While I was in Dublin, I had the chance to visit Dublin’s top attraction, which is the Guinness Storehouse. It’s the number one visitor attraction over there. A must visit!

Consider yourself lucky (if you haven’t been there) as kenwooi.com will bring you on another virtual tour!

An entrance fee of €13.50 (RM67.50) will be charged for an adult. But since I had my Dublin Pass with me, it’s free. Actually paid lah since the pass cost €44.00 (RM220.00).

The adventure begins the moment you walk through the door and into the building’s giant, pint-shaped heart of glass. This 7-story building is dedicated to the history of making of this world’s famous beer.

At the ground floor, there is a retail store selling all kinds of Guinness merchandises. I didn’t buy much though, but I got a wallet for dad.

Leather wallet – his favourite but he’s not using it anyway.

The tour starts at level 1, where the Master Brewer guides us step by step through the brewing process.

Do you know that barley is one of the main ingredients of producing Guinness? I don’t know about that until the visit. *Okay I admit I’m not a Guinness fan*

Barley is malted, roasted, milled, mixed with hot water and mashed, then the liquid is filtered off and boiled. Yeast will be added and the fermentation begins.

The next station is the tasting laboratory, where you can sample the finished product.

After that, the Guinness Advertising area is on the 2nd floor. Guinness has certainly left its mark on the history of advertising world wide.

Black is beautiful.

I’m not sure whether Guinness is really good for me, but it’s definitely good for the Irish. They drink Guinness all day, just like how we drink water.

And at the 3rd floor is the Brewery Life. The tradition of Guinness continues in which you learn stories, see how your body responds to alcohol and quiz yourself.

I tried the Drink IQ quiz but I forgot how I scored. I think I “whacked” all the answers. =P

Then at one of the later floors, there’s a place where you can pour your own pint of perfect Guinness.

I didn’t try that though, and then continued to the Gravity Bar – located at the 7th and highest floor in the building.

With the bottom portion of the entrance ticket, each visitor can enjoy a complimentary pint of Guinness.

And at the same time, drinking with the unique 360° panoramic view of Dublin city. It was almost sunset when I reached the top.

The bar was very crowded, everyone was holding a pint in their hand.

These are what they claim Guinness at its best, because it’s freshly brewed.

My pint of Guinness and I.

Just look – so creamy and delicate. It’s actually Guinness Draught, not Stout. I personally find Guinness Stout unbearable! Guinness Draught on the other hand, was good!

I don’t like drinking but I managed to finish up my pint.

I finished it at one go, you know. Pro right? But I felt a little, just a little, dizzy after that. Yeah yeah, I’m a noob drinker. =/

Anyway, ever since I left Dublin, I’ve yet to savor another Guinness. That’s why this experience is definitely an unforgettable one!

Just look at how I savored every “amazing” drop of Guinness at Dublin!

Okay, that’s not one of my best personal photos.

So yeah, that’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour, specially brought to you by kenwooi.com!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! *some Irish tune starts* =)

I don’t know whether it’s official or not, but apparently the dim sum here in Manchester is quite famous. And it’s located at its China Town.

Manhester’s China Town is located in the middle of the city. It’s a walking distance from any parts of the city.

The interesting about the place is that once you stepped into the area, it looks more like “Shangchester” than the UK-ish Manchester. All you see is mostly Chinese people and decorations.

Anyway, off to the famous dim sum restaurant.

The Pacific Restaurant!

The first thing I noticed was it wasn’t crowded at all, unlike Ipoh’s famous Foh San. The restaurant was really quiet and high-class.

At the table, the waiter presented the menu. Unfortunately I can’t read a single thing because I’m a “banana“. I wonder how the local Englishmen here make their order. Perhaps they have English menus as well, but since a group of Chinese comes in – they give Chinese menu. Stereotypes!

Anyway, here’s what my friends and I ordered for lunch!

Char siew pao – Barbecued pork buns.

Hou dai ge har gao – Really huge prawn dumplings.

Salad fried prawn wantons. *My favourite!*

Fried meat wantons. Yeah, looks different over here in UK huh?

Steamed meat wantons.

Custard buns. Delicious!

Some porridge.

Wu gok – Fried taro dumplings.

You know what – “Taro” reminds me of Ultraman Taro! Maybe in one of the series, the mighty Ultraman Taro “teeeetttttt!” the monsters with his Taro Dumplings!

Okay lame, I know.

And yeah, siew mai – Traditional Chinese dumplings.

