UK Stories part two

The next day we met up with Gosho who was our chaperone that day. We went to see the
changing of the guard in Buckingham, which wasn't so great. There were a thousand people there! Plus we couldn't get near enough to one part of the gate because there were
repairs going on. We tried to take photos, but we got mostly tourist heads. We were
about to give up when I spied the new set of guards with a band marchign towards an
uncrowded section. So I ran across the gate area and got some close-up photos of the band before the other tourists noticed me. hahah! That was cool.

However the wind was getting stronger, and it was still cold, so we decided to do something else. We crossed the Gardens in front of Buckingham and caught the big bus tour. It was a hop-on-hop off thing. The tour guide was a nice looking old man who looked like Jack Lemon and had the characteristic ironic, dry British humor that made the ride so entertaining. At each stop there were sights to see.This was a great idea because you pay one fee and you can take advantage of the whole trip and all the add-ons at each stop, like what we spied: Beatles Walk! It was a 11/2 hour walk through landmark places that the Beatles stayed in, performed in, fell in love in. Ha! We were in!

While on the bus, I couldn't help feeling a bit of regret that the Philippines couldn't think of doing the same thing. There were just as many interesting things to see. There were more beautiful stories and histories. If only the cities would organize themselves into tourist friendly places, and you had a whole new industry going. Plus it's good marketing for the country. I envied the Londoners for this effort. I wish we could emulate this.

We lunched at a Pizza Hut, a fine dining Pizza Hut. It was pretty cool. There were salads and an eat-all-you can buffet. Nice huh? All the pizza you want for GBP10. There was even, I think, a Pinay server there. When you're eating at a resto, and you catch a server's eye, they usually greet you with "All right?" as if asking, is everything okay? Is your food good? what else can I get you? I guess I felt I just needed to mention this because it made me feel welcome, and it made me feel respected.

So after lunch we made our way to the Beatles' walk. It was really fun! We saw where the old EMI offices were, where the Beatles used to perform in small gigs, where they did some popular pictorials, where Linda and Paul met! We also visited Paul McCartney's offices on SoHo and our guide decided to stir up some intrigue by saying that the blinds in Paul’s offices are never pulled closed. But today they are. So, "is Paul here?"

We never found out really because we made our way to #3 Savile Row where -- you guessed
it, the Beatles had their last live performance on a building roof. And at the end of the performance, Lennon says "Thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition". Wild! It was cool. Now this was history!

To end the day, took another bus that stopped at the Big Ben. We took a ferry that took us down the Thames, where we saw the London Bridge. It was just a tiny, ancient thing. But I guess when something like this has been in our nursery rhymes forever, you can't help but feel a connection. heehaw. we walked to the Millennium footbridge to get to the London Eye. It's the world's biggest ferris wheel! I was afraid to get on, but in the end, I was glad I did. It moved veeeeery slowly, and you can hardly feel it. You only know how high you are when you finally see the whole of London, north, east, west and south. It was majestic. And it was pretty. We tried to take photos, but living with an SLR can have its limitations. Even then, I think my photos turned out OK.

After the ride, we met up with Ate Shay and Doc who drove us to their home in Dagenham. I was pleased. Nice bathroom, sweet smelling sheets, and we’d be among family. It was also a good time to catch up. We stayed in Gudz's room. And I slept wonderfully.

The next day, we decided to stuff on our own. We visited Westminster Abbey and paid
homage to Newton, Chaucer, Mary Queen of Scots, and all the others. It was pretty creepy, when you think about all the thousands of people buried under those floors. It was also pretty awesome to see the tombs of these people...so ornate and heavy and in total likeness of the people who are in them. Ugh. I could also smell the dust of centuries. It was almost crazy, but that was their aesthetic, I guess.

We dilly dallied quite a bit, and had to rush to our play. We almost got lost getting to West End, because we got our streets crossed. We had to stop a few times to ask for help, but we made it just in time. It was my first time to see Les Miserable, and I couldn't help feeling slightly tickled that my first viewing of Les Miz would be in West End. How sosy. I was pleased.

After the play, we had lunch. At 5 pm. We decided to go Chinese, since Chinatown was the nearest place our noses picked up. So we ate rice for the first time in three days, and
it was good. But it was expensive. Oh well, Benc said, we deserve a treat.

Afterwards, we explored the streets a bit more, looking for nice scarves to give as pasalubong. We had to hurry because Guday was having a small birthday celebration and it was also getting cold. Two gay friends who sounded American were fighting, and seemed lost like us. One of them suddenly stopped and stomped his feet. "We're lost and cold. Now I'm just COLD!" I wanted to say, so am I!

We finally found the scarves I wanted and headed back to Dagenham. We met Gudz's family-in-law to be, and some more of the Pinoy Christian community there (Gudz is getting married this September). I liked the way they all found each other there, and how they help each other out. Everyone knows everything about one another, as if theywere all related somehow. Over Pansit and lechong kawali, they told stories and were laughing really loud. I noticed that when Gudz and Gosho were with their peers, I couldn't understand him as easily. Their accents were so thick! But they were also very much at home.

I felt happy for this family because they made it here. They were living quite well, they were among friends, the kids were growing up really nicely and were among peers who were good to them. What I really liked was that Ate Shay's family were so generous. They had no qualms at all about sharing what they had, even with people they didn't know (Ate Shay made kwento that they once supported a doctor who had no place to go in London). Both she and Doc were practicing their profession, and were very well-respected for it. I was feeling quite proud, and prayed that the blessings would continue to come for them. I wished more Pinoys could be this open. It would help more of us see the world and appreciate each other.

We turned in early that night because we had a long drive to Luton airport the next day. Our EasyJet flight said we had to check in three hours before. So if our flight was at ten, we had to be there at 7 which meant leaving Dagenham at 5.30, waking up at 4.30. Phew! Ate Shay made us some coffee and I made us some sandwiches to take on the road with us. She and Doc saw us off, praying over us as we got in, and all of us feeling a bit choked up. So little time! I wanted to stay with them a little longer. Then again, will any amount of time be enough? The only thing I could think of to stop myself from crying as we drove away was that, there will be a next time. And every time there is, is a promise to make the most of every moment together.

As the road stretched on ahead of us, there was, at the same time, a mounting excitement. Our next adventure. Our next trip. It was only four hours away: three hours of waiting, and an hour in the air. I figured all the effort of waking so early and waiting so long would pay off. I couldn't wait. Our next stop: Paris!