Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Weifang, Shandong, China

Well this was a job assignment and I was assigned there in July 09 for 4 weeks doing a requirement study for China operations to implement our groups ERP system. Well of course I cant read and write Chinese but what the heck, I gave it a try anyway. In the end language was a real barrier and the plan was postponed.
I didnt get to travel around the city as I was stuck at the hostel for 3 weeks , it wasnt till the last week that I managed to move out to the ciy. Had a bit of taste of the citys sights and food. Didnt have much time to spend sight seeing the city and didnt buy much as most things you can buy back in Malaysia In the end bought some of their famous kites for friends and relatives.





Mr. Beans main car to bully i found everywhere in Weifang.


Everyone is crazy moving abt using electric motorbikes and bicycles. No petrol spent very economical, unfortunately Malaysia doesnt allow this


Weifang Kites

Weifang City

Weifang city guide

In the eyes of ang mohs

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

London

Well we had planned this trip for the past few months and we were quite excited anticipating for this trip. We spent on a very cheap guide(Let's GO London) from Popular probably becoz out of date printed 2007 costs abt RM15 but very informative. Booked our tickets from Air Asia costs abt RM3700 with additional luggage weight and a meal on board. We left home abt 2 pm to catch the flight at 5pm. Had a meal at Marrybrown LCCT and bought some drinks to bring into the plane. The plane ride was okay (abt 13 hrs) and we spent RM30 to rent their media player to kill some time watching Movies and TV series. Food was ok but not as nice as MAS. The flight was quite full and there very few available seats left, thought of upgrading to business class crossed our minds (L$100 each) but didnt really wanted to spend more.

(Remember to grab some information leaflets stored along the airport walkway for some of London maps with stations and also grab some from the hotel) .Reached Stansted airport at midnite, the customs took some time(1hr +) to clear as they were asking alot of questions. I guess they are there to filter those over-stayers. After customs went to catch a bus ride from National Express coach to Victoria Coach station, costs about L$10 each, bought at the airport. Actually was thinking of other coaches as well like Terravision , Easybus but becoz of our timing National Express was more frequent during these times. The journey to London takes about 1 and half hrs. Most of the time crossing through the suburbs. When we reached Victoria Coach station was abit kan cheong to get to the night buses. Got on to bus N11 but unfortunately took the wrong direction after a while got down and took the same bus no. but from the opposite direction. Had tried to ask people around mostly just don't know how to advise. So its best we come prepared with all the homework at TFL before coming. Our destination was Travelodge Aldgate East at Chamber Street near Tower Hill. So we still needed to change bus at Charing Cross Station, Strand Rd. We got down and waited abt half hour for the next bus N15 to drop us at Mansell Street. The were quite a few vagrants and beggars around. Lots of young people out having drinks as well. Checked in and settled in about 3:30 am. Luckily we had ordered the Oyster card a few months before(L$12- L$2 deposit, left L$10 use) from the internet in order to take the public transport. It would have cost double if you had paid cash and since we will be traveling quite often in London using public transport so its much more worthwhile buying the card first. The bus rides costs L$1 per trip only. We also booked the hotel rooms a few months before and actually found a few options before choosing Travelodge which has the best rates for a proper hotel room costs us about L$300 for 7 nights for an ensuite(attached) bathroom and twin beds. By this time felt a bit hungry so luckily we had brought a few Mamee noodle cup to avoid getting hungry in the middle of the night. Actually there's another Travelodge very near our hotel(Aldgate East) at Tower Hill St which looks much newer and pricier compared to our dodgier hotel which explains the cheaper rates.



