 All the UK papers are talking about - the weather. | It was the penultimate day in our three-week UK visit and it just so happened to be our two year wedding anniversary. We were back at the Rafayel Hotel in Battersea and enjoying our full English breakfast outdoors overlooking the River Thames. All the morning papers were talking about – the weather. Literally from the moment we stepped off our flight from Shanghai we have had unprecedented sunshine and hot weather throughout. “Not since the summer of 1976 have we had continued heat like this…” read one article.
Downing the last of our fruit juices and slapping on some sun protection it was off to central London to mark our 24 months as husband and wife.
| Despite having a relatively long stay in the UK, there were still countless things and people we hadn’t managed to visit. One such location we could not leave without a viewing was Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s official London residence and perhaps the epicentre of all things related to the Royal Family. | Thousands upon thousands had lined the streets – more than usual. And it became apparent why. We had just arrived before midday when they were changing guards and a full marching band display was in process. I think the last time I witness such a glorious display of British monarchy etiquette was when I was a child during a family visit, funnily enough, from the Far East (then we were living in Japan). The marching guards in their brilliant red uniforms and tall black bearskins headwear stepped in precise unison as a loud brass section with accompanying percussion led the procession.
|  Marching guards in display by Buckingham Palace. |  Getting interviewed for the BBC World Service. | It brought the whole Buckingham Palace experience alive, seeing a Royal tradition of many years still very much alive today. We stood in crowds ten people deep. Everyone had their arms extended high with some kind of camera device, making it look almost like an act of worship. In the midst of the moving crowd of mainly international visitors was a lone BBC reporter, mic in hand, capturing people’s reaction to the day’s guards display. I don’t know what it is, but I seem to act like a magnet for the media and no sooner had she finished getting a brief statement from a German couple, I found her sponge-covered microphone under my nose.
The main angle of her story was people’s take on the pending birth of William and Kate’s baby. To be honest, I hadn’t really been following the story, but I managed to come across somewhat clued up (I think!) by relating to the fact that even in a place like China, the young Royal couple do generate a lot of interest.
| | I predicted that they would have a boy and that Kate being the trendsetter that she is, I was sure she would unmistakably become an icon for all things yummy mummy. Lezil got in on the interview action too with Lucy (the BBC reporter) commenting on how she loved her South African accent and how Cape Town is her favourite city anywhere. Our random rants were later broadcast on a BBC World Service Royal special that evening. A first for both of us.
With the crowds slowing dispersing, we went for a lazy walk up by St James’ Park towards Trafalgar Square. |  Soon the BBC mic turns to Lezil! |  The Union Jack lines The Mall leading up to Buckingham Palace in the far background. | Rows upon rows of Union Jack flags fluttered in the light breeze, proud and majestic. The heat of the day was really kicking in at 29C and so we opted to jump on a double decker bus to our next destination which was a surprise for Lezil. In fact, it was actually a lovely present from my parents and my sister Katherine. We were to enjoy afternoon tea at the renowned Grosvenor House in Mayfair, Park Lane (thank you very much darling!). Being a five star establishment, a quick change from our beachwear clothing in their super posh bathrooms and we were ready to blend in with some of London’s high society.
At £35.50 + VAT per person, it wasn’t cheap. But then again, here is a venue where since 1929 members of the royal family, celebrities and influential leaders have all stopped by for a cuppa. And this cuppa had the most exquisite taste. I want for a Pure Assam whereas Lezil sipped on her Royal Blend tea variety. | | A pianist provided a sound-soothing backdrop with the tearoom’s décor of pastel green adding to the calming effect. Our entrée was a cooling fruit cocktail which was then followed by a three-tier cake stand with more than seven types of sandwiches and colourful desserts.
You may have been hungry, but it seemed like as soon as you stepped into that tearoom, everything ran in slow motion, including our eating. Perfectly sliced rectangular sandwiches were held with more care than a new born baby which were, then, ever-so-delicately placed in the mouth for a bite that resembled more of a rabbit nibble. It was all so poised and la-dee-da (if you know what I mean!). Lezil and I were having such a laugh there as we both know how ‘un-posh’ we could be, but that afternoon we were Lord and Lady Freeman!
By the time the oven-warm scones with clotted cream and a selection of four different jams arrived at our table, we were stuffed. |  Lezil ready to enjoy her afternoon tea surprise at the Grosvenor House. |  Lezil with our 'food porter' boxes from the Grosvenor House. | It was surprising how full you became sipping all that tea and mini-munching those sandwiches. We had our desserts to go all boxed up in nice Grosvenor House food-porter boxes. (I call them ‘food porter boxes’ because using the word ‘takeaway’ seems unfitting for such a high-brow setting!)
A reverse clothes-change back to our more uncouth selves (well, me more than Lezil!) and it was the final part of my wedding anniversary surprise for Lezil. Love truly does make you do some crazy things including going up Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel, the London Eye. Those who know me, are aware of my utter distaste for heights. But I was willing to man up and withstand sweaty palms and a racing heart beat to give Lezil a sky-high panoramic London experience.
| | I had booked fast track tickets where for a few extra pounds, it meant that you could skip the general long cue for a much shorter one within your allocated timeslot. Admittedly, Lezil was very surprised and kept asking me if I was OK to do this. I wasn’t sure, but hey they say jumping in the deep end is sometimes good for you. Less than 10 minutes lining up and we were being shown into our glass capsule. Being open on all sides, you had a spectacular 360degree view of the city. Panic hit me as soon as the capsule door was firmly shut. The coolness of the air conditioning and the seamless slow rise of our bubble platform relaxed me somewhat.
|  Lining up for part two of our wedding anniversary activity - The London Eye! |  Two years married and feeling on top of the world! | It took about 30 minutes to do the entire round. At its peak, 135 metres, the evening sun was setting and it was the most picture-perfect moment to end our UK vacation. The sun’s rays were breaking through between some clouds and all before us you could see many of London’s iconic locations – St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St James’ Park and the River Thames. London truly is a magical place. All proud of myself having survived the entire journey, I was even happier to know that Lezil had done and seen some of the best that the UK has to offer.
We were heading back to the underground for our train to the hotel when I got an unexpected call.
| | As I had mentioned before, being away for more than three years I had a lot of catching up to do with a number of people. It was tight trying to fit all the visits in and inevitably there were a few that we just could not accommodate at the risk of having a total burn out. On the other end of my mobile was a long-time friend Muyiwa. We had tried three times before to arrange a meet up but had failed. A formative music industry insider, nowadays, he heads up a leading Christian UK radio station (Premier Gospel) and has his own successful singing career both in Europe, the US and in Africa (particularly in his native Nigeria).
A few years back I partnered alongside him leading a PR/Marketing campaign for one of his album releases. A great guy to work with. He happened to be at the radio station’s offices and we were just two stops away. So 15 minutes later and I found myself in the studio’s hot seat. |  Dropping by Premier Radio to see my good friend Muyiwa. |  Feeling strange being back on radio again! | I hadn’t been interviewed since leaving for China back in early 2010. It felt weird being back in a radio environment after so long and, admittedly, I was feeling a tad nervous. Muyiwa’s laid-back manner soon put me at ease and we whizzed through two different pre-records for the station. I enjoyed it.
Stepping out of the recording session and I bumped into another guy who I used to collaborate a lot with back in the day. It was none other than DJ Redz – one of the UK’s top DJs when it comes to all things Reggae Gospel related. | | He was gearing up for his show on the station which was up next. It was one happy reunion with both of us showing mutual respect to our crafts as DJs who know how to mix and blend the tunes. He had a friend of his, Will, who upon hearing that I was the infamous DJ El Niño, commented: “Boy, I used to listen to you all the time back then…”. It was an honour to be complimented that way, even after more than three years away from the scene.
There’s something enriching about having a connection with people despite the distance and obvious physical absence. I have to say, I am so blessed to have incredibly sincere people who I call friends in the UK. |  Getting a new reggae mixtape from my buddy DJ Redz. | Each and everyone one of them play a part in contributing to my growth as a person, increasing my creativity and forever expanding my mind into new and wonderful things. I hope it won’t be another three years before I can share more life-building moments with them again. To all in the UK – thank you!!  With BBC World Service reporter, Lucy.  At Buckingham Palace.  Afternoon tea at the posh Grosvenor House on Park Lane.  One lump or two darling? |  Our three tier stand arrives! |  A lovely rendevouz at the quaint Grosvenor House tea room.  Delicious cakes!  Going up The London Eye by the River Thames.  About the enter the capsule.  The tablets inside give more information on the views. |  As we go higher, feeling a little jittery! |  Lezil enjoying the experience.  Central London from the top!  Lezil remembering the day she said "I Do"! |  The top of Big Ben with Battersea Power Station in the distance. |  Arrving at Premier Radio in central London.  With drive-time presenter "B".  Getting back into my old radio swing! |  Muyiwa at the controls. |  Reuniting with DJ Redz (second from the right).
