Flat Tired

Yesterday, I had difficulty to do things. I meant to get up and do something. I was flat. I just lie and watched TV and do nothing. I'm not sick. I'm just flat and my body refused to do anything and my mind can't stop thinking. My mind restless and My body flat.

Oh my. My body giving signal. 

Reflect back, I was in Ho Chi Minh City until late Sunday and the next day trying hard to focus on all the heavy discussion as my boss flew in. Then we flew to Penang until Friday. The entire week filled with many many heavy discussions. I reached KLIA2 around 6 pm, Friday and rushing to the laundry as I need to packed for US trip the next day. I went to the office as early as 6.30 am to complete some work and then collect my laundry and packed my bag to KLIA. I was rushing and stress out... until i hopped on to the plane to USA where I left everything behind. No turning back. 

Tired.

As introvert, I need my hamster time, my quiet time to regain my energy. My battery went dead.

USA, Home sweet Home

Pic taken from glass window

5 Feb 2015

The day to say goodbye has arrived. Eva Air back to KUL from LAX took 23 hours. Oh yeah. Transit at the same place - Taipei for 4 hours. 

Safely arrived KLIA at 2.40 pm as scheduled.

23 hours of captive time. I watched 2 movies = 4 hours, 3 times meal = 2 hours, Sleep = 5 hours, 2 episode of Breaking Bad = 2 hours, Blogging = 2 hours, Toilet break = 1 hour, Faking sleep = 2 hour, Reply emails, whatapps = 1 hour, Read books = 1 hour (hah!), window shopping Taiwan Airport = 1hr and do nothing 2 hour.

I think that was it. I survived. Alhamdulillah.

So how?

1. It was a good trip without major issue.

2. Timing was perfect which end Jan when the airfare and hotel rate were low (after holiday season, before CNY). Weather just perfect. A bit of cold a bit of sunshine, 18 Celsius. Rain seems shy away. No need winter jacket or long john. Layers will be good or normal jacket. Las Vegas at night is colder.

3. By 5.20pm already dark. Need to consider this when planning.

4. Free wifi from hotel is enough. No need new sim card.

5. LAX and TPE airport have free wifi.

6. I bought tour, show ticket, airport shuttle, check in flight thru phone. Just screen capture and save the bar code. No need to print.

7. Do not take brochure, CD etc given by people on the street at LV and LA. You don't know what is the catch. But be kind. Just smile and say no.

8. Tips minimum 10%

9. Be punctual. They are always on time if not earlier.

10. Be careful when buying LV shows. Choose Tix4tonight. Its genuine and at discounted price.

11. Grand Canyon Tour - South Rim, buy here 

12. If you a bit fussy about food, bawa Brahim and choose hotel with microwave. It's makes a different. A meal cost around USD10.

13. Google review for Premium Shopping Outlet. Not all are good. Not all have the brand that you want. Look for clearance items first. Its good to have a bit more allocation budget for shopping.
14. Be safe. I screen shot all the maps that i needed in advance. So i don't need to look at physical printed map, where people will know that i'm a tourist. I do not carry any real camera anymore. Phone camera good enough for me.
15. I walk average 11km a day. Thought i'm able to loose one or two kg. Hmmm.. result said no change. With all those walk, still  no change. Aiyah.
16. Nak pergi US lagi? Entah. Ada lebih 9 tahun lagi utk fikir.

Back to reality.

Huh! completed my USA trip post :)

USA, Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth

Disney cartoon is such a BIG thing that i grew up with. Time tu mana ada cartoon yg lain. Lagi la yg local. Tak de upin ipin ya adik adik. Masa tu layan disney cartoon jek and aksi mat yoyo.

I didn't  really excited about Disneyland as i'm not a fan of any sort of theme park. But deep inside i hope it's  gonna be different. My hotel was in Anaheim for the Disneyland trip. Its 20 mins walking distance to the park. Day ticket cost me USD 96 which i purchased online.

After breakfast (hari2 makan waffle and pan cake) jalan kaki penuh semangat ke Disneyland. Weather was good. Cold but not too cold with the sunshine. Sejuk yang tidak sengsara. 

It was Wenesday. Ramai org at the entrance. Dlm hati dah berkata2 mesti panjang queue nanti kat dalam. The kids are dressing up mainly as frozen princess look alike. After the gate, since belum jam 10 pagi.. duduk la kejap layan view dan tgk map.

Tepat jam 10 pagi announcement park dibuka. Berpusu-pusu org masuk dan sekelip mata org yg ramai tadi dah merata2 sekeliling park. Dah lengang sekejap.

There are 7 different theme:
- Adventureland
- New Orleans Square
- Critter Countey (currently  in hibernation - reopening Spring 2015)
- Frontierland
- Mickey's Toontown
- Fantasyland
- Tomorrowland

Funny things happened. I started with the Space Mountain without actually knowing what it is. It's  Disneyland. I don't  think the ride will be challenging. I sat at the first row. Total darkness. Hmm.. i underestimate. 

The ride was super fast, turning left and right and super cold. Haha. It's only my first ride. Dah kecut perut terperanjat. Adrenaline rush. Keluar je terus tergelak2. Coz seriously  i did not expect that. 

Then continue with other attractions. 

Inside innoventions, there were all the Marvel super hero. Few different character on ironman  monument  inside. See how cheeky the Captain America  smile was.

The queue was okay actually. Some attractions are fast and some are slow. I like some of them..  Indiana Jones Adventure, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours and Finding Nemo Submarine.

In the evening there will be a parade for some of the character. Since it's  winter, they showcase it a bit early.

