London Diaries: Time To Go

In less than 8 hours from now, I will be looking down upon London city with its flickering neon lights punctuating the black of night, from an aircraft bound for the Middle East.

It’s been an eye-opening 26 days and I’ve finally seen the city for what it really is – a mad dash of people working from dawn to dusk, in a bid to barely survive the next set of bills. Here, people don’t even have time to walk. There’s always a bus to hail or a train to catch. Everyone’s almost always half-jogging on their way to work/play/eat/whatever.

Londoners have a hard life, to say the least. I’m glad I don’t live here. But I do appreciate the amazing variety of brands/products one can sink one’s hard earned cash into. Whether it’s stylish apparel, uber cool accessories (casual belts at Topman), illustrated stationery or just fattening food (try the Beanie burger at Nando’s) it’s hard not to drool over what you see.

This city also offers memorable experiences of the non-materialistic type. Of the two that I will remember for a very long time, one involved dinner and drinks at a Moroccan restaurant where I waited at my table even after the bill had been paid, so I could watch a belly dancer ply her trade in flesh. The slow-motion video of those swinging hips and that curvaceous body is going to be hard to erase from my mind for a long time. Thank God I’m single or I’d be forced to forget that night soon!

The second one involved watching a 3-hour Shakespearean play standing in a theatre built like those from his own time, with a stage area that is open to the sky. The venue was Shakespeare’s Globe near Tate Modern and the play was Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Thank you London, for giving me much to think about and reflect on. I’ll be back soon.

Now, onward to Dubai for two days of fun in the sun.