Live, Laugh, London (Part 2): London's Treasures and Bridges

- June 23, 2026, Monday.

- London is a big city and the most strategic way to navigate it is to do it by area. On this day, I focused on the eastern side of London. This is where the Tower of London is located, as well as other major bridges that were built above the River Thames.

- I had a brief stopover at the 17th-century St. Paul's Cathedral (St. Paul's tube station) to have a photo with the red phone booth behind the cathedral. Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to enter the cathedral at that moment, or at any time during my whole trip (maybe next time!)

St. Paul.

This is a popular photo spot it has its own entry on Google Maps haha.

Cathedral from a different angle.

- I later passed by London Bridge to behold the full glory of the River Thames. London Bridge, by the way, appears simpler compared to other bridges. The bridge's current incarnation was only built during the 1970s. 

On London Bridge.

View from London Bridge. That ornate bridge is called Tower Bridge - that is NOT London Bridge, contrary to what many people think.

With Tower Bridge, and The Shard behind me.

See, this bridge says London Bridge. It's not too far from Tower Bridge.

- The Tower Bridge was constructed in the late 1800s, and is recognizable for having the ability to open up to let bigger ships pass through the river. Both cars and pedestrians can pass through the bridge.

Tower Bridge from the pedestrian area.

I had enough time to take an infinite number of photos before the Tower of London opened for the morning.

- Near the bridge is the Tower of London, first built in the 11th century as a castle and citadel. It is known for housing the crown jewels (no photography inside this area, unfortunately) including the Koh-i-noor; this was one of the largest diamonds owned by Indian rules before being taken by the British and further cut to be part of the crown jewels. (Best to book tickets beforehand as tickets can get sold out.)

Tower of London.

Entrance to the crown jewels (no entry, unfortunately.)

With the Yeoman Warders (commonly called "Beefeaters"). They're obliged to take care of the crown jewels.

Ravens. Yes, they're real. And yes, they're larger than I expected!!

A reaaaaally long canon!

The main tower/castle.

Royal armor.

Castle chapel.

Royal sabers.

DRAGON!

Palace guard and many canons.

I love this shot so much! So much depth.

Throne.

- I also decided to visit the Tower Bridge since I was in the area anyway. Fortunately it was easy to book tickets on the spot! Not only do visitors get to see the towers' interiors, but visitors can also cross the bridge with a glass floor! The ticket also gave access to the early hydraulic systems that were used to open up the bridge.

Inside Tower Bridge.

Glass floor!!

Boilers to burn coal.

Machines inside the tower to make the bridge open.

- I rode an Uber to Borough Market because I didn't think I could walk too much that noon (near London Bridge tube/train station). I planned to have lunch there but as usual, the crowd was too much and there wasn't enough proper space to eat. So I found a nearby restaurant to try my first full English breakfast in the UK!

Borough Market.

I like the open look of the market, but not sure if it was the crowd or the hot sun, but I really just couldn't stand being there at that time. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat comfortably.

Passed by Shakespeare's Globe. Though built in 1997, it is a reconstruction of the 16th-century Globe Theatre - where Shakespeare's plays were staged!

English breakfast....for lunch haha.

- The early afternoon was devoted to Tate Modern. Located inside a former power station that was converted to a museum in the year 2000, this museum focuses more on contemporary art. In contrast, Tate Britain showcases British art throughout history. 

Turbine hall. This often has some massive artwork that takes up the main space. I guess they didn't have anything this time.

Museum interior.

Andy Warhol!

Works by Filipina artist, Pacita Abad.

Mondrian! (I should have worn my Mondrian shirt for my trip to the museum!!)

Salvador Dali!

Museum facade.

Cross the Millennium Footbridge, located just outside Tate Modern. The church at the end is St. Paul's Cathedral! (Yes, the church you see at the beginning of this post.)

- My trip to London had to take a pause after my visit to Tate Modern. I'm coming back to London towards the end of my British adventures. For now, I had to rush back to my hostel as I had to catch the train to my next British country: Wales!

Bangkok and Beyond (Part 2): Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai's Dark Past

- November 16, 2025, Sunday.

- Thailand is such a wonderful country and it's a shame that most of my visits have been focused only on Bangkok. Bangkok, the capital, is one of my favorite cities in the world, but I have often wondered what Thailand's other provinces offered. Because I didn't have a lot of time to prepare for this semi-work trip, Klook fortunately has many options for day trips from Bangkok. For this day, I decided to visit Kanchanaburi, which is one of the western provinces of Thailand bordering Myanmar.

