Warning: Photo overload and an incredibly long post!
My time in Paris was simply awesome. So good that I did not bother to update this blog, post any pictures or give a hint about what I was doing there. Now that I’m back in Kuala Lumpur and my life is not so fantastique anymore I will blog about my trip.
Arriving at the airport, it was nothing special. I felt like I arrived in the 60′s. Taking the RER and going through the suburbs of Paris to the city was also a little letdown. The facilities and trains were so old and not user friendly, I was a little disappointed. In my mind I was thinking, “This is Paris??”.
My introduction to the metro was a bit of a nightmare as well. Thank goodness Chrysan was there to help me with my suitcases. We had to carry 30 kg worth of bags up and down ridiculous flights of stairs every time we changed a station (about 4 times) and I was wearing my 5-inch platform heels! Where were the escalators? I mean come on, this is the 21st century! As Chrysan best put it, it was as if we were characters in a Super Mario video game going through all the obstacles.
Once out of the metro and into the city, it was insanely beautiful. I was transported into the 18th century with all the classical buildings. It was very early on a Saturday morning, so quiet and cold with the sun breaking though and illuminating every surface. Simply breathtaking.
And the photos shall begin…
My lovely host Chrysan <3
The view outside our apartment.
Staying all warm and cozy.
We took a walk starting from the 5th arrondissement further up from Place Monge, where there are lots of restaurants and bars. It was incredibly quaint to see all the French style settings. Totally immersion into a Parisian environment.
Cafés et bistros à Place de la Contrescarpe.
Charming Haussmann buildings all over Paris.
Crossing over to the 6th arrondissement to places of St. Germain, St. Michel and the Luxembourg Gardens, it is also where Cafe de Flore is located, the watering hole of many French intellectuals to discuss their philosophies of existentialism during the post war era. This is the classier arrondissement south of the Seine, which also means very, very expensive.
Saint Michel early in the morning.
Jardin de Luxembourg.
It was nice basking under the sun on the chairs all over the garden even though my hands were frozen to the point of being numb. It may look sunny, but don’t let that fool you! People watching is such a fun activity (especially since it’s free). Just looking at the children feeding the pigeons, old couples enjoying themselves, and tourists taking lots of photos was actually very enjoyable. After that we headed to one of Chrysan’s favourite bookstores, the famous Shakespearean company. It’s a tiny, tiny shop filled from floor to ceiling with all sorts of famous, old books. It’s a bit of a tourist attraction now especially since it was featured on many travel shows so there’s always lots of people cramped into the small space.
The famous Shakespearean company.
Obligatory portrait in the mirror!
Old photos on the walls.
Notre Dame de Paris.
The coolest vintage car I’ve seen on the streets.
Look at all that detailing!
We crossed the river over to the 4th arrondissement also known as Le Marais, the gay district of Paris. I stayed here during my last week with Catherine and her friends, also known as the Malaysian house. North of the river (right bank) is considered to be the more traditional and ‘proper’ area of Paris, whereas the south (left bank) is considered to be more bohemian.
La Seine.
Hôtel de Ville, very beautiful gothic architecture.
Boulevard de la Bastille.
Chrysan and I also went to Montmartre in the 18th, the highest point in Paris. It is the arrondissement where the film Amelie was filmed and equally as artistic and bohemian as the left bank. The whole place was full of traditional shops, buildings, very French, blah blah blah. I can go on and on. It’s a very hilly area though, so be ready to climb flights of stairs when you get there but it’s definitely worth it. Also a very popular tourist area, but probably not as touristy as the Eiffel Tower or the Lourve. Apparently Vincent van Gogh and many other famous artists lived here in their time.
I should’ve listened to mother and gotten a caricature of myself! Tee hee.
The breathtaking view from Sacré Cœur.
Being from Asia, I was shocked at how Parisians park their cars. Remember that scene in the Pink Panther (with Steve Martin) where he parks his Smart Car vertical to the other cars at the airport? I actually saw that a few times, in real life! I think their bumpers are made of rubber or something. They don’t seem to care very much about vehicles unlike in Asia where it’s usually shiny and expensive. In fact, the taxis are much more posh and in better condition than the regular cars, they use the Mercedes C class models! True life.