So itinerary for 1st day was Tower of London. Checked out the entrance fee from their official sites was ok but found that if I had booked from other sites was much cheaper(L$29.90) finally settled by using 365 tickets. of which we booked the local tours from Evans Evans as well. The more you booked the bigger the discounts. The reason this was the first stop was it is the closest to our hotel. So we could walk to the place then claimed our tickets before we could go in. Woke up abt 8 plus then we shared the Mega English breakfast offer , just outside Tower of London for 2 of everything sausage eggs, toast with coffee costs abt L$6. After that went in for the tour and by the time we finished was abt 1 and we went around the area to look for lunch. Finally settled for JD Wetherspoons with cheap and good offers for 2 mains, burgers and drinks as well (L$12)free wifi also. Took a few photos of Memorials and the Port of London Authority building as well. This is one of the few sites with very informative menu. Then took the underground train from Tower Hill Station to Westminster Station (L$1.60/trip). Took a few pictures around Big Ben, Westminster Abbey then walked all the way to Buckingham Palace , passing St James Park. And then walked back to the hotel passing by Strand , St Paul's cathedral and stopped at Marks & Spencer's Simply food to buy some supplies like snacks, sandwiches, drinks, fruits, bottled water etc. After a full day , and wasn't feeling adventurous as well, found another JD Wetherspoons near our hotel. So we thought , ok la lets have another meal at dinner time should be quite std. When we got the new orders of lamb dumplings it was , Blech... lousy. So even though its the same Brand but different branch we can get different taste , so in my mind, ban this outlet at Goodman's Field, even the fries were a bit burnt compared to the branch at Trinity Square.



2nd day

We had booked a local tour(Windsor Castle-Bath-Stonehenge) from Evan Evans. So took a train ride from Tower Hill station to reach Victoria Coach Station. Initially thought its close by but there's quite a few buildings initially got out at Victoria St Station then went to Victoria Place, then Fountain Square, thought we found the place but then waited awhile for the counters to open. Saw it said Golden Tours Travel,Hmm... Maybe breakfast first. Went to a cafe nearby but saw the attendant was arguing with a customer, didn't feel good. So went to Victoria Place food court instead to have a bagel sandwich instead. Went back to Fountain Sq and the man at Golden Tours Travel was very nice to have pointed out that it was the wrong place it was another short walk opposite to Victoria Coach Station. Finally got there on time and queued up , found that it was the most popular tours as it needed 2 coaches to cater for all the tourist on that day. The tour guide Richard was nice, informative, a sense of humour , quite professional. Had a short ride first stop Windsor Castle, when we arrived saw that we had to stop at the Windsor Railway station. On the way saw there was a Ferris wheel much like our Eye on Malaysia. So was briefed that we had to walk through the train station and then crossed through Windsor town before reaching the Windsor Castle. Quite interesting to know that the flag that was hoisted if it showed the Union Jack that means the Queen is not at home, but if its the Windsor flag then she's at home in Windsor, this was related by Richard (tour guide) don't know whether true or not .
Then went through the whole grand tour all around but not allowed to take pictures inside the castle. Was actually waiting for the changing of guards sessions but instead they had a rehearsal of Changing of Colours instead it seems that another army was taking over the guard duties. Then was advised to buy some sandwiches from EAT because the next stop at Bath would be about 2pm. So bought some sandwiches at Windsor train station before returning to the bus to munch. Saw a few Thai tourist was having rice and sambal. Well it had a strong garlic smell that Richard persuaded them ,more like embarrassed them not to eat smelly food in the bus. Tried sleeping on the way there but got woken up by Richards announcements through the PA, was quite interesting about the founding of the town of Bath and saw very nice scenery's of the the countryside. Once arrived, was briefed strictly about the time we have in town and what to expect when we are inside and how to come back to the stop at Orange Grove. Quite an interesting place in the ancient spa how they designed the temple, pools etc. By the time we were out we roamed around the town. Saw there a few shops around and also Guildhall Market.
Bought some cheap books at less than L$1 each. There are alot of shops around but not enough time to browse around.





