Ok, back to remembering my E trip :) Malcolm, pester me no more. This is what we ate for the 3 days in Istanbul. Result, I had a horrible sore throat purely from eating all these grilled/bbq-ed/spiced up food! They're good btw! I couldnt help but to order lamb/mutton for every single meal. My favourite kind of meat. (seesh, i feel evil eating such a meek animal) Go vegan? NAH!
This is what I call a sucky breakfast. It was the best of what we could take from the buffet table! At that time, I was missing the mee siam, carrot cake and economic noodles real badly.
East Europe aside, I took a flight to London. The trip I was really anticipating. I was so amazed and flashbacks of my childhood started to come upon me. I was scared at the same time, but if I needed any directions, I would not hesitate to ask :)
As planned, I waited for Sophia at South Kensington station for about an hour as planned. Of course I settled at some eating place and recorded stuff into my financial book. So the wait to me wasnt long, and there, I met her!
Her smile and giggle was heartwarming. Heehee, I have not seen her for close to a year and there we met, thousands of miles away from home. She brought me to different places including to her school, the place she stayed(where i dropped off my luggage) and in Zone 1. Those bits and pieces of images I saw nearly a decade ago matched up to the one I was currently seeing, just that everything seemed so much smaller (Soph and i were thinking that it was becos i grew bigger and now everything looks so small to me. Haah.).
We settled at this Indian resturant for early dinner. Funny eh, eating Indian food in London?!?!?!
It was already quite dark. We went back to her place and I picked up my luggage. That was it. I was on my own again. With no proper map of how to go to Aunty Kathy's house. No handphone to contact anyone. Everything was based on my brain and the google Earth image I used to identify her house on the internet the day before. I took the train to Hounslow East, followed by bus H22. I could not find the bus stop! So I asked for directions in a fake English(sarong party girls) accent. HAHAHAHA. (JW, I cant believe I said that) I was directed to another bus stop, thankfully. Just as I boarded the bus, I had to ask the driver if he was going to Whittondene. He said, "Yeap." And I was like phew...
After about 15 minutes on the bus, the lil PA system said, "Whittondene". I was confirmed by the LED signs for up the word. The newer buses are actually designed to accomadate to the disabled. Singapore should do the same! So that those blur Singaporeans won't alight at the wrong stops (ok, that includes me if I travel in the north and east.). The bus halted and the driver said, "Yeap, here it is". I was thinking, "Duh, I know it, the PA system said so~" Haha, but I thanked him anyway.
Am I getting too wordy? Influenced by Nat. Whoops!
So I walked to her place, without knowing her house address! I found the exact garden that I used salt to kill slugs with. At least I knocked on the correct door. It took awhile for her to open the door. I will be totally worried if no one was at home man! Can you imagine, standing with a backpack while it's dark in the cold? I told her I was Maria as I was afraid that she would not recognize me(we didnt see each other properly for about 10 years?). We exchanged hugs and she was totally shock to see me. Cos she expected me to call her up so that she could pick me up from the train station.
I settled down and wondered around a little. How rude of me.. But nah, we're like family :) We talked and talked. And I won't wanna continue.
The next morning, I met Soph up again for Greenwich! I have learnt that it was pronounced as "green-ick". I decided to eat the very famous English Pie and Mash. Ermmmm, Indian food is better right? :P I didn't even finish it! Urgh!
We had to trek up this hill to get to the place. I was kinda worrying a little cos the previous time I went there, the gate was locked up and you needed an admission fee to enter. My parents, as typical kia su Singaporeans, didnt want to spend such money(i wont pay the money either). So, I was kinda disappointed at that time as I looked at the other kids jumping around that red line. Who knew, ADMISSION WAS FREE WHEN WE WENT THERE!!! :DD
After several attempts, we managed to capture our faces with the line.
There was a tour group nearby. So we tagged along and listened to whatever he said. The facts were rather interesting :) I liked geography and history for that moment.
Ok, I look fat and my neck looks longer.
Lovely doggie encounters around the area. Woof! This dog pracitcally ignored me depite me touching it like crazy. A lil deviant act of me kicking it :P Oops.
This was by the market... It looks like a black bear! So cute and huggable.
One of the creepy tunnel under the river Thames. I was kinda scared so I grabbed Sophia's arm as we were walking. If I were to die, the last way I would wanna die would be by drowning. Yeahh... That place was just so, urgh, creepy!
Ok, thats enough :) Anyway, these entries are mainly for myself and Malcolm to read yeah. No possible intention of boasting and stuff. But anyway, I hope you do enjoy these posts and may it inspire you to travel alone :D (ignoring my aunt's nagging =X)More time for myself, finally. Ahhh, that's my kind of life :)