Friday, June 29, 2007
Chapter 219 - Airports
Airports are such a faff...
Checking in at the Singapore Airlines counter today, I was almost charged for excess baggage. I suppose most overseas students will have a story or two to share about excess baggage. But what was really annoying and stupid is that i was told to remove 5kg of stuff from my check-in luggage, which of course went to my hand-carry luggage - so in the end, you still bring the same amount of stuff on board right?
Then also, in Singapore when we fly over, we are given a 40kg baggage allowance, whereas here, they can only STRETCH it to 30kg - meaning, somehow, along my year's worth of stay here, I lost 10kg worth of stuff. Yeah right.bitches
And of course, going through the security screening is yet another bit of faff. My check in baggage is FULL of wires, cables, and electronic items like my iPod, my camera, etc, so much so that when it goes through the X-ray machine, it inevitably will be pulled to the side for a full security check. And the most ironic thing I find is that, although they say hand-carry luggage is supposed to be 7kg, mine is obviously something like 12kg, but yet, they don't bat a single eye-lid about it. Hmm.
Also, what's this stupid rule about having just ONE bag at security screening? When I pass the security screening stage, I can still do my duty free shopping and head on board with 3, 4, 5 or more bags! Some rules are just dumbly enforced....
Some tips for airport check-in: make sure you wear the heaviest stuff you have. If you have a heavy overcoat, hold it in your hand or wear it. Swap your sneakers for the heaviest pair of boots. It saves that little bit of disagreement with thebitches counter staff.
See, a tired Kenny is also a bitchy Kenny.
Checking in at the Singapore Airlines counter today, I was almost charged for excess baggage. I suppose most overseas students will have a story or two to share about excess baggage. But what was really annoying and stupid is that i was told to remove 5kg of stuff from my check-in luggage, which of course went to my hand-carry luggage - so in the end, you still bring the same amount of stuff on board right?
Then also, in Singapore when we fly over, we are given a 40kg baggage allowance, whereas here, they can only STRETCH it to 30kg - meaning, somehow, along my year's worth of stay here, I lost 10kg worth of stuff. Yeah right.
And of course, going through the security screening is yet another bit of faff. My check in baggage is FULL of wires, cables, and electronic items like my iPod, my camera, etc, so much so that when it goes through the X-ray machine, it inevitably will be pulled to the side for a full security check. And the most ironic thing I find is that, although they say hand-carry luggage is supposed to be 7kg, mine is obviously something like 12kg, but yet, they don't bat a single eye-lid about it. Hmm.
Also, what's this stupid rule about having just ONE bag at security screening? When I pass the security screening stage, I can still do my duty free shopping and head on board with 3, 4, 5 or more bags! Some rules are just dumbly enforced....
Some tips for airport check-in: make sure you wear the heaviest stuff you have. If you have a heavy overcoat, hold it in your hand or wear it. Swap your sneakers for the heaviest pair of boots. It saves that little bit of disagreement with the
See, a tired Kenny is also a bitchy Kenny.
Labels: Travel
Chapter 218 - An Incoherent Kenny
Kenny has finally gotten to civilisation - having returned from Ord on the Isle of Skye where there was no mobile phone reception, as well as no internet access. (hence you can understand why he paid £5 in the Heathrow airport for wireless access!)
It's been such a loooong journey and it's far from over. Thus far, i've spent 1 hour in a car, then 30 mins waiting for the train, and spent 13 hours on the train (yes THIRTEEN, including a stupid delay), and then rushed back to college to collect my luggage and laptop before taking the bus to Heathrow, which I almost died on (have never felt so car sick before. Attributed to fatigue + hunger). And then there 6 hours of waiting for the flight, before another 12.5 hours on the plane.
This journey is about to beat my all-time record for distance travelling which i did when I went to Sedburgh earlier in September 2006. That was a total of 30 hours to my destination. This time, I better this record by clocking 36 hours in total - no wonder I'm super Kenny. :)
In any case, just some trivia before I go on to digest my zillion emails - did you know that trains travel at up to 200kph? It really doesn't quite feel like that, but I took out my GPS on a bit of my very long train ride and that's what the GPS told me what our speed was. Interesting eh?
Ok. I'm gonna continue sipping on my cup of coffee - I imagine I will be in lala-land even before the air stewardess can say KrisWorld later.... ;p
It's been such a loooong journey and it's far from over. Thus far, i've spent 1 hour in a car, then 30 mins waiting for the train, and spent 13 hours on the train (yes THIRTEEN, including a stupid delay), and then rushed back to college to collect my luggage and laptop before taking the bus to Heathrow, which I almost died on (have never felt so car sick before. Attributed to fatigue + hunger). And then there 6 hours of waiting for the flight, before another 12.5 hours on the plane.