When I was at Champs-Élysées one night, there was a Rolls Royce parked by the side of the road and the French were so awed by it they started taking photos and peeping into the car to get a better look. I was like, “Meh” and found it so funny that the French become incredibly curious when there is a nice posh car in front of them. I mean come on, my neighbours here in KL drive Ferraris, Bentlys and Hummers! I have no car though. Sad face.
See what I mean? Colours of the French flag too!
I met up with Chris (a model friend of mine) at Champs-Élysées and went into a few expensive stores drooling at the goods facing the fact that we can probably never afford such luxuries. The one luxury we could probably afford was Laudurée’s famous macaroons where he took Chrysan and I too. At €1,20 a pop, it was definitely a luxury. Observe.
Grinning like a fool with my prize purchase. Note, empty wallet still in hand.
I wonder what’s in this pretty little box?
Et voilà! Pretty little macaroons.
Mmmm… so good!
I wish I could’ve tried more of the delicious French pastries. They’re usually so expensive (€4 for a raspberry tart, seriously??) that I wouldn’t even think about indulging in them so what I would do is go into the shop, visually feed myself and drool slightly over the colourful, glazed, and sinful delicacies then proceed to walk out with my head hung down in sadness. It’s like taking a fat kid into a candy store and saying she can only look. SIGH.
So to save money, I spent many days cooking meals for Chrysan and I. It was actually really good, was pretty proud of myself for the dishes I whipped up!
Check out this lagsagne I made from scratch! No kidding.
On to the nightlife. Phew, so far I’ve spent 3 hours writing all this crap and for what? Anyway, where was I? Nightlife? Oh yes. Unlike in Asia where most people opt to go to bars or clubs, in France the pub is the place to be whereas bars and clubs are for fancier nights or if you’re looking to drop more cash. Let me put it this way, pubs are for casual nights after work to chill with your friends over a pint, and also the cheapest option. Bars are slightly fancier where specialty cocktails may be served in a nicer, taller glass, with better music playing, better dressed crowd (in my head this would be Hôtel Costes) and probably twice the price of your neighbourhood pub. Clubs would usually have a door charge, resident DJ, dancefloor, loud pumping music, and a crowd looking for some ‘fun’.
Now that we are clear on the difference between each establishment, we shall continue.
This is how they do the Jägerbomb at Bateau Vie. Set the whole bar on fire woo-hoo!
These were the nights at the pubs where if I can recall correctly, I was having beers, gin tonics, cocktails, random unknown shots and then proceeded to scream at everybody to have tequila shots and Jägerbombs. Surprisingly I still turned out pretty fine. I remember walking with my friends moving to another pub when one closed and we were screaming “What’s up Paris!!!!!” to groups standing outside other pubs. It was promptly followed by responses of loud cheer, lots of fist pumping and peace-sign making. It was just AWESOME. Still puts a smile on my face every time I think about it.
Stumbling across the sidewalks of Paris on a cold winter’s night with all your friends hand in hand, buzzing with energy and literally screaming at each other with a goofy grin on our faces, wondering where the night will lead us to next is seriously lots of fun. That’s all I will say because my mom reads this blog too hehe.
By the way, when in Paris having a good time usually requires a good group of friends and a sufficient level of handling an alcoholic diet. Going out alone or with just one other friend usually does not cut it.
I love the lights in this one.
I’m not sure why everybody already looks so wasted when we had barely started. Say hello to the gang, (L-R) Paolo, Thomas, Chrysan, Eugenio, Florian, and Alex.
This photo pretty much sums out how we were feeling that night.
Chrysan and Paolo.
Dancing in the metro with Cedric. Yes that is a bottle of wine in his hand.
What trip would it be if there wasn’t a visit to the Eiffel Tower? I took a walk alone one night and explored the place for a whole hour. There were plenty of tourists taking photographs and all the immigrant souvenir sellers but surprisingly quiet and serene. If you ignore how touristy it is and see it through your own eyes as if you were the only person alive there, it is truly amazing.
It was nice being by myself and taking in the beautiful structure that it is. I was at a loss for words at that very moment I looked at it up close. I couldn’t believe I was there, the city of my dreams. In the still of the night it said to me, “Welcome to Paris”. This is Paris. I was in Paris.