- After meeting my tour group ni Central World, we immediate embarked on a roughly 2-hour trip to the River Kwai. The River Kwai (Khwae Yai River) is known for its historical bridge, inspiring the 1952 book "The Bridge on River Kwai", which was eventually turned into a film in 1957. The bridge was part of the long Siam-Burma railway ordered to by built by the Japanese. Hundreds of thousands of prisoners of war and trafficked Southeast Asian laborers were forced by the Japanese to build the whole railway, including the bridge. The construction project was part of Japan's plans of moving westward and attacking India. 

Ganesh statue at Central World, praying for a safe trip to Kanchanaburi.

Saw this cat with the elephant statues.

Riding a boat with my tourmates through the River Kwai.

River Kwai from afar.

One of the small parts of the whole construction project that remains.

With the bridge, and a train! (Yes, the bridge is still being used by both trains and pedestrian.)

It is a steel bridge.

I know I look happy here, but I am aware of the bridge's dark past.

You're seeing this too right?

There was a Guanyin Temple across the bridge.

- We briefly went for lunch at The Village Farm to Cafe, which was a cozy restaurant with an open garden with a pond at the back. They have Thai and Western food, but the lunch included in my tour package was Thai food. I liked the food there!

No picture of the food, but I have a nice photo of myself at the garden haha.

- That afternoon, we went to Tham Kra Sae Station to experience riding a train on the very tracks called the "Death Railway", which was another name for the Thailand-Burma Railway. The view was nice, but I just couldn't get my mind off the sheer number of people who perished as they worked under extremely unfavorable conditions.     

Tham Kra Sae Station.

The Tham Kra Sae Railway Bridge is also called the Wang Pho Viaduct.

Yes, we were allowed to stand on the railway as long as there is no train passing through. Reminds me a bit of my trip to the Nine-Arch Bridge in Ella, Sri Lanka.

There was a cave temple in the middle of the railway bridge.

Despite the dark past, you can't deny that the nice view will make you smile.

Inside the train, photo courtesy of our tour guide.

- The train ride took around half an hour, and afterwards, our van picked us up at a different station and brought us to the Skywalk. This big contraption was a bridge with a sturdy glass floor so we can have a nice view of the river. It wasn't too high so it didn't scare me too much.

Yes, still flexible.

Buddhist temple on a mountain.

This is a floating restaurant.

Pretending to be scared.

- Finally, we had a nice stroll along Pak Prak Heritage Street. Although this looks like a normal residential neighborhood, many of the houses and stores here were built in the early 1900s and remain to be used today. That is, until the owners decide to sell, demolish, or rebuild their heritage buildings. Many of the buildings have a mix of Thai, European, and Chinese styles, implying hybridities that express diasporic, local, and global architectural preferences.

Statue of King Rama III and the old city wall, built in the 1800s.

Sittisang Cafe and Heritage House 1920.

Boonpong and Brothers Trading. Boonpong, a Thai-Chinese businessman, gained riches by trading with the Japanese in relation to the construction of the Death Railway in the 1940s. However, at the same time, he used his home to welcome prisoners of war, and became crucial in passing intelligence to the Allied Forces.

Kanchanaburi Hotel. This used to be THE PLACE to stay in the 1940s when visiting Kanchanaburi. Today, its old beauty remains, but its glamor, not so much.

Tamthong Residence. At first glance, it looks like a temple, but it's actually a house!

- We had another 2-hour trip back to Bangkok from Kanchanaburi and got dropped off at Central World. I was so tired from the whole trip that I just had a nice, comfortable dinner at McDonald's (no photos haha). I am fully aware that there are still so many places that I have yet to see in Kanchanaburi, but my short visit to this western province gave me a more insight on a different side of Thailand, beyond all the blinding gold and royal splendor of Bangkok.

** Check out my other adventures in Thailand and Laos here!

THAILAND:

Part 1: Wat Saket and Dog Cafe - here

Part 3: Maeklong Railway Market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market - here

Part 4: Phetchaburi and Hua Hin - here

Part 5: Wat Paknam, Capybara Cafe, B Story Cafe, Madame Tussauds - here

Part 6: Chulalongkorn University - here

LAOS:   

Part 1 (Vientiane): Patuxai, Buddha Park, and Vientiane's Temples - here

Part 2 (Vientiane): Pha That Luang, Lao Art Museum - here

Part 3 (Luang Prabang): Royal Palace, Phousi Hill, Night Market - here 

Part 4 (Luang Prabang): Kuang Si Waterfalls, Pak Ou caves - here 

Part 5 (Luang Prabang): Sai Bat, Wat Xieng Thong, and Other Temples - here

Part 6 (Luang Prabang / Bangkok): Sai Bat Again, Some Temples, Bangkok Jodd Fairs - here