Destination UK: Prelude to 1 BCHClub Party with 2 DJs

19 August 2021, Somewhere in the Metaverse - UplandDood (@Just1Dood) 

Written on 18 August 2021

Though what I'm doing is 3 years before the actual date, I'd decided to do a recce before the actual event.

You see, I've taken on a challenge that a friend, @tvlachak had made as a result of his Back to the 80s post on Breakdancing. It came about because he mentioned that Breakdancing will be an event in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. A challenge was thrown out for the breakdancing duel of the century between @tvlachak and UplandDood in front of the Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe. Maybe we'll do it at both venues if we get enough sponsors.

So, I thought, why not do an early recce of the place first. Scout out the best spot and angles to get the upper hand. LOL. I hope he doesn't read this to find out my secret plan. It may be a little early to do a recce but I do plan on arriving early with family in 2024 prior to the Olympics to do another round of checking.

I'd decided to stop over in England to meet relatives and a few friends. I've heard that a whole gang of ReadCash veterans and members of the elite 1BCHClub had invaded Paris and now London! Since they've already left Paris and are now in London, this would be perfect. I'll just send a message to say hi and then go about my business.

I found out that there would be a 3-day overlap in our schedule. I wasn't planning on staying long in London. Just swing by, sort of an extended transit, and get on my way.

Once I had touched down at the London Heathrow airport, I'd shot off a short message to @Jane to say, "Surprise! I'm in London on a layover". Didn't want them to feel obligated to have to meet up since I have no idea how tight their schedule would be and also due to my short stay. Besides, she did mention in her message that that morning a few of them were busy looking at a place to accommodate the whole gang.

But she did ask how many days my layover was gonna be. Oops, the cat's out of the bag. I told her that actually, I'll be there for 3 days. She then asked where I will be staying. I told her, I'll be staying at the Sunborn London Yacht Hotel. She then texted me the address where they will be staying. Looks like it's close to my hotel.

She then asked if I've any plans for the next evening. I said not yet. That "not yet" had landed me in hot soup. She said if I'd mind coming over to be one of the DJs. She said MoreGainStrategies will be the other DJ.

Since I didn't have any plans, I thought, well, why not? And so the lid to the hot soup was sealed! Unbeknownst to her, I have no idea how to be a Disc Jockey. How hard could it be, right? When I agreed, I was multi-tasking. Typing messages and clearing customs at the same time. (Self note - never multitask when making an important decision).

Since the day was still early, I'd planned to check-in, and rest a bit before meeting up with one of my relatives here.

I'd chosen the place where I put up for the few nights to be a little different from what I'd done when I travel. I'd chosen to stay on a yacht. Yes, eccentric but it was a novelty.

It is close to the river. That's an understatement if there ever was one. This floating hotel is moored at the Royal Victoria Dock. This dock was at one time the largest of three royal docks in England. How's that for "close to the river"?

I won't bore you with all the details of this choice of accommodation but you can Google and find out about its facilities and stunning rooms (aka cabins).

By the time I reached and had checked in, it was close to lunch. Instead of going out, I've decided to order room service and let that be a time to relax and for soaking in the river view while I enjoy my lunch.

As I wasn't too hungry, I've decided to have their Afternoon Tea Set. After all, the Brits are known for enjoying their afternoon teas so it is befitting for me to start my stay here with one. LOL.

In any case, that's quite a bit of carb-loading and has gotten me drowsy. After a quick shower, I'd decided to take a short nap to get recharged before meeting my cousin for dinner.

Those of you who've followed me and read my articles for a while now will notice one thing - it's that I'm a very private person and though I do write a little about my life, I don't write much about myself or my "personal" life or about my loved ones. In keeping with this tradition, I won't be sharing much about my outing with my relatives. But I will say this though, he did ask me where I'd like to have dinner.

I have this philosophy that the best way to know a place is to eat what the locals eat. And the best way to experience this is through street foods, of course! After I've made known to him my desire, and since it's a Friday evening, he suggested we meet up at the Hackney Central station Amhurst Road entrance at 7 PM. We'll be going to have street food at the Hackney Night Market at Bohemia Place.

I love to explore on my own so after agreeing, I did some updates on my laptop and checked the best way to get there before heading out. I found out that there was no direct public transport from the nearest station, which is the Leslie Road/Custom House Station. In order not to be late, I've decided to get the hotel concierge to call a cab for me. Fifteen minutes after the call, at 5:55 PM, the cab arrived. By the time I arrived at the Hackney Central station Amhurst entrance, it was already 6:50 PM. Five minutes later I saw my cousin waving at me.

After the normal pleasantries, we immediately headed across the road to Bohemia Place.

It was already bustling with hungry souls! I've had nothing since my afternoon tea and am famished. We quickly decide to get into the first place that served...

Food

and Craft Beer

...and Artisan Cocktail!

My Review

I can tell you this: Except for the recognizable burgers and fries, I have no idea what beers I've drunk and definitely no idea what any of the liquid from the artisan cocktails were made of. I did have a few. They were that good!

It was past 9 PM after we were done with the food and drinks. It was the drinks that took up much of our time! LOL. Before I ended up sleeping on the street of Bohemia Place, I'd asked my cousin to call me a cab to take me back to the hotel.

By the time the cab arrived, it was close to 9.30 PM when we parted ways. The next thing I knew, I was back in my room. It was already 10.30 PM. Though my head was spinning a little, I managed to take a quick shower before going to bed.

Tomorrow's gonna be another busy day. I'll need to spend some time planning for my important responsibility of putting on a good show. Even though I have no idea about how to be a DJ, I do know that it involves lots of songs. I'll need to put a good list so that these 1BCHClub members can really let their footloose! But the thought that MoreGainStrategies will be there is comforting as I know that he is an expert in music.

To be continued...

[Updated on 23 August 2021: Continuation has just been published - "Destination UK: Prelude to 1 BCHClub Party with 2 DJs"]

Also, do read Jane's "Out Of Paris, Off We Go To Meet The BCH Community". You'll get a little background on the party. I'll put in the finer details in a later post. Do wait for it. May take a while since I'm still traveling.

Sources:

Header Photo by Eva Dang on Unsplash

All images linked directly to sources

Thank you again for dropping by. Have fun with English. Remember to share your experience in the comment section.

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