Mini Travel Log: London, UK (6)

I was looking around for cherry blossom trees (sakura) during spring time in London. It is not easy to find as this is not their native tree and they prefer their magnolias, camellias, daffodils and crocuses. Kew Gardens has the largest concentration of cherry blossom trees, both the pink and the white blossoms. However if you prefer somewhere in central London, then you can find a couple in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park and Regent's Park. I only walked around Kensington Gardens and could only find the white blossoms. If you want to see the pink blossoms, then you may try in Regent's Park the next season.

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Mini Travel Log: Oxford, UK

When one mentions Oxford, the oldest and prestigious Oxford University and the list of famous graduates comes into mind. The old town itself houses the university with various faculties, colleges and departments spread all over the town; or you could say the whole university compound is the town itself; whichever way you want to see it. It is amazing that while you are walking in the town, you are actually walking inside the university. Many old and majestic medieval buildings are actually part of the university itself. Some colleges do charge a visitor fee for entrance and visiting time after 2pm. Famous colleges like the Christ Church and Merton College charge an exorbitant entrance fee of 5 pounds while some lesser colleges do have free entrance. I do recommend you to visit the Radcliffe Camera (restricted access library) and climb the tower of The University Church of St Mary the Virgin to have a fantastic 360 view of the town. You can check out the Botanic Garden east of the town next to the river. For a 5 pound entrance fee, I would suggest you visit the garden only in spring or summer time. As I visited during autumn, the garden was mostly neglected awaiting winter and I still had to pay the entrance fee. The river is alive with boat rides and punting during summer time.

Oxford is easily accessible from London either by trains or buses. Many would have thought it is cheaper and faster by train. But this is not the case. If you choose train option and travel before 9am, you would have to pay 60 pounds for a same day return ticket! Trains after 9am cost 24.80 pounds and it is still expensive. Moreover, the train stops at Oxford station which is actually outside the town and you need another 5-10 minute walk to the town. The cheaper and hassle free option would be the direct London-Oxford buses. Currently there are 2 operators departing from different locations in London. One is the X90 and the other Oxford Tube. You can check out their websites to choose where to board from bus stops nearest to your hotel. I chose the Oxford Tube because I stay at Hilton Kensington nearby Sheperd's Bush. The bus stop is right outside the hotel. The bus runs at a frequency of 20-30 minutes. Ticket can be bought from the bus driver and it only costs 18 pounds for same day return. Journey time is just an hour, which is about the same as train. The best thing is that the bus stops inside the town at the old cinema. You can explore Oxford right away once you alight from the bus.

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Mini Travel Log: Brighton, UK

Good news to the fans of Hong Kong TVB series of "Triumph in the Skies". If you are in London, you'll be delighted to know that Brighton is one of the shooting location of the movie and is only 40 minute train ride from London.

Geographically, Brighton is the coastal city directly south of London, facing the English Channel. From London, one can easily access Brighton by using the Southern Rail services departing from London Victoria station. An off peak same day return ticket only costs 26.70 pounds.

This beautiful coastal city has three very distinctive areas which visitors can visit and it's all connected and within walking distance. From Brighton train station, walk out, turn left and under the bridge tunnel to reach the North Lanes. I'd recommend you reach there after 10 am so most shops will be open. These streets are very bohemian style and have many exotic retail stores selling unique merchandises like old books, vinyl records, bargain hippie clothing and accessories, and also some cafes. As you continue to walk south following the colourful bohemian trails and graffiti, you'll reach the Pavilion Gardens where the beautiful Royal Pavilion and Corn Exchange buildings are located. If you divert west (right) on North Street, you'll find all the familiar retail outlets of popular brands. This is where you would shop. If shopping is not your cup of tea, then you can continue following the colourful shopping "lanes" down south. The South Lanes area are a maze of narrow streets with many exotic shops and also jewellery shops. One particular exotic shop that you should visit is the Choccywoccydoodah; if you can find it in the maze. It is a chocolate shop specializing in art and design, turning normal chocolates into exotic cakes and decorations. If you manage to escape from the maze, you should be facing the open sea. You have reached the Brighton Pier. The pier itself has been turned into an amusement park, and the Brighton ferris wheel goes round and round on the left of the pier. The long stretch of beach on both sides of the pier is worth checking. This area has many cafes, eateries especially fish and chips, souvenir shops and also museums. If you are feeling adventurous, you can head a long way east from the pier. It should bring you to the sea wall cliffs and high grounds, where you can have a nice view of the city from top. And once again, fans of the movie would be delighted to know that one of green park area here was also used as a location for the romantic scene between Captain Branson (Louis Koo) and Cassie (Charmaine Sheh).

