Waking Up in France

I’ll be honest, as an intro to my travelogue post, I have to admit that writing travelogues isn’t exactly my thing, which is probably why I’ve been putting off this post for the last five months. Life got busy, and every time I opened the draft, I’d just close it again. But this trip was too special not to share. So, on one rare off day, I decided to do myself and this memory a favor: I woke up early and finally finished the drafts I’d been holding onto for so long.

This was our second time in France, so we figured it was time to explore beyond Paris. We landed in Paris and spent our first day there (as shared in this post) before setting off to explore other towns. Paris is unarguably great, but the charm of towns outside of Paris is on a whole other level. They’re an absolute must-visit, and I just had to share them here. 

Grenoble

Grenoble is about a 3-hour train ride from Paris, or up to 9 hours if you opt for the bus, which is the cheaper option. Paris was freezing the morning we left, so the slightly milder cold in Grenoble felt more bearable. 

Grenoble is one of those small towns that’s annoyingly serene and beautiful. It may not be the top tourist destination, but it has its own quiet charm. Surrounded by mountains and intersected by a river, the town is peaceful without feeling isolated—public facilities are easily accessible, and bicycles are a common sight. There are also trains if you need to hop around to other places.

It’s not too noisy, not too crowded. Just calm. This is what I’d call the definition of zen. I could totally picture myself jogging here every morning with that stunning backdrop. Even lazy me would be motivated to jog with a view like that. Seriously, it’s that breathtaking.

Annecy 

Annecy was another beautiful town that I’m so glad we visited before crossing into Switzerland. Skipping Annecy would’ve been one of the biggest travel regrets ever.

Often called The Venice of the Alps, Annecy is incredibly picturesque, impossible not to fall in love with. The colors of the town are aesthetically pleasing, and the water is crystal clear. There's a river running through the heart of the town, with buildings lining its banks. The park was so peaceful—people walking their dogs, practicing Muay Thai, just soaking in the calm. And the lake? It’s so clear it reflects almost everything around it, making for the perfect view.  

Almost every corner of the town looks like it was made for Instagram. Places like St. Claire Street, Palais de l’Isle, Jardins de l’Europe, Pont des Amours, and Le Pâquier are all worth a stop. The entire town has a dreamy, romantic vibe that makes you want to stay just a little longer.

After visiting two towns, we hopped in the van and crossed the border into Switzerland. In just 50 minutes, we arrived in Geneva. Finally, I was in Switzerland—my longtime dream! It felt even more special after our original trip was canceled in 2020 due to COVID. I’ll share more about my time in Switzerland in the next post, so stay tuned!

Paris Diaries | Shopping, Rides, and Magical Moments

Landed in Paris at 7:30 AM after a grueling 17-hour flight. Traveling across time zones always amazes me by how it completely messes with your perception of time. You spend 17 hours on a plane—an entire day of your life—and yet, when you land, it’s like stepping out of a time machine. You’ve somehow traveled back and gotten those hours returned to you.

Upon arrival, we checked into a hotel just 10 minutes by bus from Disneyland and only a 3-minute walk to La Vallée Village outlet (talk about convenience!). We took a quick break to recharge before heading out to the outlet. We strolled around, browsing through the designer stores—a nice little detour before diving into the highlight of the day: Disneyland Paris.

You know, I can’t help but feel like Disneyland Paris had a slightly fewer rides compared to some of the others I’ve visited. Maybe it was just because we had those Premier Access tickets, which allowed us to skip most of the lines and wrapped up our visit in just half a day! Not that I’m complaining though, since I got to enjoy the park without waiting hours in line! 

As for my favorite rides, I definitely loved the Star Wars one and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril! They were just the right amount of fun without being too scary, so even someone who's a bit of a scaredy-cat like myself could enjoy them - and if I can do it, trust me, anyone can! Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity to scream your heart out without anyone judging you or offering you a coupon for anger management class. The parade felt way more crowded compared to other Disneyland parks, so we couldn’t really enjoy it as much. Plus, there were no Disney princesses around to take photos with—not that I was planning to anyway (though, let’s be real, maybe I’m a little too old for that now;))). And let's not forget my mishaps: I left my glove on one of the rides and spilled hot chocolate on my white pants. Oh, classic me! I wasn’t ready to call it a day just yet, my siblings and I decided to keep the fun rolling and made our way to Val d’Europe.

We made a stop at Primark, and I scored some awesome deals—got myself a muffler, a beanie, and two pairs of gloves, all for such a steal! To top it all off, we ended the day with a little evening walk—my absolute favorite thing to do when in Europe.

