Day 3 -Part 2

Outside the shop was an Indian-ish man giving out free newspapers. I asked him for directions to the correct tube station… I soon learned I’d approached the wrong person! He was sleazy and looked at my map – a huge one I brought from home, which wasn’t relevant… he asked if I speak English! He asked a few inappropriate questions like where is my husband etc… and suggested I shouldn’t be there if I can’t figure out where I am… I hate when people assume like that! All he needed to do was tell me which station to go to Leicester Square! Which he eventually did! He then shook my hand a few times and said I’m a sweet girl…bleh! [I later realised the station didn’t matter! I just needed the right train!]I figured it out and once I’d found my way to Leicester Square, I couldn’t find Vic’s landmarks!

There were about 4 different station exists and I didn’t know which one I should’ve come out of! I had to call him – got his voice mail, but then he called back and came and collected me from where I was J When he asked where I was, I told him I was across the road from an “American Steakhouse”…which actually didn’t help because he said they were on every corner! He told me to stay where I was and he’d find me. He didn’t take long at all. We had Starbucks juices then went to the visitors centre where I looked at brochures etc, and he used the internet. We checked out a few pubs, looking for dinner deals, and settled on China Town. We shared rice and 2 dishes. It was nice. We had a good chat before meeting Nathan (another friend from home) to go to a pub for a drink.

It was nice to see familiar faces! They had a pint of beer each… I asked for Lemon, Lime and Bitters, and the girl didn’t understand! In the end I gave up and just had lemonade. I didn’t realise LL&B was an “Aussie” drink! Vic had a Guinness, so he gave me a sip because I’d been wanting to try some before I got to Ireland. Not my favourite drink, but I did try it!

I was still a little jet-lagged, so Victor escorted me back to my accommodation. I knew my way back from the tube station, but Vic suggested taking a Double Decker bus for a different experience. It was nice. On our walk to the bus, we saw a ‘lovely’ sight… a transvestite in black bikini-like women’s underwear with fishnet stockings & stilettos…it was so putrid! I couldn’t help laughing because it was a small shock to see... although I found out we were walking through a gay area… and he/she looked like a gay hooker… was sad. Usually I don’t go near people like that. I’ve never seen a sight like that in Melbourne!

Once on the bus it was a nice time, sitting up top, in the front row right at the window, looking at the sights as Vic said, “you would miss on the tube”. We came in to Highbury and I wasn’t 100% sure which street I should get off! So we got off and walked one direction… it was like a fork road… in the dark it was hard to know… we got lost! We asked a few people for directions…they all said, “it’s a long walk”, or “it’s a bit of a hike”… and Vic said, “Don’t worry. The locals think a long walk is about 5-15minutes”…and he was right! I guess for the locals, public transport is so good, they’re not used to walking far. It only took us a ‘long hike’ of about 5-10minutes to find the place! By then it was 11pm! What a night! But we found the place, and Vic was able to go home ok. Silly me forgot the bus has a stop right near the street I was staying in… I basically collapsed into bed that night!