I admit - I've never had much interest in urban cities. That's why I never visited London, not even when AirAsia X offered budget flights from Singapore to London years ago. My dad had been asking me about going to Melbourne. But I found the sights that we went to in Melbourne very boring (there are other interesting places but they are inaccessible). My dad had been talking about visiting his friend in London for the past year so I suggested London instead of Melbourne.
Return tickets for 2 people cost SGD 2,863.60 on Singapore Airlines (with Economy "preferred" seat for my dad). My dad would only fly by Singapore Airlines. I thought I was booking my holiday early (March 20 for trip starting May 18) but it turned out to be later than the majority of people who were planning to be there for the summer vacation. The better apartments (price and location) were unavailable so I had to find alternatives. Self-catering apartments would be the most feasible option because booking 2 rooms per night in a hotel would cost a bomb. The hotels there are just as expensive as the ones in Singapore. Also, there would be a washing machine so we wouldn't have to bring 2 weeks' worth of clothes.
GPS is fairly reliable in London and the 3G signal coverage is good. I bought a £10 prepaid card from Orange Mobile and selected the Dolphin plan (by calling the plan activation number) that comes with the £10 credit, 400 free texts and 1GB data. Incoming calls are free. This last me the entire 2 weeks without needing to top-up. My dad, however, managed to spend £30 on phone calls and texts.
Arrival - 18 May
Plaistow
Neighbourhood cat
I didn't sleep on the plane so I was rather tired when we arrived in the evening, London time. The plan was to take the train. However, I looked rather tired so my dad suggested that take a cab instead. The London cab from the airport to the apartment cost about £100. On hindsight, I should have arranged for a driver to pick us up at the airport for £50 offered by the owner.
We arrived at the apartment in about an hour. The owner's niece was there waiting for us. She briefed us on how to operate the appliances, spoke about the house rules (pasted on the wall), and gave us a stack of take-out (delivery) menus and maps.
For the first week, we stayed in a 2-bedroom 1-bath unit of a duplex house at Carson Road in an area called Plaistow for £450 including wifi (max. 2.5GB data). I paid a £200 non-refundable deposit to book it. A refundable security deposit of £300 upon check in was required. A cleaning service was available for £50 if we didn't want to clean the apartment ourselves. The apartment was a short walk to the main street where there are shops and the bus stop. Taking a bus 3 stops or walking 15 mins would get us to the Canning Town underground train station. The owner and his niece were very accommodating and helpful. Except for the neighbours upstairs who didn't sleep till 1am, it was a pleasure staying in the homely apartment.
4 Markets - 19 May
Fortunately, I had brought 4 packets of instant noodles. My dad had already cooked and eaten one by the time I woke up. Being jetlagged, we were up rather early so there wouldn't any place to get breakfast.
We bought 7-day unlimited travel Oyster cards (for zones 1-3) at £35.60 each. For details on the pricing and maps, go to Transport for London website. It's easy to figure out how to get to anywhere in London using http://www.streetmap.co.uk and the subway map. Streetmap is more reliable than Googlemaps. Googlemaps may give you the wrong location.
My dad was very interested to visit the markets so I had planned list of markets for us to visit for the week. Some markets are open only on certain days. The plan for Sunday was to visit 4 markets:
1. Brick Lane Market
It's a real dog
I stepped into a convenience store to buy a SIM card. As I stepped out, a guy asked me for some money. I walked back into the shop because it felt a little safer inside with the other tourists and the shopowner. I left the shop after the guy was no longer there. I was surprised to encounter such a beggar so early on my trip. I don't mind beggars sitting on the street as long as they don't bother people but I dislike those that come up to you to ask for money.
There are many stalls selling food but they are not cheap
3 for £5
More stalls selling food
My dad bought some Chinese food from a stall here. The noodles, fried chicken and fish were rather salty. My dad was looking for nice posters with scenery. The majority of the posters were of old movies. He commented that there wasn't much to buy - just many shops selling clothes. We were unimpressed.
Brick Lane Market
Website: http://www.visitbricklane.org/#/brick-lane-market/4537676886
What you can find here: Ethnic restaurants, stalls and cafes, second-hand wares, art posters, old records, clothes and accessories.
