~ Unlightable Candle ~

Sharing? What comes into mind with this simple word "sharing"? Do we need to be very rich to be able to share? Do we need to have everything in the world to be able to share? Must sharing be in a form of material? Or simply anything can be shared?

To me, a simple act of kindness is sharing. It need not to be from someone you know well, it is not a lengthy heart-touching speech, it is not about every diamond and gold that you pour on earth. It may be just a simple smile, a hand that helps in time of despair, an ear that listens, a wisdom/knowledge that is shared together...

I have just returned from the trip to Taize Poznan. There was this one night when everyone entering the hall was given a candle. Somehow I missed it. I was "candleless". I was too lazy to go to the entrance to collect my candle. So, I sat down quietly, praying. Not for the candle, of course.

As the prayer ceremony started, people started to light the candle and pass it on. I was sitting there looking at what people were doing. Basically the whole hall of thousands of youths were trying to light their candles. The guy on my left was looking at me candleless and was looking for some people with lit candles to light up his.

And after a minute or two, I noticed that the girl sitting at my right was trying to melt her candle. She was holding her candle horizontally, and her friend beside her held the other lighted-candle trying to burn the first candle. As it melted the first candle into two, the girl lit the first half and passed the short-halved lit candle to me, smiling, "You can have this."

I took the candle, somehow tears filled my eyes. At that specific moment, I was just touched by her little action. I forgot to mentioned that the second halved candle that she has in hand wasn't able to be lighted, maybe because of the wax that melted from the process of halving the candle. Yet she passed me the lighted half, instead of the waxed half. I passed her back the lighted one, which obviously she refused to accept. But still I exchanged with her. But it was time to blow our candles off. It is a memorable halved candle.

A simple act of sharing is not about every money one has, it's not about sharing the whole world that you have. A simple smile, a simple halved candle is a touching sharing story for me. The candle is broken during my journey back. But for me, it is a memorable unlightable candle that reminds me the true meaning of sharing ... ...

2009 Winter Holiday 1 : Simferopol-Kiev-Krakow

It has been a nice trip. Yes, I will try to write out as much as I can, to help future Ukraine travellers, especially CSMU students, haha (As though a lot of people will read my blog). May or may not be useful, but hope budget travellers like me can get some idea about travelling from/within Ukraine. It's tough!!! It's a long piece, I know...

The journey for Belgium starts from 10th January 2009. It has been planned just after my O&G exam, 6th January 2009. The original plan as mentioned was to head for Egypt, so we actually had 2 tickets in hand, Simferopol-Kiev (10.01.09, 1225-1355), Kiev-Simferopol (25.01.09, 1915-2045). So, the problem started as we decided not to go to Egypt. We either burned the tickets or find a new destination, or perhaps rampage Kiev for 14 days.

Lucky enough, Wizzair (the ONLY budget airflights linked with our "outcasted"Eastern Europe --- Ukraine) and Ryanair, offered good affordable flights that coincides with my winter holiday!!! Yippie! Otherwise we may have been the "moled" people in Kiev for 14days! Therefore, within a day, a new route was finalized and booked, 07.01.09

So, off we flew to Kiev on the 10.01.09. Just before the trip, I bought an umbrella, 80uah, which comes in very handy (till later). The journey to Kiev Boryspol Airport wasn't that bad (except that the hand-pulled luggage was damaged after we collected it), we reached and took an airport bus to Kiev central. The cost is 25uah. Have 3 stations, 1st is Metro Kharkivska (20uah), 2nd forget, 3rd Central Vakzal (main metro and train station).

We then encountered another problem --- how to get from Kiev-Krakow. We students always know about Lvov-Krakow, but rarely we travel from Kiev to Krakow. And information about Ukraine, anything of it is like knowing what happened in ice-age, it's just such an alienated part of earth. However, we managed to get a very limited information about Kiev-Krakow before that. And bet most of you don't know that Eurolines actually do "pass-into" Ukraine. ( Well, I did took once from Prague to Lvov by an international bus company under Eurolines, somewhere in Jan/Feb 2008).