This journey is about to beat my all-time record for distance travelling which i did when I went to Sedburgh earlier in September 2006. That was a total of 30 hours to my destination. This time, I better this record by clocking 36 hours in total - no wonder I'm super Kenny. :)
In any case, just some trivia before I go on to digest my zillion emails - did you know that trains travel at up to 200kph? It really doesn't quite feel like that, but I took out my GPS on a bit of my very long train ride and that's what the GPS told me what our speed was. Interesting eh?
Ok. I'm gonna continue sipping on my cup of coffee - I imagine I will be in lala-land even before the air stewardess can say KrisWorld later.... ;p
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Chapter 217 - Ball-o-mania!
Magdalene May Ball tonight! White Tie woot! Will blog sooon!!!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Chapter 216 - Wales-terfalls!
I think it's becoming a trend that I'm doing sporadic blogging - but for now, it can't be helped much, especially when so much is happening!
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So as I mentioned in my previous post, I went on a little trip to Wales to see Waterfalls! We saw fall after fall after fall after fall! A total of 5.5 waterfalls in 2 days! :)
We started early on the morning of 11th June, setting off at 5am - arriving at our first stop, Pistyll Rhaeadr, which is the highest waterfall in Wales at a height of 240 ft (~73 metres).
Pistyll Rhaeadr (Pistyll means Waterfall in Welsh if I'm not mistaken).
Kenny at the top edge of Pistyll Rhaeadr - if you look at the previous photo, I will be somewhere on the top right... Yes, it would have been a descent of 73m if I went over the edge....
Next up, we made a drive to Lake Vyrnwy, which wasn't quite on our itinerary initially, but stumbled upon it on our road atlas (I live by my road atlas!). Lake Vyrnwy is a man-made reservoir which supplies water to Liverpool apparently... It's a really picturesque lake with a "Disneyland" castle-looking structure on one side of the lake. The lake is also a wildlife reserve, home to many different species of animals and birds. We had the chance to visit of the RSPB's hide where we got to observe birds upclose.
This is a Great Spotted Woodpecker pecking away at some nuts. We also saw Siskins, Bull-finches and some other bird species which I can't quite remember/identify.
An added bonus was that we also got to visit a waterfall at Lake Vyrnwy, which was the most up-close-and-personal one we managed to get to.
Waterfall @ Lake Vyrnwy.
Following that, we drove to Aberystwyth where we saw Swallow Falls (£1 admission).
Kenny @ Swallow Falls.
A nice reflecting pool at Swallow Falls.
Finally, we checked into our hostel/hotel/guesthouse, before ending the day at Conwy Falls (which I have no nice pictures to show for) - and not before I smashed my thumb while trying to close the window. (it's one of those raise and lower ones... trust me, the whole thing came down on my thumb... ouch... edit: for the best experience, try slamming a car door on any of your fingers..). We did have great fun at Conwy Falls though - skipping stones across the pools, and playing "hit the stone in the middle." Conwy Falls is somewhat deserted now cos the Cafe which used to operate at the falls is now closed, and the falls are in a sense "abandoned" as well....
The end of the day was Sausage & Chips at Aberystwyth, where we ate beside the rapids, surrounded by Black-Headed Gulls who were really amusing to watch. Not to mention smart too - stealing chips we've dropped right under our noses....
Day 2 was another early start with a French toast breakfast and coffee/tea at our hotel before leaving for Mynach Falls. While we were at Lake Vyrnwy, we were told of this Red Kite sanctuary en route to Mynach Falls, and we thought we'd check out this magnificent & rare bird. Photos will hopefully come out good on film, which I haven't yet developed.
Next and final stop was Devil's Bridge (£1 admission) and Mynach Falls (£2.50 admission).
Devil's Bridge is a set of 3 bridges built one on top of another, with a Devil's Punchbowl in the ravine - which if i'm not mistaken is just a weathering effect of limestone.
Devil's Bridge....
Mynach Falls was our final destination on our trip to Wales, which involved a million steps, and not too magnificent views of the falls, but nonetheless one which was worth visiting. And with that, our trip to Wales was completed, and we drove back through the scenic countryside back to Cambridge, having a nice KFC restbreak, and getting caught in some stupid traffic jam.
-----------------------
So as I mentioned in my previous post, I went on a little trip to Wales to see Waterfalls! We saw fall after fall after fall after fall! A total of 5.5 waterfalls in 2 days! :)
We started early on the morning of 11th June, setting off at 5am - arriving at our first stop, Pistyll Rhaeadr, which is the highest waterfall in Wales at a height of 240 ft (~73 metres).