Overall the food was pretty good. The whole meal cost 4 of us ₤8.00 (RM44.80) each, totaling up to ₤32.00 (RM179.20). Yeah I know – “super expensive!” – but I think it’s worth it (in Manchester only lah). =)

On an unrelated note – I think the China Town in Manchester is too Chinese!

Too Chinese that one of the Chinese citizen has THIS…

…for his car’s number plate!

So awesome! I want mine as “WOOI MR” too! =D

So after a long day of walking, I always look forward to going back to Dieu!

P/S: Ask a Chinese friend if you don’t know what I mean. ;)

Ever since I came back from Europe, I sometimes reminisce about the going-to-UK journey. It was really an experience. Mum said that I’m so lucky to be able to visit Europe at such an age. Yes thanks mum, and dad as well.

Anyway, regarding my 12-hours flight from KLIA to London, and also a little from London to Leeds.

I reached KLIA and passed the security border quite early. To be honest, I was very excited.

When I saw the MAS plane, I got more excited. So this was the plane that took me half way across the globe.

On the other hand, I was pretty nervous. Have you watched Final Destination 1? The plane KABOOM after taking off?

Okay I sound insane, but the took off was successful. And that’s when I told myself “Europe, here I come!”.

12-hours on a flight was quite an experience. It felt like ages – you keep looking forward to reaching London but when you look at the time – 11 hours 30 minutes to go. Why so slow wan?

This was the screen that accompanied me most of the time. I watched movies with it, check flight details and stared blankly at it as well.

One of my meals during the flight.

Magnum Mini too.

And more snacks given to eat, probably to kill time. But I took at most 2 minutes to finish them up.

I couldn’t sleep much since it was a morning flight. Hence, the 12-hours on board is actually 12 hours of day time in Malaysia. Perhaps just a short nap.

I even tried to beat the computer in chess several times. And look! I managed to win the computer gamer in the end! It’s not easy to outsmart Artificial Intelligence you know. =P

Also, all passengers to UK are required to fill up the UK Border Agency Landing Card.

I didn’t have a pen with me, and the lady beside was kind enough to lend one. Don’t think she’ll read this though. Aiya, should’ve told her I’m blogging on kenwooi.com! =P

Anyway, the plane landed safely at Heathrow Airport at about 3.45pm UK time.

By the time it touched down at London, it was almost sunset. By the way, did you know that during Winter season, the sun sets at 4pm? Yes, it does.

And as I walked out from the plane, I can feel the cold atmosphere immediately. It’s definitely not because of some mega air-conditioner, it’s the temperature.

After retrieving the luggage, I went straight to London Underground station – to take a train to Kings Cross Station.

Without an Oyster Card, a flat rate of ₤4.00 (RM22.40) will be charged to any destination in London.

Anyway, it took almost an hour to reach Kings Cross Station.

So yes, this is the famous Kings Cross, where Harry Potter and His 9 3/4 Platform was filmed.

I can vividly remember being there for 2 hours, waiting for my train. I sat, looked at the ang mohs and wondered how long more I’ve to wait. Took ages as well.

The ticket issued for the trains are pretty cool. In fact, I’m still keeping all the train tickets I used over there. For memories, no doubt.

As for the journey to Leeds, it took about 2 hours.

So in the train, all I did was wait – again.

Oh yeah, I received an e-mail from East Coast trains recently. Boy, that made me miss traveling about UK with trains.

Then, at approximately 11pm UK time (7am in Malaysia, the next day) I finally reached my final destination – Leeds!

In the end, after about 24 hours of moving around the globe, I was finally able to rest!

As I’m typing this entry, I really wish I can experience this amazing journey all over again. But unfortunately, all I can do now is to…

Look back and smile that it happened. =)

That’s why all cigarette manufactures are enforced to include “ugly” pictures on the packs. Basically, to discourage, and hopefully halt, smokers from smoking.

Here are some of my cigarette packs the common pictures we come across.

Charcoal-like lungs.

Miscarriages make babies look like aliens.

A set of disgusting teeth on Ken.

Eh no, I meant Kent.

For the smoking ladies, premature birth of your baby.

A hole on the neck so that food can be swallowed with it as well.

Last but not least, awesome deformation on the feet.

However, such effort to reduce smoking does not only revolve in Malaysia. Even the government in UK has its own method to curb this phenomenon.

But unlike Malaysia, the UK doesn’t beat around the bush.

They are, yeah, straight to the point. Smoking kills!

P/S: I don’t smoke okay. =)

But a visit to this spectacular museum will make you think again!

