2012/07/25 1:31 am
Dear Diary,
It’s my first night in London. I have not
slept a wink yet in my hostel bedroom, shared with my sister and one stranger. I
even slept better on the 7 hour plane flight here!
I grab my laptop and start typing. My
sister in the bunk above me tosses, then turns, and asks, what am I doing? She
hasn’t slept a wink either!
I blame jet lag. But could there be some
other reason for our refusal to enter dreamland? Some other internal workings
keeping us fully conscious? Surely, we were already tired after the plane
flight which provided, at best, 4 hours of turbulent sleep.
And since touching down at Gatwick Airport,
we walked at least a couple of hours with our travel suit of armour, at
least 15 kg of backpack gear on our chest and back, before finding our hostel.
At least we stopped to take in Buckingham Palace along the way, as well as London streets, all glammed-up Olympic
style. After settling into the hostel, using Barclay Bikes, London’s
equivalent of Toronto’s Bixi Bikes, we leisurely cycled around Kensington
Palace and Hyde Park, weaving through the multitudes of people enjoying the
city’s wonderful park spaces. We capped the cool sun setting night with a
stroll through a patio lined complete street where cars and pedestrians got
along in harmony on the same strip of asphalt.
The highlight of the day though was seeing
what at first looked like an old cathedral, but then noticing that it was
actually a condo complex, a hybrid structure that was half
crumbled cathedral and half modern steel and concrete. This is the kind of
structure that makes cities like London magical, the ability to blend old
nostalgia with new sparkle. (pics to follow soon)
Surely, we were even more tired from this
first eventful day in London, which was a strenuous workout for our bodies. So
why can’t we get any sleep? Must be jet lag.
A late party-goer enters our room. We say
hi, you didn’t wake us, we just can’t sleep.
I turn off my laptop. Try to get some shut
eye.
