05 January 2009

I found the best scone at St. Ives

...while I am hibernating and the mode is still quite somber, perhaps reminiscing over the old days and sharing with you, my beloved bloggers, could uplift my spirit a bit...

I figured out my jihad in the far land wouldn't be completed if I didn't conquer both ends of the British mainland. I have been to John O' Groats, the most northerly settlement of the mainland Great Britain. Okay, I lied a bit actually, I was almost there if not for my journey being hampered by my lack of understanding on the weather forecast and my fascination on searching for the elusive Loch Ness monsters, thus by the time we packed up our camping gears and want to travel up north, thick highland fog smoldering the road, making the journey a hazardous one. I was just short by a few miles away from that glorious achievement. The most northerly point I've ever traveled so far in that mainland was Inverness, a small town with its inhabitant so friendly they treated us as if we were their mythical Gods. With a bit of frustration, I have to turn back and got stuck in Loch Lomond for another camping adventure.

Anyway, the opportunity to visit the Cornwall district, where you can find Land's End and the scenic St. Ives came at last. I was posted to our sister office in North London after completing my study. In a way, having several offices scattered through out the globe has some rare advantages. If you are, for example one fine day submitting your report a bit late than usual, and you boss in Kay El wanted to have a word with you, a good excuse can always save you for the day.

Big boss : "Sam, come to my office please...Now please!"
Sam : "errr...sorry boss, I can't.
Big boss: "Why not?"
Sam: "I am moonlighting in our London office at the moment sir, and you are the one who send me here in the first place."

From this office in London to Cornwall, is about a full one day journey by car. Travelling in UK was a pleasant one. No intention to belittle our beloved country though, but their signage and road system were so driver's friendly. Even with an outdated map that I bought from a car boot sale for 10 pence and my untrained but trusted co-pilot on my side, I could drive with one of my eyes closed and yet I could still find TESCO parking lot in Penzane. But I would like also to give credit to our local councils who are really working hard in making our road an enjoyable experience. New roads and highway being built at the same rate they change their sim card on their handphones. Do you know that DUKE, the new expressway is one of the only two roads in Malaysia that used rubber scrap as part of their mixture?

Anyway, my trip to the district of Devon and Cornwall has been a memorable one. Along the way we passed the Stonehenge in Salisbury plain off the A344, a megalithic ruin worship by the pagan long time ago. As usual, being an amateur photographer and not to missed the opportunity, I just spent few hours shooting whatever that fancied my eyes. We spent a night at Dr. Shamsidar's house, a senior colleague who migrated to UK following his British husband, that time residing in Exeter. I continued my epic journey the next day after some heavy breakfast of our national delicacy, Nasi Lemak.

After stopping by at Penzane for stocking up fresh ration, we continued down south. Finally we reached Land's End, the most westerly tip of the Southern mainland. Frankly speaking, there was nothing much to do here. There was a tourist center and an old hotel. The only thing you can do here was to feel the cold Atlantic breeze on your face and to snap few photos for you album. That's it.

My significant half being an ardent fan of St. Ives perfume and talcum for several years, persuaded me to re-route our journey to another beautiful place in the Cornish land, St. Ives, since it was only a few miles up north from the Land's End. St. Ives turned out to be a much interesting and a more beautiful place to visit. It was hard to find nice sandy and golden beaches in the mainland. (No...I didn't mean those bunch of crazy bitches who flashed their thong and g-string at you after gatecrashing in few pubs on every Saturday night). St Ives was a fishing village with a nice coastal line and a town that can offer travellers so much adventure. And I found the best scone ever here.

p/s: Sorry guys. I don't have many picture of Land's End to share as most are in 35mm color slides. And I have sold my slide scanner :(

Our nomadic mode of traveling has introduced us very close to the nature. There were many camping sites like this one through out the UK. With a mere 3 pounds you can pitch up you tent and rumble from dusk to dawn.At last I found my Nessy. In the background was the mythical Loch Ness. Loch Ness monster was not so hard to find after all. As evidence in this picture.

