DAY 2
Sunday 22nd June 4:55pm London
We are finally at the Hilton Olympia Hotel in London. I have showered and changed clothes and Michael is about to. We were put into a holding pattern above Heathrow Airport and this delayed our landing for 20 minutes. Then we had to disembark down the stairs and onto the tarmac into a bright sunny, warm and windy day. We were bussed to the terminal where we had to queue again to get through customs. The line was long and there were too few customs officials on duty. The two Indian or Parkistani looking men wearing turbans who were controlling the queues were giving preferential treatment to any Indians or Pakistanis joining the queue and this did not sit well with my Aussie democratic attitude. Still there was nothing to be done about it. It would not be wise to annoy a customs official. We eventually got through without any trouble, found our bags, then had to wait again for the shuttle service we had booked with our trip.
The journey in the mini bus gave us our first glimpse of London. It appears greener and with more trees and parks than Melbourne and of course the housing is different, but otherwise my first impressions are that we could be in a suburb of Melbourne. Just with different taxis and every now and then you spot a European car with different number plates and the drive sitting in the other position.
We will go for a walk now and think about dinner before we come back for an easy relaxing evening.
Sunday 22nd June 7:50pm London
We walked along Kensington High Street looking at the red double-decker buses, the traffic, and the people, finding our way to Holland Park where lots of people were doing various things enjoying the warm summer’s day. The park went on and on and we followed the paths amongst the huge green leafy trees. We saw some squirrels, and a Japanese garden. It was lovely.
Back near our hotel we found a corner bar and had a beer and a shared plate of mixed fried food. Locals obviously gathered there regularly and two had a minor incident outside causing a stir. One young guy head-butted an older guy and the older guy ended up with a big egg on his forehead. We have now returned to our room and will try to catch up on some sleep.
Sunday 22nd June 12:25pm London (London time)
What a trip! 9 hours to Hong Kong. One hour on the ground in queues getting off, then for toilets, then getting back on. Then 13 hours across Europe via Russia to London. We are still in the air with just 52 minutes to go until we land according to the flight plan graphic. What a marathon! I have felt really awful. I felt air sick just prior to landing in Hong Kong, and I have never felt like that when flying before. Now I am headachy from lack of sleep and the hot stuffy air in the plane. My hair feels greasy and I need a shower and some sleep.
We wiled away the time watching movies. I watched Vantage Point, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Kite Runner, Definitely Maybe, and Dan in Real Life. Now I will watch the London promo.
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