NIGERIA: FC WAMCO @RadissonBlu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island (09022016)

Once awhile, I got invited to some function organised by Madam's dept. I look forward to these sort of events...be it with or without food. In terms of food, I can handle the heat to certain level with unlimited supply of Chapman (a specialty drink famous in Nigeria, non-alcoholic). I love Nkwobi (cow legs in thick, bloody spicy sauce....it's an appetiser), jolly rice with efo riro ... Soya? Bring it on....Kilishi (dried meat cut thin with spices, chilies and laxative...hahahaha...no laxative, just kidding) from Abuja is great too! I am amazed at the amount of heat these Naijas can digest. A friend of mine, Maurice said.."diabetes? No...but stomach ulcer?...just waiting to happen.."

Enough food...but the main reason I enjoy because at least I can take pictures of friends and practise at the same time. For a newbie like me (I am)...taking pictures of my friends here is a challenge. You just don't snap on a speed light (flash light) and start to take pictures. I remembered an advice from a friend back in Malaysia..he said "once speed light comes to play, setting is VERY much different"... Anyway, with the guess arriving....and after I said Hi to the official photographer for the event, I began taking pictures of the event.

J.P (2nd from right) and Franklin (left)
with friends

Ugo on the right...

RARECATION 13: AUSTRIA: Lake Atter - GERMANY: Munich

Good morning!

Today is the day (October 20th, 2015)....and we finally reached the end of our journey and go our separate ways.

Apis, Didit (with towel), Radzi and Saiful -
a very slow morning...

geronimo! 

the camping ground...

Lake Atter, note the edge where the water
immediately turns dark...a favourite spot
for scuba divers in the region

RARECATION 13: AUSTRIA : Salzburg

I did not have the slightest idea that it was Salzburg and not Vienna the movie 'Sound of Music' took place in the 60's. All thanks to TV1 or TV2 in those days. Yes, two channels only and cartoon from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on weekdays and we were already ecstatic! Children nowadays needs dedicated cartoon channels and still they complained not enough...

It was my mum and dad that got us interest in it (I mean the movie). The songs and I believe Capt. Von Trapp is just plain stern....not psychotic enough like my dad and now .....me. Anyway, how can we forget the 'Do Re Mi' song...and the eldest girl singing  'Sixteen going on Seventeen' with her boyfriend...and Julie Andrews after 'Mary Poppins' go on the become Maria in 'Sound of Music'. So this is quite a big deal for me....finally got to see the place, Salzburg.

We parked our vehicles at Lindhofstraße (sounds: Lindhofstrasse) and walked towards the Old Salzburg Town. 

Salzach River

RARECATION 13: AUSTRIA (Part 2) - Hallstatt

Morning!

A camper van locked for the night, heater on highest setting, old socks, smelly shoes...you get the idea. So opening a window first thing in the morning is welcoming. Ahh the fresh and cold autumn air in the morning is refreshing. 

It was still early...and when everyone was ready...some of us opt to take some photos by the lake. The usual suspects were already there when I arrived. But since it was a wet morning, only a handful of us by the lake and the rest were inside. The lake..was well, like a lake. But it's huge, just like Lake Como. 

Radzi, Mun and Harun (l-r)

RARECATION 13: AUSTRIA (Part 1) - Hallstatt

The route we took from Bovec to Hallstatt was quite interesting. We traced our route we took the other day back into Italy and into... Austria. Passed quite small towns along the way. Not seeing anyone outside...feels weird though.

no one around...

The monument I mentioned in the 
previous post

sorry for the angle...but monument dedicated
to Johann Hermann von Hermannsdorf by
Kaiser (Emperor) Ferdinand I

Italy!

the Slovenia and Italy side of border

one more time, back to Italy

I admit, with all the pictures...I was unsure. Unsure of the route we took..but it seemed that we were climbing higher towards the Austrian border, I guess. Most of the pictures, I had to magnify for clues and chart them on the Google Map to see the actual route. 

From the monument in Predel, we passed the area which I enjoyed the most...a zigzag. Syibli refused to drift with the camper van though. 

