I had a great weekend recently even though the week was wet & gloomy. That doesn't hampered my guests who were dropping by today to visit the 'survivors' in the South West. The fella that I was referring to was our ol' matey Ray.
It was quite sometime now that this fella haven't come down to Plymouth as this career minded fella was so occupied with his research & work that he couldn't spare anytime to make visits. He had long to come down to Plymouth but only managed to drop by after a short trip to Cornwall.
He did brought along an acquaintance that I once met in London called Kah Kit (KK), a law graduate who is going back to Malaysia soon & this happens to be his first trip down to Plymouth.
Sutton Harbour - ye ol glorious.
New cafe setup at the Sutton Harbour's Parade.
Boat & yachts docking at the pier.
It was drizzling outside when Ray & KK arrived at 4.30pm. I was having a so short nap when the phone rang half hour earlier. It was a miss call from them. Instead of continue dozing off, I jumped off the bed, panicked for awhile as I was thinking that those fellas were outside right at my door step.
The fellas soon arrive with their rucksacks, & after a brief break, we left for CJ's place giving him & Ivy a surprise visit. We hang around for awhile & the guys decided to see the sunset at the waterfront, leaving CJ & Ivy plenty of time to dress up & to follow-up later to the dinner. The weather was horrible & to our disappointment, we can't see anything because the skies are cloudy & it was drizzling quite heavily. The only thing we saw was a half moon!
Ray showing off his masterpiece.
We step on the Mayflower Steps. This is where Bush's ancestors came from.
CJ made arrangements in our local Chinese restaurant by booking a table for 6 at half past seven. It was exactly an hour for us to take shots with KK. Since it was KK's first time, me & Ray brought him along to the Barbican, Sutton harbour, Mayflower Steps, Hoe, Promenade & Smeaton Tower. It was very quiet as there weren't many visitors at that time. Southside Street was almost deserted apart from tourists occupying fish & chip bars & cafes just to seek refuge from the chilly weather outside.
The waterfront at the Hoe.
The sun sets in obscurity even we can't see. Silhouette of the Plymouth Dome.
Ray, KK, me & Smeaton, that's the tower of course!
After the last shoot in Smeaton Tower we hurried to the restaurant. We were early as the other fellas haven't arrive yet. The restaurant was kinda quiet too. It was only us & two other tables which was occupied at that mo. It was a Sunday evening & businesses is rather quiet here in Plymouth especially on rainy days like this.
Our tea arrived & we took turns looking at the menu while waiting for CJ, Ivy & Visya to arrive. We placed our orders nearly 45 minutes later because everyone was busy chatting & updating one another till the waitress come back & fro for few times just to check us out. We eventually place our orders which consists of a large bowl of soup as a starter & 6 main courses consists of some vegetables, beancurd, seafood & meat.
Our soup as starters. Don't ask me what it contains cos I ain't never gonna tell!
Yappin all the way.
Chattin all the way.
Braggin all the way.
Chafferin all the way
Scoffing off all the way.
The dinner was great & the food was brilliant. The cosy atmosphere was certainly a plus as we happens to dislike noisy & crowded places. The service was swift & quick, with minimal waiting time. After the dinner we bring KK for a stroll at our high streets & nearly an hour later about 10pm, we ended up in a pub called the Treasury.
It was located at the west wing of an old cathedral next to the city's Guildhall. The section used to be part of the church but was soon acquired & converted to a pub. The pub serves wide range of drinks with a churchy feel as most elements of the old building structure was still retained as part of the pub.
Next door adjoining was a dance floor only open on Friday & Saturday nights for savvy club revellers. It was definitely an experience you can't forget while sippin' alcohol & reading religious scriptures on the wall. Talkin' bout irony of ironies, the Treasury has it all. Alcohol & religion in a same place, hmm..., definitely an awkward combo!
Strollin all the way in Armada Way.
The bar at The Treasury. Alcollujah!
Ambience with a churchy feel.
Boozin all the way.
Goin Irish. Seriously.
Our group was joined by Neil, Vishi's sweetheart soon after. Everyone had good laugh as we topped our drinks & we just chatted away till past midnight. We then departed & managed to get a quick late snack at my nearby neighbourhood burger bar on our way back just to satisfy Ray's craving on Jake's hot snacks.
I managed to upload loads of photos from our cameras soon after reaching home at the same time scoffing our burger & fries away.
Well, it was indeed a short stay for them & time flies away too quick without me realising that they will be leaving tomorrow. I was glad that my place has always been a hub for friends coming down for stays for many years now, as we happen to realise that our circle of friends has been shrinking year by year as many graduated & left the city to pursue their career endeavours. I was lucky that although we are few & small now, we are pretty much a close knit bunch. I can't imagine life in here without this special people!
Ah, I am being melancholic again. To Ray & KK, thanks for dropping by mates!
[tags] Autumn, South West England, Plymouth, Treasury, Hoe [/tags]
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Crackerjack with a penchant for Malaysian politics, mecha-collecting, outdoors, gardening, good food & urban music. A social-libertarian inclined economically left (leftist). Down coffee more than an average household consumption. Internet and computers are my life-line for survival.
