Taipei to Gatwick and our Motel room

We disembarked around 6am local time in Taipei and started the walk from one end of the airport to the other looking for a coffee shop. The airport is clean and full of duty free stores selling the usual alcohol and tobacco plus chocolates at prices higher than the local supermarkets. MDW is looking for a chewy mint for the flight to London but nothing like a minty is available anywhere. I buy a coffee and hot chocolate ( extra hot) from a coffee shop. Prices similar to Australia but the quality was poor, and both like warm, could even say undrinkable, although I managed to consume half of each. Not going to waste my money!
We board China Airlines flight 61 to Gatwick and it is full. Not many westerners but we settle into our rear corner of Premium Economy. One other excellent thing about China Airlines are the seatbelts. They are the most comfortable ones ever, you don’t mind having them on for the entire flight. It’s a 13 hour flight and I think I might get the window seat next time because MDW went to the toilet many more times than me. MDW kept asking if I was getting excited yet but for some reason it hasn’t hit me yet.
I’m still wondering if St George has beaten South Sydney.
I did have a mushroom burger which was very nice but the nuts were not nuts but some sort of tofu flavoured crunchy stuff. And root beer was not ginger beer but maybe sarsaparilla. Not too sure but not too good.
Managed to get a few hours sleep in but still felt a bit exhausted when we arrived at 4:30pm London time.
As we walk into the airport I immediately connect to free wifi to discover St George have lost by a point....
That’s a bit disappointing but we join the snaking queue through customs. Actually it’s Border Force now as it is in Australia. My mother always said don’t trust things when there is a name change or the packaging is different as it won’t be the same, (I know she was talking about food) I wonder if that’s true about Customs/ Border Force.
We efficiently collect our bags and get on the Gatwick Express to Victoria station. At Victoria Station we head to the Underground and I carry our two bags down the steep steps as the lift wasn’t functioning. I’ve go to get rid of the toiletry bags, they add an extra kilo. Standing on the platform I ask a nearby commuter if this goes to Gloucester Road Station. “No the other side” he replies. Back up the steps, wave the Oyster card to get to the other side, complain to a London Transport person who tells us we didn’t need to exit but he lets us back in for nothing. Three stops and we are at Gloucester Road and walking the few hundred meters to our hotel.
Checkin is easy, the room ok but no fridge!!! Looks like the milk for our tea will sit in the sink or window ledge at night. The wifi is painfully slow but we are eager to have a meal that doesn’t include duck so walk down the road to a local pub. The hotel receptionist recommended the pub down the road for good fish and chips. The pub is called Steak & Co but cod and chips is on the menu. Very popular, have to wait 20 minutes for a table so have a drink whilst we wait. In Australia most clubs and pubs have several if not the choice of 10 beers on tap, not here, only 1, Stella. So a pint of Stella it is and a coke for MDW. The food is great and after completion we walk back to our room. It’s almost 9:30pm and we are both tired but have a cup of tea before dozing off. I slept through the night but MDW was awake from 1am till 5am. Whilst doing our blog we have a few cups of tea out of those tiny motel room cups but the tea made from tea bags is nice. A bit cool this morning and being Sunday not much is happening before 10am. Our holiday begins.Read more