London (Day One)

Going to London was the first time that I've actually traveled by myself for any length of time, which was a little strange but nice. It was nice to be able to set my own pace. For example, if I was traveling with a group, I seriously doubt I would've been able to ride those double deckers as much as I did.

I flew with Ryanair, again. Ryanair really is a great airline. In London, Ryanair flys into Stansted. Arriving in England actually feels like you're arriving in a different country because the UK isn't part of the Schengen treaty. I had to fill out a little card about who I was and what I was doing in London. I didn't think I had anything to worry about, though the questions the customs guy asked me were a little more pointed than I expected. I didn't think I had anything to worry about, though I might be wrong about that...

Anyways, Stansted is about 40 minutes to an hour outside of London so you have to take a train to the center. The train seemed very similar a subway train (until you actually ride in the tube - those trains are a bit different). I arrived in Liverpool Street Station and from there had no idea about where to go. I had some directions to my hostel that said get on such and such bus for about 10 minutes. So I found the bus and realized I probably needed some sort of ticket. It took me a while to figure out the ticket scheme and then it took a little longer to scoff at how much the damn things were. So I bought a ticket, found my bus, and started riding.

About an hour later, I found myself by Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. In my defense, it was a double decker bus, and those things are a kind of novelty. Since I was by Wetminster Abbey and Big Ben, I decided to get off and walk around a bit. There was some protest going on (which lasted about as long as I was there, though it died down a lot after that first day) about genocide in Sri Lanka. There was a sign that said, "Britain, Rectify Your Historical Mistake to Tamils in Sri Lanka." After walking around the parliament area, I by the Thames on the Victoria Embankment. It was a nice day for a walk, though I wish I had found my hostel so I could've put my backpack away. After walking a bit, I decided it was about time to find my place, so I hopped on another bus, trying to get back to Liverpool Street Station. That didn't work, and I had no idea where I was. There were some signs, and from them I found that I happened to be in the finanicial district on Threadneadle Street. The Royal Stock Exchange is here and the Royal Bank of England is here, as well. Continuing on my walk, I headed in the direction I thought was the right way. Honestly, I never found my way back to Liverpool Station (at least, not that day). But, one of the first things anyone sees in London are the little black cabs. And, if you're me, you really want to ride in one. So I grabbed one of those cabs, even though it was really expensive.

I was reading about these cabs. The drivers are required to take an extremely rigorous test on the streets of London so they always know where they're going and which routes are the best to take at any given time of the day. And as far as I know, it's true. The driver new exactly where I was talking about when I gave him the address and he got me there in 10 minutes or so. Oddly enough, the first bus I was on had a stop exactly where I got out of the cab. My hostel was only a minute or so away.

The hostel was the wort one I have stayed in so far, which says a lot since it wasn't that bad. The beds were stacked like drawers. There was one shower (that I could find) for 9 different rooms. It was a little weird.

Anyway, I found out about a jazz club in Dalston called Vortex. There was a show that described the band as having some fusion pieces in their repertoire. So I ventured to Dalston, not one of the better neighborhoods in London, to see this band. When I got there, I realized I didn't have any money so I went to an ATM and withdrew a considerable amount. It was a little shady, too, because some girl came right up behind me and asked, "How much longer you gonna be?" What a bitch.

I found the club and went in but the band wasn't playing yet and I was hungry. The downstairs had some sort of restaurant so I ate there. A beef lasagna which, after spending a couple weeks in Italy, was refreshing. The band was really strange. The cover was £8. There was an alto saxist, a bassist, and a drummer which is only a little strange. Their music wasn't what I'd call thrilling, either, mostly because the alto player wasn't that good. But then they invited this other guy, someone from Cyprus, up to play with them. This guy got up there and grabbed another alto. So there were two altos. Now that's a little strange. But the Cyprus dude TORE IT UP. He was crazy. His licks were more interesting and he be playing and swinging the sax around like an axe at the same time. Then he'd go over to the drummer, who was a character himself (he'd sometimes started howling or making some weird noise - I don't know how to call it - while playing), and start blasting some riffs in the drummers face. The drummer seemed to dig it, though, and would howl back with a little smile. The guy from Cyprus really stole the show and you could see it in the audiences reaction. He also said the Brits don't really understand jazz. They thinks it's pretty but it's really an American thing (damn straight) and so to make it more entertaining for the British audience, you need to tell jokes. His joke went something like this:

"A feminist goes to Afghanistan in the 90's and sees how the women are treated there. She sees things like women always walking behind the man because they aren't allowed to walk beside them. She takes this back and tells everyone about this. She gets appointed to commissions and committees to change the fate of women in the middle east. Recently, she was sent back to Afghanistan to see how things have changed. She is surprised to see that the women are now walking in front of the men. She declares, 'Wow, what progress we've made!' She asks the man, 'How did this happen, that your wife is now walking in front of you?' He turns to look at her and says, 'Landmines.'"

All in all, the show was great. Dalston is sketchy, but I got to ride another double decker back home, so I didn't mind so much. And then I went to sleep.