Honeymoon 2.0

I owed this trip to my wife.... I really do....

Starting our journey

It is not that I have not taken her for overseas holiday before.... many.... but I still owe her this trip... also… our first honeymoon back in 1992 was a simple one as I have just started working and not having so much saving then… we just went to Genting Highland for our honeymoon driving my first car, which was a Proton Saga 1.5s.

We have been to many places before.... Istanbul, Beijing, Seoul, Bali, Bandung, Jakarta, Singapore, Bangkok, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth... but I have not taken her to England yet....

England holds a very special place to me.... that's where I spent my formative years.... where I grew up.... experience difficulties in life... learning about responsibilities...meeting new friends that last a life time ... and the place which set my future... ... that what England is to me....  I just want to share with my wife the place that has left me with so much memories and the place that had made me....

It is just not that I cannot take her to England earlier but I don't think I will be able to enjoy if I go earlier... so many things to consider and prioritise..... and now the time is just perfect....

After more or less agreed on the date for the trip which is in summer 2019... we went to MATTA fair to look for flight tickets.... hopefully to get a bargain.... there are so many things to consider about the flight... departure time, arrival time, transit, the type of aircraft, which airport etc, etc, etc... I have to be petty since this is a long distance flight... and finally we decided to fly on Emirates....

Happy - Just boarding

Even though summer ticket prices are the most expensive.... I prefer summer because I really cannot stand travelling in the winter.... apart from the cold weather, the daylight is very short.... at 5.00 pm in the afternoon everything is dark and cold... what else can you do at this time...nothing much except to go back to the hotel to save yourself from the cold weather... that is the opposite in the summer...daylight is long... warm weather and you can do lots of things.... however travelling during summer can also pose a risk... temperature can be hotter than Malaysia.... that's what happened to us when we went to Perth in December 2018... close to 40⁰C.... haha...you can't win all....

I chose Emirates because it is the only flight from Kuala Lumpur that landed  in Stansted. I chose Stansted because I don't like Heathrow... I hate big airports... too far to walk...too many people... and everything takes longer to clear... that's why I prefer Stansted...a smaller airport.

Economy food but filling

 I quickly booked the accommodation via Airbnb and rent a car through car Rentalcars.com.... that's what I did when we went to Adelaide and Perth before... get a good accommodation via Airbnb and a self-drive car.  I like Airbnb because you can choose the location and type of accommodation that is within your budget... if you are in a small group you can get a smaller house or vice versa...Our trip this time is in July 2019 for about 8 days.... I think that is long enough considering we still have a school going son and how long my boss can tolerate me away 
from office.

As we are staying at Airbnb... we can cook... so Nana packed some food and spices which are difficult to find in England... the rest we can buy over there... even though the food prices in England are relatively expensive but as Malays, we need to eat rice and spicy food everyday which is not easy to find over there... I am perfectly fine with Paki food everyday but not for Nana...she prefers Asian food...

I wanted to show Nana the real England that I experienced... not the one you watch on the travel channel or blogs written by young budget travellers  who just want to take photos in front of famous landmarks...just to show that they have been there... I wanted Nana to experience the country and the people as much as I did long time ago.... (NB: I studied in England from 1983 - 1987)

Our flight to England departs from KLIA on early Saturday morning at 2:10am. Thus we have to

Transit in Dubai

leave home on Friday night. As there are only two of us travelling, I asked my daughter Sobrina to drive us to KL Sentral .... Umar and Zulaikha followed us too to KL Sentral ....we took the KL Transit to KLIA and arrived at around 9:30 pm... we had some light snack at the Oldtown Kopitiam as the check-in counter only open at 11:00 pm ... we checked in our luggage and proceeded to the immigration counter and after that went straight to the departure hall...

Our flight to Stansted via Dubai left KLIA in the wee hours of the morning on a A380.. even though A380 has first been in service in 2007 started by Singapore Airlines... I have never stepped my foot on this big bird before... this is the first time...(note: by now Airbus has decided to stop the A380 production after 12 years due to low demand from airlines).... I booked the seats on the upper deck... of course the flight was smooth as the aircraft is big and powerful... and the service by Emirates was equally good... no complaints....

