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Published: October 14th 2013
The weather has been acting up, the rain and the sun have been trying to outdo each other. Colds has caught up and I was feeling poorly. Not on the best mood for a four-hour train ride to Glasgow.
Straight to the train station from work on a Friday night. I'm pretty much missing my travel buddies, we would definitely have a blast if they were here.
I dropped by Sainsburry to buy snacks, with a bad headache starting to set in.
"Ni Hao! That'd be £7.5 dear", the check-out staff.
I handed him the money,
"Cheers mate!” They still think I'm Chinese. I'm not even fair enough to be Chinese. And my Mathematics Skills would definitely not pass for a Chinese.
The train wasn't too crowded. I was previously in so much doubt whether I was on the right platform or not, the staff pacified me. I'm yet to get used to their system, it is confusing me. The entire trip was spent trying to get some sleep and munching on baby carrots (sorry baby carrots you will never grow to be big carrots). Darn headache.
I arrived on a chilly night with
my Sister and my brother-in-law waiting for me at the Glasgow Central Station. I was supposed to come over the previous weekend but I had to do work the previous Sunday. First time in Glasgow, finally!
It felt like arriving at the middle of a party. Friday alcohol madness with the noticeable groups of hen party / stag party celebrants.
The night after I got invited to one of my sister's friend's birthday celebration which involved a limousine ride and my first taste of the city's nightlife. To say the least, it was an eventful one.
The limousine took us to the disco house of choice and we quickly found ourselves a spot, got VIP bracelets, and then got kicked out because we didn't pay the £5 entrance fee, or so we were told. Without much warning and explanation, I was confused. Couldn't they simply collect the entrance fee and not kick us out? We still got kicked out anyway.
And we ended up at yet another disco house, we made sure we paid the £5 entrance fee this time. We were enjoying about an hour of booty shakin’ (ehm, not particularly my best talent), and
guess what?! We got kicked out, again! The entrance staff have previously asked for proof of age from two of our very young looking friends and were eventually allowed to go in, but the manager later decided that one of the girls is too young to be drinking cocktails at 19. The manager demanded for a passport but she only had her school ID with her birth date printed on it. It wasn't enough. So off we go, back to the cold streets with the rain starting to pour. We got our entrance fees back at least!
We finally went to the disco house they always frequent, and there we were finally 'accepted wholeheartedly'.
Drunk people, the smell of alcohol, strangers coming up asking if I had a date (*yes, my sister and her friends), noise, so much noise, crazy tipsy crowd, a really fun live band. It's something I'd do pretty seldom, in the end I thought the night was hilarious and fun. Couldn't be more exciting for a birthday night-out!
Now on being the visiting tourist -- a very scenic drive to the coastal town of Largs the next day, passing through the beautiful rolling
hills and its grazing sheep and cows. The puffy clouds were floating low, I noticed. Makes me feel like I could reach them. It was a beautiful walk along the promenade, but we had to watch out for those cheeky seagulls trying to steal food from everyone.
Glasgow’s traditional buildings and houses remind me of period era movies, I especially loved the cobblestone roads and stone houses in the city of Stirling. I was hoping for Sherlock Holmes or Sweeney Todd to make an appearance! The architecture still leaves me with a feeling of awe. They also have more hills and mountains which makes a really beautiful countryside. Oh, not to mention the clouds looked like cotton candies.
It was also a fun experience riding the Falkirk Wheel in Central Scotland. The boat lift was something enjoyable and the view of the neighbouring village of Tamfourhill and the nearby hills / fields from above was a sight to feast your eyes on.
My favourite trip though was the drive to Glencoe in the Highlands. The landscape was pretty impressive I actually didn’t realize I wasn’t taking photos, I was just taking it all in - in amazement.
Not to mention I was probably uttering ‘wow’ excessively as our car went through pass to another. Perhaps James Bond’s Skyfall and Harry Potter’s Prisoner of Azkaban has added to its fame as a popular tourist’s destination but to be honest even without those I think this place is simply spectacular. I am so keen to see how those rugged mountains would look like when it’s covered with snow. Stunning scenery through alternating view of the wild peaks and unexpectedly flat areas; scattered freshwater streams further add to its charm. We were even treated with sightings of adult wild doe and a stag on our way back to Glasgow!
And then it was time to go back to work.
On the train back to Manchester I got on a coach loaded with youngsters, lots of Korean teens. I have a feeling they’re going to invade the world really soon, or maybe they already have.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Stunning & spectacular
We love Scotland. Looks like you are getting around a lot. Sorry you aren't feeling well. Hope it does not last long.