London Part 12

Thursday, 27th January, 2011

Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Oxford University

(Windsor Castle)

(Windsor Castle)

Malam sebelum berlepas husband I suggested that we go on a one day ride tour outside London. I was hesitated at first sebab I malas kalau duduk lama-lama sangat dalam bus and I tak mau rugi satu hari where we can go somewhere else much more interesting. But lepas husband I checked through the pamphlet and told me tempat yang nak pegi tak jauh around one or 2 hours, I said ok especially bila the mere mention of Stonehenge. I always fascinated and curious about the place. Stonehenge nie kan one of the wonder of the world. Kadang-kadang ada article, documentary or movie yang keluar atau mengaitkan batu nih. So I was excited when he told me that in was in the tour package. I didn’t care much about Windsor Castle except for yang I tau, ianya kediaman which on the weekend the Queen would go there. As for Oxford nih, one of the cab/taxi driver yang kita orang naik, told us that we should go there because the place is nice etc. We were curious about the place too beside itukan tempat orang supposed to be pandai-pandai genius.

(Inside the compound of Windsor Castle)

One day before berlepas husband I siap-siap beli ticket kat concierge hotel. We can buy lunch kat situ but have to pay for GBP5.00. Memula I ingat nak order for tomorrow but I changed my mind. So next morning, pagi-pagi kita orang dah bangun and siapkan breakfast sendiri. Husband I dah beli roti, telur etc. And telur tu dia panaskan dalam electric kettle and butter dia ambik masa breakfast kat restaurant the other day. Dia buat roti telur and I siapkan air, chocolate etc. sebab for sure lapar and takut susah nak cari makanan especially kat kawasan luar London. Turun bawah ada company’s tour punya driver dah tunggu to send us to the bus station. Sampai kat station bus pening jugak cari which tour bus nih. After asking around baru jumpa but we have to wait dekat number platform that was given. Tak lama kemudian tour guide datang and asked us to naik.

Maka bermula la pengembaran satu hari ini.

(Inside the compound of Windsor Castle)

Windsor Castle nie kat luar boleh ambik gambar tapi kat dalam tak boleh. Ada sorang cina nie guard/pekerja kat situ dah cakap tak boleh ambik gambar, dia ambik jugak. Sekali guard situ sound dia nak tengok kat camera dia apa gambar dia ambik and then kena delete on the spot. Kat dalam Windsor Castle nie memang sungguh impressive macam kat Versaille France. Ada tempat tidur king queen, bilik persalinan, dinning room, baju-baju besi, tombak, keris, senapang, pistol, pinggan, mangkuk, sudu, garpu macam-macam la diraja punya barang. Lukisan-lukisan lama jangan cerita la, bertimbun kat dinding dinding. Lukisan kat silling memang sungguh menarik.

(Inside the compound of the Windsor Castle)

Carpet-carpet punya la tebal and berbagai-bagai pattern. Exactly macam kat filem period epic, zaman-zaman reinassance. Husband I kata malam-malam mesti ada hantu bejalan. Biasala dia suka menakutkan diri sendiri... ala ala uncle serious hahaha... Oh yeah, Windsor Castle pernah terbakar in 1992, katanya disebabkan oleh litar pintas. Habis kebanyakkan peralatan or perabot purba kala gone to ashes.

Windsor Castle yang public boleh masuk nie bukan tempat Queen tinggal, dia tinggal kat sebelah. I think Queen dah bo loy sebab tu la dia bukak for public and dikenakan bayaran. Reban ayam pun nak kena maintain everynow and then apakan lagi castle yang sebesar alam dengan pekerja-pekerja or guard yang ramai tu.

(Changing of Guard)

Everyday around 11.00am, guard kat castle nie akan bertukar. I tak tunggu lama kat sini sebab husband I risau takut kena tinggal bus. Padahal masa kita orang pegi kat bus tu, we are the only first two person who were there. He can get on my nerves sometime.

(Marching Band)

I miss this part sebab like I said husband I sibuk nak naik bus sebab takut kena tinggal. Sempat lagi I berdrama dengan si drama queen tu.

(Beli kat noodle salad vegetarian kat Eat, lepas abis makan nie I makan roti telur yang di buat kat hotel..lapar oo..)

