Bangkok to the UK - Football Didn't Come Home

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Another round of lengthy travel begins! This trip would comprise roughly 40 days of travel and take me through several European cities, spend two weeks attending the Summer Olympics in Paris with my parents, and ending with some relaxation in the Maldives with my fiancé.

I had to leave for the airport very early this morning (at 06:00) and Thinh, my fiancé, had stayed the night at my place so he could go to the airport with me. Thinh has always been amazing about going to the airport when I leave on a trip and/or being there waiting for me whenever I fly home to Hanoi. He had arranged for a car to pick us up this morning for the transfer to the airport – the car service he uses is cheaper than taking a Grab car. Since we were leaving so early, we ran into no traffic and reached the airport quickly.

Check-in was a breeze and I spent a few last minutes with Thinh before I went through passport control. I was very sad to be leaving him because it would be a month before he met up with me in the Maldives. I wished that he could be coming along on this trip with me, but it would be near impossible for him to go to Paris for the Olympics with my parents and me. We had to buy our event tickets almost 18 months ago, well before I’d met Thinh, and we’d had to book a hotel early on as well. Being apart during my trips is something that we’ll have to get accustomed to since I plan to continue traveling – and many of the places I want to go hold no interest for Thinh, so I’ll be doing those solo. Regardless, it is still difficult to be apart from one another.

After saying a final goodbye, I went through to passport control and I was shocked at the length of the queue! It was backed up almost to the departures check-in area! After waiting around 30 minutes, I made it through passport control and then breezed through security. I went to one of the Starbucks locations in the terminal to get a coffee and a small bite to eat for breakfast (my stomach was slightly upset this morning and this helped to settled it somewhat).

My flight to Bangkok departed at 09:00 and I had a window seat for the short flight. I napped a bit during the two-hour flight time and also watched some movies on my phone. When I landed, I collected my bag and then took a Grab car into the city. I arrived at the hostel around 12:30, which was a bit early for check-in, but they got me setup with my bed in the dorm without any difficulties. The dorm room had cube beds rather than normal bunkbeds, which is the primary reason that I had booked this hostel. I locked my bag away in the locker and then went out to find a coffee shop where I could do some work.

I first walked over to a small shopping center that had several coffee shops, including a Starbucks, but they were all packed, so I ended up retracing my steps to reach the Silom Mall. Once there, I went to the large Starbucks and got one of the few remaining tables. I spent a few hours there doing some work during the afternoon. I was only in Bangkok for today and part of the next day, so I had no plans to do anything in the city other than hanging out and working.

For dinner this evening, I went to a omurice restaurant located in the mall. I ordered an omurice with chicken on the side, covered in a demiglace sauce. It was delicious! I savored every single bite and made up my mind to return there the following day for lunch (it was that good!). I then returned to the hostel, where I setup my computer in the small common area so I could work in the evening.

While I was working, some water slowly started to creep across the floor at the far side of the room. The staff took their time to do anything about it and by the time they did, the water had covered about half of the room. It appeared that some plumbing was backed up and they managed to get the water all mopped up with surprising ease. I continued working until around 01:00, at which point I decided to call it a night.

 
Thursday, July 11, 2024

This morning, I woke up with a strange feeling with a tooth on the lower left side of my jaw. It wasn’t hurting, but it felt… strange. Part of it was sharper and it felt like there was some sort of gap between the teeth. I tried to see what was going on, but it was difficult to see in the mirror. I found a well-reviewed dentist a two-minute walk from the hostel, so I set off for his office first thing this morning. The receptionist said the dentist would be in at 11:30 and that I should return then to see if he could see me this morning; I thanked her and said I fully understood if it wasn’t possible since it was such short notice. To pass the next hour, I went to Starbucks and did some work.

When I returned to the dentist, I was given some paperwork to fill out and then the dentist took me back to the examining room. There appeared to be no issue whatsoever with me being a last-minute walk-in patient today! A quick look at my tooth showed the dentist that my filling had cracked and it just needed to be redone, which he could do then and there. I was relieved that it was something so simple! The dentist and his staff were very friendly and kind throughout the short procedure. When he was done, the tooth felt normal once again – I was immensely relieved to have gotten this fixed so quickly. When it came time to pay, the entire thing ended up costing 3000 TBH (roughly $80)!