Just landed - Stansted airport

We arrived in Dubai at around 5:00 am local time and the connecting flight to Stansted was at 9:30 am... had a bit of time to look around at Dubai airport but being a transit airport... there were thousands of people...we stopped by at Paul to have some coffee while waiting for the connecting flight... again the flight to Stansted departed on time and we arrived in Stansted at 2:05 pm local time...this time it was on B777...everything was smooth through the British Border Control...and after collecting our luggage I went straight to WH Smith to buy prepaid simcard... that’s what I normally do when travel overseas... it is cheaper this way rather than to use your Malaysian simcard...once you are connected to the internet...then you will be connected to your Whatsapp and Email... simple...

We took the shuttle bus to the car rental village which is not far from the terminal...I found they have a  

Nice upgrade - Renault 2008 to 3008

similar system in Australia...all car rental companies will be placed at the same location... a shuttle bus will take you there to pick your rented car... again the process was smooth as I have booked the car online via Rentalcars.com.. I was lucky Avis gave me an upgrade... I originally booked a Renault 2008... but was given instead a Renault 3008 which is bigger and of course more comfortable... in England, they prefer manual transmission car instead of automatic which is a more preferred version in Malaysia... I am ok with either.... All this is done within 2 hours after landing... for me this is quick... by now everything is set for our holidays...

somewhere in Oxford City...

I quickly set the car phone holder which I brought along with me and set the Waze location to Oxford which is about 95 miles to the east from Stansted airport... we have to take M11 heading south to M25, the ring road before taking M40 to Oxford. The journey took about approximately 2 hours... one good thing about travelling in the advanced countries is that information is accurate and easily available... just google and make a phone call if you are unsure.... after about 1 hour or so driving, we stopped by at Beaconsfield service area for a short toilet break and bought some grocery at Mark and Spenser for us to cook in Oxford...

We arrived at our rented house in Oxford at around 7:00 pm... I parked the car by the roadside

Our house in Oxford

and knocked the door of our host, Pippa... she was already waiting for us as I have informed her about our arrival time... she helped to open the door to the house and showed us around...the house actually is an extension of Pippa's house (or what they called annex here)... small but comfortable enough to accommodate 2 person for a short stay... clean and tidy...with the jetlag after the long journey... almost 20 hours travelling... we just had a simple dinner, took shower and rest....

I knew the effect of long journey and jetlag will still be felt a few days after... that is why I only planned something light on the second day which is a Sunday (nothing much happen in the UK on Sunday)... had a simple breakfast at home and visit Oxford town... i.e. the famous University and Ashmolean museum... One thing special we did in Oxford was that I took Nana to Cherwell Boat House for river punting... unique as it is very famous in Oxford and Cambridge.... something nice to enjoy with my

Paddling hard...

wife.... after struggling to handle the boat for about one hour...we left to look for lunch...not before stopping by at JRR Tolkien's Old House...the author of the famous novel The Lord of the Rings... we stopped by at the Kebab Kids in Oxford town... the owner Mr Hamid can quickly tell that we are Malaysian... we  had a nice chicken biryani and the chicken was very tasty... I told Mr Hamid that I will remember his biryani for a long long time (maybe I will go there again the next time if I go to Oxford).... with the stomach filled, we headed to Bicester... which is only 15 miles or 20 minutes away from Oxford.... this was the first visit for Nana... just for her to do some window shopping... check out the items and prices... we shall come to Bicester again on Tuesday... after our day trip to London tomorrow...

Mr Hamid and his customers

As usual Bicester is a shopping haven for women.... there are many designer shops and all of them have something for Nana to check out... yes true enough, Nana really enjoyed her first visit to Bicester...she checked almost all shops and took many photos to share with friends and relatives back home... now she is acting more like a personal shopper...I am happy as long as she is happy... we left Bicester at about 6:00pm just before the shops close...we went back to Oxford as on Monday we planned to go to London... just a day trip....(I know that it is too short to visit London in one day but for me it is just another big city)... on the way back to Oxford we drove around the wheat fields .... I like driving around wheat fields during summer....a nice and peaceful view during sunset...