Lepas abis tour kat Windsor Castle we make our way to Stonehenge..

Stonehenge

(Stonehenge)

I was so excited and can't wait to see the place yang selalu orang sebut-sebut selama nie. Tempat tu kat tepi jalan aje and dari arah mana-mana boleh nampak dengan jelas. Bila dah nampak dari jauh dalam bus, I was surprised because I expect it to be so impressive ke or besar bagak ke..tapi kecik je and tak ada la besar mana. And kat kiri kanan macam padang aje. Nevertheless, I was so ecstatic. Maklumla, bende-bende purba dan bersejarah nie memang I suka sangat (adakah sebab I pun dah purba jugak?).

(Stonehenge in a different angle)

(Model season maaa...)

Apalagi, sampai je kat situ, bersnap-snap gambar I and husband I ambik. Itu tak kira lagi si model season ini mengayakan aksi-aksi spara tak ghairah itu. Since it was macam kat padang and tiada apa-apa yang melindunginya. It was so bloody bloody cold. Sejuk nak mampus. Paling sejuk I pernah rasa sepanjang I berada kat bekas negara penjajah nih. I dapat rasa bulu roma kat kaki I macam nak tercabut sekali gus. Rasa macam jarum bediri pun ada. I bejalan bak penguin and lenggang catwalk hilang tanpa dapat dikesan. Mulut berasap and we can hear my husband kejap-kejap tarik nafas kat view cam hahahaha.. macam porno je..

(We were surprised sebab masa husband I ambik gambar tak perasan pun I macam bercium dengan batu nih je)

I was so glad I bought the cap the day before sebab dapat cover my ears although I ada bawak muffler sekali tapi asyik nak telucut, with this one I sarung aje and tak tercabut walau angin bertiup dengan derasnya.

(Kawasan persekitaran kat Stonehenge)

I tengok biri-biri nie terus teringatkan lambchop, dah la tengah lapar, rasa macam nak sembelih je sekor.

Lepas bergambar sakan kat Stonehenge, we went to Oxford University

Oxford University

(Salah satu dari building kat Oxford University)

Tau tak? Sebelum I pegi kat Oxford University nie, I ingatkan all the faculty is in the same building or dalam satu compound yang besar dengan rumput yang hijau ke apa ke kan. But I was so surprised (asyik surprised je kau kan dek?), sebab it was not like that at all. In fact, different field was in different building which was far from each other. And it was a town! with all the shop selling all kind of things around. Designer clothes pun ada. Can you believe it? Library kat sini, literature kat hujung nun and etc.

(Library building)

Dalam library nie ada macam-macam jenis buku disimpan dated a few centuries ago pun ada. And anybody can enter freely tapi kalau nak pinjam tu tak tau la.

Masa jalan-jalan kat situ, husband I bisik kat I and said, "you just imagine budak-budak yang bejalan kat keliling kita nie semua genius genius, intelligent". Then mula la both of us cakap, how we wish our parents was wise, well educated and a profesional, we're very sure that we would be one of them kat sini or grad kat sini. Yela tu kalau tak jadi pelakon tempelan.

(ahh..minah bertopi eskimo ituuu..)

Masa tour guide to bagi penerangan about all the stuff around, one of the kid who was passing by told my husband not to believe whatever the tour guide said.. kelakar la budak tu.

(Tanda kat atas nie JK Rowling ambik dari jalan pavement kat one of the Oxford University nih and dia gunakan untuk jadi tanda kat kepala Harry Potter)

Lepas abis tour, husband I sibuk la nak beli t-shirt yang ada tulis Oxford University. He bought a few of rugby style and dia suh I ambik a few. Mula-mula I ingat nak ambik satu je, then husband I cakap, ntah bila we will come again and encourage me to grab more. And I'm very sure dia akan show off kat anak-anak buah dia... alahai sayang...

Lepas abis tour kat Oxford University, kita orang pun balik London, tired but very satisfied. And dinner kat Rasa Sayang...again...

London Part 10 & 11

London Part 11

Wednesday, 26th January, 2011

Regents Street and Trafalgar Square

(Food kat La Menara. I order Tagine fish, husband I order nasi, tah lupa nama)

Hi, I'm back..... tak abis lagi story I kat sini...