Next up is Stonehenge which is the last stop before heading back to hotel. If you ask me , its a bit over rated but then since we are already here might as well. We can actually see this next to a rad so you can actually see the bunch of rocks by the roadside if you want save some money. After watching Jamie Oliver' Fifteen on Astro was tempted to go and try out the restaurant but for that kind of price there's another restaurant that does the same apprenticeship called Hoxton Apprentice at Hoxton Square. So went there for dinner by taking a train from Victoria Station direct to Old Street Station. Looking for the restaurant was fun as we made a few wrong turns but in the end it was worth it. Yummy... food was good with wine costs about L$50 meal for 2. Afterwards took a train back from Old Street Stn to Aldgate Stn and walked back to the hotel.



3rd day

Woke up early to get to Aldgate Stn to catch the Eurostar Train from St Pancras to Gare du Nord, Paris, France. Booked the tickets months ago for L$118 return trip for 2. Didnt have much time for breakfast so bought some sandwich at the station. The journey was about 2 hr.



Once we reached Paris, we went straight to buy the day trip ticket costs abt EUR$8.80 per pax abit expensive but takes away the hassle to buy tickets for every trip. Along the way saw a lot of different races of people all around, they were grafitti everywhere and alot of gypsies begging for money. Took the train straight to Arc de Triomphe and then walked along Champs Elysees
Avenue as we saw all those branded stores all along the avenue. Tried to walk to the Eiffel Tower on our own and managed to stop by some of the souvenir shops around. Took quite along walk and when we finally reached was quite tired. Saw the long queues up the tower so gave up trying to get up, saw a lot Africans selling souvenirs but some too. Had a rest with something to munch and toilet break before moving on foot to Notre Dame Cathedral. Along the way saw something interesting about the Paris city Bicycle scheme.











Saw the city sights and moved on to lunch to a small cafe nearby. Quite nice for some steaks and pasta. Afterwards onward to the Louvre Museum. Saw the major artefacts and took quite a number of pictures . By this time , I sat at every opportunity that I have when we roamed from room to room. This place is huge, so tired and once we are out went to the sidewalk cafe to have some coffee and nutella crepe like we see people on TV. Wah sey enjoy ! . Then needed to rush back to the Gare du Nord station to catch the train back. I nearly missed the ride home because the UK customs are so damn fussy about people going into UK but surprisingly no checks at all when we left the country. So once we arrived London , decided to go to Tesco (Kensington)as Debbie wanted to buy some clothes. Took the train from Kings Cross Stn to Earls Court and walked to Tesco. Bought some groceries, drinks, food and dinner as well but unfortunately they don't sell clothes. Got back home using train as well. Found ourselves keep topping up the Oyster card. My guess was we spent L$30 per person just to travel a week in London using only public transport.

4th day

Decided to take it easy today, Debbie supposed to do an errand by posting some parcel that we carried from Malaysia for a colleague. Went to find a post office. I relied on my GPS map on my phone to find the closest one but when we reached there, was told it had closed down and turned into a bar. So went to another one at Eastcheap side. Once we were done , had some breakfast next door at Benjys, which had quite an affordable selection. Went to Tesco Metro next door to have a look see but nothing much to see, just a bigger 7-11 selection mostly on food. Then took a train ride to British Museum from Monument Stn, panicked abit as I went to the wrong entrance and I wasted L$1.60 when I came out the gate immediately , should have just went ahead and changed stations in the underground. Instead walked to the next station Bank Stn. And took the train to Holborn Stn and walked to the British Museum saw 2 Travelodge hotels on the way. Quite a nice neighbourhood as there a few universities around and lots of food outlets . Im sure the nite life here would be interesting as there a lot of students around this area. Saw a few of the artefacts at the British Museum then moved on to Covent Garden Market on foot. We read that there would be a food market on Thursday so we went to see if we could find some good food. But before that Debbie found a Marks & Spencers outlet that sells clothes so while she shopped I just browsed at the supermarket section and bought some sandwiched to munch on. Their main offers are L$2 deal with a sandwich , chips and soft-drink. Well Debbie couldnt buy anything becoz the queue to pay was too long and she didn't wanted to waste time queueing. So moved on to Covent Garden on foot. Got there saw some interesting cafes where they had a performing group at the basement trying to sell their CDs as well as buskers around. Found a few food stalls and settled on stir-fried scallops with bean sprouts and ham . Yummy costs abt L$4.50 and some Torteloni L$5. Then onward to the market. Saw a lot of souvenir stalls , something like our Petaling St in KL not really interested. Saw a few booths selling theatre tickets. Well not really keen and the price were a little pricey. Well we read that there was a place that you can buy cheap tickets at TKTS Leicester Square but didnt really know where it was. So we went back to London and walked along Strand to find which theatre play to go to. Finally settled on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Adelphi Theatre , London. Went in to buy the tickets , surpisingly the lady at the counter was nice enough to direct us to TKTS so we can buy better seats at a very discounted rate(abt L$22/pax). Just slightly more expensive than the cheapest ones but closer to the stage. Walked there bought it then went back to hotel by bus no.15 to take a rest and went back out on bus again to catch the musical. It was interesting and entertaining . It was starred by Gareth Gates. When it finished saw there alot of people partying and drinking along Strand. Took the bus o. 15 back to hotel. Was wondering what to eat for dinner , finally settled on an eatery near the hotel Perfect Fried Chicken. Nothing special , convenient, affordable and abit of variety.



