HOLIDAY in LONDON

My last day at work at an oil & gas company based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was in July 2010. Months before that, I have had been planning to go on a vacation in London. In fact, my youngest daughter was already there.

Thus, I was in flight D72008, seat number 16C on Airbus A340-300 on 21^st September, taking-off at about 3:45 p.m. from LCCT in Sepang, near Kuala Lumpur. The plane was heading for Stansted Airport in London for a 13-hour journey. The plane landed at about 9:50 p.m. 

When I came out from Stansted Airport, on the night of 21 September 2010 (12 Syawal 1431H), my smiling daughter Syazana was already there to greet me. From there, we boarded a train to Liverpool Station and then took a bus to Notting Hill Gate, reaching her apartment at Cheniston Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, close to 1:00 a.m. 

                             Typical apartment in Cheniston Gardens, London

 Our travel movement was easy as her apartment was located just about 2-minute walking-distance to High Street Kensington underground station. Londoners called it ‘the tube’ whereby the main stop is the Paddington station. 

                     The underground station (the tube) during normal working days

                   The scene at the underground station when workers went on strike

                                    The writer at the underground station

Other than the tube, we also took the double-decker red-colored bus which always arrived on time. As practiced by other seasoned Londoners, we too bought the Oyster card which could be used when traveling by tube or by bus. 

                            Normally the maps are available for free at the stations

 For purpose of communicating with family and friends back home, I did change the SIM (subscriber identification module) card of my mobile phone to a local one, called Orange.  

While in London, my daughter brought me to several Malaysian food restaurants, other than the usual fast food outlets. We had our lunch twice at the Malaysia Hall London  cafeteria located at Queensborough Terrace in Bayswater area. The cafeteria was located in the same building as that of Malaysian High Commission. We also ate at other restaurants in the Bayswater and Paddington areas, such as Bonda Café, Tuk Din Restaurant, Delima Restaurant, C&R Malaysian Cuisine and Curry Place Indian Restaurant. 

                           One of the restaurants at Bayswater area

 When we did some shopping at Westfield, we had our lunch at Jom Makan Restaurant. 

                         The Westfield is a new shopping area in London

   While I was there, Malaysian Food Festival was held at Trafalgar Square on 24 September 2010. As it was a Friday, my daughter and I were only able to visit the festival and tasted the varieties of Malaysian food after my Friday prayer at London Central Mosque which was located at Park Road, Regent’s Park. It was a joyful affair except that the evening was chilly and windy. The hot teh tarik managed to warm our body a bit.

Since my holiday was for about two weeks, my daughter had planned for us to visit several popular spots. One evening, we went out to stroll on the Westminster Bridge, above River Thames. Tourists all the world were seen taking photographs of the Big Ben or Westminster Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament. I used to read in a travel magazine stating that this clock tower (now known as Elizabeth Tower) is the most photographed structure in the world. 

                At the Westminster Bridge above the famous Thames River

  Another favourite spot for tourists as well as Londoners is the Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of Queen Elizabeth II. It was advisable to be there on Wednesday morning, around 11:00 a.m. as there will a colorful parade called “Changing of the Guard”. The guardsmen, in red coats, performed their rehearsal at their barracks first before marching smartly to the Palace. When I was there, the guards’ band was playing a familiar instrumental theme, a nostalgic “Mission Impossible”. Spectators clapped loudly and happily after they had finished playing the instrumental song. 

                    The Guardsmen doing their rehearsal at their barracks

 The Guardsmen were marching in perfect formation heading for the Buckingham Palace

On 27 September, we had our breakfast at a famous restaurant in front of our apartment, called The Muffin Man Tea Shop. Situated at the corner of Wright’s Lane and Cheniston Gardens, this restaurant is famous for its sandwich and muffin. 

                        The restaurant was located in front of our rented apartment

         These bicycles are available for rent, now becoming popular in London 

Our plan for the day was to go and visit a famous landmark in Greenwich. It was about thirty minutes travel by train from central London. Greenwich is also popular as a university town. Normally tourists came to Greenwich to visit the world’s Prime Meridian in the Courtyard of the Royal Observatory. The Royal Observatory is the home of the Prime Meridian of the world, and of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). We can print our own certificate, pre-signed by Director of National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, stating the date and time of our visit and standing at the Prime Meridian.

      The certificate  to be kept as a souvenir is available for a nomimal fees

 We also took the opportunity to visit a nearby city, Manchester on 30^th September. The journey by Virgin Train started from Euston station. The two-hour travel took us to Manchester Piccadilly station, after stopping at Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport stations. We stayed at Ramada Hotel, just a walking distance from the station. During the day, we went to Salford Quays by tram and had lunch at Harbour City. At night, we enjoyed having Malay food at Ning Restaurant, located at Oldham Street.

                                          Well! It also rained in Manchester

               The food served at the Ning Restaurant were certainly delicious

 After we came back from Manchester, we took Amira for lunch at Satay House situated at Sale Place, near Sussex Gardens. In fact, her mother Juliana Bahari is a close friend as well as my former office mate.

It is popularly known that London is a shopping heaven. Most people go to Oxford Street and nearby places, including Knightsbridge area where the Harrods is located. For souvenirs, I prefer to go to Bayswater area to buy them. Items such as postcards, key chains, fridge magnets, t-shirts, mufflers, London street signage, mufflers and other items are reasonably priced. For quality second-hand goods and paintings, we can buy them at Portobello Market.

                             The scene near the Bayswater underground station

                                 One of the souvenirs' shops in Bayswater area

A day before leaving London, we took a 20-minute train ride from Paddington station to Reading Central in order to have dinner at our family friend’s house – Raja Iskandar and his wife Erna (now a Dr). In fact, the previous week they came over to take us for dinner at a Lebanese restaurant at Edgware Road in Bayswater area. We felt very delighted to be able to see them again.

I tried to recall on my first holiday in London in March 1986. Actually at that time I was attending a 2-month course in lubrication at Agip Petroli in Rome, Italy. When classes were cancelled on a Friday and the following Monday due to public holidays, we took the opportunity to go to London. I went there with my office mate, Salahuddin who was also attending the course. Based on experience during his studentship, we put the nights at Bed & Breakfast (B&B) at Norfolk Place, Sussex Gardens. The nearest tube was Lancaster Station.

During the short stay, we managed to visit Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street, Buckingham Palace, Soho and Little Venice. 

 

Scene at the famous shopping area in London, the Oxford Street (after the rain stopped)

I do still remember seeing a poster which was on sale at the sidewalk with the words: “If You Are Tired With London, You Are Tired With Life”.  I should have bought that poster. Surely enough, I never feel tired with London!

My 2010 London holiday came to an end on 8 October. We took a train from Liverpool station heading for Stansted Airport. After saying goodbye to my daughter, I entered the terminal for my journey home. 

 

                                             Souvenir postcards from London

The plane took off at about 9:00 p.m. for LCC Terminal in Sepang, Malaysia, thus ending my truly memorable 18-day stay in London ( and Manchester ) with my loving daughter, Syazana. 

                                             At the Stansted Airport in London