THE DAY I REALISED THAT EINDHOVEN IS ACTUALLY BIGGER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS...
Because we've been practically walking around Eindhoven for the past 3 days, i had the illusion that Eindhoven is actually kinda small. Imagine taking a train down from Amst when each of us had like 2 big luggages weighing a total of 46kg, and then taking a bus (lugging all the luggages along with us) to Vestide, where we were supposed to get our keys for our accomodations and then moving in to our places by feet. (thanks guys! they helped us to moved our luggages cause my luggages was heavier than me.)
N so, yesterday we decided to visit the Saturday market(Woenselse Market) to get our groceries for today's dinner. We arranged to meet there at 130pm and amazingly, i managed to reach there without even referring to the map. i just cycled n cycled n turned when i thought i needed to....n tadah! i reached there even before the guys did!
However, the route back was horrible. We left the place at like 4 plus and i only reached home at 7.15pm. Over here, it starts to get dark at like 5 -6pm. N i was seriously hoping that i would be able to rush back before the sky was dark. Unfortunately, i didnt managed to do so.It was horrid because the front lights were drooping and the dynamo couldnt work cause of that. So i had to stop every few metres to adjust it, until i totally gave up aft like an hr or so. (note: u'd get fined 25 euros if u dont have ur lights on whilst u are cycling i think.) As if that wasnt bad enough, i had a basket full of groceries that threatens to topple over any moment whenever i stop to ask for directions. There werent that many street lamps n the signs were puny which made map reading even harder. (not like im gd at reading maps tho) At that point in time, i really wanted to have a gps desperately! N so, in total i asked like 7 strangers for directions.(each giving me diff directions n none of them were able to tell me where i was.)hmm.perhaps cause they cant really speak eng also? so we just communicate by pointing here n there.it was quite a funny sight actually. I was so desperate cause it was freezing cold n my hands n legs were numb aft cycling for damn long in the cold, that i wanted to just slp on the streets or knocked on sm stranger's door to ask if they could let me bunk in for the night or smth...
However, the route back was horrible. We left the place at like 4 plus and i only reached home at 7.15pm. Over here, it starts to get dark at like 5 -6pm. N i was seriously hoping that i would be able to rush back before the sky was dark. Unfortunately, i didnt managed to do so.It was horrid because the front lights were drooping and the dynamo couldnt work cause of that. So i had to stop every few metres to adjust it, until i totally gave up aft like an hr or so. (note: u'd get fined 25 euros if u dont have ur lights on whilst u are cycling i think.) As if that wasnt bad enough, i had a basket full of groceries that threatens to topple over any moment whenever i stop to ask for directions. There werent that many street lamps n the signs were puny which made map reading even harder. (not like im gd at reading maps tho) At that point in time, i really wanted to have a gps desperately! N so, in total i asked like 7 strangers for directions.(each giving me diff directions n none of them were able to tell me where i was.)hmm.perhaps cause they cant really speak eng also? so we just communicate by pointing here n there.it was quite a funny sight actually. I was so desperate cause it was freezing cold n my hands n legs were numb aft cycling for damn long in the cold, that i wanted to just slp on the streets or knocked on sm stranger's door to ask if they could let me bunk in for the night or smth...
Then at 6pm, i decided to call allan to ask for the taxi no because it is quite hard to flag a cab in Eindhoven.(I think they only come by, when u call for it?) n then i tried telling them where i was by spelling out smth tt looks like a street name to me?Unfortunately, the operator said tt he couldnt understand so i had to cycle all the way to like another street which was quite a dist away,then call them again.so i parked my bicycle in front of this house and tried waiting for the cab which should only take like abt 10 mins to reach. However after waiting for like 20 mins or so, the cab was still nowhere in sight and thank god, allan called to say he knew where i was. So he tried to navigate me all the way back home through the phone. (oh n i was so pathetic..the bicycle went over my phone when i accidentally dropped it cause i had to "giap" the phone btwn my ear n my shoulder whilst balancing the "top heavy" basket.)
All in all, it was quite a tiring trip n i really regretted not bring yoko yoko or smth cause my muscles are aching like **** now! maybe next time i should give myself like a buffer time to get lost n leave the place at 3 instead..
This is the location of the place i stay and Woenselse market tt we went.
Moral of the story: Never turn left or right 3 times in a row.
ReplyDeleteOther Morals of the story:
The Dutch may be helpful, but they will lead you to 'Holland'
Liren is a Miracle Navigator
hahahaha!
ah sounds like it was quite dangerous! good thing you got back safe (with food supplies intact too) keep the map and a torch in your bike basket? :}
ReplyDeletehahaha.. lilen, now you must keep the map in your bag, like how i use to have the campus map with me...
ReplyDeletehave fun there!