Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The journey....episode 4...Encounter with the Gauchos...

We started the day at 10 am. Everyone was early. Before that, right after Subuh we were called to room 806 for a homecook breakfast. Amazingly my friends made fried noodle, jemput-jemput pisang, nasi impit and rendang. They compressed their little kitchen into one big luggage!hahhahahha.

Today´s destination was a ranch. Owned by a very rich family and it has been there for hundreds of years. They breed horses and of different kinds. I can tell you that horses are the most handsome looking and beautiful animals. It´s long lean legs and move around with their heads high....just beautiful. Lots of the activities for the tourists at the farm. The one I like most is horse riding! I was scared like hell but as you jump on the back of the horse, your mind becomes more relax and calm: and things got better when the gauchos are all so handsome looking and clean cut! Oh my God! Made me miss my son back home. Wonder what he is up to during my absence!!! Gauchos are the ones who look after the cattles. They are the best horse rider and they love to sing. In those days they were normadic.These nomadic riders lived by hunting wild cattle. Most gauchos were of mixed Spanish, Portuguese and Amerindian (native American) ancestry They do not stay in one place but keep on moving.

Agriculture is one of the bases of Argentina´s economy and provided 7% of all employment. It is the fourth largest country in the world producing soya bean. The versatile pampas (flat land) with 1.5meters deep of top soil says it all. Meaning, whatever is planted will grow well. They have almost everything and all of their products made some percent of the world´s total. Amazing right! This reminds me of my little garden back home, has it been watered and taken care of?Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

Beef and other meats are some of the most important agricultural export products of Argentina. Cattle is mainly raised in the provinces of Buenos Aires and this why they are very strict with the food we brought into their country especially meat, chicken, mutton and vegetables!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

the journey.....episode 3....eat eat eat

When we booked this trip, we already knew that it is going to be a full board meaning all inclusive. So happy we were that I made up my mind that is time is a real holiday trip for me and I don´t have to worry abbout food ! I was so happy....at last I am a real tourist!

Food is what made a person!You are what you eat! So, since it was promised that food and beverages is inclusive, I deacided to leave all my pots n pans behind. But not all, I managed to grab a few can foods and packets of 3in1 mix drinks and cereals...that´s it!

No doubt the meals served were for vegetarian and some fish and seafood, but my religion taught me that we must always look around if they serve other kinds of food and drink which are HARAM for us. Were the waiters dressed properly? This is what we always overlook. It sounds not very important but it is the most important for what we take goes straight to the blood and it carries to our children and on and on.....we always take things for granted when food is concern and we have to make a change. we have to be strict. Homecook is the best. That is why children those days are very obedient, soft spoken and well mannered.

I hate myself for not bringing my pots and pans which I normally did BUT Allah is great. He knows best! I was lucky that my friend DM and KT brought theirs. So throughtout this journey, I still manage to eat HALAL, tasty, spicy homecook food. Alhamdulillah.

To those of you, especially my family and friends, no matter who you are, what you are or where you are, just remember that Allah is near...always. Do not trust the Halal signs on the walls of a shop. Be very sure about it. Don´t end up eating HARAM food whithout realising. Stop eating out. Think of your littles ones!

Poor DM and KT had hard times with the Customs at the airport. They are very strict about the food we bring into their country. They have reasons for it and we fully understand but what we do not understand is they did ask us to fill in any declare form like most countries do!Most of their dry and wet food were cofiscated. It was so sad seeing our food dump in the rubbish bin. Oh dear....it was a heartache!But some still got thru. That is the rezeki from Allah that the six of us are sharing! Alhamdulillah.

We have to make a change for our future generations.

The journey......episode 2.... the land, the people....

The long hours flight at last took it´s toll. Buenos Aires is exactly or almost a day later then Malaysia. To adjust the watch behind time is easier compared to adjustment of your brain and eyes. Sometimes, yesterday, in the middle of walking, I thought I fell asleep! hahahha. Funny but it´s true. I was not walking anymore but behaving like zombies...awake but half asleep, eyes close and mouth open! hahahha. You can just imagine how we looked like and how we walked....dragged ourselves back to the hotel!

The city tour was a good one. One thing I can share with you is this is a beautiful city, clean and well taken care of. The parks were taken care by the universities students and upon their graduation, they will be given another cert as Professional Gardener! So, as we moved along the city, we saw beautiful parks...lots of them and all the trees were trimmed nicely and everything is always in order! This is something that we can learn. Let the youngsters love the nature and they will be better people!



