Of Brits & Bags

Panic! Chaos! So many things to do… so little time! I was attempting to write a few stories, running around the embassies to get my visas, preparing for my trip to Europe, and attending meetings all at the same time. Even on the way to the airport, I was still working in the car. I was so looking forward to this trip. My good friend, Ariel Lozada, and I have always wanted to see the Venice Biennale, the famous art exhibit that takes place every two years and is one of the biggest in the world. It was a dream come true to be able to see it for real.

After so many departure date changes, Ariel and I finally boarded a British Airways plane on Oct. 20, Saturday. We decided to stop in Venice first to catch the Biennale. Then we took a side trip to Florence before going to London. We arrived at London Heathrow at 5:15 a.m. After more than an hour’s ride to NAIA, a few hours’ wait for a BA flight to London, an hour’s stopover in Hong Kong, a 14-hour plane ride to London, a bus ride to Gatwick Airport, eight hours’ wait in the airport, we finally landed in Venice. But getting to our final destination in Venice took another bus ride to the city, and a ferry ride to Ca D’oro where our hotel was located. We had been traveling for 32 hours! What a trip! And, it hadn’t even started yet! How ironic for me to have brought two heavy bags when I once wrote about "How to Travel Intelligently." I broke every rule in my story.

I packed in haste and brought way too much stuff! When the bus dropped us off the center, we had to carry our own bags out of the bus to the taxi stand. Visualize that this is an old city, so the streets are covered with cobblestones. Try to imagine rolling a suitcase on this kind of pavement. I was so happy to finally reach the taxi stand only to find out that it was not possible to get to our hotel by land. So there we were with a heavy load, trying to look for the ferry station. I wanted to kill the lady in the airport information counter who told us to take the bus! But the trouble had only begun. We finally found the station and rode the ferry struggling with our things. Then we stopped at Ca D’oro and had to walk to our hotel. I could have died laughing when I saw a few bridges ahead with stairs. How could I possibly manage to carry my bags up there? Ariel and I totally lost our poise juggling four heavy suitcases. It was a good thing the "Filipina charm" worked and someone offered to carry them for me. "What’s in here? Gold?" the nice gentleman teased. There is so much to tell about Venice and Florence but this will have to wait. This, after all, is about London.

November 1

From Florence, we took a train back to Venice to catch our flight to London. But, for some reason, Ariel and I never had a trip that was easy and stress-free. We were running so late we almost missed our train. We had no idea which train was ours and, of course, not speaking the language made matters worse. We were rushing to the train with our heavy suitcases in tow, super wa-poise talaga! We barely managed to board the train, getting only as far as the entrance. We could not go to our reserved seats because the train was jampacked. We completely forgot that it was All Saints' Day and a lot of people were spending the holiday in Venice. For three hours, Ariel and I stood beside our bags, tortured by the smell coming from the constant opening of the restroom door, which was beside us! But to think this was the ultimate struggle was a mistake. Our train broke down! To complicate things, it broke down on top of a bridge! We were stuck there for an hour and we had no idea what was happening. We had to ask around for the translation of the announcement — totally not tourist-friendly! Then, we had to be pulled back to the previous station and change trains. The next problem was getting all our bags down! And it seemed our struggles were never-ending. After the train ride, we had to wait, again for hours, in the airport since that was the only train with available seats from Florence to Venice. Finally, after another plane ride, we arrived in London! We took a taxi to our bed-and-breakfast place in Notting Hill. I was so excited to stay in the place made more famous by the movie of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, Notting Hill. Someone made a mistake in our reservation and only a single room was available when we checked in. The room was so tiny we couldn’t even lay our suitcases down! We could not unpack our bags since our double room would only be available the next day. I couldn’t believe what happened to us in Venice was happening again. It was deja vu!

November 2

Thank goodness, we still had a bit of luck. The weather was gorgeous! Dreary and wet London was bright and crisp! Today was our interview appointment with Marjan Pejoski, the controversial designer who made the much-talked-about swan dress, which Bjork wore to the last Oscar Awards. Mich Dulce, a Filipina studying at Central St. Martins and apprenticing at Marjan’s studio, was kind enough to arrange this meeting. She was so nervous because Marjan hates interviews. We were supposed to meet around Portobello market but his plans changed. He was interviewing someone to hire for his studio in a coffee shop near his studio, and we ended up meeting him there. Thank goodness! We thought he would change his mind! After this interesting encounter, Ariel and I could concentrate on everything London had to offer. Experiencing a city through the eyes of a local is totally different. I asked Yodel Pe, our graphic designer for this special, who studied in London, for a list of must-see places. Of course, Mich was also our unofficial tour guide. Best of all, we met Sasha B, an ex DJ, who now owns Kokon to Sai, which is a small and exciting store in Soho. Edgy brands like Jeremy Scott, Viktor & Rolf, Marjan Pejoski and Bernhard Willhem are housed there. But what makes the place more interesting is the mix of fashion and music. Sasha’s first love, music, is also sold in the store. Like the fashion labels they carry, the music is very experimental, from the new to the old. What a beautiful person! He was so generous with his time. The same day we met him, he invited us to a private party on a bonfire weekend. We shared interesting conversations with him over dinners at a Thai restaurant in Soho and VVV in Notting Hill, where I introduced him to caipirinias. He walked us around Notting Hill and showed us some interesting shops and restaurants. We felt more like Brits than tourists. We experienced London through the eyes of a local. I prefer interacting with these people and sharing thoughts and experiences to get to know the city. This way, you get to know it for real, more than the superficial feel tourist areas provide. We stayed six days but it was not enough. So many things to see … so little time!

