14th January 2014
Breakfast at The Alchemist with Kelvin before going to the Old Trafford Stadium!
I really like the atmosphere there.
Kelvin's The American which consists of Belgian waffle with two eggs, bacon and sausage plus hot maple syrup and butter for £8.75.
I ordered the Eggs Benedict with roasted ham, english muffin and hollandaise for £6.75. Very nice!
Took the bus to the Old Trafford Stadium. I may not be a Manchester United fan because I don't watch football but the place is really grand and it's actually pretty magnificent how the history of Manchester United was created and the journey of it is also awe-inspiring. Luckily, there wasn't any crowd on the day I went because there was no match going on and probably because it was also a working day.
The Megastore sells all sorts of MU merchandise. You can even buy a MU jersey with your name and favourite number imprinted on it. It's even selling MU bedsheets, chocolate and sweets figurines of the famous footballers, bobbleheads of the footballers, MU shot glasses, MU scarves, MU caps and etc.
I was really amazed by their achievements.
MU footballers with their jerseys and football equipment.
Then we joined the museum tour. A ticket costs around £19 but is cheaper if you're a student there. And again, I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.
I did not know about the Munich Air Disaster until that day. A very sad and tragic incident indeed.
For interview sessions.
View from a different angle than before.
The International Honours Board; showing the list of Manchester United players who have represented their countries.
For game plan.
The area where the players get ready before leaving for war at the field.
There is a street dedicated to Sir Alex Ferguson too.
Museum & Tour ticket.
Walked around Trafford Centre ( a large shopping centre near the Old Trafford ) before meeting Christy and Sanjev at Archie's situated at Oxford Road where its milkshakes are highly demanded.
Tried their Billionaire Shake which consists of banana, Ferrero Rocher and whipped cream for £4. I could actually get to taste the Ferro Rocher chunks and bananas when I slurped it. It was so good! Archie's actually uses over 100 real toppings for their milkshakes, which include a variety of candies, chocolates, fruits and etc.
Had dinner at Lahore at Wilmslow Road that night with them.
Sanjev's Chicken Biryani for £6.49.
Christy's Chicken Fajita for £3.49.
Kelvin's BBQ Chicken Grill for £3.99 with Pilau Rice for £1.49.
My Grilled Fish Burger for £3.99. Not very special but the taste was acceptable.
Then, they brought me to have ice-cream, alone, although I was really full..
Raspberry Ice-Cream for £1.10.
16th January 2014
Went to Glasgow alone by train. It was a direct ride, so I thought everything would go smoothly but luckily, Christy remembered that I had to collect my tickets at Oxford Road Station before going to Piccadilly Station 30 minutes before departure. It was quite rushing, but thankfully, the distance between the two stations is quite near and the cab driver was kind enough to wait for me at the Oxford Road Station besides only accepting £5 from me instead of an extra starting fixed rate of £3.
Views from the train upon reaching Glasgow.
Met up with one of Christy's friends, Keith Tay, whom I have not talked or even met before. I guess I've made a troublesome request but he still agreed to bring me, a total stranger, around Glasgow a few days before I went up. My phone ran out of battery 5 minutes after I reached the Glasgow Central Station but fortunately, we kind of know how each other look like. I thought it would be tough meeting a new person but somehow, we actually became friends instantly when he picked me up at the station. He brought me to Rumours Kopitiam for lunch, where they serve a lot of Malaysian dishes there! The food did not have the authentic taste but it was still nice. It probably will make the Malaysians homesick if they have their meals there. Thank you for the treat!
A hearty Corn and Chicken Soup.
Roti Prata.
Wat Tan Hor. Favourite!
Keith also recommended me to stay at the Premier Inn Hotel at Buchanan Galleries. A strategic place for visitors as there are convenient stores, cafes and shops of various brands around the hotel. £80 per night. The price may seem a little dear but I thought it was worth it. Just take a look at these.
A spacious room with a double bed ( all to myself! ).
And the bathroom.
He brought me to his school, the University of Glasgow for a tour.
Reminds me a lot of the Hogwarts School from Harry Potter.
Very relaxed and tranquil surrounding.
View of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
We went to the Hunterian Museum. It was my 4th or 5th museum I've visited during my trip!
A pig.
Certain parts of the body.
We went to the Kelvingrove Park for a walk. It's a really beautiful park! However, there are no pictures taken because it was raining heavily. We were drenched but all we cared about was to find the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. We got lost on the way but we still managed to get to the museum thanks to a lady who gave us directions and even brought us, the lost kids, there.
