June 26, 2016 by Rae

A Canadian in Belgravia

From the London Eye, I headed back towards the Palace of Westminster to just scope out the area, see what I would come across, and find some lunch. Then, I would head back to Baker Street in the late afternoon to view Madame Tussaud’s, have supper, and then return home.

From the Eye, I headed back towards Jubilee Bridge. The carousel was open.

This Shakespeare quote about the Thames made me laugh.

Final glimpse!

Well said…

Lots of this signage today. I did better today than I did my first day in Glasgow when I forgot to do this and almost got creamed. I had a Canadian flag on my bag and the driver screamed at me to go back to Canada if I didn’t know how to cross a street!

The UK’s 24 Sussex Drive and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. LOTS of security, of course! But as long as you were polite and just taking pictures, the police were cool.

These arches are at the Treasury.

A few people told me to view the Churchill War Rooms, but they’re rather expensive and the queue was almost three blocks long!

Westminster Abbey.

I literally stumbled onto New Scotland Yard on my way to Buckingham Palace.

I got a chuckle at seeing this House of Fraser, a department store. When I was in the larger cities in Scotland, House of Fraser was always my reference point. I would see people walking with its bright red bag and gauge where the store was in relation to where they were coming from, then orientate myself.

Vicky, this will have to do you instead of a map. Get on Google! 😉

Aaaaand Buckingham Palace. Not too many people today.

Looking towards St. James’s Park.

I actually saw the Queen come out of the Palace of Holyroodhouse when I was in Edinburgh! She’s tiny!

I decided to head through Belgravia to Hyde Park.

There is a public transportation stop called Canada Water?!

I had my first 99 Flake! It was £1.50 outside Hyde Park, the cheapest Flake I’d seen yet!

Hyde Park is huge. I just strolled along the edge since I was getting desperate for lunch.

Came out of the park in front of a pub. How convenient! It was the Paxton’s Head in Knightbridge. I was famished and wanted something of the stick to your ribs variety. Their sausage and mash with loads of yummy gravy and sweet onion chutney at £8.99 appeared to be the best value to fill that need. I asked for a beer to go with it and the bartender actually poured me a decent sized sampler! It was a slightly bitter larger I knew would go well with my meal, so I ordered a half pint. Lunch was really yummy. I wanted to lick the plate. 😀

I was fading by this point and almost ready to head to Madame Tussaud’s. I passed a pink cab, complete with female driver, on the way to the Knightsbridge Tube station.

After consulting a map, I decided to make one more stop, Harrods Department Store.

Here is its famous Egyptian staircase. So gorgeous!

The store is very, very, very posh and carries everything you can imagine. My neighbour Caroline joked the other day that the only thing she could afford at Harrods was one cookie. She wasn’t exaggerating! I didn’t leave empty handed, though…

I wanted a Moleskine notebook for travels, but never got around to picking one up. The kind I wanted was £10.95, a better deal than if I’d bought it in Canada! I did comparison shop and was shocked that the next notebook I picked up was priced at over £300 and it was even’t even leather!

Harrods apparently has a strict dress code, something I was not aware of. I must have looked okay in my skirt, sandals, and rain coat. My coat, by the way, is perfect for English weather! I remembered from my time in Scotland that a long-sleeved teeshirt is more appropriate to the climate and that a windbreaker is often all that’s needed versus a coat. This applies to London as well (I’m visiting at the same time of year). Even when the bitterest wind blew off the Thames today, I was very comfortable without having to drag a heavy coat with me.

When I was done at Harrods, I was almost at the end of my energy reserves for the day, but wanted to visit Madame Tussaud’s. I rode the Piccadilly line to Green Park (Buckingham Palace) and then switched to the Jubilee line to Baker Street. If I hadn’t been going to Madame Tussaud’s, I would have continued on the Piccadilly line to Oxford Circle and switched to the Bakerloo line to get me straight to Queen’s Park.

Just in case I had any doubt I came out of the correct Tube station…

June 26, 2016 by Rae

Brunch and the London Sea Life Aquarium

The only plan I had for today was to see the Palace of Westminster/Big Ben and then just walk around in the general vicinity and see what came up. I told you, I am not going to go mad trying to cram in a huge list of things to see and do. I never planned to visit London and whatever I see while I’m here is a bonus!

