Monthly Archives: July 2012

London calling – Part 1

Posted on July 17, 2012 | 9 comments

I was really excited to go to London as I had heard so much about the city. As we had stayed with AS’s cousins we caught a train from Hove station to take us to London. The train was full so we had to stand near the doors with our luggage. After a while I was so tired that I sat on the floor :).

A lady came with a trolley selling tea, coffee, biscuits and cake like in an plane. This was something I hadn’t known would be available on the train. I guess that is good business as many people will need tea and coffee to wake up in the morning. The train dropped us at Victoria station and from there we planned to go to our hotel, which was near Hyde Park.

Experience with London tube

At Victoria station we bought the London pass as well as a day pass for the tube. One thing about the tube station we hadn’t know beforehand  was that in most of them, there were no lifts or escalators but there were plenty of steps everywhere. Both AS and I had a big suitcase each, a hand carry and I had a small bag as well so going up and down so many stairs was a nightmare. When we got on the tube from Victoria we meant to go to Notting Hill station to change for our next tube that was supposed to take us to our hotel but unfortunately something was wrong with the tracks and we had to catch another tube which meant we had to go through more stairs with our luggage. Poor AS had to go up and down several times with the heavy luggage as I couldn’t carry my suitcase up and down the stairs. After one more tube change we finally managed to get to Queensway Station which was near our hotel and were done with the tube for the moment.

We were booked into Central Park Hotel which was close to the city and next to Hyde Park. When we checked into the hotel, I was very disappointed with the size of the room. It was literally just a bed with a side table and a bathroom. It didn’t look very good either with plain white sheets and plain looking curtains but as we didn’t plan to stay inside much, it worked out OK.

We were really hungry so we went out for a stroll and to have some lunch. In Queensway Street, there were lots of restaurants as well as many shops. We choose to try some Thai food. We ordered Thai curry and Pad See Wee. The food was ok but the portion size was huge. After lunch we went back to the hotel, freshened up and were off to explore London. London tube was excellent when you were not carry luggage and we made the most of it.

Ride on London Eye

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames, in London, England. The entire structure is 135 metres tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres. It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually.

We had pre purchased tickets to go to the London Eye but we had to go and exchange out e-tickets for proper ticket from the counter. It was really fast as they have a special line for online tickets. From there we went and saw a 4D film presentation that showed London through the eyes of a child on the London Eye. It was quite interesting but I and AS were having fun watching people’s reaction to the 4D effects. There was a man in front of us who ducked every time a seagull seemed to come flying out of the screen towards us. It was a nice short movie overall.

From there we went to join the queue for advance ticket holders going up on the London Eye, moved pretty quickly.

We were lucky that we chose an afternoon with very little cloud and went early. We could see the whole city from the London eye and the view was magnificent. There weren’t many people in the pod we got into so we could move around and take heaps of photos from various angles. There was a lady in our pod who was scared of heights but she did manage to stand for a few photos.

When your pod reached the top, the view was breathtaking. Being an avid amateur photographer, this was a great way to see a bird’s eye view of London. The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben along with the Millennium Bridge looked just amazing from the top.

The ride takes roughly thirty minutes for one complete rotation. No food or drink is allowed on the Eye as far as I can recall. In all honesty, the money paid to experience the Eye was well worth it. It’s a splendid way to get a bird’s eye view of the city and take a few pictures. Make sure you buy them online which makes it easier and cheaper.

The Tower of London

The Tower of London is one of the busiest museums/historical sites. It is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England.

The outside area of the tower is easy to get around but inside it is really busy. It was hard to move around with visitors trying to get a glance at the  armours and other pieces. The best part of the tower is to watch a performance by Past Pleasures, a historical re-enactment and costumed interpretation company.  It was a ‘Dark Tales of the Tower’ story about an Jacobean Prisoner and the intrigue that surrounded his death.

Sir Thomas Overbury was imprisoned in the tower at the start of the 17th Century and there he was murdered.  A few years later Frances Carr the Countess of Somerset (previously Essex) and Robert Carr (Earl of Somerset) were found guilty of his murder by poisoning.  Their motive is believed to be a dislike of his attitude to and knowledge of their earlier affair (they married two months after his death).

It was a great act and the audience’ involvement made it more interesting.

The post is getting too long so I will continue  on next post.

Please click here for more photos.

9 Comments

Posted in England

Tagged , , , , ,

Christmas in July

Posted on July 16, 2012 | 19 comments

As you know, in the southern hemisphere, it is high summer during December so our Christmas is always a beach and BBQ affair. To compensate for not having cold weather during Christmas, every year in July we celebrate Christmas-in-July. As it never snows in Sydney, they make a man-made ice rink.

