UK July '05

So my trip to London was an incredible adventure. I arrived at Heathrow Airport to no trains, thickening crowds, few taxi’s, bus lines hundreds of people long, and no phones. I was told there had been a bombing or something, but couldn’t get any real info until armored vehicles unloaded what looked like military w/ full body armor and machine guns. Then I was told the there had been a terrorist attack on the London tube system. It took about three hours to get into London, which was deserted, and another five or so to get to my accommodations. I wound up taking a cab w/ a german guy and a kid from Africa. The kid was super shy, but I rapped out with the German. He had a son my age, so he was very interested in my tavails. We got the the kid's destination, and he tells the driver he has no money! The cabbie was enraged! " Do you know that when you get in a cab, you must have money to cover your fare? " etc etc. The kid kept saying, " I'm sorry, I'm sorry", and the cabbie kept saying " I am supposed to, by law, phone the police ". Finally, the kids aunt comes out of the house we've been in front of for almost half an hour, and pays up! So we got to central London, the German paid the cab, I was stocked, and I wandered to the nearest phone booth. My cell phone wouldn't work, and I had been told cell signals were off to prevent terrorist comunication, so I tried my phone card. To no avail. Over and over and over and over... The energy in the city was just manic, everyone hustling around, trying to get home, so I wandered down Oxford, through Soho, stopped for a beer, watched the news, and took a nap in Hyde Park. When I woke up it was a bit like some zombie movie: everone was gone. I walked around for another hour or so, trying a phone here or there, and then it started to rain. By this time my back was cramping up from my huge pack, my Wallabee feet were freezing and damp, and I was losing it. I finally got in touch w/ Oliver, the generous ex of Alexis that I was going to stay w/, and he was vacating the city, as he was very near one of the bombs at detonation. I have to stop now, more later