Here’s Kensal Green station, where I waited a few minutes for my train this morning. Those stairs were heavy yesterday with my bags, and there’s another flight after!

Guess where I had to transfer for the Jubilee line?

From the Jubilee line, I got off at Westminster and this was what greeted me when I came out of the station:

I have to say Big Ben is nowhere near as tall as I had expected. In fact, I think Ottawa’s Peace Tower is more impressive. 😀 But wow! Now I knew for sure I was really in London!

First glimpse of the London Eye.

London is super easy to get around in. There are maps and signage galore. I never felt a need to get a paper map, ask for directions, or look up anything on my phone (which I couldn’t do anyway since I didn’t get a SIM card after all).

I was famished by this time so I eagerly looked at restaurant menus trying to find somewhere that would do something I’d actually want to eat for breakfast (ie. savoury and not involving eggs). I came to the pretty Caffe Concerto and was so grateful that I can afford to eat somewhere so pretty and with a menu that appealed to me. I’m being mindful of what I’m spending, but can relax and treat myself within reason. I know I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy London just a year ago. Can you see me in this picture?

I love the combination of teal and orange!

I enjoyed a ham and cheese croissant, perfectly grilled, with a side of mixed spring greens and a ginormous cafe americano that was so good I didn’t need to add milk to it. Note that the bill includes the tax and tip.

I resumed my walk after. Not sure what this is:

Here’s a name I recognise from Mexico! These are bike rentals.

Jubilee foot bridge. The London Eye is on the other side so I decided that with the weather being decent, I would do it then.

Pretty impressive!

Now, that’s a quintessential view of London!

On the other side of the Thames, this made me laugh.

Hee!

I had a lot of time to think as I queued to buy my ticket for the London Eye. You can combine a ticket for it with a few other attractions and save money. I’m still mad about losing all my pictures from Madame Tussaud’s in Vegas and rather wanted to see the museum here. Both attractions combined were pricy, something like £63! But I could do a combo of those two and another attraction for just £50. The only other thing on the list that interested me was the London Sea Life Aquarium, and it would essentially be free, with my getting a bit of a break for the other two attractions. So that’s what I bought. I “look forward” to seeing what that cost me in CAD!

After purchasing the ticket, I got to see the London Eye 4D video, which was a lot of fun. It goes as far as to sprinkle you with water!

You’d think I then headed for the London Eye and you’d be wrong. I was advised to do the aquarium first since you have to book a time slot for it. I went in (it’s almost right next to the ticket office for the Eye) and there was no queue and was told there weren’t many people inside. Sounded like just the right time to visit!

The aquarium was a lot smaller than I expected and not something I’d recommend paying full price for. I’ve just been to so many really good aquariums that my standards are pretty high. But it was interesting. It’s hard to get good pictures in aquariums (dark and glare-y), so here’s what I could salvage.

Jelly fish are very peculiar…

Sting ray.

I liked all the things in this tank, like this skeleton.

I’m a sucker for turtles!

I had fun watching the little guy on the right climb out of the water and then shove everybody out of the way!

There are sewage changes in the works in London. Right now, overflow sewage goes into the Thames.

Later, it will flow into a tunnel under the Thames.

I enjoyed watching the penguins swim.

Gorgeous!

This was good to know.

This was an interesting effect, where the floor would “crack” under you.

All told, I spent maybe an hour in the aquarium. One thing I liked was how they adjusted the temperature to the room. It was hot and humid in the “tropics” and down right chilly in “Antarctica!

The aquarium is basically dedicated to educating visitors about non-sustainable fishing practices and how to eat fish in a more environmentally friendly way. I’m glad I visited, but, again, it’s not worth the price of admission. Only go if you can get a deal or if you haven’t been to many aquariums before.

When I came out, it was almost noon and I got into the queue to ride the London Eye…

June 26, 2016 by Rae

Getting Across London

From Gatwick Airport, I had to not only get to London, but also cross it to reach my Airbnb in the northwest part of the city. I got a lot of mixed information online about the best way to achieve it because being able to use the Oyster card (prepaid public transportation card) at Gatwick is fairly new. I couldn’t muddle through the steps through my research, so I decided to wait until I was on site to figure it out.

