Monday, August 19, 2013

CAMDEN TOWN IS LONDON'S GREATEST WEEKEND MARKET ! PORTOBELLO MARKET AIN'T HALF BAD TOO!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
I AM ALWAYS AT CAMDEN TOWN EVERY WEEKEND WHEN I AM IN LONDON AND I ALWAYS TRY TO BE IN LONDON OVER THE WEEKEND.

Camden Town is on the Northern Line so it is easy as pie to get there and the regular shops are open throughout the week like any other in London but the bazaar and stalls are only set up during Saturday and Sunday. Come to think of it, I have never been to Camden during the weekdays!

Camden has everything fancy, whimsical, unique, fun, wonderful and often unnecessary but in life these are the things you should buy!

At the very least you should visit Camden for a snack, fish and chips or a full blown meal at Gilgamesh where Dato Tiffanee Lim of Limkokwing University and I had early dinner after an entire afternoon of relentless shopping as we are both world class shoppers!



 The signboard truthfully says 'World Famous Market'!

 Barges are a normal sight on Camden Canal





 They look like they are riding the famous Vespa motorbikes but these are just seats that resemble Vespas since they have been recycled from old motorcycles! Ingenious and arty-farty to the max!
 First timers are always taken aback!


 This is the world famous British Lion statue that is larger than life and double the surprise! Folks queue here to be photographed and this is one of Camden's most iconic sights and rightly so



 If you are hankering for Chinese food, here is a touch of Hong Kong



 There is even a traditional town crier like in olden days before newspapers and smartphones!

 Hear ye, hear ye, Kee Hua Chee is in Camden!

 Town crier announcing the arrival of Kee Hua Chee




 Bit rude but so what, this is a free world



















 These are not mere cuddly toys but functional tissue holders!

 Cheery cherry blossoms are the most sensational sight in spring!

 Kee Hua Chee loves cherry blossoms, like all right-minded humans



 A plate of whatever food you want costs RM 20 but this is London, remember? Not Jalan Alor!
 Each costs only RM 50 which I think is rather cheap considering you can hang one as a wall painting or drape it over an ancient sofa to revitalise it or as a table cloth or even make a caftan or outfit!


 The Horse Tunnel Market is famous for second hand, vintage and antiques and even more famous as an extremely photogenic spot due to the life-size bronze horses in various stances!





















 Must be the biggest horse head in the observable universe!










 It says No Photos but too bad and too late!











 This sales guy is super cool as he happily poses for my Leica

 I dunno about the statue of Jesus Christ though I am a good and devout Christian


 BELOW ARE IMAGES OF PORTOBELLO ROAD MARKET WHICH IS ALSO A WEEKEND MARKET ON NOTTING HILL STATION. 
This street market is smack in the heart of fashionable, expensive Notting Hill made famous by the movie of the same name.

It used to be famous for antiques but these days the best pieces are gone but there are plenty of cheap reproductions and quirky stuff you don't really need but must have, from clothes to accessories to homemade bags and shoes to trinkets and retro items. 

You are bound to find something here to bring back to Malaysia!
 As you get off Notting Hill station, just follow the crowd and this road leads to the market which consists of shops, stalls and stands
 An Italian vintage car advertises fresh pizza


 The satchels are now the hottest must-haves in UK and costs around RM 450 for the leather version


 These pastel, prettily painted shop houses are the iconic shops of Portobello which sounds Italian but is as English as they come












 These 3-D eeriely realistic T-shirts are the rage as the creatures look so lifelike and three-dimensional



 The Keep Calm slogan is the hottest slogan right now in UK








A Malaysian restaurant in Portobello road market! Too bad the prices are not Malaysian but what to do? The food here is great!


























BACK TO CAMDEN MARKET! THESE IMAGES WERE TAKEN ON SUNDAY WHEN I HOOKED UP WITH DATO TIFFANEE LIM, VICE-PRESIDENT OF LIMKOKWING UNIVERSITY. I WENT TO CAMDEN ALONE THE DAY EARLIER ON SATURDAY!
 Dato Tiffanee Lim's blouse has enough bling to outshine the chandelier!



















Dato Tiffanee Lim and I had dinner at Gilgamesh restaurant designed as an ancient Sumerian palace



 Dato Tiffanee Lim and Kee Hua Chee sparkling in couture clothes at Gilgamesh. We could not let Malaysia down in the fashion stakes OK



 Cool loo!









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