St. Ives harbour with her scenic town. I wonder why the sea look so greenish in color. Probably my polariser filter has fooled my eye.A beautiful sandy beach near the harbour of St. Ives. Locals and tourist packed the beach and some even had a dip in the chilly water. Even though it was summer, but the subzero stream from the Atlantic can give you a hair-raising goosebumps.Many souvenir shops like this one lined the pedestrian along the coastal area. As usual I got my fridge magnet and some postcards for my collection.I was not sure whether those people who were admiring the scene and enjoying a breeze coming from the sea, were locals or tourist alike. But it seemed to me everybody was really engrossed with their surrounding, they didn't really bother whether you are an alien from another planet. For some, sign board is just an object of some rhetoric or ceremonial symbols. Just like a "no smoking" signboard in many restaurants which doesn't catch nobody attention. Even a cool guy like me, this utterly ignorance has really pissed me off. Tarak sekolah ka?
Small alleys like this has many surprises for uninitiated and seasoned travellers. I found a small cafe in this alley. And their scone was the best so far.



(scone = British bread of Scottish origin. Normally eaten with clotted cream and strawberry jam.)

44 comments:

Kak Teh said...

It is me again, to ask whether I can link you in my blog. Saves me from detouring eslewehere. Lovely travelogue you have here, and it has taken me on a journey without leaving the warm comforts of my lounge. It it freezing outside but I will have to drag myself out soon to accompany the other half to go to the bookshop.
Salam.

DrSam said...

salam again kak teh,

TQ. Pas de probleme. dreaded wrapping the muffler and thick gloves during the winter. sunshine will always make my day.

CaBaiKeRinG said...

brother sam...

the monster cant be real!

its creepy even looking from my screen!

eyaks!

cerana said...

salam... DrSam.. terima kasih kerana selalu melawat blog saya..

p/s: satu pemandangan yg sangat menarik..

alia said...

interesting blog. thank you for visiting mine :)

MiSyaJanah said...

wah....dr.sam...tq for visiting my blog...& tq for ur advise..huhu..we exchange link k bro...

DrSam said...

cabaikering,
that monster wasn't real, but the monster within.

Sir Nik,
rajin melawat, luas pengetahuan.

alia,
Tq. sama-sama lawat bila ada kelapangan.

MiSya,
sama ingat mengingati. suka lagu background blog tu. tu yang melekat kat situ :) apa nama lagu tu?

CatlinaFly said...

salam dr sam..wah bestnye g st ives ek..ni urusan keje ke mmg g melancong?anyway, have a nice trip!

CRAZY BEAUTIFUL88 said...

bestnyer dapat gi melancong, aperpun have a nice trip

ita.itu said...

wah bestnye berkhemah korang.....aku sekali pun x penah ko..hehe

besi said...

pic semuanya cantik...
drsam snap sendiri ke
look liked pro la doc....

UmiMia said...

Hi Sam,

thank you for visiting my blog...

u're a very good writer...its like i'm reading a book...haha...and I loveeee scone...especially with lots of butter and strawberry jam..nyum nyum...

anntaj said...

wahhhh...!
teruja..
:)

tomato_masam said...

w0www~! bergambar dengan lochness ^_^ jeles2, hee~

Miss Izah Mohamed said...

nice view!
bestnye dpt p sane.. :)

DrSam said...

catlina,
ia satu nostalgia yang manis.

CB88,
dah lama tu, masa zaman muda-muda dulu. terkonang.

ita,
masuk khemah masa orang kahwin pun sama juga.

DrSam said...

besi,
TQ. semua gambar hakmilik terpelihara :)

Umi Mia,
Tq for dropping by. writing in this blog is part of my big ambition into writing a book. need a lot of passion and dedication. and good support from friends and the love one as well.

anntaj,
really, wish everything will be fine.

DrSam said...

tomato masam,
why it has to be masam? :)

Miss Izah,
hope your time will come one day. semoga murah rezeki.

Hidup KOKA said...

I love travelling in UK!!!! Dah tak dapat pegi dah sekarang nie..... Mahal giler!!!!

Unknown said...

oh, scone has always been my favorite. Since maggi mee is hardly available here. ha ha. it's the matter of survival.

Unknown said...

oh, u were here. he he, ya doktor. Masih beroperasi. Sangat penting la kedai tu especially untuk kitorang yang duduk fenham ni.

DrSam said...

hidup KOKA,

ada rezeki boleh pergi lagi. insyaallah.

DrSam said...

Helmi,

maggie me selalu pergi cari ration kat China town.

Aha...masih ada lagi orang tua tu. dah kaya raya dia. selalunya kita terpaksa travel dari Durham seminggu sekali buat stok. syok sebab jumpa ramai malaysian kat kedai tu. tapi kadang-kadang tu ada juga yang sombong, tak tegur sapa pun walau kita senyum meleret.