Market Opening Times: Sundays 9am-5pm (best day to visit is Sunday)
Shops, Galleries & Restaurants: Monday-Sunday, varying times
How To Get There:
Address: Brick Lane, Shoreditch, E1 6PU
Nearest tube: Aldgate East (5 mins)
Nearest overground: Liverpool Street (10 mins)
Buses: 8, 26, 35, 43 (Sun market hrs only), 47, 48, 67, 78, 149, 242
Parking: Spitalfields Car Park (6 mins)
2. Columbia Road flower market
"Supernice" shop
We walked from the Bricklane market to the Columbia Road flower market. It was very crowded here and it wasn't worth walking through the crowd because we weren't going to buy any flowers or plants. There are shops here selling home decorations but the items are very expensive.
What's worth seeing though are the gardens and the nice houses in the area. I spotted a squirrel outside a house. It was looking for food near the rubbish bin.
Squirrel looking for food
Columbia Road flower market
Website: http://www.columbiaroad.info
What you can find here: Flowers, plants and home decorations
Market Opening Times: Sundays from 8am - 3pm, some shops open during the week
By Underground: Bethnal Green station or Old Street station
3. Spitalfields market
And now, for our favourite market of the day. We took a bus to Spitalfields market. The place looks brand new. There are a number of nice shops selling artwork, handicraft and food, and a number of stalls selling hand-made goods with original designs. This is a rather interesting place. You can take pictures with a vintage car, buy ice cream from an ice cream van and even get a massage. You can also buy dogs here.
I bought these dogs. Aren't they lovely?
Vintage car
Ice cream van
You can get a massage
London-style umbrellas
I love British humour :D
They are all very expensive though. There wasn't anything worth buying. For handicrafts, this pales in comparison to Bangkok's Chatuchak in size, variety and price. Not that I was there to compare, but after reading such wonderful things about this market at the website, I expected more. And unlike Chatuchak, you can't really buy dogs here :(
The dog's owners are the man and woman
Spitalfields market
Website: http://www.spitalfields.co.uk
What you can find here: Market and shops selling fashion and interiors, handicraft, original artwork and food.
Spitalfields Traders Market Opening Times: Monday to Friday, 10am - 5pm, Sundays, 9am - 5pm including public holidays.
Spitalfields Shops Opening Times: Monday to Sunday, 10am - 7pm*
Restaurants in Spitalfields Opening Times: Monday to Friday, 8 am - 11pm. Saturday and Sundays, 9am - 11pm*
By Underground: Liverpool Street Station
By Bus: 135, 26, 35, 388, 47, 48, 78 and 8.
4. Petticoat Lane Market
No, I did not see any petticoats at this market. Not many women wear them anymore. But you can buy bras, panties, underwear, clothes, shoes and suitcases. Some clothes are very cheap but they might be second-hand. The dresses are the same as the ones that you can find in Bangkok and Singapore's Bugis Street. Out of curiosity, I asked a shop owner about the price of a simple dress. He wanted to sell me a dress for £18 ! I won't even pay SGD18 for it.
Many shops selling bras and panties
The clothes look like they were imported from Bangkok
Not sure about the source of these clothes
Not sure whether these are 2nd-hand clothes
Petticoat Lane Market
What you can find here: Men's, women's and children's clothes, innerwear and accessories
Location: Between Middlesex and Goulston Streets, Spitalfields, London E1 7HT. Market Opening Times: Sun 9am-3pm, with a smaller market open on Wentworth Street from Monday to Friday 10am-2.30pm.
Nearest station: Liverpool
It was only our first day here so my dad decided to take it easy and go back to rest. We took the tube from Liverpool station back to Canning Town station.
Liverpool station
Pub near Liverpool Station. This pub won't be granted a permit to operate in Singapore
Canning Town
Then we went to a supermarket to buy some microwaveable food to keep in the apartment. Interestingly, instant noodles were not sold here. That's where I saw a guy teenager buying 2 extra large bottles of soft drink.