I did know that I had to use a train to get to London and those leave from the south terminal while I landed at the north. So I had to take a free tram (trolley? forget what they call it) there (two minutes). I wandered there for a bit looking at signage and finally figured out where I could get an Oyster card (next to the Costa Coffee). There, I learned that the card is £5, which I can get refunded when I leave by turning in my card. I was advised to start with putting £30 on it and see where that got me. If you use an Oyster card, you get a daily cap that’s based on which zones you’re traveling through and the time of day. In theory, sticking to zones 1 (Central London) and 2 (where I’m staying) and only traveling during non-peak hours, my daily cap would be just under £7, but I think I paid way more than that today (Sunday). I will do a separate Oyster post once I understand the caps better.

But from Gatwick, using the Oyster card to ride the train is the best value. Off peak on most trains is just £8 to Central London, while taking the “Gatwick Express” train is nearly £20! My total cost to get to my Airbnb was £10.20.

My first step was to take a “Southern” train to the London Victoria train station.

First glimpse of London.

At London Victoria, I had to transfer to the Tube. I quickly ascertained that the London Underground is just like the Montreal Metro, only much larger. Use colours to identify your line and the station at the end of the line to know which direction to go. I wanted to end up at Kensal Green, on the Bakerloo line. From Victoria London, I had to take the Victoria Line to Oxford Circle, where I transferred to the Bakerloo Line to Queen’s Park. At Victoria London, I was a little overwhelmed by the number of people and the speed at which they were moving, but once I knew where to go, I just went with the flow and it was fine, no worse than a busy day at the Mercado in Maz!

At Queen’s Park, I switched to the London Overground for one more station to Kensal Green.

I couldn’t check in until 1PM and arrived at Kensal Green around 11:30. I spent the time walking up and down the High Street until I found a bench where I could doze in the sun. It might seem like a waste of time, but my luggage was heavy and so I really wasn’t up to sightseeing. I was just glad to be there and certain that I would make the 1PM to 2PM very short window of time to check in. I hadn’t found a Barclay’s ATM in all my travels, so I decided to just pay the fees to use a different ATM so I could get some cash.

At 1PM, I finished the walk to my Airbnb. It’s a quintessential Victorian row house and absolutely no frills (you don’t even get a towel!). But the bed is comfy, the bathroom is clean, and for 50CAD a night and so conveniently located to Central London, it’s a steal. I did really well finding this one!

I had a wash and changed, which renewed me. I was 24 hours without sleep by this point and knew that I had to last until at least 7PM if I wanted to walk up on local time Sunday. So I packed my day bag and set off to find the nearest chippy. There, I ordered a chicken shawarma sandwich, which came with chips and a drink, and set off to find a place to eat my meal. I found a low wall by the Kensal Rise station that was perfect for people watching. The food was good. I like British chips a lot, especially since you get malt vinegar on them! The food really hit the spot and I felt much better after eating. I should have had lunch while waiting to check in, but with the luggage, there was too much to manage.

Then, I walked around the borough of Brent for a bit, eventually, to my immense surprise, circling right back to my Airbnb!

It’s called Holanda in Mexico, but it’s the exact same ice cream!

Just in case there’s any doubt I’m in London.

Still don’t believe me?

Is that a palm tree?!

Am I seeing things?

Approaching this roundabout, I decided that I was done and wanted to go home, but was hopelessly lost. So I was about to ask for help when I realised that it’s the roundabout just before my street!

It was not even 4:00 by this point and I was fading really fast. I decided that I wouldn’t risk going anywhere near my bed, so I decided to go back to Central London!

May 3, 2016 by Rae

Center of the West, Cody, WY

I’ve had no trouble filling the last three days in Cody.

Sunday was a bit of a down day for me. Vicki left for work around 7:00 and I got up very shortly thereafter. I got started on some work due Monday and didn’t go out until the afternoon, walking up and down Sheridan Avenue (main street) to get a sense of Cody’s tiny downtown.

