europe tour
[Photos] Curry Palace in Prague, Czech
October 10, 2017
No, it is not a real palace but a restaurant. :)
13th July 2017
Curry Palace, Prague, Czech
It was my first time there with parents after my graduation day - an Indian & Bangladeshi restaurant, suggested by my friend, studying in Prague.
Curry Palace
 |
| Curry Palace in Prague, Czech |
Yes, they served halal food (beef, chicken, mutton etc) but don't be surprised to see 'alcohol' in the menu for drinks. I can say 98% restaurants in Czech served alcoholic drinks (even the one that serve halal food). It is different than in Malaysia where we have so many other choices of restaurants.
Just, order non-alcoholic drinks and say that you don't want any alcohol (best way is to say you are allergic) in the food either.
 |
| Prawn madras - a typical dish of medium hot and sour taste - prepared with chilli powder, lemon juice and tomato puree = 195kc |
 |
| Chana masala - chickpea cooked with Indian spices = 155kc |
 | ||
| Lamb biryani 150g - specially prepared with basmati rice, nuts, raisins and mixture of indian spices, served with raitha = 230kc |
 |
| Chicken Tandoori 300g - chicken legs marinated over night in yogurt, ginger, ground spices and saffron - roasted delicately in the Tandoor oven = 185kc |
 |
| Plain Naan = 40kc - soft bread Cheese Naan = 60kc - cheese bread |
Cost:
Total
= 990kc (including 15% VAT)
Review:
- Lamb Biryani 150g = 230kc
- Chana Masala = 155kc
- Prawn Madras 150g = 195kc
- Chicken Tandoori 300g = 185kc
- Cheese Naan = 60kc
- Plain Naan = 40kc
- Vittel 1L (mineral water) = 95kc
- Take Away Box = 30kc
Total
= 990kc (including 15% VAT)
Review:
- Authentic taste of Indian food, simply delicious and suitable to our Asian tongue :)
- The food price is actually fair enough for large portions of food! We even take away left over food (like briyani and tandoori). Just if you think you can't finish the whole portion, simply share with friends or take away. Take away box is charged, so maybe you can save on that by bringing your own small food plastic container.
- Careful of the hotness of the food - like Phall and Jalfrasie dishes.
- There are many vegetarian dishes to choose if you would like to.
- Mineral water is obviously expensive. Bring your own water. 1L mineral water only cost 15kc in Tesco.
- Or maybe you can try mango lassi - a trademark of Indian restaurants there.
- Clean dining area, clean toilets.
- Excellent, friendly service and staffs. They even offer us any praying mat when we told them if it is possible to pray there. No prayer room but we just pray at the table, not many people around at that time.
- On the maps, the nearest tram stops are Letenské náměstí and Korunova?ní. We went there by Uber anyway, directly in front of the restaurant.
 |
| It was like a feast for the three of us. :D |
Contacts:
Curry Palace
Curry Palace
Jire?kova 13
Praha 7, 170 00
Praha 7, 170 00
+420 233 378 342
+420 775 146 252
info@currypalace.cz
Opening hours:
Mon - Fri, 11:00 - 22:30
Sat - Sun, 13:00 - 22:30
Direction:
+420 775 146 252
info@currypalace.cz
Opening hours:
Mon - Fri, 11:00 - 22:30
Sat - Sun, 13:00 - 22:30
Direction:
SS, Perak, Malaysia
171010
They Made It To The Top of Pet?ín Hill!
September 16, 2017
Finally :D
During their first trip to Czech in the middle of 2015, we ran out of time to explore Prague itself. Lol. I was so eager last time to take them to different cities in Europe and turned out I forgot to allocate more days to explore Prague itself. -__-'
But, alhamdulillah this time, more places checked!
Pet?ín hill, Czech
 |
| With Pet?ín Lookout Tower (Pet?ínská rozhledna) |
Finally they managed to get to the top! The queue for the funicular was not that short but I was glad we had few unplanned hours to spend. :)
The day after my graduation day was when our Europe road trip started. We were expected to pick up our pre-booked rental car at about 3pm when unexpectedly it was delayed till 6pm.
Early morning that day, I took a tram from our Airbnb to the city center to get my degree's translation done, together with the other Malaysians. Since the scroll was very big, we need to make a notarized, smaller copy (A4) - and of course it costs money. Then, we left the smaller copy at the translation office.
Guess what, the translator was extremely old and we were told that he is currently the one and only official Latin to English translator in Czech! We kept praying that he will remain healthy as long as he can :)
 |
| Summer with flowers. <3 |
Done with all procedures, I rushed back to the Airbnb to help with check out. With Uber, we took our luggages straight to car rental office and planned to store our luggage there for few hours while waiting for the car to be ready.
Things happened, plan changed.