London's M25.
| The distinctive London city rooftops became a haze on the horizon as I looked at my rear view mirror. Like small tributaries winding their way to a main river, we navigated out of the minor roads into the beastly flow of the M25 – the capital’s massive circular freeway. Everyone obviously had the same idea to escape urbanisation for more idyllic settings. We were headed for the small town of Thame in Oxfordshire and the traffic was particularly heavy in parts (not helped with a couple of lane closures).
| | The weekend was to offer Lezil a contrasting taste of what she had seen back in London. A real country escape. For me, it was more of an emotional journey and one that would see me reunite with my cousin Cristiana. Well, in actual fact she is not my real blood cousin, but we are connected via law. In Latin America, often when your own blood cousin marries, their spouse’s side of the family become like your own too. Call it cousins-in-law.
But she and her family have been around my family for the longest I can remember. So she more than qualifies. We arrived about 45 minutes later than planned and it was the most surreal thing seeing both her and her giant-of-an-eleven-year-old son Alex again. He easily surpassed Lezil in height and standing next to me, I could see that his feet were already three foot sizes larger than mine.
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Enjoying my drive (minus the motorway traffic!).
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Back again with my cousin Cristiana and her son Alex.
| It was straight into her car and zipping through the country lanes the scenery just got quainter as we past thatched houses, barns and communal ponds. The tiny village of Brill was where Cristiana had booked us in for lunch at The Pheasant with some of the most spectacular views anywhere. According to the pub owners, from where we were seated outside, you could actually see across five different counties. And adding to the wow-factor was a recently done-up windmill which completed the postcard-perfect picture.
The weather, too, was playing its part blessing us with even more sun than we could ever hope for.
| | We stuffed our faces with some hearty country dishes and it was an ideal time for Cristiana and Alex to get better acquainted with Lezil. Needless to say, she slotted right in as part of the family. Before long we were taking a gentle walk across to the magnificent windmill taking in the sweeping views of the English countryside. We had a lot to catch up on and with the enticing long daylight hours, we sat out at Cristiana’s back garden till 11pm when the last of the sun’s rays finally gave into the gentle luminous beams coming from the moon.
Sunday willed us out of our beds, again with a cloudless sunny sky. |
The view from The Pheasant pub in Brill across five counties.
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Sylvia (far left) serving up her delicious Arroz con Pollo!
| We had a busy schedule of a local Church service in the morning followed by more family visits. Lunch was at Cristiana’s mum’s sweet little bungalow in the nearby village of Haddenham. She lives there with her South African husband Gordon. Sylvia is a loving aunt to me and Gordon hypnotises me with his appetisingly-adventurous stories which took him from South Africa to all over the African continent. I was elated when I could smell the familiar mouth-watering hints of Sylvia’s famous Arroz con Pollo – a stable dish from Latin America made with a lot of love, chicken, seasoning and vegetables. | | That day was no exception and boy did we eat to our hearts content amongst the vibrant floral colours of their cozy patio garden out back. As was expected, Lezil and Gordon formed an immediate kinship with their South African roots. I was also happy to see one of Cristiana’s older brothers, Emmanuel, who was actually the first person I met out of her entire family 20 years ago back in south London when we attended the same college.
Sylvia had informed me that since I had left they had purchased a new piano. Me and big mouth relayed the story of how I was a minor childhood protégé learning to play at a very young age when I grew up in Asia only to rebel and ditch the instrument at 16. Cristiana being the cheeky ring leader soon had everyone chanting my name to get me on the old ivories for a tune. Did I know one? Uh, no!
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With Emmanuel who I met 20 years ago.
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At Miriam and James' cute country cottage.
| All I could conjure up was a pitiful presentation (if you could call it that!) of chopsticks which I would consider a ‘Dummies Guide To Playing The Piano’ type of tune. In other words, anyone could have done it!
Our party of people moved to our final country stop for the weekend, a tiny hamlet next door to Haddenham and the home of Miriam – an older sister of Cristiana’s. The cottage was right bang smack in the open with fields being dominating scenery all around.
| | A football-pitch of a garden surrounded the house with a gazebo and chairs at the ready to host our afternoon of socialising and tipples. Mir and her husband James hadn’t changed a bit. They were the same fun-loving upbeat couple with two strapping young sons who kept themselves busy playing football as the adults nattered away.
I leaned back in my comfy chair and took deep breaths of air in. “British country life,” I thought to myself. They made it look so appealing reiterated by them firmly stating that they would never, ever go back to the city to live. I had to give myself a reality check. |
With Miriam, James and their two sons.
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Cristiana and her black cat Kiki.
| Yes, in the hot summer weather we had been experiencing each day, the country is the best place to be. But when it does get gloomy, windy and overcast I can imagine that it can feel pretty bleak. Either way, Cristiana and her entire family seem settled, loving life and making the most of the opportunities out there. Even traffic is non-existent. Cristiana tells me she can’t remember the last time she had to drive “stop and start” as she put it. The country lanes are speedy and easy to get around in.
The sunny day turned to a sunny evening and it was time to say our goodbyes. It was awesome to reconnect with people who play a major part in my life and, now, in Lezil’s too. Setting the coordinates in the Tom Tom, we briefly made a re-appearance on the M25 but soon drifted due south on small A roads and country lanes for our next stay which was to be at my sister Katherine’s. Again, her and her husband Nathanael was another couple who dusted off the city smog in favour of a greener existence. | Pulborough in West Sussex is where they reside. No monstrous shopping centres or building complexes. Only country houses and local village shops where life moved at an obvious slower pace. The timing was all there. My sister had just given birth to her third child, a baby girl and my mum had flown in from Ecuador to help out. (My dad stayed in Quito “to water the llamas”.) Plus, I could see my nephew Zion who was just two when he came out to our wedding in Shanghai and the new addition Levi who I hadn’t met yet. They had all gone to bed by the time we touched down. | So that left us time to catch up with my mum and Nathanael who, in the end, had us back in his car and off to a nearby farm to show us their latest purchase – a puppy Labradoodle.
Their farmer friend’s mummy Labrador ‘Honey’ gave birth to eight puppies (four male/four female) who all came bounding up to us in the small field where they were kept in. The dog’s owner Carlene eased us past the main gate and soon we were bombarded with these energetic bundles of fur licking, jumping and pining for our attention. They oozed a cuteness beyond description. Nathanael picked up one of the chilled-out males which was actually the dog they had purchased and which my nephew Zion had named ‘Snowy’ owing to its white fur. All the puppies were ready for collection but Snowy was to be brought home at a later date as their household was full of visitors right now (i.e. us!).
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Labradoodle puppies coming at me from left right and centre!
| Country air coupled with long-distance driving was the potent combination for a total knock-out when it came to sleeping. Good to be home with family. The next few days we would be stationed at my sister’s and would provide the more chilled aspect of our trip so far.
Stunning views from Brill.
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Eating an excellent outdoor pub lunch in Brill.
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The Pheasant pub at Brill.
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Brill and the windmill!
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Evening at Thame where Cristiana lives.
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More food! This time, dining at Prezzo in Thame.
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The following day, Sunday, and I bring a bottle of Caribbean Twist to Sylvia and Gordon's for lunch.
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With some of Cristiana's family for a super yummy Arroz con Pollo lunch!
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Ready to eat! Myself, Cristiana and Alex.
Somehow after lunch, I end up doing a mini-recital!!
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Sylvia shows us all how it's really done!
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In the front garden of Sylvia and Gordon's (far left) village bungalow.
We all end the day at Miriam and James' huge garden at their country cottage.
Lezil, the hot summer babe.
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With wonderful family friends (left to right), sisters Miriam and Cristiana.
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Goofing around...love these guys!!!
That evening, we are in Pulborough (West Sussex) and Nathanael (right, my brother-in-law) shows us their new puppy, Snowy.
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Lezil gets all cuddly with a Labradoodle.
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This one can't stop licking me!! LOL...
Lezil is surrounded!!
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They soon tire and fall asleep...
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I had forgotten how obsessed people in the UK are with the weather. Even paying at a shop counter, two cashiers were busy chatting about how at the weekend it’s going to get up to 29C. “Here’s your change love. Enjoy the sunshine,” she said handing back my change. I have to admit, there are very few places that can rival the UK when it comes to basking in sunshine. London looks just that bit more majestic. The English countryside bursts with vivid greens and soft rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Everyone opens up more, becoming (dare I say it), less stiff-upper-lipped ‘British’ and more sociable like we were actually all living down south by the Mediterranean.
Meeting friends at Brixton's Bamboula restaurant.
| The timing couldn’t be more perfect especially as Lezil and I are travelling about so much – England is definitely showing its best side for my South African wife. We may be on vacation, but my organisational skills are not being laid to rest. It’s a bit like working in HR and a job advert has been sent out and now you are having to juggle some tight time slots to accommodate various people you need to see. Mid-week and we drove down to Brixton, one of my favourite south London suburbs. The rendezvous was at Bamboula, a Caribbean restaurant which worked alongside side our music organisation United by ONE (UB1).
| | They would sponsor a number of our past music events. So it was nice to go back to a bit of history and enjoy their sumptuous selection of Caribbean cuisine which was heavily Jamaican. That night we were joined by previous UB1 members: Maya Simeon and George Luke with long-time friends Syane, John Fisher and Natalie Phillips also at the table. Antonia and Chantal were present too along with Antonia’s sister Fiona. Both John Fisher and Natalie Phillips have established music careers with John heading up one of the hardest working and lasting Gospel choirs in the UK called IDMC. Natalie, again a major feature in the UK Gospel industry, has been faithfully honing her craft over the years and had just released her debut album ‘Unique Perspective’s a couple of months back.
