Bah-Bah-Bah-BAH KUT TEH!

Thursday, September 25, 2008
I had BAH KUT TEH for lunch today! LOOK LOOK! Since coming to Germany we've bought a few pieces of cooking utensils like a spatula, ladle and today, a wicked knife. The knives here at the hostel are so blunt that I once palmed the knife on the "sharp" end by accident, and even after putting quite a bit of pressure before I noticed my error, I did not even break my skin.


I bet most of you assumed that the moment I arrived in Germany, my diet would consist of solely potatoes, pasta and sausages. Well you're wrong! Because I had the foresight to apply for exchange with Iron Chef WU JIAHUI!! Round of applause ladies and gentlemen.


Jiahui has been cooking for us all through out the exchange and I just want to really thank her a lot for keeping me fed and healthy. And even though sometimes some of the dishes don't work out exactly as planned...


... they generally turn out to be really delicious!


But of course it's not as if I don't do any cooking myself! Check this out! Doesn't it look sumptuous?


Unfortunately the taste is altogether another story. It would seem that actually having pork ribs as well as corn starch turns out to be really important ingredients inside Coffee Ribs. Sigh!

Dear Jiass, you have my most sincerest and heartfelt thanks for all the cooking that you have done and because of that you deserve a tribute post on my blog. Hats off to the chef. I'll be sure to buy you more ice cream okay?


Sprouting Nonsense Since 1984 {10:53 pm}


Wine Festival in Bad DurkHeim! (20th-21st Sept)

In between the Wine Festival and Rhine Valley, I actually went to Stuttgart and visited the Porsche and Mercedes Benz Museum but its really just lots of pictures of cars. So here's one of me getting into my Mini-Porsche...


... and I'll talk about the super awesome wine festival.

Do you still remember how awesome Pasaar Malams used to be when we were younger? When they had carnival rides and lots of game booths? The wine festival was exactly like the good'Ol'Night Markets of yesteryear... and more. The moment we arrive we were greeted with an air of energy, fun and excitement and the screams of people on the rides could be heard long before we could even see the wine festival. I whipped out my camera to take a beautiful shot of the whole market... but realised I left my camera battery back in Mannheim. Sigh..... It was a good thing that my trusty sidekick, you know her by now, Wu Jiahui had her camera!! Special thanks to Jiahui for taking all these wonderful photos! You are my Superwoman.


Presenting the Wine Festival at Bad Durkheim!!


The festival grounds was just filled with people and we were greeted with the sight of a scary ass ride. Know now that I don't actually like taking rides like these. The Viking scares the holy crap out of me. But at first the ride looked pretty okay.


Then we realised we caught the end of the ride and in the next few moments we beheld the ride in all its horrific glory as it started up again and rose to its full height.


Rising up to something like 10 storeys high, the ride carved a 270 degree vertical arc while spinning its passengers in irregular patterns. Kipp Kroon called to us.

However we decided that we need some alcohol in our system before we had the cajones to take the ride. And so we went to get some food and drink first. 1/2 metre bratwursts, flammkuchen and various meats off the pit were offered to us. I only wish I had a bigger appetite (as well as a bigger wallet) so I could try everything.


We finally got into the tents for some pre-oktoberfest training and sat down with a wine each. Soon after we were flushed red with courage and so we headed to the ride.


On the way I saw like these huge heart-shaped cookies! I wish I could have bought one for Gerger.


Here's us just before going up the ride. As we waited in the queue to get onto the ride, everytime the ride launched its passengers into the sky, I felt my wine-fueled courage slowly get sapped by the war of attrition between alcohol and terror. By the time it was my turn I was wishing I had never left Singapore. Actually I was kinda wishing my mother never met my father.


I didn't take pictures during the ride though. LOL duh. In fact the ride wasn't all that scary though the one part where we were at the top and I looked down and saw the ground so far away, that was pretty surreal. But at the end of the ride, I think we weren't feeling too well. Maybe not that good an idea to ride rides on a full stomach. Proud of ourselves we called it a day and left Bad Durkheim and headed back.