Early in the morning on the next day, we had a good nasi lemak breakfast before driving to Hillingdon to take the tube to Liverpool Street station. There, my nephew Yusof will join us to show us around London. London has changed quite a lot after I left in 1988. Even though the tube stations do not change much but there are new lines as well as new stations. Even though the busses are still red but you can't hop on any more like in the old days.... 

We met Yusuf at the Liverpool Street station (NB: Yusuf is pursuing his ICAEW). He was very happy to

Nana at Bicester village

meet us there as we brought some food given by his mother. Yusuf was our tour guide in London. We took the bus from Liverpool Street station to Tower Bridge and walked around the City of London. Then took the tube to West Minster to go to Big Ben, Buckingham palace and London Bridge. Unfortunately Big Ben was still undergoing repairs.... hehe...just to take photos to proof that we were there... as usual these places were crowded with tourists....

Tower Bridge

After that we went to Malaysia Hall for lunch. That is in Bayswater. That is where most Malays/Malaysian who studied in England circa 1980s-2000s will be very familiar. We have Malaysian Student Dept or MSD, what we used to call in those days at Marble Arch and MARA hostel in Leinster Square. I stayed at MARA Hostel for slightly over one year in 1987 and early part of 1988 when I was doing my ACCA final level. After I completed my ACCA and started working in London in early February 1988, I moved out to stay with my brother Shahril who was staying in Ilford. He was studying civil engineering in North East London Polytechnic....now the place is called University of East London.

Even though after more than 30 years, Bayswater does not change much. Of course the shops are different

Meeting Yusuf at Liverpool station

but the tube stations, the road and the buildings stayed the same. My wife and I had lunch at Malaysia Hall but Yusuf had to go back to his apartment nearby. We had a good Malay lunch there with teh tarik and some kuih after the meal...

After the short break, we crossed Bayswater Road to Hyde Park.... Hyde Park is just opposite Bayswater... in the old days (late 1980s)... Malays boys will be playing football in the afternoon during summer in Hyde Park...hehe.... But Hyde Park now is full of big trees and the roads there are well turfed... I like Hyde Park during summer....lots of things happen there... a happening place

After Hyde Park we took the Central line tube from Queensway to Marble Arch....to go to Oxford Street...for me Oxford Street is London... hehe...everyone must take a photo with Oxford Street as the background.... then you are in London...of course Oxford Street is famous with Selfridges & Co... which is a must stop...

We stopped by at Selfridges as Nana now as a personal shopper 

Lunch at Malaysia Hall, Bayswater

have orders from her friends Yati and Izzah...handbags (what else!)... after that we went EL&N Cafe on level 4 for some coffee and cakes... nice place to relax....nice ambience, good food and good service....

As the day is getting late... it is time to go back to Oxford... but decided to stop by at Covent Garden for some ice cream...but not before checking some stores on Bond Street.... all the latest designs and fashions will be displayed in Bond Street outlets....

The famous Oxford Street

After the nice ice cream... Yusuf and us parted ways.... Yusuf will be meeting us again tomorrow in Bicester for a whole day shopping and thereafter will join us to Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent and York....

On the fourth day which is Tuesday, we checked out from our Airbnb place. We woke up early in the morning, cooked breakfast or branch as we had our nasi and curry. Cleaned the place properly and threw all the rubbish in the bin outside the house....I always get a good review from the Airbnb host about leaving their house clean.... After saying goodbye to Pippa our host, we left Oxford...I originally intent to go to Cotswolds as the place is

Buy Ice cream at Covent Garden

rated AONB or Area of Natural Beauty... but since the time is short and the place is about 1 hour away from Oxford, I decided just to drive around Oxford which is also nice with all the old English buildings... we took some photos around Oxford but have to reach Bicester before 11:00 am as we promised Yusuf to meet him then... Yusuf will be taking the train from London to Bicester and meet us there...

