UK City Hopping

Saturday, July 17, 2010 – Monday, July 19, 2010 (Manchester, UK)

At my next destination after Cardiff, I realized that Manchester was a great place for shopping, dining out and its nightlife. However, for historical or cultural significance, Manchester paled in comparison with other cities in the UK. Despite the Manchester United Mega Store in Old Trafford, there wasn’t anything that I would consider a must see in Manchester.

Exodus Festival at Albert Square, Manchester, UK

Ferris Wheel, Manchester, UK

Manchester United Stadium in Old Trafford, Manchester, UK

Eventhough I wasn't too keen on the city, I did spend three days there because I was a bit tired of moving around so much. I used the time to catch up on administrative and planning activities. Thus, the Hilton Chambers Hatters Hostel TV lounge became my home and as a result, a breeding ground for new friendships.

There was Stefan (Vienna), currently on vacation, enjoying life and was the main driving force for Karaoke; Anne (Finland), a musicology major from York, befriended a homeless man at the Sunday morning church service in Manchester and brought me to meet him that night at the Evening Song service; Pablo (Argentina), who had been travelling for three years, was thrilled to finally replace his laptop since his last one was stolen at a New Zealand hostel two years ago; Ana (Toronto), a high school history teacher, spent her last few summers travelling through Europe before visiting her relatives in Italy; and Sam (Hong Kong), the proud father who brought his whole family to the UK to attend his eldest son’s graduation at York, invited me to join them for a home cooked family dinner (curry chicken) at the hostel kitchen simply because I spoke Cantonese.

Needless to say, that was the beauty of travelling. My Manchester experience was definitely memorable after all.

Karaoke at Siam Orchid, Manchester, UK

Curry chicken dinner, Manchester, UK

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 – Wednesday, July 21, 2010 (Liverpool, UK)

I said hello to Liverpool after saying goodbye to Manchester but help... the weather was not cooperative at all. It rained so hard that my Magical Mystery Tour was spent mostly on the bus. But when the whole bus load came together and began singing in unison, I knew there was nowhere man that I want to be and I could do this 8 days a week. During the tour, I learned more about John, Paul, George and Ringo than I ever thought I needed for Final Jeopardy. The Cavern Club where the Beatles began was a great finale to a hard day's night.


Rain cloud over Liverpool, UK


Chinatown, Liverpool, UK


Magical Mystery Tour, Liverpool, UK


Cavern Club, Liverpool, UK

Back at the Hatters Liverpool hostel, my newest friend and roommate Emma (New Zealand) told me that she resigned from the banking industry and had been travelling around the world for a few months now. Deja vu?? My jaws just dropped and I was speechless. So over supper (we found this great English pub with a full meal and an ale for less than five quids), we chatted over the Basel Accord, foreign exchange rate and the economy…. can it be eerier?


Sausage & Mash and a pint of ale at the Crown Pub for 4.80.

Thursday, July 22, 2010 (York, UK)

Originally, I planned on checking out the infamous Blackpool resort town but Anne from Finland highly recommended York so I changed my plan. It turned out to be a great choice because the Roman walled city of York was quite amazing. The weather had turned on the chilly side so I was able to use some of my long sleeves items. Given I didn’t have a lot of time in the city, I booked myself a Secrets of York walking tour and learned a lot about the hidden treasure of the city.

The walled city of York, UK

Back at the Ace York Hotel hostel, a beautifully restored mansion, I performed my good deed for the day by introducing/connecting four different people to each other, all from different parts of Australia, including Bronwyn (Sydney), Jessie (Brisbane), Bart (Melbourne) and Annabelle (Perth). Both Bronwyn and Jessie were working in Vietnam and Thailand respectively. Bart was near the end of his European trip with tales of running with the bulls in Pamplona and Annabelle was just starting out her trip in UK.


Ace York Hotel Hostel

So the Aussies and I found ourselves sharing stories over the Thursday night sausage (I had wild boar with pear) and ale special at the Old White Swan. Although we got heavier by the end of the night, our pockets got lighter as we all got rid of the thousands of coins we had. The server was pleased with that I am sure.

Final bill at the Old White Swan

As I continue my UK city hopping (off to Glasgow, Scotland next), I found myself learning a lot about the past and future of those places and sharing a lot of my past and future with the people I met along the way. I think my real journey has just begun.

1 my friend Graz's apartment in Glasgow
2 I plan on exploring Glasgow the city centre
3 All Day Breakfast Sandwich at the picnic table while touring the highlands today
4 I did notice that Canada raised its overnight rate by 25 basis points, so I guess I do miss work!!!