Pistyll Rhaeadr (Pistyll means Waterfall in Welsh if I'm not mistaken). 
Kenny at the top edge of Pistyll Rhaeadr - if you look at the previous photo, I will be somewhere on the top right... Yes, it would have been a descent of 73m if I went over the edge....Next up, we made a drive to Lake Vyrnwy, which wasn't quite on our itinerary initially, but stumbled upon it on our road atlas (I live by my road atlas!). Lake Vyrnwy is a man-made reservoir which supplies water to Liverpool apparently... It's a really picturesque lake with a "Disneyland" castle-looking structure on one side of the lake. The lake is also a wildlife reserve, home to many different species of animals and birds. We had the chance to visit of the RSPB's hide where we got to observe birds upclose.
This is a Great Spotted Woodpecker pecking away at some nuts. We also saw Siskins, Bull-finches and some other bird species which I can't quite remember/identify.An added bonus was that we also got to visit a waterfall at Lake Vyrnwy, which was the most up-close-and-personal one we managed to get to.
Waterfall @ Lake Vyrnwy.Following that, we drove to Aberystwyth where we saw Swallow Falls (£1 admission).
Kenny @ Swallow Falls.
A nice reflecting pool at Swallow Falls.Finally, we checked into our hostel/hotel/guesthouse, before ending the day at Conwy Falls (which I have no nice pictures to show for) - and not before I smashed my thumb while trying to close the window. (it's one of those raise and lower ones... trust me, the whole thing came down on my thumb... ouch... edit: for the best experience, try slamming a car door on any of your fingers..). We did have great fun at Conwy Falls though - skipping stones across the pools, and playing "hit the stone in the middle." Conwy Falls is somewhat deserted now cos the Cafe which used to operate at the falls is now closed, and the falls are in a sense "abandoned" as well....
The end of the day was Sausage & Chips at Aberystwyth, where we ate beside the rapids, surrounded by Black-Headed Gulls who were really amusing to watch. Not to mention smart too - stealing chips we've dropped right under our noses....
Day 2 was another early start with a French toast breakfast and coffee/tea at our hotel before leaving for Mynach Falls. While we were at Lake Vyrnwy, we were told of this Red Kite sanctuary en route to Mynach Falls, and we thought we'd check out this magnificent & rare bird. Photos will hopefully come out good on film, which I haven't yet developed.
Next and final stop was Devil's Bridge (£1 admission) and Mynach Falls (£2.50 admission).
Devil's Bridge is a set of 3 bridges built one on top of another, with a Devil's Punchbowl in the ravine - which if i'm not mistaken is just a weathering effect of limestone.
Devil's Bridge....Mynach Falls was our final destination on our trip to Wales, which involved a million steps, and not too magnificent views of the falls, but nonetheless one which was worth visiting. And with that, our trip to Wales was completed, and we drove back through the scenic countryside back to Cambridge, having a nice KFC restbreak, and getting caught in some stupid traffic jam.
Labels: Travel, Wales, Waterfalls
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Chapter 215 - EX-ams!
it's finally all over! Yesterday was the last of my papers - Geology practical. Not gonna go into details of any of my papers - it's over, that's all that matters now. Only managed to catch a sip of champagne before rushing down to the boathouse after my last paper - still it was nice with more than half of my year's Geologists heading out for a BBQ at Jesus Green right after the paper, with champagne and wine being toasted all round. Nice.
Although i must say it's been quite crazy even though it was the end of the exams, with me being kept busy all the way till midnight, with a crew meal, and then preparing for the Annual General Meeting of my boat club today. It seems I just keep taking on post - have just relinquished the post of secretary, only to take on another role. Hmm.
And I'm going away tomorrow to Wales to marvel at WATERFALLS! will hopefully come back with brilliant shots..... and more photos of the Stonehenge trip should hopefully come out soon - i think i had some nice pictures of some sheep... :) *sheepish grin*
Although i must say it's been quite crazy even though it was the end of the exams, with me being kept busy all the way till midnight, with a crew meal, and then preparing for the Annual General Meeting of my boat club today. It seems I just keep taking on post - have just relinquished the post of secretary, only to take on another role. Hmm.
