Paris Chapter 1 (Volontaires, Champs Elysees & Sacre Cour)

Guess what, i went to Paris yall!, city of Love...mmhmm..

Me and my friend, Sarah Bee at first planned to go maybe to Australia, but MAS at that time were having this huge promo to Europe and we grab the chance. The return flight ticket is only RM2600, direct flight KUL - CDG ...yes please eat your heart out..tetiber..hehe..

So we got the tix and made preparation, esp the itinerary. I spent about 3 mths doing the itinerary..hihi..bcos it was my first time to Europe and i don't wanna do any mistake u see :P.

It was 4th of June 2015, our flight MH20 will be departing from KLIA 1 at 12.00 Midnight. So. Sarah's friend sent us to airport around 9PM. We reached there and guess what, i wanted to zip my boot but i did it too fast and it snap!, the boot is now unzipped, damn it,,,im gonna need to but new shoes now once we landed..euwwh! and the flight was delayed too for half an hour..duhh,,we checked in our bags and ourselves..hihi. Now the problem is we bought the tix separately, so, we want to seat next to each other of course!, it will be 13 hours on the flight...so the MAS staff, a Sabahan girl was sooo nice to help us and she got us a seat where we seat next to each other..phewww..

both of us, no make up, (i put make up 2 hours before landing :P )

We got on board Airbust 380 i think, the flight was quite big. and whats important is the seat is quite big compared to AA..of course la kan..ayoo. hahahah. There was an old guy seat beside me on that 3seated row. After i sat, he asked me something in french..i was like..huh..he looked like locals btw. So i said, i cant speak french. He said he is from Vietnam and French is his 2nd language. (then i understand). He thought i was french..lol..i dont even look like one. So yeah, he said it was his first time flying to Paris and will be staying at his friend's house. I cannot remember his name btw The stewardess keep talking to him in Malay, like 'pakcik this n that'. homaigerd he might look malay but he didn't understand it as he is vietnamese..hmm. So sometimes i speak on behalf of him to the stewardess..esp when the food came and he was sleeping. But the MAS steward & stewardess were really nice, great skills. It's so sad what has happened to their flights. Good airlines with few bad luck.

On the flight, i really dont know what to do cos it was so long. I watched some movies and songs and sleep. wake up again..another 8 hours to go..duhh..when the food was served, the french speaking Vietnam old man always get up from the seat to the toilet..come back again..get up again..come back again. It kinda hard cos he seat next to the window and both of us beside him..so, i said, u can sit on my friend's seat, easy for u to move around..he agreed.

He sat at Sarah's place and i sat next to the window..for few hours, less movement. He then asked me to give him his bottle. i was like 'what bottle?'..he said the bottle in front of em.. i saw drinking bottle, so i thought that one...nope, its not..another bottle, like a jar. I took from the seat pouch and gave it to him. U guys will never guess whats in it. A set of teeth..mmhmm..fake teeth. I was like 'oh dear'..i mean i understand, he is an old man. but a jar of teeth..i cant take that image out of my mind. But he was  nice. We switched place back when it was about 2 hours left because he wanna see outside the window i guess. We reached Charles de Gaulle Airport at Terminal 3, finally!!

landed! CDG! Bonjour Paris

Landed in Paris 5th June 2016..i cant believe i am in Paris at that time..hihihi :P . Parisss...lol..okay, so we got there..there was this longgg queue for the immigration. Lots of tourist from PRC, made me dizzy with their attitude. So when i reached the counter, the officer asked me 'how long u will stay in Paris'..i said 3 days. She said 'only 3 days?' ..I said, after that we will go to Brussels.. and she didnt say anything, stamped my passport and gave it to me. Not much questions asked. I was about to show her my train ticket to Brussels..cos i've heard sometimes they request it.

