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Yes, you heard me right. Just as we recovered with a nice relaxing afternoon in the park, we were thrown into another situation.
We arrived in Paris France only to be turned away by the hotel which we had made a reservation with! It was a long weekend so all hostels and hotels we subsequently called (rather frantically) were full.
With backpacks pulling down on our shoulders, we walked two metro stations from Hotel De Ville to Bastille in search for two beds for the night. Fortunately Norie was with us and she could quickly dodge in and out of hotel lobbies to ask. But we kept hearing 'Complet' which is a French word I have now learnt to dread.
After about two hours (it was already close to midnight), we came to terms with the fact that we had to stop the search and think of alternatives. There were not many options. We settled into Hippopotamus for dinner and stayed till they closed at 3am. Fortunately, we found a bar (pictured above) across the road which was open till 7am.
I could hardly stay awake. Jerrain took a quick nap while Norie and I caught up and chatted about nothing and everything.
Although we were completely exhausted, we figured we needed to make good use of the remaining 12 hours before we move on to Brussels. So we dragged ourselves to Gare du Nord train station and deposited our bags for €7.50.
We had prata with beef and mutton curry for breakfast before heading to the Louvre. While Jerrain went in to say hi to Mona Lisa, Norie and I caught up on some much needed sleep in the park.
Location: Paris France
Cost: €14 medium rare steak and chocolate mousse dessert at Hippopotamus, €7 tea at Bastille cafe, €7.50 locker at Paris Gare du Nord station, €2.80 orange juice
Highlight: Staying out and up the entire night and feeling thankful to have Jerrain and Norie there with me
Eight countries in 37 days is a lot to manage. New places to check out, new friends to make, new food to savour. Sometimes, it helps to have some familiar faces along the way to ease all the excitement.
So, with less than two months to go, I sent a shout out to my friends, saying "I'm coming!". These are the poor souls who are going to give up their bed, bathroom, and couch for the few days Jerrain and I are over.
Friend #1: Serene
Country: Britain
Where did we meet: Singapore Management University
How did we meet: Christian Fellowship
Friends since: Sept 2001
She went to Coventry to do her Masters last October, and I have been dying to go visit her. Now that she has started dating someone there, my girlies have entrusted me with the mission to check out who this lucky guy is. I heard he is a good cook, but I promise I will not be bought over with just some fancy home-cooked food.
Friend #2: Norie
Country: France
Where did we meet: Singapore Airlines
How did we meet: Worked together in the HR dept
Friends since: August 2005
A French man swept her off her feet and stole her from us in 2006. Having visited her in Paris three years ago, I can see why she left her friends behind. Joel, her hubby, is the most charming and caring guy. He showed us around and even whipped up an authentic four course French meal! I promised Norie I will go back to visit her, so it is about time.
Friend #3 (and #4): Chris and Øyvind
Country: Norway
Where did we meet: New York
How did we meet: Along the corridor of Jazz Hostel
Friends since: July 2009
My first taste of Norway and I am hooked. These crazy dudes made me fall in love with New York over and over again. Met them the first night I arrived, and we hung out every night till they had to leave. If Norwegians are all like these two, I am sure it is going to be a blast. They are the reason why I am spending almost a third of my time up North!
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