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| A Mini-Reunion of 10 friends in Chinatown, London From left: Margaret, Hui Ching, Connie, Say Kim, Susan, Siew Peng, Noreen, Henrita, Rosalind, Katherine |
It was
the 17th of September 2019. Ten senior friends were eating and
chatting happily away in Four Seasons Restaurant in Chinatown, London. The
occasion? A mini-reunion of former Malaysian classmates aged 70-72.
In 1965,
we left our school the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus in Klang, Malaysia, at
age 18. Since then, everyone had gone her separate way in the world. Most of us settled down in Malaysia but some have gone abroad.
To meet up again in 2019, and in London, was a great achievement.
The
reason we could get together was because we are close classmates from the same
Alma Mater, where we appreciated good values and wholesome relationships. Growing up together and studying together for
many years (some as long as 11 years) helped forged an everlasting friendship
among us.
Why
London? The idea to travel so far was first mooted by Henrita, the organiser.
As two classmates (Say Kim and Susan) live there, it was a golden opportunity
to visit them. But before meeting up in London, we decided to travel round much
of the country as well.
The
members in this daring venture hailed from four continents (Europe, North
America, Australia and Asia): Henrita and Connie (Australia), Margaret, Hui
Ching and I (Malaysia), Siew Peng (the Netherlands), Rosalind (Canada) and
Noreen (Germany).
The
planning took one year to materialise. We communicated via email and WhatsApp.
Six of us (Henrita, Margaret, Connie, Siew Peng, Hui Ching and I) first toured Scotland. Say Kim joined us for
the Cotswolds stage before we all went on to London, where we ended up with
Rosalind, Noreen and Susan – a perfect 10.
THE TOUR
We rented a Volkswagon Sharan, with Margaret as our driver and Henrita, the
navigator. We
stayed in Airbnb most of the time.
 |
| Our rented car - Volkswagon Sharan |
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| Golden Girls with special t-shirts standing beside the rented car. From left: Katherine, Siew Peng, Rosalind, Henrita, Connie, Margaret, Hui Ching |
Our theme for the holiday was “Adventure
before Dementia”, as this condition affects the elderly and we were aged 70 -72.
Margaret presented us with T- shirts embossed with this slogan and we happily wore
them on some days of our tour.
SCOTLAND
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| Map of Scotland showing the 3 places we visited |
Scotland has a rich history and stunning
scenery. It is famous for green forests, towering mountains, vast lochs and a
lively culture.
Edinburgh
Three
days in Edinburgh gave us a taste of Scotland’s rich history and stunning scenery.
We visited Edinburgh Castle, walked along the Royal Mile, joined a Hairy Coo
tour and got on a Hop-on-and-hop-off bus.
Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which
dominates the skyline of Edinburgh, from its position on the Castle Rock. It overlooks the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site.
The Castle now serves as a military station and
is home to the Scottish national War Memorial. It is home to the Crown Jewels
and also the Stone of Destiny since its return to Scotland from Westminister in 1996.
With
the aid of an audio guide (available in 8 languages) that explains the castle’s
architecture and its dramatic history, I managed to see some of the castle’s
highlights, including the Crown Jewels (but no pictures were allowed).
 |
| Entrance to Edinburgh Castle From left: Henrita, Margaret, Hui Ching, Siew Peng, Connie and Katherine All of us wore the special embossed t-shirts |
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| The imposing Edinburgh Castle |
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| Inside the Edinburgh Castle - the main attraction was the Crown Jewels |
Royal
Mile
Edinburgh town grew out from the Edinburgh Castle,
with the first houses built on the area now called Lawnmarket and then down the
slope of the rock, forming a single street, the Royal Mile. This street is so
called because it was the route that royalty would take when travelling to the
castle.
After lunch in Burgens and Beers,
Grill House, we walked along the Royal Mile, from the Edinburgh Castle right
down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, stopping at shops or buildings that
interest us.
