United Kingdom | Day 3 The Graduation Trip (Penryn - Truro - Falmouth)

Congregation for the Conferment of degrees/GRADUATION DAY

Sunrise from my room

My graduation took place in Truro Cathedral, Truro.  Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, which is a 20 minutes drive from Penryn town. Truro is slightly bigger than both Penryn and Falmouth. In terms of shopping, bars and facilities, Truro has more choices. 

Mum and dad in our traditional Melanau attire getting ready for Truro

In front of Truro Cathedral

I was in the second session and there were only three sessions for that day where most of the sessions were short, simple and quick. The highlight of my graduation was both my parents were attending the congregation wearing our Melanau traditional costume! My session lasted only for 2 hours and without realising it we were done! Our chancellor really gave a good and inspiring speech though!

A quick #SELFIES with my batch match

The Chancellor - Baroness Floella Benjamin making her way out after the ceremony

All the way from St. Albans! Thanks for coming!

My graduation jump!

It was really a laid back afternoon at the apartment with my family and friends. There were lots of chatting, drinking and catching up. That night, we dined at Ming’s Garden Chinese Restaurant for my graduation dinner. Ming’s Garden is the only Chinese restaurant in both Falmouth and Penryn that offers dine-in and takeaway services. It is located at 40-41, Church Street, Falmouth TR113EF. Tips: They do offer student’s discount (with proof of ID) for takeaways. If you are a Chinese cuisine enthusiast, Ming’s is the place not to be missed! 

Graduation gifts. Thank you so much!

United Kingdom | Day 1 & 2 The Graduation Trip (Kuala Lumpur - Abu Dhabi - London - Penryn)

The 40 hours journey

After 10 months, finally, I am once again back to United Kingdom for my summer graduation. This 11 days trip was all about celebration, relaxation, fun and leisure. I have been planning this trip since I got back from the UK last year and it took me almost 8 to 9 months to complete the itinerary.  To be honest, it was a tough one (compared to the others) as it required me to do lots of intensive research on accommodations, places of interest, car hired centres and still trying to stay within the budget. I have to also put into consideration on logistics as I am not travelling alone but with four of my other family members; my mum and dad, younger sister and cousin.

 All checked-in and ready to fly

Dad, younger sister, mum and cousin

We flew into LHR T4 from KLIA using Etihad Airways where we transited in AUH for 3 hours 15 minutes. The flight from KUL to AUH was 6 hours 45 minutes and the flight from AUH to LHR was 7 hours 45 minutes. Upon arrival at LHR T4, we made our way to immigration and collected our luggage at the carousel before catching the underground tube train to London Paddington Train Station.

Although the journey from LHR T4 to London Paddington takes almost 45 minutes (with the underground tube), it is the most affordable (£5.70/pax/way) if compared to the Express Train service (£21.00/pax) and metered taxis (£70.00/car – dependent on traffics). We arrived at London Paddington an hour early before our train departs for Falmouth Town. Tips: Please try to be an hour early when catching the train because British trains are really punctual with their time of departure.

The always busy London Paddington Station in Central London

I have booked the First Great Western service to Cornwall three months in advance and I have managed to get an awesome deal (under the super off-peak ticket). The return tickets were only £301.00 for 5 pax. Travelling on the train is always the best option to get around in the UK because it is economically cheap and it will give you an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular views of the UK’s countryside.

Tips: Tickets can be purchased online and to get a great deal, it would be advisable to get them 3 months in advanced. When purchasing, you can either ask them to mail it for free to a UK address or you can collect it from the booth prior departure. In my case, I requested them to mail it to my friend’s UK address and my friend mailed me those tickets to Malaysia. The train journey took us almost 6 hours with one stop at Truro. Total time of travel: 40 hours!

The First Great Western train service bound for Falmouth Town

Cornwall, I am back!

We stayed at Penryn Summer Apartment which is situated in Penryn. The apartment is actually a university student accommodation for both University of Exeter and Falmouth University students which only opens for the public and served as a rented apartment during the summer break. The apartment consisted of seven individual bedrooms en-suite with toilet and a communal area (kitchen and a dining area). Tips: It is always best if you are travelling in a group (eg. family) to rent an apartment-like accommodation (especially in Europe) because this helps you save a lot especially on food. Groceries are easy to get hold off and cheap, especially in the UK. Major supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury, Iceland, Londis, Lidhl and Asda are opened daily even in small-town like Penryn and Falmouth. However, the opening times are shorter on a Sunday.

Penryn Summer Apartment

Bedroom en-suite with a toilet and shower

Toilet

Communal area

It is always advisable to hire a car whenever you are in Cornwall because public transportation are not convenient. The roads are mostly hilly and walking with your family will be exhausting! I did my reservation under Europcar and their services were really good. I got an upgrade to a bigger car for free and we got a maroon coloured Vauxhall Mocca which is pretty awesome! Tips: Do not pay for full fuel tank because cars nowadays are usually in Eco mode and the fuel consumption will only be ¼ if you are only staying for 4 days in Cornwall. A full tank will be £65 and for ¼ is only £22! Normally, the car hired is already all fueled up, try using it first and only pay the amount used later. 

Our hired car for during our stay in Cornwall

Pictures around Falmouth before getting some groceries for dinner that night.

The view from Falmouth Museum

#SELFIES

Gylly Beach

Our first proper dinner after 40 hours of travelling 

Kenya | Day 13 & 14 Mara – Nairobi – London

Our last day in Kenya. After packing up and putting down the tents we headed off the road across the Masai land and later for the main road. Along the way, we managed to see a few more animals and I was trying my best to cherish that safari moments.

