I can't believe it has been almost a week since I came back from my holiday in London. Suffered from jet lag for one day... and I really regret not taking another extra day off to "recuperate" from all that travelling before heading to work. So folks... do remember to take an extra day off because you will be dead tired and your boss will be firing questions at you left right centre, regardless of your "unsound" condition.


Right... Although I still have the post holiday blues (we all get it don't we) I figured it would be a good idea to actually give a brief account of what I did over the three weeks I was away... and follow up with pictures later.

Day 1: Arrival and reunion with good friends

I arrived at Heathrow airport at 3.15pm, and was greeted by my friend who had been frantically trying to call my international roaming telephone number. I took a while in immigration clearance ("Hiya, so you came to England before, etc. etc. what is your intention of coming here? etc) and waited a while for my check in luggage to appear on the conveyor belt. For those who know me well enough, I hate checking in my luggage and usually I would not check in my luggage unless absolutely necessary. This was due to a bad experience I had (twice actually). The first time was when I went to Newcastle for my studies. The airlines were dumb enough to send all of my check in luggage back to Singapore Changi Airport and I had to wait for 1 week before it arrived. I had some clothes in my hand luggage but still it was inadequate for protection against the harsh British weather. The second time was when I went to Johor to work. My check in luggage bag was damaged by MAS staff. I was not impressed at all. Anyway I digress. Back to my trip. Being a frequent traveller (for work reasons) it did not strike me that I was holiday in London until my friend and I reached the London Underground Tube Station. I had to slap myself in the face to realise that "hey gal, you're in London now". Wow. Reached my friends' place and "ditched" my luggage before heading to Chinatown to meet up with another few friends for dinner. Food was not exceptionally good (although I must admit that it tastes a lot nicer than typical English food).
Catched up on old times and filled my friends in with latest news in Malaysia and stuff. Exchanged ideas and views... we had a great time. I was told that 18 December was the coldest day in England... and I certainly felt it. Chilly winds piercing my winter jacket... numb fingers and ears etc...and the irritating rain. Plus... shops close by 5/6pm and it gets dark at 4 during winter. So after dinner, had a walk around town and I went back for some badly needed sleep.

Day 2: Shakespere's Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, Duck Rice, Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall and Harrods

My friends surprised me with a traditional English breakfast. English breakfast usually consists of scrambled eggs, baked beans, sauteed mushrooms, grilled bacon, sausages, grilled tomatoes and a cup of English Breakfast Tea. Ah...still tastes so good. By the way, in case you were wondering, we usually cook a lot when we were in the UK. That's because "bahan asli" is affordable and its much more worth it to cook your own meals. Eating out is more of a luxury... and most of the time, the food aint that great. The first place I visited was the Shakespeare Museum. There was a marketplace inside the museum itself and I was quite impressed with the array of products on display. It felt like a high class flea market. There were scarves, perfumed soaps, dried lavender sprigs, accessories, clothes, antiques among others. I did not buy anything (for the most obvious reasons... I was calculating the prices in RM). We left Shakespere's Museum and proceeded to walk over the infamous Millenium Bridge. Why infamous? Well after it was constructed, the bridge was unstable and visitors were banned from walking across it until remedy works had been carried out. SO yes, this time round I had the chance to actually walk across the bridge-which leads you to St Paul's Cathedral by the way. St Pauls' Cathedral was where the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles were united in holy matrimony in 1981.



Unfortuntely happiness was not to last. Enough said. I personally quite like the architecture of English buildings and St Pauls' is quite an impressive work of art I must say. Met up with another two friends for lunch at Bayswater. What did we eat? Duck rice. After a heavy meal we decided to take a walk in Hyde Park. The lovely thing about London is that there are parks everywhere. Hyde Park, Regent's Park, Green Park... etc you name it, they got it. And its readily accessible by tube. After a brisk walk of 20 minutes ( I think), we arrived at the Royal Albert Hall. The Royal Albert Hall is a theatre which is also a popular venue for university graduation ceremonies. It looks magnificent when lited up. The chilly weather really got into me, so we decided to go to Harrod's for a cup of tea. Christmas sales were going on and you could see frantic people grabbing on to Gucci bags, Burberry scarves, hats etc... me and my friends had a look at the prices and decided we were better off having tea instead. :P After tea at Harrods I said goodbye to one of my friends and then decided to call it a day.

Day 3: Canary Wharf, The Millenium Dome, Greenwich, Royal Observatory Tower

Canary Wharf is the commercial hub of London. The high rise buildings in this area stand in stark contrast with the quaint, Baroque buildings in Central London. All international solicitor firms, banks and multinational companies are located in Canary Wharf. Try imagining a larger scale version of Raffles Place and you get the idea.



Walked through a little park in Canary Wharf leading to the Millenium Dome.



For your information, London is bidding to host the Oylmpic Games in 2012. So you can see advertisements campaigning for support everywhere. Looks like they would need more than just the Millenium Dome to win the bid. Paris is also bidding for it I think. Right... this is it for Part 1. I will continue with the rest when I have time.... :)