Is Paris Really That Romantic and Classy?

First of all, the media (TV, movies, books) and advertising marketing really has done a great job in portraying Paris as the most romantic city in the world. No wonder it ranks as the top tourist destination.

But is Paris truly as what you see and hear from the media? Have you heard the term "Paris Syndrome"? It is a transient mental disorder in describing an extreme cultural shock to some tourists that Paris is absolutely nothing like what they expected it to be.

Here's the truth, not everyone smells like Chanel No.5, not everyone dressed like they walked off a ccatwalk on the street, and not all the places are clean.

Even the Parisians complain about their own city, so what do you as a foreign tourist expect the city to be like with millions of tourists flocking to the capital of France? Paris, just like any other city in the world, has its share of homeless people sleeping on the street or park, pickpockets in tourist spots, people trying to scam you with roses, hand bracelet in exchange of some money from you.

The metro and buses are old and dirty, not every metro station is new, most of the tunnels are dark, unlit with lights, some with graffiti on the walls and inside the train. When I was there, I have experienced metro breakdown, smoke coming out resulting in sudden stop and all passengers have to step out to the platform, the labour union strike making no train available, and many more.

These are the things that you will only experience first-hand if you're there. Honestly, every city in the world has its beauty and ugly side to it, so my advice is, don't go to Paris expecting it to be all romantic and classy or you'll be disappointed when the truth hits you.

Paris has many beautiful historical architecture, great food, huge park for you to walk and relax, and the locals that I met are very helpful whenever I'm lost asking for direction. On the first day after reaching the city centre from the airport, the metro that I was supposed to take to my hostel was not running so I had to take a bus but I didn't know where's the bus stop and what bus number to take. A local woman took me to the bus stop and told me to wait for bus number 31 and my destination is the 4th stop.

It was so kind of her and I'm so grateful and thankful for her help. So, like I said, there are always both sides to everything in this world. If you're planning to visit Paris, just go with an open mind and enjoy every moment with a positive mindset.

Countries That Malaysian Do Not Need Visa To Visit

In a news article published by The Star on January 2018, Malaysian passport ranked the 4th most powerful in Asia and no. 12 in the world according to The Henley Passport Index which allows Malaysians to travel to 166 countries visa-free.


LIST OF COUNTRIES THAT MALAYSIANS MAY VISIT VISA-FREE

1. Albania
2. Algeria
3. Andorra*
4. Anguilla
5. Antigua/Barbuda
6. Argentina
7. Austria
8. Bahamas
9. Bangladesh (visa on arrival, fee USD 51)
10. Barbados
11. Belarus
12. Belgium
13. Belize
14. Bermuda
15. Bolivia (visa on arrival)
16. Bosnia-Herzegovina/Sarajevo
17. Bostwana
18. Brazil
19. British Virgin Islands
20. Brunei
21. Bulgaria
22. Cambodia
23. Cape Verde (visa on arrival)
24. Cayman Islands
25. Chile*
26. Colombia
27. Comoros (visa on arrival)
28. Cook Island*
29. Costa Rica
30. Croatia
31. Cuba
32. Curacao
33. Cyprus
34. Czech Republic
35. Denmark
36. Dominica
37. Dominican Republic
38. Ecuador*
39. Egypt*
40. El Savador
41. Estonia
42. Faroe Islands
43. Fiji
44. Finland
45. France
46. French Guiana
47. Gambia
48. Georgia
49. Germany
50. Gibraltar
51. Greece
52. Grenada
53. Guatemala
54. Guam
55. Guinea-Bissau (visa on arrival)
56. Guyana
57. Haiti
58. Honduras
59. Hong Kong
60. Hungary
61. Iceland
62. Indonesia
63. Iran
64. Ireland
65. Isle of Man
66. Italy (Official Visit requires visa)
67. Jamaica
68. Japan
69. Jersey
70. Kazakhstan
71. Kenya*
72. Kiribati
73. Kish Island
74. Kosovo
75. Kuwait (visa on arrival, fee KWD 3)
76. Kyrgystan
77. Laos
78. Latvia
79. Lebanon (visa on arrival, must NOT have Israeli visa or stamp in the passport)
80. Leeman Islands
81. Lesotho
82. Liechtenstein
83. Lithuania
84. Luxembourg
85. Macau
86. Macedonia
87. Madagascar (visa on arrival, must have return/onward ticket)
88. Malawi
89. Maldives (visa on arrival, must have hotel reservation)
90. Malta
91. Marshall Islands (visa on arrival)
92. Mauritania (visa on arrival)
93. Mauritius
94. Mexico
95. Micronesia
96. Moldova
97. Monaco
98. Mongolia
99. Montenegro
100. Morocco
101. Montserrat
102. Mozambique (visa on arrival, must have onward ticket)
103. Namibia
104. Nauru
105. Nepal (visa on arrival, fee USD 15)
106. Netherlands
107. New Zealand
108. Nicaragua
109. Niue*
110. Norfolk Island*
111. N. Mariana Islands*
112. Norway
113. Palestine
114. Palau (visa on arrival)
115. Papua New Guinea (visa on arrival, must arrive through Port Moresby (POM) or Rabau (RAB) airports)
116. Peru
117. Philippines
118. Poland
119. Portugal
120. Qatar
121. Romania
122. Rwanda (visa on arrival)
123. Samoa* (Entry Permit on arrival)
124. San Marino
125. Senegal*
126. Seychelles (Visitor's Permit on arrival)
127. Singapore
128. Slovakia
129. Slovenia
130. Solomon Islands
131. Somalia* (visa on arrival)
132. South Africa 
133. South Korea
134. Spain
135. Sri Lanka (visa on arrival)
136. St. Kitts-Nevis
137. St. Lucia (visa on arrival)
138. St. Vincent & Grenainnes
139. Sudan* (visa on arrival)
140. Surinam
141. Swaziland
142. Sweden
143. Switzerland
144. Taiwan
145. Tanzania*
146. Thailand
147. Timor-Leste (visa on arrival)
148. Togo* (visa on arrival)
149. Tonga (visa on arrival)
150. Trinidad & Tobago
151. Tunisia
152. Turkey
153. Tuvalu (visa on arrival)
154. Uganda* (visa on arrival, e-visa may be obtained online before departure)
155. Ukraine (visa on arrival, Visa on arrival for business or tourism purposes is available at Kyiv Boryspil Airport, Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) and Odessa International Airport)
156. United Arab Emirates (Dubai & Abu Dhabi) (visa on arrival)
157. United Kingdom
158. Uruguay
159. Uzbekistan
160. Vanuatu
161. Vatican City
162. Venezuela
163. Vietnam
164. Yemen (visa on arrival)
165. Zambia*
166. Zimbabwe

