Vibrant London (Part 1)

Being in a vibrant city with so much to do, I had to prioritze my four days there and these were the TOP 10 things i chose to do!

1. Live in a Townhouse
Inspired by the movies Notting Hill and Love Actually set in London, I decided that this time around I had to experience living in one of the townhouses and we managed to find the W14 Hotel located in the trendy Kensington area. (Nearest tube stop: Baron's Court)

It was a simple set up with spacious rooms, an affordable price per night. I loved the experience of living in a London neighbourhood, walking past these gorgeous houses.

2. London Shopping

Being the mother of street fashion, the British has many street-wear labels of their own. My favourite being Topshop. Just had to take a trip to the store as fashion has always been a big part of my life. 

This was the extended summer of 2011 featuring the fall collection. Some passer-bys commented that the window display mannequins scared them quite a bit but i thought it was a pretty cool way of playing with mirrors. 

The awesome thing about the main flagship store of Topshop at Oxford Circus is the candy and cupcake counters inside.

I couldn't resist.

If you are into luxury brands, Old Bond Street would be the place to go where all the individual boutiques are located at.

I treated myself with a little gift and i have to say the service at the Prada boutique was faultless.

Besides Oxford Street, the two other iconic stores i always love going to in London are Harrods and Selfridges.

Inside Harrods.

Egyptian astrology on the ceiling. Awesome!

The memorial can be found on the basement of the Harrod's store, honouring one of the world's leading ladies.

3. Tate Modern Museum

Thr British having a culture of arts and knowledge advocates that through their numerous museums and theatres in London. Inclinced towards arts, i veered towards visiting the Tate Modern Museum over the other museums which showcases forms of modern art. This time around, there was not an exhibition I particularly liked- sadly.

4. Chinatown

Being Asian, having my staple of rice and rich flavours is always comforting to me. I had to take a trip down to Chinatown for my mandatory chinese meal fix. For a mere five pounds, a dish is surely to fill you up. 

5. Watch a musical

One can never get bored with the numerous musicals showing in the different theatres across this city every night. 

On my last two trips to London, i caught the musicals "Starlight Express" and "We will rock you" and this time round, i managed to catch Wicked, and it was wickedly good indeed! We got our tickets from counters at Leicester Square and you can usually pick up pretty good seats on the day itself at discounted prices.

Pretty good seats for a 20 pounds ticket!

It was wickedly good!!

TBC.... 

pics taken with a Panasonic Lumix camera

My Hong Kong Top 10 To Dos ! #2

A way to experience the spectacular skylines of Hong Kong is from the Victoria Peak (The Peak). The Peak offers a 360 degrees paranomic view of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the hills of North Territories as well as the Lamma island. 

The part i like about the Victoria Peak is the ride up via the Peak Tram, which pulls visitors up a steep hill in under ten minutes. 
(***As the queue for the tram is usually long, tickets purchased in advance gives a quicker access to take the ride. We bought ours at the airport which offered us a bundled discount for a few tourist attractions as well.)

While it does, the Tram's climb up offers us a gradually growing bird's eye view of the city. 

With less people in the viewing lookout, it can surely be quite a romantic backdrop for lovers.

It can get quite cold especially during nights with strong winds, so do remember to layer up before visiting.

I enjoyed the view so much that i will definitely be back again!!

In the meantime, if you are into wax figurines of famous personalities, photo opportunities await a Madame Tussaud's at the Peak Tower as well.

TBC…

Read My Hong Kong Top 10 To Dos ! #1

Pics taken with a Panasonic Lumix camera and Samsung Note 2