UK Trip December 2015 - Part 07 - Meeting up with old university mate Nazim and family, Westfield Stratford City mall, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Continuation from:

UK Trip December 2015 - Part 06 - The Eye of London, Big Ben and the Parliment Building 

Today we went to Westfield Stratford City mall to meet up with my old university mate, Nazim and his family.

This mall was made during the London Olympics and is the biggest mall in the city. In the photo below you can just see the stadium.

Before the appointed time for the meeting, we went early to do some shopping. It was a Saturday and there were many people.

The whole area has been developed because of the Olympics.

My old friend Nazim.

...with his wife Regina and son Adil.

We had lunch a Nando's and later we went back to their house for tea. We left late in the evening.

To be continued.

UK Trip December 2015 - Part 04 - Walking along the Thames river and Tower Bridge

Continuation from: UK Trip December 2015 - Part 03 - Walking along Oxford Street

The next morning after an early breakfast (can't sleep after 5:30 am due to jet-lag) we headed towards the centre of London to see the sights. It was a downcast Saturday morning.

The cafes were just opening up for the breakfast crowd.

We took the Tube to the River Thames as there is where a lot of things can be seen that are the hallmark of London.

While waiting for a quick toilet break, I took a photo of my kids.

We were North of the river and we started our great London adventure from London bridge heading South.

The famous Shard Building.

Tower Bridge and the HMS Belfast ship museum.

Kids photos.

Very windy.

While walking we came across this beautiful shopping pavilion converted from old building just beside the river.

Very tastefully done. There were also nice sculptures.

My son resting on one of the many cute circular benches in the pavilion.

The Christmas decorations were up and the spirit of the season was felt. Pity I forgotten the name of this place.

While walking along the London Riverside (this is what this whole area was called), we saw new and old buildings.

HMS Belfast. This is a ship museum that one can go to visit.

My daughter.

My son.

We saw a lot of stalls selling food and other stuff. We were told that this is part of the Christmas celebration where for a month, merchants can rent a stall to sell their products.

Was this the building used in the latest James Bond movie?

All kinds of food staff were there. There was even a Malaysian food stall. Surprisingly, a good proportion of the food stalls served Halal food.

Not much river traffic. Maybe because it was a weekend.

The famous Tower Bridge. A lot of people there as well.

To be continued.

Food Republic - Pavilion Kuala Lumpur - very high end food court

Over the weekend I was with the gang at the Food Republic food court of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Of all the food courts I have seen, this is by far the best looking and the most option for hungry visitors.

There are ample table and chairs. The clean up by the cleaning crew is fast. You don't see any left plates or dirty tables.

The prices are pricier but not that excessive.

Soft opening of NU Sentral Shopping Mall in KL Sentral

On 30 March 2014, NU Sentral Shopping Mall in KL Sentral had a soft launch opening. I went there as a family to check it out. Parkson Grand is an anchor tenant.

Although a lot of shops have yet to open, there are quite a number that have started business.

Below is a scene at Parkson Grand. I love the wide spaces and the high ceiling.

One of the section that focuses on household decorations.

I did notice that a high-end watch company will be starting shop soon. There's no other watch shops that I can see making their presence felt in NU Sentral. I hope there are.

There are a number of floors. I believe a major cinema chain is also going to set up operations in NU Sentral. MPH is also present (still under renovation).

At night had alfresco dining experience at Burger King overlooking Jalan Tun Sambathan.

Invited to Jakarta to present a paper at a conference - 05 - November 2013 - Free and easy before the flight back home

Please refer to the previous postings.

The next day after the event, since my flight was in the evening, I had a good stretch of time to explore. The day started with a hearty breakfast.

Walked the grounds of the Shangrila Hotel. Big garden and an impressive pool.

The hotel itself is quite tall.

The large pool set-up. Kids will like it here.

Even though it is already 10 am in the morning, the weather was overcast. Actually I was surprised no one used the pool yet at this time.

I took a taxi to go the the Plaza Indonesia. The biggest mall in the heart of Jakarta. Th top half of this picture is the food section of the mall where most of the restaurants are located.

After a few hours, I went back to the hotel to have a late Japanese lunch and then I proceeded to wait at the lounge before my airport transfer arrives.

While waiting got the chance to sample some chocolate mouse courtesy of the hotel.

Going home in style. A Mercedes E-class will be sending me to the airport.

Just before the flight back, I tried the famous Indonesian coffee "Luwak".

The end.