Sunday, June 15, 2008

Asian Invasion Pt 3: Hup Holland Hup!!!


Translation: Here is your Zaak?!?!

Right sorry about the late update.Hope that picture made up for it!?!? haha The flight back on British Airways felt ALOT longer than the flight going there...!! So having been jetlagged from the flight back from Holland and got straight back into training for the fight, also juggling personal training on top of that has left me some what busy!!

Sooo the last part of my holiday I flew from Stockholm to Eindhoven. The weather while I was in Holland was BEAUTIFUL. 32Degrees and no humidity and just only a few days where in the early afternoon it was abit chilly. My Stepdad was there to pick me up and drive me home. Home was in South of Holland,in a little place called Uden. I call it "Kampung" (Village in Bahasa Malay) Uden...coz it really is a smalllll town with no trains in and out of there...and since the Bus services were on STRIKE!!! You were basically STUCK if you don't drive!!! Greeaaaat!!!

So was the first time in 7 years that I was back in Holland and the first time that I've seen the new house!! So mom and my little bro was excited to show me around the place. Mom had already prepared a nice home cooked Asian meal...knowing that Id be craving just rice and veggies and stuff like that after 2 weeks of eating potatoes,meat,sandwiches,pies and all sorts of stodgy food....!!


Nothing beats a home cooked meal!!!

Its been about a year and a half that I've seen my mom and everytime I do,she cooks up a FEAST!!! I always miss her cooking when she's not around!!! My step-dad and bro are lucky she's there to cook for them...She's an awesome cook and I think nothing beats a home cooked meal..all full of love!! =) She now teaches cooking lessons to the people in her neighborhood. Teaching them to make everything from good old Singaporean food to even just how to bake pies,pastries and dutch food...HAH,beating them at their own game!!

So my stay in Holland was more family orientated and not so much late nights and partying with friends!!....So time was spent mainly with my mom catching up and following her around to sort of see what her life was like there now and meeting all her friends there. What was weird was when I met all her Thai friends. Was weird coz they dont speak much english so I had to speak Thai to them and when they spoke to my mom they had to speak in dutch?!?! Also took time to see my "Oma" (Grandma in Dutch),who made me a YUMMMY strawberry cake!!! Mhhhhmmmmm


Yummy!!!

Also just hanging with the little brother,haven't really been there much for him coz of my busy schedule and my retardedness to keep in touch over phones!! So just had to sorta entertain him abit going with him to some school outings and meeting some of his friends. And of course being the big brother I had to annoy him as much as I can whenever I can....that's what big brothers are for?!?!....Right?...

So over the weekend Kampung Uden was getting to me and I was looking forwad to my trip out of there........So I got my stepdad to drop me off at the S.Hertogenbosch train station and from there I took a train up to Amsterdam which took me about an hour and thirty mins??... The moment the train doors open the smell of burnt vegetables gone wrong hits ya....and thats when ya know you're Amsterdam?!!?!? I can't stand the smell.....but you can't really avoid it as it's sold at the coffee shops and people just walk around smoking it like a normal cigarette!? Coming from Singapore where anything to do with drugs is either a jail term of a DEATH penalty.....you can't really help but find it weird when someone rolls a joint over coffee and chats to you huffing and puffing away like it's nothing??!... Or when a guy on the street corner offers to sell you, "Hashies,Cocaine and Pills."....It's just very very odd!!! One thing I noticed from just having dutch friends and people who live there is that....Dutch people rarely or almost NEVER smoke Marijuana or do drugs even tho it's so accessible to them......it's more the tourist that smoke and do drugs there.

A view of one of the rivers in Amsterdam and Madam Tussaud's Wax Musuem and the other "wax musuem" the red light district.

Whilst in Amsterdam I managed to catch up with a good friend.....a certain K-1 Superstar. Paul "The Sting" Slowinski, who was last year K-1 European Champion!! Was good to see the big guy again. Having lived with him many years ago in Koh Samui and also last seeing him in July where we fought on the same event,so it has been awhile and was good to catch up again! Paul now lives and trains in Amsterdam with 4 Time K-1 World Champion and a LEGEND Ernesto Hoost a.ka "Mr. Perfect". Ernesto set up his own training academy called Team Perfect.


Paul laughing at some guy in a bright green suit and dreadlocks walking by!!

Hung out with Paul walking around Amsterdam and later went back to his place where I met his gf and his housemate,Sammy who also trains with him at Team Perfect. I was treated to a nice home cooked Pasta Bolognese by the champ himself!!! Very UNLIKE Paul to cook & clean!!! Was actually pretty yummy!! (I was under no pressure at all to say that!!!!!!! haha)



Paul's Belt and Throphy he got for winning K-1 Euro GP 2007!!! (AM SOOO JEALOUS!!!!)

The Sting when he's not stiring up trouble in the ring,he's stiring up some beef for his pasta!!
YES!! Even K-1 Champions need to cook and clean!!!!

So after a day of catching up and a funny night out with Paul and the rest of the gang walking through the dodgy streets of the Redlight districts and clubs in Amsterdam,I was on the first train at 6.30am,then getting my stepdad to come get me from the train station. My hair and my clothes wreaking of marijuana from people smoking it in the clubs,I simple couldn't wait to just get out of my clothes and shower!!!

Whilst I was there Euro 2008 kicked off and seriously the Dutch are football crazy!!! The fans are known as the "Oranje Army". They come out dressed in the most ridiculous outfits and they wear everything orange!!.....We watched the game in my town central where they got out a massive screen and everyone just stood around watching the game. It's a really great atmosphere to watch the game with so many people all dressed in Orange singing really silly dutch songs!! Holland won Italy that night 3-0!!!! Hup Holland Hup!!!!




Oranje Straat in Kampung Uden & Game night at the town centre.

So was a perfect way to end the night and the holiday as after the game was over, it was back home to pack as I was pretty much leaving the next day!! =(

So it was awesome to have been to London,Stockholm and Holland. I had such an amazing time in all three countries....and I wanna thank everyone who had helped with lodging and taking care of me and showing me around while I was there =) Hopefully it won't take me 7 years again before I visit Europe again.

The holiday was exactly what I needed to get away from Singapore and now I'm back and raring to go!!!!! July 5th here we come!!!!!

LaterZ

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is nice to read how Zach did enjoyed Holland and even Uden-town. After his busy activities it is nice to take some 'rest'and 'good-food'in this Dutch town.

Ronin said...

good to know you've had a good break.

everyone needs that from time to time.