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With Natalie Phillips and John Fisher - UK Gospel artists.
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An emotional moment reuniting with Anthony King - my friend and MC!!
| As to be expected, there was a lot of reminiscing of the early days and lots of new news to catch up on. And all the while we were devouring our jerk chicken, rice and peas, coleslaw and festival. A few other people were meant to have come but were unable to attend. But we did have a nice surprise towards the end of the evening and that was the appearance of none other than, my close friend and brother Mr Anthony King. His exact first words as he entered the restaurant were: “My husband’s back!” All the other eating patrons turned around to see what the commotion was about. Anthony is a big guy with a big voice, so it was impossible not to listen in on the conversation.
| | That’s his talent – speaking. From pretty early on, we became a formidable duo, me DJ El Niño and him, MC Pass-Da-Mic. We travelled up and down the country playing private gigs, club gigs, festivals you name it. We even went out to Barbados and took part in a Gospel soundclash, the first of its kind, in 2005 at Club xtreme which is the Caribbean’s largest nightclub. I have missed the guy, sorely. It was his first proper introduction to Lezil and he had nothing but incredible things to say about her. Not to mention the fact that he knows South Africa very well, or as he calls it “Cape Town, it’s home”. Loved seeing all my old friends again that night.
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Anthony meets Lezil for the first time.
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A night out at south London Jazz venue, Hideaway!
| Knowing Lezil’s love of live music, especially of the Jazz/Soul variety, Chantal had organised another night out. Hideaway was the name of the venue which was based in Streatham, again in south London (I am a south London boy!!). The venue had opened just after I left for China (more than three years ago) so it was new for me. The distinct orange keyhole branding of the club adorned the car park which was tucked away from the main road. And the club itself was literally hidden away.
Once inside and the music hall was impressive. Tastefully decorated with tables and chairs all of which had people enjoying drinks and dinner while they waited for the show to start.
| | What’s more it was practically a full house and it was only a Thursday night. Getting our cocktail orders in, the lights dimmed and the Street Soul band introduced the evening with featured vocalist Vanessa Hayes from Jazz outfit Incognito fronting the musicians. It was a night of pure Soul, Funk, Jazz hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
The atmosphere was uplifting and Vanessa really drew the crowd in with her easy-going on stage persona and interaction. Vocally, she was impeccable. Flexing some outrageous vocal gymnastics but also showing great poise and control. She even doubled her singing playing percussion which added to the visual element of the show. |
Vanessa Hayes performing at Hideaway.
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With Mr Roy Ruffler - owner of Hideaway.
| By the close of the night the whole venue was up on its feet unable to resist the infectious grooves coming from the stage (a big tune was the Jocelyn Brown cover ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’). Afterwards, I managed to grab a few minutes with Vanessa where she came across as down-to-earth as they come. A real gem of a performer.
I also had a good chat with the venue owner Mr Roy Ruffler who astonished me when he said that his background was in banking and that his was his first venture into music venue management. He is certainly hitting all the right notes (if you pardon the pun!) with Hideaway picking up Best Venue in The UK at the 2011 Parliamentary Jazz Awards and being featured on CNN as one of the nine best Jazz clubs in Europe. South London was in need of a reputable venue for homegrown and international acts to perform in. Hideaway is definitely leading the way and has set the musical benchmark very high indeed. | | And now back to that spectacular weather. If I had a RMB 100 note for every time someone commented on how we had “brought the sunshine over…” I would be very rich indeed, even against the UK exchange rate! With a hot sunny setting, it allows for so much more activity including dining outdoors – which is somewhat of a novelty in the UK. My friend Syane had invited us over to her little home in Crystal Palace which is another of my favourite south London spots. The ‘town’ itself resembles a provincial village with boutique stores, markets and a huge number of enticing eateries. But Sy had gone all out and actually set up a private picnic for us.
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My friend Sy and her private picnic with champagne and all!
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Sy's perfect little sanctuary in south London.
| A large satin purple bed over was in the middle of the back garden with Thai food, drinks, champagne glasses and, of course, a bottle of bubbly. It was so relaxing and fun sitting there all afternoon chilling in the sun (no umbrellas, to all my Chinese friends!) and catching up from the last three plus years. Sy’s home is also something of a rarity. I call it her little ‘log cabin’. It’s a gorgeous self-contained studio, well-kitted out in a wooden-type structure with an entire garden to herself. Looking around, you’d think she was right in the country and not in busy south London. A real sanctuary.
Afterwards, we went for a good wander around Crystal Palace ‘village’ and the nearby park. Then barely having just digested our yummy Thai lunch, it was goodbye to Sy and hello to Connie! (I told you we had lined up our meetings back-to-back!)
| | Connie, another incredible long-standing friend, had arranged a dinner that evening. It was to be Lezil’s first experience of an English pub. We had actually seen Connie about a year ago when we spent a month in Malaysia and had the honour of staying at her lovely three-bedroom apartment on the island of Penang.
She’s back in blighty for a bit and certainly gave Lezil the British grub experience – Fish & Chips. The Fox was the name of the pub and it was a beautiful historical building dating a hundred years back based in the Farthing Downs area of Old Coulsdon. |
Meeting up with Connie for our lovely English pub experience!
| Again, this was a place I had frequented a lot not only for walking my Labrador Sasha (R.I.P.) but a number of friends used to live within the vicinity. We sat there eating, drinking and chatting til 9:30pm and the daylight was still going strong, something which astonished Lezil. The perfect weather, for the perfect getaway. UK, keep the awesome summer coming please!
Our reunion at Bamboula restaurant - (left to right) Syane and Maya.
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(left to right) George and Toni.
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Amazing to see my bro Mr King aka MC Pass-Da-Mic!
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Lezil gets to witness the funny man himself!
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An honour to get a signed copy of IDMC's latest CD!
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Natalie Phillips also blesses me with her latest project!
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Some of my crew in London who I have known for more than 10 years.
At south London's hot new Jazz venue, Hideaway.
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With Toni getting our cocktails in.
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The stylish interior of the Jazz club.
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With Vanessa Hayes after her performance.
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Friends out to enjoy the sounds of street soul, funk and Jazz at Hideaway.
Syane organises a top notch picnic lunch.
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Lezil and I bask in the English summer sun.
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And...the champagne starts flowing!!
The view from Crystal Palace into central London.
Going for a wander through Crystal Palace.
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A cute second-hand market tucked away down a small alley in Crystal Palace.
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A bit of Shanghai in Crystal Palace.
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Going for a walk in Crystal Palace park.
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The mini-lake in Crystal Palace.
We go up to Old Coulsdon for a pub dinner at The Fox.
With Connie and her family.
Lezil getting her first proper taste of Fish & Chips!
London, what an incredible city. Before making the trip, I had spoken to a few UK friends in Shanghai, most of whom said that after the initial excitement of the first few days they were all ready to go back to China. For them, nothing had changed. The same people, in the same pubs. The same buildings, still work-in-progress. And the same depressing news from the British media.  Going in for 10:30am service at Ruach City Church - my spiritual home for ten years. | The days following the grand Nigerian wedding, it was time for me to re-acquaint myself with the city and for Lezil to be introduced for the first time. Sunday and it was off to catch the 10:30am service of Ruach City Church in Brixton which I attended for ten years before leaving the country. Since then the church has expanded with locations in Kilburn and in Walthamstow. The founder and head of the congregation, Bishop John Francis, was still on a flight back from the US, so that morning his wife, Sister Penny Francis preached.
The entire morning was a moving display of worship and passion – a form of Church expression we sorely miss being in China.
| The message was simple enough – stir it up. Whatever it is God has given you, use it, chase after it, live it. After those inspirational words, I managed to say a quick hello to Nicky Brown who not only heads up the music division in the Church, but is a renowned UK music producer in his own right. |  After service, catching up with Nicky Brown. | | | From Church and it was off to Chantal’s parents’ home. This to me was like a true homecoming. Have a friendship spanning more than 20 odd years the Daniels household is just like extended family. As Chantal’s mum explained to Lezil “James is a son to me.” And over an incredible Sunday lunch of English-roast-meets-West Indian-curried-mutton, they recounted the story of how I first taught Chantal’s younger sister, Tiffany, how to drink from a straw when she was just baby. Now sitting there, she is an aspiring 20 year old actress with a sharper-than-sharp witty humour.
|  At Chantal's family home for a delicious spread of Sunday roast and curried mutton with all the trimmings!! |  It's been 19 years since we graduated from Coulsdon College. | After a few hours spent there, it was back in the car and we decided to do a little trip down memory lane. Firstly, there was a quick stop at Coulsdon College – the very spot where our friendship (myself, Antonia and Chantal) blossomed. Posing outside the entrance, those passing by may have thought we were recent graduates (at a push!) taking photos. But in fact, it was exactly 19 years ago we finished our college education. Scary just thinking about how time flies!