Hari nie I dengan husband keluar hotel around 12pm. Malas la pulak sebab penatkan asyik keluar hari-hari. Since dah keluar around lunch time, we decided to had our lunch at La Menara, since it was on the way to Trafalgar Square. Lepas makan, energy dah boost, so kita orang menapak dari La Menara nie, kalau dari hotel kira dari Carburton Street, then ikut jalan Oxford Street, singgah shopping kat Regents Street and lastly sampai la kat Trafalgar Square. Rasanya ada dalam 5 6 kilometer. Tapi tak penat sebab, one - weather sejuk tak berpeluh and two - sebab kiri kanan jalan penuh dengan kedai, so tak ada terasa.

(Bergambar dengan mascott kat one of the souvenir shop. I sebenarnya tak nak, husband I la yang sibuk suruh)

Masa on the way nak ke Trafalgar Square tu, hujan mula turun, more of a drizzling, renyai-renyai. Then my husband saw one shop behind us and ajak I masuk. Memula tu I malas, tapi dia suruh check it out. When we went in, wow...harga sungguh murah dan berpatutan. Kebetulan I complaint baju tak cukup sebabkan takan nak recyle baju and seluar yang sama je for photo session. So husband I suh ambik. At first I tak nak sebab memikirkan nak balik nanti, sure kena charge sebab lebih muatan. Furthermore, I risau takut tak cukup nak squeeze in barangan. Dia kata tak apa sebab tak da berat mana. I pun ambik a few jacket/sweaters and two pants. It was worth buying.

(Gambar-gambar on the way to Trafalgar Square)

On the way nak ke Trafalgar Square nie I tengok banyak theater and also view persekitaran sungguh menarik. Banyak jugak gambar yang kita orang snap.

(I lupa apa bende nie, aritu ada baca tapi tak ingat)

(Lagi theatre. Ingat nak pegi but memikirkan husband I yang tak ada darah seni langsung so I malas la nak drag dia)

(Actually, I was impressed with the women/girls kat sana yang pakai tight, seluar ketat or sarung kaki je dalam musim winter nih.. Tak beku ke bawah tu. I yang pakai tight jeans pun rasa macam peha dalam fridge je)

(This is one of their many museum. I tak sempat nak masuk sebab dah gelap, macam malam although it was around 4pm)

(Pemandangan persekitaran Trafalgar Square)

(Again pemandangan persekitran)

(Jejaka serious yang cukup susah untuk di ambil gambar)

(Photographer amateur)

(It was still around 4.30pm tapi dah nampak macam malam and it was a little bit raining. Nasib baik I dah bawak payung siang-siang and the weather was so bloody cold)

(Bas double decker yang cukup famous itu)

Lepas ambik-ambik gambar, cepat-cepat kita orang tahan cab sebab dah macam malam although it was petang. Sejuk jangan cerita la, masuk cab, I dah selsema sikit-sikit. Balik hotel cepat-cepat berendam kat bathtub sebab tak nak kena flu. Kalau kena susah nak baik especially kat sini.

London Part 10

Tuesday, 25th January, 2011

Tower Bridge London

(Tower Bridge. Sebelum nie mati-mati la I ingat nama tower bridge nih, London Briged heh..)

Today we went to Tower Bridge London yang tersangat famous kat London and I well known all over the world. It is one of the major landmark here. Kita orang tak guna tube sebab leceh la, nak kena tunggu lagi and nak menapak lagi.. Tapi memang rugi sebab dah beli travel card and taxi cab mahal. Tambang pegi ke Tower Bridge nie cost us about GBP16.00, kalau convert ..fuhh dekat RM80.00 lebih.. Anyway, sampai kat situ, as usual sejuk yang amat, sebab tepi sungai and tak ada tall building nak cover, angin pulak bertiup kencang. Weather pun macam nak hujan. Sibuk la bersnap sana sini. We didn’t plan to go up but bila tengok entrance fee was about GBP7.00 per person so we decided to naik je la, dah alang-alang sampai. Lepas beli ticket, dorang ambik gambar (biasala lepas abis tour kat pintu keluar mesti dorang suh ambik gambar yang dah siap and offcourse kena charge).

