2023 Budget Trip to London

1. About Visas: UK visas are easy to get. You can apply individually or through a travel agency. Using an agency costs over 1,600 RMB, and from online submission to receiving the visa by mail takes no more than two weeks.

2. About Flights and Hotels: In August, I snagged a cheap connecting flight for over 5,000 RMB, with departure and return during the National Day holiday—a great deal. It's better to book hotels in advance to get good rates. Most UK hostels are mixed-gender dorms. The hostel residents are very considerate: they don't eat in the rooms, move quietly to avoid disturbing others, and the facilities are well-equipped. It's worth staying, but it's best to choose rooms with fewer people.

3. Pre-Trip Preparation: After buying the ticket, I saw overwhelming negative news online about racial discrimination, robbery, and even violent attacks targeting Chinese international students—it scared me! So, I bought two phone lanyards, each thicker than the last (thicker than a dog leash), plus a chest pouch for theft prevention and hidden pockets—everything you'd need. When I actually arrived, none of the worst-case scenarios I'd imagined occurred. Instead, my over-precaution made the trip less relaxed and enjoyable.

4. About Transportation and Food Costs: This trip was limited to Greater London and was budget travel, so I mostly used the subway or walked (like taking the number 11 bus, i.e., walking). You can buy an Oyster card for bus and subway rides. Open an international credit card (you can get a Bank of China pound card with a Wi-Fi symbol) to pay for buses, subways, and shopping—very convenient. UnionPay cards don't work! I only used 10 pounds in cash; actually, you could avoid cash entirely.

Here starts the proper travelogue:

I landed at Gatwick Airport, which is smaller and less crowded than Heathrow. At customs, I had the longest and most extensive English conversation with a foreign officer—a black customs officer asked me classic questions for over ten minutes, including the company name and my position. He spoke fast, and I was nervous, mishearing three times. When he finally asked for the company name, I could only say a few words in Chinese, and he impatiently let me through.

I stayed at the YHA hostel opposite King's Cross St Pancras, convenient for transportation and a major station. If you're willing to walk to save money, you can reach the British Museum in about 40 minutes and Big Ben in over an hour, doing a city walk and enjoying the cityscape along the way.

The hostel room was spacious, clean, and the bedside outlets mostly had two USB ports, so you hardly need a power converter.

In the afternoon, I rested and then walked through the streets of London. My first stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum. No reservation needed; just walk in. It feels like a huge indoor decorative arts museum, but inside I saw a dragon robe from the Guangxu Emperor.

Around 5 or 6 PM, I walked back through Hyde Park to the hostel. Except for pedestrian streets and stations, the roads were very quiet, and few buildings had arcades to shelter from rain.

Day two: The main event was the British Museum in the morning. To avoid waiting in line, I booked tickets online in advance and also bought an "Exhibition of the Late Qing Dynasty" ticket for £20. In reality, whether you booked or not, everyone queued together, stretching two or three blocks from the main entrance. At the iron gate, they split into two lines: those with reservations and those without. The queue for special exhibition and pre-booked tickets was very short, while the non-booked line was long but still didn't take too long.

The British Museum's exhibits from various countries are widely seen online, so this travelogue only features the Late Qing exhibition and my personal favorites.

The Rosetta Stone, viewed by many.

The Babylonian Lamassu.

The Mexican turquoise double-headed serpent—makes me want to visit Central and South America someday.

The Buddha statue from Yixian, Hebei, so lifelike it seemed real.

I remember you, Garuda from "Night at the Museum 3."

Exhibits from the Late Qing exhibition:

Another Guangxu Emperor's dragon robe.

A dragon robe belonging to Hong Xiuquan's son, probably one that high-ranking Hunan Army officers could obtain and quickly resell.

The British government's copy of the Treaty of Nanking.

The last provincial examination paper from the imperial examination system.

I felt dizzy and stuffy from the museum (no air conditioning), so I couldn't finish seeing everything. I left around 2 PM and met a couple from Shanghai near Big Ben. We walked through Whitehall and Parliament, and when we reached the Horse Guards, I immediately ran out to take photos.

The Shanghai couple had separately arranged to meet me online as travel companions. Only in the last few days did I discover they were a couple—hilarious! They spoke sweetly, were generous and kind in interactions, and I was delighted to meet such warm and easygoing friends abroad. Due to jet lag, I parted ways with them and rushed back to the hotel to sleep. I found the nearby Victoria tube station intimidating—not overly crowded, but the entrance was as small as a well, with people spilling out like a fountain. I quickly walked to another station to take the subway back to the hostel.

Day three: Joined the Shanghai couple for a day tour of Oxford and the Cotswolds.

I felt Oxford's scenery was average. The driver said Oxford is just a university town. We visited a spot supposedly used as a location in Harry Potter—I forgot its name. I'm not a Harry Potter fan; I'm into the older Sherlock Holmes.

Some trash cans in Oxford and London had these stickers. In Oxford, I bought my only British souvenir: an Oxford jacket that faded after washing (because I had damaged my previous jacket the day before, and it was windy and rainy, so I reluctantly spent £29.99).

In the afternoon, we visited the Cotswolds and Bourton-on-the-Water. It felt similar to our ethnic villages like Zhouzhuang and Wuzhen.

The nice thing about these scenic spots is that they are not overly commercialized—no streets full of shops and snacks. Using the public toilet required an unmanned ticket machine, paying £0.40 via card.

So-called Bourton-on-the-Water is a village with a small river in front and a row of small red brick houses on the north bank, originally used for wool storage, with centuries of history and no modifications allowed. I heard that residents of Bourton are all big landowners.

Day four: A very enjoyable day trip to Brighton's White Cliffs and Brighton. Entering the White Cliffs area is free, but a certain hilltop area stretching over 50 kilometers is fenced off and requires payment.

