as a Fashion designer for the Ferrary F1 Team, and by the way, he was actually heading home to Italy, unfortunately, his credit card got some problem, and he had no cash to fill up his tank. So, he offered us two prototype leather jackets, convincing us that it is not in the market, as it is a prototype for the next season F1 ferrary models or somethin’ like that…he offered us both 2 jackets at a price of 100 Euro…

ok, what do u think??? was it a made-up story ? or it’s real?
I almost believe him, and already reaching up to my wallet (perhaps I was too stunned by the facts that all Frenchmen are nice)..but to my luck, Atak and Izwah talk us out of it…they didnt believe one single shit out of him..

soon, we left the square ,..behind us, the Eiffel and Obelisque stood in the middle of quiet Parisian dusk.While we lead ourselves downstairs to the subway, I couldnt help but thinking again and again bout the guy…what if it is REAL?…….well,who knows?? I smiled to myself

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we arrived quite late at night, most of the shop around our hostel had already closed, so we decided to have our dinner in the next-door restaurant. I bought a nice baugette sandwich, and Izwah end up ordering rice and chicke..all and all..its not bad.

we decided to head to bed quite early that night, cause tomorrow we need to wake up early….yes!!! it’s gonna be Disneyland tomorrow!!! I must’ve been very tired, cause that night, I drifted to sleep without setting my alarm-clock first…..

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p/s: during our walk in "Day 2-Part 1" before reaching the Le Bon Marche, we did went to "Hard Rock Cafe:Paris" , a "Disney shop" where we purchased our ticket for Disneyland, and "National Music Academy"..but there’s no interesting story to write about it, so I must have been accidentally left out the details, sorry

(Dear friends, because of some problem with uploading pictures in friendster blog,I decided to link the pictures instead.If u wanna see the picture, just click at the links I provided, or instead log on to http://photos.yahoo.com/angel_us_85 and click "Le Tour de France" for my full travel album there)

6th July- Wednesday (day 2 in Paris)

I woke up the next day feeling refreshed and excited.So ok, of course I should feel tired with all the journey and walk from the previous day..but hey!!! we’re in Paris..there’s no way I gonna bug all alone in this room just because I’m feelin’ a little tired (I got that a lot..people usually think twice before they went anywhere with me cause they knew I’m a lil’ freak who won’t be tired after hours of travel)

I got washed up, and then we had our breakfast in the next-door muslim restaurant..ok, lets see..what’s the menu for today? hmm…Oh my GOd!! I couldnt believe it..they sell "perut" here..really,it’s not a lie..it’s kinda "kari perut" or somethin’ like that…"mana diorang dpt perut lembu ni???"I wondered..so, I picked up the lovely kari perut with some doughnut (French doughnut isn’t like ours..it’s made of deep-fried dough)..so its kinda oily, and for the typical-girl Izwah, she rather didn’t try it.And for drinks, we had two choices of either "The" (Tea) or Cafe (Coffee)…or Cafe-et-Latte (guess…yeah..Coffee with milk!!)

Just after we had our breakfast, Atak had to answer the "nature’s call".So, while he suited himself up (back at the hostel) I and Izwah’s decided to walk around. It’s Wednesday morning, and under the Metro station in front of our hostel (Gare Borbes-Rochechouart) there’s kinda morning market, more like our "Pasar Tani" concept…I guess some Frenchmen visited Malaysia early centuries ago, and found "Pekan Rabu" there, so he brought out the concept to be employed here ..Izwah got herself a pair of slippers (a nice slippers though) at the price of 1 Euro (is it cheap?) and I got myself a handful of video clips.I did wanna try some of the Peaches and Guavas, but I’m afraid of what happened to Atak earlier I dont want to delay our journey much longer..

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20 minutes later, we found ourselves on the RER (kinda monorail) departing to Moulin Rouge!!! Ok, usually people go there during night, but we went there during daytime cause according to Izwa, there’s suppose to be a big shopping mall there where we could buy some souvenirs, but it turned out to be a totally unexpectable kind of shopping mall, tell u more later….

when we arrived in Moulin Rogue, I was so excited. Eventhough we dont have the usual red-light gleaming all other the roof tops, yet the scene was already breathtaking for me."Moulin-Rogue" is French for "Red-Windmill",..I suppose that’s explain the big-red windmill located at the top of the building. It’s actually kinda a show places, where almost every night,there’s a dance show.I managed to read the list of some performance made there, and undeniably,this world-famous showplaces had managed to attract performers and viewers from all over the world. We made quite a number of pictures there before decided to walk upstream to the north. Along the sidewalk, we found several small souvenirs shops,but not the expected big shopping mall. Guessing that perhaps we walked onto the wrong direction, we decided to turn around and walked downstream.

