Travel Log: Machester to London

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When I first stepped out of Manchester Airport, my first reaction was, 'WHY IS IT SO COLD? ISN'T IT SUMMER?!' Thankfully Carmen had a jacket for me. That was a life saver!

So after a hearty dim sum lunch at a Chinese restaurant (I miss the porridge, so fragrant!), gege took me to the town.

He took me to a telecommunication shop to get a prepaid sim card. While I was waiting around, a lady came up to me and pointed at my camera. She asked if she could have a look at the lens. I held it up and she looked back at her colleague gleefully. She beckoned him to come over. The male colleague was interested in my camera so we strike up a very brief conversation. Gege even took a picture for us. My first encounter with the locals. One word, friendly! Throughout the trip, my camera actually sparked off alot of random conversation with strangers/fellow tourist :)

After settling down in Manchester for a day, gege and I took a train to London, via Virgin Train.

The journey took close to 2-hours. According to gege, train journeys on weekends are longer as they move slower. To conserve energy? Perhaps. We were on the first-class coach, hehe. Apparently it was only an extra 1-quid (pounds).

Ta-da! First stop-London China Town! It's bigger than I thought. Gege took me to his favorite duck rice restaurant. True to his words, it was the best duck I've ever tasted. Mmmm...

We then roamed around London by walking and underground tube.

This is just one part of the famous Hyde Park. I love Hyde Park! It's huuugggeeeee and beaaauuuutiful! If only we had something like this in Malaysia. This is a must-go spot if you ever come to London.

The Royal Albert Hall. Something about foreign land's sunlight that makes the subject look more pretty. Ahem.

Covent Garden. If you're into arts and theater stuff, this is a must-go place! There are so many talented street performer there. Super entertaining. Really makes you doubt your local celebrities.

In the evening, gege took me to Belgo Central. When he knew I was visiting, he booked a table for us... says the lobster there is goood. Lobster? I wouldn't say no, would I? :D Indeed, it was very fresh.

Next, we went to see Big Ben. Standing there looking at this iconic building at my favorite time of the day-dusk, really made everything feel surreal.

I just stared at it... trying to soak in every detail and minute of it. This is the wonderful thing about traveling with just 1-2 close friend/family, there's no one to rush you; you can have all the time in the world to soak in the moment. Incredible, just incredible.

London Eye and Big Ben.

Note: My Travel Log blog posts may be a lil' brief than expected as I realize there's too many photos to sort! I'll upload the full/semi full album to my Facebook soon. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed a taste of what I experienced!