The official Brighton tourism guide is available here (including high resolution city maps for download): http://www.visitbrighton.com/

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Mini Travel Log: Bath, UK

I revisited Bath in UK. This time as part of my honeymoon with my wife and also New Year celebration. Most of Bath had been described in my previous post. I will keep my post short here and let the pictures do the talking.

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Mini Travel Log: Winter Wonderland, London

This post is long overdue. So first up, belated Merry Christmas, belated Happy New Year and belated Chinese New Year wishes to all readers. I had been procrastinating for too long. Probably feeling burn out, but also wasted much time on playing computer games too. Am now too lazy to go back into writing for the blog. But here I am, finally managed to write and post something which dates back to last year.

I spent my New Year in London hoping to catch the amazing London fireworks. But disappointment set in one month before my actual trip. Hotels with direct Big Ben/London Eye view were all booked out in advance. So no joy in watching the fireworks from the comfort of the room. Next I tried to search for good fireworks locations along the Thames. To my disappointment, this year's fireworks were ticketed for the first time instead of free viewing. It was actually a guise for crowd control due to the heightened terrorist threat. Only limited numbers of tickets were released everyday at 12 GMT. Within minutes of the tickets' release, they were all sold out. I gave up after 3 days of trying.

So with the fireworks out of the question, I planned for alternatives. The streets of London were literally empty on the New Year day. Many London attractions were closed as well. Then I remembered a colleague of mine recommended a visit to the Winter Wonderland in London Hyde Park. It was the best amusement park experience I had in my life. There were so many attractions and colourful activities in there. For those planning a visit this year end, it starts on 21st Nov 2015 till 4th Jan 2016. The Ice Kingdom and Ice Bar is worth a visit, but do prepare for the very cold temperature inside. The rest outside are exciting rides and themed houses good for the kids and adults as well. They also have hundreds of stalls selling food and drinks.

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Bath, UK

Bath is a city in the south-west of England which traces back to the Roman empire. There are only very few hot springs in England and Bath is probably the most famous of them all when the Romans built the famous Roman Baths dedicated to the goddess Sulis. Bath is listed as a World Heritage Site and it attracts millions of visitors each year.

If you are travelling from London, you can reach this city in one and a half hour time by train. A same day off-peak return ticket only costs slightly less than 60 pounds. The train stops directly in the city centre. Since this city is not big, you can explore the whole city by walking. Half day tour is ideal choice if you are travelling from London and don't have much time.

Famous landmarks that you must visit in this city are the Pulteney Bridge, The Circus, The Crescent, The Abbey and the ever famous Roman Baths. Although you cannot enjoy the hot springs anymore in the Roman Baths since it has been turned into a museum, you can visit the grand and luxurious modern hot springs spa next door called the Thermae Bath Spa.

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Stonehenge and Salisbury

Stonehenge is a well known UNESCO world heritage site. Mention the name Stonehenge and many people will associate it with druids in robes doing sacrificial ceremonies in this complex. But the true nature and purpose of this standing stones are still a mystery. The oldest stones date back to almost 5000 years ago. Some theories point out this stones were used for some astrology and time calculations. While others point it to a ceremonial building of some sorts. Whatever the purpose, you should visit this mysterious stones and be mystified.

I traveled from London by train to the nearby town Salisbury. Same day return ticket costs 37.40 pounds. From Salisbury train station, there is only one bus operator to Stonehenge. The bus ride which includes entrance to Stonehenge costs 26 pounds. Total is 63.40 pounds which is very expensive, but the only advantage is the tour bus will bring you back to Salisbury town which you can spend the rest of the afternoon. There is a cheaper option to visit Stonehenge direct from London. Many tour bus operators in London offer Stonehenge tour with entrance for just 40+ pounds.