Ok, so I really suck at this consistent blog update thing but since I have nothing better to do these tries I should do something about it. Photo overload!
Matthias is a model I photographed before when I was in Sydney. Originally from Belgium, he was in Paris over the weekend with Laurent and we met up for coffee. Being the model that he is, he insisted I brought along my camera to take photos and we found ourselves doing an impromptu photoshoot in the Tuileries which I really liked. The photos turned out really well and remains to be one of my favourite sets.
Ah, Paris is so beautiful! After that, it was my turn to get photos taken with Matthias, courtesy of Laurent. They’re kinda silly but then that says a lot about us. I like. After a while it started to look as if we were having a dance off in the middle of the park. Hmmm…
The things I have to put up with…
I rest my case.
Michael Jackson or a member of some Eurotrash boyband?
The tango, FAIL.
I actually really like this photo.
It was a great afternoon with the guys, they’re lots of fun especially when Matthias is so hyper and Laurent is the cool and collected one. We just walked around the park a bit more, stopped at this merry-go-round at the park and Matthias took some photos of me before they left to Belgium right after. I’ll see you in Antwerp next!
Don’t you think it looks like part of a Korean drama?
So it’s been a month since my last update (bad, I know) and I’ve been in Paris for the past 10 days. Such a beautiful city, but incredibly cold in the winter. I’ll remember to avoid coming to Europe in the dead of winter the next time (-3ºC outside right now!).
What am I doing in Paris? I decided to take an extended vacation and do some shoots at the same time. Problem is, I plan to do most of it outdoors on location but I don’t think the team will appreciate that very much so I’ll have to find a way around it. Lots of blankets and flasks of hot coffee?
My new years here was a bit of a bummer, I was feeling sick and fell asleep at 11 pm. So much for a crazy new years in the city of lights!
I’ve been having lots of fun with Chrysan, my roomie and she’s been dragging me out to as many places as possible. Funnily enough, I’ve not been to the Eiffel tower yet (to come, soon maybe?).
Life here is good, it’s simple, the French way of living is extremely laid back in my opinion. Besides the odd uptight Parisian, most of the people here are very nice and friendly. They approach everything with a c’est-la-vie attitude, sometimes a bit frustrating but other times a reminder to take everything with a pinch of salt.
Photos to come soon.
p.s. It snowed today and I’m trying to find every reason to stay indoors in my nice cosy room. Not good!
I left my heart in Bangkok. But it’s a good thing I did not take its diseases with me.
Joel trying to figure out a way to throw me off the balcony because I ‘complain’ too much.
A city like Bangkok gets better and better each time you experience new levels of fun, followed by remorse after. 3 weeks was definitely a lot and enough but yet it seems like it wasn’t. I had that issue even after 2.5 months in Australia. Maybe it’s just me but I can definitely see the charms of the place and sort of understand why so many people love Bangkok.
Bro’s fo’ tha ‘hoes. Word.
Let’s talk about Songkran. Now I know I mentioned that I would lock myself in my room till it was all over but I have to admit I became very curious after Emmanuel said it was hell of a street rave at Silom that I missed out. Boo. I decided that if I anticipate getting drenched and plastered, it wouldn’t be so bad being splashed on for 6 hours continuously. Oh boy.
Drenched and slathered in paste. Yuck.
This is how Leonardo works his ‘charm’ on the ladies.
We were at Khoasan (Backpackers district) this time. It was fun, for sure. My only complaint was the overuse of flour paste with a whole lot of aggression. I got mobbed a few times where a bunch of guys would rub their dirty hands all over my face just to make sure I was completely covered in paste. I had to be pulled out from that lock-hold just so I wouldn’t lose the rest of the guys in the crowd. What was up with that craziness? I had so much flour in my eyes that it was all bloodshot and I had to throw my contacts out because my eyes were completely blinded. There were more civilised people who would just rub the paste on my arms or cheek but please, stay away from the eyes and mouth! Putain.
I couldn’t open my eyes properly the next morning because my lids were stuck together as a result of the paste drying up. Advice to readers, wear goggles if you want to attempt going out during Songkran and put all your valuables in a zip-lock or sealed waterproof bag.
I also caught a cold and lost my voice after all that. A sniffing frog isn’t very sexy.
