So, I'm finally back to good ol' Johor Bahru after a solo trip to the UK for two weeks. It was my first time traveling alone and my first time to the 'Western World' as well! It's considered an achievement for me because I've wanted to do this since a long time ago. An exciting way to start off the year, no?
The plan for this trip started months ago, when I jokingly told my dad that I wanted to visit the best friend, Christy, who's furthering her studies in the UK. I only expected him to laugh off and carried on talking about life but no. Instead, he agreed right away and I started planning with Christy and later on, Jacelyn who was also planning to go to the UK. It's pretty interesting how all of us can hang out from Johor Bahru to Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and then, to the UK. Friendships at its best here.
The posts will not be as detailed as the posts about my trip to Taiwan because I didn't have any schedule. It was a spontaneous trip and I spent most of my time with friends, a little sight seeing and binge eating. Most of my time doing the latter and I'm not even complaining because I'm already missing it.
3rd January 2014
I took the Malaysia Airlines from Singapore to Heathrow Airport, London with a 1 to 2 hour transit in Kuala Lumpur. "Why not Singapore Airlines?", many people asked. That was because there wasn't any flights to London by the Singapore Airlines on that day itself. "Why not other airlines which offer cheaper rates?". I've a protective father who didn't want me to have a transit at foreign places like Dubai or Hong Kong alone, all by myself, although I wouldn't mind actually.
During the transit at KLIA ( Kuala Lumpur International Airport ), I almost went up to the wrong flight which was heading to Perth. I started to wonder if I was overdressed ( long-sleeved denim jacket, jeans, boots ) while holding a winter coat when almost everyone in line was in shorts, t-shirts, slippers / flip-flops and even hats. The screen was showing 'London' and obviously, people who were heading there would join the line. Luckily, the officer told me so. If not, I don't know whether I would laugh or cry.
Anyway, the flight to London seemed really long; 12 hours, more or less. Two inflight meals and snacks were served in between. I was praying for better food compared to China Airlines' so the 'after-meal incident' wouldn't happen to me again and thankfully, nothing happened except having a sore back after long hours of sitting and countless attempts to sleep. This was probably because of the aisle seats, which I thought it would be convenient for me to go to the restroom or if I need assistance from the flight attendants but I was so wrong. Window seats next time; lesson learnt.
Another embarrassing incident: My head dropped on the guy's shoulder who was beside me for a second when I was asleep. It was.... well, awkward.
I reached Heathrow Airport safely in the evening. Thanks Christy and Zhi Yan for picking me up!
Stayed at Holiday Inn Bloomsbury throughout my trip in London with Christy. It was about £100 per night, pretty reasonable considered that the room was comfortable and it was just right for two person.
My first meal there was at GBK ( Gourmet Burger Kitchen ) with Christy, Zhi Yan and Kelvin. The non-stop food indulgence started here...
Ordered the Camembert & Cranberry Burger which consists of camembert, cranberry sauce, house mayo, relish and salad for £9.55.
Sweet Potato Fries served with Bacon Aioli for £3.95 each. This is highly recommended.
Desserts at My Old Dutch after dinner. It serves a variety of savoury and sweet pancakes, waffles and milkshakes.
Homey atmosphere.
Sweet Pancakes - Compote of Berries for £7.75. It was indeed very sweet.. We wanted to try the Poffertjes which is apparently their best dessert, but it wasn't available.
Maple Syrup & Cream Waffle for £4.95.
4th January 2014
Our OOTD ( outfits of the day ).
People in the UK usually walk to everywhere they go. It's not very surprising because of their transportation convenience and efficiency. You can download the Citymapper application which can only be used in London or New York and I'm sure you will not get lost with it. It provides you the directions to go to and the transports you have to take to your destinations in detail and accurately, which is very useful. If you're a tourist there, you can purchase the 7day Oyster pass for £30, which is definitely worth the price if you go to many places.