Here’s what was displayed at staircase heading to the exhibition. Seriously, the arrangement of weapons is just fascinating!

Anyway, there are 5 galleries to explore – War, Tournament, Oriental, Self-Defense and Hunting.

In the War Gallery, the first exhibition was some naked men. Yeah, it started with how human learned to fight without clothes.

A miniature of a catapult – reminds me of Age of Empires computer game. I always use this to destroy walls and castles!

Basically it’s about how human warfare evolve during the Middle Ages. And when gun powder was discovered and improvised, the machine guns were created.

All sorts of machine guns are available, cool right?

Makes me feel like handling one and shooting at crazy zombies in Left 4 Dead 2!

AHHHH… DIE ZOMBIES! DIE!

Anyway, while walking around the gallery, here’s what was spotted.

A Star Wars Stormtrooper trapped in a glass case. Weapons and characters that exist in fictional movies are also displayed huh.

Besides that, interactive displays are located everywhere, therefore allowing visitors to experience hands on with the history.

Cool idea. Touch the screen to start but there’s no screen at all. Interactive screen FAIL!

By the way, I personally think this is funny. Look.

This is the guy from the year 1400.

Then it’s the same guy in 1700. Still alive eh.

And then in 2000 – it’s still the exact same guy! He’s still alive and kickin!

Okay, I know it’s the same guy, probably some employee. But to think that he lived through 600 years in the presentation is just funny! No?

The Tournament Gallery includes weapons for tournaments ages ago.

There is a display of guns for clay-pigeon shooting. I’ve seen the digital version in gaming arcades.

And figures for jousting tournaments.

Then, more guns can be seen at the Hunting Gallery. You know, looking at the rifles made me feel like taking one, hunt down some Zombies and shoot the hell out of them!

DIEEEE! RAWRRRR!

Okay, enough of zombies.

Afterwards, we proceeded to the Oriental Gallery, where weaponry from Asia is featured.

The display mainly features the Japanese with their monster-looking headgear and samurai swords.

Another prominent feature is the traditional daggers, also known as keris by the natives.

All in all, there are lots more to be seen than what I’ve shared here. The visit took almost 3 hours, just imagine how large it is.

And towards the end, we were greeted by a body armour.

Something’s definitely not right about it.

What’s that round thing bulging out between the legs?

So I experimented it and yes, it’s the well-known legendary… wait for it…

BALL OF STEEL!

But not a serious hardcore fan till the extent of hugging Manchester United’s crest on their home stand.

Err… Okay, maybe. I admit.

Anyway, welcome to Old Trafford – the almighty Manchester United’s stadium!

Today, kenwooi.com will bring you on a virtual stadium tour, especially for those who have always wanted to visit the Theatre of Dreams.

The Museum and Tour cost ₤12.50 (RM70.25) for an adult. Well, technically I’m no longer a student when I went to Europe, but thanks to a friend – I got student price, at ₤8.50 (RM47.70). ;)

The ticket comes in a form of a tag, where you can wear around your neck during the tour.

Okay let’s get started with the virtual tour.

As I enter the North Stand, I felt a rush of excitement. It’s not like I get to visit a UEFA 5-star rated stadium anytime right?

Strentford End, also known as the West Stand, is probably the best known stand in Old Trafford. According to the guide, it’s where all the hardcore MU fans are located during matches.

Then we were brought to the South Stand. From there, the name “Manchester United” can be seen on the seats at the North Stand. The view was pretty amazing!

And can you notice the white objects with yellow light on the field? They’re actually equipments that act as artificial sunlight for the grass due to lack of sunlight during the Winter season.

After that is the chill-out room. It’s the place where MU players gather and relax with their wives and girlfriends (WAGs) before and after a match.

Then, the home dressing room.

Pretty spacious, but the jerseys displayed are fake jerseys. Manchester United also endorse pirated stuff eh? Or perhaps they’re afraid that not-so-hardcore fan like me will steal them.

Anyway, these are the loyal Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes’ pirated jerseys.

With Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney’s pirated jerseys as well.

By the way, regarding Michael Owen. Did you come across this picture circulating around the Internet?

I think Owen did that in one of the Old Trafford’s toilets. =P

Okay back to the tour. Then it’s the tunnel where players run out to the field every match.

During the tour, a recorded fan cheer is played to give us a feel of running out during matches, just like what the players experience. So I ran out…

…and yes! I’m in the magnificent Old Trafford!

The whole tour was about an hour, I definitely enjoyed it. Oh yeah, every participant will be given a certificate by Manchester United at the end.

