Around Norway in The Summer

Together with a friend, I took a short driving trip around Norway for four days. We took the daily overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo, offered by DFDS. Prior to that, we stocked up the car boot with food from Copenhagen. Durables such as snack sausages, crackers and biscuits, and Swedish bread and some drinks. We boarded the ferry in the car about 16:00. The ferry left Copenhagen at 17:00 sharp.

Our cabin was a double bunk bed cabin with no windows but an attached shower and toilet. Basic but extremely comfortable for a night.

DFDS offers packages throughout the year which comes with the cabin, car parking, and four buffet meals (2 breakfasts and 2 dinners). The food was very impressive. In Denmark, we would never have gotten so much food, especially seafood, in a buffet. Night entertainment consisted of movies for kids, the piano bar, slot machines and a C-grade karaoke.

The ferry docked in Oslo shortly after breakfast at about 10:00. As our car was not a registered car in Denmark or Norway, we were subjected to a long check by the Norwegian customs. My ability to speak danish with them and sufficient documentation got us out of the checking area in about 30 minutes.

The Norwegians are extremely nice and relaxed people. Even though they, in essence, speak a similar language as the Danes, they smile and laugh a lot more! We navigated by a Tom Tom GPS. Each little curve of the roads were reflected on the GPS. It was amazing what oil money can buy. The Norwegian roads and tunnels (and general infrastructure) is the highest class I have seen in all my travels.

We had not planned the details of our travel route. Nor had we booked any accommodation. So the plan was to book a "hytte" (a hut) in the afternoon and have that for the night.

We did this every day without failing.

Our route was from Oslo, we head north west and gradually to the fjords on the west coast. We aimed to reach Stavanger two days before and allocate the last day for intense driving back to Oslo to catch the ferry back to Copenhagen.

The first day, we simply aimed for lunch at Geilo, stopping along the way whenever we wanted to frolic in the cold lake waters. With the snow capped mountains behind and green fields all around, coupled with the very hot sun, it was pure natural bliss.

Geilo was the venue of the 1980 Winter Paralympics. It is a ski resort town. It was 30 degree celcius but people were skiing. It had a nice view over the town. Very cosy indeed. We took the lunch break opportunity to call some camping and huts operators to book something for the night. It was very easy to ask the café owner or the ski resort receptionist. Norwegians are sooo friendly.

After lunch, we moved on further to Voss, which was recommended by the friendly Norwegian custom officers. The main attraction in Voss is Voringfossen, a waterwall which is 183m at the top.  A hotel cum restaurant stands at the top where you can opt to spend the night or simply have coffee, like we did.

Leaving Voss in the late afternoon, we arrived in a quiet town called Norheimsund where we booked a hut. The hut was god for a family of four and was very basic. Two double bunk beds and a square table in a hut with a verandah. There were other tourists and permanent residents in the surrounding huts. I enjoyed sitting in the verandah listening to some of their travelling stories. Not bad for a NOK350 per night deal.

We had some food from the boot for dinner. What I came to enjoy even more was the shared showers. I had to plan my shower! As you ladies can imagine, at NOK10 for four minutes of warm water, I had to have a strategy. That was quite fun.  :-)

The next morning, we gobbled down some breakfast from the hytte café. Very simple Norwegian breakfast of bread and coffee. We then paid up and moved on. That's the thing I noticed about the Norwegian way. You stay there for a night. No one checks on you. They simply trust you to pay up the next day, instead of running off with a free night's stay.

A little before noon, we arrived in Norway's financial capital - Bergen. I like Bergen a lot more than Oslo. It is spacious and very pretty. The combination of the mountains, walking streets and a port is very charming. Dating back to 1070, its modernity misleads one from its age.

We parked the car in the centre and walked around and towards the port. At the port, there was an open market where there were many tourists. You can buy sweaters and Norwegian handicrafts. There is also a food and seafood market. The seafood was so fresh so we decided to buy some and have some beers for lunch. I have to say, Norway's whaling policy and the whale meat on sale did put me off quite a bit.  So I settled for shrimps instead.

After lunch, we went to Bergen's tourist information office which was very well organized and big. The guides were friendly and there were many borchures and leaflets to help plan the rest of our trip. Again, we took the opportunity here to book our accommodation for the night. We told the owners of Wathne Huts that we would arrive by 21:00 that same day.

Flipping through pages of brochures, we had a discussion on where to go next. My friend saw a very nice postcard of a fjord. So we decided to go to the place in the postcard - The Preacher's Chair or Preikestolen in Norwegian. Ah...a little spontaneity. :-) My friend commented that we should not buy the postcard though. It was too touched up, he said.

Afterwards, we took the cable car called Ulriksbanen up to Mount Ulriken.  Up here, you get a very nice view of Bergen city. The big crusie ships docking here seemed so small. The café there offers very nice cakes so we stopped for afternoon tea.

The last thing we did in Bergen was to go buy me a pair of good hiking shoes. The shopping mall was small but the prices were very high. Norway is a very very expensive country.