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Western Meal at Burgens and Beers, Grill House -
chicken skewers,piri-piri chicken, chorizo skewers, sweet potato fries, salad, coleslaw,
cheesy nachos
|
Tourists
from all parts of the world were walking along this special street as well. The
pictures below are some of the highlights.
 |
| At the beginning of the Royal Mile, next to the Edinburgh Castle |
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| The Royal Mile is filled with tourists from many different countries |
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| Souvenirs galore for family and friends |
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| Souvenirs of Scotland |
 | ||
Scotland's famous Whiskey
|
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| Scottish Parliament Building |
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| Palace of Holyroodhouse - official residence of the British monarch in Scotland, Queen Elizabeth II. |
Hairy Coo Tour
We
had a comprehensive 1-Day Free Hairy Coo tour. The driver-cum-guide, Stephen,
was entertaining. Besides describing the tourist highlights along the route, he
also related many frightening stories of William Wallace and Mary Queen of
Scots.
We viewed bridges, parks, lochs, monuments, churches and castles, often getting down to get a better view, albeit in the cold and windy weather.
We viewed bridges, parks, lochs, monuments, churches and castles, often getting down to get a better view, albeit in the cold and windy weather.
At
the last stop, there was excitement all round when we got to see the Hairy Coo
(Scottish Highland cattle) face to face.
Some of the highlights:
Some of the highlights:
 |
| Lunch at Faerie Tree: Shepherd's Pie, Fish and Chips, Chicken Pie, Salad, Soup. |
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| Stephen, our entertaining driver and guide. He had lots of humorous stories |
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| Hairy Coo Bus |
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| National Wallace Monument - contains 3 floors of exhibitions and an accessible Crown Spire with stunning views. There is a sourvenir shop too |
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| Queensferry Crossing |
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| Forth Rail Bridge |
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| Loch Katrine - Wow! a loch named after me. |
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| Duone Castle - 14th century courtyard castle. This was used as a film location for many movies like Ivanhoe, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Game of Thrones and Outlander |
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| Hairy Coo or Highland cattle are a Scottish cattle breed. They have long horns, long wavy, woolly coats that are coloured red, ginger, black, yellow, white or grey. |
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| Stephen feeding carrot to Hairy Coo - mouth to mouth |
Hop-on-and-off bus tour.
The Hop-on-and-off bus tour gave us an overview
of Edinburgh. We managed to see certain parts of Edinburgh that were away from
the Royal Mile. It was unfortunate that some roads were cordoned off for the filming
of the movie “Fast and Furious”, and we had to miss certain sites.
 |
| Colourful Hop-on-and-hop-off bus |
 |
| Pausing at Princes Street for a shot on our way to the bus |
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| Scott Monument |
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| With a handsome bagpiper, Statue of Sir Walter Scott is behind us |
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| Princes Street Garden, with statue of Thomas Guthrie, a Victorian preacher |
Inverness
We set off for Inverness at 9.45 am, after managing
to put our entire luggage in the back of the car.
 |
| Our entire luggage, packed to maximum capacity |
We drove past coniferous
forests, purple heather (Scotland is famous for jewellery made from it) and
green hills.
After lunch in Eastgate Shopping Centre and
grocery-shopping in Morrison in the town centre, we continued on our way to our
Airbnb, Sea Lodge, which was a lovely place next to the sea.
 |
| Shopping in Eastgate Shopping Centre |
Staying in the Airbnb has advantages – we could cook
our own meals. That night, I cooked chi kut
teh (herbal chicken) for my travel mates. Everyone relished that Malaysian dish.
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| Enjoying chi kut teh in our Airbnb which has a well-equipped kitchen |
Sometimes we have a game of cards or a drink of Scots
stout. This resulted in a lot of joy and laughter.
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| A game of cards like Black Jack - which brings out a lot of laughter |
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| Happy Hour - with Scots stout: Cheers! |
Fort Augustus
We stopped for a while to watch the boats sailing along the Caledonian Canal which passes through the centre of the village. This 60-mile Canal links Fort William to Inverness.
I wandered along the village and discovered an interesting place - the Caledonian Canal Centre. Tourists have tea of homemade Scottish snacks, or they browse in the gift shop there.
Next
morning, we set off at 10 am, to Fort Augustus, travelling on both sides of
Loch Ness. Fort Augustus is situated on the shore at the extreme south-western
end of Loch Ness. Loch is the Scottish name for a lake or a sea inlet.