And I'm going away tomorrow to Wales to marvel at WATERFALLS! will hopefully come back with brilliant shots..... and more photos of the Stonehenge trip should hopefully come out soon - i think i had some nice pictures of some sheep... :) *sheepish grin*
Labels: Travel
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Chapter 214 - Stonehenge Adventures
Over the Sun/Monday, Kenny, Louis and Lester made a little adventurous road trip to the Stonehenge and beyond, for what I'd describe as an awesome threesome. :)
After picking up Lester from Heathrow, who just returned from Africa, our first stop was a strawberry road-side stall, which was selling freshly picked strawberries. Armed with strawberries in punnets, we headed off for the Stonehenge.
Many people have told me that the Stonehenge is a bit of a disappointment. I suppose I can understand why, because driving in, it doesn't seem to strike one in awe. But I thought knowing the history, and the circumstances in which they built the henge is what makes it really cool - and I really did enjoy it. (perhaps it helps that it was a gorgeous day!)
The trio at the henge.
And just in case you wondered who it was who actually built the henge - it was Louis and Kenny... Photos don't lie...
Following that, we made our way to Salisbury to top up the fuel tank, and dropped by Waitrose for some lunch and then ice cream afterwards apparently...
Following that was Old Sarum Castle ruins, where I got signed up as an English Heritage member. muahaha.. now i can get into Stonehenge and all the attractions for free... ;p
At Old Sarum
We then made our way to Avebury, which is another site of some stone circles, though not as famous as the Stonehenge....
And then it was to look for the white horses (nono, not the SAF ones). There are actually a number of white (chalk) horse figures carved into the countryside. The one we went to first was at Cherhill, where there was some monument too.
As seen in this picture... ;p
Also got a little bit of cow-loving on our way out.
This photo seeming like the cow licking my butt - it probably was actually... I had a pretty wet t-shirt after being slobbed all over by this friendly cow...
And I wasn't the worse - cos Lester tried proposing to one of the cows!
He got rejected, sadly - My heart goes out to you bro...
We spent the night in Bath, and went for a FREE walking tour of Bath the next morning, which was pretty good and gave plentiful insightful details on Bath.
Guess which one was our car?
We headed back shortly after 1pm, where we stopped by the Uffington White Horse, which was slightly disappointing, considering it didn't offer a good view from where we were. And we also drove through Oxford on our way back - nothing worth mentioning really. =X And also passing through a million roundabouts and getting stuck in a bit of a jam.
When we got back finally, it was a nice, yummy dinner to conclude the trip, before sending Louis off to the train station and getting a nice cold beer at the pub. A perfect end to the weekend. (although it was Monday - loong weekend!)
After picking up Lester from Heathrow, who just returned from Africa, our first stop was a strawberry road-side stall, which was selling freshly picked strawberries. Armed with strawberries in punnets, we headed off for the Stonehenge.Many people have told me that the Stonehenge is a bit of a disappointment. I suppose I can understand why, because driving in, it doesn't seem to strike one in awe. But I thought knowing the history, and the circumstances in which they built the henge is what makes it really cool - and I really did enjoy it. (perhaps it helps that it was a gorgeous day!)
The trio at the henge.And just in case you wondered who it was who actually built the henge - it was Louis and Kenny... Photos don't lie...
Following that, we made our way to Salisbury to top up the fuel tank, and dropped by Waitrose for some lunch and then ice cream afterwards apparently...
Following that was Old Sarum Castle ruins, where I got signed up as an English Heritage member. muahaha.. now i can get into Stonehenge and all the attractions for free... ;p
At Old SarumWe then made our way to Avebury, which is another site of some stone circles, though not as famous as the Stonehenge....
And then it was to look for the white horses (nono, not the SAF ones). There are actually a number of white (chalk) horse figures carved into the countryside. The one we went to first was at Cherhill, where there was some monument too.
As seen in this picture... ;pAlso got a little bit of cow-loving on our way out.
This photo seeming like the cow licking my butt - it probably was actually... I had a pretty wet t-shirt after being slobbed all over by this friendly cow...And I wasn't the worse - cos Lester tried proposing to one of the cows!
He got rejected, sadly - My heart goes out to you bro...We spent the night in Bath, and went for a FREE walking tour of Bath the next morning, which was pretty good and gave plentiful insightful details on Bath.
Guess which one was our car?We headed back shortly after 1pm, where we stopped by the Uffington White Horse, which was slightly disappointing, considering it didn't offer a good view from where we were. And we also drove through Oxford on our way back - nothing worth mentioning really. =X And also passing through a million roundabouts and getting stuck in a bit of a jam.
When we got back finally, it was a nice, yummy dinner to conclude the trip, before sending Louis off to the train station and getting a nice cold beer at the pub. A perfect end to the weekend. (although it was Monday - loong weekend!)
Labels: Stonehenge, Travel
Chapter 213 - Stonehenge and back