*COUNTRIES CLASSIFIED UNDER YELLOW FEVER INFECTED/ENDEMIC

REMINDER: The countries listed here are correct at the time of publication. You are encouraged to check again with the embassy of the country you want to visit to know if you need to apply for a visa to enter prior to departure.

How Much Is Food and Public Transport in Europe?

Since I just came back from my Europe trip, I can share the price of food and public transport fares with you. The price in RM is based on the currency exchange rate of €1.00 = RM4.765


FOOD

• Pasta: range from €7.50 -- €18 / RM35.80 -- RM85.80 (depending on the whether it's a small shop by the corner or a fancy restaurant in the city centre)
• Sandwich at supermarket: €2.30 -- €5.30 / RM11 -- RM25.30 (depending on if it's a ham sandwich, tuna sandwich, chicken and egg sandwich, etc.)
• A bottle of mineral water (1.5L): €0.62 -- €2.00 / RM 2.95 -- RM9.53 (depending on which brand you're buying)
• A can of Coke (300ml): €1.50 / RM7.15

REMINDER: Always remember to bring along your own bag or reusable/recycle bag when you buy groceries or food in supermarket because they charge you around €0.15 / RM0.71 for one plastic bag.

Metro/Subway ticket is valid for one hour on that day only. If you're taking the metro to go back to your hotel after one hour from your first purchase, you have to buy another ticket.

• Paris: €1.90 / RM 9.05
• Brussels: €2.10 / RM10
• Amsterdam: €3.00 / RM14.30
• Milan: €1.50 / RM7.15
• Express train from Paris CDG Airport to city centre: €10.30 / RM49.08
• Express train from city centre Amsterdam Centraal station to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport: €5.30 / RM25.25
• Express train from city centre to Milan Malpensa Airport: €13.00 / RM62

REMINDER: All tickets in every city need to be validated. Some are validated by the ticket machine when you purchase it, in other cities, you have to validate the ticket by touching the sensor in the metro, tram, or bus and others are validated when you insert the ticket into the gate barrier to get through it.

In Amsterdam, the public transport there is going towards a cashless movement where you cannot buy tickets inside the bus or tram anymore. You cannot buy when you board the bus, tram, metro. You MUST buy from a ticket machine or at the ticket counter in advance and ticket machines DO NOT ACCEPT CASH. The machine only accepts coins, credit/debit card. So, it's safe to bring along your credit card and please make sure it can be used overseas without your bank blocking the transactions.