Dragging our ageing butts into the car seats again, we took a scenic back route over to Sanderstead and the location of my family home.
| | My parents’ four bedroom property is in a quiet cul-de-sac and because it was such a nice sunny day, I spotted my neighbour’s daughter out in their front garden sunbathing. I motioned Chantal to stop the car. I stepped out and shyly said: “Um, I don’t think you remember me, but we used to be neighbours. Is your mum in?”
Immediately, her parents Jackie and Byran came running out for an unexpected reunion. In a short 10 minutes they updated us on the goings on of the road and mentioned that the tenants living in our house were great. And as if planned on-cue, the lady who had moved into our house pulled up in her car. It felt so weird being introduced to a complete stranger and not being able to go into my own home. She seemed nice enough and I guess I’ll have to arrange a time with the estate agents to make a formal visit. |  With our long-time neighbours Jackie & Bryan in front of our south London family home. |  With Antonia's mum. | The final stop was over at Antonia’s mum’s three floor town house in Thornton Heath. Like Chantal’s family home, I had spent uncountable time here over the years including celebrating her 60th birthday just before I moved to China where Antonia’s mum gave a moving farewell speech for me. She is an amazing culturally-rich woman who has such depth to her intellect that I can literally sit there for hours listening to her. It was through her, in my late teens, that I got a better understanding of African identity, civil rights movement, the Black British identity and her impeccable taste for interior design and the arts.
| | Two (out of three) of Antonia’s siblings were also there (Fiona and Gavin) along with adorable five year old niece Akilah. There was soothing Jazz music drifting throughout the house as we caught up from the last three years away. A wonderful way to end our first Sunday out and about. And I have to say, being around those who have that relationship-history with you proved to be a powerful bond – something that was a lot stronger than I expected. Do I want to go back to China? Not just yet. |  With Antonia's entire family, except for one additonal sister. | Below are more pictures from our additional two days in London. Highlights include Notting Hill, the iconic Big Ben, catching a West End musical and bumping into the most unexpected people. London – you ROCK!
(Click to enlarge photos)
Day One. Hopping on the train to central London and we hit: Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, etc...One of the craziest incidents was bumping into an ex-work colleague who I used to teach alongside with at a school in Inner Mongolia!! The world is small indeed.
 Lezil can hardly believe she is standing by the iconic Big Ben!!  The London Eye in the background. |  Westminster Abbey. |  We meet up for a coffee with Paul - an ex-Shanghai working colleague. |  Nelson Mandela in statue form at Parliament Square. |  London's famous red phone box. |  Hello Mr Prime Minister! Lezil by Downing Street. |  The Queen's horse guards. |  Trafalgar Square is transformed for 'Canada Day' with a free concert. |  A one-in-a-million chance of bumping into an ex-colleague (Amy) from a school in Inner Mongolia!! |  Arriving at Covent Garden. |  Antiques market at Covent Garden.  Looking at vinyl.  At London's Chinatown to meet our friend Deji.  He takes us to ECC - Experimental Cocktail Club which is an exclusive guestlist/word-of-mouth place. |  Although a bit pricey (£13 a drink), there is no doubting the calibre and incredible taste of our lovingly-made cocktails! |  Regent's Street with commemorative Queen's 60th Jubilee decór.  After our cocktails and we went to Vapiano - an italian resturant with an open kitchen and made-to-order dishes. |  Enjoying our pasta with friends Deij and Akin. | Day Two. And we hit St Paul's Cathedral, Notting Hill and taking in the London theatre experience.
 St Paul's Cathedral. |  A blue tree by St Paul's. Lezil reppin her SA colours!! |  Outside the cathedral (you are not allowed to take photos inside).  From the cathedral dome, a view of some of London's skyline.  Arriving at Notting Hill!  The area is so quaint and appealing! |  Lezil is outside the former home of renowned English novelist George Orwell. |  The colourful houses on Portobello Road.  The stores are all decorated so nicely. |  This is one product which didn't come from the Far East! LOL. |  By Portobello Market. |  Stocking up on our Jazz and West African music. |  Colourful street art. |  A novel way to advertise a shoe store! |  We grab an early dinner by Mike's Cafe which has been running in Notting Hill for many years. |  One of their crazy mottos! |  Inside Mike's Cafe. |  Excellent portions, excellent prices. |  We round off the day with tickets for the award-winning Matilda The Musical.  The show is about to start!
 Outside our hotel, ready to go to the wedding. | I looked at the time. 11:15am. The driver will be here any minute, I thought. Moments later and our room phone rang. It was Michael the driver who was apologising for being late. He was stuck in all sorts of diversion as central London was being closed for the big Gay Pride parade. “It’s OK,” I told him. “This is a Nigerian wedding. It’ll never start on time.”
Fast-forward 45 minutes later and we are making our way down the A3 towards Cobham in Surrey. Vidal calls Michael’s cell phone who, in turn hands it to me. “Hello?” I shouted. In the background I could hear, what sounded like, Church music. “Where are you guys?” Vidal replied barely audible above all the background noise. It turns out that this was ONE Nigerian wedding that was going against the grain and was actually starting on time. 12:30pm on the dot.
| | Vidal had stalled the bride’s entrance so that we could ‘sneak’ into the service somehow. After losing our way on the road a bit, we managed to find the not-so-obvious entrance to Painshill Park. The stunning 18th century landscaped gardens and walking grounds was where the ceremony was being held – at The Conservatory. It was a risky option going for an outdoor venue what with the unreliable UK weather. But just like the unexpected on-time start of the wedding, the weather itself did a total 360 degree turn from the day before going from miserable drizzle to glorious sunshine and a very warm 23C.
Vidal met us by the on-sight coffee shop’s toilets. He gave us a thumbs-up and we swiftly followed him to the covered venue.
|  Vidal meets us outside to sneak us into the venue. |  The wedding ceremony in full swing. | The Church band was in full swing. Inside at the back was a line of groomsmen ready to walk in. I said to Lezil that I was worried that if we came in now, we would cause a distraction once people would have clocked our presence. Waving his hand frantically, Vidal beckoned us inside. Like a shy geisha, I kept my eyes to the ground only glancing up occasionally to see where I was stepping.
Our friend Gemma, who also worked alongside me for a while in my previous company UB1 Music, was the first to spot us. “What? Oh my gosh!” she reacted. She was like a deer caught in headlights. I rushed over to her, gave her a huge hug. “How on earth…”she didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence as the groomsmen were next to see that we had indeed rocked up to the UK and that caused a next wave of commotion. So much so, that they were completely oblivious to the stunning bridesmaids already gracefully walking to join their awaiting male partners. | | I grabbed my wife by the arm. “We better sit down quick as we are going to mess up the opening sequence here,” I whispered loudly to Lezil. I gave those that knew us one big cheeky grin and a wave not unlike that of her Majesty the Queen (when in the UK!) and quickly plonked ourselves on two aisles seats. The music changed and Tiwa, the bride, started her controlled paced walk down the aisle towards her waiting husband-to-be Daniel. He brother S.O. (who is also an established Hip Hop artist) was walking her down the aisle. She looked immaculate all dressed in white.
Just as she walked past our row, that was when she saw me. “Oh my days!” she mouthed through her white veil. And she drifted past us. The ceremony had begun. It was a concise service around one hour 30mins with a few songs, vows, exchanging of the rings, a sermon, prayer and signing of the marriage register.
|  The beautiful bride, Tiwa, walking in with her brother. |  The couple saying their vows. | Just as the religious proceedings were coming to an end one of the pastors was about to close with a final blessing for the couple. That was when Daniel, somehow, managed to see me in the crowd. I had strategically positioned myself so that I would be partially blocked by the lady sitting in front of me who was wearing a colourful, and high, head wrap.
He was grinning like mad and shaking his head. I could see that he wanted to give a bigger reaction but as he was the centre of attention upfront, instead it was a controlled smile as he leaned over to Tiwa probably whispering something like “Did you know that James and Lezil were here?!”. | | The final benediction was given and the new couple were walking off stage now. As part of the wedding trail, both sets of family members walked behind them. I know Tiwa through Daniel. But it’s Daniel and his family who are ‘my’ family and the reason why we made the undercover trip in the first place.
Together with him and his four brothers – we had some crazy, intense, unforgettable times working and touring together for a number of years. It’s one thing working with musicians and singers, but when you bring in the fact that they are four blood brothers – the dynamics shift into a whole different realm. So it was inevitable my role would go that much further than just being a manager. A close family friend of theirs came up to me during the reception and retold the story to Lezil of her reaction when she first saw this skinny white guy “raising four Nigerian boys like a true father”. |  Everyone celebrates as the couple is now married! |  With Daddy and Mama Juba. | As a result, I have a close bond with both the boys’ parents – Pastor Juba and Mrs Juba. I had to juggle demanding touring schedules along with ensuring studies were being completed and Church commitments were being met. To this day, I am honoured as to how Mr & Mrs Juba have made me a part of their family and literally welcoming me as their son into their home.