Talking about youngsters..well we don´t see much of them. Wonder where they are and what they are doing. Even in shopping area, only foreigners and local adults but not the youngsters! Amazing!

Argentina is flat county which stretches around 5000 kilometers from the North to the South and only around 1000 kilometers from the West to the East which was seperated by a mountain range called the Andes. So their land are so limited! They are so very proud of their homeland and from what I can see, there are not many poor people around .... maybe one or two but they are not locals. This is because, the goverment is so rich that they take care of their poor. The good side s the poor are happy and keep on producing babies but the bad side is they refuse to get a job to upgrade their life ! Who are we to say anything but they did it!

Monday, January 23, 2012

The journey......episode 1

Jam 1.50 pagi kami menaiki pesawat 201 ke Cape Town n terus ke Buenos Aires. Azman dan Geweng sent us to KLIA. Thanks to them. we surprised IMY with a new S100 Camera which he wanted very much to captre loads of pictureque photographs in the two cities.

Flight was delayed for about an hour because they detected one kind of smeel from the cockpit but actually, I told my hsband that I did smell something ....not stinking but something smelt but he just wash my statement away. and true enough, right after my complaint, the pilot made an announcement regarding the matter....I've got good nose then! hahahhaha. 


09:49: 
local time in Malaysia.

We are now somehere  don't know where! hahahahha. we have been flying lmost 10hours now, I am glad I perform my Subuh and read Al Baqarah from ayah 133 to 211. I hope to finish reading soones possible, Again, IMY is so very happy with his new toy.


09:52: 
local time in Malaysia.

we are seated at 54B  and 54C, 54A is occupied by a young Chinese girl from China. When we had dinner last nite, I saw her eating as if she was so very hungry . Deep inside me, she must have been very hungry and waited or te good food served by MAS. By the way the food choices were,,,Rice with Chicken Curry and Beef with potato.  Nasib baik budak Cina ni tak gemuk. Kurus saja....hehehhe. Kalau tak mesti sesak aku berdua dibuatnya!

from outside the window, the beatiful horizon emerged. YA ALlah, what a beautiful sight. We are now at 34000 feet  up and see the miracles of Allah.  Subhanallah.....

From the television screen, I can see tht we have just passed Madagascar.....my mind was wondering of the animaion movie about the animals from a zoo flew back to the wild in Madagascar and was not able to adapt with the wild life and insisted of getting back home to the zoo...where they were born and taken care by the humans......hahahhahahahha...I just love watching the movie. Funny and especially the songs can really help you to throw few kilos..... 

well itis shown on the screen again that time to Capetown is 3 hours away....I'm so hungry. Wondering when are they going to serve breakfast!!! Roti Canai  n Teh Tarik maybe????Keep dreaming!!! 

The light of a new day is slowly emerging. What a beaitiful sight with the orange and red plus yellow horizon at the back and a carpet of clouds just underneath. Subhanallah!

Tetiba teringat lagu Aris Ariwatan.... bentangkan kupermaidani, 
dari baldu berwarna putih..........


10:25: 
Local time Malaysia
04.24 Cape Town...same date and 6 hours behind us,
23.27 Buenos Aires 21/01/2012

The sun is up. ...another beautiful view. If I were sitting at the widow, my battery will run out quickly because I'll be taking photograaphs every now and then.  hahahha. It is a beautiful sight.!


15:27: 
Local time in Malaysia 

Just departed from Cape Town International airport on flight 201 to Buenos Aires. They say it is anoher 8 hours to arrive at the destination. Very long hours......

The transit was hardly an hour....so not much we can do except to walk around and stretching. we really needed to do that or else you'll feel cramp all over your body. lucky me, I purchased a new sandle meant for your whole body from aching after walking alot. I had to pay RM328 for the sandle and I realy realy hope that t will serve the purpose. and because of it's thick sole, I found out that I need to walk by lifting and not dragging or else I will not feel comfortable. But,,,,so far so good.

The crew on this flight from KUL to Cape Townn and then they change new crew to the final dstination, are extreely nice. even the people in our group whom we just met for we were seated next to one another were also nice and friendly but I yet to get to know better. 

