Exodus
Trip Start
Nov 15, 2007
1
2
16
Trip End
Jan 22, 2008
London,
United Kingdom
Thursday, November 15, 2007
What you shouldn't do is go out drinking with people you know to be a bad influence (sorry girls!), ending up in a flat in Darkest Tooting, drinking wine until three am.
The next day was understandably difficult.
However, everything got done and Heathrow beckoned. Now it isn't quite Stansted, with its swarms of Burberry-clad cattle clutching their ten-pound tickets to cheap holiday resorts. But it isn't pleasant either. If you're hungover, stressed and a bit nervous then the last thing you want is non-working check-in machines, massive queues and tetchy airline staff.
Forget new airport fees or extra tax on aviation fuel, this is a great way to curb the emissions generated by air travel.
However, a quick visit to Yo Sushi sorted out my hangover, calmed me down, made me forget about airport hell (and probably rescued a couple of drowning kittens for all I know). The formula is simple:
hangover (mild to moderate) + sushi = no hangover
The flight:
Bad in-flight curry. Shame on you Virgin, even a Pot Noodle Spicy Curry would have been better than that. I should have realised when the lady next to me offered me hers as soon as she got it - she's travelled this route before.
Arrested Development. American comedy that makes about as much sense as the official South Korea immigration website but considerably more entertaining.
Obligatory screaming baby. I do wonder why parents would choose (these journeys are mostly non-essential) to put a young child in such an alien and uncomfortable environment for many hours. The baby understandably gets distressed about a great many things, thus causing screaming for, ooh, a good two hours and ultimately causing other passengers to wonder how hard it would be to smuggle a captive-bolt gun on board. I can only assume that the parents do it to punish those who don't yet have children ('look at what we have to put with every day to continue the human race'). Or maybe they're just selfish.
I have a top tip given completely free of charge (aren't I nice). I have some sound isolating earphones that fit in the ear and block most external noise. This is what probably prevented me being greeted in Delhi by policemen with some handcuffs and a charge of infanticide. If you have an iPod type thingy, use it on public transport and still use the standard headphones then stop reading this right now and go and buy some sound isolating ones (I use Shure e2c's which are very good and well rated). Honestly, you'll thank me.