It is a really nice concept to have some winter fun. Every year they set up these ice skating rinks in Bondi, City and Parramatta.

You can choose to hire the boot and skate or just enjoy the food and the entertainment.  The food includes lots of European cuisine along with hot dogs as well as traditional hot chocolate, mulled wine, pastries, cake, and bratwurst. They also have special skating exhibitions by Australia’s up and coming ice skating stars. When we were there, there was a ballerina performing on the ice rink and it was really awesome. There are also children’s workshops and community groups’ displays perfect for school holiday’s entertainment

They also held the Winter Wonderland Party where you can choose to wear any Winter Wonderland outfit and Variety Christmas in July where you can Ice Skate with Santa while listening to a live choir.

I think it is a really cool tradition (no pun intended) to bring white Christmas and enjoy some winter fun. The place looks really beautiful with fake snows and lighting at night.

Happy Christmas in July everyone!!!

19 Comments

Posted in Australia

Tagged , ,

Published : Itchy feet

Posted on July 14, 2012 | 6 comments

This article was published in +977 (a Nepalese Lifestyle Magazine in Australia) in  June-July 2012 issue.    

                                                                                   

I believe everyone in this world likes to travel. I know there are a few people who are scared of flying, like Whoopi Goldberg, but those people still love travelling. They just don’t want to fly so they may drive everywhere. If you ask me, I love travelling; actually I should say I have a passion for travelling. I have a long list of places I want to see before I die and the list keeps growing thanks to travel channels and the internet. My mum told me once that I have itchy feet and I totally agree with her. I will travel at any and every opportunity I can get and I am proud to say that I am living my dream.

If you are like me, you may also empathize with this, the most difficult part of having itchy feet is that every time you travel, it costs lots of time and money. Time, I can manage as I am lucky to have a job which has flexible time off options but money has always been a problem and I am sure it will be so in the future as well unless I win a multimillion dollar lotto. Come on, one can dream and who knows, it may come true.

So today I am going to share a few of my travel tips to allow your itchy feet to wander around the world a bit more.

Budget! Budget! Budget! If you want to go somewhere, start planning for it and start saving ahead of time. It might take months or years but if you plan ahead, one day you will get there. They say – Wish, Plan, and Proceed – and I believe that is what we need to do.

For all of us who call Nepal home, we make sure to visit our family and friends at least once every few years. We may go for few weeks or few months but we always make sure we go as often as possible. Normally we don’t consider that as a holiday but if you think about it you can plan and make it a holiday. Why? Because you are already spending so much time and money on travelling anyway that if you plan a bit , you can squeeze holiday in.

As there is no direct flight to Nepal (I wish there would be one soon, as I hate those long transits as much as you do), we are forced to change planes in either in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, India or Hong Kong. So if you are going to Nepal why don’t you use this opportunity to take a few days holiday in one of these countries where you have to transit anyway?

Singapore doesn’t require visas for Nepali nationals while other countries have easy visa process. They are quick and cheap. Just think about it when you travel to Nepal the next time. And if you have an Australian passport you probably won’t need a visa, making it easier to visit those countries. Just make sure you check about the visa requirements.

I am sure you will love each of these stopovers. Beaches in Thailand or Shopping in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC – the famous twin towers) in Malaysia or the Culture in India, you will definitely have some unique experience every time.

If you want to go one step further, take a hop from these stopover countries with Air Asia (or any other low cost carriers) and you can get to Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, Maldives or Laos quite easily. The flights are not so expensive either. Just remember, if you are planning to do this, Air Asia has its counters outside the international terminal in most of the countries. It means that may need to pass immigration to reach these terminals and so you may require visa in your stopover country as well even though you do not leave the airport, so don’t forget to check that with your travel agent and also cross check with Air Asia.

One who plans well always saves money while travelling, so do your research. Don’t be bored about spending a few hours on the internet because this might save you heaps of dollars while on your holiday. My best friend has been Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com.au) for a long time. There fellow travellers share their good and bad experience which has definitely helped me to make a better decision than I might have otherwise. Always look at more than one person’s opinion to make sure that you get a well-rounded picture of whatever you are researching.

If it is possible book your holiday at least 6 months or more in advance, especially air tickets. Most airlines have a number of different ticket types even in economy unless you are used to travelling business or first class. The cheaper seats are sold out first and they are limited. It might make hundreds of dollars of difference in your budget if you act early. This saving may allow you to extend your trip or put money towards other activities.

Sign up to get a newsletter/email from airlines and travel companies. I know it can be really annoying when you get heaps of emails when you are not planning for a holiday but if you are smart, you may get a great deal. Just make a folder in your inbox for all travel emails. Setup a rule in your email options to send this email directly to the travel folder so if you are not planning holidays, you don’t need to look at them but if you are then there may be some offers which you can use for your next trip.

