1st day in Paris...

My plane landed at Charles de Gaulle International Airport on 1st November 2009 (Sunday) at 7.00am (2.00pm Malaysia time)..Alhamdulillah everything went smoothly..Our flight had no problem and transit at Abu Dhabi for 2 hours was just nice..not too long and not too short.. when we arrived at Paris Airport there was no problem with the immigration and custom check.. Alhamdulillah..airport dia sangat kokak..heheh..do not expect very high-tech building and all..our KLIA is way too modern..anyway their immigration and custom check were very simple..no hassle..just show them your passport and they will stamp it..that’s all..no embarkation card, visa whatsoever..coz Malaysian citizen do not require visa to enter France (not more than 90 days)..they do not ask you your purpose of entering france, where to stay, for how long, exact date of going back.. no red lane or green lane..no such thing..unlike japan...

We (my mother and I) were fetched by my supervisor..We took a cab to our house..it takes about 30 minutes to reach Paris 13 by car..I was told that it is about the same time if we ride the train (metro)..we have a very small but nice house..the owner is nice as well..imagine like a hotel room with a double bed and a desk with a bathroom in it..plus a small kitchen...although it is small (studio type) but it is newly renovated in a very modern building with security and all..not that classical french building..there is also a gymnasium and washing machine area..so while waiting for my laundry I can ride on the treadmill since I need to burn a lot of fat due to cold weather..hehe..internet is no problem..it is accessible almost everywhere..be it plug-in or wireless..my house is near to a supermarket, gas station, metro station and a surau owned by Muslim African if I am not mistaken..

After settling the rental agreement with the owner and getting to know the area, my supervisor invited us to his house for breakfast where these 3 gentlemen (including his housemates) cooked very nice nasi lemak..(when you are in Paris nasi lemak tastes very delicious!)..it was very nice of them to have our breakfast ready..after that we went to a fresh market nearby where my mother bought some vegetables, fish and prawns..i got myself some fresh strawberries..it is not that expensive if you are local..when you think of its conversion then only it becomes expensive..but not necessarily..there are some things even after you convert you can have just about the same price as in Malaysia, such as beras, cooking oil, kacang buncis..fresh meat yes..they are expensive..but since we buy in small quantity it does not cost us that much..there is a shopping complex at the end of the market but we did not get a chance to go in..we were tired..perhaps next time..after that we went to get some halal meat at a shop nearby..my mother bought some chicken and meat..there is also lamb and burung merpati..hehehe..

Most of the shops here close on Monday..so it is not very pleasant to go around on Mondays..when we arrived the weather was not that cold..if you put on a sweater it should be enough..but it is getting colder nowadays as it is towards the end of autumn and winter is coming up..it rains almost everyday..public transports are very efficient..i managed to get monthly pass for metro and bus with the help of my supervisor..i can ride the metro or the buses unlimited..plus eiffel tower and my house are in the same line of metro..

When we went back home that evening we started unpacking our clothes..we went to bed quite early as we are still adapting the 7hour-time-difference..

Well, that’s all for my first day in Paris.. =)