I'm a bit jakun and impressed  with the attraction. The kids eyes were like full of happiness. You can see from their faces, admiring their favourite cartoon on parade. 

Yes, Disneyland  live up to their tagline for the kids. For me, (who thinks to much and complicated) it was a great day. I hope i can bring my nephews and nieces to Disneyland one day :) It is a must visit, once a lifetime.

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USA, Los Angeles: The City of Fallen Angels

2 to 5 Feb 2015

There are many options to reach Los Angeles or Anaheim. I chose to take train as train usually punctual as no traffic jam and no need to be early at the station compared when taking flight. The Amtrak train depart at 12.00 and arrived Anaheim at 2pm. I did not stay at the city of Los Angeles since hotels are more expensive and i a bit worry on safety.

Journey on the train was pleasant. I bought unreserved seat as it's cheaper. There was free wifi too. Picture above was taken from inside the train, the beach is Salona Beach.

I waited at the wrong bus station as i'm a bit confuse with the bus provider. There are plenty options for bus. Lucky the bus driver lady helped me by dropping me off to the nearest station, which was close to the hotel. I just need to walk a bit more. Shukran.

Nothing much on day one. I have bought one day tour to Los Angeles and Beaches on day two. Day tour cost me USD55. Bus picked me up at the front of hotel at 8.30 am. Anaheim to LA took about more than one hour. The guide cum bus driver was really chatty. Showing all the interesting places and the film related to those places. LA really a fliming place.

LA Walk of Fame is one of must visit place. Tapi sekali dah la. Then the famous Hollywood sign. Salvado the driver show us upmarket shopping area where you can only go to the butique by appointment.

Then we stop at the famous Farmers Market for lunch. Lots of option here if you can eat anything. I had fish and chips which is just average.

After luch we headed to Beverly Hills and Santa Monica beach which was famous for its Bay Watch and Beverly 90210 drama series. Nothing much, but lots of tourist bus stop here. I think if you have intent to shop, there  are also shoppi g area, just walking distance.

The tour ended around 7pm. Exciting plan for  Day 3.. to Disneyland. The tagline says its 'The Happiest Place on Earth'. Betulkah?

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USA, San Diego: Lil Quiet Moment

30 Jan to 2 Feb 2015

Leaving flashy Las Vegas to San Diego via Southwest airlines. Boarding a bit different your seat is not assign and first come first serve basis. However you're given number to queue. It took only one hour to San Diego. Check in baggage  for one is free.

Upon arrival i called hotel shuttle for pick up. It took yhem almost one hour due to miscommunication  as they  were changing shift. Upon arrival, i walked towards the Navy Pier. There is this huge American aircraft.

The next morning I took a trolley (which is more like a train) to Las Americas factory outlet. It took almost one hour one way. Its actually at the international border of San Ysidro to Mexico. I was a bit amazed of the transformation from US look alike to Mexico look and feel. I heard everyone speaks Mexican with Mexican look. Its totally different. I'm a bit happy with the factory outlet. Its bigger than LV outlet that i we t earlier so a bit more choices. I don't  buy much... erkk i think. The currency of RM3.8 to USD1 makes me struggle to buy stuff.

At night i walked to Little Italy, where happening restaurant  and bar located. I bought anchovies  pasta which was delicious. Hmmm.. average usd10 for one meal a day. 

Nothing much on third day at San Diego. Usually people come here for its Sea World and Zoo. I had enough while in Gold Coast so i skipped that. That morning, I walked to the Gaslamp Quarter and surprisingly i felt it's overrated, hehe.

Not much in San Diego but it's  okay as i got the chance to adjust with the time zone and actually  have a relaxing trip. Usually my trip will be super pack. I always maximise the time. But this time, i decided to allocate some time to relax and reflect. Perhaps, my travel style has changed... similar to how old people travel :D

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USA, Grand Canyon: Trail of Time

28 Jan 2015 It was early in the morning, the bus picked me up, exactly as schedule 6.10 am. I was a bit worried, the day before i woke up at 11am. Haha. The day tour cost me USD 90. Lucky the pick up point was just in front of the hotel.

The bus took us to their depot. Then i registered myself and was assigned to bus no 4. I grab some danish and coffee and queue. I sat close to driver as i wanted to seat infront. The driver bawa anjing pulak.. hiah. But then since dlm cage, buat tak tahu dah la.

This tour ended 10pm. It has been a looooong day but worth it. The best part was the bus has free wifi. Awesome kan. Tak la boring sgt sorang2.

The bus make few stop before reached Grand Canyon. First stop was the Hoover Dam. It was huge. Tapi kan.. tak sibuk pulak nak tgk dam kat Malaysia.

Next stop, the old railway  station where we had our lunch buffet. They said buffet lunch was good. Lucky there was wild mushroom rice and veggie. Itulah my lunch.

We arrived Grand Canyon almost 3pm. We have  two options. Walk or take the bus. I wanted to walk the trail but i'm worried to walk alone. Kot la sesat. Its almost 4km and by 5 pm already dark.

As i wondered  alone from Mather Point, i accidently bump into Canadian family that have the same tag of bus number 4. I asked them if they will be walking to Bright Angel Point. They said Yes and I asked if i can follow them. Yeay! 

So this is the glimpse of how the trail of time looks like. Covering 2 billion years of Grand Canyon.

The Canadian  family of 4 had been great company. We chit chat a bit before i said thank you and departed. I felt grateful or else rugi tak walk along the trail.

I slept on the way back to Las Vegas. The bus stop me infront of the hotel. It has been a great solo day trip.

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