We got to London yesterday morning… first experience on London transport with big packs & other bits n pieces makes it uncomfortable in addition to the fella beside us who insisted on giving me his leather armpit & talking really loudly with THAT accent which I pray will not taint my NZ link. Can’t wait to meet up with other ex-pats who have been here for a while & test out their accents.
We’re in Hoxton now in the hands of two fantastic promoters for London life, Jono & Cecille. I think Jono was once a great pasta chef in another life, as he served us a deliciously spicy lasagne last night & then tortellini tonight. They invited us to a gig on our first night here, but after our super early morning flight from Istanbul to London via Slovenia (we slept a little in the van before waking at 3am to get to the airport) we just wanted to sleep! We feel totally welcome & are thoroughly looked after- just wish we had of thought to have brought some Blackberry Wine from Sirince to show our appreciation.
Armed with our A to Z guides & Oyster Cards, Bodra & I missioned around today & rode the underground, train & bus… A little tricky given it’s Easter Sunday & the transport is a bit muddled. Definitely fun wandering around & trying to figure out where you are. Thank goodness for signs in English which make sense!
So many different cultures & languages here… dark, dark African women with their sweeping cheekbones & eternally brown eyes. Princess daughters with their braids & their mothers beauty… I smile at them in appreciation of their Goddess representation but their isn’t much recognition- gawking gets in the way of the message! Conversing with the guys in the food store below Cecille & Jono’s flat didn’t really go anywhere- funnily enough it doesn’t seem to be a priority to understand English when you are in the convenience store business.
Tomorrow we will check out the Shepherd’s Bush area & see if that is to our (my) liking. Jono suggested Camden Town so we went there today, straight into the land of the spectacle- a busy market where tourists photographed the punks & these really unusually, colourfully dressed guys had signs strapped to their shoulders advertising cafes. Bodra & I found a 100% vegetarian Thai/Chinese restaurant where we had a buffet lunch- no peanut satay but yummy veges & noodles. Not Turkish food! Praise Allah! 
Oh! There was a spot of blue sky today! Definite reason to get out on the streets! It’s not as cold as Istanbul but there is plenty of grey cloud cover. Not smog so I am told- the burning of coal is almost nil now so it’s just emissions from vehicles. Jono has been enlightening me about the whole BirdFlu thing, so I reckon once we have a bit of cashflow I’ll start stocking up on canned soup & baked beans & toilet paper. Tamiflu too if it is possible. I am in Europe now, a little closer to those pandemic things. An advantage to being in the Pacific I hope you all realise!
Bodra is snoozing now. We just talked to our parents finally- amazing how much hearing familiar voices can comfort you! I could almost feel Azaeus’s tail wagging.
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