It was a last minute idea to go to Portobello Market yesterday. We were probably woken up by the noise of drilling from the neighbour. Strong rays of sunshine shone through the blinds sent us a hint that the weather was extremely good and sunny.
 

I glide opened the window that leads to the balcony…. brrr…. ‘It’s cold’, I told myself. But, a day out to the ever popular Antique Market in London, why not? It’s a not to be missed market if you visit London. Apparently, it’s the world largest Antique Market. Portobello Market is located at Portobello Road is a road in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. (Adapted from Wikipedia)

On Saturday particularly, the street market is probably the spotlight of the week. Products sold by the street vendors ranged from food, fashion, arts to second hand antique items. Apart from the stalls, there are shops that sell items from A-Z.

 

I was fascinated by all the fresh fruits and vegetables. Not to mention the food stalls. The smells of Paella, German sausages sandwiches, Kontomire Stew.. etc convinced us that we needed food after 2 hours of non-stop walking and shopping.

 

We tried the German sausage sandwiches for £2.50 each. Absolutely delicious. It came in a small portion though for that price. It didn’t quite fill us up. We then walked pass the Paella stall and we were tempted to try the Seafood Paella. So, we bought one to share for £6.00. It was so darn good. I love Paella, especially Seafood Paella. As I was too busy eating, I hadn’t had a chance to take shots of the food!

 

It seemed to be a never ending market as there are so many things to see that we spent almost 5 hours there! As the darkness drew nearer, we thought it was time to leave as our feet were numb and frozen as it was too cold to spend another 30 minutes outdoor!

 

We got in our car and immediately switched the heating on to warm ourselves and we couldn’t wait to head back asap with all the good stuff that we bought.

 

If you plan to visit London one day, or you are already in London, do drop by Portobello Road in Notting Hill. It will be one of the most wonderful experiences.

 

Website: http://www.portobelloroad.co.uk

Opening Hours: Market open every Saturday from 5:30am

Some shops open Monday to Saturday

How to get there:

Bus Services : To Ladbroke Grove via the number 52, 7, 70, 23 or 295 buses

Underground : The nearest tube station is Ladbroke Grove on the Hammersmith & City Line, but you can also walk from Notting Hill Gate on the Central line

Address:

Portobello Road, London W10 & W11

 

(Breeze & Soul was playing in the background)

The music gradually got louder and woke me up from my deep sleep. My vision was still blurry, trying to focus at the nearest object as hard as I could. Impulses from my senses were interpreted by my cerebrum that the alarm I set on my mobile went off and I was waking up in another city, la belle ville de Nice!

 

We left the hotel and made our way to la Promenade des Anglais. The rays of sunshine slowly broke the dawn as we strolled towards the direction of la Gare Routiere. I couldn’t stop but my eyes were glued to the Art Deco buildings as we walked pass them. They are mostly painted in bright colours. I reckon that they look even nicer during the summer!

 

There’s something special about Nice. In a way it shares the same postal code as my hometown. I was surprised when I first knew this. I thought this couldn’t be possible! Why in the world Nice and my hometown! And there I stood and thought, this city, amongst so many is just special to me.

 

Santa Azur bus was already waiting at the platform when we reached. The clock was almost ticking neuf heure moins le quart 09:45. We were on time, what a relief as this bus shouldn’t be missed! As there is no other option as cheap as €1 each way!

 

I had a little kip. Within seconds I opened my eyes, I was pleasantly surprised by a total different view of pine trees; steep, narrow and hilly road; cloudless sky; and snowy peaks. My heart skipped for a second. Such a spectacular view, I found it incredibly unbelievable!

 

We finally made it to Isola 2000. Not wasting any time, we checked-in to our studio flat and got our ski passes and ski equipments sorted. Since it was my premiere fois to ski, I decided to take an hour lesson to learn the basic. I did quite well actually being a real beginner and had to wear the ski boots which made me walk in a funny way, probably like the green giant!

 

I have to admit that it was really an intense sport. Well, in the sense that it involves all parts of the body muscles, especially, hips, legs, and knees.

 

After a few hours spent at the beginner’s slopes, it was already 5pm. Everything shut at this time except the shops and restaurants. By then, we were dead tired.

 

There wasn’t much to do at night except having dinner, reading some magazines then hit the sack to let the body to recuperate and prepare for the next 2.5 days of ski.

 

It was a real luxury to wake up with a spectacular view through the window. Another day blessed with good sunny weather. We hit the slopes again after having our continental breakfasts. The sky was clear and blue and the sun was shining like a fireball warming up the earth.

 

We were starving after spending much time on the slopes. We comfortably sat down at one of the restaurants, checked the menu and ordered our yummy lunch. The lunch came in really big portion. Salade Campagnarde and Spaghetti alla Carbonara were our selections. They were absolutely delicious. I love the salad! I am drolling now thinking of it.

 

The best place for lunch is Le Schuss, a restaurant d’altitude. They serve simple yet delicious food. Price wise, it is probably slightly more expensive than other restaurants due to its location, high up on the mountain (roughly 2400 metres) with priceless scenery!

 

Good time is always too short. The thought of packing and going back to the routine made my turned heart sour. This time to Sud de la France, then traveled 2000 metres above Mediterranean Sea was one of the most amazing experiences that will glue to my memory for a life time! I picked up a new sports that has truly motivated me to perform better next time on the slopes! When would be the next time to be on the slopes again, next winter I hope.

More photos here ….