St. Pancras Station.
Credits : Christy ( Main personal photographer for the trip )
Breakfast at The Breakfast Club, situated at Hoxton. It's a popular breakfast and brunch place, served in big portions with reasonable prices. One of the best meals I had throughout the trip!
' When Haloumi Met Chicken Wrap' for £8.30.
I ordered 'The Full Monty' which consists of bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs, fried potatoes, mushrooms, beans, grilled tomato and toasted multigrain bloomer for £9.70. It looks like a normal breakfast platter but it was so good ( except the black pudding, yuck )! Very filling too.
Zhi Yan's 'Bacon and Banana French Toast' for £7.60.
Kelvin's 'The All American' which consists of pancakes, eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, sausage and maple syrup for £10.
I'm definitely going back there. Yeap.
Then, we decided to go back to Hogwarts through Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. You'll get what I mean if you have read the Harry Potter series or have watched the movies. We queued up for approximately 45 minutes just to get our photos taken there. You can even choose one out of the four scarves prepared ( based on the houses in Hogwarts ) to wear for your pictures; red ( Gryffindor ), blue ( Ravenclaw ), yellow ( Hufflepuff ) or green ( Slytherin )
You can buy your pictures taken by the staff in The Harry Potter Shop nearby! Don't worry, you can still take pictures with your own cameras or phones too. It's free of charge. The shop even sells many other collections of Harry Potter merchandise such as scarves, wands, keychains, chocolate frogs and etc!
Ladurée at Covent Garden for tea. One of my favourite places for macarons!
Salted Caramel & Vanilla. £1.90 each.
I was recommended to try this, the Coupe Ispahan. The menu says it consists of raspberry sorbet, rose petal ice cream, fresh raspberry, lychees, raspberry coulis and chantilly cream. I thought the taste would be too rich that I wouldn't eat it after a bite or two but no, I wanted more. It's £7.30 each and it was worth it.
Ordered the Darjeeling Namring for £3.60. It has the flavours of almond and peach combined and nice to be consumed in cold weathers.
I felt like a glutton because I was the only one eating.
Street performances are common in Covent Garden. You'll get to see various acts there and you're probably advised to give tips after their performances end.
Dinner at Shake Shack, also at Covent Garden.
I tried their Shack Stack, which is a cheeseburger and a 'Shroom Burger ( consists of crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted cheese ) topped with lettuce, tomato and their own Shacksauce. The mushrooms made the burger special, and it was probably the best burger I've tried although I'm not a fan of burgers. £7.75 each.
Their Cheese Fries is also a must-try! £3.50 each.
The interior decorations of large Christmas ornaments and disco balls made the whole atmosphere really nice and warm.
5th January 2014
Yoghurt with oats for breakfast with Christy. These were bought from Waitrose, a supermarket, at Brunswick Centre located just 3 minutes walk away from the hotel and the Russell Square tube station. There are many other shops there too such as New Look, Oasis, River Island etc. A small place but enough to fill in your necessities.
It was around 7 degrees celsius that day and the wind did not help.
Spent our day in Winter Wonderland which was held in Hyde Park. It's an annual event and was held for almost two months, if I'm not wrong, due to the Christmas season. Admission to it was free but charges were applied for the rides and ice skating.
Row of stalls selling handcrafts, food and drinks.
Sweets.
Marzipan. I wanted to try these but there wasn't anyone at the counter, so.. too bad for me.
Tried the Cinnamon Churros instead. I like anything sweet so it was really nice!
There were game stalls too and many plushies and prizes were displayed to be won!
It fits them perfectly, almost.
This was just too cute to resist.
Rides.
And more rides.
Ferris wheel!
Went on the ferris wheel with Kelvin because the rest of them had 'rode before'. It went for three rounds. The first round was actually scary to me as the whole gondola was shaking because of the strong wind.
But the bird's eye view was fantastic.