Yusuf is a good company for shoppers as he also like shopping... he keep track all the up to date with latest designs and styles….since both Nana and Yusuf can click well...  and I let both of them do the shopping and I just sat down have coffee... I lost count how many handbags they bought and for whom...of course... for the daughters, the mothers and the aunties.... they kept on going... As for me, I just bought a leather office bag and a duffle bag... watches and wallets for my sons Umar and Luqman... finally after 5 hours of

Pippa, our Airbnb host

shopping... they decided to stop and start filling up the VAT claim forms... luckily we have Yusuf who like doing all those things...filling up the forms for all the items we bought... we finally left Bicester at around 5:00 pm.... I am sure that is not our last visit to Bicester as I promised my daughters and sons to bring them to England on day.... meaning soon...

I told my wife that I want to stop by at Kettering....it is in Northamptonshire which is about 80 miles from London. Kettering was the first place I stayed in the UK. I did my A level at Kettering College of Further Education from 1983 to 1984 before I went to Derbyshire College of Higher Education for my Foundation in ACCA. Kettering is one of the most

Filling up VAT claim forms

memorable place to me and many friends who had made their names today did their A level in Kettering. I used to stay in an apartment on Montagu Street with Rafique and Arul, but many other friends used to lepak there including Che Khalib, Sting and others who visit us "occasionally" like AWO whose girlfriend is my batch mate.

We arrived in Kettering late in the evening... since it was summer, it was still bright... and the place really brought old memories to me... how we walked to the college every morning.... it was really awful during winter...we didn't have proper snow boots and our shoes were all wet... how we really do everything

So many bags...

else except studying and got scolded by the principal after our disastrous A level results... I barely managed to get enough credit to further my studies at Derby... not qualified to go to other places...hehe....(NB: I repented after that and did well when I studied in Derby) ....but Kettering is now really a rundown place...everything is old... Montagu street also looks old and lifeless... what a pity... at least I went to Kettering for one last time...bye-bye Kettering....

As it was already late when we arrived in Nottingham, we quickly search for restaurant that serves halal food... not many will be opening around 9:30 pm but since Yusuf knows the place....we just followed him... he found one Asian restaurant that served halal food... (NB: Yusuf studied accountancy at University of Nottingham and do his Chartered at the same time with PwC)....after a good meal we went to the

Montagu Street, Kettering

Airbnb place... as it was already dark then, we have to do a bit of U-turns before we found the place.... the place is just nice for 3 people... with cooking and washing amenities available... we took showers, chit chat a bit and then rest...

As it is already five days after we arrived in England... we rather want to just enjoy the trip.... The other place that I must visit is my old college which now is a  university.... University of Derbyshire... I studied there from 1984 to 1986 before I continued my ACCA final level in London in 1987 at Emile Woolf College of Accountancy...

Now it is a Uni

As we were not rushing to go anywhere, Nana prepared a nice nasi lemak for breakfast assisted by Yusuf... Yusuf really enjoyed having his favourite auntie around because Nana likes cooking... and Yusuf really keen to learn from her...after a good breakfast we went to visit my alma mater....to show my wife where I studied many years ago... but not before passing by the famous Bailey Street... the famous place for those who were in Derby circa 1984 - 1988... the St Joseph's Catholic primary school in front of Mill Hill lane is still there but the houses around the area have really run down... not like in the old days when we used to live there... after 30 years... what do you expect...

After Derby University, I took my wife to Stoke-on-Trent.... for those who know England... there are places in the UK where they are well known for a particular product... and in Stoke they are well known for pottery... even their shopping mall is called "Intu Pottery" not Intu Stoke like in other cities....

We went to Portmeirion factory outlet near London Road in Stoke.... I just want to show Nana some good

The memorable Bailey St.

bone china product at reasonable prices... I can't afford to buy bone china product in Malaysia... it is far too expensive... but you can get good deals at the factory outlets there...

We arrived at the factory outlet slightly after lunch and were greeted by friendly and helpful staff... Nana and Yusuf really had a good time choosing the cups, saucers, plates and teapots... I even bought two wall clocks for my cousins for their wedding gifts...One good thing is that the outlet can help to send back the goods we bought via surface mail, i.e. via ship complete with tax declaration form and insurance. They will replace the product if it is broken during shipment... owh... how convenient... Nana finally bought a tea set, plates and I bought some mugs and sent them back via ship. NB: When we received the goods, some were broken and Nana immediately sent an email with photographs showing the defects. Soon after that we received the replacement from Portmeirion, simple. 