“Où es tu?”
“Still in the office.”
“Are you ready to go?” his voice was full of excitement and enthusiasm.
“Yes. Give me a few more minutes. I have to finish off some work, then I am good to go.”
“Okay. Shall we meet at the usual meeting point?”
“Yup. In about 15 minutes, ok?”
“À tout à l’heure.

We walked pass all the familiar skyscrapers, crossed Tower Bridge, then continued our short and quick steps along the Thames River, heading home.

Surprisingly, the day was sunny and mild. However, that didn’t bother us much as our minds had started to flow freely. Our imaginations had gone as far as seeing the majestic and picturesque snowy mountains; the clear blue sky that was lit up by the scorching sun; the hint of fresh Oxygen that seemed to have lifted and rejuvenated our entire bodies and souls. Picture perfect! So near yet so far, no longer would be.

Our steps grew shorter and quicker as we were approaching home. Without wasting much time, we had our lunch and made sure everything needed was packed. As we were traveling with EasyJet, we chose to fly from London Gatwick Airport. We were lucky enough to get a true bargain for the tickets to Nice. It was almost half the price of what we saw 12 hours before the day we booked our tickets.

It always doesn’t make sense to me to pay £18 or more (single trip) to get the express train to the airport. Instead of paying double the price for Gatwick Express, that departs every 15 minutes with traveling duration of 30 minutes, we opted to take the normal train that takes roughly the same duration by just paying half the price! The only thing is that the train makes 2 or 3 stops before the Airport to let passengers get off and on the train. I don’t see why that would be a problem. The public transport in London is quite a ripped-off anyway, so better watch our own pockets than feeding the train companies with more money for poor services!

“Ping.” The seat belt sign was switched on. A few minutes after the air hostess went through the safety procedure, the plane finally took off. As we got higher up in the sky, I gazed through the tiny window and I saw millions of golden and silver stars shining from the ground. It was an overwhelming view that made me think how tiny we are and how big the universe is!

It took about 1 hour and 35 minutes to get to Nice, Côte D’Azur. Just 15 minutes before landing, there was an amazing view through my little window again! The moon was full, bright, and round, reflecting its shadow on the water of Mediterranean Sea. It was so magnificent! I missed this shot! What a perfect shot not to be missed! I regret, still do.

The Airbus finally touched the ground of l’ Aéroport de Nice Côte d’Azur. We were officially in the sud de la France! An extraordinary region where you could find 3 S’s: Sea, Sun, Snow. Well, you will get the snow at this time of the year in Isola 2000 - our destination, which is the closest ski resort of la Côte D’Azur.

It was already 10-ish. After we had checked-in to the hotel for the night in Nice, it was then time to hunt for food! We were very near to la Promenade des Anglais and not far from le Negresco, the most well-known hotel in Nice. It looks very grand!

The stroll along la Promenade des Anglais was breathtaking; the palm trees, typical Art Deco buildings, the clear sky that was full of stars, sea breeze that blew flying kisses upon my face made me feel like I was in another world!

We walked pass Place Massena, then another few minutes to Cours Saleya in the old town where restaurants are lined up on both sides of the street. More often than not, wide selections of restaurants tend to slow down our decision making process. We finally chose a restaurant which the menu sounds nice and Mediterranean. We both had Pavet de Thon aux Petits Légumes à la Provençale (Tuna served with Provençale-style Vegetables). Simplement délicieux!

Our eyelids grew heavier and droppier. The restaurant looked emptier than before.

“Tout va bien?”
“C’est parfait.”
“L’addition s’il vous plaît.”
“Voilà!”
“Merci”
“Bonne soirée.”

The time for relaxation has arrived. We are going to Nice this evening and after that take a bus to Isola 2000. It’s gonna be the first time for me to ski! I am very excited and worried at the same time that I am gonna fall! But, I’m sure it’s gonna be a good experience! Catch up soon my friends and readers of mycookinghut. I will let you guys know how I did at the slopes!

 

Bonjour! Le temps de la relaxation est arrive. Nous partons pour Nice ce soir puis nous allons prendre un bus pour Isola 2000. C’est la premiere fois que je vais au ski, je suis tres excitee et anxieuse a la fois, peut etre la peur de tomber!! Mais je suis sure que cela va etre une super experience!A bientot mes amis et lecteurs de mycookinghut. Je vous tiendrai prochainement au courant de mes exploits sur les pistes!

Ciao!

I am proud to let everyone out there know that Visit Malaysia 2007 continues with Visit State Year 2008. What delights me is that my state - Kedah, also the state where Malaysia 4th Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mathathir bin Mohamad was born.

Kedah is situated in the Northwestern part of the country, borders with Thailand in the Northeast. It is known as the rice bowl of Malaysia due to vast rice fields found in the state. Not only that, it is also blessed with a famous destination called Langkawi - an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea.

Apart from Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu are the other two states are hosting Visit State Year 2008. These are another two very cultural states and blessed with nice islands in the South China Sea, particularly Terengganu. Whereas Kelantan, not too famous for its islands but lush with paddy fields and fishing villages.

If you plan to travel to the South East Asia some time this year, why don’t you make Malaysia your destination? You will find some useful information if you plan to visit Malaysia.

The maps below are obtained from Tourism Malaysia website. More maps are available there. (Please click on the thumbnails to enlarge)

 

Malaysia Tourism Websites

 

 

Airlines

 

 

Rail, Light Rail, KLIA Express

 

 

Interstate Luxury Coaches Companies

 

 

Online Travel Guides