Supermarket in Canning Town
It was dinnertime and my dad wanted to continue sleeping so I said I would headed out on my own. I took the tube to the River Thames. It was very pleasant and romantic walking along the river. Too bad I didn't have a partner :(
Along River Thames
Street artist
Skateboarders
Portobello Market - 20 May
This was my dad's favourite market on this trip. It was a rather chilly day - that's why I had my hands in my pockets in these pictures. This is an upmarket residential area so the houses here are beautiful.
Along the way to Portobello Market
Along the way to Portobello Market
There are many different types of decorative original vintage items and copies of vintage items here. I love the vintage signs. My favourite is: "Drink coffee - do stupid things with more energy"
And if I had a slave, I would buy a "Speakers' Corner" sign to hang in a corner. The slave would only be allowed to speak there.
The sexist ones are funny too!
"Both of us can't look good at the same time - it's either me or the house"
My dad bought several items from this shop. It's interesting how one person's junk can become another person's treasure.
This market is a long stretch of road. There are different items are different sections of the road:
Antiques Section - from Chepstow Villas to Elgin Crescent
Fruit and Veg - Elgin Crescent to Talbot Road
New Goods - Talbot Road to the Westway
Fashion Market - Street in General and Westway Area
Second Hand Goods - Westway to Goldbourne Road
There's a "makan" restaurant here
There's a nice, clean public toilet below street level
Portobello Market
Website: http://www.portobellomarket.org What you can find here: Men's, women's and children's clothes, innerwear and accessories
Location: Portobello Road
Market Opening Times: 8am-6.30pm Mon-Sat, closes 1pm Thu
Nearest station: Notting Hill Gate Station
Buses: 7, 12, 23, 27, 28, 31, 52, 70 & 328
My dad went back to rest and I went to meet a friend for dinner at a restaurant along the River Thames near the Waterloo Tube Station. I didn't bother to get on the London Eye. Like the Singapore Flyer, I find the London Eye slow and boring. I was early so all I did was take picture of it.
London Eye
British Museum - 21 May
My dad was meeting his friend for lunch and he isn't interested in museums so I went to the British Museum on my own. I was particularly interested in the Egyptian exhibits.
The British Museum
The museum is a huge building housing many different exhibits. What's wonderful about this museum is that it's free for locals and tourists. I understand that the British have refused to return many artifacts that originate from other countries. But the exhibits are well-displayed with adequate labels and explanation. Great amount of care is taken to preserve the artifacts. I've seen the state of the Cairo museum and I'd have to say that for the preservation of the artifacts, it would be best to leave them here. Besides, there is no fee charged at all so it's not like the British are making money from these exhibits but rather spending money to preserve them. What's interesting was: only the blind are allowed to touch the exhibits. That's brilliant! (No pun intended).
Here are some pictures of some of the exhibits. After walking for 2 hours, I hardly I only covered a small section of the museum. Photography without flash is allowed.
York - 22 May
Please refer to this post: York: 22 May 2013
Greenwich and Walthamstow Markets- 23 May
My dad had watched some videos about Greenwich on youtube and was keen to visit this market. We actually wanted to get an apartment in Greenwich but none were available at the right price. We had to change trains at the new financial district, Canary Wharf, from the underground to overground (docklands light railway or DLR) train to get to Greenwich. It was chilly and the wind was blowing strongly. Boy, were we glad when the train arrived!
Canary Wharf
Greenwich was most disappointing. The market was tiny. Most of the shops there sold old stuff such as used, vintage jewellery that wasn't in good condition but ridiculously expensive. Well, one man's junk is another's treasure? Not mine. The market was so small and miserable that it didn't even warrant a photo. This felt like a wasted trip and we were "grateful" about not living here. Greenwich Market
What you can find there: arts, craft and food stalls on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; antiques, vintage and collectables on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday and Bank Holidays: 10am - 5.30pm. Many market shops and pubs open all week.
It was still early in the day so we decided to go to another market: Walthamstow market. This the longest street market in Europe. There was supposed to be a bird shop near the train station. My dad was looking for bird-related items such as feeders. I tried calling the shop but nobody ever picked up. When we got there, we found that the shop had closed down. I had tried searching the internet and my dad had asked around but nobody seemed to be able to tell us where to find a bird shop.
