Archive for October, 2006

Adventure World and Fremantle Prison Night Tour, Halloween Special.

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on October 31, 2006 by mdjasrie

 

Okok, so im kinda pissed that I wasn’t able to get internet for the past few days or so at the lodge. So again, I had to resort to updating my blog offline. For some stupid reason, I couldn’t connect to the internet, or in the best case scenario, it would be ultra slow. And with that I cant update the entries with pics. But rest assured, when I get back, ill show you the pics that ive gathered so far. There aren’t many, neither are they picture perfect, but at least I have something.

So last weekend we went all out, the whole day from morning to night starting with Adventure World and then to Fremantle Prison. Me and Gad went to Adventure World in the morning and we have to head to Fremantle and then take a bus to the location. But, with sheer luck, the train line that goes to Fremantle, was under maintenance and after a few enquiries, we realized that there were extra bus services to replace the train services during that weekend. The journey was longer, about 45 minutes compared to 30 minutes or less via train. It wasn’t an express bus, and it stops at busstops along the train stations. And with that you can imagine the number of towns that the bus have to go through before reaching our intended final destination.

When we reached Fremantle, we took another bus. Another 30 minutes or so to Adventure World. The surrounding areas were quite ‘ulu’ but it’s beside a somewhat beautiful lake, called Bibra
Lake. 39 bucks of entry for Adventure world, and boy were we disappointed at the sorry state of the theme park. For those who thinks that ooooh this theme park is gonna be great or comparable to the big theme parks around world, youll regret it sooo much. It’s a sham really. I don’t think its worthy of being called a theme park. Sure the water theme park is kinda cool, but considering the ‘dry’ theme park, I think even a well organized pasar malam type of rides are enjoyable considering the price alone. In short, its really boring. The rides, are none better than a snore, and they only have one pathethic roller coaster that sits only 6 at one time. Sheesh, what fun.

We didn’t do much there, after taking the rides a couple of times, we grew bored. So we just relaxed at the open spaces where various groups of people or families picnic out. Oh im not gonna say more, it’s a waste of time and money.

Perhaps the day didn’t ended in such boring state. We left Adventure world at close to 5 and headed back to Fremantle to meet Shi Ming. We had another event planned for the day or the night rather. Earlier that week, we booked this special Fremantle Prison night tour Halloween Special via phone and it costed 24.50 bucks. A little pricey for a 1 and a half hour tour, but once we went through it, it was a blast. More on that later.

So at around 6 we met up with Shi Ming at Cicerello’s. Again we tried their Fish and Chips and it was heavenly delicious. When our stomachs were full, we walked to the prison and waited till 7.40pm, where our tour promptly began.

Upon reaching the prison, we were greeted with this nicely decorated Halloween themed entrance, full of pumpkin laterns and spider webs and stuff that looks freaky. A ‘Vampire” by the name of John were our tour guide and he was a great tour guide, adding hints of humor and scariness in how he retold the prison’s gruesome history as he showed us around. Since it was a night tour, we were given a measly torchlight, sufficient, but barely enough to explore every nook and cranny.

It was freaky indeed exploring an old prison where suicide attempts were widespread and capital punishment were in practice in the olden days. It has also been reported to be haunted and that is enough to make you hair stand on end. But the best and scary part was that during the tour, youll encounter people who would come out from nowhere and scare the wits out of you. I had my share of screams and the children, oh poor children with their parents were freaked out as well. But the people who were supposed to scare us, didn’t simply scare us mindlessly. What I liked about the tour is that after they popped out, they usually portray themselves as prisoners or some significant prisoners during those days when they were imprisoned and they would tell us their story. Its pretty interesting to hear what they have to say, as they usually give a bigger insight into the life as a prisoner.

Overall the tour guide showed us many places around the prison, areas divided into various divisions, meant to keep various types of criminals, the chapel, the kitchen, the morgue, solitary confinement areas, and death row. Its really really cool. Much of it is still preserved and its as if going there, makes you feel like you are reliving those days of prison life.

I liked the tour a lot. I’m lucky to be able to experience it. Needless to say, its my first time in a prison too and at night too boot! Overall, it was well worth the money.