The Nutella Belgian Waffle there was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside which was good. On top of that, there was Nutella. It never goes wrong with anything.
Ducks by the lake.
Salmon Wrap which was superb.
I miss their Baileys Hot Chocolate. I don't drink but the Baileys blended really well with the chocolate. The whole creamy texture was so good especially when it was served hot.
Group picture with tour guides friendsss.
We skated too and the admission fee was £14.50 per person. Such a pity that taking photos was prohibited in the rink....
Well, actually we did take a few pictures but the pictures are not with me. Rebellious Asian kids here, watch out.
Knightsbridge.
Harrods; most famous department store.
That night, we cooked at 'Zhi Yan's place'. Apparently, I was experiencing the lifestyle of an international student in the UK.
Christy was in charge of the sauce with minced pork. Job distribution, you see.
Cherry tomatoes.
Minced pork.
Tada.
Kelvin fried the eggs with minced pork.
Zhi Yan was doing miscellaneous jobs; like finding utensils and cutlery for us. He's cooking spaghetti in the picture though, but no, that was actually my job. Yeap.
The final result!
Looks good, tasted equally good. It was served for 9-10 people and each of us paid only £2 for our share. The groceries are really cheap which is why students opt to cook when they study there.
6th January 2014
Finally got to meet up with Jacelyn and her boyfriend, Dang after their trip to Paris. Brunch with them and Christy at Hare & Tortoise, Brunswick Centre! It's a popular Asian Restaurant which serves Japanese cuisine and many Southeast food like Char Kuey Teow, Phad Thai, Chicken Curry and Rice and more.
Inari and Avocado Maki. £4.40.
Salmon and Avocado Maki. £4.40.
Reunion.
A trip to the British Museum after that with Jacelyn, Dang and Zhi Yan! Admission to it is free.
Credits : Jacelyn
I'm not a person who knows how to appreciate art and artifacts. I shall let the pictures speak for themselves then.
Spot the couple.
You'll find this familiar if you've watched Night at The Museum. It' the Hoa Hakananai'a. The statue seems to have been used to express about leadership and authority.
The carving of a series of dancing female figures was used to support a temple column at Mt. Abu.
The Buddha.
Mummies.
A truck at the compound selling snacks and drinks which you can enjoy with the cold breeze outside the museum.
Marylebone High Street.
I was brought to try the Ben's Cookies, which were said to be the tastiest cookies.
Milk Chocolate Chunk. About £1.50 each and it was really the best cookie I've tasted. It was like a revised taste of Subway's cookies, in a good way of course. There was a generous amount of chocolate chunks too.
Then, the famous Hummingbird Bakery.
Cookies & Cream.
Red Velvet.
Tiramisu.
Vanilla.
Brownies and cakes.
Tried the Red Velvet Cupcake for £3.15 ( £2.65 for take away ) and it was incredibly satisfying. It's a must-try if you're a fan of Red Velvet.
Walked around Marylebone High Street,
Regent Street,
Piccadilly Circus,
And back to Regent Street.
Dinner at Homeslice Pizza, Neal's Yard with Christy, Jacelyn, Dang, Kelvin, Zhi Yan, Sher May and Jing.
The interior.
An open kitchen.
The menu. Note that the pizzas served are 20 inch each. You may cry. £20 each.
You can choose two choices of toppings for a pizza, and it'll be served half of each in one pizza.
Salmon, Marcona Almonds, Shitake Mushrooms & Cucumber | Butternut, Bacon, Colston Bassett & Smoked Onions.
Salami & Rocket | Butternut, Bacon, Colston Bassett & Smoked Onions.
Probably the best Pizza, ever.
And again, the Poffertjes was not available. Such luck. So, Christy and I ordered the Banana, Nuts, Cream & Chocolate Sauce Waffle for £5.65. It was not as good as I've expected though.
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More 'adventure', food and more food coming up in the next post!
To be continued...
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