Signed by Alex Ferguson, you know. Don’t play play. But it’s fake too, since it was printed over and over again.

After the tour, I went to the museum. The museum consists of 3 floors.

Nothing much though. Just the club’s history, trophies and more silverware.

And also a wall of all the Manchester United’s players.

I spend quite some time around the gift shop as well, searching for MU merchandises to buy.

There are many to choose from and I bought some key chains, a mug and a shirt with the phrase “Best of the Best” on it. =)

Anyway, here’s a free advertisement for Manchester United.

Visit their website @ manutd.com!

And yeah, did you know that kenwooi.com is also a proud sponsor of Manchester United? Take a look!

So now you know! Cool right? =)

So, here are some boring things related to my week of boredom.

1) I love pineapple tarts! *Nom nom*

Pineapple tarts will always be the best cookie during CNY! *Nom nom nom*

2) As usual, a day trip to Taiping to visit relatives.

Taiping was so damn hot, totally spoiled the mood!

Oh yeah, the most frequent phrase I hear every CNY is “Ah Ken, big already lor!”. Big doesn’t mean fat okay…

3) Met up with high school friends from St. Michael’s Insitution, Ipoh.

All also BIG already lor!

We shared and talked about funny incidents that happened years ago. It’s always interesting to reminisce the past. Those were the days…

Some notable bloggers in that group are Guo Zheng from Three, Two, One… SNAP and Jared Ee from The Awesomesauce Times.

4) The week was too boring, that I took pictures of my boxer dog cleaning her…

…no no, cleaning herself up!

Remember the “brownies” I posted a few entries ago? Yeah, she’s the supplier!

5) During CNY, it’s all about collecting ang pao. Yeah, collecting for me, not giving okay? I’m not married!

You know, I saw someone’s status saying that he/she has enough ang pao money to buy an iPhone! Damn, so much money wan… Wow!

After counting, I think I have enough money to buy… an iPhone… CASE?

But I don’t even own an iPhone! Sad lah…

Anyway, I hope you all had a great week! Gong Xi, Gong Xi!

It was a one day trip and I reached there kinda early in the morning, to make full use of the day time.

York is a walled city, situated near Leeds.

The first attraction I went to was the York City Walls, which can be seen right outside the York Railway Station.

The wall was built during the Roman times, and was used to defend the city, obviously.

To date, most parts of the wall are still available and visitors are allowed to walk along the walls.

Although it’s not as magnificent as the Great Wall of China, walking on it was worth it. When you’re up on those walls, you’ll be able to see the city from a better perspective.

Another attraction is the Cliffords Tower.

The panoramic view of the city can be experienced on top, but since an entrance fee is needed I decided to skip it. On tight budget!

And in the middle of the city, there’s a pedestrian area.

There are many shops and restaurants around the area, and they can only be accessed by walking.

It was a good experience walking through the medieval streets, especially when the weather is cold.

Next up is the amazing York Minster Cathedral, which stands proudly at the city center.

It towers over the city of York and it’s visible from almost anywhere in the city. There are no other tall structures around because there is a rule that no buildings can be higher.

Besides that, the city has many museums and it has a garden just for them.

The Museum Gardens. Actually it’s more of a garden plus museums.

One of the prominent structures is the ruins of St. Mary’s Abbey.

It was closed and destroyed a long time ago and the ruins are currently used to decorate the garden. An example, a question mark.

Can you see it?

The Yorkshire Museum is famous in that garden but unfortunately it was closed for renovation when I visited.

The last destination was the National Railway Museum.

The museum is a short walk from the railway station. It’s the home of the national collection of historical and significant railway vehicles.

They have trains like Eurostar – the train which left me stranded for 2 days extra in Paris.

The Japanese Bullet train, also known as Shinkansen.

And also Thomas from Thomas and Friends. Hello!

Anyway, York is quite a lovely place. Not forgetting the cold weather when I was there, really miss it.

Even though it’s sunny, the air is always cooling. Somehow I wish I can be in York again, enjoying the cold weather than being in hot Malaysia.

But hey, I know there is a York in my house all the time.

And to make myself feel like being in York again…

…I can always stand in front of my York air-con whole day! Ahhh… York!

Like putting up blinking colourful lights around the house. It’s one of the favourite options.

Not forgetting baskets of mandarin oranges.

But be careful with how you place your oranges. Or else things could be weird. Here’s one I spotted in my house…

Two oranges left in front of the figure? I’ll leave the imagination to you.