Fort
Augustus is a village that is compact, picturesque, and is very popular
with tourists. Many people take cruises along the Loch Ness in the hope
of sighting Nessie, the legendary monster. Others go cycling, canoeing and
sailing.
Our
group just strolled around the town, enjoying the natural
landscape, crystal-clear blue lake and quaint houses.
We stopped for a while to watch the boats sailing along the Caledonian Canal which passes through the centre of the village. This 60-mile Canal links Fort William to Inverness.
I wandered along the village and discovered an interesting place - the Caledonian Canal Centre. Tourists have tea of homemade Scottish snacks, or they browse in the gift shop there.
I went further in and had a good look at a small exhibition
of the history of the Caledonian Canal, with a fascinating story of
Nessie.
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| Caledonian Canal in Fort Augustus - with quaint houses and scenic landscape |
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| Boats for hire, to cruise along Loch Ness in search for legendary Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster |
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| Our group of 6, in our embossed t-shirts, in front of Loch Ness, in Fort Augustus |
 | ||
The Caledonian Canal Centre - an interesting place to wander and explore
|
On the way back, we checked out the Loch
Ness Centre and Exhibition. Tourists who like Science and mystery will enjoy
the exhibits on Scottish lochs inside.
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| The informative Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition. |
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| The process of making Heathergems. The finished product is shown below: |
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| A Pendant - handcrafted from stems of Scottish heather |
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| A pendant and a pair of matching earrings |
In the evening, some of us went for a long walk around our Airbnb, soaking in the fresh and clean air and learning more about the plants around us, like the rosehip bush
and fireweed.
Glasgow
Early
next morning, we set off for Glasgow, passing through meadows, heather hills
and dales, with blue skies and willowy white clouds, all the way. We do not get
such a pleasant environment in Malaysia.
Glasgow
started as a small rural settlement on River Clyde but now it is the largest
seaport in Scotland, and tenth largest by tonnage in Briton.
We arrived in Glasgow city centre around noon. Entering the city, I noticed concrete tall buildings of Victorian architecture, a stark contrast to the natural landscape of Fort Augustus.
We arrived in Glasgow city centre around noon. Entering the city, I noticed concrete tall buildings of Victorian architecture, a stark contrast to the natural landscape of Fort Augustus.
There was a hive of activity on the streets - people of all
walks of life were moving to and fro in the high-rise buildings with high-end
attractions.
We wasted some time looking for toilets near Debenhams. The waiting for each other was bearable because a busker on the street entertained us with many favourite oldies.
Later, we had lunch at Lychee, a tastefully decorated Chinese Restaurant, before checking into Hotel Ibis.
Later, we had lunch at Lychee, a tastefully decorated Chinese Restaurant, before checking into Hotel Ibis.
 |
| Glasgow - concrete high-rise buildings of Victorian architecture, a stark contrast to the natural landscape of Fort Augustus. |
 |
| Glasgow - a hive of activity - people of all walks of life were moving about in this city |
Next morning, after attending service in St Ninnian Church, we were on our way to cross the border to England.
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| St Ninnian Church - we attended Service here |
Moffat Mill
En route, we stopped at Moffat Mill, a fantastic place to stop, eat and shop.
 | |
Lunch
|
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| Mofatt Mill, a fantastic place to stop, eat and shop |
Then it was goodbye to Scotland - with fond memories of castles, churches, museums, monuments, Victorian buildings and men in kilts playing bagpipes.
................................................................................................
ENGLAND
I was excited when we crossed the border to England. This was the country we had learnt a lot about from our Geography, History and Literature lessons.
Finally,
we arrived in London. Together
with Noreen and Rosalind, we managed to cover Windsor Castle, Tower Bridge and Chinatown.
Penrith
Lake District
Cockermouth
In Cockermouth, we passed the place where William Wordsworth was born, but unfortunately it was not open.
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a county in the Midlands region of England. This county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare. We visited four places here.
Below are some treasures of the interior of the 10th century church, the oldest church in Warwickshire:
2. Stratford-upon-Avon
As we ambled along - shops and articles were
cleverly decked with names associated with William Shakespeare’s works – I was
spellbound. It brought back memories of the plays we studied in English
literature.