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Scarborough Beach

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on October 21, 2006 by mdjasrie

A beach that exceeds all expectations.

Scarborough Beach is one of the many beaches that you wont readily find in travel brochures and booklets. We went there because it piqued our interest. For one, whenever we go back home, we sometimes take the bus that ends at scarborough beach. We were curious, as to how these beaches, along with the many suburban towns lying around it would fare, compared to other beaches that is usually advertised as a tourist destination.

It was approximately a 30 minute ride by bus from our lodging area, and when we reached there, it exceeded all my expectation. It was truly wonderful, one that can rival most beaches frequented by tourists. The large waves, the strong wind, the white sandy beaches that stretches over a very long distance, we never regretted that trip that we made on that afternoon.

So ive offically touched the Indian Ocean and as far as the eye could see, there is nothing but the vast ocean. The ocean breeze was so strong, that at a distance you could see mini sandstorm, as the strong wind picks up the sand into the wind. Its that strong! On several occasion, we can actually feel the sand hitting at our lower legs, giving us a stinging sensation. We could also feel the ocean mists, carried by the wind and on to our skin and glasses, even if we are nowhere close to the shore.

There were a fair number of people enjoying the sun and surfing as well, and we just sit on the sandy beach and admire the view. We wanted to stay till sunset but by about 4pm, the weather turned kinda ugly, with large dark clouds suddenly rolling towards land from nowhere. It didnt rain, but it blocked out the sun and by about 5pm, we thought we didnt stand a chance and head back. Since its no a tourist spot, there werent many places to shops and to eat, but the overall place is very scenic and its wonderful beach that we were fortunate enough to head there, via a direct bus. No mess, no fuss. Its that simple.

Oh on our way there, we passed by this Osborne Park and the bus travelled past the stretch of road, that sells nothing but cars and car related stuff. You see showhouses of various car brands. Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, Jaguar, Holden, Ferarri, Mitsubishi, Opel, Mazda, Lexus, and many many more. Its endless….

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Eating the best fish & chips by the ocean… HOW COOL IS THAT!!!?

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on October 15, 2006 by mdjasrie

Eating the best fish & chips by the ocean… HOW COOL IS THAT!!!?

This weekend has been my best and also my worst ever. For the best, is because we managed to go to Fremantle and its one of the finest destinations to go to for a holiday. The worst, is because ive spent almost 200 dollars in 2 days alone.

Saturday

Saturday I went to the city myself to do a little walking around and do some shopping. I intended to buy a USB thumbdrive, because mine doesn’t work anymore. So to reduce the inconvenience of sharing a thumbdrive with Gad in school, I bought a 1gb of space for S49.90. I think it is a little more pricey here than in
Singapore, but I cant help it because I need it to transfer valuable sample data to and from different computers.

The problem is that, the data that is generated is from one computer and that computer doesn’t have internet access. That computer is in the lab, while the computer that we used to analyse our data is in another room, across the lab. So the thumbdrive is essential.

After that I decided to splurge a little, not too much, just a little. But in the end I failed on that. I bought a quicksilver slingbag costing $69.90 (oh gosh) and it really looks cool to me. It has a black overall with red thin stripes going a horizontally and vertically, making is looked slightly checkered. Ok that done, and ive spent more than a hundred bucks, not to mention the food and all the tidbits that’s not found in Singapore that I managed to try here and there, like candy and chocolates and stuff.

Sunday

We all decided to go to Fremantle via train. Since it would be the first time we try their train service, this would be a good opportunity. So we set off at 10am, and soon reached the train station. The train station at
perth city, is an interchange, so there were a few platforms. We took train on platform 7. Now for the train part.

The journey took about 30 minutes via the Fremantle Line. The Fremantle Station (our final destination) is the last station of the line naturally. It costs $3.20 to get there, crossing 2 zones. (more on that later) The train is much like ours in some degrees. For one, the seats in certain carriages have two formats. One is like ours, where the seats are arranged such that we see each other, and another is like a bus arrangement, seats in pairs on either sides. Their seats are cushioned, but they are kinda firm, and the usual, the poster of the lines and its corresponding stations and stuff overhead. Theres little or no ads at all in the train.