Besides that, adding props to the god figures might not be advisable. For instance, Barbie.

But hey, it’s kinda true what. Good life with good money is nothing without good woman right? Look how happy the fatty is!

Anyway, with all the decorations all set up for this year’s Chinese New Year, the last decoration you wanna see is this…

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Err… Brownies anyone?

This was decorated by the dogs in my house. How helpful eh?

Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all kenwooi.com readers Happy Chinese New Year! Have a preposterous prosperous and other-positive-word New Year filled with longevity and-all-those-common-phrases!

Now, can all the married ones kindly give me hong bao? Thank you! =)

When viewed from the Trocadero Metro station, the best view of the structure can be seen. And to get to the tower, you can either walk towards it by crossing the bridge, or take the Metro to Bir Hakeim station and walk.

Either way, you gotta walk.

Anyway, I went there on 3 separate occasions. Why so many times? You’ll know later on.

It was said that no journey to Paris is complete without a journey to the top of the tower, and unfortunately on the 1st occasion, the top floor was closed. Thanks to the bad weather.

So close, yet so far! 324m far to be exact. So, the only thing to do was to stare from the ground and take pictures.

On the 2nd occasion, which was during the day, I visited the tower again.

The day scenery of the tower is as magnificent as the night view, just without the lights.

This time, I’ve decided to walk towards the tower. Despite the cold, the walk was just fun and amazing.

Since it was day time and the weather was rather better than the previous night, I was hoping that the top floor is open for visitation. But again, it was closed.

So I took photos, again.

It has been 2 attempts but hopes of going up came crashing down because of the weather. I thought I’m gonna leave Paris without hitting the tip of that erection. However, Eurostar’s service disruption resulted in staying extra 2 days in Paris and that’s when the 3rd occasion happened.

On the extra night in Paris, Eiffel Tower was the destination again. And fortunately, the top floor was opened! Woohoo! Thank you Eurostar for having problems and thank you snow for giving Eurostar problems!

How ironic – the first 2 occasions failed because of the weather and the 3rd occasion was successful because of the weather as well. I guess the weather wants to make up for its earlier mistakes. =P

It costs €9.90 (RM49.50) for an adult to get to the highest tip of Eiffel Tower.

Slanting lift transports visitors from the ground floor to the 1st and 2nd floor, and then vertical lift to the 3rd floor. One elevator can fit about 30 adults I think.

The journey to the top was fun, especially when the view of the city can be gradually seen and the air becomes colder.

The elevator brings people to an an indoor viewing area but viewing the city from the open-air upper floor is definitely better!

The open-air area was surrounded with high fence though, probably to prevent couples from saying “You Jump, I Jump”.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the cityscape during the night.

The Arc de Triomphe is pretty obvious in this picture.

The Seina river with some bridges.

The Église du Dôme brightly lighted.

This is the park, called Champ de Mars, located just beside Eiffel Tower. It’s also another good place to take pictures of the tower but I didn’t really walk there since it was freezing cold.

And on the opposite side is the Trocadero area, just across the river.

To sum up the journey, it was pretty breathtaking. Also, at certain time period, there’ll be light performances by the tower.

The tower will turn into a colour-changing structure for about 10 minutes or so, and it’s accompanied by some musical song as well.

Anyway, visiting this attraction isn’t that pleasant when it comes to the “souvenir guys” selling Eiffel Tower stuffs such as key chains and mini monuments. I bumped into many – all moving around trying to sell souvenirs to visitors.

I bought 10 key chains for €2.00 (RM10) from a guy and ignored the rest. Pretty cheap right? Here’s a tip, you gotta bargain with them, or else they’ll sell to you damn expensive… for like 2 for €1.00?

Although I think Paris isn’t that lovely and romantic, the visit to the top of Eiffel Tower was the closes to that feeling.

Hopefully one day, I will visit Paris again. But definitely during the Summer! =)

During my stay in London, I visited the famous wax museum – Madame Tussauds.

I find it weird that such interesting museum has such a funny name, but after reading through the history I learned that it was named after the founder, Marie Tussaud.

The entrance fee costs ₤25.00 (RM140.00) for an adult and I think it’s worth the wax-staring experience. However, the queue might not be pleasant during the visit.

It can take up to an hour to reach the ticketing counter from the entrance.

While waiting, there are some interesting stuff demonstrated along the way. For example…

Brad Pitt’s waxed ass.

I wonder how much he get paid for this. Actually, I don’t mind getting my ass waxed for just 10% of the payment.