We left Bergen at about 16:00 and headed south. This drive down south alongside the fjords is one of the most dramatic and beautiful journey. We drove through mountains in tunnels, getting the occasional majestic views of the fjords opposite. There were tunnels which were engineering marvels. We drove on some amazing suspension bridges connecting the fjords. At some point, we drove into a tunnel which reached 233m below sea level within 2km and then 2km to return to above sea-level.

To reach Stavanger, we also had to maneuver through little islands along the fjords and to take a ferry from Stavanger to Tau, meaning "witch craft" in old Norse. When we arrived in Stavanger, we had missed the ferry. The next was to come an hour and a half later. As it was, we were 2 hours delayed. So I called the owner named Ellen, at Wathne to inform her. I was a little worried we may not be able to "check-in" so late.

Ellen simply laughed and said, "Arrive when you arrive. I will come with the keys." That was nice.

Around midnight, we arrived on Tau and the GPS indicated the drive to our hut would take another hour! Once again, I called Ellen. She told me not to worry. She described which of the huts was ours and told us to get the keys under the door mat.

We got to the hut really late. The hut had a kitchen, sitting area, a bathroom and two bedrooms. It costed NOK500 a night. The next morning, I woke up and was so impressed by what was before my eyes that I did not talk for a whole 10 minutes!

There was a lake near our hut. The hut is surrounded by fields of green. We had breakfast at the "restaurant" where we met Ellen and her husband in person. They were so nice and welcoming. Again, we were only required to pay when we check-out.

We were briefed about Preikestolen and how to get there. So took the car and drove towards the base of Preikestolen, which is also called Pulpit Rock.

It took 2 hours to go up (I am an average woman on small build, not athletic). It took me about 2.5 hours to come down.

Do not be mislead by the tarred road you see at the beginning. There is NO specific walking path after that. There are stretches of the journey where you may have to climb small rocks to move up.


Tips:

1.Bring a small bottle of water or coffee. some people actually got a one time BBQ kit up there! Make sure you eat before as there is no store, no kiosk selling food anywhere.
2.Wear shoes with good grip and preferably light.
3.Bring a sweater even though it may look very warm.
4.Bring a good camera because it is a place worth lots of pictures.
5.If you're up to it, on the way, there is a lake where you can swim in. Clear water but a little cold.
6. Be careful on your way down. It is actually easier to be injured
7. For the dainty ladies, you may want to wear some cotton gloves to help grip and climb.

Once you reach the top, you will understand why it is one of the most beautiful spot in the world. The flat part of the fjord stretches out to its edge and at 90 degrees, it goes into the sea for 600m. There is no barricade between you and the sea. Everything is natural as can be.

I am glad our last full day was spent at Preikestolen. If I lived in Norway, I would definitely come here more often. Those who were in the cruise ships looking up the fjords would not see the beauty of this place. The top gives the best and most rewarding view.







 We got back to the hut in the afternoon and decided to take a swim in the lake. The air felt warm but when I got into the water, I realized my body is designed for tropical Malaysia and not cold cold Norway. I felt my body turning numb. Yet, the scenery before me made me warm and fuzzy inside.

Dinner was a simple spaghetti meal cooked in the hut from the supplies we stocked up from Copenhagen.

We started the last day late in the morning. After checking out from Wathne, we drove east wards to Oslo. We arrived in Oslo just in time to catch the ferry back to Copenhagen.

Now, as I sit from my work desk facing the port where this same ferry takes off, I know some lucky people will be enjoying Norway.

Easy Cruise or Cheesy Cruise?

Last summer, my mum, sister and aunt came to visit. Since they took the 15 hours flight to Europe, I decided we should get out of little Denmark and see more.

My mum hinted on a cruise. But everytime I think about cruising, I think about lots of old people in a big ship or lots of sleezy love affairs like on the Love Boat. Not that I have a problem with the latter but that, combined with mum on board simply will not work.

After some good hours of googling, I found a small cruise called easyCruise. What attracted me to them was the concept that the ship is smaller and the price range means that younger people can afford it. In addition, the ship docks in a new island on the Aegean sea every morning after breakfast and travel when the guests are sleeping. Guests have the whole day and night on each island.

The ship was to leave the Piraeus port in Athens and then cover Kalymnos, Bodrum, Kos, Paros, Delos, Mykonos and Syros during the 7 days cruise. I have a fascination with Greece. That made this cruise even more attractive to me.

We flew from Copenhagen into Athens. We had 2 hours to get from the airport to the port.

The directions at the port, on how to get on board the ship, were very poor.

We were asked to hurry to the bus which took us to the ship. There, we were asked to turn back to check-in. I started to get nervous that that was how the organisation of the cruise was to be. Kept this to myself to not get my mum into a panic.

We were shown to our cabin which was very basic but had its own bathroom. We always had hot showers and the cleaning service was good. We also opted for a cabin with a window. It was small and as we came to find out, we did not need it since we hardly spent time in the cabin.

The cruise ship was relatively small but neat. There is a small pool which is not conducive if one intends to swim. The two open jacuzzi on the top deck were more popular.