When we entered the train, we wanted to go to the next carriage. However the link between two carriages is separated by 2 doors, one on each side of the carriage. When we approached it, it was hilarious. I couldn’t find a way to open it. I tried pulling them apart but couldn’t. I tried sliding them on both left and right sides but I couldn’t. I was so embarrassed because there were people looking at me, so I started to hasten my speed to find out how to open the door. To the end, I found a white rectangular button, near the handle and haphazardly tried to pushed it in. It opened automatically. When we crossed to the next carriage, we all laughed at our stupidity.

It was a smooth journey overall and kinda fast too, better than our MRT, but their stations are weak compared to our nice and clean platforms with state of the art gantries and a control station to boot. This one however, once we get out of the city and to the suburbs (really beautiful and covers a large area of land as far as the eye could see) their platforms are open and in some cases its soo small, that there is just a “shack” with a couple of machines, and seats and that’s all. That’s all. Literally that’s all. I repeat, the platform, a “shack” couple of machines and a few chairs. Its soo bare, that if there weren’t any signs that this is the station, you wouldn’t have noticed it at first glance.

Fremantle

“Situated on the mouth of
Swan
River just 19km from
Perth, Fremantle has been described as the world’s best preserved 19th century seaport.”

When we reached there, the first thing that I wanted to find was a place to eat, so we wondered around the busy streets of Fremantle, its shopping areas, “cappuccino street” (a street, lined with nothing but cafes, serving the best and most aromatic cappuccinos) and stuff till we reached the Fisherman’s Harbour. There we found Cicerello’s Fish & Chips shop, touted as the No.1 Fish & Chips shop in the whole of
Western Australia, and in addition, some of Shi Ming’s Colleagues also recommended that place. So I ordered their traditional fish & chips costing $10.50. And for that price, ive went to fish & chips heaven and back again. It’s the BEST fish & chips ive EVER tasted. Its just too good to describe in words. I may have gotten sick and tired of that dish since I came here, but this is a league above the rest ive ever tasted in my life. The batter the fresh fish, everything is too good for my humble little tastebuds. And what better ways to enjoy fish & chips by the bay, where we sit in the alfresco area, right at the edge of the jetty, overlooking the wharf, with lots of yachts and the big blue sea. One of the best dining areas ive ever been too, and remember, its cool down here, so outdoor dining is no problem at all baby!!

So after that hearty meal, we decided to walk around and we soon discovered that there were many museums of various sorts and that their buildings are very Victorian. It seemed like the place is frozen in time, while the people advanced through the ages. Lots of building were perfectly preserved and converted to shops, bars, restaurants. Overall it’s a very lively place. We walked to this beach, and for the first time, we saw the ocean. The
Indian Ocean, after 6 weeks, and it was beautiful. Its called Bather’s Beach. It’s a very small beach, but it’s a start to more beach visits in the future. The sea is blue and the air is sooo fresh!

Well, just to fast forward abit, we then went to a chocolate factory in Fremantle as well. Though we were disappointed that there weren’t any live demonstrations on that day, we still managed to but small packets of chocolates that were hand made. I bought a chocolate dip fudge. The fudge flavor that I tasted was Old English Caramel and it tasted soooo good! It costs about 5 bucks for a 150 gm packet and it was well worth the price. The fudge is soo sweet and creamy and when its in your mouth, you can feel it melting away, bursting out its flavors to your taste buds.

After that we decided not to go to any of the museums just yet, because we are planning to visit Fremantle again. The place has a lot of thing to see, and while we see a lot of things, its still not enough for a single day. We decided to visit Fremantle Prison, one of the more popular tourist attraction and found out that they have this special guided tour, that only takes place at night. Its called a torchlight tour and for 1.5 hours, it brings you to the depths of the prison, with you and a torchlight, and in total darkness, you get to witness and listen to some supernatural occurrences that has happened in the prison. Its pretty scary stuff according to Shi Ming’s colleagues and costs $20 and have to book in advance.

We all decided to go one day in two weeks time. Its gonna be a scare, PLUS we are going during Halloween period, Saturday 28th October, where there will be some extra events during the tour and they say its gonna be even more scary. Its gonna be fun.

