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03/28/03 Friday

Pachot is going to work today. I met Cecil at the Epsom station, dropped there by Ashley, Lizette's husband. Since it's still early, we had to buy the peak one-day unlimited Travelcard for £11.60 (compared to £7 for off-peak, sold after 9:30am). We took the BritRail in Victoria and transferred to the Underground Tube and got off at the Tower Hill station. 

We met Mon & Nola and their boys at the Tower of London, where we saw the Crown Jewels and the White Tower, among other exhibits. The entrance fee is £11.50 but Cecil and I shared a 2-for-1 coupon. Mon got a much cheaper family-pass, for two adults and two kids. Jamie got in for free, since he's less than 10. Jamie took his time reading all the captions and started asking us questions, most of which we were not able to answer. It seemed that this young boy took a lot more from the exhibits than any of us.

Inside the Tower, we encountered this Royal Guard by one of the doors to the towers and we took pictures with him. The Guard is not supposed to move or talk but I think I saw him smile when Jamie made faces and funny gestures to get his attention.

Right behind the Towers, we could see the Tower Bridge over the River Thames. But we did not have the time to walk thru it.

We then all took the Tube to Westminster. We saw the London Eye, right across the River Thames. This is also known as the Millennium Wheel, a huge ferris-wheel that gives you a good view of the entire London area and which takes around 30 minutes to go all around. It moves really slow, allowing people to enjoy the view. The passengers get to go around only once.

We first went to the Houses of Parliament, with the tower of Big Ben right in front. There were a few war-protesters camped right in front. I was actually expecting a lot more protesters and more military personnel, just like what we have in NYC, but what they have is a lot tamer, though the newspapers and TV are dominated by news about the war.

We went inside the Westminster Abbey (for £6 each), where the coronation of the Queen, and almost of all the other monarch, took place. It also houses several tombs and monuments for royalty and prominent people, like William Shakespeare, George Frederick Handel and Sir Lawrence Olivier. We were all wondering how much it would cost to be buried here.

From there, we all took the bus to Piccadilly Circus and then to Mon's hotel to rest, at the Hilton Kensington in Holland Park. Along the way, we passed by Notting Hill, just a few blocks away.

In the evening, we took the Tube to Victoria and a BritRail train to Carshalton Beeches (also in Surrey, just right outside London), to have dinner at Lizette's house. We were picked-up at the train station by Ashley and their son, Ryon. On the way to their house, we mentioned that we have been looking forward to sample Lizette's cooking and Ryon divulged that they actually ordered the food from Gino's, an Italian restaurant nearby.

We were met by a very slim Lizette and her adorable little boy, Liam. We also met Ruby Magat-Bautista and her family (husband Boots and kids Michael and Claudia). She's Lizette and Nola's HS classmate at SSA.

We really had some great fun reminiscing about our college days and sharing stories (gossips actually).  I really can't remember much coz Ashley kept on pouring us white wine and I got drunk.  But I will never forget hearing Lizette say "Would you like some tea?" in her perfect British accent!

We also met Laura, Ashley's grown-up daughter from a previous marriage.  Ashley also has a son, Mark, who's currently in Basra, Iraq, serving with the Fusiliers, UK's equivalent to the US Army.

Cecil and I stayed over for the night. Cecil slept on the guest room while I slept on Liam's bed, with the Woody and Buzz-Lightyear bedsheets.  Mon and family were driven back to the hotel by Ashley. Ruby and family also got a ride home with them.

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