Visiting Disneyland Paris was truly a dream come true. The blend of nostalgia, fun, and pure magic made the experience unforgettable. Can’t wait for the next adventure, but for now, I’ll hold onto the memories of this magical day.

on Performing Umrah

I went to perform Umrah a couple of months ago. But I have been pretty busy with life, study, exam, work and adamant to not give up on my reading goals so it stays as draft for months. Exam wasn't over yet but here I am dusting off my blog and give it a proper update.

When I first heard about my family’s plan to perform Umrah, I was reluctant to agree. I feel like I was not ready, physically and spiritually. A few months before the trip, my sister and I had a lot of talks over this matter. We both weren’t excited to shop around for Umrah. Not feeling motivated, I packed my 12-day trip three days prior the day.
 
Throughout the trip, Zulkifli Hasan, Yasmin Mogahed, Prince Ghazi, and Dr. Bilal Philips have served me as a great company. Strange how books can change your judgment. I finished the whole book of Islam di Barat Muslim di Timur written by Zulkifli Hassan on the eight-hour flight, where the writer shared his experience of spending Ramadhan in two Holy cities warmed my heart. Allah has invited me, and it was an opportunity that might not happen twice. Why not forsake my stubbornness this time, bite the bullet to rebrand myself, and go all out in performing the ibadah. And I did, on the way to Jeddah, with a new resolution.
 
In the sight of Kaabah, Yasmin Mohaged, through her book, Healing the Emptiness, taught me to move on and let go of the past. One saying that stunned me was that we are too holding on to our past because we’re idolizing our past. I always knew that as humans, our knowledge is limited and that Allah knows better but knowing that we dwell on our past because we’re fantasizing about them gives me a new point of view. Yes, nothing is perfect in this Dunya. The past that we regretted so much that we wished we could change and would choose differently will always be flawed, not as perfect as we imagined, and Allah knows better in everything than we thought we knew well. Every time I looked back on my past, it always hit me how stupid I was and how I wish I had been wiser, but then, nothing consoled me as much as Prophet Muhammad did through his hadith:
 

"... If anything befalls you, do not say, 'if only I had done such and such' rather say 'Qaddara Allahu was sha'a fa'ala ( Allah has decreed and whatever He wills, He does.' For (saying) "If" opens (the door) to the deeds of Satan.'" (Sahih, Sunan Ibn Majah 79)

It is ironic and tragic when we have something, we often focus on the negative parts of it and ignore the positive. Then we lose something, we do the opposite: we fixate on, and exaggerate, the positive aspects. Both habits are unhealthy; the first habit leads to ingratitude and unhappiness when we have something. And the second habit leads to delayed healing when we lose it. - Yasmin Mogahed, Healing the emptiness

 

My favorite moment throughout the trip was spending time at Masjidil Haram & Masjidil Nabawi while waiting for the Subuh prayer. Muazzin’s call was one hour before Subuh to wake the locals, but we woke up one hour and a half before so that we didn’t have to fight for space during Subuh. Battling with my inner self to lift the blanket and get off bed was one of the hardest battles of my life due to our packed schedule and late-night sleep. We were beyond exhausted. I fell sick due to the weather, and the side effects of consuming pills to delay my menstrual made it even worse, but once my foot entered these two holy mosques, those battles felt insignificant, time stopped and it turned out to be one of many magical moments in my life. How I was not interested in anything outside the four walls of that Masjiidil Haram-not my work, not my future, not my past. Everything that worried me became trivial. It just me and Allah. Nothing else matters. And I pondered, everything that I struggled for years became trivial when I spent 12 days in these two holy cities, what more in afterlife. Everything was just serene and I wouldn’t get that elsewhere. The tranquility I longed for every day when I was back in Malaysia. Towards the seventh round of tawaf wida’, I felt the ache that every Jemaah feels at one time or another, to preserve every second, to lock in for all eternity the sight of Kaabah.

 

Dealing with other Jemaah from all different countries wasn’t a pleasant experience. Despite that, choosing to perform Umrah as the first country to visit right after the pandemic is over is the best decision ever. I’m honored to be invited by Allah and visit His two Holy cities, and He never gets tired of my visit. May Allah grants us rizq and His Blessings and choose us to be one of His servants to perform Umrah insyaAllah.

Travelogue: Tokyo, Japan

I actually went to Tokyo last December, but maybe because it was winter, the trip felt shorter, and I didn't really enjoy myself. I thought I would not write any post about Tokyo, but yes, I just did. So, this trip was my second trip to Japan and my first time in Tokyo.

