Day 1 - London (Camden + Portobello Market)

LONDON: 20 -25 Sep

Arriving in London

We flew off in the morning and after 13 hours in mid-air, we arrived in the...well, afternoon. The effects of jet-lag weren't that bad; it was worse when I returned to Singapore after the entire trip, but nonetheless, we were pretty exhausted from the flight there.

Departure hall at T3

Agyness Deyn in T3! *drool*

Arriving in London

Emm met us at Holborn station and we took a bus to her place, at Dalston Rd, Hackney. We didn't realise how extremely tiring it is to carry luggage (no matter what sizes) up and down buses, stairs (there are a lot of stairs at the underground stations), on and off trains, and etc.

It was quite a nice bus ride on a Saturday afternoon along Fleet Street (also known as the Street of Shame due to the press and newspaper journalism trade) because it was deserted!


Hackney, Dalston. Emm's house from the road - a typical London walk-up.



Our room was in the basement.

We were about to take a nice, hot shower when suddenly we realised that there was no hot water at all and the pilot light (whatever it is) was spoilt! So, braving the cold, I took a nice, COLD shower instead and we both knocked out almost immediately at around 9pm. We initially wanted to visit a girl club but I guess we're not invincible after all.

Day 1 - Camden Market and Portobello Market at Nottinghill

We were told that the markets in London were a must-go, so we shortlisted Camden Market for its alternative/punk atmosphere and Portobello Market for its nice antiques and knick-knacks, and also because it was situated in Notting Hill.

However, our first stop was at Piccadilly Circus, where we went to collect our London Day Passes.

After sneaking a peak at Piccadilly Circus, we took the tube to Camden and here's an insight of the underground trains in London:





Warning: The London tube can be quite hot and stuffy. The tunnels, trains and stations are pretty old, very much like Melbourne's transportation system, but much more comprehensive (I seriously think Australia needs to improve their public transportation system). The train seats are very near each other and in comparison with the MRT, the size and capacity of the tube is really quite tiny. But at least the trains are frequent - a train arrives approx. every 2-3 minutes.

Camden Market - loads of t-shirts, clothes and accessories.


One of the many punk/goth stores in Camden.


Camden Lock - where the market stalls selling handicraft, accessories and food are located. There are also shops selling vinyls and books.

The canal located right next to it, called Regent's Canal.


Queuing up for Britain's most famous local food - fish & chips





It was delicious...and filling too.


Market in Camden Lock.


Tiny souvenirs that Bunny bought at Camden.

We made our way to Portobello Market at Notting Hill, which was quite different from the alternative/punk Camden:

Bunny calls this picture: "Dykes who just got off bikes". Lol.

Browsing for souvenirs

Emm wanted to bring us to a lesbian cafe in the city so we took a bus and ended up here:




Can't remember the place of the cafe though but I know the nearest tube station is Tottenham Court Road. The banana cake (the one at the bottom) is TO DIE FOR!!! Maybe it's the creamy and buttery icing that they use...mmmm. I can still remember how it tastes and I love it, love it, love it!

We were supposed to meet one of Emm's Aussie friends for dinner in Chinatown, so we made our way to Soho:



And snapped pictures of the ubiquitous London cab and telephone booth (that smelled of piss):



A peep at London's Chinatown:


We went to the purported famous duck restaurant but we found it quite salty and fat, so we didn't really enjoy the food (although plenty of them said this is the best you can get in London).

Emm brought us to a gay bar, literally called G-A-Y, that was located in Soho. After a session of people-watching, we called it a night and went home by bus.

Waiting for the bus to Hackney.