Jan 10, 2009

SEARCHING FOR HOME

We wake up early on Saturday to search for rooms. The hostel prepare some breakfast. It just some bread and cereal. I get myself cereal and a bread with honey. We sit at the same table with a muslim woman. She said she’s from middle east and coming there with her baby to go to hospital.

Inzy has already send some message to house owner. However, most of them got only single room to let. I am worried if I can’t get good room. Perugia today is very cold. I think it’s because it is so windy. Everytime the wind blow, I get so cold. Not many people on street today too. We meet Ching Tat in front of university admin. The man yesterday still nowhere to be seen. Then we try to look at the house we went yesterday. Inzy ring the bell and finally a woman open the window and then she agree to open the door. She invites us in. Then Inzy ask her if her room still empty then she agree to let us stay inside the room. The room looks good to me but I have to share with Inzy. But it’s big almost the same size of my room at home. I pay the rental 220 euro.

After that, we tell her we will move tomorrow and then we go out. Inzy bring me and Ching Tat to see the surrounding, including the university. It’s tiring walking up and down the hill. At last, we decide to go to big coop near the train station. There I get myself yogurt and some apple and a chocolate bar.

Then we just go back to hostel even though it’s about 3 o’clock that time. Then we had our meal and chat.. later it’s getting dark and an Itallian family comes in. We chat sometimes and then I feel so sleepy and decide to just sleep.

The Leaving


I start my journey to the airport at around 8.15 pm.. My dad already screaming knowing that I’ll be late in things.. He worried I can’t check in at the right time. Acu’s family and Yop also join to send me. I arrive at airport around 9.. Then I call Inzy asking where she is so we can check in together. Later I just had some McDonalds with my siblings and Iwan for the last time. After that, I just check in with Inzy. My parents talk to Inzy for some things hoping she looks after me.My dad is so worried that I don’t have small bag to put my passport so he bring me to Sembonia shop and buy me a nice bag.. It can be porch or simply hang like handbag. It can fit my purse, passport, camera and handphone but it be better without my so big purse. Then I just board the Malaysia Airline plane. I got lots of bag to scan so it get a bit difficult to handle things. The plane got delay so by the time it fly, it’s already 12 midnight. There’s not many people in the plane. Most of the others are Italian. They carry cute kids with them but these kids don’t look like Italian. I conclude that they taking foster son and daughters from other country and bring back to Italy. I remember a girl that I’m not sure what’s her race, speaking Italian perfectly with her parents. And her parents carrying another baby that looks like Malay or Indonesian which I believe they just adopt. It’s weird to see such scenario. It just like looking at Angelina Jolie with all her different races children.I did sleep well in the plane because I had my heart shape pillow in pink color. So soft.. I had 2 meals too.. One at night, rice with chicken and morning.. I had my nasi lemak. They taste good. They have other side things too like bread and yogurt..All makes me feel so full. Boeing 777 got nice entertainment gadget, like a computer full with games and movies but mine is not functioning and lucky I love sleeping so I don’t bother about it so much. It’s weird that it’s night all the way from Malaysia to Italy... a 13 hours journey totally in dark.

The Arrival Day


When I arrive in Rome, the surrounding is still very dark. It’s about 6 am in morning. That time, the temperature is said to be around 5 ºc. I don’t know if actually I need to wear my winter coat. I see what the Italian do. They did take their jacket. And the plane did not stop like in KLIA, directly attach to building. It’s like the old Subang air port or LCCT that we need to feel the outside air. Coming down the plane stairs, I can feel it very cold. Lucky I bring my winter coat on the plane with me so I don’t really feel cold. It’s my first traveling abroad and my first winter. It’s the first time I feel that when I breath out. I can see the cold air like fog. It’s weird to me :p

The arrival part in Leonardo Da Vincci Air Port is not so big.. It doesn’t look like a grand place like we have in KLIA. This is the first time I see different people dressing in nice winter clothes. It’s cool the way people dress especially with skinny jeans and leather boot on top of jeans. I envy them for their good dressing. I go to the toilet and here, the toilet didn’t have water tap or bidet. So I have to get use with using the tissue paper.

We wait 2 hours to reach 9.00 o’clock.. The Sulga bus from Rome to Perugia arrive across the street of the arrival air port at 9.00. Lucky we manage to catch the bus. It written Asissi at the bus body but at the front mirror screen that show the direction is written with Perugia. At first, there is only three of us, me, Inzy and Ching Tat with an Italian man. I really thought that there’ll be only us and the bus is not that popular. But then the bus start to turn to Rome bus centre and we wait there sometimes for the other passengers. At around 10 plus, the bus start the journey to Perugia. I didn’t got chance to see the real Rome. The part that I see is not really different. Yes they got some interesting old structure but what I see is mostly modern design building. Later when the bus reach highway, I can see lots of sheep grazing. There’s also some cows which look the same like in the Fernleaf milk tv advertisement. It’s pretty interesting scenery to me since I never see such view. There is also beautiful high mountains with white snow on the top of it. When we far from Rome and near to Perugia.. we can see thick… very thick fog. The view distance start to reduce. I think it probably so cold outside.

