Hey, what’s up? 

I recently went to Edinburgh and York for the third time! At this point, I might as well apply for honorary citizenship. But this trip was special because it was my dad’s first time in the UK. And since no first-time visit is complete without a trip to Scotland, I decided to take him to Edinburgh. Next time, maybe we’ll skip England altogether and head straight to Europe!

As usual, we took an early morning train to Edinburgh Waverley. The journey took almost five hours—so, naturally, half the day was spent staring out the window, contemplating life, and pretending to be in a movie montage. The train route passes through the Lake District, which meant my dad got to snap some scenic shots of rolling hills and lakes, adding to his ever-growing collection of blurry train photos.

We arrived in Edinburgh around noon and went straight to our hostel, Edinburgh Backpackers. It was conveniently right next to the train station (and opposite Milkman!), and, to our luck, we got to check in early because our room was empty. Win! Then, we made a beeline for a Malaysian restaurant called Kampong Ah Lee. I ordered Laksa, my dad got Nasi Goreng, and honestly, it was so good it almost made us forget we were in Scotland.

The first place we visited was Arthur’s Seat. We took an easy route because I was with my dad—I wasn’t about to traumatize him on his first trip! I still remember my first time hiking it: Hasha (pretty sure under Adam’s influence) decided we should take the hardest route, in the dark, on a freezing winter morning. Ah, good old days! But to be fair, the sunrise was definitely worth it.

This time, I hiked slowly but steadily with my dad. It was a windy day and quite cloudy, but we still managed to enjoy the view of the city—though occasionally, the wind made it feel like we might just take flight.

That night, we went to a Mexican restaurant and had tacos! I love tacos. My dad ordered a soft taco, while I went for a hard taco. It was super crunchy, and the guacamole was just chef’s kiss. Afterward, I revisited the bubble tea shop my friends and I went to last time, hoping to find the sticky note we had left on the wall. Sadly, I couldn’t find it anymore—the place was even messier than before.

We headed back to our hostel to rest, but sleep? That was a different story. One guy in our dorm was snoring so loudly it felt like we were in a construction zone. Thank God for AirPods Pro and noise cancellation! But hey, that’s the downside of hostel life—cheap but unpredictable. Still, for the price, I’d give the hostel a solid 5/10 stars. Hahaha.

The next morning, my dad decided to take it easy and chill until check-out time. Meanwhile, after seeing so many people jogging around Arthur’s Seat the day before, I impulsively decided to go for a jog around the hill as well. Instant regret. But by the time I realised my mistake, it was too late to turn back.

It was cold, windy, and ridiculously steep—basically, nature’s way of punishing my overconfidence. The jog ended up being a total of 7km, but my pace was embarrassingly slow because Edinburgh has zero flat surfaces. Just endless uphill battles, both literal and metaphorical. Still, I think I might have found a new travel hobby—though maybe I should stick to doing it in summer. Oh, and fun fact: I was limping for the next four to five days.

After my ill-advised workout, my dad and I went for brunch at Zaza’s Café, which serves halal food. As usual, I ordered a Scottish breakfast because they had haggis—a must-have when in Scotland! The rest of the day was spent visiting Edinburgh’s must-see landmarks: Calton Hill, the Museum of Context, Dean Village and Edinburgh Castle.

In the evening, we took a train to York. The journey should have been around three hours, but thanks to some mysterious track issues, it turned into a five-hour adventure. We finally arrived at 10:30 PM, and by some miracle, there was still one halal restaurant open nearby (on a Sunday evening!). We grabbed some much-needed food, checked into our room, and crashed for the night.

The next morning, despite my sore legs, I still went for a jog in York! Clearly, I have a questionable sense of self-preservation. This time, I only run for 7km because my legs simply refused to go any further.

After that, I decided to finally complete the full walk along York’s city walls—something I hadn’t managed to do on my last two visits. It was about 3km in total, and honestly, a nice way to take in the city without my legs hating me too much. Then, as usual, we hit the classic York must-sees: York Minster, The Shambles, a few parks, and of course, The Shop That Must Not Be Named!

In the evening, we headed back to Derby.

I’m actually writing this blog while on the train to Heathrow, sending my dad off and killing time—because, let’s be real, getting from Derby to London takes forever. (Which is exactly why I’m applying for most of my Trust Grade jobs in London or at least somewhere in the South of England. Priorities, haha.)

Alright, that’s all for now! Hope you guys enjoyed reading my blog—until next time!