So, the car will only be ready around 6pm.
What to do?
Let's explore Prague!
Of course not really by foot but public transportation :D Hehe
PET?íN - SCENIC VIEWPOINT OF PRAGUE, CZECH
click here to read and to enjoy the views from this hill :)
 |
| Main aci nyorok ;p This was how I enjoyed my parents' old school jokes... ambik je gambar nanti kacau diorang balik :) |
 |
| Sometimes, I feel like I am just a photographer for their trip. Haha. I wonder how older generation can maintain the sweetness and harmony in their relationship? T__T |
 |
| The queue for funicular. You can always use the same tickets for tram / metro as long as they are still valid. |
 |
| View from the funicular. |
 |
| My mum requested her picture with these roses :D |
 |
| Homemade lemonade - already missing this T__T |
This lemonade was nicely done and delicious! Always ask about the ingredients if you come to Czech as they sometimes don't consider wine / beer as alcohol (as these are totally normal for them). Don't simply ask about alcohol okay?
Does it have alcohol, beer or wine? Má alkohol, pivo nebo víno?
 |
| Ginger for ayah, lemon for mak, strawberry for me. |
Around 5pm+, the car rental company texted me that the car was ready for pick up. :)
RUNWELL Rent A CarJust for my future reference, in case I forgot about this.
Or you can try this car rental company as well :) I recommend it!
After checking the car and set the navigation, we finally leave Prague for a transit in Hannover before our next destination, Hamburg, Germany. :)
 |
| Sunset in Germany. |
 |
| SubhanAllah, isn't it beautiful? :D |
Till next post, insyAllah :)
SS, Perak, Malaysia
170916
Day Trip to ?esky Krumlov, Czech
September 14, 2017
After 5 years, I returned to this town - still lovely as it used to be, still packed with tourists especially Asians. I am telling, there are so many Asians (including us) in ?esky Krumlov.
11th July 2017
?esky Krumlov, Czech
This time, I went there by bus with my parents. A month before our trip, I've checked Student Agency bus for the tickets. There were approximately 30 empty seats left. Not really sure why I postponed buying it to last minute. Later, I find out all early morning trips from Prague to Cesky Krumlov were sold out!
Student Agency is my favourite bus company in Czech, I was a bit blurred of other alternative of buses. After searching around, I managed to buy tickets from another company (M Express - 215kc/person/way) but unfortunately the journey was longer and even more expensive. It took almost 4 hours when it supposed to be only 3 hours by Student Agency (200kc/person/way). T_T
 |
| The weather was so good for ice-creams. :) |
Since I've shared my trip to Cesky Krumlov before, I don't think I will share more details about this place in this blog post. You can check my previous posts:
2 HARI DI ?ESKY KRUMLOV, CZECH - PART 1
 |
| Fridge Magnets in CK. |
 |
| My parents at the Old Town, they love matching clothes like this. Haha. |
 |
| A part of the castle. |
 |
| Restaurant with terrace. |
Starting with this town, I realized that I need to locate public toilets in all places that we will go. My parents need toilets more frequent - a sign they are getting older. T__T
A thing I am impressed with my parents are they are getting used to dry toilets and take wudu' in public toilets. :D I usually accompany my mum while my dad take care of our belongings, then we take turns.
 |
| Our lunch - nasi impit, kuah kacang, serunding daging. |
Another thing if we are travelling to a place without prayer rooms, always prepare qiblah compass, okay? It does not matter if we use physical compass or any apps, as long as we put priority to our prayers even though we are 'musafir'. My parents are getting used to pray in public as well, alhamdulillah!
 |
| That yellow bag - our food bag. It became one of the best bag ever! |
 |
| Castle - An example to show my parents how to snap millennial's style of pictures. HEHE. I mean, how straight all lines should be etc. |
 |
| I already miss this orange roofs T____T |
 |
| Castle's Garden - My favourite picture! |
 |
| Heheee, just for fun :D Ni lubang air. |
Towards more travelogues :D
Haha.
Tolonglah rajin menaip, Nina T__T
SS, Perak, Malaysia
170913
6 Things I Need to Consider Before Booking An Accommodation
August 24, 2017
Accommodation is very important thing to plan if we want to spend the night properly and comfortably, but based on the budget as well. I know that there are so many websites showing the best price for any hotel / hostels, but so far I will check booking.com, hostelbookers.com, airbnb.com.
So, what are the criteria I am looking forward for the accommodation?
1. Am I travelling alone?
If I am on my own, I would definitely choose hostel (female dorm) that I can cut cost and have the chance to mingle with random travelers.
 |
| Example of dorm. |
Female dorm vs mix dorm?
- It is a bit hard to find hostels with female dorm instead of mix room. Some people don't mind sharing room with opposite gender but I am not that person (no matter how open-minded I am).