After a long boring wait, got the ticket and it’s time to see some wax!

John Travolta, Morgan Freeman and Justin Timberlake’s wax figures are obviously expected, since they are so famous.

For your information, the figures are segregated into different zones, such as A-List Party, Sports Zone, Music Megastars and World Leaders. A visit could take up to more than an hour.

It was fun taking pictures with the celebrity figures! So here are some of the wax celebrities I took with.

The ever charming David and Victoria Beckham. Nice red dress.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. I guess the museum management has to separate these wax figures. They broke up right?

Anyway, nice red dress as well.

Christina Aguilera with her beautiful necklace.

Nicole Kidman and Johnny Depp. Nicole is really tall, and yeah, another beautiful red dress.

This is Kate Moss. Never heard of her actually. Nice golden attire though.

Miley Cyrus aka Hannah Montana. I was looking at her outfit and innocently I saw a bra beneath the top. I thought celebrities don’t wear bras.

Britney Spears with her MTV award. I was looking at the award.

It was such an honour to be standing beside Queen Elizabeth. I didn’t dare to stare at the badges on her sash though. People might mistakenly think I wanna steal those badges, or look at her boobs.

After I’m done with the ladies, it’s the men’s turn.

Dinner with paralyzed George Clooney – I had to lift the glass for him.

Robert Downey Jr. Don’t let the Sherlock Holmes find me!

Big fat green Shrek. It’s too irresistible to hug his huge tummy!

Was lucky to bump into Jose Mourinho in the museum, instead of the stadium. Since I’m already the boss of Manchester United and Liverpool, I had to give him a piece of my mind.

Barack Obama. He was my Vice President while I was temporary President of United States of America. He was really a good assistant, no wonder he’s the President now. I’m proud of you, Obama.

Anyway, at the end of the exhibition, there’s a Chamber of Horrors and Scream. It’s the horror section of Madame Tussauds, which showcases serial killers and murders.

The Scream experience, on the other hand, is a live-action scare maze. It’s a journey with several live-actors (serial killers) trying to scare you. I went in as bold as a lion. I think. =P

Okay, before I end, I know you’re gonna say that I’m a pervert coz of the “staring” I did on the ladies. Hey no, I was wax-staring okay… Not boob-staring – if that’s what you wanted to say. I’m a good boy!

But if you still wanna say Ken Wooi is a pervert and he stares at boobs, take a look at this…

Hey, you stared at boobs too! Pervert!

Because it doesn’t suck!

It’s just too over-sized to be used!

50 days ago, my flight touched down in Heathrow Airport. At that time, I felt that it’s a still loooonnng way to go till the day I’m flying back. But hey, 50 days have passed and it’s time to get my ass back to Malaysia.

While reading through the comments – some thought I’m here to study. Some even thought I found a job here! How I wish! But the fact it, I’m just traveling. I gotta thank my parents for giving me this chance to come to Europe.

I couldn’t have asked for more.

I can still vividly remember the days I’m here. Things went quite slow in the beginning but in glimpse, time is up.

Anyway, I would like to recap the places I’ve been to during this trip. First of all, Leeds.

I stayed in Leeds for most of the time. It’s the place where my friends are staying. If I were to stay in a hotel throughout this trip, I wouldn’t have stayed so long. Expensive leh!

The only place around Leeds that attracted me was the Harewood House.

I find the place very beautiful and amazing.

Then, it was Paris! Bonjour!

It was fun to be there, but definitely not romantic at all. Probably due to the lack of friendliness of some French people I’ve encountered.

But if you’re a pervert arts lover, there are lots of nudity when you visit the museums over there. ;)

Then I managed to visit Disneyland for the very first time. The Paris one to be exact.

Kids are surely to love this place but I think I’m already too old for such excitement.

After Paris, I stayed in London for a while.

London is an interesting city. If I have the chance, I’ll bring my parents here in the future!

Besides the famous attractions I’ve mentioned in my London entry, I also visited 2 well-known stadiums. Firstly, Stamford Bridge.

And I became a Chelsea player. Carlo Ancelotti thinks I’m talented and signed me up as a professional footballer.

Emirates Stadium was on the visit list as well.

It was already closed when I got there. Never mind actually.

Then I flew over to Dublin, Ireland.

The city is not as magnificent as London and Paris, but it’s always interesting to explore a whole new city!

If you love Guinness, Dublin is the place you should be.

Next on the list was Liverpool.

Visited Anfield Stadium.