Yeah aside from that, we went to the weekend market, that sells lots of things there from fresh produce to souvenirs to clothes to basically a lot of things in general, lol. Its very much like bugis street in my opinion.

Souvenirs

Ive been looking around the city, and Fremantle to look for possible things to buy as souvenirs back home for my friends out there. My best guess is that I would be buying quite a bit on food stuff, such as chocolates and the likes. It’s been kinda difficult for me to pick and choose things that would be most suitable for the individual.

So far, ive bought a koala for
Dee, so that is pretty much settled. I intend to buy a big bag of nougat soon for Hock. As for
Cher, Ive been eyeing on something that might be kinda cool for you, though I shan’t say what. For Allen, im buying for him something ‘naughty’. Not those sex stuff, but something that would spice things up during breakfast. Don’t try to guess what, because you wont be able to guess it correctly. Ive found it, hopefully it would be cool for him. For Ben, I intend to buy something that would really reflect his lifestyle and attitude towards life, but its kinda cheapo at the moment, so im still trying to thing of something that would up the value a little bit. Nonetheless, its still kinda cool for you to have it. Unfortunately I should say that its nothing related to fishing or aquarium stuff, things that you are most passionate about so far ive seen in him. Comparing the value of those souvenirs ive mentioned, I would say
Cher’s would be the most expensive, followed by Hock and his big bag of nougat.

In addition to that, I intend to buy this really cool hand made candy that I saw them demonstrating to the public while I was in the city. I would most like buy 2 small jars for Dee and
Cher, and a big jar for the guys to share and another jar for the class to share. Its not really cheap, but its cool, cause its handmade for one things and it has lots of different flavors that comes with. I have a small jar right now and every time I pop one in my mouth, its always a different flavor. I also intend to buy chocolate caramel fudge from the chocolate factory that I mentioned just now. I dunno how much im gonna buy, but ill buy for you to try it out. Its sooo good, that I just have to share with you guys. On a side note, Shi Ming has bought something special for Allen as well, and ill not say what till we reached back home. I’ll keep you updated.

Next week we might be planning to go to Adventure World, a theme park with lots of roller coasters. Stay tune.

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Hiatus

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on October 14, 2006 by mdjasrie

Ok ok, so I haven’t been updating the blog for a while. Its has been a slow week for us, probably because it’s the 5th week, and we are almost reaching half way to the attachment, yet its not half way yet. You get what I mean, when you anticipate something, it goes soo slow…

 

Anyway, last weekend, we went to scitech. It’s a science center equivalent and its not very far away from the city center. In fact, its nearer to our lodge then going from the city center. So went there in the morning and it was opened. Entrance fee was 14 bucks I think, but its worth it, because not only you gain access to the science exhibitions and get to try hands on at all the science stuff, you also gain access to the Planetarium. The Planetarium is exactly like the omni theater and with 14 bucks, you get to see as many shows as you want during the day in the Planetarium. That is why its worth the 14 bucks, because we watched 2 shows on that day and spent the entire afternoon in the science center. We wanted to see more shows, but then there were only 2 different shows on that particular time period.

 

One of the show talks about whether there is life on other planets in the galaxy. Narrated by Harisson Ford, it’s a really good show and takes you to the far reaches of space and explore planets in other parts of the galaxy, where life may be possible. The traveling through space makes you feel like youre really flying because of the big screen effect.

 

The second show is about life as an astronaut. It gives you an overview on what astronauts must endure physically and mentally before being selected to be sent out to space. Narrated by Ewan McGregor, it’s a funny show, because it actually depicts in a funny way, some of the dangers in space that astronauts face on a daily basis. They also show the International Space Station in all its glory and has really cool CGIs.

 

Both shows each were 25 minutes long, but before the show, there is a live presentation of the constellation in the skies. The live presentation is about 20 minutes, making each session 45 minutes long. The live presentation on the stars that we see in the sky and the different constellations visible is a breathtaking experience. I actually learnt a lot on some of the constellation, like the Pegasus, scorpio and even how to find the Southern Cross and find the south during the night sky. Its very ‘food for thought’ They even tell you what are some of the stars that will be able to see on a particular time and date, which if you happen to be in a rural area, you should be able to see it.

