A little Off Topic

So this post is going to be about travels more than any form of rowing itself. Between my last post, and this one I managed row a regatta - great fun! Other than the importance of good navigational skills, I learnt how small the rowing world is. In my great trek to study at Oxford Brookes in the UK, I had many-an email conversation with an ex-pat South African guy....needless to say after a year of on and off contact, I made good conversation with his sister, without knowing they were related until later on at the regatta!

Anyway I have now safely arrived in the UK and have started my new adventure with gusto. My flights were fairly uneventful, as flights tend to be. I did however, do well to make a nuisance of myself by jogging up the flat escalators at Dubai International, only to find out that my much anticipated free shower was out of service! The refresher towel I had stashed came in madly handy at that point. So relatively fresh, I embarked on flight number 2, where I made a connection with a Persian/Egyptian airhost - who after much conversation plied me with a few airplane bottles of amarula (whether this was a friendly gesture or a way to get me to stop walking around and go to sleep, I don't know. If it was the latter, he was unsuccessful.) 

I arrived at Heathrow to be bombarded with excited "whatsapp" messages from Laura and half anxious ones from Mum. Getting to Laura from there was easy. Minus the part where I was unaware that to get off an overground train, one must push a button to open the doors. Easy once you know. And when you aren't carrying 30kg on your back and another 7 on your right shoulder. Yes, Mariaan and Mum were right, a decent wheelie bag would've been great at that point. I grudgingly swapped platforms by lugging myself along with my bags up and down 4 flights of stairs. After successfully pushing the button I eventually exited the train at the right destination. A couch has never felt more comfortable than it did that night.

Adventures over the past few weeks have included The Tube, DLR and Overground, Museums, Charlie Chaplains' Old School, Parks, Rain Jackets, Canals, a Club and some Bars, Tapas, Tower Bridge, Thousands of red ceramic flowers at Tower Bridge, a crazy Carnival (Nottinghill Carnival) where I may have gotten high on secondary fumes near the Jamaican Bus, new friends and old ones and a few new toys (Which should make Blogging a little easier!)

I've had a week with Laura (and her house mates Manos (the Greek) and Pedros (the Spaniard)) and a week with Duncan (and his South African house mate Brendan). Their hospitality has been incredible! Next week and a bit will be with family - and then it will be time for the big move to Oxford where I will be in res (Halls), and all set to study hard and train hard...and party and travel hard too of course!

So from my current playground called London,

Adios amigos. ;)

*K

P.S..I plan to have my next post up in about 2 weeks, which should give me time to get some more exploring and mischief under my belt :) 

Party night in London! (Above and below)

Tower Bridge with Laus - The Shard (above)

Tapas with Uncle Paul at St Katherine's    Dock- omnom! (Above)

Red ceramic flowers outside The Tower Of London (in commemeration of each soldier who died in WW2) (below)