Joel, Michaël, Unknown and Emmanuel. Until now, no one recalls who Unknown was or what he was doing in the picture.
Part of Khaosan on a regular night.
I went back to Khaosan again a few days later with some friends to experience it on a regular day and do some location scouting for my upcoming shoot. Did I also mention before that the heat in Bangkok is comparable to being slow roasted in an oven?
Blue cocktails to trick us into thinking that the weather was much cooler than it really was.
My China doll.
With Leisa ‘Big Eyes’ Pearson.
The night started out innocently enough. Everybody was great company and relatively sensible. Until it was time for the infamous BUCKETS. If you’ve never heard of Thailand’s Buckets before, you have not lived. It is what it is, cheap booze served in a bucket with a multitude of straws (supposed for sharing if you’re generous enough).
These roadside make-shift bars only consist of a kiosk where they mix the drinks and patrons sit on plastic stools squashed next to as many people as possible. There are no tables so we use “chaibles“, as said by the server. The music clashes painfully with the bucket bar about 5 meters away and fat people dance over-excitedly when they really should just be sitting still. Also, Sangsom (Thai Whisky) is a nasty drink only for the really brave. You will feel really shit in the morning and I speak from experience.
The next few images will describe what the world looks like after a couple of buckets. Trippin’.
We love Redbull Vodka buckets.
Ying is very easily amused.
Leisa, Ying, Matthew, Me and Nick. Sebastian was trippin’ with this photo. Heh heh.
6 faces of the blue elephant.
We got an inflatable elephant from some other patrons, meant to annoy the hell out of each other with. Nick decided to courteously bite on the poor elephant’s head and the rest is pretty gross. I’m not too sure what happened to it after, actually.
I vaguely remember what else we were up to the rest of the night. Maybe a few more bars and this really unusual place called “Wong’s”. My best description of it would be a secret brothel or drug ring disguised as a bar in American Chinatown during the 80′s.
Then came my last night in Bangkok and the boys decided that they wanted to kill themselves during dinner at this all-you-can-eat cook-it-yourself place at Victory Monument. I think I can still feel that dinner in my stomach now, even a few days after. Maybe I should’ve suggested Basilico instead for the most amazing pizza.
Joel and Emmanuel trying to show an unusual level of affection towards Marco.
More affection. Poor Marco.
The only photo of Joel with his eyes relatively ‘open’ and I am the Asian one here. Pfft.
The best way to sum up this post and final instalment of my trip to Bangkok in 4 minutes is to watch this video. I may not have said very much about the place while I was there, but I think I’m starting to miss the place already. Probably not a good idea for me to stay there for too long because I could hardly ever get any work done there!
I can’t believe it took me almost 3 hours to write this post and yet I still have so many more posts waiting for me to finish. I am now in KL, incase you didn’t realise so anybody here please contact or write to me! Schedule is going to be very hectic, but more on that later. And now I leave you with this:
McDonald’s Double Big Mac with four slices of patty.
As much as possible, I swear to myself never to eat fast food when I travel but for some reason or the other, I will always have McDonald’s at least once. I guess it’s the curiosity of trying something from McDonald’s worldwide, there’s always something different. I thought the triple cheeseburger I had in Australia was the bomb until I came to Thailand and laid eyes on the Double Big Mac! Dum-dum-dum.
The Long Table.
After a painful 3-hour emergency shopping spree with Matthew (for him, not me), we went to a rooftop restaurant bar to chill and check out the view. The place is really chic, when you first walk in it looks somewhat like a bar you would find in New York. Not that I would know because I haven’t been to New York, just saying. Apparently they have what is the longest communal dining table in the world (hence the name, The Long Table) and seats up to 70 or so people comfortably.
View from the balcony of The Long Table.
Exhausted shoppers.
The next night, I was in Patpong with Mikkel and Wang Ying. Patpong is one of Bangkok’s most notorious districts, infamous for its Ping Pong shows. Can someone say gross? We had to take a beer break from more night market shopping and almost died from the insane humidity. The issue was that every bar looked like some place from hooker hell or prone to getting a “Madam, you want to see Ping Pong show? Come one minute free, very nice. No shy-shy”.
We sat outside because we were too chicken to drink inside. It was scary.
Mikkel Nielsen.