By accident, we came across a webpage saying about Dachna Bus Station (http://www.gokiev.info/buses.php), bus that travels to Poland. We carried the luggages and asked around, even the locals didn't know about this station. Until I asked a Marshrut driver who initially also doesn't know about it and recalled that yes, there are such station with international buses. So from Central Vakzal, we took the metro and bus to reach there. But much of our surprise, it doesn't even look like a bus station, but more like an old, dirty, neglected piece of one-storey building that was dark (maybe need to save electric because still owing Russia $, haha). We asked the counter for tickets to Krakow. Sigh, no tickets till Wednesday!

Losing hope, we decided to get a hostel in Kiev. Fortunately we have a handy list of back-up plans. Afterall, we have 2-days till our flights on Monday, and Kiev-Krakow takes about a day. So, we found Hostelukraine Kiev Backpackers (HostelWorld), from 8euro/night as of 09.01.09. But when we reached there after some long walking, we were told by the administrator there is no choices but only 17Euro/night. Thinking that we have no choices left, we each paid 217.45uah (1Euro=12.8uah, when that time was like 1=12)

Before the trip, we came across this web page (http://www.intercity.pl/?page=home_page) that shows several Kiev-Krakow trains per day , but in real fact there is only one daily, 2042-1548 (811uah). But information for trains within Poland is accurate. So, where is the problem? Ok, back to the trip! We were left with 1.5 hours before 8.42pm if we travelled on the train of 10.01.09-11.01.09. We decided to take 10.01.09 instead of the train on 11.01.09-12.01.09 which we need to rush for the 13.01.09 morning flight. We headed back to the hostel, and left. The hostel owner initially didn't want to refund even a single bit, but in the end he returned 50%. I know, it's our fault, but come on, we were just there for less than 1 hour!!! Meaning we paid 8.5Euro each for the less-than-an-hour.

Snow in Krakow

Finally, on 11.01.09---15.50, we stepped on the soil of Poland. It's a cold day. Heading for the Hocus Pocus Hostel, we paid 12Euro per person. This is what we called HOSTEL, if compared to the bad impression of Kiev's. And much unexpectedly, that time was just like Oi Ling and I with an Irish guy. Haha! So, basically we had it all for ourselves. Newly opened (1.5years), clean, helpful staffs, strategic location, with breakfast and free luggage room, what else do we have to complain?

Kebab Store in Krakow

The 2 of us went for a Kebab that night, and managed to experience a live-concert, Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (to buy specialised medical equipment for cardiac surgery for the Centre of Children's Health), at the Market Square, just in front of the Cloth Hall. I enjoyed it although it is of Polish songs. But it's amazing!

Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity

12.01.09, it's time for us to check out the WizzAir take off Airport. The Wizzair Shuttle bus will take off from Krakow Glowny Bus Station, 50Zl per head. We didn't book in advance, so we have to take a rail to Katowice (12Zl/person). Then from railway station as we took the stairs down, we asked for the bus station, and a samaritan lead us to it. It's very close, ask and walk only. It takes approximately 50 minutes to get from Katowice to Pyrzowice Airport by the bus. The ticket (per person) costs 20 Zl (5.5 EUR) one way, and we just need to pay directly to the driver. In short, without WizzAir Shuttle Bus, we spent a total of 32Zl/person from Krakow to Pyrzowice Airport.

P/S : Timetable --- http://www.katowice-airport.com/eng/index.html?page=dojazdy,2 , Katowice Railway Station.

At Katowice, we met an interesting American female writer, Virginia Konchan. Had a long nice chat with her. And of course, I hope she is now in her studio enjoying in her warm cozy room. (www.virginiakonchan.com)

Virginia Konchan (Middle)

Flight on 13.01.09, Katowice-Brussels Chareloi, 0610 - 0810, was great. We saw how the airplane was defrozed before taking off. To be on time on plane is by itself wonderful. I looked forward to arriving in Belgium......

Pryzowice Airport