I meet a woman at Liverpool St. She admires my froglet, thats the way she says, and we are talking, how easy is that! She is travelling to India in a months time, asks where ive been and for how long. I sometimes think i might be embarrassed to say ive just been in Europe but i dont.
When she has gone i start to think though, ive never really been attracted by India but wonder why not and begin to think, for the first time that actually maybe i would be, could be. And then i think i need to find a travel companion, not go alone. But how hard to find someone with a three month travel itinerary and where would i start to look or would it be to just start with a hostel and pick up people on the way. Wheres the kickoff point for people going to India?
I wonder whether there are workaway places in India, im sure there will be, ex pats, just like Judy in Sri Lanka, where i couchsurfed for just a couple of days, planned to stay longer but couldn't bear her ex pat attitudes, ran away with a young female traveller i met there, a young czech woman, think I would hate ex pats in India but they may serve my purposes.
As i sit on the train waiting to leave i am reminded of a journey from London many years ago, escorting permanently excluded pupils home from a day trip. Time to go home and the group were hungry, two members of staff went to McD for supplies while a colleague and i took the kids on board. I wasnt even really a colleague, just an add on from another area of the service so i knew not the kids or the staff. The time moved on, the kids were hungry, i held the train as long as i could, standing with one foot on the platform one on the train, before being heartily scolded by a guard and made to sit down.
We moved off. We had no tickets. We had insufficient personal money to deal with hungry kids. The train pulled away. I tried to reassure the kids that my colleagues were on board but was secretly terrified that they would not be so, waited with anxious breath. Some twenty minutes pased before they managed to make their way down from the other end of the crowded train where they had leapt in at the last minute as the train was about to depart. I cannot begin to tell you of my relief.
Rubbish first class on this line in the evening. Tea, coffee, crisps and biscuits. Thats it. I was expecting free alcohol, sandwich, snack and fruit so ive paid a fiver for a packet of crisps. Great. Ive run away from my allocated seats due to companions with table fulls of mcdonalds. Ive moved to four seats on my own but close companions from ipswich and lowestoft are talking over loudly involving half the carriage i think. Go away!!!!!
Thank heavens for shake delete, i just somehow deleted accidentally, with the momentum of the train, a lot of my writing. I looked and looked but it was gone. I remembered shake and i shook. It came back
India, mexico, peru. Oh dear am i beginning to dream more widely? My house may have to go.
I seem to have made a couple of decisions that dont fit my original plan of action in the last twenty four hours. Ive utterly loved being spoiled by my old schoolfriend Jan who picked me up from Luton airport. The joy of being 'home', being able to read a menu, understand systems, find a glorious lido to swim in today.
And now im on the train to norwich, the most difficult and unrewarding first class experience ive had in my short first class train ticket experience with Poppy. I just want them all to shut up! Its friggin first class! And i want some wine!
Shucks, nearly posted without discussing my surprising decisions. Im swooshing on Sunday having said i wouldnt swoosh, ive said i have no time and really i dont. two days after arriving in cornwall i think I'm going to be doing a swim run event. Huh? Me? Swim run? Shitzer
The mouthies in the seats ahead of me have stopped yakking, probably related to the arrival of a partner but i am pleased to find more peace until we stop at colchester. I now i have a garrulous rather large man who can't stop talking on his mobile phone. And i thought i might sleep!