3. Warwick
St Nicholas Park
“These are
petunias, snapdragons, begonias, cosmos, geraniums, cannas, rudbeckias and
daisies,” rattled off Say Kim, all in one breath. I marvelled at her wide
knowledge of flowers.
Below are the flowers that charmed us:
Warwick Castle
 |
| Map of England showing some the places we visited |
I was excited when we crossed the border to England. This was the country we had learnt a lot about from our Geography, History and Literature lessons.
The
first town we arrived in was Penrith.
We visited the Lake District, famous
for its glacial ribbon lakes, rugged fell mountains and historic literary
associations.
From
Penrith, we drove to Solihull, where
three of us stayed with Say Kim while the other three stayed
in a rented home. Say Kim, our hospitable hostess, accompanied us to places
around Solihull, often spicing up the places with appealing anecdotes. These included St Peter’s
Wooton Wawen, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwick, Leamington Spa, the Cotswolds and Birmingham.
Penrith
We
arrived in Penrith for
a two-night stay. I liked the Airbnb “Whitbarrow” - a cottage in a holiday park. Colourful plants dotted the cool and pleasing environment. The main administration centre,
a 10 minutes’ walking distance away, has a gym, swimming pool, bar,
relationship room and launderette.
At dinner time, while on our way to the Eden Bar and Cafe (at the
main administration centre), I was amazed to see a giant ground chess set. Two
guys were having a good time playing with the huge chess pieces.
 |
| Our Airbnb "Whitbarrow" in Penrith |
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| Two guys playing chess with the giant chess pieces |
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| Our dinner at Eden Bar and Cafe, Penrith - prawn cocktail, soup with bun, beef steak and potato, fish and chips, cod and chips, lasagne and garlic bread |
Lake District
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| Map of the Lake District |
Lake District is a region and national park
in Cumbria in North-West England. From Penrith, we drove all the way to Cockermouth on the west, then southwards to Grasmere, Ambleside and Windermere.
Cockermouth
In Cockermouth, we passed the place where William Wordsworth was born, but unfortunately it was not open.
Grasmere
We visited Dove Cottage where William Wordsworth lived with his sister Dorothy for eight years. William Wordsworth wrote most of his famous poems there, including Daffodils. Dorothy Wordsworth was an author, poet and diarist.
Dove Cottage was acquired by the Wordsworth Trust in 1890 and opened to the public as a Writer’s Home Museum. However, it was under renovation and we had only a brief look at the place.
Windermere
 |
| On our way to Dove Cottage |
Dove Cottage was acquired by the Wordsworth Trust in 1890 and opened to the public as a Writer’s Home Museum. However, it was under renovation and we had only a brief look at the place.
 |
| Dove Cottage where William Wordsworth lived with his sister Dorothy |
Undaunted by this double disappointment, we zoomed in to a Souvenir shop selling all sorts of memorabilia associated with William Wordsworth and came away pleased with our purchases.
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| Gift Shop selling all types of books and souvenirs related to William Wordsworth. The dark pink flowering shrub outside is berberis, a medicinal plant. |
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| The shop sells all types of memorabilia associated with William Wordsworth |
We passed picturesque Ambleside, but it
was raining by then, unfortunately. I would have loved to visit the Beatrix
Potter Gallery and Hawkshead, showing original illustrations of children’s
writer, Beatrix Potter.
Alternatively,
we spent a lazy afternoon in the Bay in Windermere, where there
were cruises round the Lake and rowing boats for hire. Many tourists were
enjoying the peaceful and scenic surroundings.
I
chanced upon a wedding couple capturing their memorable moments in that harmonious setting.
Some scenes from Windermere:
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| Shops with colourful bouquets as window dressing |
 | |
| Shops selling toys resembling Peter the Rabbit |
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| Shops with unique windows |
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| The Bay area in Windermere, with boats for hire |
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| A wedding couple taking photos with a swan |
Warwickshire
 |
| Map of Warwickshire showing places we visited |
Warwickshire is a county in the Midlands region of England. This county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare. We visited four places here.
1. St Peter’s Church, Wootton Wawen
From Solihull,
we visited a church, St Peter’s in Wootton
Wawen, on the way to Stratford-upon-Avon. Wooten Wawen is a village and civil parish
in the Stratford-on-Avon district. It is about 6 ½ miles (10 km), north of
Stratford-upon Avon.
