Sunday, March 29, 2009

Zurich Trip - 2

Just have to write down more of my experiences while in Zurich....short and sweet..next time insyaállah we will go to the Alps etc...but this time without any of the kids we feel it's not justifiable...



  • If you couldn't find the gifts shop in town..these are the few at the airport....Downtown Zurich and at the Main Train Station you can find Heimatwerk House of Crafts & Plaza under the main train station..





    • Teuscher is a boutique chocolate shoppe..at first I thought it was a flower shop but than.... Another famous choc shoppe is Springli....I misplaced it's photo somewhere..


  • I was very..very impressed whenever wanna cross the road at zebra-crossing..if berdiri tercegat kat tengah or tepi jalan sbb takut tengok kereta laju...kereta2 tu akan berhenti at the zebra-crossing to let you cross walaupun tadi dia laju..sure driver tu dok ingat.. hmm..alien dia orang ni to our country so tak tau undang2...

    • The bus will almost always come to your stop at the said time.... Tak payah nak tunggu awal sikit just in-case dia awal..tak payah nak kejar if terlepas..just wait for the next one. If you know the stops..bus/trams/trains..it is easy to switch transport mode to go where you want....


    • I almost always have to remove my jackets and shoes at the "checking"gate sebab trigger the alarm...so make sure..get rid of your clips, brooches, etc... Dont forget to pakai decent last piece of clothing under jacket just incase dia surung bukak and nanti tinggal tanktop je pulak..I also experience this while taking the Eurostar from London to Paris....urghh..takde apa2 pun..myb my body static charge is high..Zayd yang ada pacemaker pun tak bunyi...


    • Bawak siap2 charger/adapter...batteries....nak beli mahal juga lah bila dah convert... the 2 pin plug type is small 2 rounds..just like some of the handphone charger...


    • I love sitting on the benches all over town and watch people move around....One thing I see.. almost 2/5 people-female having an LV bag..mengancam betuii... is it that cheap here in Zurich..I wonder...mid-size shopping bag dia at the LV boutique on Bahnhofnstrasse cost CHF880....I forgot to check KL or UK price so tak leh kata apa2...


  • Almost 1 in 3 cars will be either a BMW or Audi. Mercs are taxi while not many American cars...although I saw same JEEP like mine while walking near the lake.




    • The shopping anchor like Jemoli, Globus, Manor etc...costs of things on the high side.. probably branded items...shopping complex like Migros, Co-Op is lower price tapi tak murah jugak...but if nak beli chocolates yang normal type..pergi lah to Migros or Co-Op...same type at Jemoli may cost CHF2 more... Can you see the lemon grass, bak choy, chillies etc....?? These can be bought at jemoli's..I'm sure it can be found elsewhere too..only I did not explore enough...We did however find some Malaysian foodstuffs at Co-Op & Migros...


    • Almost all shopping centers have an area where they sell colorful prints paper products.. ber-rak2...of serviettes..wrapping paper...table covers...I am crazy about this things too..but limited to purchase....boleh tengok2 and usik2 je..arghh...


    • I don't find Royal Albert or Royal Doulton..Vileroy&Boch adalah...Ingat nak cari teapot tapi tak jumpa yg deserve to be bought...Nak cari lace table cloth pun takde...dapat lace hand-kerchief je itupun dah CHF33


    • Gift stores...puas berjalan mencari...actually banyak at the Zurich airport itself...in town you can find a few also like Hematwerk, Elderwise & Tourist Center at Main train station.. plus the shopping plaza under the main train station.


    • I love going on the trams....sbb punctual and organized...

    • Makan2...ada few fast-food like Mc-D, small stalls in Jemoli with Thai, Indian, Japanese food. A Thai stall outside of Globus facing Mc-D, park & Bahnhofnstrasse... Seafood Restaurant at Main Train station...expect to spend between CHF20~CHF50 per person per meal depending where and what you eat...Along the Limattquai and near Central.. there's an Asian food shop also... Otherwise..you can survive on fruits, pretzel, bread, chocs etc....