Lepas ambik gambar, we were taken by lift to go up. Sampai kat atas ada ruang untuk dengar penerangan and history pasal Tower Bridge nih. Both of us were not interested to listen to all that stuff so kita orang terus pegi kat jambatan kat atas. We expect it to be an open air bridge but it was a closed one. Tak ada la nampak view sangat dari atas melainkan kalau menjenguk-jenguk dari celah palang putih biru tu. Rasa macam rugi aje but husband I kata, it was ok and tak de la rugi. Betul jugak, at least both of us pernah naik kat dalam jambatan itself.

It didn't take is long to be there memandangkan we all skip all the penerangan, like I said earlier. Lepas abis tour, kita orang ikut blue line to go to the gift shop, drizzling la pulak kat luar, terpaksa belari-lari nak cari tempat berteduh. Sempat jugak la snap sana sini. Then kita orang cari cab nak pegi Oxford Street sebab nak makan kat restaurant Rasa Sayang.

(Bilik enjin)

Lepas makan, ingat nak pegi Trafalgar Square but masa on the way bejalan kat situ, tiba-tiba perut rasa semacam. Rasa macam nak gastric and pedih kat ulu hati. I cakap kat husband I patah balik je, kita pegi tomorrow. Then tiba-tiba husband I ajak berenti kat corner. Turn out air dalam bag dia tumpah. Habis camera and barangan kat dalam tu basah. Nasib baik gambar yang ambik kat gift shop tu tak basah but ada jugak bekas-bekas terkena air sikit. Souvenir buku pasal Tower Bridge tu terkena air.. huhu..spoil aje.

(Bilik enjin)

Sampai hotel, husband I cepat-cepat letak buku souvenir tu kat heater and cuci bag dia. I pulak cepat-cepat makan ubat gastric. I think nie mesti I makan cherry dua hari berturut-turut. Serik tak nak makan lagi.

(I order carrot/lobak goreng and husband I order roti canai)

London Part 9

Monday, 24th January, 2011

Wesminster, London Eye and Regents Street

(In front of the Big Ben)

Hari nie husband I pagi-pagi pegi cuci baju kat laundry shop sebab baju kita orang bertimbun tak basuh. Pakaian dalam I cuci dalam hotel and I letak kat heater bilik… sekejap je dah kering. Around an hour dia balik kejap and hantar sebakul baju. Ada yang masih basah/lembab and other yang dah kering. I suruh dia make a few run on the dryer section so that cepat kering. While he went back to settle for the next batch. I sibuk la press baju-baju yang lembab, separuh tu I gantung dekat heater and separuh tu I lipat. Bila dia balik with the second and last batch, I was so glad that everything kering nicely. Then dia pegi breakfast, I tak ikut, malas and beside, I tak tau apa nak makan sebab kalau I turun kat restaurant hotel nie pun I cuma dapat makan roti jam/butter aje. But husband I being the “tak nak rugi” walau hanya makan roti jam/butter and air kopi, dia pegi jugak.

(husband I yang pemalu)

(House of Parliament Westminster)

While he’s gone, I bersiap mandi and prepare nak keluar, knowing how long it would take me to be ready. Around 10.22am, both of us went to the Great Portland Street to go to Westminster untuk sight seeing. Ramainya pelancong as usual.. lepas puas bertangkap gambar sana sini. We went to London Eye which was just a few hundred meters away. Sampai situ, terus pegi beratur untuk beli ticket. After that, we were taken to watch a 3D movie about London Eye nie before naik London Eye betul-betul. Oh..I must tell you, the 3D movie on London Eye was so amazing.. Ingat kan dorang akan buat cincai-cincai aje but I was wrong. Whatever happened in the 3D movie, happened to us too such as salji turun, kena hujan, kena sembur..memang basah and bersalji la jugak rambut langsuair I nih… wahh…best giler. Orang-orang kat belakang menjerit-jerit tekejut…but I control cool aje tapi sempat la I sibuk nak menangkap burung merpati yang asyik nak attack aje.

