Antarctica (7)
Australia (19)
Back Home (1)
England (5)
Pre Departure (6)
South America (20)
* Advenures in Transit
* Pass the Salt Please
* From Seasickness to Altitude Sickness
* And For My Next Act...
* A Mostly Smooth Drake
* Anyone for a Swim?
* Continental Landings
* Petermann and Lemaire
* LET US IN!!!
* A Smooth Drake?
* The REAL land down under
* The End of the World
* Determined to Climb
* Stuck in the Mud
* Michelle vs. the Volcano
* I would! I would!
* City Hopping
* Juanita the Ice Maiden
* In the Jungle...
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
June 07, 2004
NW flight 32 - original departure 9:30 pm... actual departure midnight! ugh. We waited on the tarmac for almost 3 hours before we finally left because of some hydraulic problem. Arrived in London 7 hours later at Noon GMT.
Going through customs was a bit rocky...I did not have Karens address to put on my landing card so I just put "London." The customs lady asked for the actual address and when I said I didn't have it, she asked for her phone number, which I didn't have either. Then she said "If she's not out there to pick you up, what are you going to do without her address or phone number?" I kind of chuckled and said "I know, I was just wondering the same thing!" She gave me a wierd look and stamped my passport.
Karen was there to pick me up, but since I was so late arriving, she bought me a train ticket and gave me directions and keys to her place. She had to be at the Kenyan Embassy by 2pm to get her Visa so I was on my own. I got there no problem, checked out her cute flat and then when she got back, we sat out back, relaxed, and compared Kilimanjaro gear. Later in the evening we took a walk to Greenwich park up to the Observatory to see the sunset over the Thames River.
On the way back, we passed this funny street sign. Anyone know what it means?
Good Luck, Michelle! I can't wait to read about all your adventures.
Posted by: Elyse on June 7, 2004 08:20 PMHey- I am so glad you got there safely after a totally hellacious trip. I guess they can only get better now, right? I really like how you have the links to the pictures- so convenient! Keep it up. Us boring people have to live vicariously through you =) Take care and have fun!
Posted by: Susan on June 8, 2004 02:08 PMYes, I can explain the sign. A Zebra (pronounced ZEB-ra, not ZEE-bra) is a pedestrian crossing with the black and white stripes. A raised one indicates it's higher than the road surface, acting as a speed bump. They also have a "pelican crossing," which has posts on each side of the street with lights on top.
I'm glad you got there okay. Watch the London traffic when crossing streets; the reverse direction can catch you off guard!
Posted by: John Johnston on June 9, 2004 02:37 PMSUSAN: hey glad you like the links to the pictures. not sure if i'll be able to put many pics up after I leave england, normally internet cafes don't like you downloading software on their computers. we'll see though...
Posted by: Michelle on June 9, 2004 08:21 PMJOHN: Thanks for the info, I still think its a funny looking sign. I'll keep my eye out for the pelicans.
Posted by: Michelle on June 9, 2004 08:30 PMSounds like your having fun. We are all doing fine here. It's nice to be able to share your experience with you as you live it. It's still raining here just about every day. If it ever stops, the mosquitos will be really bad. I think we keep drowing the new batch of them every time it rains. Later-Dendel-out!
Posted by: mark dendel on June 15, 2004 12:13 PMhi there,
I love the picture of the sunset over the Thames! It's B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!! Keep 'em coming!
j