5th day

Okay started the day by going to Greenwich area using the DLR. Saw Canary Wharf on the way and looked quite interesting but didnt stop for a visit. Alighted at Cutty Sark Stn but unfortunately got there too early as almost all the shops and stalls at the market were not opened yet , walked a bit to the pier and they had some international food fair going on , they were also just setting up. So just settled for some sandwiches and sausages for breakfast. Unfortunately Cutty Sark ship was undergoing repairs and it was wrapped up. Then tried to find our way to Greenwich Observatory. On the way passed by the Maritime Museum, Debbie wasnt interested so moved on to Queens House , spent a bit of time there. Then passed the Greenwich Park , climbed up a hill to reach the observatory. Started to drizzle abit , actually Londons weather is just gloomy and cloudy whole day long even though its supposed to be start of summer. Then the sky started to clear up a bit and it was quite bright and sunny. Saw there was some TV crew filming some scenes there. Called back home to ask Brandon how he was doing and stuff. It turns out that his school supposed to have Parents day celebration that weekend but Oh! no, both the parents not around. Walked back to take the DLR and then alighted at Bank Stn in London. We set off our journey walking to Borough Market (South Bank) from Bank Stn. Took a couple of wrong turns finally managed to cross the London Bridge and Borough Market was just a few steps away from the bridge. Got there and we were greeted with so many food stalls but we were looking good seafood and found the same stalls that were at Covent Garden which was Shell Seekers. Yummy oysters and scallops! Had some drinks and sausages as well. Once we were done , took the RV1 bus back to our hotel. Rested for a few hours before going out for dinner at Brick Lane ( Banglatown). We heard abt UK's new favorite food was Indian curry so wanted to try out their food. We walked from our hotel and when we got there almost all the shops claimed to be The best restaurant, best chef, Best international this , that etc. All of them trying to entice us to try their restaurant in the end settled for one of those shops that were a bit quiet. Well ordered 2 sets and costs us L$10 each with drinks. Aiyah! food here is so bland cannot compare to our food at home. Then walked passed by some clubs like Vibe and the crowd seemed to be getting bigger as the night went on. Wasn't really interested so we walked back to hotel. Most of the time in hotel either watched TV or watched my downloaded videos of Iljimae on my phone.




