The saga continues!

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Trip Start Jun 04, 2006 Previous
Entry Trip End Sep 04, 2007

  Rushden, United Kingdom
Saturday, September 15, 2007

I wish I could say that the Saga was the traveling, but it is more the not knowing what to do with my life! :)

A lot of you have been sending me emails asking me what I have been up to since I got back to Sunny England. So I thought I will send an update on my status while I have been back. Of course I will also reply to your individual emails just to confirm what I have been saying in this email and a few odd little secrets here and there! ;) This one is for you John, when you told me that people are more interested hearing about what happens in the tent and not where the lake is! :)

Well I am still unemployed, confused and restless and unhappy since the adventures are over! The day I arrived in the UK was, as you know, Mark's 50th birthday, so it is now official that he is no longer 27! I was 22 when I met Mark and he was 27 then and for the next 5 years. I have to say life hasn't been kind to him as a 27 year old! Then again he did come away to see me 2 times and both times he ended up practicing his disco moves under the water, the last time involved a duet with a shark!:) The birthday do was great and successful, and although I had complaints from people that I had returned on the big day to steel the attention, whereas Mark thinks that no one would have turned up without me as the star attraction! It was still nice to see a few other much older familiar faces. It was of course great to see Kathy and I couldn't believe some of my ex-co-workers had babies! And a few were getting married. Apart from that not much had changed. Not at all! Had a good boogie with Mark and even managed to get Henrik on the dance floor, which he was determined that would never happen. A few beers later, he was the dancing queen! I met new faces, which is always great and fun and have been able to make new friends and managed to get a few convinced that traveling is great!

I spent the following week in London with Henrik. After all regardless of how small his town is back in Sweden, Rushden was still a big downgrade, so I had to do something about it and take him to London. In fact he was so persistent to go and explore Rushden the first day we arrived, that he decided to go without me (I was quite happy on the coach!) and 30 minutes later he returned and said "I explored" and he managed to find one good looking woman in the city! I personally think it must have been a transvestite!

London was a lot of fun. We walked and walked and walked! I don't have any photos, since believe it or not, I officially retired from taking photos, which I know makes John very happy! :) But Henrik was the official photographer and he will hopefully put them on his blog. We stayed with Ginny, who was a friend I made while I was traveling in South America and we bonded during the Inca Trail! :) It was great seeing her again and the stay with her was fun and very relaxing. I took Henrik to where I first used to live in London, which was near Kings Cross, and then to South Kensington where I lived for 4 years afterwards. A big difference! However, this time I really enjoyed Islington, Kings Cross and Holborn and I know, or at least I have heard that these areas have changed a lot recently, but the old London has a certain charm and character. We walked from Islington where Ginny lives to Kensington, almost everyday, but exploring different places. It is incredible how far the places are from each other, yet it is possible to walk from one place to another and to really see London, if you like walking, it is the best way to do it! We visited my old schools and I found my school had a big gate outside it with a security camera, which it never used to have! We went to London eye, Tower of London, London Dungeon and we took the river cruise in London and to Greenwich. It was my first time there and we went with Ginny. We visited Camden Market and Portobello Market, and I am sad to hear that they are thinking of closing Camden Market! We tried food such as fish and chips, jacket potatoes and baked beans and English breakfast. Anything that is basically not good for you! :)

Henrik left a few days ago, which was quite sad to say goodbye to him, but I am sure our paths will meet again, and it also made me realise that the holidays are over! So since then I have been looking for jobs, getting in touch with old friends and I have got back into running! Well the first thing Mark did, the day after Henrik left was to put me down for a short 4 mile run at work. I then found out that it was a 8 mile run (which I had the choice of doing), as we went around the first loop, I said to Mark that I will do the 8 mile. So my first day back in real life started with an 8 mile run. I was very impressed with myself that I did it. It has been 15 months since the last time I ran! My time was 1 hour and 19 minutes, which is the slowest time from the club and I know it is my slowest time too. Although a little girl did beat me dressed in pink not more than 12 years of age! But she was running a shorter distance, nonetheless I made sure as the photographer was taking the photo, she wasn't in it! Can you imagine the humiliation? :) But at the moment I still have a big smile on my face. Mainly from the pain of the bike ride today!

Mark, Lucy and myself went for a 30-mile bike ride today. I found out it was 30 miles at the end of the ride! I already had one bad knee from yesterday's run and today for the first time in my life, I flew over the handle bar and managed to hurt my other knee! I can only say one thing and that is not to stay too close to Mark's backside! You see I was racing after Mark down the road and there was a puddle of water, so he went around it and so did I! Except I was too close to him to see the bridge and the fence! So I rode straight into the fence! Mark heard the crash and looked back, next thing I know he is on the floor! :) Lucy was just shaking her head! So I am truly back into full training mode again! Let's see what wonderful things I can achieve this year! We then went into our local dive shop here in Rushden and the lady behind the counter looked quite concerned as she asked if I was OK. She must have thought we were trying to be John Wayne!

I have been able to catch up with John and Rachel who left on their one year travels before me, in fact they got back the day I was leaving! I have now found out that they are off again for 7 weeks this time, in Argentina! So I am avoiding them right now! :)

That's all I wanted to say, I will of course keep you all informed about my future plans and I hope that I will return to the world of traveling soon. In fact there are a few diving trips I am arranging, so you will hear about those. I will let you know as soon as I become employed too! :) And hopefully one day soon I can get back to Africa and work, as I have been wanting to for a while.

:)

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