So, after the queue, we rushed to Terminal 2 with CDGVAL train..its a train system inside the airport, the airport is huge btw. We planned to buy the Paris visit pass first, but because we have booked the Easy Bus airport transfer from CDG to Central Paris, we didnt have time to waste. We took the train and reach Terminal 2...we rushed to terminal 2F exit 5. TIPS: CDGVAL is the train connectiong terminal 1,2 and 3 in CDG Airport. Exit is Sortie in French, u might wanna write that down if u  planning of going.

Once we arrived..we were like 'is this the one'..There were 2 exit 5...top floor and ground floor..it was sooo confusing and in the booking confirmation i printed, it didn't say. We went the ground floor exit 5, and there was lots of taxis...we then asked a taxi driver about Easy Bus. He cant speak English but he said, 'yes yes its here'..and 'r u sure u don't wanna ride a taxi?' ..haha..hmm..nope..that's y i doubt him, cos maybe he wanted us to ride his taxi that he pointed us in a different direction. hehehe..u know me, full of perceptions.

this is the Easy Bus company, save ur money to central Paris from CDG

We waited for almost half an hour, luckily they have free Wifi, so i managed to tell my family that i arrived there safely. yeay!. After half an hour, we almost lose hope..the easy bus came..honking. It supposed to come at 8.30, but it come at 9.20AM. We showed him the booking confirmation and he started loading our backpack into the Van..its an easy van btw..lol. TIPS: EasyBus is one of the cheap and easy way to go into the Paris City Centre, early booking can be made via their website!

I owe the taxi driver an apology for doubting him..hehe :p Both the taxi driver and the easy bus driver is from northern african descent, Algerian i guess from their looks. The easy bus driver cant speak English at all so not much conversation happened..lol..He just drive and we just look outside the window. What i don't like is all the windows are shut, and there are no ventilation, i was feeling dizzy and it was hot..Paris was so hot that time..i was like 'am i in Johor bharu or something' . lol...It was early summer by the way. I was hoping we reach the center soon, cos i can't breath well. I looked outside the window and i saw a jews family with little hat on top of their head, now that is the view i don't see everyday...hahahaahahaha. culture shocked me.

view from outside the Easy Bus, reaching Palais Royal

We arrived in Palais Royal, and the Easy bus driver took off before we have the chance to ask him where is the metro station..grrr. So, we walked around like 2 crazy woman searching for the metro station and we found it.

We bought the 2 days pass ticket for metro at the counter. It was around 20Euros, TIPS:  Metro Day Pass will be easier to use, especially if u travel a lot using metro in Paris and this tix save u lots of Eurosss. :D. It is very small like a candy wrapper, so better keep it good, dont lose it. It will be easier if u have that, cos we travel a lot using metro in Paris and this tix save u lots of Eurosss. :D  .

Based on our itinerary i wrote 'Take metro Palais Royal (Direction La Defense) (L1) stop at Concorde, change train (Direction Marie D'Issy) (L12) and stop at Volontaires' ... okay, so we insert the small tix into the auto door and take it back, get on metro Palais Royal direction La Defense, (first time on Paris metro!! uwee).. and we stop at Concorde station. TIPS: Remember the door in the metro train wont open itself, u have to turn the handle to open it.

Paris Metro, Concorde Station, the bagpack ook heavier than me, i know..

We arrived at Concorde but we cant find Line 12!!..we go around and saw the L12 station is closed for upgrading!.,..at that time, i freakin dunno what to do..we go around and around..we stopped and ask ppl, most of em ignore us or dont know how to speak English at all. Haishh.,..until this old Spanish couple help us. They could not speak English as well but i admire their willingness to help us and explained to us on which line to get to. We are so grateful to them. We follow their instruction, took another train to another station, from there change to Line 12..pheww..and btw can u imagine this all happened with me wearing the unzip boot!! homaigerdd!.. We finally arrived at Volontaires..