It was quite a walk from the station to the Walthamstow market. It started to drizzle halfway. The market wasn't as long as we'd imagined. And there wasn't anything interesting to buy. Most of the items here look like they were imported from Asia. It was drizzling so I didn't want to ruin my camera. This place wasn't exciting enough to warrant a picture either.
We had a meal here. My dad order curry chicken. It tasted like it came right out of a frozen boxed meal from the supermarket. I had a burger. It was rather oily. While eating, we were entertained by a program in which people aired their grievances about their relationships and the host would try to help them solve the problem. I can't imagine why any one would hang out their dirty linen. Even if they are paid to be on the show, it's way too embarrassing!
Walthamstow Market
What you can find there: Clothes and accessories, food, household items
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 8.00am-5.00pm
Getting there: London Underground Walthamstow Central
London Buses Walthamstow Bus Station 20, 34, 48, 58, 69, 97, 212, 215, 230, 257, 275, 357, W11, W12, W15, W19
St James Street Station 158, 230, W12
We headed to the Westfield Stratford City mall for dinner. This is a large mall with many mid-range shops. But being from Singapore where malls are aplenty, I wasn't impressed.
We had fish and chips at the food court. This not a cheap food court though. Fish and chips were the cheapest item here (depending on the type of fish you order). Everything else was at least £10. I liked the buzzer that they provided. It would vibrate when the food was ready for collection. The fish and chips was very nice and big. The plate overflowed with chips and we couldn't finish it.
It was delicious!
Bourton-on-the-Water - 24 May
Please refer to this post: Bourton-on-the-Water: 24 May 2013
Broadway market - 25 May
Broadway market
The main attraction here is the food. My dad and I had some freshly cooked ravioli pasta and Vietnamese tea. In typical Asian style, there was a notice that the seats were only for guests of the tea shop. The pasta was wonderful! I would have bought some frozen ones home if I lived in London. We also had to switch apartments on this day so it wouldn't be feasible to pack an extra bag of ravioli. The tea was just ok. Perhaps we should have ordered coffee - which the Vietnamese is famous for.
Broadway Market
Website: http://www.broadwaymarket.co.uk/market.php
Marketing opening time: Only on Saturdays
What you can find here: Mainly food such as cheese, olive oil, meat, bread and other cooked food.
How to get here: The nearest tube station is Bethnal Green.
Nice wall mural at Broadway market
Fresh rabbit meat
Along the way to the train station, we saw a shop with many stuffed animals. This was someone's personal collection. We couldn't take pictures because photography wasn't allowed. An entrance fee is charged if you wish to go in and look. It's a very weird-looking shop - it took us a few seconds to figure out what it was - so it's no wonder they had to put this notice on the door:
Door of morbid shop
Morbid shop with stuffed animals
We had to switch apartments so we went back to clean and pack right after visiting this market. As luck would have it, the vacuum cleaner died on us. I informed the owner's niece about it and she said not to worry. We left the key in the house as instructed.
We had booked a car to take us to the other apartment but after waiting for 15 mins, there was still no sign of the driver. My dad walked to the shop where he had booked the car. The driver arrived 5 mins after he left. I asked the driver to pick my dad up at the shop but he asked me how to get there. Doesn't he know where the shop is that hired him?? My dad didn't tip the driver because he was late.