 

Well that was all during the weekend. In school, nothing much happened, just analyzing more milk samples and I even have to write a report on it. ~sigh~ . But this past week, ive hit a bumpy road. My sample analysis were not up to standard and I made the effort to investigate the cause of it. It was only yesterday that I made a really big discovery, in which even my supervisor didn’t noticed it till now. I feel so proud of myself, to be able to design an experiment and investigate on an issue and then solving and proving it with my data. More on that later. Meanwhile, we are going to Fremantle, tomorrow, so stay tuned!

 

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Observe observe…

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on October 2, 2006 by mdjasrie

Its the forth week now, almost a month. I’ve seen and observed alot of things while in perth. Let me share a little bit for you guys:

1. When you alight the bus, it is very courteous to say thank you to the bus driver.

2. Most people follow quite strictly to the 9 to 5 work schedule regime. Even shops.

3. Perth is very car dependent. They depend alot on thier cars to get to and from places.

4. The bus services follows very strict timetables on the arrival and deperature times. Most of the time, they are on time.

5. Bus arrival frequency can range from 10 minutes, to an hour, depending on the day.

6. Bus service has 3 modes of payment. Cash, Multirider cards, made of paper with a black strip, and the new one, Smart Rider, equivalent to EZlink cards.

7. There is no starbucks in Perth City. Thier most popular cafes are usually Gloria Jeans, or Dome.
8.There is no 7-11 in Perth City. Most convenient stores are family owned.

9. Orchard Road shopping is far better than Perth City’s Hay Street Mall.

10. Thier buses have 2 security cameras. Say cheese.

11. Thier buses are also equipped with a DNA identification kit in them. Think twice about spitting.

12. They also have bendy buses.

13. There is no Long John Silvers.

14. Hungry Jacks is our equivalent to Burger King.

15. KFC has a competitor, Red Rooster and Chicken Treats.

16. A signification percentage of people are owners of Ipods.

17. Bikers are rare… But if you see one, they truly look like a true biker.

18. Fast food here may be cheaper than normal food.

19. They do have foodcourts too.

20. They have Borders bookshop, but no coffee bean and tea leaf outlet. Its dominated by Gloria Jeans.

21. Perth is culturally and racially diverse.

22. They mobile phones are pretty outdated. Even the latest models feature on glass showcases are already available in singapore months ago. Ive yet to see another Samsung X820 that i own anywhere.

23. Vandalism (or graffiti, because some do look very nice) is quite widespread. You see them big and small anywhere you go.

24. At night, the suburbs are dead quite. Some of the houses are not lit. Possible reasons include:

- Not occupied

- Not at home

- Has gone to sleep. I bet on the first.

The streets that wound through from the main road to the neighbourhood suburbs are sparsely lit. Its common to see an entire stretch of road in total darkness and only a lamppost shining a dim white light at the end of the road. Its freaky.

25. The suburbs have a lot of parks. Thier parks have lots of open spaces, compared to lush and thick trees back home.

26. Milk is cheap.

27. Bottled drinks are expensive!! (exclusive of 1.5 litre or 2 litre bottle, where they may be cheaper than a 500ml bottle.

28. Perth is very friendly to the disabled.

29. A significant portion of people ride bikes to work. Perth is friendly to bicycles.

30. The suburbs is full of low buildings, you rarely see that much sky back at home.

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Kings Park and a date with the afternoon moon

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on October 1, 2006 by mdjasrie

We started off early, and headed towards Kings Park. We walked to the city, to catch a direct bus to Kings park. It was a 5 minute journey from there on.

When we reached there, it was amazing, kings park is situated on a hill and when you go up, everything around you transformed. Suddenly you are surround by lush greeneries and wild flowers everywhere. It’s a great place to have a picnic, with lots of open spaces for you to settle down. Add the great spring weather to the equation, is blissful.

On kings park there’s a botanical garden, showcasing all the various plant species found in Western Australia. And with spring in full force, the wildflowers were in full bloom, full of reds, purples, blues, yellows and of various other colours as well. It’s a very peaceful place, and has a great view of the city itself to boot. Kings park is one of the MUST SEE places when you are in Perth.