(View from the London Eye. Snapping another capsule's pics)

(View from the capsule of London Eye)

(View from the London Eye)

Habis show 3D, we went straight away to the real thing. Sebelum naik, all of us kena search macam kat airport, security is a must, bag-bag kena check, arak pun tak boleh bawak naik. Mana la tau kang ada yang mabuk nak buang diri ke or nak pecahkan cermin capsule tu kan. Yes, this is the moment that I’ve been waiting for so long. I memang sungguh teringin nak naik London Eye selepas naik Malaysian Eye yang macam kat fun fair itu. Well.. tak ada la apa sangat kan..tapi best la jugak and banyak la jugak gambar yang I and husband I ambik. Bila dah keluar, kita orang tengok security masuk and check-check siap dengan cermin kecik lagi kat every corner of the capsule to be sure tak ada hidden bomb ke apa. Lepas turun dari London Eye, pegi la ke souvenir shop and beli la barangan sikit-sikit. Tiba-tiba perut I rasa lapar (macam familiar aje ayat nih), since I ada bawak roti jam/butter yang I dah siap-siap buat dari hotel I pun melahap la sikit-sikit (sebelum tu masa kat Tube and Westminster I belasah satu bungkus cherry). Lepas makan roti, tiba-tiba (tiba-tiba lagi) perut I rasa sebu semacam, nak kentut pun ada, doctor dari Chennai nie pun sibuk la kata, kalau makan buah pagi-pagi memang sakit perut la, ini la, itu la, macam-macam theory padayapa.. tu.. lepas tu dia kata butter pun boleh buat sakit perut..tah macam-macam la dia punya analysis.

(View from the London Eye)

(Buah hatiku yang berjacket brown itu)

Then, we decided to go to Rasa Sayang for lunch and beside husband I nak cari kedai toy terbesar kat London name Hamleys (dia check kat internet malam sebelum tu). Resourceful gak orang tua nie. Hari nie kat Rasa Sayang ada slack sikit. Lain yang kita orang mintak, lain pulak yang dapat. Eh, tak baik la kutuk, nobody’s perfect, everynow and then, somebody/someone tend to make mistake somewhere, we’re only human kan… Hari nie I order mee sup since perut I sebu and sendawa semacam. Husband I macam biasa order nasi lemak. Satay kita orang tak order tapi waiter tu pening lalat agaknya, husband I kata its ok and suruh letak je kat meja kita orang. Sedap la satay dia…nasib baik kita orang tawar diri untuk ambik…

(Nasi lemak and satay at Rasa Sayang)

Lepas makan, kita orang beli souvenir sikit-sikit and tanya direction to Hamleys. Nun kat Oxford station and then turn to the left and straight ahead on Regents Street. Boleh tahan jugak nak jalan and we’re almost give up until we saw Oxford station. Along the way kat Regents Street, kiri kanan shop branded item yang besar-besar and lebih high end dari kat Oxford Street nih. Kira Oxford Street nie Sg Wang and Regents Street nie Pavillion la, wah.. bukan main lagi dulu kau memuja Oxford Street eh? Sekarang kau lupa diri? Yea..betul. Tekejut la jugak I dengan husband sebab dua kali pegi London, yang ketiga kali nie baru tau Regents Street nie wujud dengan pelbagai branded shop.

(Mee Souup at Rasa Sayang)

We were so happy, sibuk la bersnap sana sini and I managed to grab yet another watch. This time I beli Folli Follie's watch and I beli four straps with a different colours too. It was so beautiful and masa kat KL I selalu tengok but I have no intention of buying since it was quite pricy but since we are in London might as well I grab one sebab ada sale/discount which was not that much, anyway. Then barula terjumpa Hamleys and we bought lots of gifts for the cucus perempuan. As for cucus lelaki ada sorang dua lagi tak beli and a little bit of souvenir lagi.