Volontaires station model Sarah..hihi

I already print screen the way to our hostel, Aloha Hostel..so we follow it, but we did asked the guy at the station for confirmation too..and he pointed in the same direction. We arrived Aloha Hostel, quite nice the ambiance. TIPS: Dont be afraid to ask for direction! S'il vous plaît

yep, Sarah jus wanna see how the wifi works, this is ALOHA

We stayed in Hostel to reduce the budget, backpackers style..ehehe. Our room have 4 beds, so obviously we have roomates which we dont know who. On our way to the hostel, we saw a shoe shop, quite nice so we decided to go there cos i need a new pair of shoes. and we cant even check in yet cos its not even 12PM yet. checked in is at 1 - 2 PM. We settle all the payment first. TIPS: Hostel is cheaper and i would suggest a 4 bed dorm to avoid headache. You can save a lot, beside you are not gonna stay in your room so much, lots of exploring to do. Aloha charged us 56Euros for 2 nights. yea can u imagine a hotel, how much would it cost ya..mmmhmm. You can check the hostels available from hostelworld!.

We drop our bags at the counter and went to the shop, its funny that we don't feel hungry at all. maybe cos we were too excited with Paris. We got in the shop, and wow..all famous brands is there but the shop is like a shop u can find in uptown..lol..

There were soo many shoesss,,my god, all pattern.. n most importantly various sizes. The owner of the shop is Italian, his name is Lugi if im not mistaken, very naughty man, keep on flirting with us..well if he can give discounts, why not..hahaha! ..

Sarah and her shoedaddy..lol!

So he got very excited, and started asking us out 'why not, 2 malaysian ladies with me, i pick u up at 8' ...meh? we didn't travel to Paris to date u..hihihi. I got my stripey shoes, it was very comfortable. There were few other shoes with unique design \as well..but i wanted size 8, the sizes available is 7, 9 & 10..hmm nevermind.

He didnt give up and i guess italian always love to flirt. He took pics with us, so we took pic with him. he put his arms around me and said 'u got nice body aren't u'...oh dear!. But he was very interested in Sarah, hahaha..poor Sarah, he keep asking Sarah to go out with him and tell sarah his life stories. We said, we will see how.. i mean come on, we were supposed to go to Jardin Du Luxembourg and Pantheon that morning but bcos the Easy bus came late and L12 at Concorde station closed, we need to let go those 2 places...grrr... So obviously, we wont spend the night with him.,hihi..Sarah bought a shoe from him as well, we got it at cheaper price..yeay hihihi.

The Volontaires metro station, the neighbourhood around it is very nice, cosy place to be

We got back to the Aloha hotel and rest. Our room is for 4 ppl, 2 double beds. I took the upside bed, cos i prefer no one see me while 'im sleeping..lol :P. There were bags in there means we have roomates, they must be out.

checking out our room

We got some rest, got some wifi..hihihii..obviously..and then we freshen up and get ready for Paris day out!..i wore a dress, the weather was hot, so i guess..why not. We got to the Volontaires metro station, walking distance from our hostel. We stop at Pasteur and change train to CDG Etoille. we got out of the train station and we arrived in Champs Elysees! TIPS: This is the place where u can find lots of expensive boutiques. A fan? bring card or cash and go into any boutiques u like!

Champs Elysees!

The building is so antique..i love it. We went near the Arc de Triomphe, but not exactly below it. I have no idea how the ppl go into the center of the roundabout ..haha..but we cross few road and manage to be quite close to to take pics...how narcisistics of us..:P .I wore the boots with heels, my feet hurt by just walking..and Sarah was like, lets find H&M for some sandals, beside i took bad pics when i was in pain..hihi..poor Sarah. TIPS: Arc De Triomphe is located in the northern part of Champs Elysees, the main road i mean. It is also open for you to go in it and climb to the top, for a fee of course.

me and Arc de Triomphe

Something happened, there were lots of scammers there esp those from Morocco. They carry around a list and documents on helping the deaf, but they actually scam u. I knew it right away something was wrong, esp when they say 'owh u r from Malaysia, muslim we are muslim too'..duhh nope, dont like u still.

