Sept 25-Oct 2
My dear friend Natalie convinced me that I would need a real holiday after beign in Africa for a month, and that I should have a week layover in London to visit her on the way back to the US.
She is very, very wise.
While the trip to Kenya was enriching, it was, in truth, very difficult. I am physically and emotionally exhausted, and indeed, as Nat predicted, am also suffering from culture shock. It is wonderful to be able to find refuge with a friend that has traveled the world, off the beaten path, who truly understands part of what I am going through.
On Nat's orders, I took a 2 hour bath, scrubbed and then took a shower. I am not nearly as tan as I thought I was now that all the dirt and dead skin is gone.
She managed to finally get my box of clothing I had sent ahead - but had to pay an extra fee, the postal service was convinced that I was planning to sell my used clothing and underwear... and would not let her have my package.
So, thankfully, I now have jeans and sweaters to wear.
Nat's beau Geoff drove off to Morocco this morning - um, wow... I can't get my head around being able to drive to Morocco...Nat will be flying down to meet him next Monday when I will be flying back to the States.
Nat is at work today, so I am out and about in the neighborhood in search of an internet cafe with wi-fi and a chiropractor and / or a massage.
I managed to find an Osteopath - which seems like maybe is similar to a PT in the States. They didn't seem to have much in the way of manipulation skill, which sucked, because my back and neck are really out of place and hurting, but it was good to get some compassionate touch. Also, completely unrelated, there is a Beatrix Potter primary school around the corner from Nat's flat.. which I think is both magical and hysterical.
I had no luck at all finding anywhere with Wi-Fi. Who knew that south London was still a developing country? There was better internet in Kenya.
Nat took several days off work and she went to be a tourist in London with me - we had so much fun!
We tried to see Temple Church, but it was closed. We went to see Billy Elliot on stage (amazing), went to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.
We did several walking tours that were immensely entertaining (including a Harry Potter tour and a tour where we got to see where the authors of Frankenstein and Dracula hung out). We went in search of theh oldest pub in London (there are many). One evening, completely by accident, we saw that Monty Python's Spamalot was opening at the Palace Theater - and they had discounted last minute tickets!!!! Obviously we saw the show. Yes, I was in the audience for the opening night of Spamalot in the London Palace Theater, with Tim Curry playing Arthur. Probably the only show in history where the audience sang along with the songs on opening night. What a blast.
At the end of the week I was rested and had (somewhat) re-acclimatized to both northern weather and western culture, and at long last, my adventure came to an end.
On Oct 2, Nat and I headed for Heathrow. She boarded a plane to Morocco, and I boarded a plane to the US.
My flight to JFK was long and uneventful.
I had a few hours to find some food and get myself and my stuff to the part of the airport that handled domestic flights. I have to say JFK is so old and run down it is a pretty unpleasant place to land after so much time overseas...
I had to sit down and cry for a bit when I got to JFK, it really did not feel all that good to be back in the US.
The flight back to Seattle was also long and uncomfortable and uneventful.
The best part about getting back to my little house in Seattle was the expression on my dog's face. She was in shock at seeing me again - not sure I was real. It broke my heart a little bit. We had a long snuggle before I unpacked.
It will feel so weird going back to work...
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