Rain Water or Bath Water

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Having lost Catherine Zeta Jones’ phone number, I visited the only other Welsh landmark I knew, Cardiff. After a quick orientation, I tasted my first potato jacket (with curry chicken) at the Cardiff Market before my guided tour of the Cardiff Castle. The most fascinating part of the castle was the children’s room, with every well-known fairy tale, nursery rhyme, and children folk story graphically illustrated on the walls.


Robin Hood in the Children's Room

The Keep of the Cardiff Castle

Flags of Nations at the Cardiff Castle

After a few hours, I learned that walking, living, and breathing rain was just part of the UK experience. Mists, showers, downpours and occasional sunshine were taking their turns throughout the day, making walking around a pain.

The scene at the hostel was quite different than the one in London, as the open concept bar / front desk / lounge / pool table / internet café attracted all hostellers and walk-ins to congregate (cheap pints didn’t hurt either). There was Tom from Belgium, currently volunteering in Cardiff; Karen and Henry from Canton and Taiwan, recent communication graduates currently working in London; Charlie from not sure where but his wife left him that day so he felt the need to be at a hostel because they met at a hostel in New Zealand (yeah, I cut that conversation really short and moved on); Fizzy and Ieuan, filmmakers currently teaching at the University in Cardiff, but was told to stay out a little later because their 19 year daughter was celebrating her graduation with friends at home. Fun times.

Friday, July 16, 2010

The next morning I went on a day trip to Bath, England. Unfortunately for Cardiff, the sun was out when I got off the train so Bath had a greater first impression already. The Roman Bath, one of the World Heritage Sites, was definitely worth the hundreds of pictures that I snapped within the two hours span and juggling with the damn audio guide handset. After the tour, I sat in the beautiful plaza outside the Bath and the Abbey with my Pret-a-Manger sandwich (old cheddar club) and listening to the beautiful acoustic guitar music. That was one of those moments.


Roman Bath

Roman Bath Plaza facing Bath Abbey

A quick walk to the Royal Crescent for a photo opportunity and then I decided to head back to Cardiff for some much needed laundry time. Plus, the rain had started.


Royal Crescent

1 First Great Western train from Cardiff to Manchester
2 Manchester, UK
3 Toasts and coffee at the hostel this morning
4 I am slowly forgetting what I am supposed to comment about….

Farnham and Beyond

Monday, July 11, 2010

At the London Waterloo train station, I purchased my ticket for Farnham, about an hour west, to visit my friend Kay for the next few days. Always preferred self-serve, I quickly purchased the ticket and off I went, only by luck I did a last minute check to find that instead of a ticket to Farnham, I had a ticket to Fareham!! Could it be so cruel that they would have 2 towns with names differ by a single letter? Yes indeed!! So with only minutes to spare, I had to go to the operator line and get it all straightened out. Needless to say, an excellent start to my first European train travel experience.

I arrived at Farnham right on time and met Kay at the station. Farnham is a town of 37,000 just on the edge of Surrey. Farnham Castle overlooks the downtown core comprised of the usual shops and pubs. Nearby towns such as Elstead, Godalming, Hartney Wintney, and Aldershot all have their own spin of what living in every day British life is like.


Farnham Castle


Godalming


Military Town of Aldershot

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Further west in Wiltshire, about an hour away from Farnham, we drove through rain to get a glimpse of the famous big rock formation commonly known as Stonehenge. After a quick survey of how it works, visitors were confined to a path around the site and could not actually go up to the rocks. With the miserable rain falling down, I opted to skip admission and just took pictures from the fence.



After a quick lunch back at Farnham, we set out for an adventure on a steam train from Alton to Alresford on the Watercress Line in Hampshire. I saw picturesque English countryside and many surprises as we stopped and explored the train stops.

Diesel Train Going Out

A Rare Find in Alresford

Steam Train Coming Back

Compartment in the Steam Train

The visit ended with us relaxing and watching the 25th anniversary of Live Aid and lots of Bob Geldof on the telly. I was actually amazed at the behind the scene stories of the event.

All in all, with the great hospitality of my local friend Kay, I saw things that I would never be able to see on a tour or venture out on my own. How fortunate was that?!?

1 On the First Great Western train from Reading Train Station on Thursday, July 15, 2010
2 Cardiff Wales in less than half an hour
3 Toast with jam at Kay’s house this morning
4 I am slowly forgetting what I am supposed to comment about…. ;o)

Farewell my London

Selecting London as my starting point served several purposes. One, London is one of the main hubs in Europe, with plenty of flights to choose from. Two, knowing the language is a big plus when starting out. Three, I’ve never been to London.