I then walked back to Starbucks so I could do some more work before heading to the airport later in the afternoon. Before leaving the mall, I returned to the omurice restaurant and had the same dish, except I had pork rather than chicken on the side. I then walked back to the hostel, where I collected by bag from the storage room, so I could start making my way to the airport.

I opted to take the metro this time since I was going to BKK airport – which is much better connected to the main metro lines of the city than DMK airport. The journey took just over an hour and by 16:15, I was at the airport. Check-in for my flight was insanely fast: there was no queue at the counter and there was no wait at security or passport control either.

My flight to Kuala Lumpur was scheduled to depart at 19:40, but it was delayed by half an hour. Much to my surprise, we were soon served dinner on the flight! The flight time between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur was only two hours, so I had not expected to have anything to eat or drink during that time. The meal was very good and just enough to tide me over until we landed in KL.

The flight arrived at 23:30 and now my long layover began. My next flight to London was at 09:50 in the morning, which left me with over ten hours to spend at the airport. I grabbed a small bite to eat at Burger King, then stopped at Starbucks for a coffee, before walking over to one of the transit hotels at the airport. I had booked a private room for six hours so I could relax and get some sleep during the layover. Unfortunately, I also ended up spending about half the time working, but it was nice to have a hotel room for privacy and comfort. The room was spacious and the bed very comfortable. The few hours of sleep that I managed to get were well worth the money I spent on the room.

 
Friday, July 12, 2024

My alarm went off frustratingly early this morning (at 06:00), so I could get showered and checked-out within the six-hour window. The shower was incredible and refreshing- exactly what was needed before the upcoming 14-hour flight to London! I still had three hours until my flight though, so I went to Starbucks to have some coffee and then did a bit of work to pass the time as well.

I arrived at the boarding gate right as they began the boarding process. I had booked an aisle seat for this long flight and I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that my seat was at the front of the economy section (I didn’t recall making that selection). The woman seated directly next to me kept talking across me to her friends across the aisle, and she also repeatedly reached across me to pass things back and forth. Thankfully the flight wasn’t fully booked and she was able to move seats to be next to her friends. The now empty middle seat was shared between myself and the friendly woman at the window in my row.

I started watching some movies on my phone as we took off because the in-flight entertainment had a very disappointing selection. I was thankful that I had planned ahead and downloaded a variety of movies and TV shows to help pass the time. We were soon served breakfast (eggs with chicken) that was tasty. I then decided to nap for a bit. The next several hours were spent napping intermittently. When I was eventually awake enough to not fall back asleep, the flight was nearly half over! I continued to watch the movies and shows that I had downloaded. The flight had free WiFi service for passengers, so I was able to message with Thinh throughout the entire flight! As we neared London, we were served another tasty meal: chicken satay with rice. The food on Malaysian Airlines was really quite good!

We landed at Heathrow at 16:00, roughly half an hour ahead of schedule. I took the Tube into town and stopped off at a Starbucks near Euston Station so I could get some work done. People at work were panicking about payments getting issued today, bombarding me with emails and messages. I was beyond frustrated with all of them, but I managed to get a lot of work done at Starbucks.

I then decided to walk over to my hostel, rather than taking the Tube, since it was only a 20-minute walk away from Starbucks. I had been staying with my friend Louisa during my recent visits to London, but it wasn’t possible this time because she’s in the process of leasing her flat so she can move to Hong Kong! The hostel I booked was located near the Camden locks, an area that I had only visited once with my friend Sam several years earlier.

The hostel turned out to be a mix-bag of sorts. The common areas are spacious, modern and comfortable, while the dorm room was tiny and cramped. This hostel also has cube beds, which has become my preferred style of hostel. I made a quick trip to Tesco to grab a sandwich for dinner, before setting up my laptop in the common room to do some work in the evening. I pushed myself to stay awake until midnight so I could get better adjusted to the time change. When I finally crawled into bed, I fell asleep right away.
 

