Joni-Wani and Ali-Wani - Trip to England (10 Days) - August 2000
by Joni-Wani
Posted August 28, 2000

Duration: August 7th to 16th, 2000
Airline: Virgin Atlantic
Package: (Economic ticket + 7 hotel room nights)
Total basic costs: HK$10,500.00 per head
Actual expenses: $$$$ (you should see Ali's pale complexion)
Tour Members: Ali and Joni-Wani

Please click here to see trip photos!

Day Six

Sick - The damn cold just caught me at the wrong time.  Left the hotel at noon time after a long nap.
Nothing special today but just shopping at a few major department stores along Bonds Street, ie. Debinham, D.H. Evan & Selfriges.  Not much damage today as we were both thinking of the limited space of our luggages.

Ali bought lunch at Angus Steak House.  Again, lousy food!
Took a bus back to Russell, not that we wanted to save money but we were proud of being able to live like a Londoner...besides, who said buses are cheap?  It costs 1 pounds (HK$12.50) for a short ride.

Fine dining at our hotel room (takeaway sandwiches, bottle of red wine, desserts...etc.) and discussed about tomorrow's itinerary.



Day Seven

Still sick but what can I do?  Can I ask my cold blooded sister to rest whole day in the shitty room?  After taking some berry drinks, poor old Joni kept walking like a zombee in the street.

"Tower of London here we come, fear the long line and cold no more!"   Took the tube from Russell Square to Tower Hill and by the time we got there, I can sing no more!  After slow walking for about 50 minutes and gave away 22 pounds, we managed to walk in the tower.  I must say that I like the Tower of London a lot, not just because of its amazing history but also for the stunning construction.  There are a few towers inside the Tower of London but not all of them are opened to the public.   We went to the White Tower, Green Tower, Jewel House, Armours Tower, Trading Gate but we skipped the Bloody Tower and don't ask me why, ask Ali!

Till 3:30pm we walked out of the Tower of London with a noisy stomach which obviously urged for a nice lunch.  Unfortunately, we couldn't find any decent restaurants in the neighbourhood, all you can get is burgers, fish and chips or jacket potatos.  Met many beggers in the street while chewing a giant hot dog in the street.  Where is the pride of the British?

Later in the afternoon, we took a tube to St. Paul to The Museum of London.  We got free admission this time as after 4:30pm, there is no need to pay an entrance fee (saved 5 pounds, big deal!)  As we only had 45 minutes left before the Museum closed, instead of walking slowing, we were like jogging and challenging our eyes at the same time.

From St. Paul, we tried to walk home but failed due to tired legs.  So, we took a tube back to the hotel.

Dinner: Jacket Potato, yummy!

...to be continued

Posted with permission of the author.  1997 - 2000 Hi-Tech Development Co., Ltd.  All rights reserved.