Things on my mind:
Bah Kut Teh
Missing KTV
Boobies
Gerger


Sprouting Nonsense Since 1984 {6:46 am}


The Romantic Rhine (18th Sept)

Friday, September 19, 2008
Before I left for Europe, Gal Pal Huiyi bought me a "Rick Steve's Best of Europe 2008" guide book and it been of indispensable help to me ever since. It's helped me plan itineraries and prioritize where in Europe I want to go to. Last Thursday, I followed its recommendations to visit the Rhine Valley. Of course saying Rhine Valley is like saying Black Forest. Its really huge and there are many places there to visit. So unlike the people who told me to visit the Black Forest (Thanks again guys. Rrrrrreally helpful), I'll be specific and tell you that St Goars and Bacharach were the places we visited and it was beautiful.

We arrived at St Goar's finally after some more train trouble (I've been getting into a lot of those in Germany). First we missed the train, which was totally my fault which sucks. I hate it when things are my fault. Then finally we got on the train and the train was delayed. And so when we had to change trains, we had to run for it! So finally when we were aboard the train, I figured I'd want to take a picture of that moment so I'd be able to remember it. But instead, when I took my camera out, my spare battery flew out and fell into a crevice in a seat and I just simply couldn't find it.

It took me a good 20mins of crawling and digging on the train floor before I found the thing and could take this picture.

Nonetheless, we successfully arrived in St Goars where we climbed up to an old castle ruin and spent some time exploring it. In fact, it wasn't so much a castle as it was a fort but that did not detract from its appeal. It was a beautiful place with a great view of the town which housed it.

Halfway through our self-guided tour around the Burg Rheinfels, I ran into an American who was carrying the same guidebook I was holding! Introducing Bryan from Seattle!

After a lunch, we got out of St Goars to head to Bacharach and to do that, we took an hour long ferryboat ride upstream. I must say now that the ferryboat ride was some of the most fun I've ever had in Germany and will most definitely remain as one of the most memorable experiences of my exchange. The whole ride was amazingly scenic and I even ran into Bryan again and we chatted while I snapped pictures like a shutterbug supercharged with steroids and adrenaline.

Jiahui was totally unable to keep her hair in place.

You can't tell but this Castle (yes its a castle) sat on the middle of the river. Apparently back in the old days, they'd raise chains to collect tolls.


And finally we arrived in Bacharach.

Bacharach was a beautiful little town and too had its own castle which has since been converted into a student hostel. For the heck of it we decided to go up to the castle to have a look see. Turns out the hostel is from the same chain of hostel that made us death climb back in Triberg.


After climb up past lots of these, we finally arrived at a nice clearing that gave us a nice shot of Bacharach and the river.


After a little bit more climbing...


... we were finally at the hostel/castle. Can anyone tell me if they've EVER seen such a beautiful student hostel.


We each had a cup of hot Schokolade to nullify the effects of having actually worked our body during the climb up. The aim was always to put on weight and we never lost sight of that.

Jiahui hates this photo cuz her hair was totally brutalized by the wind.

The day was finally over but not before we were both stunned by the seeing for the first time in Germany, and absolutely unmanned train station which simply had a ticket machine. But in the end we were able to get our ticket.

But at when we were changing trains at Mainz, we went to buy a McDonald's wrap and we ALMOST missed the train again because the guy who was preparing our wrap was undergoing training! And with that wrap, we wrapped up our day!

(WAHAHAHAHAHAHA I can't believe I wrote that)

Things on my mind:
Oktoberfest
Soooo many backlogged post
Boobies
Gerger


Sprouting Nonsense Since 1984 {5:27 am}


The Real Me
Vincent Fu
aka Jishbac

Not Important
*Gerger, *Thomthom, *Nara, *Big Giant Head, *Dewei - Golden Boy of Econs, ,*Beauty-Wu Jiahui ,*Weewee

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