KWOKS DIGITAL REALM

Date 06.07.2004 >12.072004:

Well this is the first proper holiday i've had since 3 years so i was really looking forward to it. All and
all i thought Rome was very fun but being a bit of a work-aholic i felt that it was a bit too long even if
it was only for 6 days. We took plenty of photo's but due to limited webspace here's a few classic
moments captured. Now the historic part of Rome was everything i expected, however the modern
side was a little run down for my liking. The weather was very nice and hot. But the hotel, god man
that was the biggest pile of doogy doo doo i've ever stayed at! The problem was that Ming and my sis
arranged it all, so i could only gather that it was gonna be great by what i heard from them. It had a
listing for all the luxuries ever, pool, gym, suana, etc; except they forgot to read the line at the bottom
of the list which was highlighted by a *, and basically it wrote: "the facilities listed above are nearby"
basically not part of the hotel! What was the bloody point of listing them in the first place then? And
how could you miss out reading a line like that? However being a simple man myself i can live without such luxuries easilly, did find it disappointing though.

The sites were brilliant. I fully enjoyed the sites of Rome And i think we went just about everywhere! Rome in a book or from TV just isn't anywhere near as brilliant as the real thing. I couldn't help but get excited by the fact i was going thru the same routes they did in Dan Browns " Angels and Demons" which made my journey even more fascinating and special - I wanted to go off and look for clues to find the Illuminati HQ! From Pantheon to Vatican City it was all truely inspiring. Though i think my favorite part was in the Sistine Chapel! I know i've probably seen the images on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel like a million times before in books and such, but when you see the real thing it's much more different! The whole thing hits you like a ton of bricks and you feel kinda speechless. Such is the work of Michaelangelo so poweful it seems that like for a fraction of a second you seem to be pulled into it.

Food time was very difficult! Because we had Ivan with us he was always wanting attention, which resulted in us always having someone entertaining him rather than enjoying the meal. But Ivan was not the most difficult person to endure on the dinner table, suprisingly it was actually my sister that was causuing the most trouble! She would always be the one who sez she's super hungry (like to the point where she's gonna collpase) and she's order so much food, she takes a nibble here and there and sez she's full, leaving the rest for her to play with using her utensil. Now i wouldn't mind if this was a simple catering establishment (CoughMcdonalds) where the food is cheap but when the meals are more expensive you should never order more than what you need and especially on all circumstances not waste food at all. Wasting food is really really bad on karma and to a point it does hit me quite a bit when you think of people who aren't as fortunate to have food readily available. However who am i to judge? I'll just happily tuck into wat i've ordered and maybe even try to finish off the left overs!

Shopping was very limited in Rome. Very much different from shopping as we know it in London. Though i think that's the cultural differences that make us all unique. Either way my mum really enjoyed it. Especially shopping for the dodgy counterfit hand bags they have laid out on the street after the sun does down. What is it with women and handbags? How many do you need? And why does it matter when they all look and function the same? However i could see my mum was enjoying it quite a bit so if it makes her happy then it makes me happy!

Would i got back to Rome? I think i would but not for as long next time. I couldn't help but think that i was the only one who enjoyed it the most. I don't think it was really what my parents were looking for in a holiday and i think my sister realised it wasn't the best choice when you have a one year old baby with you and with another one on the way. However i fully enjoyed it cos firstly i'm a nerd and geek for ancient cultures but more importantly because i come from an art based background. I think the difference between me and my family was that where as they went to Rome to search for a holiday, i went on holiday to search for Rome. I mean lets face it Rome can be a very boring place, if you just wanted to learn, read and see Rome you could do it from a book. For me that would never be enough and i want to experience, feel, see Rome with my very one eyes and analyse every detail of it. For that i am happy i got the opportunity to go to Rome and next time i hope to experience it again with someone else who could enjoy it as much as i did.