after staying 2 cool nights in cardiff it's back to london where i spend a couple of days before flying out.
the climate is so typical of london weather - cold, rain and bitterly so. good thing i checked ahead of time and packed my brally. the first day i arrived back into paddington via train i was exhausted, mainly because i had to lug all my luggage up the train, to the 'A' car, seat 73. OF COURSE the 'A' car was at the very back and the seats are so narrow that i keep bumping my luggage into people. so it's a constant singsong of 'sorry, sorry, sorry...' as i quickly (as quickly as i can anyway) made my way to the back of the train. it took a good whole 15 minutes because i boarded at the 'G' train (stupid stupid stupid).
ok so, i finally got back to london paddington and it being a major destination, because it is a stopping point for most trains all over UK as well as being the final stop for the heathrow express/connect; one would automatically assume that it is equipped with lifts, especially for wheelchair accessibility. let me recount my ordeal which was the only low point of this entire trip.
so we all know i travel light...usually...however this time since i am going to be away for 4 months so i decided to pack a bit hardier. mistake #1. the luggage is not so heavy that i cannot lift but it's shape is cumbersome, plus i had a garment bag and a backpack to carry. anyhow, i had to lug all said items up a flight of stairs (25 steps - ya i counted), up 5 more steps to cross a bridge, then down another flight of stairs to my platform for the tube train. so 55 steps in all because i was taking the 'district' line towards wimbledon, where my aunt was going to pick me up.
mistake #2 was not taking the yellow 'circle' tube line instead. it would have cut down my journey time by a bit but i wouldn't have had to go up and down stairs.
mistake #3: why didn't i take the bus then i wouldn't have to go up and down stairs as the bus is a direct line to wimbledon station.
sightseeing-wise i only went to the victoria and albert royal museum and the science centre. i didn't run to all of them (even though it's free) since i know i'll be back again real soon, so if i don't catch it now, there's always next time. i even got myself an 'oyster' card - which is their version of bus pass that will last me forever because it's reloadable, and since it expires every 2 years it gives me an excuse to come back. =) the most sightseeing i did was basically walking up and down streets, poking my nose into people's business looking through windows, catching glimpses of hidden streets, taking mental snaps so i can remember to return to that spot. it was a great day to walk, even with my bag full of goodies and rain spitting at me from sideways.
now what? BUBBLE TEA? boy, was i in a desperate need for it, let me tell ya. so i set out to soho (chinatown) determined to find some relief by form of tapioca with some tea. nope, no bubble tea anywhere to be had and instead went to M&S and bought massive amounts of candies, snacks, and crisps; butter mints, steak and horseradish crisps, root vegetable crisps, roast chicken with rosemary crisps, chewy toffee, sultana biscuits, ribena. umm, yum!
next it's off to 'boots' for some deodorant. for some reason, the stuff made here is extra extra extra strong by canadian standards and promises to keep you fresh and moisture free for 24 hours, or in my case for 72 hours, even after showering no re-application is needed. and only at 65p per bottle, which works out to CAD$1.40 how can you possibly go wrong??
oh! the best part about london - i got to buy books at RIBA's bookshop. needless to say i managed to kill about 5 hours there and came out with a bagful of books...a very ve-ry happy camper =).
the next day was spent walking oxford street, going from the marble arch to picadilly circus. i went into burberry's and got myself a bottle of perfume, a steal at GBP$27, which works out to CAD$54 (the same bottle is $80 back home). i went into harrod's and couldn't figure out why peole wanted to go there in the first place, then there's selfridges...meh. the usual american chains littered both sides of oxford street.
i had narbucky (starbucks), tried their version of orange coffee cake (holy sugar batman!), then went into a pub and had a lamb burger with pineapple and bbq sauce with a raspberry collins chaser. dinner was at another pub eating chicken curry and conversing with a local bloke (toby) who was waiting for his wife to join him for supper. toby pointed out the points of interest all over london and even pointed me towards the design centre at chelsea harbor. he enticed me by further saying that there's another branch of RIBA's bookshop out there. my brain was salivating at the thought, but i was leaving the next day and still needed to go to the grocers and pick up some more food stuff. all in all, i didn't get to go home till i picked by 4 jars of bouvril, milo, horlick, sainsbury's instant soups and some asian crisps from Tesco and Sainsbury's.
my flight was leaving at 9:20 so after securing my seat via on-line check in i was knackered. the next day, my aunt dropped me off at a bus stop and i caught a bus with my oyster card (only 80p) and it took me all the way to the airport. bye london, you know i will be back.
