Thursday 21 July 2011

Back In The UK

If there's one thing that I must be grateful for thus far, it's my back. It's probably a gene I have inherited from Mom. All my life I have not heard her ever complain of sakit pinggang. Even now when she has spondylosis, the discomfort shows up elsewhere.

Recently, on a nine day trip to the UK for my son Azeim's graduation, we all ie. hubby, our two daughters as well as Azeim who planned the holiday, had to put our backs to the test.

Of the 7 nights on terra firma, we had the luxury of beds on only three.  2 nights on  coach seats in the Glasgow-to-London sleeper train and back, and 2 nights in a rented car on a marathon Glasgow-Land's End-Andover(Stonehenge)- Brighton-Dover-Glasgow road tour.

Which made the three nights at an inn near Inverness, a hotel in Glasgow and a B&B in Andover like god-send and thoroughly appreciated.


I had wondered loudly if I would ever get to go on a luxurious holiday,  flying first-class sleeping on recliner seats, checking into a classy six-star hotel, being chauffeured here, there and everywhere in limousines and eating  the finest cuisine.

 BUT...  that'd be the  kind of holiday  that spoils you rotten, that might actually weaken your muscles and may even make you suffer back pain actually.

And you learn nothing from not getting lost and finding your own way around a megapolis like London.



You might not quite feel the exhilaration of looking onto a beautiful Atlantic Ocean at the south-western tip of England they call Land's End, after a long overnight drive that is.





What more negotiating  the scenic route along the sunny southern coast all the way to Dover and walking on it's white cliffs overlooking the majestic ferry port where in the distance you  can even see France.



And how tremendous it was on the morning of your flight home which was at 1400 hrs you had your final shower at the motorway rest area outside Glasgow



and then you limited yourself to only one and a half hours shopping for summer bargains, which did not include kilts



Alhamdulillah, the old back held up.


Then again, a luxurious holiday might be very nice indeed.



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10 comments:

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Zen,
Aren't the legs complaining? har har har *evil laughs*

Zendra-Maria said...

Cats... see da legs lorr :)

Pak Zawi said...

I will be just as happy doing a tour on economy class, sleeping in budget hotels and eating street food or just Maggi mee whenever I have the chance.

Wan Sharif said...

Exquisite trip.. a good exercise for your back.. ahhh the B&B.. I remembered staying there twenty over years ago ..sharing bathroom with so many others.. it was fun while it last ;))

Tommy Yewfigure said...

So u r saying u r the backbone of the family lah :)) U r good, I can't rough it out now :((
Glad u stopped by in Perth...wink2..

Zendra-Maria said...

Pak Zawi, that was just wishful thinking on my part about the luxurious holiday...

the bonding with family and friends is what is priceless when travelling on a shoestring budget like this :)

Zendra-Maria said...

Ayoh Wang, fortunately we can now afford the B&B's which have rooms with en-suite bathrooms...

yes, travelling like this gives good exercise for everything - mouth, tummy, brain, legs as well as the back :)

Zendra-Maria said...

Tommy, me the backbone? naaah... that's too tough a job for me :)

Try visiting ye olde Perth one day, then you'll really feel it when you say Alba gu brĂ th!

Al-Manar said...

Did you see the Loch Ness monster? It is similar to the one in Tasek Kenyir, Terenggan!

Zendra-Maria said...

Pakcik, the temperature wasn't hot enough for Nessie to come out for a sunbath... unfortunately. Does she really have a tropical cousin?... that's really scary!