When we were on board, we went to have a drink at the top deck. The ship left the port and the cruise started! We watched the sunset from the deck and wondered what to do for the evening. I had never went on a cruise before! We had dinner and spent the rest of the evening checking out the ship. There was an orientation session conducted by the host. That was a good chance to say Hello to some of the other cruisers. Some were couples and a few young families. And then some students. Overall, a good mix of people.

We also had the choice of whether to sign up for guided excursions on the greek islands or to go about on our own. I opted for the first since I didn't want to spend time organising. :-)

After a good night's sleep, we woke up when there was an announcement on the speakers. We had arrived in Kalymnos. It has about 16,000 residents and is one of the wealthiest of the Greek islands. Known for sponge diving, Kalymnos is a tourist favourite in the summer months.

Our excursion was centered around Pothia, the capital of the island. The first destination of the excursion was Agios Savvas Monastery. The monastry is located on a hill with a nice view over the port. It is dedicated to the patron saint of Kalymnos, Savvas The New.

For a panoromic view of Agios Savvas, click here.

Pasar Malam

Need a pair of socks and some shorts? And some fruits? And some beddings? What about dinner? Or traditional oitment? Did you say an alarm clock? You can most probably get all of these at a Pasar Malam.



One of the things I include in my annual trip home to Malaysia is the pasar malam. It translates to Night Market from the malay language. From my travels, one of the most interesting places to meet some locals and see how the locals live, is a market.

So yes, I am suggesting that if you visit Kuala Lumpur (KL), you can get off the tourist path and visit one of these markets. Firstly, these are not dressed up for tourists. Secondly, nothing is priced as if they are for tourists. And finally, these places are easy to find. At these markets I am suggesting, people would leave you to your own unless you ask for help.

Before I go further, a little about Pasar Malam in KL. These night markets are held in different suburbs on different nights of the week, typically from 6pm tp 10pm. As a result, the same of group of vendors may set up stall in 4-5 markets during the week. What you can find in the markets depends very much on which suburb it is and who frequents them.

Most tourists in KL find their way to China Town where there are about two streets filled with stalls selling different things. Well, that is all fine but honestly, it's more interesting to see the locals at a Pasar Malam instead. My favourite Pasar Malams are the one at Taman Tun Dr Ismail (Sundays), SS2 (Mondays) and SS2 (Thursdays).

Taman Tun Dr Ismail is about 15 minutes drive from KL city. It costs about RM10 to get there from KLCC without traffic by taxi.

Taman Tun, or TTDI as the locals call it, is an upper middle class suburb where properties have been appreciating in market value consistently since the 1970s. The Pasar Malam here is smaller than that at SS2. However, since the patronage at TTDI is a good mix of the different races, you can find a better mix of locals and products.

This pasar malam is very popular with housewives who come to stock up supplies for the work week. They buy things like fruits, cookies and snacks.

What I love about the pasar malam is that my senses are awaken throughout. The noises of people bargaining, vendors shouting out the offer of the day, the smell of food and all the colours and people around.

I normally do not have dinner but take a walk along the street at a Pasar Malam and eat tit-bits and local tropical fruits. You find things like the malay kuih (cakes) which are typically made from coconut and pandan (screwpine leaves), fresh sugarcane or longan juice. My favourite is the home made soy milk and some chinese cooling herb tea.

SS2 is a mainly a chinese area. Here, you find bustling shops and eateries which are opened throughout the night. The rows of massage and beauty parlors, electronic shops, chinese medical hall and coffee shops forms the main square. You really get to see the chinese at their best and worst entrepreneur games. SS2 is where eager business people come to sell. Only in SS2 that you will find eat-all-you-can durian buffets, old fashion gold jewellery shops guarded by small armed men.

The pasar malams at SS2 (section 2) are very popular especially with the young. Here, the stalls stretched out over four streets. Similarly, it costs about RM10 from the city or you can walk from the Taman Bahagia LRT station.

At the SS2 markets, there are more food but also a lot of the latest craze and gadgets. You can find things like fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, toads, plumbing tools, chinese medicine, Taiwanese tofa and milk tea, pirated DVDs and softwares, clothes, accessories. The list goes on. This is actually a good place to get some cheap clothes you're willing to chuck away later.

Once, my Danish friend found a pair of gloves which Malaysian women buy to cover their hands while driving. Yes. We have an obsession with staying fair skinned.

In fact, recently, some foreigners from Myanmar and Pakistan started selling things like bamboo lamps and pashmir scarves there.

A word of advice on the pirated DVDs. There are the cheap ones where the movie is recorded with someone holding the camcorder in a cinema. I cannot understand why anyone would pay anything for this. But...just ask, in case.

Once I hosted a friend from Hong Kong. After seeing my mum bargain, he wanted to have a go at it himself. So we gave him a rule-of-thumb i.e. 50% off the quoted price. Well, we forgot to tell him the exceptions. Surely, he should have known better not to bargain for an RM2 coconut jam (the locals call it "kaya").

So here you go. If you do not want to do the touristy thing and be harassed, go to a neighbourhood Pasar Malam when you're in KL.