My adventure continues…
In the tour there were some optional tours that we can go to. However, the optionals were only announced on the day in the bus on Saturday. It was a bit confusing. The bus driver was describing the tours and I had a hard time understanding him. It is not that he spoke badly, it was just me. Sometimes I still find it hard to understand different (English) accents.
Take for example when we stopped at Corley on Saturday to get on to the bus that would take us to our destination. Our feeder bus driver told us to get more info from the ground staff to get the time and bay for the bus. So I went to the person and told him that our destination was St. Mawes . The conversation went like this:
Me: “We are going to St. Mawes.”
Staff: “Bay 9”
Me: “What time will that be?”
Staff: “Quarter past eleven to quarter to twelve.”
Me: “Huh? Sorry?”
Staff: “Quarter past eleven to quarter to twelve.”
Me: “Hmm..?” (brain working very hard trying to decipher what this means, trying to get a mental picture of where the clock hands are in the clock).
Me: “Sorry, can you say that again, please?”
Staff: “Quarter past eleven to quarter to twelve.”
Me ( still cannot get the mental picture of the time!!) then looked at my daughter with my “I don’t get it!!” look.
Daughter: ” It’s 11.15 to 11.45!!”
Me:” Oh!! Why can’t they make it simple! What would I do without you??! When you say 11.15 to 11.45 it is so easy to understand as the clock moves on a forward path instead of trying to figure out the quarters.”
You see. when the staff told me the time, my brain was trying to go to the 11 o’clock image and tried to do the quarter image, and then went to twelve o’clock image and try to do the quarter image. One quarter in front of eleven and one behind twelve.
I am sure you do no have any problems deciphering that, But when everything is said very fast, I get confused!! I have this type of communication mixed up several times before, especially with my doctor’s appointments. So now I make it a point to say the time in my way so that there is not confusion. It happened to my daughter as well when she arranged her driving class. Another case in point was in our recent summer course. There were 2 Japanese young men who were arranging for transport to the train station.
Boys: “Our train is 3.38pm.”
Driver(English): ” So what time do you want to leave? Say, 10 to 3? or 3?”
Boys: “Ermm.., make that 20.”
Diver: “Are you sure?”
( I was thinking that they HAVE A LOT OF TIME to catch the train.)
Boys:” Yes we think we have time.”
Later, at around 3.40pm there were no sign of the boys and I looked around the conference room for them. But I could not locate them. The driver was looking for the boys and it was already 3.15, and we finally found them.
So the boys thought that the time was 20 minutes past three instead of what was communicated, 20 to 3.
Do you have this type of miscommunication. Do let me know, otherwise I would think that I am going a bit senile.
…….
OK, so much for the divergent. Now back to the optionals.
The bus driver was rattling off the 3 optional tours and the pricing and the schedule. It was really confusing. So he said will put the details at the hotel reception so we can take a look at it and decide.
I think this is not a good way to promote the optional tours. Optional tours should be given to us ASAP to that we can make a decision about it. It could be given to us in printed form once we board the bus or better, when we booked the tour.
So the trip to Padstow and Truro was an optional tour. My daughter did not go as she found the trip so boring. This was because the bus were full of old people. I have nothing against old people as it will be my future not long from now. In our group, there were only 2 people who are still working and they looked like in their late fifties or sixties. My daughter is a teenager!!! So you can imagine how she felt. Going with mum for a holiday is not a very good idea for a teenager!!
Mon: The first optional was to Padstow and Truro.
Tues: Optional excursion to Charlerstown and 12 century St Just Church.
Weds: Optional River Cruise.
Padstow
The reason I went to Padstow was because Rick Stein’s restaurant is there. On the evening before, I was chatting to this nice couple, an Italian gentleman and his English wife. I was telling him that I was going Padstow and was wondering if it was easy to find Rick Stein’s restaurant. He assured me that Rick Stein IS Padstow and one can see it when one approaches the town.
Sure enough when we went to Padstow, it wasn’t difficult to spot Rick Stein’s businesses. There is this huge building housing his Restaurant, fish outlet and his fish bar. I think there are one or two other restaurants in the town itself.
Click here for more info.
Across the road is the The National Lobster Hatchery. It is a project that ensures a sustainable lobster fishing by replenishing the lobster population. This is a place you must visit. Click here to view the site.
After browsing around, I walked to the town centre. on the way there was the Padstow Food Fair. There were a lot of local food and one caught my eyes. It was a stall selling Cornwall cider and I bought a box. I am not sure whether my other half has consumed it yet.
I then went to have a walk around the town. Padstow is certainly a busy tourist town. It has many quaint shops selling ice cream, bits and bobs for tourists and many restaurants and cafes. I bought some souvenir.
£2.50 per scallop.
Before heading home, I had a light lunch at Rick Stein’s Restaurant. I did not fancy having their fish and chips so I had 3 scallops, grilled, a small salad and a soft drink. 1 scallop is £2.50.
The scallops were threaded in a skewer and garnished with parsley. The scallops were small. It was served in a paper plate and the salad in a plastic container!
I have had better scallops in restaurants where we live and the ones in London Borough Market were £3.00 each, served in its shell with lots of garnishes, and double the size, fatter and more succulent. Well, there are restaurants and there are restaurants. McDonald is a restaurant, so is KFC.
Truro
After Padstow, we left for Truro, which is a city. It was just another city and we were given a few hours to roam around. There was a street food area by the river. I am not sure it is a pop-up or permanent.
After walking about and some shopping, we headed home to the hotel.
We are going fishing tomorrow!!
I hope you like the post. Do share with me your holiday tales and whether you have problems communicating, especially if you are not native.
Please like and share so that I am more motivated to write…( not that I am not motivated)!!
Cheers and see you in the next post.
Penang Lassie.
