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| The writer and her friends in Chinatown, London, last year |
VISIT new
places discover new treasures, embark on a new adventure – and keep dementia
at bay.
Dementia
is a dreaded disease. Staying active and socialising with others will keep it
at bay.
My group
of former classmates of Klang Convent decided to travel as a way to keep
active. Last September, six of us embarked on an adventure to visit Scotland
and England, and at the same time meet up with other classmates in London.
With
Whatsapp and email, Henrita, the organiser, planned the itinerary. Initially,
six of us – Connie and Henrita from Australia; Siew Peng from Holland;
Margaret, Hui Ching and myself from Malaysia – would tour Scotland. Then three
others – Say Kim from England, Rosalind from Canada, and Noreen from Germany –
would join us. The nine of us would then tour England, and finally meet up with
Susan from England for a reunion in Chinatown.
This
three-week adventure was unique as the 10 classmates hailed from four
continents: Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. It was a dream holiday!
We were
aged 70 to 72. Travelling at such a mature age was challenging! Margaret got us
all hyped up by presenting us with T-shirts embossed with the words “Adventure
before Dementia”. It attracted a fair bit of attention when we wore these
during our tour.
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| 6 of us in our embossed t-shirts, in Edinburgh From left: Henrita, Margaret, Hui Ching, Siew Peng, Connie, Myself |
She drove
us in a rented Volkswagen Sharan along the highways of the two countries, aided
by Henrita the navigator. The rest of us, backseat drivers, sometimes gave
wrong directions which confused the driver!
We stayed
in Airbnb lodgings where we could do our laundry, prepare breakfast and
sometimes cook dinner. Sometimes we did exercises (tai chi) together in the
Airbnb accommodations and at other times, we played cards and drank Scottish
beer when we were home early.
Food was
not a problem. We happily savoured local Western cuisine but occasionally
cooked Malaysian favourites like curry chicken, noodles or nasi lemak.
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| Western: Fish and chips |
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| Western food |
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| Western food -Pizza |
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| Malaysian food: Nasi lemak (coconut rice) |
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| Malaysian food: Curry chicken |
One
member, a vegetarian, had ample choices in the eateries there. We have a sweet
tooth and were spoilt for choice with the array of cakes, pastries and ice
creams available.
We
travelled at a comfortable pace, starting out only after 9am, with tea breaks
and leisurely lunches. We moved slower, talked louder, and at every place,
hunted for toilets.
We
revelled in shopping together, especially for souvenirs and gifts.
The best
part of our holiday was the camaraderie among us. Staying together made our
friendship stronger.
Scotland
Our
holiday started in Edinburgh, the capital city. We got on a Hop-on-and-hop-off
bus to tour Edinburgh, shopped along the Royal Mile and explored Edinburgh
Castle. This and a Hairy Coo tour gave us a taste of Scotland’s rich history
and stunning scenery.
Inverness
and Fort Augustus were charming because of their natural landscapes,
crystal-clear lakes and quaint houses. Glasgow is a bustling modern city with
high-rise buildings and high-end attractions. We got lost in Debenhams but
after we found one another, we enjoyed a satisfying lunch in Lychee, a Chinese
Restaurant. We left Scotland with lasting memories of castles, churches,
museums, Victorian buildings and men clad in tartan kilts playing bagpipes.
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| Duone Castle in Edinburgh |
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| St Peters Church, Wooton Wawen |
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| Man in kilts playing bagpipes |
England
England
was a country we had learnt a lot about from our geography, history and literature
books in our schooldays.
In the
Lake District, we visited Dove Cottage in Grasmere, where poet William
Wordsworth lived. I love the picturesque honey-coloured stone buildings in the
Cotswold villages.
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| Cotswold viillages |
In
Stratford-upon-avon, we were mesmerised by all things associated with William
Shakespeare. It brought back memories of the plays we had studied in English
Literature classes all those years ago.
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| Pictures of Shakespeare's plays in Stratford-upon-avon |
London
was a city familiar to all of us, whether from watching films and television,
or reading travel books. While visiting Windsor Castle, I was excited to be in
St George’s Chapel, the venue of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
We took a cruise on the Thames from the city to Greenwich, enjoying the river
panorama with its iconic bridges and buildings: Tower Bridge, the Tower of
London, the Houses of Parliament, and Canary Wharf.
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| Tower Bridge, London |
The
climax of our holiday was a dinner with Susan in Chinatown. We were a noisy
group, hugging, eating and chatting non-stop. It was nostalgic for some members
who had not seen Susan since leaving school in 1965. Never in our wildest
dreams – certainly not when we were teenagers in a small town in Malaysia – did
we imagine meeting up in our seventies, in London!
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| Dinner in Chinatown, London Clockwise from left: Myself, Margaret, Siew Peng, Say Kim, Henrita, Noreen, Susan, Connie, Rosalind, Hui Ching |
Travelling
together in Scotland and England was a memorable experience. After the holiday
ended, we continued to re-live it, sharing it from back home. Looking through
our photos – of ancient castles, historical houses, cathedrals, monuments,
gardens, parks, natural wonders and heritage towns – brought back sweet
memories of this epic journey: certainly our adventure before dementia.
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