10 Days Salzburg-Hallstatt-Konigsee-Ljubjana-Zagreb Itinerary

Modern Gulliver Giant near Tkalciceva, Zagreb

Kuala Lumpur-SG-Frankfurt-Salzburg

Arrive Salzburg 11am (Bus#2 to main train walk to YOHO)- relax and walk around Mirabel area.

Salzburg to Hallstatt Bus#150 Salzburg HBF-Bad Ischl (€10.40/p, 1hr)-Train to Hallstatt (€4.10/p, 20m)>Buy the day ticket cost €29/pax-Ferry to Hallstatt (€2.50/p, 15m). Had our late lunch at Baugasthof. Drop in Bad Ischl for short break while waiting for connecting bus back to Salburg.

Salzburg to Berchtesgaden (BGL-TagesTicket Bus & Bahn -12euro per pax), (Bus840) & Königssee(bus841) We bought a day pass for the both 840+841 (€10.20/pax) bus and enjoyed a 45 minute trip to Berchtesgaden and 841 bus to go to the lake. The connecting bus is just 15 min apart on the opposite platform. After a short ride, we were close to the lake and followed a sign that pointed to a trail to take to the lake. We walked about 10 minutes, then there we were. The next boat was getting ready to leave, so we quickly bought our tickets and got on. We were given a brochure about the sights on the boat ride for English speakers. The bugle player demonstrating the echo was a nice touch! We enjoyed getting off the boat at St. Bartolome's church and walking around for a bit and taking pictures. It was very beautiful! After we got back, we caught the last bus back to Berchtesgaden, where we then switched to the 840 for the trip back to Salzburg. Beware that the last bus during weekend back to Salzburg only stop at the border and you will need to change to bus 25 (noo need new ticket) to go back to Salzburg. A lot of bus changes but we enjoyed the day.

Salzburg Card(€28/pax)-Bus25: Untersberg Cable Car- Hellbrunn Palace (TrickFountains)-Hohensalzburg Fortress(funicular+lunch)-Mozart’s residence and birthplace-People watching and relax

Salzburg-Ljubjana (Congress SQ, Peseren Sq, Triple Bridge, Central Mkt, Dragon Bridge)

Lake Bled: Bus#7(6.80/way)-Ljubjana -Ratace. Just buy the ticket from the bus driver, it's cheaper. There is no need to buy return ticket. It takes about 3 hour to walk around the lake (6km) slowly. We visited Tivoli Park later in the evening.

Ljubjana-Zagreb (about half a day)-Tram#6 to Donji Grad (where we stay, very nice and convenient area) -Stroll upper town (more interesting than downtown) -Street Art-Funicular-Kula Lotscak (360 view)-St Mark Church-Historical Govt Building-Stone GateStone Gate – A shrine to the Virgin Mary that is believed to possess magical powers.Dolac – A large fruit and vegetable market open daily from 7am to 1pm.

Zagreb:Food: cevapi-meat sausage, taste better than kebab ;-) Stroll downtown and had our dinner at Tkalciceva (Restaurant Street) – This colorful, pedestrian-only street is lined with colorful restaurants, bars, and cafes. You’ll definitely want to head here in the evening to find a spot to eat!

Zagreb - Dolac Market -Zagreb Cathedral-people watching go airport around 130pm- Venice. Food in both Zagreb airport and Venice Airport is very expensive and not much choices. Best to pack some food (danish, tidbits, fruits) if you have long transit like us.

Kuala Lumpur (Home sweet Home)

Not for me?

Nobody wants to gamble with their family's financial future. If you've been putting off buying a life insurance policy, but have a need for one, it's time to nix the excuses and get back to why you need coverage and who you are buying it for.

The following are five common reasons why some people who initially show an interest in life insurance don't end up purchasing a policy, along with key takeaways to help you ditch any lingering excuses:

1. Life insurance is too expensive. 

The number one reason people put off buying life insurance is because they think they can't afford it. In fact, when asked the price of a 20-year, $250,000 term policy for a healthy 30-year old, 1 in 4 people estimated the cost in excess of $1,000 or more a year.

Key takeaway: Life insurance may be more affordable than you think! There are many different options today to help protect your family, making it possible to find the right balance between coverage and affordability. Comment or PM me if you need more advice.

2. I don't need another bill. 

For many people, life insurance is just another monthly bill to add to the already growing stack. But are all of your monthly expenses going toward absolute necessities?

50% of consumers surveyed indicated that additional living expenses, such as their monthly Netflix/Astro bill, is just one of the many financial barriers that kept them from buying some or more life insurance. We're not saying you need to sacrifice the fun things in life in order to buy a life insurance policy, but if something were to happen to you, isn't your family worth forgoing a month's worth of fancy coffee drinks or brown bagging your lunch a few times a week?

