WHILE these travellers were flying in to escape the heat of Hong Kong yet another group was coming to have a respite from the winter of Australia.
So what is really happening? It seems that all of them are just looking for a reason to visit London for the nth time. And who could blame them?
As Samuel Johnson said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.”
To have a pretty good idea of what the 16th century English literary figure was talking about, visitors who still haven’t tried it could join a hop-on, hop-off guided bus tour of the city, which could run for some three hours.
Aside from having an intro to the lay of the land, it passes through London’s most famous landmarks, lectures on history and comments on popular culture.
As world hub for fashion, finance, theatre, entertainment and culture, London definitely has so many facets that one has to set aside other must-do’s for the next visit. Museums offer tangible encounters with history – how the land was ruled and laws obeyed; life lived; money earned and spent.
At the museum of Victoria & Albert, humongous tapestries depict slices of life during the medieval times in full details.
Fast forward to the present, visitors could have an idea of how the rich spend time in the city these days by crossing the street and heading off for arguably the world’s most famous department store – Harrods.
And speaking of Harrods, the audio guide, available in eight languages, throws ample trivia on the side. Did you know, for instance, that everything is purportedly for sale at Harrods (Read: tell them what you want and they will sell it to you).
A tale goes that one cynic asked if he could have an elephant sandwich. It is unfortunate though, that of all days, the department store has run out of bread.
Or that having tea at the Ritz is so popular that one has to book “at least four weeks in advance …to avoid disappointment”? Or that Soho, which originally was a hunting ground, was supposed to have gotten its name from hunters crying out ‘So ho!” while riding astride their horses?
Throughout the entire guided tour, the narrator’s cadence of speech remains dignified and even whether he is talking of King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, Sir Winston Churchill, George, John, Paul and Ringgo or Hugh Grant.
It is so easy to imagine him and his stiff upper lip. Whether the visitors know all these or not is moot and academic.
They all come with an idea of what they want and the city is keeping them happy. London’s extensive mass transportation system is likewise appreciated by visitors keen to keep on exploring.
While an initial glance at the forever branching train map may instill an instant fear of moving on, it is assuring to know that everything could just be a question away. Staff, easily identified with their uniforms, will keep them going.
And while at it, they should not shy away from exploring what lies outside of London as well. Among the favourite destinations are Oxford, for its rarified academic air, and Windsor for - what else - the world’s largest inhabited castle and home to the monarch since 1078.
Just across the river is Eton, another university town steeped in history. Sight-seeing and poking into the nooks and crannies aside, one of the unexpected joys of visiting London in summer is the great sales.
With the strength of the English pound, most visitors would have been resigned to their shopping-less stay.
But as summer peaks, shops have been cutting off their rates. And when the tags become more attractive than those in Hong Kong, then it should really be time to shop. (Always keep in mind though the one hand-carried airline policy as well as the baggage check-in limit.)
If there is one thing that any selfrespecting tourists should never do, it is leaving without having fish and chips. It may be all over but where do they have it? Get tips from the locals, who would only patronise restaurants that serve good food.