Then we reach Perugia. It’s around 12.30 pm that time. And it is cold in Perugia. Even with winter coat I still can feel the cold. After I get all the stuff comes down from the Sulga bus, Inzy start to search for Mario Spagnoli hostel in a map at the bus station. But we didn’t see any sign of it. Lucky I’ve written down the address. The hostel is at Via Cartonese. Even though Inzy has been here, she’s too not sure how to get to the hostel because she never stay at the hostel. Inzy can speak Italian so she ask a man there and he told her that we should wait for a bus at across the roundabout. The bus should be G.. So we carry our bag crossing the road.. I feel so difficult to handle all my stuff but trying my best, I can manage so.

When we reach at the stop, we just wait there. Inzy ask a man there is it the right place to wait for bus and he said yes but we should buy ticket at another place or we have to pay more for fine. We both don’t feel like crossing the road with all the stuff anymore so we decide to just pay whatever the price. After that, a G3 bus pass and we just look at it wonder if that the correct bus. Then afterward we check back the bus route at the board there.. it say we can take any G bus.. G1, G2,G3.. because all of them will pass Via Cartonese.. So we wait and wait.. 2 G bus pass but it stop at the other side. Inzy is not satisfied then she ask a woman there about it. But she said it is Ok to wait at this place because it’s the right place. Not long after that, the bus stop..

The bus floor is about the same level of the side walk so it’s not so difficult to get the bag on the bus but the bag is so heavy. Inzy bought two ticket from the driver. The price is 1,50 euro for a ticket. The bus going around Perugia, far from the centre. When we think that we have been far, and no one inside the bus except us, Inzy ask the bus conductor did he’s going to stop in front of Mario Spagnoli hostel. He said he’ll stop somewhere there. It’s weird that the bus driver stop and park his bus sometimes for smoking but Inzy said they sometimes did that. Only after that he continue driving. Finally, he did stop exactly in front of the hostel. Inzy ask me if I think it’s the correct one.. I said maybe because it’s the same as in the internet picture. She said that the hostel staff told her that it’s near the centre but it’s actually not .

The hostel entrance door is quite far from the main road so we have to pull our bag all the way from the main road to the hostel. The road by the time we arrive got path lope with water so it’s quite dirty for our bag and it’s quite hard to avoid the path lope. The hostel staff are very nice. After they give us the room number and bedsheet, we go upstairs to get things settle. Inzy said it still early so it be good if we go out and see advertisement for the house rent. I just agree with her. After all, we still haven’t had our meal since in the flight. After paying for a night stay, we go to the town centre by Metro.

Metro is actually a small train like the LRT but so small.. It works fully computerize. Not a single staff works to run the metro. It is much convenient than bus. There is so many of it that we don’t have to wait long for it to come. It’s three plus when we get to Perugia centre. I follow Inzy to walk along small path looking for advertisement for room. All advertisement that I saw is in Italian which I don’t really understand. Inzy pick several numbers. She also shows me the place she previously stay and ring the bell. But no one is coming. We also meet a man that Inzy know has room to rent but she said her friends did complain about the room. But we just agree to take a look tomorrow.Then we just have our dinner in a pub café. I had Italian risotto with seafood. So tired, then w e go back to the hostel to sleep.

It was only 8 when we reach our hostel. But since in Malaysia is already sleep time, I got so sleepy. In Perugia, at 5.30, the sky is already dark. So at 8.. I feel so ready to sleep. There is another person in my room other than me and Inzy. She comes in and we talk a bit. She is a Russian and traveling alone. Then I just sleep..

The Preparation


There’s a lot of things I’ve been thinking before going to Perugia. It be cold there and I never experience anything like that. I need lots of sweater but it be heavy and the bag will not be enough. All those things come to my mind. I have no good camera too. Iwan is so kind.. There’s a day he get me all the stuff I wanted. He buy me a gold ring so that I will remember that he always wait for me and a nice sony camera. I luv the camera so much and sure I’m going to use it well. He also give me a back pack so I can use it whenever I want. The other day I go to the embassy and get to know the person going with me, there’s a girl age around 28 name InZy. Lucky she’s not the first timer so I get her phone number and hope that she will help me. I go out with Iwan several time so we watch some movie and even watch the new year firework.. It’s so pretty. The whole last week I try my best to figure out what to bring and end up with so many things.. include food. Yes, I’m quite worried that I can’t eat this and that. At last I just board the plane.. trying not to get worried over everything… ?