6th day

This was the last tour that we booked from Evan Evans (Leeds Castle-Canterbury Cathedral-Dover). Debbie said this tour was for old folks and the crowd was smaller. Well got up early and walked some distance from our hotel to catch the No. 11 bus at Liverpool St Stn, once we got there had some breakfast nearby and got on the bus. First stop was Leeds Castle. On our way out from London caught sight of a Tesco outlet selling clothes and we made a point to go back to the store to buy something back. This time round we had some Japanese tourists and the tour guide (Mark) was actually translating everything he told us in English into Japanese as well. I was impressed as he handled it quite well. And throughout journey, I had to endure his translation of everything he said in Japanese with that certain ang moh accent. Got there, saw some beautiful sceneries and took some pictures but the place smelt of bird shit. Was really waiting for the Falconry demonstrations but we couldn't make it as we would have left for Canterbury by then. Next stop Canterbury, this time round we had some tome to shop around for some souvenirs and found there were a few shops having closing down sales. The Cathedral was quite the usual fare. After visiting so many castle and churches was getting tired of watching the same things over and over again. Finally when we came out of the church which they conveniently placed the exit as a shop to the main street. Got some lunch recommended by the tour guide and set off for some shopping again. Then went back to the bus stop to board for our final destination to Dover. Expecting to see the white cliffs and beach front. It surprisingly quiet and it didn't look as scenic as we saw from the pictures and TV. I guess this wasn't the main area for scenic sights. Was quite surprised as they were a few HK tourist who booked a cruise from Dover. Actually they were quite smart to have booked this tour as they would have saved the transport costs to Dover and yet still get a tour of the country side. Then on our way back to London wanted to negotiate to stop at the Tesco (Burgess Park) but then unfortunately we couldn't stop where we wanted to, so stopped at a nearby bus stop at Westminster Stn to get to the Tesco (Old Kent Rd) that we wanted to go to. Took the bus No. 53 or 453 to get there. Once we got there , finally Debbie was happy that she could shop for clothes. Once we were done, took the bus no.53 or 453 again and then changed bus to No. 15 again at Charing Cross Stn to get back to the hotel. Rested a few hours was lazy to walk far for dinner so settled for dinner at a eatery nearby called Bon Appetit. A Lebanese eatery, so ordered some rice and kebab, quite affordable and food was nice.









Day 7th last day

It was the last day so got up and walked to the markets (Petticoat Lane)skipped, Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane Market. The place was interesting with lots of stalls varieties, people and it so happened that there was a Bangla celebration going on and the streets were closed to be used a pedestrian walks. Had our breakfast and munched on the different stalls there before going back to hotel to rest. We paid L$10 for a late check out at 2pm then took a taxi costs us L$18 instead of L$2 bus ride for 2 to Victoria Coach Stn. Paid L$7 for 2 luggage which is for 24 hrs. Then took a bus ride to Victoria and Albert Museum. Once done to Harrods to buy somethings on behalf of Doreen . A stupid PVC bag with a teddy bear design costs L$15 but sold at Suria KLCC close to RM200. Siao! Didnt had much time at Harrods as all stores close by 6pm. Alamak no fun !. Debbie wanted to shop some more and we rushed to Marks & Spencer near Victoria Railway Stn ans we found it closed. So went back to Victoria Place food court and settled for some pizza, pasta and salad buffet costs L$6 per person dinner. As I had already booked a bus ride from Easybus from the internet costs L$2 per person cheap ! at the Fountain Sq bus stop on Buckingham Palace Rd. Got our bags from the Victoria Coach Stn and took our bus ride at 8pm . Before going off went in a Marks and Spencers store to browse around some magazines and to my surprise (sua koo) they were selling pornography (Nuts , Lads etc) at an open area in a supermarket. Saw on some of the gossip magazines recommending Primark for some affordably priced clothes but we couldnt find any of these stores in London. Reached Stansted by 10pm , checked in and waited for a couple of hours to get on the plane. The flight going back wasn't full some had 4 seats by themselves to lie down. There was no check at customs again but the surprising thing was when we touched down at LCCT we were stopped quite far off the terminal and we had to walk a different path to reach the terminal from everyone else. I guess becoz UK was one of the few identified countries with the swine flu. The attendants had these mask on and were scanning everyone much like the SARS procedure. Then we were let off. Once we reached, we settled for some Nasi lemak and Chicken slice hor fun at Old Town Cafe. Got a taxi back to KL and reached home abt 11pm.