NIGERIA: Lagos: Lagos International Trade Fair

Every year, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a huge trade fair. Malaysia thru its MATRADE (Malaysia  External Trade Development Corporation), has an office in Lagos. Since there aren't many of us here in Nigeria (the rest are in Abuja and Port Harcourt) we are pretty close. All in all, there are about 20 of us (Malaysian) in Lagos. 

The man in charge....Saifuddin

Saifuddin is the officers's in charge of the office in Nigeria. He is also overseeing another 20 over countries in West African Region. So far, I can tell you he is indefatigable promoting Malaysia's products and technology to Nigerian business people (women here are very much enterprising too!). This year, the fair is at TBS or Tarawa Balewa Square. A big ceremonial ground that has seating capacity for 50,000 people. 

A historical place, named after the only Prime Minister of Nigeria back in the 60's. Sir (Knighted by the current Queen Elizabeth II) Alhaji (means he already went to Mecca to perform Hajj) Abubakar (his name) Tafawa Balewa (his origin, an area in Bauchi State). I found this video in youtube...take a look. He speaks very well, accent included... without looking, one might mistook him for an English gentleman rather than a very simple man, a leader of a new independent Nigeria. He is now immortalised on the 5 Naira note.

RARECATION 13: SLOVENIA - Bovec

This morning, the camper van seems to be empty. Abang Rashid and Kak Mona continued their journey from Venice straight to Prague or was it Budapest. Anyhow, this couple had traveled far and wide. During our trip, they would talk about their Switzerland trip, how they enjoyed Verona and their next visit to Jordan to visit the eldest of their children. It will be sometime when our path will cross again...InsyaAllah (Allah willing)

Anyway, the ladies and 2 men (Januar and Anz) were nice enough to cook breakfast for the whole lot of us. I think it was spaghetti and nasi lemak. Yummy!!!

coconut rice

the ladies hard at work...that must be
Che Mun's batik sarong

The top part of the small California van,
enough space for 2

RARECATION 13: Venezia (Venice)

I don't know about the rest of the team, but to me Venice or Venezia has always been in my top 10 list of places to visit. Read about it quite a number of times from various books, gathering infos and would only imagine the places  like Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sigh, San Marco's Piazza, Rialto Bridge etc. 

"he must have traveled everywhere, at least in the spirit "

 - Jules Verne describing Phileas Fogg in 'Around the World in 80 Days'

Marco Polo was from Venice, so does Tomaso Albinoni (one of my favourite composer known for 'Adagio in G Minor') and Antonio Vivaldi (also a Baroque period composer, composed '4 Seasons'), it's importance in trade between West and East, the place where spices from India arrives in Europe brought in by the Muslim traders...and of course the not popular ones like being the centre of some secret society as depicted in Lara Croft's: Tomb Raider movie and other movies as well etenerlized Venice as one of the best place to visit....hmmm put in under the headline of "Old Cities"

Anyhow, from Verona...we arrived just before Maghrib at this camping site: Camping Sporting Centre

The camping ground

Hotel and reception centre

lined up for the night...

RARECATION 13: Verona (Part 2)

Verona!

From my first observation, if you can't get to Rome....Verona certainly would be the next best thing. It has almost all of the things you might expect in an ancient Roman town. Lots of plaza, tall huge medieval walls, the Roman Arena (amphitheatre) and enough ruins (above and below ground) which I promise you, will occupy an amateur historian like me all day long. Happy is the word...

our convoy passed Chiesa (church) di San Fermo Maggiore
-picture taken from inside the camper van

We circled the town twice before our convoy parked at a public parking area near Ponte Aleardi. 

RARECATION 13: Verona (Part 1)

Luckily for the pictures that were taken during the trip, it has been months since I last wrote about the Rarecation trip. Now to start all over again, it won't be easy without the pictures.

Anyway, we left Maloja in Switzerland and arrived within the vicinity of Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) around 11pm. It was raining too. The name of the camping site was Camping Amici di Lazise (it's beside a theme park - Caneva Aquapark)

Campsite location on Google Map