Saman in Oxford

Got a saman from Oxfordshire Council for driving in the bus lane. If you look at this photo taken in Oxford, you'd know why we kena saman for DRIVING in the BUS LANE. I took this photo in the car while Zeta was driving.

But tourists won't know which road got bus lane. Oxfordshire Council should put this sign at the back of every bus that runs on bus lanes: "IF YOU ARE TAILING ME, YOUR WALLET MUST BE ITCHY".

UK Trip ends on 1 Jan 2009

3 little piggies trip to UK is actually a trip to meet in the UK. The happy trip began on 19 Dec 2008 and ended on 1 Jan 2009.

On the 1 Jan 2009, we bidded farewell to each other at London. Zeta was heading back to Cambridge; MonKee and Mama Peh were heading back to M'sia and I was flying to Chicago. After spending 14 days together, it's sad to leave my dear piggies. Undeniably and uncontrollably, tears rolled out of my eyes when I set foot on Chicago. I felt empty, suddenly.

Going to UK is like going back to Penang. Everything looks so familiar to me. The houses are similar to those in Penang, because Penang was basically built up by Sir Francis Light. The traffic system is the same as that in M'sia, where we are right-hand drivers driving on the left side of the road. (Frankly speaking, though I've spent 1.5 years in the US, I still look at the wrong side while crossing the road.) The voltage and electrical plugs and pins are the same as that in M'sia. And lastly, the road signs are as confusing as that in M'sia. Hah...hah... It was a balik kampung trip for me.

I initiated this trip to UK, not because of the attractions of churches and castles, but the lure of having a reunion gathering with good old friends and family. We didn't bother to visit all the tourist spots. In fact, we only paid for entry into Windsor Castle, Warwick Castle and Edinburgh Castle. For the rest, we just look see look see from the outside. Even though we got lost on the way to Bath from the Stonehenge, nobody was upset. Contrarily, we're happy to have discovered a place called Devizes.

It was a shoe-string trip. We spent about GBP 230 per person for this 14-day land-trip. Many people would find us pitiful to not have paid the entrance fees, ate bread and banana at the car boot for lunch, cooked dinner back home at Cambridge every nite instead of having dinner at restaurants... However, I find this a very happy and memorable trip not many people can afford to have.

19 Dec 2008 - Windsor & Eton

Here I come; here they come; and here we started our 2008 UK trip.

MonKee and Mama Peh were flying in from Bangkok. I was flying in from Chicago. Upon reaching London Heathrow airport at 9am, we rented a car from the Enterprise Car Rental. People said it's difficult to get thru UK kastam; but we got thru the kastam at ease. However, we kept going round and round around the airport surroundings, before we finally reached Windsor. The main attraction is the Windsor Castle. Entrance fee = GBP 13.50 for students and senior citizens; GBP 14.50 for adults.

Around Windsor town

Windsor Castle

An airplane flying over the Windsor Castle

Change of guard at the Windsor Castle

We had "traditional fish n chips" for lunch. GBP 6 per person. Nothing special. Then, we met Zeta at the McDonald's.

Eton is just a stone's throw away from Windsor. Didn't go inside as we had past the last admission hour.

3 Little Piggies at Eton College

20 Dec 2008 - Oxford

The "laughly" day kicked off with a lovely breakfast prepared by Zeta.

Chee Pong joined us to Oxford. To avoid going into central London to fetch him, he took the tube to the outer-most tube station and we went picking him up there. Ironically, after picking him up, we took exit 16 on the highway, but of the opposite direction. We ended up pusing-pusing in central London. We didn't even know we're in the central London. At first, we saw Madame Tussaud's place. I was wondering whether Madame Tussaud's place has branches which are located out of London. Then, we saw King Cross Station. There can't be another "branch" of King Cross Station!

King Cross Station

By the time we reached Oxford, sang suria was already in the west.

Oxford Castle. There's admission charges. We didn't go inside.

21 Dec 2008 - Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon & Warwick

Shakespeare's birthplace.

Admission charges apply, so, didn't enter the house.

Enjoying melepak around the lovely town

Christmas atmosphere

Singing dog!

Lunch by the riverside

Hah..hah... This is optical illusion. What do you think the statue is doing?

Nearly kena saman at the parking lot. Luckily Zeta managed to run to our rented car when the police officer was lingering around our car.


Then, we visited the Warwick Castle on the way back.

To see further, have to climb higher.

To save money, we took dinner back "home". Our home for the trip is Zeta's room. I can't help myself but to show how lovely Zeta's kitchen utensils are.

22 Dec 2008 - Stonehenge & Devizes

It took about 3.5 hours drive to reach the Stonehenge. So, have to eat full full before we started the journey.

Too kiam-siap to pay the admission fee. So, just watched from outside the pagar.

A little disappointed at the stones.

Lunch at the Stonehenge

Originally, we had wanted to go to Bath. Probably, we didn't pay admission fees into the Stonehenge, the stones cast a spell on us and we kept driving around the stones and couldn't get out!

Finally, we drove out of Salisbury, heading towards Bath. But, we still failed to get there. Ended up visiting a town called Devizes, which is a place of beer brewery.

Pasar malam.

Castle-turned-private residence

Church

At the beer factory