Then I pujuk husband I beli something for himself. Memula, husband I kata nanti, I kata tak yah nanti-nanti this is the time la kan sebab kalau I bukan main lagi dia pujuk dalam paksa suruh ambik itu dan ini, tapi kalau beli for himself dia tak mo pulak. On the way back, we saw one shop selling jam yang dia dah tengok kat Westfield Shopping Centre brand TW Steel, the day before but at this place ada banyak choice. Since it was not so much as a big shop or branded with specific in one brand so dapat la husband I haggled a few notch down on the price. Habis beli, owner kedai tu bagi lagi dua jam free kat kita orang..wah.. baik budi betul owner berbangsa Turki nih. Dia kata ramai orang Malaysia beli kat dia and dia suka orang Malaysia sebab orang Malaysia, cool, senyap dan baik baik..yeahh.. that's right dia tak tau lagi rimau nie and hero tamil tersohor disebelah itu hehehe... Then we decided to go back by cab aje sebab tak larat..

Sampai hotel husband I keluar kejap beli dinner kat Efes2…

London Part 8

Sunday, 23th January, 2011

Westfield Shopping Centre

Hari nie we planned to go to Westfield Shopping Centre after we checked through the internet. Ingat nak naik tube since dah ada travel card but when we reached Great Portland Station, tutup la pulak. So kena la tahan cab. Perjalanan tak ada la jauh sangat, but cab charges was GBP16.00..fuh mahal. Sampai situ orang ramai as usual, foreigner and Asian paling banyak. Westfield Shopping Centre nie kiranya yang terbesar kat London ke UK? Tak sure but terbesar kat London la.. but quite frankly, kita punya lagi besar. I expect nak bershopping la sikit but barangan kat sini, even branded item tak banyak choice pun and tak ada pun yang I bekenan.

(Tengok la rupa food tu ada rupa rendang ayam or kari ayam tak? Cuba tengok popiah tu, hangus/overcooked and very oily)

Tengah jalan-jalan tiba-tiba nampak ada restaurant called “Jom Makan”, wah, tiba-tiba I jadi kebulur semacam ...., secepat kilat I ajak husband I pegi ke situ. Sampai je, kita orang tengok menu, and kita orang pikir mesti sedap dari yang kat Rasa Sayang Oxford Street tu. I ordered nasi putih dan kari ayam, husband I ordered rendang ayam and nasi putih. Dia frust sebab semalam dia tak dapat makan rendang daging, husband I kan ada ghout. So today dia order la. Bila food sampai…. well..his rendang ayam doesn’t look at all like rendang ayam (you can see from the picture). Nak kata kari, bukan kari, nak kata kurma pun bukan kurma, nak kata rendang…jauh sekali. I rasa sikit so called rendang ayam dia terus tak lalu. I rasa my kari ayam…ahhh… rasa nak muntah pun ada…but since lapar I makan sikit aje… eeeuww…tak sedap langsung.

Both of us tak abis-abis mengomel and sibuk la memuji Rasa Sayang punya menu. Kejam betul bagi orang makan, makanan macam nie. Dah la tu portion punya la ciput, kedekut. Lauk kucing lagi banyak. Husband I kata nanti kalau kat hotel dia nak check who owned this place. Lepas makan, jalan jalan kejap and I beli makeup, more of a few lipsticks ultra gloss dior, mascaras, bath float/foam untuk berendam kat bathtub etc.. I also bought one watch which captured my eyes immediately. Jam murah brand Envy London GBP25.00, tak pernah dengar pun, rupa macam toys and jam bebudak aje. Then we tried the snog ice cream yoghurt, sedapppp.. Then we went back.

(Lamb kebab and lentil soup at Efes2, portion yang sungguh banyak, tak abis I makan)

Sampai hotel kelaparan la pulak sebab masa makan kat Jom Makan tak sedap and tak lalu.. I malas nak keluar so I suruh husband I pegi tapau. Memula dia pegi kat La Menara tapi tutup then dia pegi kat Efes2. Kat luar tak ada tulis halal tapi bila dia masuk, dia kata ada banyak ayat Quran kat dinding and bila dia tanya pekerja kat situ dorang kata halal and Alhamdullilah. It was a Turkish restaurant. Husband I tapau lentil soup, lamb kebab for me and chicken kebab for him. Banyaknya isi and chicken kebab husband I sedap giler…

Lepas makan, I solat and zzzzzzzzzzzzz…………….

Note : I've just read the review about Jom Makan nih, wow, poor review.. buat malu Malaysian food aje. Mesti pelancong or orang kat sini ingat makanan malaysia rasa macam tu..ceh!