Saturday, July 13, 2024

I woke up today at 08:00, much earlier than I anticipated considering the jetlag. I took a much-needed shower and left the hostel to head out into the city. I had no real plan or destination in mind for the morning, so I randomly decided to head to Leicester Square to have breakfast at Greggs. This was the easiest Gregg’s for me to reach because there wasn’t one near the hostel, and the tube near the hostel went directly to Leicester Square. Once there, I ordered a chicken bake and a coffee for breakfast, which I ate at a bench in the square itself. The place was rather empty for a Saturday morning.

The weather in London was absolutely wonderful – it was around 15 degrees Celsius, which is a dramatic change from the temperatures we’ve been having in Hanoi all spring and summer (mid-40s Celsius). I decided to take a long, meandering walk for the remainder of the morning so I could enjoy the cooler weather.

I first stopped off at Primark where I bought six new shirts (it’s damn near impossible to find Western-sized clothes in Vietnam), and I then began walking along Piccadilly towards Green Park, stopping off at Ben’s Cookies for a treat along the way. The closer I got to the park, the larger the crowds of people became until I was quite over having to deal with the people. I cut through the park and made my way over to Buckingham Palace.

The roads around the palace were closed to traffic today, which helped ease the congestion of tourists who had flocked to there to see the place. I snapped a couple of photos to send to Thinh and then continued on my way. I decided to look up the restaurant know as “The Worst Restaurant in London” – the Palace Restaurant Café. I didn’t dare go inside as I had no intention of eating any of their food, but the place reeked of deep-fried food when I walked by – very unappetizing.

I considered walking over to the Palace of Westminster and then along the River Thames for a bit, but I was getting hungry for lunch, so I opted to skip it for today. Besides, I’ve seen them so many times and I didn’t need to visit yet again. I made my way down the Mall towards Trafalgar Square before cutting up to Regent Street. I ducked into a Starbucks to get some coffee to help wake me up and then went to Pret for a light bite to eat for lunch.

The afternoon held today’s main event: seeing “Hello, Dolly!” at the London Palladium, starring Imelda Staunton! When I discovered that this was on stage in the West End, I knew that I had to get tickets. I watched the Barbra Streisand film version of the musical with my mom when I was a kid and it had become a favorite. I was now excited to see a stage production of the show – and what a treat to see Imelda Staunton in the title role! I of course knew her as Professor Umbridge from the Harry Potter films, as well as Queen Elizabeth II from the final two seasons of The Crown, but I had no idea that she was a singer as well.

The show was scheduled for 14:30 and I arrived early to wait in the entrance queue. My seat for the show was in the second row, which let me see everything very well without any piece of the set getting in the way. From the first song, Imelda was amazing – her vocal skills are very good! It was no surprise that she acted the part of Dolly perfectly – she is an amazing actress in everything she does. The rest of the cast was outstanding, and they fit their parts perfectly. During the finale to the song “Put on Your Sunday Clothes”, they had a train roll out onto the stage for the cast to board and perform on, and the tile song, mid-way through the second act, was truly a showstopper! I was blown away by the show and thoroughly enjoyed myself – I didn’t want it to end! Even though I knew the story and songs from the film version, this was still like discovering it for the first time because the stage version had so many little differences and new pieces to it. I was delighted that I was able to see this production – of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time!

After the show, I went for another walk, this time heading to Trafalgar Square, where the London Symphony Orchestra was performing a public concert. It was free admittance, but the place was utterly packed. However, I could still listen to the music as I walk around the perimeter of the square. Once I reached the River Thames, I headed east for a leisurely stroll along the riverside. My plan had been to walk all the way to Tower Bridge, but I was exhausted by the time I reached Blackfriars Bridge, so I decided to call it a day and head back to the hostel.

Hopping on the Tube, I reached the hostel 30 minutes later. I made a brief stop to drop off my bag of Primark clothes and then left again to get some dinner. I wanted a quick bite and settled on going to Shake Shack nearby. En route, I walked through the Camden neighborhood and the place has either gone downhill in recent years or it’s just not as nice as I remembered it to be because I found it to be off-putting. Graffiti was everywhere, it was dirty and there were a lot of drunk people being loud and abrasive on the street.

