English Odyssey: Gloucester Day 6

Day 6 and we were idling around didn't know what to do, where to go...

I don't remember who's bright idea it was to go to Gloucester...

English Lesson for the Day:

Gloucester is pronounced as "Gloster" by the way!

while

Worcester (think sauce) is pronounced as "Worster" !! Taa-daa !

So we drove round 45 -50mins down to Gloucester, had a coffee at Cafe Nero, then drove round the harbour/pier thingy... Didn't particularly like Gloucester... Seriously, nothing much...

Well, if you've got nothing better to do you can always go on the Ferris Wheel ??

Yup, folks, I couldn't anything better to photograph anymore... So we loitered around and ended up grocery shopping at Tesco then driving back to Hereford again.....

English Odyssey: Horseworld Bristol Day 5

I was feeling a bit on the edge psyching myself up for the Riding lesson my boyfriend organized for me. It helped that the Horseworld Manager, Mr. Jerry Watkins is a good friend of my boyfriend back in he's RSPCA days, so it's a relief to know that they would not try to kill me!

I've never really encountered a Horse up close before but the fear of making a fool of myself like falling off a horse or worse, getting kicked was what I feared most ...

So we got to Bristol early around 8am and had McDonald's...

Crossing the bridge to Bristol...

http://www.horseworld.org.uk/

HorseWorld is a charity that was established in 1952 specializing in rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming horses, ponies and donkeys in need. The majority of animals come to HorseWorld after being abandoned, mistreated or neglected, as retired racehorses or because their owner can no longer care for them. This is hardly suprising as feeding a horse costs almost an arm and a leg! In the UK, you can buy a horse or pony roughly around  £ 500 (RM 2,750) for Ponies or up to £ 5000 (RM 27,500)  for a well-schooled Gelding or Mare. Monthly cost of feeding you will need to set aside £ 70 to £ 100 (RM 385 to RM 550) or more not inclusive of supplements!!! Parents, if your kid's asks you for a Pony for their Birthday, give your kid a smack and ask them to go clean their room! One should never give Pets as presents !!!

Horseworld has got two sections; one Visitor's Centre and the Animal Welfare Centre. We let ourselves in the Animal Welfare Centre and my boyfriend went to say Hi to everybody there and introduced me to Jerry. As the guys chatted, the girls fitted me with a suitable riding hat in case I fall off a horse and also helped me choose one that didn't make my head look like an "Egg Head" the girl Sarah joked which I couldn't quite make out she was genuinely joking or being sarcastic.

Jerry had to leave for a meeting in an hour's time but he was so kind enough to walk us inside to the fenced fields where all the horses in the centre are worked (ride) by Volunteers. Inside the field two girls were working with their horses or what they call warm up and Jerry called out to one of the girls, Sarah. Sarah and the beautiful, HUGE brown mare, trotted over and Jerry happily exclaimed to me "Here's your horse, she's a very good girl!" , I stared at my boyfriend then at Jeremy wailing "I thought you said I'm getting a Pony !!!" I was really scared now.

Getting up on the horse was not funny. I had to step on a crate and Jerry had to prop me up and he told me to heave myself with all my strength! I did it in one try thank God, and was thankful I didn't fall over the other side. I hung on for dear life and being suspended so high above ground didn't make me very happy...

Jerry instructing me how to hold the reins correctly

How to make the horse do a left turn or a right turn; Tug the reins slightly and the horse goes wherever you tug...

Trying to steer on my own....

When the horse cantered I was bobbing up and down like a Bob Head doll while my boyfriend and Jerry stood one side laughing ... so embarassing :(

Jerry must be so proud of me ; for not falling off the horse !!

Jerry had to make a move so we were left to entertain ourselves at the Centre. Sarah offered to teach me horse grooming in the stables but my boyfriend had other plans :)  We managed to wiggle in to the Horseworld Visitor's Centre for free! Wooohooo!!

Beware of Horse! Ggrrr!

Very interesting and Educational stuff catered more for children. Also, you can sit inside and watch a Video presentation on Horseworld's History and clips of he horses they rescued.

Fun facts for children; teaches kids what does a Horse/Pony needs

Drop a coin in and the machine neighs at you! Yeeee haa!

They weren't kidding; £ 683.50 = RM 3,579.25 !!