And became the new manager of Liverpool. Didn’t you know Rafa Benitez was sacked to make way for Ken Wooi? The team is currently happy with the change. Just look at the smiles on Gerrard, Torres and Carragher.

Then I went to Manchester as well.

Visited Old Trafford.

And became the new boss of Manchester United. For your information, Alex Ferguson used to sit at that particular seat during home matches.

My last destination, sadly, was York. It’s a small town about 30 minutes from Leeds by train.

I haven’t had the time to blog about York yet. But this is the York City Walls – it was built around the town centuries ago.

Anyway, being here got me exposed to different lifestyles and cultures. I’m starting to love this place and sometimes dream of living here for the rest of my life. It’s the first time I experienced snow as well!

The weather is so cool and I rarely find myself sweating. Now I’m looking forward to the temperature-shock when I get back to Malaysia. It has always been less than 5° Celsius everyday here in UK whereas Malaysia is like 30° Celsius. Huge difference!

You know what – I’m so used to the cold weather, I think I can stay in the fridge when I’m back.

To be honest, it’s quite saddening to go back.

If you’re reading this entry moments after it’s published, I’m already on my way to London. Will be catching a flight soon to Dubai, and then to Malaysia. Sighs, I just wish that this day will never come.

Nevertheless, it was certainly a great experience. I’m really glad I had this opportunity. Goodbye Europe! Malaysia, I’m coming home! =)

The O’Connell Street in the middle of the city is the main road. It’s where most of the monuments are located, such as the Parnell Monument, the O’Connell Monument and notably the 120m Spire of Dublin.

The Spire was built in 2003 as part of a plan to improve the streetscape. It’s erected at the exact location of Nelson’s Pillar, which was destroyed by a bomb in 1966.

I actually WOW-ed when I saw this structure, and I initially thought it’s used to absorb lighting or something. Really amazing to witness such a huge thorn!

Along the street there’s a Malaysian Chinese Restaurants called Pulau Pinang.

It was surprising to see a restaurant named after a tiny island in Malaysia. Never knew the Penang Island is well-known over here in Dublin huh? Penangites must be damn proud.

Entering a souvenir store, particularly Carroll’s, can be interesting as well.

This is Ken the Irish lamb with the clover leaf nose. Everyone say “Meeeekkk!”. It means “Hi!” in Lambish language.

And to anyone who doesn’t like me (I’m sure there is, I get hate comments every now and then) you can Póg Mo Thoin! The Irish way would be the best! =P

Anyway, here are some of the places I’ve been to during my visit to Dublin.

Firstly, the Dublin Zoo.

This is the group that went to Dublin, excluding me of course since I took this photo. Everyone seemed all hyped up to see some animals!

There wasn’t any special animal in particular, but I was attracted to this monkey – the Squirrel Monkey.

It’s hyperactive and cute.

Next, is the number one attraction in Dublin – the Guinness Storehouse! *Cheers*

Before my research on places to visit in Dublin, I can only think of the Guinness Storehouse! And do you know that Guinness for the Irish is like water for the Malaysian? I think they drink Guinness almost every day! With breakfast, lunch, teatime, dinner and maybe supper too! Imagine having Guinness with your roti telur.

Anyway, visitors receive a complimentary pint of Guinness at the Gravity bar, which is located at the highest floor of the building.

It’s definitely the best pint of Guinness around the world, since it’s freshly brewed from the brewery. Oh it’s Guinness Draught by the way, not Guinness Stout.

Besides producing Guinness like mad, they also have a huge variety of Guinness gifts and souvenirs.

Ranging from cups to plates, shirts to under wears and chocolates to everything, it’s almost impossible to leave Dublin without a Guinness-related item. If you do, it’s probably you hate black stuff!

However, the girls seem to go wild when it comes to Guinness.

I think I should drink more Guinness. You’ll never know what’s gonna happen next right? =P

Another must-visit place is the Kilmainham Gaol. No, it’s not a place where you shout “GOOAALLLL, Rooney scored!”. Not a stadium, it’s actually a prison.

And “Gaol” is actually pronounced as “Jail”.

It’s one of the largest unoccupied jails in Ireland. During the guided tour, we were brought to see prison cells and were told about the history as well. I would rate this attraction second behind Guinness Storehouse.

After that, we went to the National Wax Museum Plus.

This wax museum is not the typical Madame Tussauds with Justin Timberlake, Brad Pitt and David Beckham. It’s actually a museum which brings you back in time on a journey of famous individuals who have contributed in shaping the country.