And that was how we spent pretty much the entire dinner and dance that day, re-connecting with people whom I haven’t seen in over three years. For me, it was almost too much to take in. A couple of days ago and we were in the rhythm of Shanghai life. Now, we got sucked through a time vortex, got spat out the other end landing in the idyllic English countryside, celebrating a mass Nigerian wedding! How crazy was that?
| | Once the buffet had opened up, I didn’t hold back in piling my plate up with Nigerian PARTY food!! When I got to the tray where the plantains were, I told the server to give me three spoonfuls. That’s one thing we cannot get in Shanghai and I was adamant on making up for lost quotas! Man, the food was lip-smacking delicious and I think I suffered a case of ‘mouth bigger than my belly’ as I struggled to shovel in the last remaining mouthfuls.
A band playing high-life, afrobeat and Naija Pop got the masses up and dancing. Dollar notes were flying everywhere as guests blessed the couple dancing in the middle of the moving throng of people with financial gifts. I sorely missed all this. A sense of cultural community. Speeches followed with the cutting of the cake and the first dance. Then the DJ sparked up the dancefloor with all the big tunes from the motherland. Lezil and I partied hard! Daniel and Tiwa, along with the bridal party, all changed into traditional clothes for the latter part of the night. It was 9pm and Lezil and I were seriously battling against tiredness (the remnants of a seven-hour time difference).
|  I went for a triple portion of plantain! | We stayed for a couple more songs and thankfully our driver had arrived to take us back to our central London hotel. We left the jubilant party-people behind bidding farewell to all we had re-met that day. Operation: ‘London Surprise’ – mission accomplished!
 Mrs & Mrs Juba!  Pastor Juba sees me for the first time!  Perfect weather as everyone enjoys canapés and drinks outside.  The Juba clan.  The four brothers, their parents and Tiwa.  The reason for our trip - Dan and Tiwa!  Reuniting with Uncle Wale and his lovely family.  The wedding reception.  With Tiwa's mum.  The newly wed couple about to enter the venue.  Presenting...Mrs & Mrs Juba!!  Yum!! The buffet opens up.  My plate stacked up with amazing Nigerian flavours!  Dan gives a speech.  Cutting the cake.  Feeding his wife.  First dance.  And so, the party begins!! Big tunes from Nigeria!  Blessing the couple with dollars during the money dance.  Back again with my four brothers...(left to right) Vidal, Daniel, Deji and TJ aka Four Kornerz.  Another friend I haven't seen in the longest...Michael who performs under the name 'Faithchild'.  Catching with up comedian/actor Simply Andy who hosted the evening.  Meeting up with TV CEO Akin and his wife.  TJ with his two year old son Joshua.  With another good friend, Lola.  Dan & Tiwa change into traditional clothes.  Lezil partying away with Dan!  Having a blast at Dan & Tiwa's Yoruba wedding!
Drawing the curtains back from our luxury hotel suite, London’s weather certainly hadn’t changed much. Typical English summer - cloudy with some light rain. And the fact that it coincides with Wimbledon gave me that overwhelming sense of familiarity despite having been away for more than three years.
| | Yes, folks Lezil and I have landed up in London!! This will come as a surprise for everyone who knows us (and who didn’t know about the trip!). We had to keep things off the radar for the sole purpose of making a special, unannounced appearance at the wedding of one of my very close friends. So, please don’t be offended if we didn’t disclose the details of our travel plans. It had to be an airtight operation to ensure that an absolute minimum amount of people knew of the clandestine journey which I dubbed as Dan & Tiwa’s London Surprise!
| The mastermind and facilitator of the entire hair-brained idea was Vidal, one of the brothers of Daniel – the groom. These four brothers (literally blood brothers) are like my solid family. I’ve known them, now, coming onto 14 years and the core of our relationship was formed around our incredible ten years of working together as management (me) and band (‘Four Kornerz’ as they are called). We toured the entire length and breadth of the UK and Europe performing over the years to tens of thousands of fans, spreading feel-good music all written and produced by the four talented brothers.
| Daniel and his eldest brother Deji actually flew out to Shanghai when Lezil and I got married in July 2011. So when I got an out-of-the-blue phone call just before one of my afternoon classes in Shanghai a month ago, with Vidal proposing the idea of a surprise trip over – it was near impossible to resist taking action. ‘Wonderboy’ Vidal took charge of organising the entire visit and it wasn’t long before Lezil and I were cueing up at the UK Visa office in Shanghai with our flight and hotel confirmations to hand. This was the first time I had experienced the ‘other side’ (as in, a non-UK national applying for a visa to get in).
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Lezil outside the UK Visa office in Shanghai.
| Up and until a couple of years ago, South Africans could waltz into the UK with an automatic tourist entry, but immigration laws have tighten up considerably and now require a visa to even consider stepping foot into the isles. The adapted Chinese application forms were never-ending, a number of support documents were required and a small interview with quick-fire questions all had me considerably anxious.
Checking to see if Lezil's UK Visa has come through!
| The timing was tight. Week one went by and no news. Week two went by and still no news. Week three was ending and it was one day before travelling out and I was hopping around like a mad hatter. I had been relentlessly calling the UK Visa call centre in Shanghai for constant updates and still the visa hadn’t been approved. So with just 24 hours until check-in and with moral low, I called them up 10 seconds after their 8am opening time. “One moment Mr Freeman, let me check my system updates,” said their cheerful Chinese call-centre operator. A few knife-edge minutes went by and she came back on. “Your wife’s visa has arrived this morning. You can come and collect it,” she confirmed. Hallelujah!
| | The flood gates opened and we blitzed our packing and cleaned up the apartment. 7:30pm the next evening and our taxi arrived to take us to Pudong International Airport. We were flying to London via Dubai on Emirates. Those of you who have been following my blogs for sometime will know that I am not a huge fan of flying. Today was no exception. However, the distractive anticipation of flying on the new Airbus A380 was ebbing my nervousness away. The majestic double-decker aircraft made the other nearby parked airplanes look minuscule. The entire lower deck was dedicated to economy class with the upper deck for the privileged in business and first bringing the passenger capacity to over 500.
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Pudong airport and the start of our undercover journey to the UK!
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Flying economy on Emirates.
| Three jetways, instead of the usual one, were used for boarding the aircraft. Emirates’ trademark high quality interior ensured the even in cattle-class, the seats were comfortable with ample leg room between seats. But it was its award-winning ICE in-flight entertainment system that was a big draw for the airline. Hundreds of movies, TV shows, documentaries, music and so on meant that you could content-hop for hours at a touch of a screen.
The nine-hour flight from Shanghai to Dubai was an uncomfortable one. It was a stormy day in Shanghai so that proved an unsettling ascent for the aircraft and pretty much for the next seven hours the airplane barely stayed still, especially over west China and northern India. That meant zero sleep for me as I can’t stand turbulence.
| | Exhausted, we touched down in Dubia at 5am. Dubai airport at the start of the year had opened up the world’s first dedicated concourse for the A380. With our plane pulling into its parking spot we were flanked both sides by fellow A380 Emirates aircraft.
'Shattered’ didn’t cover it. At least we had shop after shop to keep us entertained with everything from duty-free perfume and cigarettes to liquor, gadgets and the latest Arabic hit CDs. Three hours later and we were cueing up for our final leg to London’s Heathrow airport. Thankfully this stretch of flying was a complete opposite and the plane smoothly coasted along at 40,000ft over a bed of fluffy cotton-like clouds below.
Approaching London the entire city was blanketed in grey and drizzle. It was a shame as we didn’t get to see much of the landscape until the last four minutes before the wheels landed with a thud on one of Heathrow’s runways. |
Half way through our journey and we stop in Dubai. Shhh...don't tell Dan or Tiwa we are coming to London!
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Our first glimpse of London, covered in cloud.
| We did, however, use the front on-board camera to watch the panoramic approach. 24 hours after we left our home in downtown Shanghai and now we were taxing our way to Terminal 3!
Customs and baggage reclaim were a breeze and on the other side of arrivals, we had a car waiting to pick us up. Driving through the streets of west London towards Battersea, I could hardly believe that we were in England. Lezil was transfixed on how small the roads and houses were. This was her first time ever in the UK. The other thing which stood out was how quiet the roads were. Everything was so orderly and no one was honking their horns.
Michael, our driver, informed us that the hotel Rafayel that we were staying in was one of the top boutique hotels in London and voted in the Top 25 most trendiest hotels in the whole of the UK. | | The location did not disappoint with a prime riverside location overlooking the expensive yachts across the River Thames and right next door to the London Heliport. Our room was an impressive suite with modern design, all mod-cons including a flat screen TV by the bathtub. Talk about arriving in style.