London List

• Markets — These are the most fun for me. I love the mix of the old and the new. There is something about the thrill of the hunt for the true shoppers. These markets don’t disappoint. Imagine the Greenhills tiangge but on an entirely different level and of course, the weather is more conducive to walking outdoors. Antiques from silver to bags, clothes, furniture, jewlery and fashion accessories, young and hip designer collections, new and unique products, second-hand finds, organic food products, fresh produce and flowers, hip music, the list is endless. You name it, you’ll find it.

• Portobello Market
• Brick Lane
• Camden
• Spitalsfield
• Berwick Street

• Browns –The store carries hot designers from Marc Jacobs to Martin Margiela, and AF Vandervorst.

38-39 South Molton Street W1K 5RN

• Selfridges – My gosh! Selfridges carries even more variety of collections! I was so confused and overwhelmed, I ended up not buying anything. Vivienne Westwood, Yohji Yamamoto, Marc Jacobs, Chloe, Viktor & Rolf, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior, Miu Miu are only a few must check-out brands.

Oxford Street W1

• Agent Provocateur – Lingerie galore! I love this store. Of course, I was more addicted to the store when I fitted the must-have corset for the season. It was so sexy! Because of this, I missed John Galliano by five minutes in Kokon To Sai.

6 Broadwick Street W1V 1FH

• Vivienne Westwood – How can you be in London and not visit this store? She has been doing Victoriana way before the season’s trend. I couldn’t resist her pirate boots which were so hot in the Eighties. She revived them this season and they are only available by special order which takes three weeks.

44 Conduit Street W1

• Magma Bookstore – Great design with fab visual art picks.

8 Earlham Street, Covent Garden WC2H 9RY

• Kokon To Sai – Edgy collections from Viktor & Rolf, Bernhard Willhem and Marjan Pejoski as well as distinct music CDs and vinyl are available here.

57 Greek Street W1D 3DX

• Makeup Forever – This is the makeup professionals’ choice. I love their makeup base, and the metallizer that I mix with their liquid foundation. We victimized Mich to buy some basics from base to foundation and concealer. She looked fresher after Sam, the friendly makeup artist, worked on her face.

51 Molton Street W1Y 1HF

• Retro Man Retro Woman – Interesting second-hand and vintage fashion accessories selection.

32 and 34 Pembridge Road W11

• Ollies – I fell in love with a Forties leather chair which would be perfect for my home but they had no idea how to ship it to Asia.

69 Golborne Road W10

• Space.NK – The ultimate indulgence! They carry hard-to-find and specialized beauty products. I also bought a few unique items to give as gifts like plastic slippers filled with gel that you can warm up or freeze depending on your feet’s need.

127-131 Westbourne Grove W2 4UP

• Asia De Cuba at St Martins Lane - Hip crowd, great music and cool ambiance

45 St. Martin’s Lane WC2N 4HX

• Pineal Eye – Up-and-coming and hip designers are housed here

49 Broadwick Street W1

• Oxfam Original – For the hip but budget-conscious. Second-hand finds are endless.

South Molton Street W1K 5RN

• Beigel Bake – Yum! Yum! The queue was so long that it ended outside the street. Salmon with cream cheese and salt-beef bagel are my faves!

Brick Lane Bakery, Brick Lane

• Live Bait – Great seafood place. I love the cold shrimps just taken with lemon and of course, the famous fish and chips!

• Victoria and Albert Museum – A must-see for their great collections. We were also lucky to catch the Radical Fashion exhibit, where 11 world-class designers interpreted the word "radical" in their own individual way. Yohji Yamamoto, Azzedine Alaia, Vivienne Westwood, Helmut Lang, Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen, Martin Margiela, Junya Watanabe, Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake and Hussein Chalayan revealed their personal visions of contemporary fashion.

Cromwell Road SW7 2RL

November 6

My bags seemed to haunt me during the entire trip. This is the price to pay for trying to save money on accommodations. No one could help us carry our bags to the taxi. As I was rolling my heavy suitcase down the stairs, the weight brought me forward – I fell down the steps and landed on my knees! I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. But the funniest thing was, instead of checking for wounds, the first thing I checked were the newly purchased boots I was wearing. Talk about vanity! Disasters aside, Ariel and I had an incredible time. Everything was well worth the experience. My knees are still a little blue, but each time I look at them, the whole European experience comes back to me and I can’t help but smile.

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