- It is not that I did not consider at all, I had actually... but to think about all consequences, I made up my mind to spend extra money for a room for myself instead of mix room. That's what happened when I solo-traveled to Zakopane, Poland few months ago.
Obviously, it can cost 2-3x the price but I did it for the sake of my safety, inner peace and my faith.
2.1. If not alone, am I travelling with my family?
If I am going with family, Airbnb / a hotel room / a nice hostel room with en suite bathroom will be my preferences.
- Toilets - you know, parents they really care about toilets and I don't want to burden them with all necessary attire just to go to the toilets if we shared them with other travelers. My parents are getting used to keep the toilets dry, but sometimes it is hard to take wudu' (ablution without spilling water here and there).
 |
| Toilet in Italy. |
- Kitchen - I love the idea of Airbnb when there is a kitchen (if I rent the whole house / apartment) so that my mum can cook. Well... once again, parents are from different generations, they are not familar with Western restaurants and actually they just don't feel good eating in places that are... well, you know why.
 |
| Kitchen - some Airbnb owner will provide few food for free. |
I have my reasons / firm belief of going to restaurants and I've checked with many sources especially Fiqh Luar Negara. So, if I am travelling with my parents, I respect their decisions and well, who does not want to eat mum's home-cooked meals, huh? :D
2.2. If not alone, am I travelling with my friends?
We usually look for Airbnb, so far. Other than that, we will book an entire room for hostels.
 |
| King bed. |
3. Refering to point 1 and 2 - check the location.
Again, it also depends with whom I am travelling. Of course, with family I prefer somewhere closer to any bus / train stop or in the city center (although it will be a bit pricey).
- If we are travelling by car (road trip), as long as they provide free parking spaces and close to any public transportation stations, it should be okay (trust me, ticking parking spaces will filter out a lot of choices huhu). Any supermarket nearby is a bonus.
- Consider Uber to travel around if needed.
- Also consider if the stations nearby provide lifts / escalators. I seriously will minimize stairs for my parents unless it is beyond my control (unexpected renovation etc T__T)
4. Reviews.
I usually refer reviews before booking a place to stay, well I am sure all of us did. :)
Sometimes, I will personally ask friends to recommend any hostels they've tried. So far, I have good experiences with most places I have stayed. Ask them so that you always have low expectations of the places. Check reviews in hostelbookers, hostelworld, airbnb, booking.com, Trip Advisor, Google maps.
 |
| Good reviews :) |
 |
| Free food! |
The things I would focus from the reviews are:
- strength of the WiFi
- cleanliness of the toilets / rooms
- sound-proof rooms etc
5. Price.
This is usually the thing to filter after gathering few choices around the city we want to stay. I usually love to cut costs, but it depends on the situation (especially refer to point #1)
For Europe, I will put a limit of Euro 20/person/night when searching around. Usually the accommodation I have been to will be around that price. The cheapest I've got in Europe is around Euro 10-15. This applies to Airbnb as well, okay?
I have never been on a proper trip around Asia yet. So, I am sorry I can't say much.
Oh yea, another points to note:
- Always check for extra costs - like cleaning fees and service fees. Booking.com usually give cheap price but some rare occasion, the owner of the place will charge you extra cleaning fees
- If you are willing to pay security deposit, feel free to do so. For me, I will avoid that.
 |
| The bowl closer to the glass wall is called bidet - check here on how to use it. |
6. Before booking a room, always check the main website for that place.
For example, if you found any interesting place to stay, please check its own website. I had few experiences that if you contact the place directly, the price is way cheaper or they are doing some promotions. Well, no harm to check, right? If website is more expensive, you can just return to those booking sites and make reservations. I don't have trouble with all sites i have mentioned earlier.
This idea is similar to booking flight tickets. Of course I will use all the search engines but I will check the websites of the airlines afterwards.
-----------
Please feel free to add anything you will consider before booking any rooms.
I would love to read yours. :D
Mind sharing your tips to book any accommodation in Malaysia / Asia? Please, kindly drop any comments. <3
SS, Perak, Malaysia
170818
Istanbul Tour With Ayah Mak | Istanbul, Turkey
August 6, 2017
It feels a bit funny to write this post as I realized I just finish writing about my road trip around Istanbul (Where East Meets West) and most of the places we went have been shared in my previous posts. Haha, but let's just see how this post will lead me to.
