I’ve decided to write about our trip to UK in several installments, simply because there are too many pictures.
My UK posts will therefore be divided into three:
- Taunton, Somerset
- Wembley, London
- Cardiff, Wales
We landed in Heathrow, and HB drove from Heathrow to Taunton, Somerset, some supposedly 4 hours away. The drive was a looooong one and took much longer than 4 hours as there was HORRENDOUS traffic in between. I thought KL had the worst traffic in the world. Not.
Somerset is down south, and is basically the countryside. It was a breath of fresh air to see the fields, cows, sheep and horses. For some strange reason, I find their cows really cute. Furry and healthy and….cute
Especially the black and white ones. I was hoping to spot a cow with a bell around its neck. Didn’t see one

View on the way to Taunton
We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Taunton. It was an alright hotel. The thing I like about travelling is that it opens your eyes to so many things that you take for granted. For instance, in Malaysia, we are used to having a huge buffet spread at hotel breakfasts. But in the UK, all you get is the ubiquitous English Breakfast. I had it for two weeks straight. I can close my eyes and tell you the placement/setting of each item on the buffet table.
In correct order: Classic Sausages, Cumberland Sausages, Black Pudding (!!), Hash Browns, Grilled Mushrooms, Grilled Tomatoes, Baked Beans, Scrambled Eggs. On the chilled section of the buffet, you have the fruit salad, compote, yoghurt, cheeses, tomato juice, cranberry juice. And of course, you also have the toast and cereal. Got really tired of it in the end. But it was actually quite yummy. It’s just that having the same thing day in and day out makes you a little “jelak”.
On the other hand, service by the hotel staff in UK is tonnes better than service you get in Malaysia. The staff greet you with a smile, and are well-trained and knowledgeable.
The first night, HB and I both decided we would have INDIAN FOOD
We asked a member of staff at the Front Desk and he gave us a map and even suggested the best Indian restaurant in the area. It was a Sunday and the town was DEAD. There were hardly any people around. We parked the car a distance away, and walked around to find the restaurant. In the end, it got a little too chilly, and we got a little too hungry, and we chose another Indian restaurant. There were quite a number of Indian restaurants and plenty of Chinese Takeaways. No wonder they say that the the national food of the English is Chicken Tikka Masala >_____<
So we got into this restaurant, and the HB ordered his favourite Peshwari Naan, and I ordered the Keema Naan to go with my Lamb Vindaloo. I forgot what dish the HB ordered. It was chicken though. Anyway, the Naan wasn’t all that good. Not crispy enough and too oily. But the vindaloo, WOOT, it was HOTTTTTTT. As in super pedas.

Pappadums for starters
Yes, the Indians don’t normally eat their food this way; pappadums for starters, but it’s actually quite nice to nibble on the pappadums with the condiments while waiting for the mains to arrive. The condiments consisted of mint raita, acar, tomato chutney and chopped onions.
And as usual, thats the ONLY picture of the food I captured that night. Hahahhahahaha.
The rest of the food arrived, and the rest is history. Told you I make an awful food blogger
Over the next few days while the HB went to work, I traipsed through the housing estate, little lanes and what not, and I was MIGHTY pleased with myself when I found my way to town! On foot! Shops galore! Lol.

Outside the hotel - Love the lavender!
And as I walked through the lanes and housing area, I was reminded of the story books I read as a child. Mr.Twiddle, Mr.Meddle, The Magic Faraway Tree.

Am pretty sure these are blackberries
There were berries growing in the bushes, and I was pretty sure they were blackberries. I did not pick them however, coz I know that some berries can be toxic. If you’re not sure, never pick them I say.

Beefeater Lodge
Quaint little lodge with delicious smells wafting in the air.

Someone's garden
I was very cautious about taking pictures in the UK as I didn’t want to risk being sued for some reason or other.

Beautiful red flowers
I wonder how much effort the English people put into their gardens. They were really pretty. This one stood out because of its bright red flowers. I was across the road and I stopped to take a quick picture, and scarily enough, someone looked out of the window on the left, directly at me. I half expected a loud yell, and I hastily walked away
*shady eyes*
Taunton town itself is a small one. One thing I noticed is that there are MANY young mothers in the UK. I wonder if they are single mums, considering the fact that the UK has the highest number of single mothers in the world. It was a little strange seeing the mums in totally trendy attire, heavy makeup, walking with a bunch of other young girls. Only difference is that they were pushing a pram with a baby in it.

Old Pig Market
I thought this was pretty funny. Old Pig Market. I wonder whether its a market where they sell old pigs, or whether it is an old market that sells pigs.

Church
Check out the enforcement officer who was issuing summons to cars parked there.

Holly bush

Holly Berry
Did you know that the Halle Berry Holly Berry (sorry, couldn’t resist that
) is mildly toxic and would cause vomiting and diarrhoea if ingested by people? Funnily enough, they are vital food for numerous species of birds. That’s why I say, if you don’t know your berries, they can be berry dangerous!
And that’s about it for my Taunton installment. I hope I will be able to post the London and Cardiff entries before we move house, else there won’t be any Internet for me. I’m already dreading that.