day 20.5: renaming the blonde

Among the four blonde sisters, Jerrain holds the title 'Legally Blonde'. Today, she deserves an additional one for outstanding and selfless service.

She normally whines - and ocassionally swears - about how heavy her bag is. Any where more than 100 metres and she starts to survey the area for a trolley.

We had the help of Magda from Tom & Greg hostel with my backpack to the Krakow Glowny train station, which was five to ten minutes walk away from the hostel (it was more like half an hour in my present condition).

But from the train platform to our train cabin, it was all Jerrain's effort. She carried both my 15 kilogram backpack and her 12 kilogram backpack at the same time along the platform (which was definitely more than 100 metres), and into our cabin!! For a petite 43 kilogram lass, that would easily make a Guiness World Record.

I will never see Jerrain in the same light again. For now, I cannot decide between 'Super-' or 'Wonder-' Blonde.

• Location: Vienna, Austria
• Train: Krakow Glowny to Vienna Meidling 8 hours

day 20: somebody, call the ambulance!

Okay, I was exaggerating. There was way less drama.

I twisted my right foot last evening at the Old Jewish Quarter. I was coming out of a bar and did not see the uneven ground.

For those of you who are wondering (I can so read your minds), I had only two drinks and was extremely sober! Might I also add that it was a really graceful fall; Jerrain thought I just bent down to pick up something.

The optimistic (and lazy) me did not bother icing the area when I got back. So it was no surprise that I woke up this morning to find a numb right foot which I could not even stand on. Any weight would cause me to bounce back to the other foot in pain.

I was rushed to the A&E department of Szpital Uniwersytecki w Krakowia, a hospital ten minutes drive away. Anne Asenko, a young Polish lady doctor who could speak English, sent me on my way after examining two x-ray images of my swollen right foot. "There is no broken bone, just rest your foot and you will be walking in one to two weeks," she assured me. Only other instruction was to not run after the night train I needed to catch tonight for Vienna. After that, I was released back into the streets of Krakow!

We had to pick up the muscle relief cream Dr Asenko prescribed from a pharmacy ten minutes away by taxi. And after grabbing an overpriced umbrella off the Old Town Market Square, I was (almost) back on my feet - at a crawling speed of 1 kilometre per hour - and ready for lunch.

• Location: Krakow, Poland
• Cost: 40 zl return taxi ride to hospital, 20 zl umbrella turn walking stick, 25 zl lunch, 20 zl muscle relief cream, A&E medical expenses unknown (will be billed to Singapore)
• Highlight: Sitting on the wheelchair at the hospital.

day 19: absorbing krakow

The problem with staying at Tom & Greg, my favourite hostel in Europe so far, is that you never want to leave. Proper (instead of bunk) beds in a spacious room, full spread of breakfast, all day cereal and milk, fresh fruit and nuts in the cosy lounge and the most friendly and helpful staff - they give you no reason to leave at all.

After breakfast at 10am, I hung out in the hostel for five prime hours, when the sun was out and the temperature perfect. Somehow the hostel was more appealing than the unexplored streets of Krakow. I painted my nails fairy-tale pink, updated this blog, read about Solomon's God-given wisdom (the book of 1 Kings chapter 3 and 4 in the bible), showered, chatted with Bok Hwee on MSN, and washed my socks. After accomplishing so much, I left the hostel at 3pm.

U Babci Maliny restaurant, just around the corner from the Old Town Market Square, is a typical peasant's house serving authentic Polish food. I had fried Pierogi dumplings filled with minced meat for 15.50 zl. I tried the boiled ones which Jerrain ordered which had mushroom and cabbage filling. They tasted a little like Chinese 'Guo Tie', just with thicker skin. My deep fried Pierogi were crispy and tasted like Japanese gyoza, but again with thicker skin and meat filled to the brim.

We worked off all that carbs with a slow stroll around the Old Town, to see St Mary Church (pictured), the outside of the Cloth Hall which is currently under renovation, and the Town Hall Tower.