10th July 2017
Istanbul, Turkey
 |
| Europe Trip started here! |
We left the country with Turkish Airlines. My previous flight with my parents was 2 years ago when we were on our way from London, UK to Geneva, Switzerland. Yep, that was from our first Europe trip (so-called Europe Trip 1.0 - more to come hopefully, ameen!) Since Turkish Airlines is not a low-cost airline, I felt relieved at least for them to have a proper, chosen seat and proper meal on board. For meal, we personally prefer Emirates. If you guys love cheesy food, Turkish Airlines suits you more :D
 |
| 4 checked in luggage - one for Ayah, one for Mak, the rest were food (plus kitchen utensils). |
 |
| Well, cliche. :D |
I don't know what happened to the flight air-conditioner that time, but it felt warm on board. We were a bit sweating. T_T
Arrived Istanbul on time, we decided to walk directly to the praying room. It is quite close to Gate 219 (if I'm not mistaken), seems like I have no idea if there is another praying room around departure area.
Done with prayers, we continued to the arrival to get to the hotel desk. Fuh, the queue at the passport control was not a joke, it took more than half an hour just to get our passports stamped! I feel glad that I have some experiences with this airport, at least I have some idea to walk around. Save time, save energy. -_-'
 |
| Breakfast with Mr. Potato. I persuaded Ayah to buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks just for the sake of sitting there, even though this was my first time with Starbucks. Sorry, I don't know why I don't feel good to sit in any restaurants without buying anything. Hee. |
Istanbul was scorching hot that day. Trust me, prepare yourselves with good sunscreen lotion especially with SPF50+ if you are planning to come to Istanbul in July. :D
If you have a long transit / lay over in Istanbul (Ataturk) Airport, simply request for Istanbul Tour / free meal voucher.
Our tour group was quite big that time - about 2 buses (maybe around 40 people?). We are eligible for 9am-3pm tour since our connecting flight was around 4.30pm. The tentative was roughly like this:
- Departure from Istanbul Ataturk Airport
- Breakfast
- Blue Mosque
- Hippodrome: German Fountain
- Serpentine Column
- Obelisk of Theodosius
- Topkapi Palace / Hagia Sophia Museum
- Lunch
- Return to Istanbul Ataturk Airport
Haha, see, I posted at least some points for each attractions :) Click if you want to read, yea?
 |
| Our tour group - the guide was explaining about Hippodrome. |
 |
| German Fountain |
 |
| Obelisk of Theodosius |
 |
| Blue Mosque |
 |
| They looked cute though in those cloth :) |
I have witnessed the same procedure in mosque in Malaysia (for example Putrajaya) where foreign / non-Muslim will receive this kind of clothes to cover themselves. Just, in Putrajaya, they are not allowed to enter the praying areas (so far that I know), but here in Blue Mosque, everyone is welcomed inside.
From this view, I am a bit confused with the saying that says women with menstruation are not allowed to enter mosques. How can we know that fact among these non-Muslims?
 |
| Inside Blue Mosque. Mak said that there were too many people, it was hard to enjoy spiritually. I just realized, here similar to the interior of Hagia Sophia we can see the names of Khulafa' Ar-Rasyidin and the grandsons of Prophet Muhammad - Hasan & Husein. |
Upon leaving Blue Mosque for Topkapi Museum, Mak kept mentioning the roasted corn. T_T Fuh, I did not have any Lira, but thankfully the hawkers accept Euro coins (the big one like one and two Euros). So, craving fulfilled :p Bought chestnuts as well. Haha
 |
| Standing on European side of Turkey, at the back is the Asian side. Most historical sites are located in European side. |
 |
| The sea... Mesmerizing! |
What else can I share in this post.....?
Hmm maybe my personal comments about the tour?
- This type of tour (9am-3pm) involves a lot of walking. Please bear in mind and put this into consideration if you are planning to join the tour with the elders.
- Food, entrance fee and all transportation you use during this tour are for free.
- Mind that the food may not be according to your taste and the food is Turkish style. But, why not have a try? :D
- Istanbul was really hot that time. Prepare your own water. Don't drink from the tap water, not recommended.
- There are few souvenir shops just outside Blue Mosque (the entrance facing the Hippodrome). For this specific type of tour (9am-3pm), you don't have the chance to go shopping at any bazaar. Unless if you are eligible for another type of tour (9am-6pm). So, be prepared with some Turkish Lira in advanced if you wanna buy some souvenirs.
 |
| Hagia Sophia, maybe next time? |
- Ask the tour guide at what time the bus will leave for the airport. You may get lost or get separated from the tour group, so at least you know where you can meet them again to catch your connecting flights.
- Prepare a good camera as you can either listen to the tour guide or wander around. I mean, if there is any view that catch your heart, directly snap it! You may not have the chance to return to that specific point.
- All in all, the tour is hectic even for me. I have a feeling my parents would love to come again and enjoy the city slowly. :) But, we should not complain as everything is for FREE, remember that :)
 |
| With the background of Blue Mosque. |
Till we meet again, Turkey. :)
SS, Perak, Malaysia
170806
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