Told you it ain't cheap !

Staffs at Horseworld giving a Children's presentation. Donkeys and Ponies are trained using Clicker Method and positive reinforcement to perform simple tricks !

Apache (Black & White) Pony doing a little dance ...

Ferret Petting session: Note that the Ferret is constantly handled by the Staff at all times. Children are allowed to pet the ferrets under supervision. Sadly, in Malaysia Petting Zoos leave their animals unattended and being harrassed by the public. There is no Educational value but will only leave the animals very stressed, traumatized and possible transmission of disease.

Apart from Horses and Ponies, Horseworld also rescues Donkeys !

Kid's don't attempt to do this !!

We left Horseworld round late afternoon, did some Merchandise shopping at their Giftshop! Since we were in Bristol, we decided to go pay Bristol Cats and Dogs Home a visit!

Up next: Bristol Cats and Dogs Home (Animal Shelter)

English Odyssey: Ledbury Day 4

My first time living in a Caravan! It's equivalent to a Studio Apartment, minus another 300 square feet perhaps...

Morning comes and we are in Lucksall, a camp site for touring or static Caravans. With water, electricity provided and they even throw in free ducks for you! The gang of ducks were our source of Evening Entertainment!! This is also the place I learnt for the first time to make your showers quick, like PRONTO! PRONTO! Every 3 minutes costs 20p (RM 1.50) and you put the coins in a machine before you enter the shower cubicle and do your thang as quickly as humanly possible. Last thing you want is getting stuck in there covered in soap and the water has stopped running... Yes, folks, it did happen to me :(

In KL, we are so used to the fact and take for granted that we can get to anywhere in the time span of literally minutes! A Supermarket, McDonald's or even Starbucks could be walking distance... But Oh nooo, not in countryside England. Going to the supermarket could take 40minutes, which the nearest was a Morrison's in Ross. 

Bulmers, Now....

... Bulmers, back then....

Aaahhhh.... the good stuff !

So today my boyfriend wanted to take me to see Ledbury, about two hours drive from Hereford. Ledbury is a really scenic Old Town famous for producing Jams/ Fruit Preserves for at God knows how many decades, and currently the place that produces Bulmers Cider!

The famous Historical Town Market .... I'm sure you see a lot of these houses in Sg.Long !

The Horseshoe Inn /Pub...

When we got there I was dumbstruck! What a pretty place! Flower pots flowing with flowers everywhere, so neat so tidy! How charming! :) It was noon and both of us were starting to feel hungry. Although, I'm not a fan of "Chippies" (Fish & Chips) and hardly order it in KL, but hey, it's an English thing, so we it was Chippie with Salt N' Vinegar for lunch...

Much to my embarrassment and to my boyfriend's horror, I said "Wow, check out the architecture! Looks so pre-war ..." He balked at me saying "What Pre-War ?? These things have been around for hundreds of years!! " ... The thing about growing up in KL, the oldest buildings are probably those shoplots found on Jalan Raja Laut or Jalan Sultan, Petaling Street!!

As we walked to the little alleys I was more and more enticed what a cute place this is!

In this little alley was the Ledbury's Museum which housed all the Historical Information dating back to the 1700's ! We flipped through a Photo Album compiled since early 1900's and there is actually a photo comparison of the Town in 1908 and 2001, apparently nothing has changed. Everything looks exactly the same. I started to feel a bit creepy....

Victorian Gowns preserved in pristine condition...

Those days the people took their baths in these....

.... and if this isn't enough to creep you out!! 

We also stopped by the Ledbury Parish Church and after that we decided to head back to Hereford... We stopped by Countrywide to shop for some Horse Riding stuff as I'm going for my first Horse Riding Lesson tomorrow in Bristol Horseworld ! Stay tuned !

I love Countrywide !!! They have Cheap and awesome dog toys, dog treats, and I got my riding boots for only £20 (RM 112) !!!

English Odyssey: London Day 3

Beautiful Sunday morning in Summer time London ! I'm beginning to love the crisp cold English air even though it's a bit too cold for me!

Today is our last day in London, we will be heading into the countryside to my dear's Caravan parked in Herefordshire... Still, another two and a half weeks' worth of Adventure awaits !!