Had some photos taken at the airport and as usual, my husband is so excited using his new camera and I am so glad that he like it. Anyway, I know, one of this days, when he get bored, I will be the owner of the S100...hahahhahahha....provided he did not offer to his daughter or his son.....hahahha.

oh yes, forgot to tell you that I am starting my reading on a new novel by a late Swedish writer who managed to produce 5 novels but only 3 were published.  They called it a Milineum Series. This particular novel is the first. I am now on The Girl With the Golden Tatoo. SOunds interesting and I can say...YES! The writer died at the age of 50 at his office. Unmarried. His books were published after his death. The Girl with the Golden Tatoo was written in Swedish and translated in other languages and was Hollywood was so in love with it and made a movie about it. i am so eager to watch the movie! When??? Yet to find out.

we are now on 32000 feet in the air and 8000 km away from Buenos Aires. ETD is 1310hours. Weather??? will be informed later...hehehhehehe.


19:44:  21/01/2012!
Local tme in Buenos Aires
We are actually a day later than Malaysia. We all are time travelers!!!
It is 18.44 on the 22/01/2012

We checked in the hotel...hotel ker Rocalrta three hours ago. Had our bath n slept. I woke up fresh n hungry!!! Tonight we are going for dinner n off to a Tango dinner how . Hope we all will enjoy the show after so many hours of flying. My head was pounding.  and I felt like vomitting. Hope to feel much better after dinner. Wondering what they are serving?

Unfortunately, the hotel room is very small. Just a super king bed, a cupboard and  small space for us o move around. It's quiet today. Not much traffic because it is Sunday. Many families had  picnic under the shed of trees in parks by the highway which we Malaysian don't do...not in such venue. we will go to the waterfall, by the river or by the seaside but not by the roadside!!! nope.....never seen one!

Our tour guide is Luigi n the bus driver is Oswaldo. Both are big amd beefy and Luigi told us that beef is their main menu here in Argentina. Speaking about food, all the food brought by our friends were not allowed to be brought in by the authorities.  Pity them. All to the dustbin......they are very strict wen food is concern!

Friday, January 6, 2012

The choice is yours.......

It's been a while now. I've lost my interest in seriously watching television especially the drama series no matter what language it may be. When I was younger, when my parents were still alive, we stayed in Johor Bahru. The place called Kampung Melayu. Our house is just by the roadside....rented! Anyway, that is not the story.

For Johorians, we are lucky to watch SIngapore television channel. Those days, there were no such thing as paid tv . So it is a luxury being able to watch extra channels from a neighbouring country. I still remember watching this Chinese Mini Series Drama abaout a retarded man whose name is Fei Mo. He was a very slow learner but whatever is taught, he will use the knowledge to help him in his everyday life. He was a likeable personality and everybody love him. From what I can recall, he got married to a girl who is exactly like him and they even managed to have a child....and the stories go on and on and on.

Suddendly I realised that, it is not healthy to follow a mini series drama because it makes you want to watch the continuation the following day. Usually three days in a row...same time! this made the viewers waited patiently and even skip any appointments in between, just to watch the drama. I have been through this situation and I found that I have no life at all. Your life is right in front of the screen....very sad!

Now, no more! I've had enough. I took up reading and painting and with my grandson around, I miss those too. But I just have to be stronger and make time for my painting. Reading is a must. May it be a newpaper clip, a paper bag Novel or lately from the net. I have to say that reading is the best . It makes you think , it makes you feel as if you are in the story and most of all it creates a healthy and creative mind. I have finished the Dan Brown's novels....the Sydney Sheldon's and lighter readings by MIss Dannielle Steel. Books by the famous Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer are good to read. Through his writings, we learn the life of the nobel and poor people in that region, their believes, their strength and weakness and their cultures. The one I like most is when the writer told the story about his ancestors. Full of sadness, lies, death and tragedies.

I just have to thank my husband for his effort in making me read. I hated reading until he put a force on me. Before he left for work, he will ask me to read few pages of magazines or book and before bed, I have to tell him all about my reading. Usually I will start with what I understand and what I learn about it. Then he will come out with his long explainantions regarding the matter and always gave what is outside the box. Meaning, in writing, there is no such thing a straight forward, but what's behind it. He told me that if you read and only understand the top layer of the story, you are not reading at all, only parrots does that! Try to understand more by reading more! Thank you love!

The more you read, the more you will appreciate life and the wiser you will be. When you read, you will never feel small in meeting people. You don't have to be lawyer to know law but through reading you can make better judgement and you don't have to be an economist to understand the ups and downs of the stock market or movements of the price of gold! Well, reading will not make you an expeert in all fields but reading helps you to elevate your self asteem.Seeing and listening is never the same as reading! Just grab a book today, a light novel for a start and your life will be different! Perfecto!