So, how many museums have I been to already?
View of the University of Glasgow at night!
After a round of shopping with Keith around the Buchanan Galleries, we went to have Thai Cuisine at Thai Siam with Jarred. I've also bought a daily train ticket for only £4. There is only one train line in Glasgow, which the most simple and uncomplicated one I've seen.
Tom Yum Soup for £4.95. This, surprisingly is not as spicy as I thought it would be. Very tasty as well.
Pad Med-Manuang for £9 which consists of vegetables, cashew nuts, onions and roasted chillies.
Gang Keo-Wan ( Green Curry ) for £8.01.
If you don't know, the only rice that I love to have is sushi rice because I loveee Japanese Cuisine but recently, I found another rice that suits my taste. This is no ordinary white rice. It's Kao Ka-Ti ( Coconut Rice ). A bowl costs £2.61. The coconut scent and taste were not very strong. The texture was a little sticky and it tasted sweet instead. A must have the next time you're having Thai Cuisine.
First picture with Keith!
Also my first picture with Jarred. It was pretty weird for us because we've never actually talked to one another before although we've known each other since high school and also been to the same tuition for more than 3 years.
The day ended after Keith brought me to the River Clyde for some sightseeing!
16th January 2014
Breakfast with Keith at The Lauder's before his class, and it was also our last time seeing each other there. Hopefully, I'll meet this Kelantanese again in Kuala Lumpur when he comes back. And again, thanks for the treat and also for wasting your time!
Small Cooked Breakfast for £2.49.
After that, I went back to the hotel to take a nap because I was too tired. Then, I met up with Othniel, who's also studying in Glasgow, after I checked out from the hotel! He managed to meet up even though he had to sit for his paper in the afternoon, after lunch.It was weird for us too because it was our second time meeting when we have actually known one another for almost 4 years. We did a lot of talking while having lunch at The Hengler's Circus ( Wetherspoon ). Once again, thanks for the treat! I really felt bad because of all the treats given by these friends in the UK.. I was not give any chance to repay them. Sigh.
Superfood Pasta ( Vegetarian ).
Curry with Poppadoms and Rice.
After shopping while waiting for Othniel to finish his paper, we went to Tinderbox for some tea and also did more catching up. Also, I have no idea why don't I have any picture of him / with him. Oh well.. probably next time when we meet up? Time passed really fast when I was in Glasgow. He sent me off at the Glasgow Central Station and I left to Manchester in the evening.
Met up with Christy, Kelvin and Sanjev for my last meal together with the three of them in the UK.. They were so famished by the time I reached Manchester, sorry about that!
Thai Cuisine again at Try Thai Restaurant, Faulkner Street!
Green Curry Chicken Fried Rice for £9. Although it was spicy, I really liked it a lot!
Hot and Sour Chicken Soup for £5.50.
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Breast served with side vegetables and egg fried rice for £12.95.
17th January 2014
And the day has finally arrived. I actually planned to extend my trip there but unfortunately, my flight ticket did not meet the terms and conditions of postponing it..
Breakfast with Kelvin at The Paramount ( also by the Wetherspoon ) while Christy was sitting for her paper and Sanjev was probably asleep.. Another treat from Kelvin! Sigh.
Breakfast Wrap.
American-Style Pancakes with Bacon and Maple-Flavour Syrup!
The best friend, Christy, was able to send me off right after she finished her paper together with Kelvin. Bid goodbye before a 30 minutes cab ride to the Manchester Airport. Flew to Heathrow Airport, London and I had to wait for more than 6 hours before my flight back to Kuala Lumpur and then Singapore. Spent the whole day being at different airports but when I think back, it was by far the best trip I've ever had, yet. Besides changing my opinion and making the decision to further my studies there ( although not confirmed ), I've made about 9 - 10 friends through Christy, met up with old friends as well, visited many places and attraction sites and also had a lot of too much good food there. I'll be anticipating more trips like this in the future! " Take your time to look at the world and enjoy life ", said my dad, who paid for all the trip's expenses. Thank you! This comes with a price of course.. which is to study hard.
Inflight food. Prayed ( again ) so I won't have any stomach discomfort after having it and luckily, I didn't.
Total loots of the trip! I should not have brought too many clothes there.. My luggage almost exploded that I had to borrow another bag from Christy. But I actually spent more on food than these though.
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I'll try to blog more before Chinese New Year ( I don't even know if anyone actually bothers reading my blog, but it's ok. ), that is if I've anything interesting to blog about. So, have a happy Chinese New Year. That's about it. Till then!
