Exploring the Great Britain: My Memorable Journey

Introduction

Growing Up I have always heard the phrase “Maisha London”(Meaning you are living your dream life or you have a soft life).All my life I really wanted to go visit the famous London and my dream came true when my Diplomatic friend was posted there for her mission through her government job.

On Arrival summer season welcomed me warmly and what really caught my eyes is the organized , beautiful and clean famous Heathrow airport with visible signage to direct you on the way to follow and the welcome message alerts of WiFi as they understand well the importance of communication as a foreigner.Their clean City is another thing that wowed me ,their organized building with ancient touch is something to die for,their internet facilities everywhere in the public areas is another way to say functionality at its best , their means of transport from the Airport,Train Stations ,Tubes and Bus arenas is another way to communicate good governance and functionality works perfectly for the goodness of the people and the entire nation.

Journey to the destination

From our famous Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Nairobi, Kenya through Doha Qatar to Heathrow Airport (LHR), Qatar Airways made comfort a priority.Well leg roomed seat, accommodating staffs who made all meals were timely served ,snacks and drinks were also offered in between while in the air all for free.Ohoo! the take off and the landing was so smooth,our 3hrs Layover in Doha was smooth which enabled us good time to move within the airport and do some shopping. Within 5Hours we landed to Heathrow and the excitement was way out of this world I wish I could share the feeling with you all.Wow! the first impression on landing was the signage on directions to follow on our way to receive our luggage’s and our way out to the pick up areas is such an investment,the immigration desk clearance was very smooth,WiFi is free and all you need is your email to login and access it , to add on the list was their welcoming staff and security officers who were ready to assist whenever requested.

Accommodation and Hospitality

As I quote” There are friends,there is family and there are friends that become family ” Author unknown. My friend is like family and luckily she accommodated me or rather hosted me for the 2 weeks I stayed in London,the hospitality experience was more than good.Within the hosting town ,I felt it’s local vibe and the atmosphere was so homely with major facilities surrounding us : food and vegetable markets , schools ,postal offices , shopping center , Churches,cafes and restaurants.

Exploring the attractions

Some of the major attractions I visited during my 2 days Hop-on Hop-off Big Bus Tour includes:

London Eye the most iconic London landmark as we cruised through River Thames.

Queen Elizabeth Tower where the Big Ben resides inside and it was designed by Benjamin Richard.

Views of St. Paul’s Cathedral London Sir Christopher Wren’s 300 years old master piece soaring dome.

Tower Bridge London’s defining landmark that crosses over River Thames.

Old Trafford Manchester United 4 hours drive via road .

Buckingham Palace where you witness change of Guards at Royal Palace .

Other attractions site visited includes : Madame Tussauds London where World famous life-exuding waxworks of film and music stars are displayed.London Mithraeum Britain’s most archeological discoveries of a temple to the Romans gods Mithras,Houses of Parliament which consists house of Commons and House of Lords, Westminster Abbey,Parks like Hyde Park ,Wembley Park ,Sky Garden ,some Shopping Malls like Westfield ,The Famous Oxford Street, Covent Garden,Etihad Stadium Manchester City,the famous Soho and the City Tour as we viewed the famous buildings and statues from the big bus .From attraction sites visit and the city tour my personal experience had moments of awe : The visit to Old Trafford for my favourite football club was the highlight of the trip as we had an up close view of the Emirates FA Cup trophy,the change of guard on how the healthy horses have been trained to carry out the task smoothly,the road crossing discipline,water outlets to quench our thirst in the malls,the train stations exchange of lanes and the waiting period with real announcements in case of changes ,on items purchase for example if you buy cosmetics products and they react on your skin you are guarantee to return and get exchange for free to one that suits your skin type or hair type, getting to mall and any public building without security scanning which really indicates discipline is key and you need no supervision,on the roads especially on our way to Manchester there phone booths to call the police or rescue team of in danger as the attached photo and also were lucky to experience the rare blue supermoon .

The SOS phones on our way to Manchester in case of emergency.

A rare view of blue supermoon.

Food and Local Cuisines

As we all know to travel is to experience new dishes and visit unique and famous food spots .The experience fancied me in different and unique ways and here are some of the food eat outs I visited some I took pics some I forgot.

• Vapiano an Italian Restaurant with freshly made pastas
• The Ivy
• Burger from the famous Gourmet Kitchen Westfield Mall
• Restaurants and Cafes in Manchester

Some of the places I visited and snapped a meal includes:

Five Guys Shakes.

The Prada.

The famous Starbucks where I had to go taste their Croissants and the their signature Milkshake.

The famous Thatched house with the Kenyan Cuisine.

From the Chinatown London we experienced the Whale Tea in different flavours.

Cultural Experience

A city with no dress code that really excited me that no-one is there out judging you.Usage of one side lane on stairs or while on walking rails to avoid confusion for those going down and those coming up . Everything tap Go from markets ,gas stations, train stations ,bus arenas and restaurants.Shopping culture along the Oxford Street where you get everything you need .Their alcohol drinking culture from Leadenhall and the famous Soho at night .

Conclusion.

In conclusion travelling is a way to explore , experience , appreciate new destinations,other people culture ,lifestyle and leave with memories,for sure I left the Great Britain full of knowledge and memories I will cherish forever where I would encourage my readers to explore it as it’s a destination with so much to learn from.Finally from my experience here are some highlights to help you while planning to travel :

Before Travelling

Make sure you have valid travel documents with you both in hard and soft copies : Passport, Identification Card ,Insurance Cover, Return flight Tickets ,Yellow Fever Card or any vaccinations card where necessary.

Research on the history of the destination,main attractions sites and prepare a prior timetable of each day activities.

Have a multi currency card and load it with money of the destination currency for easy payments without incurring abnormal transaction charges.

Research on the destination’s whether for you to pack the right attires.

Pack your adaptors and chargers for your electrical devices not to be stranded out there in case they are out of power .

Re-read on the dos and don’ts as per the visa given.

Research on the Cost of living to help you plan well on finances while there.

While booking your ticket if you are using a connecting flight make sure the layover/stopover is 3hours and above to avoid rush in case of flights delays at the airport.

On Arrival

Set up communication tarrifs and internet services as per the destination or as per your data/internet roaming.

Always purchase a local SIM card to ease communications.

Investigate on discounted travel and shopping cards to grab on all discounts.

Undesrtand usage of apps and maps to help you navigate all public systems and areas.

Understand on dinning etiquette habits and timings for example what is served at what time and if you need prior table reservations.

Familiarize yourself and understand the local time zones and their working hours.

Be open to meet new friends and share some stories on how you find the place and that of your origin.