For the second week, we stayed in a 2-bedroom 2-baths apartment called Central House at Bow Road/Pudding Mill Lane. The apartment's map location is (http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=538033&y=183305&z=0&sv=E15+2NZ&st=2&pc=E15+2NZ&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf ) - Central House, High Street, London, E15 2NZ. The apartment is about 5 mins walk to the tube/DLR Station and there is a bus stop right in front of the apartment. The Mile End and Bow Road stations are several bus stops away. Payment had to be made through Googlepay so although the rent was £595 without wifi, the total amount spent including all the fees was £640.82. (£250 Non-refundable Reserv Fee + £10.42 Credit/Debit Card Fee was required to book the apartment, and the balance rent and security deposit of £345 + £14.57 Credit/Debit Card Fee + £500 + £20.83 Credit/Debit Card Fee were payable before arrival.) We had to clean the place and wash the towels, rugs and sheets. This apartment was more accessible - and definitely more expensive. The apartment is on the top floor of the building so we could see seagulls flying around the building. This is a refurbished industrial/office building so the placement of the radiators were a little strange (in the bathrooms and living room only). We had to use mobile fan heaters to heat up the rooms. I found the owner friendly but he follows a strict system and process to manage his properties. He has a no-nonsense style. Well, he worked in the banking sector in Singapore for a number of years so perhaps that has helped developed his style. He said we were the first Singaporean tenants who have never been to London before. I think we're either the last Singaporeans who've never visited or that most Singaporeans who visit would live in hotels on their first trip. There aren't many stray cats in London but I spotted one in the apartment compounds.
Cat at Central House
Outside Central House
Camden Lock and Borough Markets - 26 May
Camden Lock Market is very crowded and colourful place. Many of the shops sell the same type of souvenirs and those closer to the train station would obviously charge higher prices. There's a good variety of food here and places where you can sit and eat. My dad managed to buy some nice posters and I bought a few souvenirs. I think this is the cheapest place to buy souvenirs. If you're looking at my blog, searching for places to shop a good guide is: if you see me carrying a carrier bag in the picture, then yes you'd probably be able to find some interesting things to buy.
Camden Lock Market
Camden Lock Market
Lots of food choices here
You can enjoy eating by the river while sitting on these cute chairs
Camden Lock Lion - local celebrity
The most interesting window display I've ever seen
This is a good one!
Camden Lock Market
Website: www.camdenlockmarket.com
Nearest underground station: Camden Town station.
Market opening time: 9.30-5.30 Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat and Sun.
What you can find here: Antiques, clothes, books, food, crafts, souveniors.
FYI: typical salaries here
We went back to the previous apartment to collect the refund of the security deposit. They would normally refund it by bank transfer but because it would be from UK to Singapore, my bank would need to convert the currency and then also charge me a fee for the transfer. So getting the cash back by hand would be the best for me. The owner's niece was kind enough to oblige.
We headed to the River Thames. I had gone that before alone but since my dad hasn't been there and it was still early, we went there for a walk. The Borough Market is not open on Sundays but we went there to look at the old building.
Borough Market
http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk
Market opening time: For lunch only Mon-Wed 10am-3pm; Full market Thu 11am-5pm, Fri 12pm-6pm, Sat 8am-5pm
What you can find here: Cooked and uncooked food.
Nearest underground station: London Bridge Station
On the way to the river, we saw a car stuck in a narrow street, not meant for cars. Amused tourists like myself were snapping pictures and many were trying to walk through the small instead of waiting for the driver to clear the path. This made the woman in the car furious because she couldn't get out of there while people were not giving way to her.
Stuck car with furious woman and amused tourists taking pictures
River Thames
My dad wasn't interested in seeing the crown jewels so we didn't go to the Tower of London. £21.45 per adult is a rip off. Besides, there are many things to do in London for free, such as going to the many museums and seeing replica of ships such as this:
Replica of Sir Francis Drake's Ship
My dad wanted to go back to rest so I went to explore Oxford Street, Regent Street, Soho and Chinatown (they're all in the same area).
It was crowded but not as crowded as Singapore.
So cute! It makes me smile whenever I look at this picture!
Chinatown was unavoidable. We had run out of instant tea and instant noodles. I heard that we could only get such items in Chinese shops.
Chinatown
Massage is rather expensive £33
Instant coffee is extremely expensive £6.99
All the trishaw riders are non-Chinese
People had told me that Soho is a must-see. For a while, I wasn't even sure whether I was at the right place because it really wasn't that interesting. my friend told me that I would see a gay bar and that's where Soho starts. I saw the gay bar but that was about it. Perhaps I was there are the wrong time of the week or it's not nighttime yet. I saw people queuing food or the theatre, and sitting around at pubs. Mostly young people here. Perhaps it's a must-see because it's supposed to be for trendy, young people. But for me, it's just so...?
Soho
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