Become a frequent flyer member with the airline you fly frequently. I am a member of Star Alliance as I fly Singapore and Thai a lot. The last time I went to Nepal, I had enough points to spend my 13 hours transit in their lounge with my husband. It was great with free internet, food, shower and a bed as well. Also you may be lucky and get priority for some service or even upgraded seats.

When you are on holiday keep a budget and try to stick to it but don’t count every penny. It may cost you $100 to go to the top of Burj Kalifa (the top of the tallest building in the world) but as you are in Dubai, you might as well do it (by the way if you buy it online beforehand it only costs around $25 so you save $75!). You will never be able to do these once in a lifetime things unless you go back to the same place again. Believe me; you will regret that in the future.

Travel domestically if you can’t go international. Australia has so many beautiful places that you can drive to. Just hop into the car and drive away. Also while in Nepal, just pick a place and have a family holiday. Your family will love it and you will get to spend more time with them as well and your pocket will love it too.

I think every traveller will tell you and I agree with it as well – There is no bad experience when you travel. Just keep an open mind and enjoy what that place/country has to offer. Don’t look for what you have every day. You are travelling because you want to experience something different. Enjoy new places, new people and new culture. Open your eyes and your heart to the world. You will be surprised what you discover around the next corner.

Bon Voyage!!!

Please click here to see my travel photos. 

6 Comments

Posted in Published, Travel

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Friday the 13th

Posted on July 13, 2012 | 22 comments

This morning I came to work and was making breakfast in the kitchen. I was talking to my colleague while she was making her breakfast. She accidentally knocked her coffee cup and it smashed into a gazillion pieces. She was quite annoyed that she had to start the Friday morning cleaning the mess and was complaining about it. Just then one of our colleagues came in and remarked that it’s Friday the 13th today so a smashed cup isn’t unusual. It hadn’t occur to me before but after hearing him, I did some digging on the internet about it so here you go.

Normally, western society seems to be less superstitious than eastern society but Friday the 13th is a date considered to be bad luck in western superstition.

Does Friday the 13th freak you out? If so, hold on to your rabbit’s foot extra tight, because there are three of these supposedly unlucky dates in 2012, and today (July 13) is one of them, but the good news is it’s the last.

Read on for 13 strange facts about this day of superstition. (www.msnbc.msn.com)

1. This year is a special one for Friday the 13ths: There are three of them: Jan. 13, April 13 and July 13. The dates fall exactly 13 weeks apart. That hasn’t happened since 1984.

2. If that scares you, you may have paraskavedekatriaphobia (also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia). Those are the scientific terms for fear of Friday the 13th. Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13.

3. It’s not clear when or why Friday the 13th became associated with bad luck. The association may be biblical, given that the 13th guest at the Last Supper betrayed Jesus. His crucifixion was the next day, apparently a Friday. Or maybe 13 suffers from coming after the more-pleasing number 12, which gets to number the months, the days of Christmas and even the eggs in a dozen. (There are also 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labours of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles of Jesus.)

4. Whatever the reason, fear of 13 has spread far and wide: Hotels and hospitals often skip the 13th floor, and even airports quietly omit gate 13 sometimes.

5. The next year in which we’ll have three Friday the 13ths is 2015. They’ll fall in February, March and November.

6. If you think your Friday the 13th is likely to be bad, be glad you aren’t a 14th-century Knight Templar. On Oct. 13, 1307, officers of King Philip IV of France raided the homes of thousands of these Crusades warriors, imprisoning them on charges of illegal activities. Though the charges weren’t proven, more than 100 died of terrible torture, according to “Tales of the Knights Templar” (Warner Books, 1995).

7. Fittingly, director of psychological thrillers Alfred Hitchcock was born on the 13th — Friday, Aug. 13, 1999, would have been his 100th birthday. Perhaps aptly titled “Number 13,” a film that was supposed to be Hitchcock’s directorial debut never made it past the first few scenes and was shut down due to financial problems. He allegedly said the film wasn’t very interesting. (Meanwhile, Fidel Castro was born on Friday the 13th, in August 1926.)

8. Why does the Friday the 13th superstition stick so firmly in our minds? According to Thomas Gilovich, who chairs the department of psychology at Cornell University, our brains are almost too good at making associations.

“If anything bad happens to you on Friday the 13th, the two will be forever associated in your mind, and all those uneventful days in which the 13th fell on a Friday will be ignored,” Gilovich said in a statement.