Before coming I have chatted with my friend who used to study in London and I asked her what are the places I MUST go and what are the Sunday Flea markets worth visiting; she says don't bother going to Portobello Road or Covent Garden as things there are not cheap, so she recommended we go down to Camden Market. I thought OK, Camden it is.

Camden Town ... more like Funky Town !!

Camden Town must be like the Shibuya equivalent! Ah Beng & Ah Lianism !

Haha, typical Tourist taking photo despite the No Photo Allowed Sign!

Walking through the main street I felt a tad bit intimidated by those Punk looking youngsters with the outrageous hairstyles and full clad leather outfits! We walked into a indoor flea market and to my amusement it is a flea market by day and actually a Dance Club by night! Black walls, big spotlights, bar tables and stools! Recently, I went to a Flea market held inside Mist Club, Bangsar and I tell you, it feels the same. Just, of course less scarier compared to Camden Town!

We walked and walked and saw this little "Malaysia" food stall and I told my boyfriend we should go show our support! The stall owner, also a fellow Malaysian, was all smiles as he recognized another Malaysian! We chatted for a bit and he mentioned he is from Penang and been in the UK for 5 years already and he's quite sick of it and longs to be home. :)

It wasn't cheap, mind you but small price to pay for a taste of Home!

We had some take away from he's stall, said goodbye and continued our walk. Just then walking past we saw a bit of commotion on the roadside, Police car parked and they were talking to a young girl lying beside a tree. A look closer and she was actually vomitting on the tree... Kind hearted Policemen stood watching, much concerned, probably contemplating if they should arrest her and do a Urine test... Eeewww.... Must been a nasty night worth of Booze. Young punks nowadays!

An Indoor Flea market, it goes on and on and on......

I've read online that if you are in Camden, you must pop in a shop called "Cyber Dog" and when I saw it I told my boyfriend we HAVE to go in!

The stuff that they sell is AWESOME and so unique you wont find anywhere else! Apart from cool Electronic gadgets, they have toys, all sorts of Neon glow in the dark stuff and also two sexy girls dancing on two elevated Podiums ! I noticed a lot of people were too embarassed to watch or to be caught watching the girls dance, I mean you won't see this in an average shop in Kuala Lumpur let alone in some of those quirky Sungei Wang shops! Seriously, girls gyrating Para-Para Sakura style in leotards, Ugg Boots, How can I not stare ?! ... and of course I had wanted to badly to take a photo but taking photos are prohibited in there. I only managed to curi-curi snap this one before getting told off; android dummies lining up their whole wall! Uber-Cool Dude !!!

I bought 3 packets of Astronout Food here; one Strawberry, one Ice-Cream and one Banana Flavour as souvenirs and gave the Strawberry flavoured one to my friend, Ee Lynn which she exclaimed tastes like mummified Strawberries!!

Next up, we were on the Tube again heading down to see the Tower Bridge! On the flight to London, my new Aussie friend had told me about Tower Bridge and IF I'm lucky, I get to see the Bridge raised...

When we got there, the bridge wasn't raised yet...

Then suddenly....... By Golly, it raised !! Indeed my Lucky Day!

So we stood and watched till it lowered again and watched the Ferry pass beneath the bridge. Apparently the bridge doesn't rise everyday unless there is a special request.

Walking below the bridge! Woooot !!

My dear taking a photo of me taking a photo for another Tourist!

Well, this is the Tower of London where they house the Crown Jewels. Of course, you'd have to pay and we travelling on a budget felt paying £17.00 (RM 95.20) a bit too steep. I also thought taking a photo with a Beefeater is extremely uncomfortable and intimidating! :(

Next up, my dear asked if I'd like to see St.Paul's Cathedral, I thought ok if we're in the neighbourhood. The photos taken around St. Paul's were one of my favourites; the architecture, lighting, made the pictures absolutely stunning! Effortlessly!

Also one of my favourite shots....

It was almost 5pm, and we started our journey back to the carpark as it will take us 4 hours plus to get to Hereford... Feet aching, I left London with a heavy heart ....

I was beginning to learn all the M's (Motorway), here we call Highway lor! M4, M25 etc ...I slept through out the drive and got to the Caravan past midnight... My dear quickly set up the bed and I slept like a baby! Tomorrow morning another adventure awaits ! :)