3. Newcastle

This third trip was a lucky one as one of the participants pulled out the day before.She was Zainab; my senior. There was some fuss about some people who could not go. As she wanted to avoid being criticised, she asked me to take her place and enjoy the trip. Together with Zainuddin and Jayan, we boarded the mini bus; courtesy of Moray House, and left for Newcastle.

On the way we stopped at Holy Island. The narrow road connecting the place to the main road reminded me of Bagan Pasir Laut and Sungai Burung in Perak, where it would be flooded during high tide. The same happens here. We went to an old building up a hill overlooking the calm sea. Then we visited the small town on Hold Island which sold souvenirs and foodstuff. I did not buy anything because there was nothing special to me.

As we were crossing the narrow road to reach the main road, the tide was coming up and certain stretches were covered with water. We were lucky in fact or else we could have been stranded on Holy Island.

We reached Newcastle, parked the van in town and we went wandering around. Like any other town in the United Kingdom, the buildings are old and gray. Apart from the more modern shops and shopping complexes, everything was the same. Incidentally Newcastle is in England and not in Scotland. This means we had crossed the border into England.

At the shopping centre I had my lunch of hot soup, pie and salad. It was nice to fill the cold and empty stomach. After that we wandered around the shopping centre. It was huge and there were many people milling around various departments.

Next we wandered around town and took some photographs. We then visited a castle or part of what was left of it. We left Newcastle at 4.00 pm and reached the halls at 7.00 pm.

After a nice warm shower and a cold late dinner, I slept due to tiredness.