9. For pagans, 13 is actually a lucky number. It corresponds with the number of full moons in a year.

10. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is said to have avoided travel on the 13th day of any month, and would never host 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and President Herbert Hoover were also triskaidekaphobic, with an abnormal fear of the number 13.

11. Mark Twain once was the 13th guest at a dinner party. A friend warned him not to go. “It was bad luck,” Twain later told the friend. “They only had food for 12.” Superstitious diners in Paris can hire a quatorzieme, or professional 14th guest.

12. Stockbroker and author Thomas W. Lawson, in his 1907 novel “Friday the Thirteenth,” wrote of a stockbroker’s attempts to take down Wall Street on the unluckiest day of the month. Reportedly, stock brokers after this were as unlikely to buy or sell stocks on this unlucky day as they were to walk under a ladder, according to accounts of a 1925 New York Times article.

13. This fear of Friday the 13th can be serious business, according to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, N.C., which, among other things, offers therapy to help people overcome their fear of the freaky Friday. Their estimates suggest hundreds of millions of dollars, up to $900 million, are lost due to people’s fear of flying or doing business as usual that day, though that number isn’t backed up with other estimates.

Do you believe in Friday 13th being unlucky?

22 Comments

Posted in General

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Bath, Somerset – England

Posted on July 13, 2012 | 4 comments

The days we did our driving trip, we went to Bath as well. It is a city in the county of Somerset in the south west of England. It took us more than 3 hours to get from Brighton to Bath and the drive was very pleasant through green fields of English country towns. When we were getting close to Bath, we saw rows and rows of terraced houses, they looked so beautiful that I almost lost control of the car in the excitement.

As we got closer to Bath, the only thing that worried me was narrow roads there. They were so tiny that I thought I couldn’t pass through with the small Volkswagen Polo we were on. Then I saw these big tours buses going from both direction and that made me even more sacred. Once we reached Bath, after wandering around for a while, we finally managed to get paid parking and were ready to start our Bath adventures.

 Bath has elegant Georgian architecture and the major attraction in Bath is the Roman baths. The ancient Romans built huge Roman Baths because of the natural thermal springs, leaving behind traces of the largest Roman baths outside of Italy. The Roman Baths are below the modern street level. There are four main attractions in Bath: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum holding finds from Roman Bath. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century.

From Roman Bath, we then went to Bath Abbey which is a Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The work on the church made me think of Westminster Abbey (which I had only seen on TV but was going to see in London the next day). It was a really nice building both from the outside as well as the inside.

From there we went to the Royal Crescent via the Royal Avenue. The Royal Crescent was really impressive and looked so beautiful with its Georgian architecture. It is a residential row of 30 houses laid out in a crescent. From the convex side the whole complex looks like one long building shaped like a crescent. It was designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774 and it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture. The houses in the Crescent are a mixture of tenures — most are privately owned but a substantial minority of the property is owned by a housing association.

Number 1 Royal Crescent is a museum, which was then being renovated, is maintained by the Bath Preservation Trust. It illustrates how wealthy owners of the period might have furnished such a house.

I really loved the idea of so many houses looking the same. When we went closer to these houses, we saw that they had different coloured door but apart from that everything else looked the same. Even after 300 years they looked solid and beautiful and definitely well preserved. In front of the Royal Crescent, there is a big park and there were hundreds of people basking in the sun. Most of them seemed to be young and having fun with BBQ and Frisbees while others were just lying around soaking up the sun and enjoying the sunny English day.

From there we walked towards the Royal Circus. It is also a place surrounded by large townhouses build in a circle divided into three segments of equal length, each of the curved segments faces one of the three entrances, ensuring that whichever way a visitor enters there is a classical facade straight ahead.

In Bath, everywhere I looked, there was a house or shops so rich with history that it made me wonder how the people who lived there must feel. Even the cobble stoned roads still had a classical look. You could see flowers decorating the road sides and in lots of small cafes and restaurants. We stopped at one of the cafés, called The Bridge Coffee Shop, to have some coffee and cake and were very surprised to see the prices. It was £ 2.50 for a coffee and £3.50 for a cake to take away while £3.50 for a coffee and £4.50 for a cake to eat in. We decide to get a take away and then went to a park in front of the Bath Abbey.

After our coffee break we passed through the famous Pulteney Bridge that crosses the River Avon. The bridge had a flower shop, an antique map shop, and a juice bar. In the river below there was a cruise boat and along the river bank, there was a walking track and beautiful gardens.

After walking around Bath for a while, it was time for us to get back to Brighton as it was a 3 hour drive. This time we took a freeway via Oxford and Reading. The sun was setting by the time we reached Brighton and AS took some beautiful shots of the setting sun.

Please click here for more photos.

4 Comments

Posted in England, Travel

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,