18600 miles later

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London-Dubai-Singapore

Day 21/Wednesday

The long road home

The journey back home was much longer and arduous as initially planned. Firstly,  the flight departed Heathrow an hour late. This set a domino effect into motion.

London Calling Part III – The Good Life

 

” Woke up in London yesterday
Found myself in the city near Piccadilly
Don’t really know how I got here
I got some pictures on my phone

New names and numbers that I don’t know
Address to places like Abbey Road… ”

 

If there was a soundtrack to my time in London, this would be it.

London Calling Part II – It’s a small world after all

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London

Day 18/Sunday

I was awoken at 6 in the morning by the tumbling of suitcases and ruffling of plastic bags. The French delegation were checking out. Clink 261 was by far the most crowded hostel I stayed in throughout the entire trip.The 16 bed dorm was filled to capacity by a large majority of Romanian men. I found out later that these guys had made the hostel home for a month while their search for employment continued.There was an Australian girl above me who was also searching for a job. I was one of the few, if not the only occupant in the dorm who was staying for purely leisure purposes.

London Calling

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London

Day 16/Friday

The Caledonian Sleeper pulled into Euston Station slightly past 6 in the morning. I rarely enjoy an uninterrupted sleep on trains/planes or any moving vehicle for that matter but this journey was an exception. It must have been the Scotch. Who says alcohol isn’t the solution to your problems!

Enchanting Edinburgh Part II

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Day 15/Thursday

Haggis for Breakfast

When I woke up, Carla had already left for her tour to Loch Ness. Not visiting the highlands and Lochs would be one of the few regrets from this trip. If only I had the time and the money.

Like most hostels, Smart City served complimentary breakfast. Unlike most hostels where complimentary breakfast consisted simply of the basic bread and spreads, Smart City pulled out all the stops. Breakfast here was the full works. Sausages, ham , bacon, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, baked beans and the quintessential Scottish dish – HAGGIS.You get the holy trinity of breakfast beverages too: Coffee, Tea & Orange Juice.The best part – breakfast is served buffet style at the bar! When I proclaimed Smart City Hostel Edinburgh to be the best hostel I stayed in the entire trip, I wasn’t kidding.

Enchanting Edinburgh Part I

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Day 14/Wednesday

The most scenic rail journey on Earth?

The train ride to Edinburgh remains one of the most scenic journeys I’ve ever had the privilege of taking.Coincidentally, the ticketing agency randomly allocated me a window seat. A prime position to take in the views. Similar to the journey from London to Harrogate, the trip began with views of the surrounding English Country.The countryside is gradually replaced by the urban city of Newcastle as the train approaches the Central Station, crossing the High Level Bridge over the River Tyne along the way. Newcastle has four major bridges including the iconic Gateshead Millennium and Tyne bridges, each running parallel across the River Tyne. I’ve never seen a river with so many bridges in such close proximity. It’s quite a sight!

A Weekend in Harrogate

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A Weekend in Harrogate

Harrogate was a nice change of scenery from the man-made art glut I’ve been feasting my eyes on for the past week or so. By scenery, I literally mean SCENERY. Situated in the Yorkshire Dales, Harrogate boasts lush scenery all around. Rolling hills of green and valleys surround you. Livestock graze freely in the fields. Neatly manicured gardens and cute little houses.

The Journey to Harrogate

 

 ” Travel is flight and pursuit in equal parts. The notion of travel as a continuous vision, a grand tour’s succession of memorable images across a curved earth-with none of the distorting emptiness of air or sea-is possible only a train ”

– Paul Theroux