Ben & Jack

I knew that there was no way to see everything I wanted to see, so between hopping on and off the double decker bus, taking the tube and a lot of walking, I did manage to stick my head between the gates of Buckingham Palace, find the free tour on the history of money at the British Museum, relax at Trafalgar Square while hundreds tangoed and waltzed to big band music, cross the street without being hit at Picadilly Circus, cruise by the London Eye, the Millennium Bridge, and the Tower of London on the Thames, dip my hand in the Diana Memorial Fountain, and drool over the Food Hall of Harrod’s!


Coppers at Covent Garden


British Museum Lobby


Dancing at Trafalgar Square

I also was able to connect with old friends, including former co-workers Jessica and Sebastien (with Matthieu) at Canary Wharf, University friends Justin and Rebecca (with Aliyah, Aden and Adam) in Chiswick, and a surprise connection through Facebook from a high school friend Dan and his with Katie at Wimbledon. Although we didn’t get a chance to meet up in London, I’d like to thank Marcia and Khanh for providing me with loads of great suggestions.


Sebastien, Matthieu & Jessica @ Cafe Brera, Canary Wharf


Justin, Adam and Rebecca @ home, Chiswick


Katie & Daniel @ the Grid Inn, Wimbledon

So London, thank you for such great memories and a great start to my trip. I already have a list of things to do the next time I am in London!!!

1 Farnham, UK
2 Stonehenge (tomorrow)
3 Pancake Breakfast at Justin’s
4 Writing this blog is my 9-5 job, so this is why I am not missing going to work at this moment… hehehe ;o)

Hotel with an S = Hostel

Tuesday July 6, 2010 - After landing in Gatwick over a redeye, the directions provided by the website and the confirmation letter were very helpful in finding the hostel, tucked away in a courtyard through an alley way a block from Russell Square. My first impression as I awaited reception was how busy the hostel was, like the opening day of frosh week as students moved into the dorm. As expected, arriving just after the 10:00 a.m. check out time but still hours before check-in time, my 4p dorm room was not ready yet as reception handed me the key for the storage room. A sense of panic set in as I opened the tiny storage room with shelves from floor to ceiling packed with backpacks and luggage. The only security was a mounted video camera surveillance, but from years of watching CSI, I knew most of these were just for show. So not wanting to carry my both my daypack and the backpack with me the whole day until check in, the process of sorting and moving things from my day pack to the back pack began, with my stuff all over the storage room floor. In the end, my day pack remained as full as ever, and left behind, my backpack secured by a tiny padlock from Dollarama.

At the end of a full day in the heart of London (more about that in my next post), I arrived back ready to put my day pack down and see my room. My backpack was still in the storage room where I left it, a big relief. With the insert of the 4p dorm room key, the bunk beds welcomed me to the world of hostelling. The individual lockers inside the room were a surprise, as I really didn’t know what to expect. The tiny sink in the middle of the room was a great final detail to complete the jail-cell chic.

After taking a shower (typical communal gym like facility), I found the happening place in the hostel not at the bar, but in the 24 hr Wi-Fi lounge, where giant screens blasting music videos, sport games or movies and everyone was wired with their chosen form of technology. I felt totally accepted with my netbook in hand and connecting with the world.

Back in my room (unpacking and repacking several times to fit everything in the locker), my first roommate came through the door, a girl from Massachusetts. After finding out she also flew in from the redeye and stayed up all day to beat jetlag, small talk was kept to a minimal as we were both exhausted. As I drifted into sleep in my foreign bunk bed, the last two roommates arrived, a mother and son team who didn’t speak much English, but from the fact that she immediately started washing store bought strawberries out of the sink and chatting with her son in perfect Cantonese, I knew they were from Hong Kong. A sense of familiarity rushed over me and in my dreamy state of consciousness, I found a bit of home in my first night of hotel with an S.

1 - The Generator Hostel London in Russell Square, London
2 - Remained in London but moving to Chiswick, London on Thursday, July 8
3 - Strawberry washed by the lady from Hong Kong
4 - Work? What work?

BANG!!!

Wow, my first blog post. I feel this tremendous pressure to make a stellar first impression. Otherwise, you wouldn't want to waste time reading it, you wouldn't want to come back for my follow up posts, and you certainly wouldn't care about my dantastic adventure!!

This got me thinking... what would you want to read about on my travel blog? Perhaps you may want to know
1) where am I?
2) where I am going next?
3) what I ate recently that I forgot to take a picture of?
4) how much I miss working and envy your lives right now? ;-)

So without further adieu, adieu, adieu, here are what you've been looking forward to reading:
1) in my bedroom in Ottawa, Canada
2) London, England
3) some left over sausage from the Canada Day BBQ
4) I wish I have to work today instead of playing tennis in the morning

There you have it, my first blog post. I knew I would start and end it with a BANG!!!