Monday, February 4, 2013

Day 2 - Arriving in London and around Walthamstow

I'm getting pretty slow at writing, aren't I? =) I arrived at Heathrow sometime at 6.45 am. Pretty much was an easy journey, but faced some obstacles at first. Firstly, my luggage combination lock refused to unlock. So there goes my first 5 Pound to buy a lock for my luggage. Then I started to transfer some items between bags and then went straight to the tube, just to remember that I left my gloves at the airport seat! And there goes the glove~ It's only my first 2 hours in the UK and I already felt like I'm having a bad day. I arrived at the Blackhorse Road station at about 9 am. I headed to the nearest bus stop, and stopped a black cab passing by. I was charged about 7 Pound, but hey, better than having to walk all the way. It was super cold~ Especially without gloves. Arrived at my brother's house in Mayfield Road at about 9.30 a.m. Though both he & my sis-in-law were working on that day, they made me feel very welcomed. Great Britain book with details on places to visit and maps highlighted (sorry bro, did not had the chance to visit the museum.. Was always distracted by other places on the way!), UK SIM card (Giffgaff which made sms between me, my bro & my sis free! And with 3G!) & not to forget the Oyster Card (pre-loaded, with a top up money given just in case it's not enough). Both of you made my stay ease & enjoyable. Thank you very much!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Day 2 - Transitting in Abu Dhabi

Ok, at the time i am writing this, I am actually in Day 4, particularly visiting an art museum in Rome. Although I saved in my iTouch first before publishing it when I got back to Malaysia. =p but nevertheless, I'll still be updating what I did day by day. =)

I stopped in my last post before I arrived to Abu Dhabi for transit. Let's start from there! =)

If I'm not mistaken, my time of arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport was at 11.30 pm, Abu Dhabi time. My flight was suppose to be at 3 am, so I have plenty of time to look around.

I don't really stop at every store, but I did stopped at a particular store because I saw many books (yes, I'm a book freak). I was thinking of just reading then & there when suddenly 3 travel books caught my eye: 1) Berlitz pocket guide for London 2) Lonely Planet Rome Discovery 3) Italian Phrasebook.

And yes, knowing that I was an impulse buyer (especially books!), I spent a total of £30 on those 3 books. Sigh~ but yeah, it did help me to focus on what I want to do, especially in London.

Btw, FYI, for people who don't know me that well, I won't be visiting all that the book suggested. I choose some of it, combined with online or Trip Advisor sources, to get the best itinerary for me. I enjoy walking at slow pace, taking in the scenery, eventhough it's just a small park! I like to observe people, how they dress, what they eat, the way they do things, etc. Let's just say I'm a younger version of my dad. =)

Going back to the trip, I went to wait for my flight at the gate after buying the books. There was a coffee shop in front of the gate. Was thinking of buying whatever was famous from the shop, but then I realised that I had spent £30 on books. Time to save~ So I resort for a mineral water instead.

Flight was at 3 am. Nothing much to say about this flight as I decided to sleep all the way so that I'll be fresh when I arrived at London at 6.45 am.

We finally reach London at 7 am with outside temperature of minus 4 @_@.