We grabbed a quick late lunch in the hotel’s trendy restaurant Banyan on the Thames. In order to fight the jet lag we went for a walk around the surrounding neighbourhood and to my excitement found a pub which had two huge Jamaican drum barbeques with sizzling jerk chicken cooking away. |
Having our first lunch in London!
| That’ll be on our to-eat list over the next few days! We wandered up and down the aisles of a Tesco Express. The locals must have thought which planet we must have just landed from as every few paces, you’d hear us saying “Wow, I can’t remember that last time I had ….”. Or “Look at this! We have to buy this before we go back to China!” I hadn’t eaten a Kit Kat in I don’t know how long, so that was my little indulgence for the day.
It was evening time and Vidal with his wife Chantelle and one-and-a-half year old son Eden dropped by our hotel to welcome us and brief us on the execution of operation Dan & Tiwa’s London Surprise. The next day was to be the grand reveal at their joyous Nigerian wedding. Exhaustion took over excitement as our heads hit the pillows at 9pm. We made it to London and we kept awake for over 32 hours. It feels amazing to be back!
Hurrah! Lezil's UK Visa final comes through!
Pudong Airport Shanghai and lining up to check in for our Emirates flight to London.
The main purpose for our visit was to surprise Dan and Tiwa for their wedding!
The beautiful Airbus A380.
Nine hours later and we arrive in Dubai for a 2 hour stopover.
We relax on a couple of lounge chairs at Dubai airport.
Time to board our flight to London Heathrow!
The spacious interior of the Airbus A380.
After 6 hours and 45 minutes flying, we finally land at London Heathrow! Lezil using the airplane's front camera to view the landing.
Welcome to London!!!
We check in to our lovely suite at the Hotel Rafayel in Battersea.
There's a TV by the bathtub!
Enjoying chunky chips and a proper British beef burger for lunch!
Right by the hotel is the London Heliport.
Taking a wander to the nearby Tesco Express and I find my Kit Kats!!
The pub close by does Jerk Chicken!!
With my friend and brother Vidal (left) and his wife Chantelle and their cute son Eden.
The world's fastest commericially operated train - the Maglev.
| The final few days of the ‘Chantonia in Shanghai experience’ went faster than the city’s magnetic Maglev train (which does a top speed of 431 km/h!). More shopping, a day spent in water village, a lazy day on a lake and rounding off their stay with a mini party made sure we sent them back to London well and truly Shanghai-fied!
It also gave Lezil more time to dig into my oh-so-geeky past (some would argue that I’m still a geek now) as Antonia and Chantal gladly divulged many a cringe moment from our younger days. There was one story in particular that I had buried deep in my subconscious which was a literal life or death situation. So, there we all were standing in a crowded metro train with countless pairs of eyes beaming in our direction as we recounted the mayhem we went through on a British motorway (or ‘freeway’ for the rest of you!).
| | Actually, it only directly involved Chantal and I. This was a good nine years ago and it was a time when we had set up our Gospel music organisation, United by ONE. We had been invited to attend the annual GEM (Gospel Entertainment Music) Awards in Birmingham (UK). That day, I had offered to drive in my car. Picking Chantal up from her south London home, we were soon zipping along the motorway northbound. The day was clear with the usual amount of Saturday afternoon commuter traffic on the roads.
We made a quick pit stop for some snacks and before long we continued our drive towards our Midlands destination. Now, I will put my hands up here and take the entire blame for what happened next. These were the days before GPS navigation systems were widely used. Chantal had a huge A3 sized road map opened on her lap and because me luv off fi chek everyting (my Jamaican side coming out there!) I decided to take a glance at the map – whilst driving at a high speed. That was all it took, a split second to trigger off the next sequence of gut-wrenching moments.
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More than 10 years ago, our United by ONE salsa dancers. Chantal and I top row far left (in case you don't recognise our young faces!! LOL.)
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A typical UK motorway.
| I was in the fast lane and there was some gravel that had spilt onto the road from the central barrier area. With my eyes off the road for a nano-second, I felt the car wheels slide on the unnoticed gravel which startled me. The car ever-so-slightly veered towards the central steel barrier dividing the opposite lanes. I panicked with a knee jerk reaction of jolting the steering wheel a couple of centimetres away from the barrier. Of course, at that velocity (around 80mph…tut tut, I know above the speed limit), what would have been a tiny manoeuvre (at a lesser speed) was actually magnified tenfold and in that instant, my car spun out of control.
We did a full high-speed 360 degree turn ending up facing the oncoming traffic. A huge heavy-duty truck was flying right in our direction, on course for a head-on collision. We literally saw our lives flash before us and that uncontrollable feeling of helplessness was lodged firmly in our throats, choking the very essence of life out of us. I pulled hard on the steering wheel again, which this time sent us spinning in the other way wildly drifting across all three lanes of the motorway.
| Vehicles were sent scattering all over the place in an attempt to avoid crashing into us. You could hardly see what was happening outside with the amount of turns were doing. It was like being stuck in a washing machine looking out. A few seconds later and we came to a violent stop. I was breathing heavily like had I just ran a marathon and all I kept muttering was “Don’t say anything, don’t say anything….”. With my peripheral vision, I could see Chantal rooted in the passenger seat, completely motionless with only her bewildered eyes and over dilated pupils giving any hint of the shock we were experiencing.
Two minutes must have past and suddenly I heard a light knock on the window next to me. A young Indian guy was standing there. It was only at the point that I had registered that we had, in fact, ended up on a small grass verge alongside the motorway. Had we landed a few metres behind or in front of us, we would have been sent crashing into trees, the barrier or gone over a steep ridge. Meanwhile, the animated young Indian guy started shouting through the window.
| | “I can’t f***king believe it! Sh*t! Yous lot was just like dem James Bond movies! Cars flyin here and dere! Man, someone was watching over you! Dunno how you got out of that one…,” he rambled on. He grabbed the door handle open and I feebly stepped out. Chantal was still strapped into the passenger seat completely oblivious to our new friend. “Here bruv, I think you need this,” he said handing me an already lit joint. I stared at the spliff in my hand and for a fleeting moment considering a quick hit to calm my nerves, but I kindly declined.
| “You know what bro, God was watching over us,” I eventually replied. The guy went over to see Chantal who then stepped out by my motionless car. I stared at the three lanes and the cars zooming past us. As far as they were concerned, we were probably just taking a toilet break on the roadside. The only hint of what just went down was the freshly-made swirly skid marks on the tarmac. “That was us right there” I thought following the topsy-turvy design my car wheels had made.
Seeing that we were physically unharmed, our weed-smoking Asian buddy bid us farewell. Chantal and I deliberated whether to turn back and go home. But like Chantal said, it was about getting back in the saddle and not allowing what just happened to deter us from where we were going to (can I get an ‘Amen’?). God was (and still is) truly looking out for us. And in a strange kind of way when you go through such life-defining occurrences it deepens that fact that certain friends are family.
So it was with tinged sadness that Lezil and I had to say goodbye to Antonia and Chantal – our sisters. It had been such a beautiful experience having them spend those precious 10 days here in Shanghai. I can only now think when next we will see each other (I hope it won’t be for another three years!). But at least we have a new set of China memories to add to our friendships' life-stories.
Here are some pics from their last few days....(click to enlarge). We hit one of the more accessible water village areas in Shanghai, Qibao. We met our friend Winter who recently moved to the area.
At the one of the main entrances for Qibao old town.
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The small pagoda in the old town.
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Antonia and Lezil down a small street in Qibao with fans in hands for cooling down!
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Buying sour plum juice.
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About to board a small Chinese gondola.
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A peaceful ride down the canal.
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With our buddy Winter.
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The boat is powered solely by this little old lady!
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With our impressive boat driver.
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The gang on top of the main bridge at Qibao.
| On the second to last evening, it was over to our mate Deji's place for a night of British 'Bad Boy Bangers' (as he calls them!). Delicious homemade sausages in all sorts of flavours. That night we had Lincolnshire, Apple & Cider and Jerk Duck.
Dining outdoors, with our friend Deji - creator of Bad Boy Bangers.
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Antonia and Chantal with friend James (Australia).
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Lezil with friend (and fellow South African), Adele.
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The ladies with the masterchef himself!
| The last day, we spent the morning at Changfeng Park with its big lake and gardens (which are very quiet during the week!). Weekends - it's a different story.
Hiring a boat for an hour for just RMB 60.
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Our electric boat gets pulled in.
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All aboard, ready to starting boating!
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The expanse of open lake practically all to ourselves.
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Da crew!
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They take pictures of us, we take pictures of them!
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Skillfully changing seats whilst drifting on water!
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Antonia hesitant to swap seats with me!
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Whose foot is this?!
| | Jamaican sprinter Bolt is fronting a big advertising campaign for the Samsung NX300 camera.
Chantal pitches herself against the world-record holder!
Wednesday night...the final night. Bitter sweet times. It was back at the Crowne Plaza to enjoy the sounds of Filipino band Voicexpander.
A few friends come out to say bye.
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With Nick (left) and Clifton (right) - both UK/Caribbean.
