Unplugging in lovely London

I began this trip with a visit to Hong Kong, where I hadn't seen many of my friends for over 16 years. Turns out, (thank you, Facebook) another HKIS'er, Tiffany Bissey, was out there working for Dell. I also met up with another friend of mine, Adrian, from a previous trip to New Zealand (on his RTW trip) but who is now back in the UK working away his travel debts.

I decided against doing the touristy bit in London, since I had already visited quite a few times and it was nice to just relax, hang out, and unwind a bit (yes, travelling CAN get tiring folks!) So my first day, I went to a coffee shop, Pret, which is a chain that serves fresh sandwiches daily and donates leftovers to local food shelters. I decided for once that I would not listen to my iPod that day and read my book instead. Unfortunately, an American woman and a British man sitting very close to me were discussing their wedding plans and from the sound of it, just made me question why there were even getting married in the first place. They could not agree on anything-- wedding dates, location (beach or church?) etc. The guy didn't even want to let his fiance use his cell phone to call the US to settle an issue! I just thought to myself, "What is this couple doing???" Already arguing about something as simple as cell phone charges? Wait till the credit card bills, mortgage, etc. etc. start coming....

Anyway, stopped by Green Park after lunch on a perfectly sunny London (really?) day. I did absolutely nothing but just lie there and stare up into the sky. Made me realize how sometimes doing absolutely nothing can mean everything. It reminded me of a girl who asked me what there was to see and do in Edinburgh. When I told her it was a beautiful place and that there really wasn't any one thing she had to see, she responded that it didn't sound very interesting! Truth is, my travels often do involve hopping on and off tour buses but for me, the unplanned route, the surprise find like strolling into Green Park that day can be invigorating to your psyche.



Or running into Norman's Coach and Horses. Let me tell you about this place. I was walking around the theater district and walked into this pub simply because it advertised free wi-fi. Hopped in, asked the seemingly 70ish bartender, "Can I have a Guinness and some chips?" To which he responded rather pugnaciously, "Yes, you can." The guy next to me, Nathan, a singer under DJ Aoki's label Din Mak, mentioned under his breath that the bartender was annoyed and suggested I say something more proper, like, "I'd like to have a Guinness with some chips, please." I was, after all, in Norman's Coach and Horses. To which I asked, what's the big deal about this place? Apparently, the owner (not the bartender) was infamously known as the rudest pub owner in all of London! Apparently, at Norman's retirement party, when his most loyal patrons started singing "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow," he shut everybody up and yelled at everybody to "just spend more fackin money!" I sat there with my Guinness, and ate my chips with a small dessert fork, of course, lest I be kicked out of the place for poor manners. I was glad to just stumble into this joint, rather than having a tour guide tell me everything and not actually experience the whole thing myself. And to think, I just went inside for free wi-fi!

That evening, I checked into Hotel Tiffany and was just glad to finally stay in a real home. It was nice to be able to sleep in, do some laundry, and cook a real meal with a real kitchen. Thanks again, Tiffany, for letting me stay at your place. We hung out with some of her friends at a pub, to celebrate one of her colleagues' birthdays. This colleague of hers, I forget his name, told me about how he broke both of his arms one time with just two fingers available. I asked him what he did about, you know, wiping his bung and he said he didn't! Thoroughly disgusted, but laughing like crazy, asked him who washed his ass. He said he had to have his sister spray him spread eagle! I had not laughed like that in a long freakin time!