 

Kevin helping Nana to chose

Time really flies when you are on holiday.... it is now already Thursday or day 6.... and we are going back by Saturday morning. I want to cover as much place in the UK before we go back. The one place I must visit is York. Yorkshire has a lot to offer. Apart from traditional buildings and castles... York was occupied by Romans, Angles (Germanic) and Vikings. So we have a lot to see... also York was famous for their Railway museum. I particularly chose to visit the museum as my late father in law worked for Keretapi Tanah Melayu or Malaysian Railway. I hope Nana can see closer what machines her late father was working with then.

 

The drive from Nottingham to York was smooth as we are taking M1 and later branch out to the A routes to York. almost two hours from Nottingham. Driving in the UK or Australia is not stressful at all

Clifford's Tower behind us...

as drivers there follow the rules and very considerate. However I can't say the same for Malaysian drivers.  After the sightseeing in York we drive back to Nottingham.

 

Friday is the last day before we go back to Malaysia. I reserved Friday for us to do the last minute shopping for friends and relatives. So after a good breakfast, we went out to Nottingham city. First we went to take photographs at the Robin Hood monument and some photos around the historical side of the city. As Yusuf has to go to his University for some administration matters, he left us to do the shopping on our own and only joined us after that.

 

Robin Hood behind us...

Last minute shopping will definitely be a visit to M&S for the ladies. After the that we stopped by at the cafe for some teas. I quite like having tea at M&S cafe.... as usual the staff are helpful and friendly. In fact Nana found out that the British are not that cold after all... they are friendly once you break the ice...I hope she can see the different side of the British folks as I saw them many years ago.... 

 

Later that night, Yusuf and Nana were busy packing.... I knew it is going to be excess luggage.... after weighing all the luggage I had to go online to add the additional weight to our luggage...Well I know this is coming when you bring your wife on holiday....

 

By early Saturday morning, Nana and Yusuf prepared some heavy breakfast as we are going to have a long day. After the breakfast, we cleaned up the apartment and put the luggage in the car. Lucky that I got an upgrade by Avis from Renault 2008 to 3008 which is bigger. We can fit in all the handbags and chocolates that we bought

Having tea at M&S cafe, Nottingham

earlier and still have some space for Yusuf to sit comfortably in the back. Driving from Nottingham to Stansted Airport which is approximately 120 miles takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. So we left Nottingham around 8:00 am in the morning and arrived at the airport 3 hours later. Our flight to Kuala Lumpur via Dubai is leaving at 3:00 pm. I dropped both Nana and Yusuf at the terminal before turning back to fill up the petrol for the car. I have to return the car with full petrol otherwise Avis will charge me for the top up.

 

I must have a clear 4 hours check in time before flight as many things can go wrong. Airlines, Border Control personnel, passengers, airport operations etc can delay us... After a quick goodbye to Yusuf, we proceeded to check in. Yusuf will have to take the train back to London. It is cheap for him to travel via train because students enjoy a lot of discount in the UK. 

 

We overcame the normal chaos at the check in counter and border control, dropped in the VAT claim form and proceeded for solat.... after that we took the aerotrain to go the terminal for our flight back home... The rest of the journey was uneventful except that when we transit in Dubai....it was a long walk from the gate to find the prayers room and another long walk back to the gate for the flight back to KL... the transit time is shorter going back to KL than coming to London...so we have to rush.

 

After equally a long flight we safely landed in KLIA... Sobrina and Umar have waited to fetch us at the airport.... nice to be back in

your country…I always have that kind of feeling everytime I came back from overseas...

 

I was really happy to be able to take Nana to the UK and I hope this will be a lasting memory for her.... and definitely for me. I hope Yusuf will work in the UK after his graduation as I promise my children to take them there soon. It will be great if Yusuf is still there...

 

Bye-bye for now... and thank you Yusuf for taking care of us there....

 

Shahar Yope

Aug 2020

 

 

PS - It took me slightly over one year to complete this writing... my mind now clears after my retirement recently...

happy couple...