Many Koreans visit the White Cliffs. UK transportation is very convenient, especially in Greater London; you can come by train or bus. Next time, I'll come alone.

One episode of "Miss Marple" was likely filmed here. I had a sandwich (British sandwiches are really bad—especially the Mediterranean one, which almost made me vomit). The national dish, fish and chips, cost £11 here for a huge portion that only a large foreigner could finish.

The Royal Pavilion is worth visiting; I heard it also contains gifts from China.

Day five: Day tour to Stonehenge and Bath.

One advantage of UK attractions is that you can enter the scenic area without buying a ticket—you just stay a bit farther from the object, but can still take good photos. A paid ticket for Stonehenge costs £20, and you can also buy a ticket for a shuttle bus, or walk. The surrounding grassland farms are beautiful; a 15-20 minute walk takes you near the stones. Those with tickets can get very close but not inside the inner circle. I just took photos from outside.

Remember to close the gates when entering or exiting the grassy areas around the stones, or the sheep might charge out.

People in Bath are very relaxed; they love lying on the grass without even spreading a cloth.

Our day tour group of seven didn't pay to see the Roman Baths; we just walked outside. The baths are probably like Yang Guichi's Huaqing Pool—just a place to look at, not actually soak in.

Day seven: Random day trip within London. Based on the Shanghai couple's impressions of St. Paul's Cathedral—a splendid church requiring you to climb 13 floors yourself to overlook the city—I chose Westminster Abbey (ticket price 220 RMB). It contains tombs or memorials (I think cenotaphs) of many famous people and British monarchs.

Darwin's plaque lies here, but he is not buried here.

I almost missed Newton's tomb.

The coronation throne for British monarchs is so small—how will future monarchs who are heavier sit in it? Speaking of which, many native British people, both men and women, are quite large, but their doorways are very narrow. How do they get in? I asked a tour guide, who said furniture and appliances are sectional, so narrow doors aren't an issue. But how do the people themselves get in?

For the following days, I switched to a hotel and noticed a Traditional Chinese Medicine shop across the street. UK shops, like those in Japan, do not keep their doors open for business, unlike in China.

Day eight: Departure day.

During this trip to the UK, I met tour guide Zhang, who has lived in the UK for over 20 years. He was very witty. He said the UK is not a culinary desert; it has the most Michelin restaurants in the world (I had a tight budget, so I didn't go to any). He said night is when London is most fun and interesting (for safety, I had never gone out at night—I was stunned!). He talked about the fun of London pubs and shared an amusing story about accidentally walking into a gay bar on his first visit and getting his butt slapped. He also said being a refugee in London is comfortable: public housing becomes yours after living there long enough, and if you don't work, you get £2,000 per month, enough to take cruises. Children get £80 per month as milk money. He said London's public security is much better than cities on the European continent. London is a truly international metropolis where anyone with money can buy property, and you can see people of all races, making up half the population. When a city in China reaches that proportion of foreigners, it will be truly international...

Many UK houses use red brick. In China, it has been banned for a long time due to environmental reasons. I heard some red bricks here are famous, costing £1 or £10 each, with brand marks engraved. Building a private house, regardless of location, would cost a fortune...

7. About Agriculture: The natural scenery near Stonehenge is beautiful. The guide said British people also farm, but only a little—potatoes, corn, wheat, and beets (pink; beetroot can be used to make sugar). Sheep here are raised only for wool, not for meat! From watching the older Sherlock Holmes, I thought Brits ate goose at Christmas, but it seems they don't much anymore. Near Stonehenge, I also saw free-range pigs. People here eat pork too. When I salivated, some Chinese students on the bus waved their hands, shook their heads, and said it's terrible, with a strong gamey smell...

8. Milk in the UK is cheap. There are many small supermarkets. I liked buying fresh milk at £1 for about half a pound (roughly 9 RMB). Vegetables are expensive here; they don't stir-fry or blanch them but mainly eat salads. Meat is also expensive. You can enjoy Evian water freely here because many places require buying water, so the price is the same; a large bottle of Evian costs about 45 RMB, which is cheaper than buying small bottles in China.

9. It's not recommended to eat Chinese food in the UK because you'll feel it's better value in China—it's too expensive.

10. About UK Fast Food Restaurants: I made two funny mistakes. First at McDonald's: I ordered at a self-service kiosk, entered my name, paid, but no receipt came out. I panicked and called for an employee, who said, "Don't worry, they call your name." And indeed they did. But the McDonald's at King's Cross gives receipts and calls numbers. Then at a Middle Eastern fast food place, I made the same mistake—didn't learn my lesson, panicked again. Later I heard the kitchen staff gossiping: "Why is she so behavior?" Probably referring to my noise. They must have found me annoying. In the UK, sushi is common; supermarkets sell sushi, and there are sushi fast food chains. I noticed they also like salmon sushi, not toro sushi.

11. If you want a change of food, there's a Middle Eastern eatery near King's Cross Station. The owner said cash only, took cash with bare hands, then made my meat wrap with the same bare hands, no gloves. The food was mediocre; I recommend not going there again.

12. Prices inside UK scenic areas are basically the same as outside. Highways have toll booths. Most rest stops are Starbucks or Burger King. There are many Indians, Pakistanis, and bearded Middle Eastern people here; most supermarket and restaurant owners are from those groups. Chinese people are mostly seen around UCL nearby.

Later, I exchanged stories with a retired couple traveling independently in the UK. They met many kind people: a Malaysian young man they'd never met drove them to their hotel, and everyone they encountered was warm. However, parking in the city easily leads to fines of £50-100 each time—a scary thought.

In summary, the UK is definitely worth visiting. I'll come again in 2024!