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Salisbury is a very beautiful medieval town which you can spend the whole afternoon. The main attraction is the Salisbury Cathedral. The town itself offers vibrant shopping places, eateries and pubs. Many buildings are preserved from the medieval times which adds to the charm of this town.

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Mini Travel Log: Windsor, UK

This royal town is home to the Windsor Castle which still being used as working castle and sometimes the residential palace for Queen Elizabeth. Situated just about 40 minutes train ride from London and next to Heathrow Airport, this beautiful royal town is the most popular tourist spot apart from London itself. Should you visit this castle, you should plan to reach here before 11am so you can watch the changing of the guard before exploring the rest of the majestic castle. The castle visit is worth every penny as you'd be awed by the grandeur inside the castle itself. Photography is not allowed inside the royal rooms but you'd bring away wonderful memories nonetheless. In the late afternoon, you can always explore the royal town of Windsor itself. If you bring kids along, there is also shuttle bus services to the nearby Legoland. Else you can spend a romantic day in the town having a-cuppa English tea while admiring the beautiful surroundings.

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Mini Travel Log: London, UK (5)

It is a rare opportunity to get nice weather in London. Most of my times in London were spent on not so good and sometimes rainy weather. I love to see the sun and clear blue skies. So even after my tiring flight, I fought the fatigue and went out. I walked down Thames river while enjoying the nice cool weather. Further down the river after the London Eye, I discovered the busking street which leads down the river all the way till Tower Bridge. Here you can see all kinds of street performers and buskers showcasing their trade of arts and skills. The most notable one that I found is the fiery tuba player. He plays music while blowing out fire from his tuba while sitting on his antique music player.

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Mini Travel Log: London, UK (4)

Wow...the Queen loves to summon me to London. This is the 4th time in the year I come to London for royal treatment. Your Majesty, I love this place and really appreciate your invites, but if you confer me with a royal title or grant me a knighthood, then it will make my travel so much easier into the country. Oh and I will definitely take up residence in this lovely country of yours.

In return of your kindness, I visited the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and contributed back to your royal funds. I have to say I'm so amazed by this garden. After having visited many other botanical gardens around the world, this Kew Gardens is a league above the rest; a class of its own. Boasting the world's largest collection of living plants, this garden really deserves for being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For visitors, this garden is a must visit. Apart from being able to see the world without getting out of the country, you can sit back and relax in this vast scenic park while enjoying a cup of tea under the cool sun. There are also many beautiful attractions and historic buildings/museums to visit; particularly the Kew Palace. So your Majesty, perhaps we could arrange for a royal high tea in this palace on my next return? I would like to reserve a room with the garden view. =)

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The Queen must have loved me so much, for I was summoned back to the UK after I left in less than a week. Thank you for your invite Your Majesty, for if not, I would have left rotting in the house for a week. But so sorry that I did not pay you a visit at Buckingham Palace this time, for I had a date with your ancestor King Henry VIII at his Hampton Court Palace instead. Boy, I have to say his castle gardens are much bigger and more beautiful than your St. James Park. I had fun getting lost in the Maze Garden but bollocks, for the exit was actually the same entrance. Ahh...what a trick.

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Mini Travel Log: London, UK (2)

Even though I return to the same places I have visited last time, London still has its charm. I had a wonderful time here with my fiancee. We were blessed to be able to meet in London out of the so many flights around the world. This is the first of the many more honeymoon trips to come. I am looking forward to that.

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Mini Travel Log: London, UK

We brought the sunshine from Singapore to London when we touched down. I was told by the ground staff it had been awful and raining for the past week. With great sun, blue skies and cool temperature, I had a wonderful stay in the city. I benefited from the long day hours during summer, which I had spare time to visit more places and a cruise down Thames River. However when it comes to night time, I had to wait until 9pm for the sun to fully set. I have missed the chance to snap the beautiful city night shot from the hill up in Greenwich Park, because it closes at 8.30pm. The weather turned awful again on the day I left. Temperature dipped to a low of 16 deg during summer. Unbelievable. It reminded me of Melbourne, where the city can have 4 seasons in a day.

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