We spent some time viewing this old and historic
church. There is a Saxon Sanctuary Exhibition detailing a colourful story of a
village in the magical Forest of Arden.
 |
| In front of St Peter's Church, Wootton Wawen |
Below are some treasures of the interior of the 10th century church, the oldest church in Warwickshire:
 |
| A 15th century parclose screen |
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| Pretty painted glasses |
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| Francis Smith effigy (died 1605), Member of Parliament |
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| John Harewell effigy (died 1428), with head resting on his helmetand his feet resting on a small dog |
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| An organ gifted by Geo.A.Mansill, Esq.J.P on 18th July 1958 |
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| One of the Exhibition displaysdetailing the Saxon Sanctuary story |
2. Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a medieval market town. It is
the birthplace of William Shakespeare, who is famous for his sonnets and plays
like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Hamlet”.
The Royal Shakespeare Company performs his plays in
the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and adjacent Swan Theatre on the banks of River
Avon.
 |
| The Market Cross |
 |
| At the entrance, walking into the Shopping Mall |
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| Say Kim in front of the shop called "As You Like It" |
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| A large portrait of The Bard |
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| Say Kim and I in the middle of the road where no vehicles can pass through |
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| Our group in a picturesque setting |
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| Framed photos of Shakespeare's plays |
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| Shakespeare's birthplace |
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| The Gower Memorial - with statues of characters from Shakespeare's plays Photo: Say Kim |
After walking along the various shops (many with names associated with Shakespeare or his plays), we went on a relaxing cruise on River Avon.
Having Say Kim with us was a bonus. As we cruised along, she pointed out special significant buildings and bridges. Swans swimming elegantly along the river added to the beauty of the scenery.
Some of the sights along the cruise:
Having Say Kim with us was a bonus. As we cruised along, she pointed out special significant buildings and bridges. Swans swimming elegantly along the river added to the beauty of the scenery.
 |
| Henrita, Siew Peng, Hui Ching and Katherine sitting comfortably in front, on the cruise along River Avon Photo: Say Kim |
 | ||
| Connie and Margaret sit inside where it is shady and cool Photo: Say Kim |
Some of the sights along the cruise:
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| Trinity Church |
 |
| The Royal Shakespeare Theatre |
 | |||
| The lock - for boats to join the river from the canal and vice versa |
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| A pedestrian bridge across the River Avon - formerly a tramway |
 |
| Swans swimming along River Avon |
3. Warwick
St Nicholas Park
In Warwick, a town on River Avon, our first stop was
St Nicholas Park. Everyone oohed and
aahhed at the rainbow-coloured flowers, creatively grown in varying patterns.
Below are the flowers that charmed us:
 |
| Five happy faces in a charming garden |
Warwick Castle
Following this, we went to Warwick Castle, but we only viewed it from a viewpoint
across the river and from below the ramparts. This Castle, founded by William
the Conqueror, was in a romantic setting. It looked majestic from every angle.
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| Warwick Castle in a romantic setting |
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| Warwick Castle - framed by two curved structures |
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| Warwick Castle - at a majestic height |
4. Jephson Gardens
We continued our journey to Leamington Spa, to
another gorgeous garden, Jephson Gardens. I was awed by the creative display of
flowers, flowers I have only read about in magazines or story books. It was the
first time I had touched the gunnera’s huge leaves. The fountain, with active
ducks and birds around, complemented the superb setting.
 |
| Creative display of flowers |
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| Fascination with Gunnera's huge leaves |
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| Fountain with birds and ducks around |
 | |
| Sensory Garden - a patchwork of Begonias, Anntirihiniums, Verbenia and Petunias |
Cotswolds
 |
| The Cotswolds showing 2 places we visited |
The Cotswolds
is an enchanting region of limestone hills. We visited two places there,
Broadway and Bourton-on-the-Water.