Atan said...

terasa atan sangat kecil,
jgn kan london ,,,penang pon atan lum sampai....

itu la dulu masa sekolah atan kurang belajar tak mcm dr sam

terima kasih dtg blog merapu atan

Anonymous said...

bestnye Dr Sam punya life...
cantik gambar2 tu..:)... emmm seronoknya.... dan tq sebab sudi singgah blog fahmi..kay bye2.. tq skali lg sebab berikan komen yang membina..:)

DrSam said...

atan,
TQ kerana sudi jenguk blog ni. kita sama, tapi tak serupa. masing-masing ada bahagian masing-masing (teringat pesan tokki)

Sdr Fahmi,
Tq juga kerana sudi berkongsi cerita. semoga hidup fahmi pun ceria dan lively juga. kita sama-sama mewarnainya.

Teja Suraya said...

bila la leh g sna ye..kui3..angan2..

cendawanintim said...

pic. ngan lochness yang tak tahan tu....

kalu abang adi tengok ni...mesti xcited..dia kan peminat dino!

DrSam said...

Tun Teja,
mula-mula memang angan-angan dulu, lepas tu baru jadi kenyataan.

Cendawanintim,
Oh sungguh. Adi dan dinonya. nanti lain kali kena bagi present dino lah kat dia. eh...mung dok tido lagi ke Cuni?

Faisal Admar said...

huwaaaa! after watching the movie and read the book, i really want to see the loch ness monster/dragon :(

x said...

*in awe* Oohh bes nye~ Terutamanya pantai tu (photo #2)...macam pantai Cannes.

Saya tak penah lagi pi jauh-jauh ke negara Barat, tapi satu hari nanti saya akan pergi sana jugak! InsyaAllah :))

P.S. Well at least I'm enjoying UK vicariously through your posts...so keep 'em coming, Doc! Heee...

QUDS REALCLOCKWISE said...

dr...
gua pernah layan life cam tu...bezanya lu dgn family gua sensorang...
dgn gambar2 lu dpt gua rasakan betapa lu memang seorang familymen...teruskan.

lavidalabelle said...

hey DrSam,
love reading ur blog. interesting and full of info ;D

patungcendana said...

my all time favourite place is the lake district...quite near to Lancaster uni, where i was stydying at that time...simply brilliant...

dr itu! said...

salam,

Dr Sam graduate UKM ke?? Bangga sekejap.. hmmm..

Update n3 selalu yer!!.. enjoy baca blog DrSam

MiSyaJanah said...

dR Sam..tajuk lagu tu 'Better in Time ' by Leona Lewis...best kan lagu tu bro....

cerana said...

tq kerana selalu melawat blog saya.. photo yg disertakan sangat menarik..teruja saya melihatnya..

DrSam said...

Faisal,
A young man like you, time is on your side. With strong desire, that day will come sooner or later. Insyaallah.

Zatil,
Tq. got more adventures in the land of fish and chips.


cucumatlela,
maybe we can share and exchange stories. tq

DrSam said...

belle,
Tq. just sharing mine with other bloggers.

patungcendana,
Yes, Lancaster is very near to the Lake District. scenic landscapes and a cool place to be. being there as well.


alhaqimi,
roaming the campus in between 1987 -1990. met my love there :)

misya,
yes, easy listening.

sir NIK,
Yes sir, will update with more photos from my collection as usual. photography is one of my hobbies. but time is my no 1 enemy now :)

arsaili said...

salam dr sam...can't catch up la with u..my blog had been stagnant...so busy la...envy u laying on ur back ...ummmm

DrSam said...

arsaili,
no problem mate. jauh dimata dekat dihati. can understand how busy you are right now.

BTW, quite surprised to received a long distant call yesterday :)

tomorrow will be back to work again.

Yang Benar, Kakak Perkara Rawak said...

waaaaa...ade dinoso aaa..
ase cm real gile..
nak jugak!

psst..dr,sye ni tak terer bi,kadang bce paam tp lmbt aa,ekekekeke,tp bile ade gambar,sonok bc,hahahaha..
poor me.bc kne bwk kamus,tp tape aa,leyh improvekan bi kan..

hikhik.

the noise thereafter said...

sungguh sweet!

anyway happy belated birthday.

salam!

PerantauSepi1306 said...

Syiookkk reading ur travelodge here... and the best scones we could ever fine here... in Cameron only lorrrr ;D

Jauh merantau banyak pengalaman Dr Sam nie :D

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