Key takeaway: Most of us have conveniences and niceties that we spend our hard-earned money on each month. When you really stop and think about it, are there things in your life you can cut back on or just prioritize differently to afford the life insurance coverage you need?

3. The process is confusing and I don't know where to begin.

Many people put off buying life insurance because they're confused about what type of policy to buy, how to go about calculating the amount of coverage they need, and have too many unanswered questions.

People who are new to the life insurance buying process can feel a bit overwhelmed. The fact is, with the right resources, the entire process can be managed from start to finish in a series of simple steps. Yes, it involves a process, but so does buying a house or a car.

Key takeaway: Don't go it alone. Work with a qualified life insurance agent or company representative who can guide you through the process and get the answers you need to make an informed decision.

4. I don't like thinking about death. 

Newsflash - nobody likes thinking about their own mortality, so you're in good company. Unfortunately, death is a part of life. If you have people who depend on your income for financial support, then most likely need a life insurance policy to protect them.

Do you have car insurance? What about a homeowner's policy in the event your house catches on fire? The truth is, nobody likes thinking about getting into a catastrophic car accident or watching their home and precious belongings go up in flames, yet we carry insurance to protect them. If you know you need the coverage - now is the time to get the process started.

Key takeaway: Once your policy is issued, be sure to pay your premium and review your coverage at least once a year - just like you review and renew your auto and homeowner's policies.

5. I'm young and single. I don't need life insurance. 

While it may not seem as important to have life insurance as a single person in your early 20s, that could all change just a few years down the road when you get married and start a family. Plus, there are many ways a single person can use life insurance to take care of financial obligations that could burden those you love should you die unexpectedly.

For example, do you have outstanding balances on credit cards or a vehicle loan? Has a family member or friend cosigned on a student loan or mortgage on your behalf? If you were to die unexpectedly, who's going to satisfy these obligations? Having outstanding debts means your estate will have to deal with what you owe. And, leaving any loans to be paid by a cosigner means that the people you love and who have helped support you, will now be on the hook.

Key takeaway: It can be a lot less expensive to get a life insurance policy today, while you're young, versus waiting. And with a permanent life insurance policy, such as whole life or investment linked policy (ILP), purchasing in your younger years allows you to enjoy those rates for the life of the policy.

Does any of above sound familiar to you? I hope that I've helped nudge you just a bit closer to pushing aside any hesitation that may be keeping you from getting the coverage you need - for today and tomorrow. 

Prepaid Mobile Data Plan in Austria (EU)

When we decided to visit Austria last May, I did some research online on how can we stay online at the lowest cost. Celcom was offering RM38/day which is expensive, RM28/day for 500MB, still high side, until I stumble on the news of NO MORE ROAMING CHARGES within EU.

YES you heard it right, EU has abolished their roaming charges within the 28 countries of the European Union 😃 since July 2017. This is indeed a very good news to us🙏!!

A1 B.free Prepaid Data Plan Packaging

I would high recommend "A1 B.free Internet Welcome Package" which gave you 5GB for 30 days at only 9.90euro (which is less than RM50😘). It comes with both normal and nano sim, and you can just plug and play in any of the dual sim phone.

FAQ:

1. Where to buy this? Supermarket, Post office, Stationery Shop or A1 around Austria
2. How long will it last? It lasted us 10 days in 4 countries (Austria,  Germany, Slovenia and Zagreb)
3. How do you top up? I am not sure as we did not it but the shop keeper said you can do it online 
4. Any extra roaming charges? We did not incur any 😀
5. Extra Tips: Just make sure you snapshot the pin number (as below) as sometimes as you cross border, you will be prompt to enter the PIN again before the mobile data works again.

KEEP ME SAFE

When we had DD, we are debating whether we should skip vaccination for her as DS has eczema outbreak which stayed with him for years after MMR shot. After weighing the pros and cons of the vaccination, we have agreed to get both of them vaccinated at least with the few mandatory.

The story evolves around the widowed nurse-Kate and mum of two-Madeleine, who couldn't be more different in their approaches to parenting. All started with both their daughters are contracted with measles and they have not be vaccinated when they are babies. Mad's gal recovered after a few days but Kate's daughter(Rosie) is hospitalized and then infected with Encephalitis (This affects around 1 in every 1,000 patients with measles. It is an inflammation of the brain that can sometimes be fatal). 

While Kate is worrying of her daughter safety, Madeline continue with her life as famous blogger and somehow has stirred the anger out of Kate to sue her family when Rosie is in coma. This is where all the emotions and drama in the novel and Melissa has written beautifully to portray the dilemma of us mothers, who at the end of day is trying our best to protect our children, to keep them safe...

Rating: 6/10