Now I must find time to start painting again before my fingers start to disobey! May Allah grant me my wish to paint again and again. Insyaallah.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

The journey.............next destinations!!! (Honeymoon again!!!)

MAS decided to stop some of the popular routes.....it saddened me alot. To me, flying abroad meaning flying Malaysia Airlines. No other airlines can match ours. I have flewn quite a number of others but MAS is beyond compared. The crew are so nice and friendly. Look is something else but how you handle the passengers counts. I will miss MAS to those said destinations! But I believe, there's always a reason or reasons behind it. All the BEST to MAS.

Due to that reason, MAS made a wonderful offer to Buenos Aires and Capetown! Wooooohoooooooooo!!!!
Two of my most favourite destinations! MAS offered RM10,070.00 for 10 days to both cities inclusive of the airfare, hotels, meals, touring plus guides! So cheap!

I have been to Capetown and just love it very much. They have everything from history to nature and not forgetting the wild life..! Furthermore, Halal Food is not a problem there. Thanks to the Cape Malays. Buenos Aires, Argentina? My first time and am so excited about it.

My husband and I with another two couples will be leaving on the 22nd of January 2012....very soon!!! Hope to capture loads of photographs and not to worry, I will update my journey.

Maybe after this, before my daughter give birth, we plan to go to Guilin, China. Maybe for my husband's birthday present!!! Thought of taking a break before the hard work due to the arrival of the new addition in the family. Insyaallah. But before that, our next nearest destination is Ujung Pandang or known now as Makasar...the land of the BUgis in SUlawesi. Also our first time!

Wooooowwwwwwww......so many places to visit, so many new people to meet, so many picturesques views to capture but too little RM to spend! hahahahahahha. Wish me luck people!!!

On New Year Eve, my husband sent me few quotes by some other people or oraganisations. Here goes!

1..."Nothing is Impossible" ......Toyota
2..."Impossible is Nothing".......,Adidas
3..."People said that nothing is impossible, BUT I do nothing every day".....Winnie the Pooh

So both of us are pensioners ! We have nothng to do BUT it is not impossible!!! hahahhahahahahha.

What's new in my family.......2012

Today, is another date that my family and I should remember well.....today is Muhammad A'mmar's first day in the kindergarden. Today is a new day! After 3 long years he has been spending most of his days and nights with us, today we had to let him under someone else's care. Insyaallah. May A'mmar behave well and make us all proud and may he stay out of trouble...whatever it may be!

A'mmar and his parents just spent three weeks vacation all around Europe. Surprising, they had no trouble at all with A'mmar as the littlest passenger. He ate and slept well and no complaints at all. I am so proud of him. They flew in to Frankfurt and spent one night there. A friend's niece took them around the city and they really enjoyed their short stay there.

Then they took RyanAir to Rome and from Rome they traveled by train to Venice and had a taste of the Gondola! A'mmar has no trouble in his diet for he just love Italian food especially the pizza....of cause Margharieta Pizza and seafood pasta. That he really enjoyed eating! He put on alot of weight and looked more chubby! My cute A'mmar! Once, they all visited the Vatican City and Ammar gave one big loud salam in the church....hahahhhah. He is so himself!

After Italy they proceeded to Paris. Asim and Hana enjoyed the city very much and they have loads of beautiful photographs taken around Paris.Then they took the EuroStar to London just on time for Christmas! But that was not it, it was the Boxing Day that Hana was so looking forward to. One thing I can say about my daughter is, she is not like me when come to spending! She is so like her Ayah when come to this sense....Sense of Shopping! That I am happy for her BUT my Asim is something like me! hahhahahahahha. Life is funny right! BUT, not to forget my handsome son Azman...brand concious and just enjoy shopping......worst than me actually...hahahhahahahhah.

All my three stoogers enjoyed the cold winter but only complaint is they did not see any snow! A'mmar came home with his rosy cheek...so cute!

Then they took the train to Amsterdam via Brussel. They spent 4 nights in the city and celebrated New Year with lots of fireworks at every corners and nooks.....It's lasted for so long........

My husband and I are so happy for Hana, Asim and our grandson with their achievements in tourinng around Europe on their own meaning everything like bookings of hotels, tickets and so on, are done online here in Malaysia. Most of all, they came home safely...looked vibrant and happy.

To my daughter and family, welcome home and I pray that you will visit more places in future. May Allah bless you with good health and good wealth. Insyaallah.