Dinner itself was good – Shake Shack is always good – and I had a caramel shake for dessert. When I finished eating, I admired the Camden Locks for a few minutes, watching as a small boat carrying a hen-do party on it sailed through the locks. I then walked back to the hostel so I could relax for the remainder of the night.

 
Sunday, July 14, 2024

How did luck (good or bad) bring me to London at the same time that England is playing in the EuroCup finals?! Somehow, beyond all reason, England has reached the finals and would be playing against Spain this evening. I hadn’t been able to watch any of the earlier games of this year’s EuroCup because they were played at 02:00 in Hanoi (due to the time differences), though I had watched many reruns while at the Moose & Roo.

And now… England would be playing in the finals… on the same day that I am in London. The football fans will be out in full-force this evening to watch the game and they will get drunk… insanely drunk. English football fans are just awful after they’ve been drinking, getting loud and obnoxious as the games progress. I was messaging with friends back home in Hanoi that today would be a lose-lose situation for me: if England wins, it will be pandemonium in the streets; if England loses, the fans will be drinking even more to drown their sorrow. Either way the drunk fans will make this evening a predictable nightmare – and all of my English fans agree with that sentiment.

I had previously made plans with my friends Louisa, Zoe and Brad that we would have dinner today. The EuroCup finals now meant that we would be watching the game as well. Zoe had booked us a table at a bar near to her place at 18:45, and we’d have BBQ at her place prior to going to the bar. I was excited to see them all again!

Before meeting up with everyone, I spent a pleasant morning and early afternoon in town. I had breakfast at Gregg’s (sadly they were out of chicken bakes though!), and then I went to Starbucks to do some reading. I realized that there was a limited-time event going on in Pokemon Go today, so I started to walk around town to take part in the event. I spent some time around St Paul’s cathedral, and then walked over to the Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre. I spent a couple of hours there, reading and playing Pokemon Go, which I found quite relaxing.

Around 15:00 I walked over to Blackfriars train station and hopped on the train to head to Zoe’s house. It was a quick, 20-minute train journey and then a 10-minute walk to reach her house. This was my first time to her place and also meeting her boyfriend, Kieran, who was very friendly and outgoing. Their house was lovely and they even have a view of the London skyline from their top floor!

Zoe was preparing a large BBQ for us today and we hung out while she started cooking the food. Louisa arrived a short time later, just in time for us to sit down to dinner. Brad was unable to make it to the BBQ because he was on a train heading back to London from Edinburgh, but he would join us later in the evening. It was wonderful getting to catch up with Zoe and Louisa! Louisa is preparing to move to Hong Kong and was going through the nightmare of renting out her flat. I am excited for her to live closer to me – we’ll be traveling around SE Asia together now!

The weather was surprisingly nice this afternoon, so we ate outside on the deck. Zoe had prepared quite the feast for us: burgers, brats, vegetable skewers, chicken, bread, and various dips to go with different dishes. It was all delicious – Louisa and I particularly liked the cheese coleslaw! It was a shame that Brad was returning from Edinburgh and wasn't able to join us for the BBQ... oh wait, there he is!

At 18:30 we left to walk over to the nearby pub, the Brockley Jack, where Zoe had booked us a table to watch the EuroCup finals. Lousia’s boyfriend, Jeff, met up with us at the pub. Our booking was originally made for just four people… but we were going to end up being a group of six. Louisa hurriedly took my pen and turned the “4” on the reservation paper on our table into a “6”… no one was any the wiser! Our table was unfortunately situated in the very rear of the pub and we could only see the game on a small TV at the other end of the room. It was disappointing, but there was nothing else to be done. We ordered a round of drinks and settled in to wait for the game to start at 20:00.

Brad arrived shortly after we sat down, so we had some time to chat and catch up before the game began. Louisa, Zoe and Brad are some of the best people I’ve met during my travels and I am very thankful to have them as friends. Since Brad had come directly from his train back from Edinburgh, he was feeling rather hungry, so he ordered some food. Sadly, the food wasn’t very good (though it was very cheap!).