Cody is, of course, named after William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the man who brought the Wild West to the world. It is my favourite kind of tourist town, similar to Dawson, as it is a robust community that exists outside of its tourism draw. There’s lots to do, plenty of good food, and the locals are very friendly.

Monday and Tuesday were eaten up by my visits to the massive Buffalo Bill Center of the West. This centre is actually five separate and unique museums. The centre is so large that your admission ticket ($19 for an adult) is valid for two consecutive days.

I started with a visit of the Draper Natural History Museum, all about the geography, ecosystems, flora, and fauna of the Yellowstone region. I liked how it was laid out, starting at the top of a mountain at about 6,000 ft, and then gently guiding you down to lower elevations. I especially liked the video on how to deal with a bear encounter and the giant mosaic map of the region.

Next, I went to the Buffalo Bill Museum. This was my favourite of the five! I really didn’t know much about either the man or the actor and this was a very comprehensive exhibit, full of artifacts from his life and shows. My favourite part was that there was actual video of one of his 1910 shows! This was so amazing to watch (especially the bit where we could hear him speak!) that I came back the next day and watched the video again! The video showed among other things, the popular “attack of the Deadwood stagecoach” portion of the show… with the actual stagecoach right behind me, restored to brilliant yellow! I saw a lot of myself in Buffalo Bill and I’m glad that I got to know him here.

Then, it was time to break for an early lunch. There was a coffee and sandwich bar at the museum that I decided to check out since I would otherwise have to walk back to town (not a long distance, maybe half a mile, but I didn’t want to spend the time). I was pleasantly surprised to find gourmet coffee and custom made sandwiches at a reasonable price and enjoyed my lunch so much I had the same thing (with different sandwich fillings) the next day!

I finished my day at the Plains Indian Museum. I kind of went quickly through this one, planning to do a second circle of it the next day since I was getting a bit tired. Lots of beautiful beadwork on exhibit and I liked learning about how the coming of the horse didn’t so much change local culture, but rather enhanced existing practice.

Before heading home, I stopped at the centre’s gift shop, where I picked up a pair of moose stud earrings. The cashier said that they were the most Canadian thing she’s ever seen, LOL.

By the time I got back to the campground, it was close to 2:00. I worked a bit until Vicki came home and then we did the grown up thing and went out to do laundry. We were supposed to have leftover soup from Sunday for dinner, but by the time we got done with laundry we were beat and instead decided to try the restaurant attached to the business where she works since she gets a hefty discount. The discount was enough that I went ahead and had the steak and prawns!

Tuesday was very similar to Monday. I got up and did some work, then headed out late morning to the museum. The man at the ticket counter recognised me (!) and thanked me for coming back.

I started with the Whitney Western Art Museum which had not appealed to me for some odd reason. No idea why since it was filled with sculpture and paintings of my favourite landscapes. I might not have been born in the West, but I always knew I would live there on the open plains. This museum had an audio guide, so I spent a lot more time than I thought I would.

Next, I went to the Cody Firearms Museum, of which I had about zero interest, but which gun nuts could easily spend a day or two in! So many firearms, from the mid 1400s all the way to today, and by all the major manufacturers. I tried my hand at “shooting a pistol” (no ammo in it) and did like the older weapons with a lot of carvings that made them works of art, but really didn’t spend much time.

Coming out of the firearms museum, I noticed a gallery along the walls of the mezzanine holding the administration offices, so I went up to check it out. I was perplexed to find a painting depicting a scene from Vancouver Island!

It was a bit early for my final exhibit, so I went back to the Buffalo Bill Museum to rewatch all the videos of him and then did a final circuit of the Plains Indian Museum.

Finally, I attended the raptor demonstration outside, where I saw a great horned owl, a peregrine falcon, and a red tailed hawk. This was an informal talk where the raptors sit on their handler’s hand and do not fly or perform tricks. It was very informative and I liked seeing the birds up close.

I’ve traveled all over this continent and have been to all manner of attractions. Cody’s Buffalo Bill Center of the West ranks right up there for me with Montréal’s Biodôme, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., and the City Museum in St. Louis — a destination unto itself.

