Point2Point

Bye bye Africa, hello Europe. I have to say it was quite a shock to the system to come back to Europe, London in particular. The first thing that hit me was the rows and rows of obedient traffic, monitors, cameras and regulations ala 1984. People seem to queue at traffic lights now too, and check themselves out of supermarkets.

The second thing that hit me was the death of the internet cafe in some areas. Seems like most folks have internet at home, so the poor old internet cafe had been outdone by the homestead.

I guess the next biggest thing to hit me was how I was dressing. I looked like a poster boy(minus the good looks, of course) for field & trek. Combats with the zip off trousers, and fast dry shirts, all in natural dull colors. Ok they are practical, but in the shorts with my big all terrain boots with a big loose fitting shirt I look like someone who just walked out of Africa.... hmm...

This is not a bad thing, however it does make you stand out in fashion conscious Europe. So much for blending in. Africa has made be more conscious of standing out in a crowd, its better to blend in. Imagine coming into a train station in Ukraine with your big backpack, day pack, little zip off shorts, safari shirt and boots.... hmmm, wouldn't it be better to show up with the backpacks but dressed a little more European, jeans t shirt... at least then people (the bad kind) would have to second guess whether you were a local or complete tourist before approaching to attempt a removal of ones personal possessions.

Anyway, the weather was surprisingly good, and it was nice, though a little overwhelming to see such a huge choice of food everywhere. I felt quite tired still, and my stomach was constantly bloated which didn't help much. But I flew the underground, reveled in touristy stuff and enjoyed meeting up with old friends. I had a flight to take me to Madrid next...