One important individual was Sir Ken Wooi.

He signed some treaty with some big shot when Dublin was formed. What was it about? I’m not sure, I didn’t read what’s on the table, unfortunately.

Oh by the way, you gotta believe how much the Irish love Guinness.

They love it so much, that even Irish wax characters drink them!

After we’re done with the wax museum, we dropped by Trinity College.

Trinity College was built in the 18th century and till today it dominates the city landscape and it’s one of the oldest buildings around.

We managed to visit Malahide Castle too, which is located 40 minutes north-west from the city center.

Unfortunately it was closed by the time we reached. Most of the attractions are closed by 5pm. Very early I think.

Anyway on the last day, we made quick stops at a few famous landmarks. One of them was St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

It’s definitely a huge cathedral. You need to pay to enter it.

Next, the Christ Church can be seen from Patrick Street.

It’s where the heritage center, Dublinia and The Viking World is located. There are 3 exhibitions, namely the Viking World, Medieval Dublin and History Hunters. It’s a good place to be if you wanna know more about the history of Dublin.

The Dublin Castle is unlike those old bulky castles we usually see. It’s more of a large area with different blocks of buildings.

It doesn’t amaze me to be honest.

Next up, St. Stephen’s Green.

It’s a beautiful public park located in the city. You can definitely feel its tranquility when you stroll in the park.

Besides all that I’ve mentioned, I’ve visited some museums as well, such as the National Museum of Ireland and the National Gallery of Ireland. But they’re definitely no match against the famous museums in Paris.

Anyway, each of us bought a Dublin Pass during the trip.

Kinda cool right the pass? It gives free (actually I’ve paid when I buy the pass) entry to attractions, special offers when shopping and dining, free (again, paid) airport transfer and a free (paid) Dublin guidebook.

However, it might be costly. I bought my 2-day pass for €44.00 (RM220.00) but I didn’t fully utilize it because I didn’t manage to visit all the attractions listed. So if you’re confident in visiting all the listed places, yes you should consider the Dublin Pass.

The public transportation services in Dublin doesn’t have underground trains. Alternatively, you can travel by Dublin’s Luas trams.

But you can only go to few places with the tram – for instance O’Connell Street, Dublin Zoo, Kilmainham Gaol and Guinness Storehouse. On the other hand, you can take the public bus service.

These double-decker buses can be seen everywhere in the city.

I bought a 3-day Rambler Ticket at €13.30 (RM66.50) to travel around Dublin by public bus. It works exactly like an all-day ticket, except that you can choose from 1-day, 3-day and 5-day. We used it mainly to get to O’Connell Street from the place we stayed, and also to Dublin Zoo.

Here’s something tricky – getting on the right public bus to the desired destination can be quite frustrating. Since there are too many routes and too little in-depth information, it’s not easy to visit all the places by public bus.

Just look at the number of routes this particular bus stop has. I don’t even know which route goes where. I guess only the locals will know.

So, with the limitations of the tram and public bus services, the last resort is definitely walking. Actually the attractions are located quite near to each other, therefore walking could be a good idea.

On the bad side, walking can be tiring.

But with the Rambler ticket, taking the public bus and walking seem like a good combination – it gives us the freedom to roam freely. But if you want a quick hassle-free sightseeing tour around Dublin, you can check out the Dublin Sightseeing Bus Tours.

During my stay in Dublin, I didn’t try much Irish food. We only had Irish food on the last day – the Irish stew.

Guinness stouts are actually added to provide extra flavour and it tastes really good!

And yeah, even the coasters are Guinness-related.

Say no evil to Guinness, see no evil in Guinness – just indulge it!

During the Winter season, the sun sets at about 4pm and most of the shops are closed by 5pm. Unlike the shops in Malaysia where they open until 10pm because they wanna earn more money.

This is the Liffey river at night. Somehow it looks like the Seina river in Paris. In fact, the city layout of Dublin and Paris is almost similar. They are divided into north and south parts with a river in the middle. The difference is Paris is 2 times larger than Dublin.

Oh yeah, not forgetting the General Post Office at O’Connell Street.

It’s another prominent building and one might actually doubt that it’s a post office. Coz post offices are normally not as grand as that one.

Besides the usual night bars and clubbing venues, there is nothing much to do in Dublin. Most of us are quite tired after being out the whole day. Therefore retiring to the bed is probably the best option.

That is unless you’re a Utopia player. Any Utopia player reading this?

Hey, I saw Utopia version 2 here in Dublin.

And I think you might be interested to go in see see!