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Everyone singing Michael Jackson's "Heal the World"!
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Attempting the electric side to Duffy's "Mercy!" LOL.
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Chantal is in her element when the soca music comes out (albeit the touristy "Feeling Hot Hot Hot...").
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With our bredrin, Camille.
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The ladies with the Voicexpander Band.
Lezil 'towers' above Antonia and Chantal.
Gonna miss these two incredible friends and family!!!
With barely enough time to get the ringing out of our ears from clubbing hours before, we were up at the ‘crack of sparrows’ (thank you Kath & Kim – all my Aussie comedy fans know what I am referring to!). The weather had turned nasty. Five days earlier Shanghai had been basking in a summery 29C. Today, the thermometer plunged down to a measly 12C. It was windy, damp and raining – not the ideal setting for going strawberry picking.
Lezil looking a lot more freshed-faced than I on our early morning trip!
| Dragging ourselves out of our apartment, we made our way to a downtown meeting point. We were headed to Shanghai’s Qingpu district (a far suburb) where a cluster of farms grew a variety of produce including its famed strawberries. There are a number of public bus routes that can take you there, but knowing that we would have been tired and the fact that going the public transport option would have taken longer, we paid the little extra to join a day tour. RMB 115 (£10) got us a return trip on a private bus, access to the farm for picking, a lunch and an afternoon visit to one of Shanghai’s historic water villages. Not bad.
| | The trip, in fact, was organised by a small private Chinese language school called SN Mandarin. Geared towards their staff and students, I had dropped them an email a week ago asking if we could tag along which they graciously accepted. We were about thirty people in total on that bus as we set off, west bound towards the outskirts of Shanghai.
Little over an hour later and the roads had become small tarmac country lanes with plenty of land used for growing veggies. One of the farm workers came out to meet us in her bright pink scooter to lead the bus to the right patch. We piled out, thankful to stretch our legs.
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We arrive out at our farm destination in Shanghai's Qingpu district.
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Entering into one of the greenhouses where the strawberries grow.
| The rain had eased to a lingering drizzle which just made everything feel wet-to-the-touch. Walking about 10 minutes through the fields we finally arrived at the strawberry section. To keep them guarded against the cold, they were all sheltered in makeshift plastic greenhouses which did offer a welcome escape from the outside elements.
The farm owners enthusiastically handed us a basket each with a box inside for placing the strawberries in. There was an abundance of fruit everywhere and all pretty big sizes too. Our group leader, Bella, had told us that the farm prides itself on organic growing methods and said that we could literally pick the fruit and eat it straight. | | Knowing my stomach sensitivity, I avoided the temptation to do so. This was actually the first time I had seen strawberry growing plants up close and it was fascinating to see the different stages of the fruit from a flower to a tiny little green cone-shape, to its changing white colour and then the eventually blood-red fruit at the end of its evolving process.
We must have spent a good 25 minutes bending over and gently snapping the fruit off its vine using our thumb nail. Once we had our boxes fairly filled up, outside the greenhouse were some scales where you had your fruit weighed. |
Everyone gets down to picking strawberries.
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Enjoying my birthday treat with Lezil and the strawberries!
| Between Lezil and I, we harvested about 3.5 kilos of fresh strawberries which came to a bargain RMB 59 (£5.90) in total. With our boxes sealed up, we then followed our group trail past a small river and small houses to the main farmhouse which was to be our lunch venue.
Because of the recent meat scares, the only carnivorous choice given was stewed pork which we didn’t eat any way. The rest of the dishes brought out were all from the farm which included spring onions, carrots, green peppers, beans, cabbage and potatoes. | | There was also a delicious fried bamboo selection, a fresh water seasoned fish, tofu in a garlic sauce and, the Chinese stable, rice. Oh, and a plate of strawberries for dessert! The dwelling was a simple affair with our dining area opening up to a concrete courtyard which had smaller houses and an outdoor kitchen.
The school staff had organised a simple ice-breaker game which involved the popping of a balloon. Inside each balloon was either a prize or a forfeit. I got a slip with a prize on it (a Chinese language book), whereas Lezil drew the short straw and had to do a forfeit. She was told to pull five different faces for the camera. She was a pro as she put her years of stage experience to good use. |
With some of the group enjoying the start of our farm cooked Chinese meal.
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At one of Zhujajiao's main canal entrances.
| Bellies full, we briskly walked back to the bus. It was late afternoon and the temperature was beginning to drop. Once inside the warmth of the bus, it was a 40 minute drive to Zhujajiao – one of Shanghai’s prime tourist spots. Up until now, we hadn’t had the chance (or the time!) to make the trip out to this appealing water village.
It didn’t disappoint. The main north entrance area was deceptively small as once you got past the main canal area, the whole village became an enticing run of tiny alleys and hidden water canals. The bad weather even worked to our advantage as the place was very quiet with visitors.
| | The village is said to date back more than 1,700 years with its principle stone bridge – Fangsheng – being the longest and the highest giving a 360 degree view of the entire area.
Popularity has it double effect. On the one hand, the village has benefitted from the influx of tourist money. On the other, commercialisation can erode the appeal of an ancient historic site. The winding lanes were pretty much a collection of shops or independent coffee outlets and restaurants. These eateries were a labour of love as each one had its unique décor which many were like walking into someone’s private home. Very cosy and touching small details. |
At the top of Fangsheng Bridge overlooking the ancient water village. Cold!!!
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One of many picturesque canals.
| I can imagine in nicer weather, the open deck sections of these places would be where you would while away the time with a nice drink and watch the Chinese water gondolas drift by. There were a few out on the water that day, but we didn’t fancy sitting still in the cold and we had a limited time frame in the village itself.
Before long, it was back to Zhujajiao’s main entrance for a final group photo brandishing the school’s emblem printed on a flag. The bus trip back to the city centre was a silent one as everyone pretty much was out for the count.
| Birthday treat part two was an absolute blast and to think we had a truck load of strawberry supplies to enjoy once home – life was sweet indeed.
Our group makes its way to the strawberry fields.
Clean and fresh strawberries, ready for the picking!
Lezil fills up her box.
My own selection looking very ripe indeed!
Weighing our produce.
The fruits of our labour!!
A small river goes past our farmhouse.
At the farmhouse courtyard.
Lunch is cooked local-style in an outdoor kitchen.
We gather in the near-open-air dining room.
Fish on the menu...
Gambei!
We arrive at the ancient water village of Zhujajiao.
Fresh catch of the day!
Lezil by a quaint restaurant entrance.
Chinese water gondolas.
One of many tightly packed lanes in the village.
Calm and quiet by the waterside.
A clear indication that you are still not over holiday mode is when you keep using the phrase “this time last week…”. It felt so unsettling – almost unreal – when we touched down at Pudong International Airport. At 6am Shanghai was just waking up and a thick fog hung over the city. Fifteen hours before and we were saying goodbye to a cloudless Perth and Lezil’s family.
As we opened the door to our apartment everything inside was unchanged, exactly how we left it a month ago. That was that, our incredible holiday experience over. There was clothes washing to do, a supermarket run, pay the outstanding water and electricity bills and get my mind zoned in for my first day back at work on Monday. Thank goodness it was only a Saturday and I had those two days to settle down a bit.
In the meantime, Lezil and I started to look back over the last four weeks allowing the memories and photos to imprint themselves permanently into our minds. I soon realised there were a number of images I didn’t put up. So instead of my usually meaty blog, I will allow the photos and captions to tell some of the additional stories from our unforgettable time down under. And I’m pretty sure we will be casting our thoughts back quite a bit over the coming weeks. To the Hendricks family (Lezil’s side) – thank you! To some of the additional friends met along the way: Brook, Joe, Jeff, Lenor, Cheryl, Wayne, Luke – thank you! And all the other random once-only people we came across – thank you! To Western Australia (our home for the month) – you truly are blessed with some of the best beaches and lifestyle culture anywhere on earth. We will be back!
(And, what was I doing this time last week? Well, it was so hot that I was in the back garden catching some sun when the sprinklers suddenly came on. What a refreshing feeling sitting in the midst of all those falling droplets!)
(For the photos below, click on them to enlarge.) Busselton Jetty
The longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere at 1.8km located in Georgraphe Bay, Western Australia.
The lighthouse at the start of the jetty.
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Getting ready for the long walk to the end.
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View of the shoreline from the start of the jetty.
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The jetty's full length which bends to the right in the far distance.
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And so, the walk commences!
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Lezil takes her time, enjoying the awesome views and weather.
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Poems and sayings can be found all along the jetty.
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There was a train you could catch but we opted to go on foot instead.
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Dad and daughter.
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Finally reaching the end, with Brook (Lezil's brother Jesse's girlfriend).
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Back by the beach in Busselton. Great water for swimming - so clear and lots of fishes!
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Tucking into a yummy portion of fish & chips!
| Leighton Beach, Perth
Just north of Fremantle in Perth, runs a line of beaches literally one going into the other. This particular one we went to was Leighton Beach. Clean, great for swimming and popular with dog owners.
Soaking in the sun and sea on our last week in Perth.