Minutes later, my cam lenses caught something "weird"..yes..the s** word..It happened that we had walked ourselves to Paris famous Red-Light district, and yes, there’s a big shopping mall, and indeed it sell "souvenirs", but it happened not the kind of souvenirs we wished to look for. But then again, we didnt miss the chance to make several pictures here. Along the aisle, there’s several club offering peep shows,strip shows, whatever shows u can imagine..at an undeniably reasonable price (5 euro, anyone?),and while we walked in front of these clubs, there’s always some promo-men (and even women) who will try to persuade us to see their show. I like several phrases they use to persuade us, here I listed some:

"Come, my brother, it’s not dirty..it’s only men CURIOSITY"
"5 euros for both of u (pointing to me and Atak) and free for the women (pointing to Izwah)"
"u dont’ want? why? are u muslim? where are u from? Kuala Lumpur? ASSALAMUALAIKUM!!! c’mon, I believe in KL u dont have such opportunities, now u’re in Paris, why not take the chance??"

we just giggled all around…I dont know if any of us really have the urge to go inside there, and perhaps simply because we’re ashame to each other, we declined the offer…I just keep wondering, what my answer would be if suppose I was alone at that time ??????????by the way, it’s CURIOSITY..hehehehe

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ok,so we ended up in the wrong place, it’s already 12pm,so we better get ouselves some other destinations.Izwah pointed out some places where we can shopping, and minutes later, all three of us had some shopping bags in our hand. While I had a few, Atak got himself a handful of it…"maklumla, duit JPA baru masuk" hehhehe….

Our next destination is the "Le Bon Marche"…it’s an exclusive shopping mall, (kinda KLCC in KL), but with its own unique history. Not only it is the first shopping mall built in Paris, it was also designed by the same architect who designed Eiffel Tower. That adds up to my excitement to see it, but not before we lost several times finding our way to get there. Well, this is when the nice,civilised people of French is needed the most. We stop almost everyone to find our way there, and while some of them speak English not that well, all of them are eager to help..so contrary to the Russians I used to live with. At that time, I couldnt help but wish if only God could do something, if He could somehow shifted me to study here instead there….

At last, standing proud in front of us, Le Bon Marche…intrigued by the exciting scenery, I crossed the road without even looking around,..and thanks to God and the kind-hearted Frenchmen, they saved my life when they stopped to give way for me, eventhough it was a red light for pedestrian at that time. I soon discovered that most French drivers, while they’re not that kind to each others, but all of them shows an enormous respect to pedestrians.

But what await us was disappointment. Perhaps because of its "exclusiveness", the prices are rocketing up to the sky, and what more, apart from high-class jewelleries and boutique, we can hardly see any teenager’s shops lot..I guess its a place for "mak datin"..not people like us..in the end, I believe we spend less than 30 minutes in the much awaited-"Le Bon Marche"
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I guess we can’t just forget about the nice warm welcome the EIffel Tower had provided us last night, cause out of our plan, we decided to went back there, and catch the glorius Eiffel’s peak under the daylight.Without thinking much longer, we had all taken our seat in the train to the Landmark of Paris.

If is it not as good as then, it could only be better..Under the sunlight, Eiffel is much more mightier look than it’s soft and romantic view last night. Each of the metal bar supporting each other is designed in such a way that it give a tickle on your spine. The wind blew so heavily during that time, and when it passed thru the hole in between the bar arrangement, it whispered out a nice-soft-enchanting sound.I suppose its singing the song Colours of the Wind…

After we had spent our time eating ice-cream,T-shirts shopping,(Atak even managed to pose with 2 SFR babes!!) we walk along the aisle to the Grand Palace, located directly opposite of Eiffel, connected by a bridge which went across a river. Told u, its a magnificent view up here..We spent around an hour there, buying some souvenirs, n watch some French teenagers doing break dance..oh and I think it worth noting here, that French rap song ain’t really a music to the ear
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to be continued….