Acacia nilotica/Gum Arabic Tree near our campsite illuminating the beautiful sun on our last day in Masai Conservancy. 

After almost an hour or two we were on the road switching from safari mode to travel mode. As per our schedule, we were supposed to arrive at the airport at 1600hrs but we only arrive Mai Mahiu for lunch at 1630hrs!

A beautiful sunset on our last day in Kenya taken from our minibus on the way to Nairobi. 

After our meal, we were back on the road and arrived at the airport at 2000hrs. After unloading and checking in to our airline, we had a solid 3 ½ hours before departure. I managed to do some last-minute shopping and also posted a few postcards to my mum and a few of my friends back home in Malaysia. We were informed that the weather in the UK was really bad and thank God we were able to land Heathrow after the 8hrs flight.

Along the way back from London to Cornwall it snowed and boy, I was super excited as this was my first time actually experiencing snowfall! Once we stopped the rest stop, I was among the few from other tropical countries getting off playing with the snow! Name it, snow fight and snow angel were all the things we did! Thank God we managed to have some fun at the rest stop because the snow continued to thin as we got closer to Cornwall. By the time we crossed the Tamar, all we left with was good old-fashioned Cornish rain!

It was snowing in the UK. The feeling was so surreal.

My first time seeing snow!

Of course, I have to make a snow angel!

Nothing can be compared to my 2 weeks stay in Kenya. All this while I could only imagine the word AFRICA. Since young, I am always mesmerised with the beauty of Africa and its wildlife! Being there, breathing the air, smelling the smell of the savannahs and seeing upfront the Big Five – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and Cape buffalo was just too surreal. This for sure will be the trip of my lifetime! Thanks a lot once again to University of Exeter for the opportunity and not forgetting my sponsor Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) for the education bursaries.

Kenya | Day 12 Mara

Another day, another game drive. It was a beautiful sunrise overlooking the savannah. Hot air balloons were seen and I bet this excursion as a tourist will be very expensive. A glimpse of the animal from above would be interesting as these animals should be in their most natural condition if compared to a normal game drive.

Early morning game drive with a beautiful sunrise!

Hot air balloon excursion for tourists. 

A herd of elephants with two calves.

Our bus was greeted by a herd of elephants with two calves. Then along the way, we saw a cackle of hyenas on the route and that scene was just adorable as a cub was visible as well. We visited the elephant carcass and it was still intact. However, the carcass was cover with droppings from the vultures I guess. The vultures were just waiting for the right time to scavenge the carcass. The highlight for this game drive was we spotted a cheetah resting in between the grassland. That moment for me was just priceless. Before lunch, we headed back to the campsite as we need to prepare a presentation for our herbivore survey.

A cackle of hyenas seen crossing.

Revisiting the elephant carcass. Lots of faeces seen on the body. 

Can you spot the cheetah?

Right after the presentation, we went out for our final game drive. Our bus was able to see a pride of lion resting and copulating before we were all greeted with our final savannah sunset for the very last time. At that point of time, I tried my best to sink in the awesome view as much as I can. The next time for me to return will be in decades, perhaps.

Lion and lioness spotted. 

Copulation.

The king has arrived!

Our last sunset at the Masai Conservancy. 

Our last night at camp was a blast as the Masai tribes from our Manyatta experiences came and sang around the fire pit. It was really a memorable one and at the same time, my heart still wants to explore this amazing place! It ended late and we immediately headed to bed as tomorrow will be another long day on the road.

Singing and dancing around the fire pit with the Masai. 

Kenya | Day 11 Mara (Manyatta Experience)

Another game drive to start the day. During the game drive, we were alerted with a “fresh “elephant carcass. From the look and the smell of it, it seems that it died a few hours back.  There were still no scavengers devouring on the carcass. We were able to see a herd of living animals near the carcass probably related to the deceased individual. Elephants are known to grieve the loss of their friends and family members, thus this behaviours is probably because they were not ready to “let go”. There were also sightings of a variety of raptors and a martial eagle.

The elephant carcass. 

Lions resting near the carcass. 

After lunch, we visited a Masai village or manyatta. I was super excited as this was one of my dream to see and get up close with the Masai people. Before entering the village, we were met outside its fence by the chief, who provided some basic background information about the village and its inhabitants. He then invited Masai performers of both sexes to come sing, dance, and–in the case of the young men–jump. Once the dancing and singing have been completed, the Masai warriors have the opportunity to show their manliness by engaging in a jumping contest. I too joined and boy these people really can jump!

The Masai inviting us for the manyatta experience. 

The chief welcoming us. 

Us walking to the manyatta. (Photo credit: Adwait)

Welcoming dance and jumps

With the jumping completed, we went into the village and received another briefing from the chief. Before dividing us up into smaller groups that could more easily fit into the Masai buildings en masse, the chief invited us to watch several young men light a fire in the “traditional Masai style” (friction). I was shocked to find out the huts were made from cow dung and it was completed by the female. My visit to the manyatta was exceptional and I really enjoyed myself.

The Masai starting a fire. 

The buildings made from cow dung. Normally the female will do the building. 

Handmade souvenirs sold.

I am actually the same height with the Masai tribe. Bought a fabric from the tribe. 

We finished up the afternoon with another game drive where we spotted a trio of dik-diks, the smallest antelope. The day ended with a rainbow overlooking the savannah.

Dik-dik spotted. (Photo credit: Adwait)

Lioness resting.

Just another view of sunset with our minibuses passing by.