I’m not sure what I will do Wednesday. I have work to do in the morning and there’s not really anything more for me to see in town (the lovely gals at the vistors’ centre all pointed me to things outside of town), so I’ll probably just pop into the Irma Hotel and then walk around off the main drag. Vicki and I do have plans for Thursday a short distance from Cody!

: Cody is a civilised town!

: Sheridan Avenue (main street) downtown Cody

: wish more towns had public restrooms

: pizza by the slice is always good!

: the sale includes concealed weapon purses…

: my life is turning out similarly…

: “Moving made me happy.”

: The clerk thought these were “the most Canadian thing she’d ever seen”

: the original Irma Hotel (named after Buffalo Bill’s surviving daughter)

: The Buffalo Bill Center of the West

: the man himself

: view from inside the Whitney Museum of Western Art

: first time “shooting” with a pistol

: I “hit” a target three out of fifteen times…

: didn’t try the rifles since I’ve shot a long gun before

: was surprised to see a rifle owned by Catherine the Great

: and one by the Dauphin of France’s children

: great horned owl

: peregrine falcon

: red tailed hawk

: not sure if this is meant to be Buffalo Bill

: Sacagawea

April 20, 2016 by Rae

An Excuse For a Final Trip to the Mercado

I’ve started packing in earnest and have discovered something surprising. I’m going hiking next week and, guess, what? While I do have suitable footwear, I not only do not have any clothes for the occasion, but I don’t have my leather backpack that I use on day hikes! I guess I was so focussed on the cannonball run south that I never got as far as thinking that, hey, I might have time to go hiking on the trip north!

So I made a mental note to pop into a Walmart or, preferably, a thrift store when I get across the border to pick up a cheap backpack when I had a thought. Every single time I’ve been to the Mercado, and this includes last year, I’ve wished for an excuse to pick up a cute woven backpack… Well, this was the time to go see how much those cost! And yay for an excuse to do one last trip to the mercado!

I enjoyed my second to last lancha trip over, especially since we got a show:

Rather looks like a pirate ship from this angle, no?

There is a brand new “no fumar” notice on the steps. Particularly funny when there’s a jerry can above it!

Here we are at dock. Nothing fancy. The captain gets off first and holds the lancha tightly against the dock so people can get off. He also offers a hand for those who are unsteady or wrangling very full skirts. *whistles innocently*

Looking down to the dock. The ticket booth is in the centre (taquilla). To the right is space for vendors on the weekends and holidays. The doughnut lady was set up right in front of that guy with the blue shirt, in the shade. Usually, she’s on the street corner.

This is behind me in the last picture. It’s much busier on weekends, holidays, and some evenings, with fish vendors, more produce sellers, food stalls, and more.

Coming out onto Emilio Barragán I either turn right towards the gas station in the distance if going to the Fisherman’s Monument for a bus or to the bank/big Ley/big Waldo’s.

But today, I turned left towards Centro.

When I come home from the little Ley or am just going there, I cut through the alley next to the fishing supply store.

See the grey tower in the background? That’s the Pacifico brewery. I walk along the far side of it (calle Miguel Hidalgo) to go to little Ley.

I cross here to take Leandro Valle to get to the mercado. The perspective on this shot is a little off. The yellow building on the left has the white wall with green writing and is on one corner of Leandro Valle. Across from that, the pulmonía is parked at the other corner. So I cross here (good place to cross because there are topes and so traffic stops) then continue on down Leandro Valle.

Here’s the first, flat, section of it. I love this little community. There’s always something going on and people sitting on porches. Everyone is friendly and says hello.

The upper green sign made me laugh. She’s selling shaved ice, raspados, and didn’t have quite enough room to spell out the word. 2=dos. See what she did there? 🙂

The mix of houses on Leandro Valle is interesting. You have this run down place…

Next to this rather posh place.

These folks make ice. A truck backs right up to the opening. There are “steps” carved into the wall for getting up and down.

This water seller on a bike is probably in great shape. He gets those bottles to the top of the very long and very steep Leandro Valle hill! It’s very slow going. No, he does not pedal up, but rather pushes.