1. Broadway
The picturesque honey-coloured stone buildings with
thatched roofs in Broadway are particularly out of this world. I could not stop
snapping photo after photo.
 |
| Rows of houses with honey-coloured bricks and black thatched roofs |
 |
| Relaxing on a bench against a backdrop of the honey-coloured brick buildings |
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| In front of the thatched-roof houses. The thatch is straw coloured when new but becomes black with age |
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| Shop with gifts and souvenirs artistically displayed |
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| An eye-catching display of needle-work crafts |
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| A church with the unique stone bricks |
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| A shop with a quaint exterior and many creative art works in the interior |
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| A decorated van, loaded with a variety of vegetables for sale |
2. Bourton-on-the-Water
Bourton-on-the-Water was scenic – but we were more focussed on shopping for gifts there. In one shop selling sheep skin products, I was attracted to handbags and wallets embossed with pretty book and animal designs.
 |
| Picturesque and serene |
 |
| Five happy seniors enjoying the scene |
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| Captivating scenery |
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| Building with characteristic honey-coloured stones |
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| Shop selling jewellery and other souvenirs |
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| Jewellery with different designs |
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| Shop selling all kinds of products made from sheep skin |
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| Handbags and wallets embossed with book and animal designs |
Birmingham
A visit to Birmingham
was quite an adventure. We took a train there. Can you imagine seven
seniors rushing from one station to another, with Say Kim keeping an eye on
everyone to ensure no one was left behind? We made it, without any mishap,
although some struggled at the stairs due to weak knees.
After a yummy dim
sum lunch in Chinatown, Say Kim took us on a walking tour around the city centre.
 |
| A yummy Dim Sum lunch in Chung Ying Restaurant in Chinatown. Dave (3rd from right), Say Kim's husband, joined us. |
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| Miss Selfridge Departmental Store - designed like a fly's eye |
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| Bull Ring Indoor Market |
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| Bull Ring Market Place - like Malaysia's Pasar Malam |
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| The front of Birmingham New Street Station - known for its reflective material |
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| Birmingham City Council Building |
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| A peaceful Brexit demonstration |
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| Birmingham Cathedral |
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| Victoria Square Photo: Say Kim |
LONDON
Finally, we were in London. With only three days in
London, we decided to visit places most of us had not been to. These were Windsor Castle, Tower Bridge and
Chinatown.
1. Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in
the English county of Berkshire. It is the oldest and largest occupied castle
in the world. Built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, 39
monarchs have resided in it. Currently, the Queen spends most of her private
weekends at the Castle.
I felt privileged to visit St George's Chapel (venue of the Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle) and the State Apartments (but no pictures were allowed).
 |
| Hungerford Bridge - with skyline of London's well-known buildings Photo: Say Kim |
Windsor Castle - oldest and largest occupied
castle in the world.
 | |
| A model showing the growth and expansion of Windsor Castle through the ages |
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| An arrow slit in the wall of Windsor Castle Photo: Say Kim |
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| Testing out the old cannon Photo: Say Kim |
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| The former water-filled moat to keep out attackers - now it is an eye-catching landscaped garden |
 | |
| This tower was the original heart of Windsor Castle - started as just a wooden fort |
 |
| St George's Chapel - where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married |
2. Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge (total length 801 ft or 244 m), a combined bascule and suspension bridge, was built between 1886 and 1894. It crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London. It is sometimes confused with London Bridge, about half a mile
(0.8 km) upstream.
 |
| The iconic Tower Bridge |
What a spectacular bridge! At close range, it looked
so different from what I had seen in photographs.
I walked down
to the Traitor’s Gate and shivered as I tried to visualise prisoners being taken
by boat through that Gate into the tower, many on the way to their execution.
 | |||
| Traitor's Gate - Prisoners were taken by boat through this Gate into the tower for execution |
We toured from the city to Greenwich, enjoying the river panorama with its iconic bridges and buildings like Tower Bridge again.
 |
| A Pier named after me! |
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| Waiting at St Katharine's Pier for the cruise Photo: Say Kim |
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| Passengers blissfully happy on a leisurely cruise on the Thames River to see London |
Cruising along the Thames river
Sights on the cruise:
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| Tower Bridge - as viewed from the cruise Photo: Say Kim |
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| London Bridge |
 |
| The Cutty Sark - a 19th century tea clipper, used for the China tea trade |
 |
| The Globe - the black-and-white building on the right |
 |
| Old Billingsgate - Old London Fish Market, with the fish weather vane on the roof |
 |
| St Paul's Cathedral |
 |
| HMS Belfast - a World War II ship, now a naval museum |
 |
| The London Eye - with the former London County Hall next to it |
 |
| The Canary Wharf |
Seeing London together, on a cruise, with Say Kim pointing out interesting features was most enjoyable. Rosalind agreed. She said, “I enjoyed the river cruise; particularly seeing Canary Wharf from the river”.