When the game started at 20:00, everyone in the bar moved their seats around to get the best views possible of the televisions. I was cheering for Spain to win, rather than England, for a myriad of reasons: I didn’t really like the idea dealing with being in London for the celebrations if they did win (it would be a drunken chaos), and also… it’s just never coming home. Brad wasn’t very interested in the game, so he and I spent much of the first half chatting. The first half of the game wasn’t very exciting: it ended with neither side having scored a goal.

During half-time, we all went to the outside patio at the rear of the pub to get some fresh air. There was a table of kids in the pub who were watching the game with their parents and the kids spent the break running around the patio, being little annoying little terrors. I was also trying to plan out the best way for me to get back to my hostel after the game. Since it was a Sunday, the Tube was running on a reduced Sunday schedule. I eventually decided that I would take an Uber if the game ran too late for me to catch the last train of the night.

When the game resumed, we all returned inside to see how the second half played out. Spain was the first to score a goal, which seemed to dampen the mood in the pub. As the game continued, the tension in the bar was palpable and then England managed to score! The pub erupted in cheers and people began to sing the awful song “It’s Coming Home”. Alas, their dreams were short lived because Spain scored a second goal shortly thereafter. This sealed the win for Spain and they won the EuroCup.

Our group went back to the patio after the game to hang out for a little while longer. Brad and I were going to be taking the same train back at 22:30, so we had some time to chat with everyone. Our time together always flies by far too quickly and I was sad when it came time to leave. Louisa and I made plans to meet up and travel once she’s moved to Hong Kong, while I hoped that Brad and Zoe would be able to come to my wedding in January.

Brad and I walked over to the train station and were soon on the train, heading for the Elephant and Castle station. As luck would have it, that was Brad’s final stop and also the station where I would change from the train to the Tube. Brad pointed me towards the Tube and we made our goodbyes. The Tube itself was crowded, but not crazy packed – and thankfully there were no drunk fools on board either.

When I got off the Tube in Camden, the area was full of people going to and from various pubs and clubs. The entrance to the Tube was closing up as I exited as well – I had been on one of the last trains of the night. I was happy when I finally reached the hostel again. I quietly got ready for bed and then crawled into my tiny cubical to get some sleep.


Monday, July 15, 2024

I woke up at 08:00 this morning so I could get my things packed before heading out to the train station. I was lucky that Kings Cross Station is located along the Northern Line, which is the one that runs right to the hostel, so I didn’t need to transfer trains this morning. I was heading to Edinburgh this morning so spend a couple of days there and to see my very good friend, Penswe.

When I arrived at Kings Cross, I still had an hour before my train departed, so I grabbed a coffee and some snacks to eat during the journey. My seat on the train was a forward-facing window seat and I was lucky to get my bags stored quickly as I was one of the first people on the train. The entire carriage was fully reserved! After I was settled in, a man came to inquire if the seat next to me was available. I indicated that the sign said it was reserved, but he sat down anyway. The man was clearly not wearing any deodorant and had an awful smell about him. I was thankful when the man who had reserved the seat next to me arrived and the first man had to move somewhere else.

The journey to Edinburgh lasted around four hours and was rather uneventful. I spent the first half getting some work done, while the second half was spent watching Netflix. By the time the train arrived at 16:15, I was ready to get up and walk around. I was staying at the same hostel from my previous visits, Code Pod located right off the Royal Mile. The staff are very friendly, the dorm rooms with pod beds are spacious and clean, and the location is perfect! I got checked in and stored my bags before heading out.

I walked over to Starbucks so I could do some more work, but the WiFi there was atrocious, so I ended up leading after only a short while. I returned to the hostel to finish up some work before having a late dinner. I wasn’t particularly hungry this evening, so I just ducked into a nearby pizza place to have a couple slices of pizza. I also stopped at Tesco to grab some drinks and snacks as well.

It wasn’t an eventful or overly interesting day, but it was relaxing, which made me glad.

