London thoughts
I find myself in London today! For the very first time!! Considering my sight seeing is limited to cab rides from airport to office to hotel to office and back to airport, I am in no position to write a lot about it. But it being my first trip and all, some random thoughts are warranted.
1. I can understand everything everywhere! People speak English! I just realised that I haven’t been to a country where English is widely spoken for a very very long time. People don’t hate me here, just because they have to speak a different language for me! I could whoop for joy!
2. They drive on the right, right as in correct, side of the road! I mean, whoever thought up driving on the right hand side of the road!
3. Its past midnight,I am eating a lovely meal of chicken tikka, mini papads and mango chutney, which is one of the few foods available 24 hours. And the TV is playing something bollywood-ish! How much more closer to home can I get?
4. Every other person I asked for directions on the road ( I went to get coffee mid day and promptly got lost) today spoke in a different accent. Cosmopolitanism, do you have a better spokesperson?
5. I love the cabs! And the cabbies! I got a 30 minute crash course on London’s history and the development to Eastend from docklands to a residential place. And the best part is, he didn’t drop me off at the wrong place and give the excuse that he didn’t understand me. You see, he speaks English! Oh, have I said that before?
Enough of delirious posting! People who live in lands where they know what is going on, don’t judge me till you have had to bribe your neighbours to read letters from your insurer! Now, let me try and figure out what the Sardar on my TV is ranting about!
Happy Onam!
Comment by Jo — September 5, 2006 @ 7:12 am
In the first few weeks in Bangalore, I couldn’t stop smiling if I heard anybody speak in Tamil. “I can understand, I can understand” my mind screamed!
Comment by Hyde — September 5, 2006 @ 7:30 am
:D…i hear ya, sister!
Comment by Anjali — September 5, 2006 @ 9:11 am
London is a great and interesting city,do u know why u found your way around quickly in the taxi? i had penned a blog on london taxis explaining this
http://maddy06.blogspot.com/2006/07/london-taxi.html
Comment by maddy — September 5, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
Mind the Gap. And while you are there, watch out for Old Navy too.
Comment by venkat — September 5, 2006 @ 1:31 pm
And its not a bad weather day to be in London. Be warned that BBC forcasts rain on Thursday so if you are here then be prepared for the mist called rain! I would also not really trust the BBC.
Have a lovely time. Trip from airport into city and back is sightseeing aplenty. Saves you from all the queues and ridiculous entry fees.
Oh and never said this on previous post but you are so spot on - I perpetually think of India and why we are here and not there. And although there are no solid reasons one way or another I seem to be in an inertia to do anything about it. I like to think of my life as being guided by the hand of fate - if it got me here it’ll get me out?!!!
Comment by 30in2005 — September 5, 2006 @ 2:46 pm
Hope you had fun. I recently moved to London .. am getting used to it ..and quite liking it now. But Neatherlands is not too bad in terms of people speaking English .. is’nt it? When I had gone there it was such a welcome change after France..and getting lost in Belgium while driving to Amsterdam and not being able to understand a word of how to get onto the correct highway!
Comment by Pea — September 5, 2006 @ 3:39 pm
Jo: Happy Onam to you too!
Hyde, Anjali, Venkat: Nice to know am not the only one that feels that way. Amsterdam airport also has a very annoying Mind your step at every travellator. Venkat, am still hoping you would put your blog back up. Or I have to go to cached pages and copy all the travelogues..:)
Comment by Sue — September 5, 2006 @ 10:08 pm
Maddy: very interesting post! had no clue that cabbies needed so much knowledge..
30in2005: Yeah, it was great weather! Am back in Amsterdam, so hopefully the good weather blows over here too..Inertia is a huge factor in life. If it weren’t for that, plenty of things I wouldn’t keep on doing..I guess its a good thing overall.
Pea: yeah, Amsterdam is not the worst when it comes to language. But the Dutch willingness to speak English for foreigners decreases substantially in social situations when there is only one non-Dutch person, a situation I frequently find myself in. Not blaming them, I think almost everyone on this planet would behave the same way..
Comment by Sue — September 5, 2006 @ 10:13 pm
A pestered me long enough…the blog is back up…
Comment by venkat — September 6, 2006 @ 7:23 am
Venkat, Great to have your blog back! Hopefully it gets out of the limbo soon..
Comment by Sue — September 6, 2006 @ 10:33 pm