Ten observations about Hamburg

This is probably my last post on Hamburg for a while. These are just some interesting observations I have on Hamburg, which may or may not be agreed upon by others:

#10: I have been informed that there are nearly 50 mosques in Hamburg! One taxi driver who drove one of the speakers to the hotel from the airport said that Hamburg is the place to be for Muslims. I managed to visit two mosques in the city centre, and I can say that Islam is thriving here. One mosque complex even houses a barber shop, a book shop and a restaurant. Aside from being a house of worship, it has the original spirit of the masjid during the time of the Prophet where it is also the hub of activities for the Muslim community.

#9: The Alster (picture at the top) is magnificent! Don't miss a cruise on the Alster Lake when you are in Hamburg. 'Nuff said.

#8: One of my major concerns before going to Hamburg was communication. As I can only speak Malay and English, I wondered if I would have problems communicating in a country which uses German as its main language. Fortunately, my concerns are unfounded because English, to my pleasant surprise, is spoken quite widely here. It is definitely much easier to communicate in Hamburg, compared to when I went to countries like Algeria, Egypt and Japan.

#7: As with most countries, the Germans are very passionate about football. When the German team won their quarter-final tie against Greece, you can hear, literally, their ecstatic cries of joy!

#6: It is quite easy to find halal food. Most of the halal shops in Hamburg are owned by Turkish migrants to Germany. However, there is one halal restaurant not far from the University of Hamburg and the hotel that I stayed in which is owned by a Pakistani. It is called "Balutschi" which serves a very nice chicken briyani dish. I would recommend it for anyone who has the opportunity to go to Hamburg. More information on the restaurant can be found at this link.

#5: Most shops close early. So it is quite difficult to buy things after 6 p.m. and even more difficult after 7 p.m. Then again, this is quite typical of most European cities. Only the Asian shops would close slightly later. When you come from a country like Malaysia, you need to adjust yourselves to the business opening hours in Europe. One cannot assume that every country is like Malaysia where it is easy to find shops that are virtually opened 24 hours a day.

#4: Generally, the city of Hamburg is very clean. The only down side to it is there are graffiti almost everywhere.

#3: Cycling seems to be an important way to get around in Hamburg. I just admire the way people in Hamburg, young and old alike, cycle. In fact, there is a service for people to use public bicycles which can come in handy.

#2: For some strange and unexplainable reason, I find Hamburg has a very familiar feeling to it. The city reminds me of Glasgow. The two cities are very different but somehow I find the air to them have some striking similarities, which unfortunately I cannot put a finger on.

#1: I have always had the perception (perhaps wrongly) that Germans are not friendly. However, throughout my experience in Hamburg, from the time I arrived at the airport until I departed from the airport, everyone I encountered were pleasant, friendly and helpful. The immigration officers at the airport were very friendly (unlike the ones I have encountered at Heathrow), the security officers were polite (unlike the stern and unfriendly-looking ones at most airports that I have been at before), and most people I came across on the streets would smile and say "guten tag" (good day). While I cannot generalise for the rest of Germany, I can certainly say that from my short stay in Hamburg, the Hamburgers (people of Hamburg) are very friendly.

There you go. Ten observations on Hamburg, a city I would not mind going to again if there is an opportunity. 

Baggage handling at Narita

One of the things that impressed me upon arrival at Narita Airport could be seen at the baggage area. I am sure many of us are familiar with carousels that carry luggage or baggage of passengers who had just disembarked. So far, I have been to a number of airports - almost all airports in Malaysia, Padang in Indonesia, Rome in Italy, Cairo in Egypt, Algiers in Algeria, and Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff in the UK. But Narita (and perhaps all airports in Japan) impresses me the most.

Passengers' baggage are all neatly stacked and arranged in a uniformed manner on the carousel. It looks as if all the baggage are lining up neatly to be picked up by passengers. It's a small thing, I know. Nevertheless, I am impressed. The Japanese airport workers took the trouble of arranging the baggage neatly on the carousel, rather than just putting the baggage on the carousel haphazardly.

Not only does this make everything looks neat and proper, it also gives confidence to passengers that their baggage are handled with care, and not being thrown around as if they were not important.

Sometimes, it is these "small" things that give us some peace of mind.

Have passport will travel

I don't travel much. I don't like travelling really. Most of my travels are work or study-related.

My first passport was made when I was 11. At that time, I was living in Johor Bahru and the school had organised a study trip to Singapore. So, I made my first passport in order to enter the Lion City.

My second passport was made when I was 17. This time around, I needed the passport since I was leaving for the UK to further my studies.

My third passport was made in 2003. I needed the passport because I was involved in meetings and conferences in Indonesia, Egypt and Algeria.

On Tuesday, my boss told me (before sending me home) that I should be prepared for a couple of overseas trips in April and May. I just said "okay" without thinking much about it. After all, it is part of my work. Then when I got home, I noticed that my passport is no longer valid. Looks like I have to make a trip to the Immigration Department very soon to get my passport renewed.

From the rainforest to the desert

I'm not the kind of person who likes to travel. I'm more of the homely type. That's why throughout my stay in the UK for nearly half a decade, I didn't travel much. Only in my final months there did I do some travelling. Although I didn't go outside the UK, I managed to cover most parts of the country, including Northern Island, Wales and the Highlands of Scotland. And of course, I went to Old Trafford.

Any regrets for not travelling to other places? Yes, a little, but I'm quite certain in this line of work, I'll eventually reach other parts of Europe, as well as other parts of the world.

I've been back from the UK for a decade now. In this period of time, I've done quite a bit of travelling, mainly as part of my work. I've been to almost every state in the country. I've even been to Taman Negara in Pahang, doing things I never thought of doing like walking on the canopy walk 30-50 m above the ground (pic, above) and travelling by speedboat along Sungai Pahang. For somebody who doesn't travel much, these kind of things do bring a certain amount of excitement.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I've been to countries like Algeria and Egypt. I got to see for myself the effects of civil war in Algeria, and how they're rebuilding themselves. I got to see how historically-rich Egypt is, and yet many of its people are economically-poor. I've seen the only surviving seven wonders of the world - the pyramids of Giza (pic, right). I've cruised on the River Nile.

All these experiences enrich one's life. At the same time, for me, these experiences humble me for I get to see the many creations and blessings of Allah. It also drives home the point that we in Malaysia are indeed very fortunate for the many blessings that are bestowed upon us.

I'll share more pics and comments on visiting other places from time to time, insya-Allah.

Of hailstones and golden rain

Remember the Malay adage "hujan batu di negeri sendiri, hujan emas di negeri orang"?

Realise how we often complain about how things are terrible and horrible here in our country?

Well, this is so often the case until and unless we see the state of affairs in other countries. I had the privilege to visit several countries in the past 3 years. Not counting the UK where I lived for 5 years, and not counting the countries where I stopped for transit (India, Italy), I have been to 2 North African countries (Algeria, Egypt) as well as the biggest Muslim country (Indonesia).

What I can say is that when you have been to these countries, you'll realise that we're indeed very lucky. Sure, we are not perfect. But that doesn't mean that we're in the pits. Things could be better, but it won't get better if we just complain.

I think once in a while we should take time out to count our blessings. Oft-times we only remember these blessings when we no longer have them.

Indonesia may be the biggest Muslim country. Algeria may be a country with a rich and colourful history. Egypt may be the cradle of civilisation. But believe you me, from where I'm standing, we are indeed more blessed compared to them.

Hailstones indeed...