The fifteen minutes walk to the Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz) passed several other churches and the Wawel Royal Castle, which probably deserves a few hours in the late morning tomorrow.

There were quite a number of sights in the Jewish Quarter - Old Jewish Cemetary which you can only peek into from a window, Old Synagogue built at the end of the 14th century, the grand Corpus Christi with intricate sculptures and huge old paintings inside, and an original old Jewish house used for Talmud lessons for adult Jews.

The lovely garden cafes - turn bars come evening - scattered around this aged and quaint neighbourhood draws a local crowd, according to Justin from our hostel. As I sat in one of them sipping my Latte, I can see why the locals love this place.

I have another day in Krakow tomorrow. Once I visit Wawel Castle, I have covered majority of the tourist spots. It seems like there is not much to see (besides Auschwitz, which alone justifies a trip to Europe), but Krakow has a unique appeal. I cannot put my finger on it - whether it is the cheap food, rough appearance or the raw energy - but Krakow has sparked the desire to move East. I need to plan a trip to Eastern Europe, whether it is another 37 day adventure, or longer, I do not know yet.

• Location: Krakow, Poland
• Cost: Fried perogi with meat 15.50 zl, Latte 8 zl, mojito 15 zl, muscat white wine 7.50 zl
• Highlight: Fairy-tale pink nails!! Finally get to use my nail polish which I rather blondely brought along and added to my already overweight and oversized backpack.
• People: Met Thierry and Dave from a UK or French HR software company. We sat in a bar in the Jewish Quarter that was lighted only by candles.

day 18: time has no power over these memories

The three-level wooden bunk beds look recently abandoned. So do the sanitary barracks, wagon and what is left at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Twenty-five times the size of Auschwitz I or the main camp, everything which stands there today is original.

Walking on the uneven stone ground in the rain and chilling wind at 13 degrees celcius, I could not imagine how the prisoners could have survived in their torn striped jacket uniform which never fitted them. The uniform would have hung loosely on their frail and malnourished body. Surviving on watery rotten vegetable soup and scraps of stale bread, they were forced to work till they die. 'Arbeit macht frei' -work did set them free.

I suppose the unseasoned look of the remains at Auschwitz represents how fresh the memories of the event are for those affected. Time has no power over these memories.

• Location: Krakow, Poland
• Highlight: Learning so much at Auschwitz
• Cost: 130 zl two night hostel stay, 90 zl (€22.5) Auschwitz tour, 8 zl hot choco and snack, 25 zl vodka tasting
• Hostel: Tom & Greg Junior. It is right next to the train station. We were welcomed when we reached at 7am with a lovely breakfast spread. Justin was an excellent host, she gave a brief introduction of Krakow and answered all our questions. There is food all the time, cereal and fresh fruit in the kitchen and louge all day long, and special dinner for free.
• Fun: It was strange to have fun immediately after the trip to Auschwitz but we were just in time for the vodka tasting session once we got back to Tom & Greg's at 8pm. We went to a bar in the Old Town called Wodka and tried four flavoured vodka shots - cherry, honey, lemon and mint. Met many new friends from Britain, USA and Canada.

day 17: stowaway to krakow

The train conductor came by. He motioned to us to draw the cabin door and window curtains which we had earlier drawn so we could watch the shadows of the passing trees.

He reminded us to keep quiet before handing me a thick chain and lock. We had to chain our cabin door in addition to the two locks already latched.

This was my first night train in Europe. I felt like a stowaway. But stuffed in my right jeans pocket is the €27 train ticket, so I am legal.

I had a good nine hours of sleep before the loud abrupt knock on our door. I am in Krakow Poland!

• Location: Prague, Czech Republic
• Highlight: Instant noodles with sausages, home-cooked by Jerrain.
• Cost: 55 czk hot chocolate, 62 czk groceries for instant noodles and sausages dinner and snacks for night train, 45 czk ice cream.