    • Our first food stop was Grut Farm..which was near the hotel and the school...you can get ice-tea...refillable fried chicken wings..rice&vegetables thai style...We got confuse on deciding the male&female toilet..he...he...While crossing the road to get to the restaurant..we met a Malaysian boy who upon passing us..say te salaam..I responded and asked where he was from...says he's Ädi"and dad working for Alpha.. something.. that's abt all I can recall...it was a nice surprise though in the middle of a foreign land..




The hotel where we stayed..convenient and cheaper...



  • Guess?? Which is male / female toilet..Is it obvious to you...?

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Zurich Trip....































































Had a lovely time in Zurich..mainly the weather was nice. We planned to go up the Alps with some of the tour but end up canceling coz'the kids were not with us. They were busy practising.. so looks like planning another trip here someday. The transportation was good for goin around... the food that we can take were available...but only $$$$ pretty expensives most things if you converted the value.
Since only the two of us were roaming the town...so the photos will be full with only either one of us..he..he.. My father-in-law called us while we were at the bridge above & he was confuse when he asked where we were. We always have our Maxis hp roaming...

Monday, March 02, 2009

AMIS Honor band Zurich Feb. 25~28th.

Concert Nite ~28th. Feb.2009

B4 Performance the School Assembly ~27th. Feb 2009

After the Concert Nite~Smiling Zayd





Hannah, ACS Student , Mabry Jackson

THe Dhahran School Grp. of 10...



The kids attending from Saudi Aramco School in Dhahran....


Bahrain...What To DoThere?

Usually on the weekends..Thursday & Friday for Saudi's...many people from the Eastern Province will drive thru the causeway to go to Bahrain. This will take about 45mins depending on the traffic..sometimes on school holidays..the queue on the causeway can be up to 4hrs. As such, this is an important factorto note if you plan to take a flight out from Bahrain. Anyway... while in Bahrain, what can you do or where can you go :-

  • Shopping complexes are many in Bahrain...the most congested I believe will be in Seef Mall..near the Seef District...Seef Mall has 2 cinemas plus many food stalls/restaurant and shops with varieties..plus its new extension having more shops...parking can be a hassle on weekends especially...but go early in the morning...along the highway back to saudi from Manama city center. Beside Seef Mall..adjacent will be Al-Ali mall where many many branded boutiques are here.
  • There's also a brand new shopping complex along the same highway before reaching Seef Mall too...here you will have stores like Debenhams, H&M etc...forgot its name...City or Central Center or something.
  • Bahrain mall which is opposite to Seef Mall is where we always frequent bcos Geant is there..we can do our groceries shopping where many oriental items are avaiable plus..they have food courts and of course more shops...parking is easier too. Applebees restaurant is just outside the mall..near entrance. Further down the same road will be Dana Mall where there's a cinema too and Giant stores...
  • Downton is where the Souq is...more traditional kind of shops in the Manama area...park somewhere near the Intercontinental Hotel..and walk to the area. Gol Souq is also nearby..you can get Bahraini pearls here...

Enough about shopping complexes and souqs.....Some attractions in Bahrain will be :-

  • The Tree of Life ..a very very old tree...myb hundreds of years...many people visit just to see how it is...I haven't been here coz' we lost our way there..
  • The Quran museum...
  • the Grand Mosque..
  • The forts..they have a few forts to remind of yesteryears..Arad & Bahrain forts...
  • Delmont Water Theme Park
  • Handicraft centers for Bahraini culture
  • Dolphin Water shows near the corniche...

Basically...that's about it..as you arrived in Bahrain...pick up some maps at the airport. Probably it will have more information. But for me I love the area between the Diplomatic water edge towards Muharraq / airport...as the beach cove is beautiful with small boats and water edge... I just love the scenery...