But sadly Sarah fell for it, i dunno how cos she is a smart girl..she gave 50Euros and hoping to get 30Euros back cos the 'donation' is 20Euros..but that Moroccan girl ran away once she got 50euros. There was a french lady, told sarah 'mam be careful' , but that fucking liar ran away.,,aish,, TIPS: Remember, DO NOT entertain any sort of people holding papers asking u to sign for support. All is a scam, no matter how nice they are, Sarah learned her lesson..

we stop for a while in the center of Champs Elysees (i love saying that word, haha!)

We continued walking around Champs Elysees, took pics, lots of pic..hihihi..and we got into H&M..a freakin huge H&M hoccayy..it is so big. I went in and try the sandals, try this try that..and eventually i found the one i want..as long as my feet doesn't hurt anymore, cos we walk a lot. It was jus around 11-12 euros. Sarah bought a skirt, fancy. TIPS: We paid using card, credit card as European they prefer that way. So, activate your credit or debit card for international transactions.

Le Petit Le H&M :P

After that we walk some more. I saw this small girl with his dad. His dad try to take pic of the lil girl like the iconic pic of Marilyn Monroe..awww so sweet! marry me...lol..

Marilyn in the making <3

We also got stopped by a an african american woman, she was like 'excuse me excuse me, where did yall guys find the H&M' ..and we pointed the way,..she was soo happy..haha!. TIPS: H&M in Champs Elysees is huge n the goods are cheap as well..mmhmm..But bcos there were sooo many boutiques here, its not easy to find it. We saw people queuing to get into LV..really.. So don't be surprised if u see that and don't cut the queue!

Sarah decides to eat a cigarette..:P

wefie @ Elysees

We thought we will be hungry, but really we weren't, maybe jetlag. oh well,

i'm walking awayyy...

for some reasons i love this building

After we had enough time there, we went back to the metro station in CDG Etoille, and stop at Anvers. Btw, u can see lots of buskers in the metro station and in the train. If u like what they play, u can donate or tip em.

street musician, or metro musician :)

So what's in here...aa hah! The Sacre Cour!..the mosque-like church in Paris. old building...everything in Paris is old..lol. except for young gentleman..weeheheheh. :P. We reach Sacre Cour around 8PM..but the sun is on our eye level. TIPS: Daytime in summer is longer here, the sun rise at 7AM and set at 10PM, so you have lots of time to enjoy the day.

Sacre Cour! Secret Heart

Along the way to Sacre Cour, we found lots of souvenirs shop and halal restaurants like kebab etc. Then i realize, this area is packed with Algerians..i think they are the majority here, so they opened lots of shop..interesting. TIPS: Halal foodie, lunch or dinner here is perfect from you!

shops along the road to Sacre Cour

Btw, the Algerians are kinda hot, i mean they look good, hahahha! Almost all of em were interested in Sarah, hiks.  Me?, nope, they don't even look at dark skinny me. lol..

We climb up the Sacre Cour, few african men selling wristband along the stairs. TIPS: DONT TRY IT IF YOU DONT WANNA BUY IT. I read about it before coming here, We ignored em and keep going up.

We sat down at the park and enjoy the view. I took a vid as well :D.. there were lots of people..packed!..also some tourist from PRC, oops!.

Sacre Me..hihi

But it was nice looking at the crowds, families, friends, tourist, some having picnics, some just filed with narcisistic value like us :D..taking pics here n there..hihihi. Then, out of a sudden, it rains. We ran up to the top, near the dome. We sat near the door. TIPS: If you are interested in touring the inside of Sacre Cour, come early.

Rain in Paris, how romantic..hehehe. It was not heavy tho, just drizzle. As we waited for the rain to stop, these few algerian men or maybe arabian, im not sure said to Sarah 'covering ur boobs ay?' ...mmhmmm..in front of her. Bcos Sarah put her hands on her chest. Algerian and Sarah berpisah tiada..kikiki,,

After the rain stop. We decided to have dinner here, time was almost 9.00pm and nope, the sun is not set yet..almost,but not yet. We had dinner at restaurant facing Sacre Cour. btw sacre cour means Secret Heart ;D .