3. Chinatown
Chinatowns are found in cities all over the world.
It is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside mainland China, Hong
Kong, Macau or Taiwan.
The biggest and best Chinatown in the world is the
San Francisco Chinatown. London’s Chinatown is the World’s third largest
Chinatown.
In 2016, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York,
inaugurated a new Chinatown Gate. This is created in the style of the Qing Dynasty.
London’s Chinatown has over 80 restaurants, supermarkets, Chinese bakeries and
souvenir shops, all mainly centred on Gerrard Street.
After our cruise, we took a Tube there. The place
was brightly-lit, decorated with rows and rows of red lanterns above. Red lanterns are not only radiant and decorative,
they symbolise booming life and prosperous business.
We went to Gerrard Street to meet up in the Four
Seasons Restaurant with Susan. There were two Four Seasons Restaurants there
and we finally located the one with a row of roast ducks near the window.
 |
| The Chinatown Gate - vibrant and ornamental with traditional Qing Dynasty designs |
 |
| Chinatown -vibrant and elaborately decorated with overhanging red lanterns |
 |
| People (one dressed up in Mickey Mouse costume) walking around merrily |
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| Four Seasons Restaurant - attractive with mouth-watering dishes displayed. At first, we mistook it for our meeting place |
 |
| Four Seasons Restaurant with roast ducks displayed - This was the correct Restaurant for our meeting |
A Mini-reunion
The climax of our holiday was a dinner and a
mini-reunion with Susan in Chinatown. Chinatown was a perfect venue for our
rendezvous – oriental, with festive lanterns overhead, and lots of Asian food
all around. After tasting mostly Western food on the trip, it was a joy to
relish the sumptuous spread of Chinese dishes.
 |
A Mini-reunion of 10 Golden Girls in a Round Table in Chinatown
Clockwise, from left: Katherine, Margaret, Siew Peng, Say Kim,
Henrita, Noreen,Susan, Connie, Rosalind, Hui Ching |
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| Appetising vegetables |
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| Yummy meat and fish dishes |
The meeting was a noisy affair. As we ate, we talked
non-stop. Some members had not seen Susan since leaving school 54 years ago, so
everyone was eager to have a word with her. Back in 1965, never in our wildest
dreams did we imagine meeting up in our seventies, and in faraway London!
One endearing topic was whether we had changed since
our schooldays. Looking at our class photos (taken in 1963 and 1965), most of
us have not changed much - but undeniably we have a wider waistline, greying hair and extra
facial lines. Let’s call this a sign of maturity and wisdom!
Incidentally, four of us had taken a photo in 1969
and coincidentally all four of us (who live in different parts of the world),
were there together. What a rare occasion! We could not resist taking another
photo again, 50 years later.
 |
| Form 3 Class with Form Teacher Miss Murray- 1963 8 of us are in this photo. Can you spot us? |
 | ||||||
| Form 5 Class Photo - with Form Teacher Sister Helen 9 of us are in this photo. Can you spot us? |
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| 1969, Klang, aged 22, young and innocent |
 |
| 2019, London, aged 72 - senior and mature |
Travelling together in Scotland and England was memorable.
Our adventure was not the adrenaline-pumping type (like bungee-jumping), but
seeing new places and sharing experiences together. Being together for two and a half weeks gave
us the opportunity to relive our younger days and to bond our friendship.
Our Adventure before Dementia has ended but back
home, we continue to re-live it, as well
as share our thoughts and ideas about life through our chat group. We look
forward to growing old gracefully together sans dementia.
................................................................................................
I would like to thank the following: Say Kim, a great hostess and tour
guide; Henrita, organiser and navigator; Margaret, driver; Siew Peng, treasurer; and everyone else for a memorable holiday.