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Look at Lezil the beach babe! LOL.
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Nothing like going for a run along the sea!
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Lezil feeling so laid back as the waters gently lap the shore.
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A couple of doggies go for a paddle.
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Lezil at home by the beach.
| Beatty Park Leisure Centre, Perth
In an area called Vincent north of central Perth, you can find an excellent swimming complex - Beatty Park. First opened in 1962, there are two outdoor pools and two indoor pools, a gym and a spectactor's seating area. Just $5.70 gets you in. Well maintained and brilliant to be able to swim outdoors.
The impressive outdoor 50m pool.
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Getting a few laps in!
| Kings Park, Perth
Just over 4 square kilometres in size, Kings Park is one of the largest city parks in the world. With a number of walkways, spectacular views of the city, botanical gardens and grass which you can picnic on, it was inspiring place to spend a morning at.
Lezil and I at one of the view points with Perth central in the background.
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An outdoor concert venue at Kings Park.
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More awe-inspiring views of the city and Swan River.
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A map detailing points of interest around the Swan River.
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Walking over one of the elevated bridges.
| | Final Night BBQ, Perth
Our very last night in Perth and we decided to do an evening BBQ with some family friends over to join us. It was a full on South African affair and the night ended with a intensely contested game of charades! Fun times.
These free BBQs can be found all around the neighbourhood. Just one push of the 'on' button and you are ready to cook!
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I do the honours of putting on the first sausages (beef of course, I don't eat pork!).
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Family friend Jeff and I at the grill.
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Darkness quickly falls and the cooking continues - Dad H and Lezil.
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Waiting for the food, Jesse and his girlfriend Brook.
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Family friend Cheryl (Right) with Mom H.
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(left to right) Jeff, his wife Lenor, myself and Lezil.
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South Africans (with an Australian/Ecuadorian/British thrown in) all ready to feast on the BBQ food!
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The street lights haven't come on yet, so we use a couple of tablets for light!
| | And The Final Goodbye...
The holiday started as it ended - with the family and with unbroken sunshine, both of which was making it very hard to tear ourselves away from Perth.
Arriving at Perth International Airport to check in for our return flight.
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Waiting to check in (left to right) Mom H, Lezil and me!
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Final pose - (left to right) Dad H, me, Mom H and Lezil.
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The family together for our last lunch before we go through to boarding.
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Our Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 getting ready for the 4hrs 45min flight to Singapore.
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Can't believe it's all over! :(
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Several hours later, we arrive the next day in cold and overcast Shanghai.
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Kitted out for our afternoon of Supa Golf!
| Australia as a whole lends itself to a very outdoors lifestyle. With the amount of space and the great weather (especially in Perth where it’s pretty much consistent all year around) you are spoilt for choice when it comes to activities.
That afternoon it was all about Supa Golf. It’s a variation on the real game. Bigger club heads, bigger balls and putting holes that are twice the original size means that virtually anyone can play it. And that suited first timers Lezil and I. A well-priced $12.50 each got us kitted out with our own set of clubs, tees and balls.
| | The other thing about Supa Golf is the actual golf course itself which is only nine holes and the longest driving distance is just over 100 metres.
Lezil’s parents and brother were regular golf players, so already we were at a disadvantage. Nonetheless they were happy enough to share some of their insider tips to ensure that when we teed off, our ball wouldn’t go wildly off course. There was a strong crosswind that we had to contend with too. Most of the holes were either 3 par or 4 par and the first couple of holes proved difficult getting the ball in on par.
Once you got the feel of swinging the club and the flight of the ball, we all started to get into our stride. Melville Golf Centre, where we were playing, was well maintained with a simple club house overlooking the greens, a driving range and a practising putting green. |
Lezil getting some tips from her bro Jesse.
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In the middle of our game, Lezil with her mom.
| There were a number of people out playing that day and I was a bit worried that our slowish pace was holding up some of the groups behind us. But I was told that golfing etiquette was to wait.
Nearing the end, the eighth and ninth holes were tightly contested as some of us hit or sweet spots and others lost concentration giving way to unnecessary errors. All our balls were scattered around the putting green on the last hole when Lezil’s brother Jesse received a phone call from a long-time family friend back in Cape Town. His name was Carlo who I had met back in 2010 – the year I proposed to Lezil. I remember him pulling me aside and giving me the whole “if you mess with Lezil, you mess with me speech…” (in a nice way though!). So I was delighted to report back to him that our marriage thus far was going swimmingly well! | | Jesse’s mobile was handed from person to person as we all had our few minutes with Carlo. This, according to Dad Hendricks, was what made his own downfall getting 3 over on the last hole. With the entire course completed, we camped to one side as Dad H counted up the final scores. In reverse order: Lezil 15 over, me 9 over, Dad H 7 over, Mom H 5 over and the winner…Jesse with just 3 over. I presented my brother-in-law with his commemorative tee trophy. A game well played.
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And the winner is....
| | | The following morning and we went down to the weekly Sunday Community Market which happens at Market City – a purposed built zone in south Perth for market sellers. It started back in 1990 and today it’s Perth’s largest attracting over 5,000 people each week. The stalls were housed in a huge hanger-type covering with open sides. You pay a $1 admission fee and then have free reign to hunt down that bargain. Originally more of a fruit and veg place, nowadays you can pick up anything from vintage wear and frozen meat to crystals and tents.
| | They had a great plants and flowers section, in particular selling a selection of herbs for your garden. I was also surprised to see the amount of chilli plants being sold considering the amount of Australians that I have come across who dislike spicy food. There were a number of second hand book sellers and as it’s difficult to get a good selection of foreign books in Shanghai, I set out to find me some good reads. I found one for a dollar which was, ironically, about China called ‘Socialism is Great!’ by Lijia Zhang. Lezil managed to pick up an excellent reference book to help her with her reflexology studies.
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Chilli plants on special at the market.
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South Africans Sammy and Kay with their excellent Indian-influenced sauces.
| Midway through our wanderings we walked up to a table which was doused in South African flags. Run by a couple originally from Pietermartizburg (not far from Durban) they moved to Perth three years ago after a six year stint in New Zealand and now run their South African sauce business from home. The range was branded as ‘Aunt Kay’s’ (after its inventor) where they had small wooden sticks which you could use to dip into different sauces for sampling. Lots of fire and lots of flavour – a great combination of that South African Indian heritage to be found in cooking from KwaZulu-Natal.
| I instantly fell for their Garlic Chilli Sauce which packed a mean punch – perfect as a marinade and for simply dipping your nacho chips into. Or, as was the case, the right accompaniment to my Mexican taco meal I was to cook for the family later that evening.
Towards the end of our market meander we came to a seller who had Australia’s famed UGG Boots proudly on display. These were the real deal priced anywhere from $100 over. The man responsible was busy in conversation with, what I thought was a customer, but as we drifted past where they were standing I caught some of their conversation which was a deep theological discussion. Interesting. | At the end of one of his tables, he had written a cardboard sign saying “Free Please Take”. If it’s free, I’ll take a look! I knelt down to the low table soon realising that the coverless DVDs all had a running theme – Christianity. Titles like “Friend of God”, “The Godhead and the Holy Spirit” and “The Final Events” all teased my curiosity. Wanting to be polite, I walked back over to the stall holder to ask him if it was fine that we took a couple of his DVDs. This was the catalyst to instigate a conversation.
His first question was “Are you Christians?” Yes. “Great!” he said.
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A varied selection of Christian-themed DVDs.
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With Peter, the 'UGG Boots Preacher'!
| The journalist in me absolutely thrives on knowing a person’s back story and in the few seconds of hearing him speak, I was eager to know his nationality. His vowels sounded Australian but some of his consonants had a foreign-tinged accent to them. “I am from the former Yugoslavia,” he said satisfying my urge to know. He introduced himself as Peter and informed us that he moved over to Australia at young age where he has lived ever since.
Having been in various states, he now resides in Western Australia with his UGG Boots business but it was clear his passion for God was his true calling. The ten minutes or so we spent chatting with him was inspiring as his infectious upbeat view of life was unstoppable. A straight forward talking guy with a no nonsense attitude concerning his beliefs, to me, he instantly became the ‘UGG Boots Preacher’.
| (I’m sure he must be the only one out there!) It was the most unlikely place to have come across a God experience that day and just as well as we didn’t go to Church that Sunday morning!
The oversized balls for Supa Golf.
Choosing the right club for my next shot!
Lezil takes a swing but doesn't quite make contact with the ball!!
But then she comes up better on the putting green as Mom H cheers her on!
I manage to get a couple of good holes in too.
Dad H shows his skills on a long shot here.
With the game finished, the scores are tallied up.
The bargain hunters are out in force at the Sunday Community Market, south Perth.
All sorts off second hand goods are sold from a back of a car.
Lezil at the pets section.
Unsurprisingly, a large bulk of goods has the infamous 'Made in China' tag on them.
Wallets from China with a considerable mark up in Australian dollars. These go for about $5 in any market in Shanghai. In Perth, some were at $20 and above!
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