This is one of the nicest houses on Leandro Valle and is owned by an expat lady.

The house has many levels. I like the exterior because it respects the neighbourhood. It’s neat and well maintained, but doesn’t stick out. It’s what I want to do in Mérida, get an older (ie. affordable) place in a more rundown neighbourhood that I can spruce up without changing the character of the neighbourhood/gentrifying. When I spoke with folks from Mérida about my plans to move and my wanting to avoid the expat neighbourhoods, many spoke with derision of this gentrifying effect many expats have, buying super inexpensive homes and turning them into luxury compounds, driving up prices in the neighbourhood. That’s not the kind of expat I want to be.

I don’t think I’ve ever passed this house when this dog wasn’t napping on the steps!

The house is in a great location because it’s just blocks from the mercado. However, it’s right at the top of the hill (so uphill all the way home). I bet being at the top of the hill lowers the value on the house somewhat.

And right next to it is another house that has seen better days.

These folks repainted their house this year. Nothing shows pride of ownership more than a fresh coat of paint! I love the bright colours houses are painted here.

I survived the climb. Now, downhill all the way to the mercado!

Pretty flowers growing out of a foundation.

Nice house next to a ruin. I’m not sure if these façades are salvageable. There is no roof or floor behind that wall.

Looking from the corner of whatever street (no signage!) to the little Ley on Melchor Ocampo.

I love, love, love the yellow paint matching the tiles on this house. Notice there’s not only a house number, but…

An apartment number specifying “downstairs”!

A couple of busy corners later and here I am at the corner of Leandro Valle and Aquiles Serdán.

Shops along Leandro Valle across from the Mercado (heading towards Benito Juárez). Tony’s Burgers is the first door into the Mercado.

Tony’s is where I was going for lunch, but I wanted to do my shopping first. So I headed down, knowing that about two thirds of the way to Benito Juárez is a shop with the backpacks I wanted.

They only had one on display and it was hideous, so I asked if they had more. A sales lady led me inside and showed me a stack. I was surprised that the bags come in shades other than beige or bright red, green, and yellow. I immediately zeroed in on this pink and purple one and asked her if I could examine it more closely. It didn’t have “Mazatlán” written anywhere on it, which a lot of otherwise nice bags have (I don’t like my clothes and accessories to advertise where I’ve been), so that was an immediate plus. I was immediately struck by the quality. The seams were solid and there were lots of little details I hadn’t expected.

Like the flap for the pouch in front opening to reveal a zipper!

The top flap opening to reveal a draw string:

The straps on the back being sewn in such a way that you can easily hang the bag from a hook:

And the very copious storage space:

I asked how much and was shocked that the answer was only $130! I felt cheap trying to bargain that down, but replied with $110. She countered after a long second with $120 being her absolute best price. Wow! Only 9.24CAD!

She asked if I needed anything else and I said that I got what I came in for. She laughed and said that was very obvious and that it was a pleasure doing business with me. Another great mercado shopping experience. I wish they were all like that. The pushy vendors are so unpleasant.

My business done, I retraced my steps to have a shrimp burger at Tony’s. I haven’t really been in the mood for that kind of thing since I got back from Mérida (no tortas, no burgers, and barely any tacos!), but it seemed appealing today. I could have done with half the bread (so I left half of it) and no crema, but the fresh grilled shrimp, veggies, guacamole, and stringy cheese (plus the addition of chiles curtidos) really hit the spot!

I finished my last trip to the mercado by going to my favourite aqua fresca vendor, who is inside the mercado off of Aquiles Serdán, and got a whole litre of guava water! It was so hot that I drank the whole thing by the time I’d retraced my steps to the embarcadero!

I know I won’t have time to go back into town again, so thus end my Mazatlán adventures. It’s been fun! I can’t believe I’ve spent nearly a full year of my life here!

A Life By Design

"Sometimes in life, we reach to a right place by departing from a wrong port with a wrong ship!" ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

City Tours

A Canadian in Belgravia

Brunch and the London Sea Life Aquarium

Getting Across London

Center of the West, Cody, WY

An Excuse For a Final Trip to the Mercado