We were fortunate because firstly, its springtime, flowers are blooming. Secondly, there was a wildflower festival going on but we didnt go to the wildflower festival, because you have to pay to go in, i we didnt think that it was worth it, just to see the flowers, when in fact the free access botanical garden has the flowers everywhere. The only difference is that for the botanical gardens, you have to find the flower yourself, while the festival has all the flowers laid out in rows for you to take pictures with. Even with that being said, the flowers in the botanical gardens are plenty, and we felt that we wont lose anything even if we just pass up on the festival. Besides, we are not flower experts of enthusiasts. But before that, a little detail on Kings Park.

“Kings Park and Botanic Garden is visited by millions of people each year. With its remarkable expanses of unique bushland, tranquil parkland and botanic garden, the Park is the most popular visitor destination in Western Australia.

The total area of the Park is 406 hectares and overlooks the Swan River and the City of Perth.

There is so much to explore and discover – and Spring is the perfect time of the year to experience all that Kings Park and Botanic Garden has to offer.”

 

Ah well, just see for yourself. Im not gonna type anymore. See all the pics that ive taken. A picture paints a thousand words.

Oh oh, and one more thing:

Sometimes back at home, you get to see the moon even though the sky is still bright right? Usually 5pm onwards when the sun is about to set.

But, for the first time ever in my life, i saw the moon at 1.30pm onwards. It was truely breathtaking. To see the moon and the sun up in the sky, east and west in the afternoon, its something that you wont see everyday. It was at half moon unfortunately, but at 1.30pm, who would have imagined that you could see the moon clearly at that hour. I sat down on a bench on one of the observatory, overlooking the entire perth city, and i stared at all. Its sooo science fiction. Truly is…

I know it looks insignificant, but never have i seen the moon and sun so close together, and never have i seen the moon appearing so early in the day. It soo sci fi…

Some of the many wildflowers that you see. In the botanical gardens, you can walk on grass and have a closer view of them. The grass are well managed and you can literally set your picnic area anywhere. There is no restriction, even the weather is no obstacle, cool all day long. No sweat.

One of the many vantage points in which you can see the whole area of perth.

A central fountain, much like fort canning, and lots of children playing near the pond and others feeding the ducks. Noticed the many green spaces. Perfect for picnic.

The Swan brewery, at the foot of kings park, one of the many places i pass by every day while going the school (UWA) The bus journey travels along the road that is at the foot of Kings park, outlining the boundaries, and along the river. Everyday i get to see the river, its very soothing.

Like a mini tree top walk, this bridge is made of wood and glass. At this height, you have a great view of the river.

One of the many suburbs of perth.

One of the main highways that connects the suburbs to the city (left, not shown in picture).

Kings Park has one of the best views of Perth City.

One of the many memorials found scattered throughout kings park, for Australian Soldiers lost during the World Wars and they also have a memorial for the recent bali bombings.

Camel riding at Kings Park!!

It cost only 5 dollars for a ride. But i didnt take it. What a wasted opportunity, and im starting to regret. Funny thing is that, once they departed with a group of kids on it, he last camel shown here actually farted! Luckily we were a distance away. I reckon it stinks as hell.

The name of the tower is pretty obvious, especially for biotech students like me. Hint: its made up of ACTG. The total number of steps is 101.

A view from the top of the tower. It has a huge open space pathway. Beyond that is another suburb.

 

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London Court

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on October 1, 2006 by mdjasrie

Yesterday, after visiting Perth Mint, I went to the city to have a little shopping around and to further familiarize myself with the city. I came across London Court on the way.

London Court is a small alley, packed with various shops that has got to do with Britain. They sell products from Britain, in addition to the usual, Australian souvenirs and such. It’s a very small shopping alley, but it has one really striking feature and the name says it all.

Its quite hard to find this alley, but once inside, it will certainly be distinguishable from the rest of the shopping area. Once you are inside, it’s a totally different world.

Yes, once you are inside, everything changed, you are suddenly transported to another part of the world. Its architecture, design, statues, and ambience have a heavily british feel to it. You feel like you are shopping London!

The pics says it all. It reminds me in peculiar way of Diagon Alley, in Harry Potter, where he is suddenly transported to another world altogether.

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