 
Tuesday, July 16, 2024

This morning I slept in a little bit since I had no big plans for the day. I went out around 10:00 to find somewhere to have brunch. After checking out several cafes and restaurants, I settled on a place that I had visited years earlier and enjoyed. I ordered a full breakfast, which included eggs, beans, toast, a tatty scone, and haggis. I was eager to have some haggis again – I’ve come to really enjoy it! The food was delicious and I left feeling quite full!

I then walked down the Royal Mile to a Starbucks that I usually go to when I need to work or read to relax. The location is usually less crowded than the one closer to my hostel, which means the WiFi signal is better. I spent several hours there getting some work done. I also made plans with my friend Penswe to meet up the following day. I usually time my visits to Edinburgh for the weekends so I have more time to hangout with Penswe, but this visit just didn’t work out that way. He was hoping to take some time off from work during these two days, but he was only able to get a half day on Wednesday off - which was perfectly fine! I told him that I’d happily meet him after work or whenever is best for him.

In the late afternoon I packed up my laptop and headed back towards the hostel. En route, I stopped off at a bakery that I’ve seen many times during my visits to the city, but never remembered to actually go in to order something (I’ve usually noticed it in the evenings, after the bakery is closed). I ordered a large Cornish pastie for dinner, along with a Biscoff brownie for dessert. The Cornish pastie was alright, though nothing spectacular, while the brownie was delicious! I then walked around the Royal Mile for a little big before stopping in at a local pub to have a quick pint of beer.

Once I was back at the hostel, around 22:00, I settled in at the common room to do some more work during the night. I finally went to bed around 01:00, thoroughly exhausted.

 
Wednesday, July 17, 2024

This morning I returned to Starbucks to get some work done before meeting up with Penswe later in the afternoon. We planned to meet at our usual spot, Brewdog, around 14:00, so I was able to get a good amount of work done so I wouldn’t have to worry about it while I was handing out with Penswe. When I left to go meet him, I intended on stopped at Oink for a pulled pork and haggis sandwich, but I followed the wrong route and wasn’t able to make it as planned. This was the first visit in a long time where I wasn’t going to eat at Oink while in town. Penswe was running a bit late, so I stopped off at Café Nero across the street from Brewdog to have a coffee and do some reading.

Penswe, his girlfriend Steph (She Penswe) and their son Atlas (Mini Penswe) arrived at 14:30 and I met them outside of Brewdog. It had been nearly a year since we’d last met up and I was amazed at how big Atlas had grown during that time! He remembered me and was happy to see me. We grabbed a table on the outdoor patio since the weather was so nice, and had a couple rounds of drinks while we caught up. Penswe and Steph are such wonderful friends and, even though we don’t see one another as often as we’d like, it always feels like no time has passed between our visits.

We talked a lot about what we had been doing over the past year and I told them all about Thinh, and our wedding plans for this upcoming January. Since we’ll be getting married in Edinburgh, I told them that they were the only people who had to be in attendance! Atlas got quite excited when we mentioned the wedding to him and he wanted it to happen much sooner. I asked Penswe if he’d be my best man and he agreed, and Atlas will act as ring bearer (if he wants to when the time comes, of course).

As the afternoon wore on, we all got a bit hungry and I told them to pick a place for dinner where Atlas would have something he’d eat as well. We settled on having pizza, though the only thing Atlas wanted was strawberry ice cream! Dinner was very good (and filling), and Atlas did get his strawberry ice cream for dessert! I ordered a Biscoff sundae for dessert, which was delicious.

It was now early evening and Penswe needed to get Atlas home for the night, but we decided to pop back to Brewdog for one last pint (well, Steph and I drank, while Penswe abstained since he had to drive home). Finally, around 19:00, it was time to head our separate ways. It was exciting to know that the next time we meet up will be for my wedding to Thinh – less than six months away!

I walked back to the hostel and was soon consumed by the nightmares of work for the remainder of the evening. I shut down for the night around midnight so I could get some sleep – I had a very early alarm set for the next morning! This visit to Edinburgh had been short, but still magical (as always).