Rediscovering London

There are places that you would have been there, but never actually experienced them. I have been to London countless of times, each time thinking that “been there, done that”. My latest adventure was the first day of 2009. It was not planned; in fact the idea of visiting London was conceived after 7 days of sitting inside my home doing absolutely nothing except playing games. In the end, I needed a fresh place and London seems to be the best destination financially and logistically.

So, there I was travelling from Taleworth to London (via Diss, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Manningtree, Colchester and Shenfield) with nothing actually planned to do when I get there.

Liverpool Street Station was quiet. Not bustling as I used to see it. As I was queuing to buy my Oyster Card, I overheard the sale assistant telling the Spanish couple in front of me “Everything closed today. Holiday”. Damn, I did not exactly plan to roam around the empty streets of London! No wonder the station seemed to be deserted.

Anyway, I got my Oyster card then decided not to use the Tube. I was not in a rush and I have 5 hours before the day got dark. So, jumped on the first bus I saw. Throughout the journey, I was contemplating which stop I should get off. Waterloo station.. Nahhhh nothing there, This side of River Thames is quite dull. Then it stopped at Victoria Station. Emmm, never been here for years. Good place to start walking.

When I got off the bus, I realised the road leading to Westminster was blocked. I could hear music, marching band and saw loads of people. This could be interesting. To cut the story short, it was a marching band parade from Parliament to Trafalgar Square and to who knows where it ended. The marching bands were from the USA, with participations from charity organisations et al. I followed the parade for 2 hours , walking along the parade route, before deciding that it was moving too slow and I was freezing. At this time, I was just off Trafalgar Square.

Next stop , Oxford Street. One of my missions in London was to buy an Ipod and a camera provided I could find them cheaper or similar price as in the internet. No luck. Every store I went in, the price was a good 15 pounds more expensive. I stopped at a Chinese stall (halal ofcourse) for my lunch, and then walked passed a few stores that were definitely going bankrupt due to the recession. Bought myself an England jersey for GBP4.49 ( that’s less than RM30! What a bargain). It was getting quite dark and temperature continued to fall. A quick stopped (ok,.. 15 minutes) to Starbucks just to get myself warm then off to Wissleden, where my 5 star hotel was located.

My shelter for the night was the usual spot. Owned by a Malaysian, I could not be happier to see En Azman and En Zabirin, occupants that I met 3 weeks earlier, still living there. We had a chat until 11pm, and En. Azman’s wife even cooked us dinner. Langkah Kanan rupanya.

The second day was spent shopping with Adi, an UEA 1st year graduate. We toured Tottenham Court Road, the so called “Lowyat of London” to find our cheap Ipods and my camera. No luck. Death to normal shopping. Internet rules! Then off to Harrods. Bought ourselves perfumes at 50% discount and I even bought coffee ( to be honest,I was just after the Harrods coffee tin box).We ended the day eating dinner at Khan’s Restaurant in Bayswater.
The final day, I had only one thing in mind. Join the demonstration against Israeli aggression towards Palestinians.

So, what new stuff did I “discovered” about London? Well, I’ve done all the things normal tourist would have done before this trip; photographs at all tourist sites, Oxford street, harrods, etc. But this time, I walked. From Victoria Station to Edgeware Road via Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street, and on my way back to Liverpool Street Station, walked from Trafalgar Square and along River Thames all the way to the station. I discovered that London is best experienced when you walk. Forget the Tube. Use it if you are really in a hurry. Take the bus only if you feel tired of walking. Take things slow even though London is a fast moving city. I did not imagine I would see a parade let alone join a demonstration in the streets of London!

Back in the year 2000, I saw a tour bus when I first arrived in London. In my mind, it was a dream if I could go to all the places advertised on the side of the bus. Come 2008, the only place I did not know where was the Tate Gallery. Fortunately, as I was walking down River Thames, there she was. The final piece of the puzzle. Tourist spots definitely all checked!
On the train home, I was already plotting the next London adventure. It will be a weekend of jogging inside Hyde Park, watching a concert at Wembley and watching football in any London club. Can’t wait for February.

Update [28 Sept 09]: I did planned to write about my second trip to London. But I could not have cared less. Anyway, I did jogged around Hyde Park, stopped to hear the ramblings at Speaker's Corner, watched a concert by a band called Keane (not at Wembley Stadium but at O2 Arena). Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to watch live football in a london stadium. There is always next time! Insya Allah