Wang Ying. So cute when she drinks, she turns crimson red
I decided to redeem myself from that night at Patpong by going to this other awesome rooftop restaurant bar The Nest at Le Fenix Hotel on Soi 11. It was a good choice. Not as much of a view as The Long Table, but very cozy decor and great music. Not the least bit pretentious and probably one of my favourite places so far.
Check out that couple going at it on the lounge beds!
Nest-like lounge beds scattered around, hence the name.
This is when Mikkel decided to get epic wasted. He had a Blowjob shooter, Mojito, Apple Martini, Long Island Iced Tea, and 3 Jägerbombs all within a span of 2-hours. Let’s not also forget the few beers he’s had prior to The Nest. I must also mention that The Nest makes potent cocktails. POTENT.
Jägerbomb, Apple Martini, Long Island Iced Tea. Still looking sober.
Not so sober anymore.
Fast and Furious on the roads of Bangkok.
Walking back was not an option since we were pretty much tripping all over the sidewalks so Mikkel had an insanely bright idea of taking a Tuk-Tuk! Cue video.
A few days later, we headed to Suan Lum Night Bazaar at Lumphini for the last round of shopping. I’ve already spent too much attacking Siam Central, Siam Square, Siam Paragon, Central World and miscellaneous places, but I bought still this really gorgeous item there. Absolutely no self control, I am ashamed of myself. Pfft.
View from our watering hole.
Not-so-red Ying. Hehe.
Being very greasy looking stereotypical Chinese, with no eyes.
Asian FOB and Dane gangsta??
Yes it was very, very, very hot which is why we look so extremely greasy and gross. But it’s ok, we’re still cool.
Anyway, everything looks all fun and happy here, which it is but there’s also been a lot of shit happening with local politics. If you haven’t seen the news, protests have been going on for the past week and escalating to serious levels with 2 dead and 113 injured. The Thai military have opened fire, buses are being hijacked, gas bombs are being thrown. Tourists are shitting their pants and leaving on the soonest flights possible. It’s quite unfortunate really, because it’s a fun place to be and with everybody running for their lives and Thais leaving the city for Songkran, Bangkok has become rather quiet.
Also Songkran, the Thai New Year Water Festival is in full force with water guns and pails everywhere. The concept is to drench everybody out on the streets, so I’ve been locking myself at home trying to stay dry. I am boring and unadventurous, I know. Don’t judge.
Unfortunately, Songkran celebrations have been cancelled in Khao San (backpackers party town area) because of the protests, but according to Emmanuel my housemate, I missed hell of a rave party at Silom last night. Boo.
On the upside, the protests and chaos are happening in an isolated part of Bangkok like the Government and Parliament house, so most of the city areas and the area around where I’m staying is still safe and relatively normal. I will still be alive at the end of my trip (hopefully)!
To end, I leave you with this picture:
Joel ‘selling’ pirated DVDs to Emmanuel. I LOL-ed.
My lovely host Chrysan <3
The view outside our apartment.
Cafés et bistros à Place de la Contrescarpe.
Charming Haussmann buildings all over Paris.
Saint Michel early in the morning.
The famous Shakespearean company.
Obligatory portrait in the mirror!
Old photos on the walls.
Notre Dame de Paris.
The coolest vintage car I’ve seen on the streets.
La Seine.
Hôtel de Ville, very beautiful gothic architecture.
I should’ve listened to mother and gotten a caricature of myself! Tee hee.
The breathtaking view from Sacré Cœur.
See what I mean? Colours of the French flag too!
Grinning like a fool with my prize purchase. Note, empty wallet still in hand.
I wonder what’s in this pretty little box?
Et voilà! Pretty little macaroons.
Mmmm… so good!
Check out this lagsagne I made from scratch! No kidding.
This is how they do the Jägerbomb at Bateau Vie. Set the whole bar on fire woo-hoo!
I love the lights in this one.
I’m not sure why everybody already looks so wasted when we had barely started. Say hello to the gang, (L-R) Paolo, Thomas, Chrysan, Eugenio, Florian, and Alex.
This photo pretty much sums out how we were feeling that night.
Dancing in the metro with Cedric. Yes that is a bottle of wine in his hand.
I will be back for you soon, I promise.