Us having dinner..facing the Sacre Cour, love it

Btw, the weather got quite windy n chilly quite fast, so i wear my jacket, I bring it just in case, i was right, TIPS: The weather get windy after 8PM in summer and it is pretty cold for us tropicalites, hiks. So, better have a jacket with u as a backup.

We ordered some pasta, mushroom seafood. The waiter name is Jamie or something..i just call him James..hahaha..He was very nice, very friendly. Not just with us but with all the guest here. So, i asked for plain water..then he asked, plain water or tap water. I was like..huh? ..TIPS:  u can drink tap water here, unlike Malaysia. cool. Tap water is free of charge and plain water is chargeable.

But being malaysian, tap water is still tap water... hahahahaha. The portion of the dish was a lot!..homaigerddd...how to finish it. If i knew, i would have ordered just one and share with Sarah.

Our view...i love this place.

We asked for the bill, and then James come and look at our plates and asked 'is there something wrong with the food?'. cos he saw it was unfinished. I said, 'no we just full and i don't eat much'.. He looked at me up & down and said 'i can see that'. ..wahtttt...carut!. it means cos im skinny, so he knows..grrr, oh well. it was about 12 euros, my dish. DO NOT CONVERT TO RINGGIT OR U'LL CRY.

We walked down heading to metro, but we stopped at the souvenir shop. There were lots of it, we surveyed and went to the one with the red paint on its wall. Its cheaper here.

lots of souvenir shops u can choose

TIPS, if u wanna shop for souvenirs like magnets, shirts n keychain, this is the place, near Sacre Cour, its cheaper here seriously.

The owner or salesman of the shop is Algerian as well. We started joking n laughing and he got excited to talk to us. He asked 'where do u come from?' obviously most of em will ask that. So we said 'Malaysia'. the next question is 'ur Malaysian? why u didn't wear the hijab?' ...wow! what makes u think all women in Malaysia need to wear hijab? arabisation much? .

We told him, its not a must in Malaysia. He said most Malaysian that come to his shop wear hijab..meh.. He is nice btw, he asked out of curiosity i guess. But overall he was okay. What important is, we got discount few euros for the magnets and other souvenirs we bought. Esp the shawl..oh i love that shawl, it has small Paris word written on it...so comfy, so nice,,3-5 euros only..i love it.

After the shopping, we walk back to the Anvers metro, stop at Pigalle station, change train L12 and stop at Volontaires station. TIPS, u must know ur direction when u take trains, they have 12 lines of metro, If not u'll end up someplace else. The train map is very important, bring it with u anywhere u go, save it in ur phone. For example..from Pigalle to Volontaires we take L12 direction Marie D'issy..its pretty much like Malaysian LRT, only they are more efficient and more stations. 2 minutes each station

the train map - Metro

Pigalle station

U dont need a car in Paris. If KL is like this, we wont be having massive traffic jam everyday!. I guess that's why they are developed country and we are developing.

We reach Volontaires and walk to Aloha..we got into our rooms, and our housemate were there,,helloooo...haha. We didnt talk much just, 'hi'..and asked where did they go today bla bla. Sarah do most of the talking, cos my voice is like a vampire..hihihi. it was just few conversation, we didn't ask where they're from but from the accents and the passport (yea, we sneak peek when he put his passport on the table :P ), they're American. backpackers, young between 20-23 im guessing. and we are 2 spinsters. hahaha :D.

our roomates, :P

Luckily our room is near the toilets, so its easy for us to take a shower and poo pee and changed our clothes before sleeping. Shared bathroom yes.., but overall Aloha is comfy, 4/5 stars.

The weather was getting chilly faster at night. we went to sleep after a looong day, cos tomorrow we have a full day plan!... see ya in Day 2 . XO