The long wait in gloomy London

It’s been 45 minutes since I arrived at the gate of my hotel, which I booked through Booking.com. The owner keeps telling me that he is on his way so I patiently wait. 30 minutes later, he sends me a message saying that he is cancelling my booking and will refund my money. What?!! Did that just happen? With 16 percent phone battery, I immediately message one of the very few friends I know who live in London. I told him what just happened. He asked me to wait at a nearby coffeeshop and so I did. My London trip was starting a bit off but I’ve always believed in the kindness of strangers and that it can over-compensate for anything that goes bad. At the coffeeshop, I happened to sit beside a Pinoy couple. They let me use their powerbank and after telling them what just happened, they bought me coffee. Not even an hour has passed after I called my friend for rescue and there he was in front of me, telling me that I can stay at their place – for free! Good karma.

I did not plan anything for London. Good food, good drinks, it would be great. So the first night, we strolled around Chiswick where my friends treated me to dinner and drinks. The next day, I met up with a cousin and spent the entire day walking – a lot. It was a good day to walk – the sun was up, the skies were blue and it was breezy. First order of the day was Shoreditch. Shoreditch reminded me of Berlin with alley walls covered in colorful murals. Everywhere, you’d hear a street busker. Skaters in plaid, groups of friends with drinks on hand, aroma of food – it was a vibrant mood.





One building had the sign “vintage flea market downstairs" so (of course), I went. Vinyls, denims, posters. I found my way through a small booth filled with Levi’s denims. I knew that if I went inside, I will come out with a new pair. I went in anyway and there I found the perfect high-waist Levi’s jeans which would become my new favorite piece of clothing. Lol. After denim heaven, I found myself talking to a girl selling pendants. She showed me a pretty pendant with a deep-blue stone that reminded me of the ocean. Before I knew it, I was giving her 15 bucks which I was supposed to spend on dinner. To avoid splurging some more, I hurriedly forced myself to get out of the building. After more walking, we took refuge under a tree in Hyde Park. Eating chips while counting swans; time passed by quickly.




The next day, I spent the entire morning in Tate Modern. There’s a small veranda where you can go out and enjoy the view of the Millennium Bridge. I decided to get some fresh air at the sound of an Aimee Mann cover coming from the outside. A street busker was singing "Save Me" and it seemed to be lulling me into the London that I had in mind – gloomy skies, rainy, cold. I have waited for this! I guess I am indeed in London.