Exploring Tokyo as a Muslim traveler was convenient since Tokyo is a super Muslim-friendly city. Therefore, finding halal food and mosques to pray is not an issue. There are a lot of halal food restaurants you can find in Tokyo. You can just google halal food sold at convenience stores/restaurants. The only drawback in Japan is the train system. Their train system was so confusing and a bit overwhelming too. We got lost very often and missed a lot of places we planned to visit that day. Taking taxis in Japan is never an option as they're expensive.

I didn't take many photos since I didn't really enjoy my visit to Tokyo. But, the scenery there was absolutely stunning, I promise, especially at Mt Fuji. When it's not wintering, I'd love to come here again and explore more, maybe someday in spring when cherry blossoms bloom? So, here are some photos I managed to take;

Mt Fuji

The East Garden of Imperial Palace

Asakusa

I'm so sorry for the over-editing photos. I'm just too lazy to keep my photos' theme consistent. 

However, there are two things I regret not checking out while I was in Japan; the matcha ice cream since I'm a green tea lover, and in Japan, it's all about the green tea ice cream. There are rows of shops selling matcha ice cream and street foods, especially in Asakusa, and I (still) regret a lot for not getting them on our first round because I thought we had time to revisit the area before we got home, but unfortunately, we didn't. And guess who is stupid enough to miss out on stationery stores while she was in Tokyo. Yes, this girl.  

Travelogue: Bali, Indonesia

I went on a little graduation trip to Bali, Indonesia, with my friends last two weeks. An overseas trip with friends has always been on my wishlist, and now, I can cross it off!

The environment in Bali is different. It is a relatively small island but packs a whole lot of punch with insanely beautiful places. It is a perfect place for us to unwind and relax. We were entertained by a quant and very calm atmosphere with a superb eye view. Anyway, here are some pictures in Bali to bless your eyes.

ULUWATU TEMPLE

ALAS HARUM BALI SWING

We went to Kota Ubud, which offers a rice-terrace view, where we can admire the multi-leveled rice fields, jungle swing, and free coffee testing. The best part here is the jungle swing, as we can enjoy the rice paddy view from the top as we swing into the air.  

Different swings are available at the spot, at the lower and higher locations. We also can choose to do the swing as a solo or couple, and we decided on the couple package, as the swing seemed quite scary. But once you rode it, it was not as frightening as it seemed. This is the thing when we rode that giant swing, you know, why do I have to ride jungle swing with you guys? Where's my significant other???

NUSA PENIDA ISLAND HOPPING

Nusa Penida is also my favorite part of Bali. This little slice of paradise, if you are yet to discover, you are seriously missing out! The road to every island is pretty narrow, bumpy, and somewhat dangerous. But the view was so breathtaking, and I still can't get over how beautiful this place is, I swear. Even the camera can't capture the same beauty my eye sees.

PURA LEMPUYANG TEMPLE

TRAVELMATES APPRECIATION

I enjoyed every bit of our trip. Thanks, guys, for the company and, most importantly, for being patient and putting up with those occasional mood swings among us. I know it could be difficult, but I honestly appreciate it. I had the most incredible time those one week I spent with you guys, and I would always travel with you guys again- any time, any place.  

Travelogue: London & Paris

So I went to London last semester break for a week, and I had a wonderful trip on the whole, although I had severe skin breakout maybe because of the cold air, which dries out my skin. I really really hate to travel during winter. It took me around 2-3 weeks to heal my skin. So, remember to pack sufficient moisturizer if you are traveling in winter and have very sensitive skin like me. But all the pain above can never beat the beautiful view in London. I would absolutely love to stay here longer if only it is not winter.

Our flight was from Kuala Lumpur -> Dubai -> London, and then we went to France by Eurostar train. Getting around London was super convenient. The underground metros are well connected, and you can pay for the fare with an Oyster card or contactless card.

London

Tower Bridge

National Museum

St Pancras Station

 Paris

A trip to Paris has been on my wishlist in my whole life. I mean, who wouldn't love Paris? The architecture, fashion, and macaroons all exude Parisian love and passion. I had always wondered in real life, the Eiffel Tower is as magnanimous as it does in the picture, and it doesn't disappoint me. It is just breathtakingly wow! The views of the city all lit up were all worth the trip and the chilly winds.  

Despite having a reputation for being home to a number of scams, I've not had any problem in Paris, and Paris will always be my favorite city of all time.