In London with No Internet! :(

This is really annoying, at a Hub like Heathrow and without internet. In Singapore you walk out of the plane and you have free internet, even if its s standing stations its available. But no, in terminal 3 of Heathrow there are huge signs saying WIFI and when you turn on your computer you are directed to a website where you have to pay. Is this the future life we face? Is this modern? Is this user friendly? This is crap! This is a monopoly. So I guess you only get internet if you got to a VIP lounge, which I cant go because I’m no longer a silver member (was only for a few month back in the time…) and I’m not traveling with my dad either. So here I am, bored and pissed off. I have 5 hour wait and I would have much prefer chatting to someone than being stuck in this carpeted KFC smelling room, with people moving up and down and kids crying. I’m not happy, and I’m tiered.

I realized I left my bb charger at home. Last night I packed it but I took it out again this morning to reacharge my phone. Since I don’t have much battery left I decided to turn off my phone (so no music either L ) because I must call my mom upon arrival in Australia so she comes to pick me up at the door of the building to pay the cab (no aussie dollars with me…) .

The day has been hectic. I woke up at 9.30 (OH YEAH!) and the first thing that came to mind was “hahahaha everyone is in the office…I imagine my department and ppl shouting around… and thought this was just wonderful I was under my covers with no need to go to the office”.I stood up and I literality didn’t stop running until 13.15 time at which me, woman in black, left the house. I had to sort out quite some stuff, had long chats with Lufthansa and Singapore to try and book with miles my flights to attend Dina’s Wedding, but was unsuccessful at it, called a few friends, made sure I said bye to grandma!! (done!) and then I went for a walk in town to finalize some things that I never have time to do. I’m so not used to walking in Sant Cugat during normal walking hours Monday to Friday. Oh man, how snobbish that place is. At a point I found myself staring at a woman with a discuss face. I was simply thinking “Seriously?” I mean, are there really so many snobbish people in this planet?

Once all was sorted I also stopped at the supermarket to buy a bunch of mandarins, jamon, bread and tomato to make a good huge pa amb tomaquet sandwich for my lunch. I knew id be getting no proper food until my departure from London. Indeed, I got some crap crackers on my flight from BCN- London, at least managed to have two orange juices! J I have a bunch of mandarins with me which I must eat between now and arrival time in Sydney as it is forbidden to take out of the plane and enter into the country any type of fruit or vegetable, among other things. You are thinking ”whatever?” Well controls are strict and they would catch me anyways. Gona eat them all within the next 28 hours.

So one of the random things about Barcelona Airport, is and I would have put my hand on fire that before at El Prat they used to announced the departure of flights. However now, there is simply a sign that says “proceed to gate that has been announced by your airline, you will not be called” and indeed there were no announcements. As I was flying outside of the “EU” I had to pass passport control and it clearly said “this is a point of no return”. The policemen said “are you sure you want to go through, there is no going back, there is no shopping in here only a McDonalds and 1 duty free shop”. I looked at him and said “SURE”… point of no return, there were signs everywhere NO RETURN BEYOND THIS POINT. The situation was just funny. Headed to McDonalds got myself a McFlurry, atehalf of my sandwich (which is huge…) ate a few mandarins, checked the duty free , ordered a cortado and headed to boarding gate. Here is a positive point about El Prat you can have a croissant and a coffee for a normal price. It’s a bit more expensive than in the city but not much more, and that I very much appreciate, that is why I had a cortado while enjoying a British woman try and order a “British tea” “we have early grey” “No! That isn’t British” “we have..” “No, that isn’t British””we have” “argh, whatever just give me that tea”. Hilarious.

Where I sat for more than 20 hours...

Again, no internet in El Prat either!! At least the area where I was (the D gates) I saw no WIFI signs. This is seriously crap. So much for the amazing rating of certain airlines and airports online…internet services at Heathrow and El Prat sux! And you better not be thinking I’m exaggerating because I’m sure quite a few people would enjoy talking to me right now as I would do myself! Ahhh!

Moving on… as we approached London the first thing that came to mind was “Oh Rigutto is here…” by the touchdown time it was pitch dark, I saw the cars on the other side of the road, everything is carpeted and there are Harrods signs. Im in the UK. I love the fact that there is a WHS Bookshop. Got myself two books as they had a get 1 get second half price. I didn’t take a book with me and really wanted to buy a specific one but….they didn’t have it L So now I have some reading for the plane. This is something I like about airports like Changi,Heathrow or Schipol… a wide range of English books available!! Although according to my opinion Schipol tends to have the best selection of books! I bought the books with Euros, so I got change in Pounds. I decided to go spend the 1 pound 63 pennies and as I was at the shop I saw another guy looking at prices of coke fanta and counting coins, looking at price of water and counting coins. It should have been taped, both of us trying to get rid of our pounds and optimize the best usage of them. I got myself a waterbotle which said 1.60 and then as I went to buy it the woman said “if you get the paper with it its only 1 pound” I thought she meant I had to pay 1 pound for the paper and I said “no thanks” but she insisted. The water was only 1 pound plus I got a free paper. Just strange!

Miquel before leaving gave me 5 pounds he had! J So in the coming hours I will decide on what I spend them. He said I should go for a starbucks which I have in front of me, I most probably will. I feel tiered, which makes me hope that I will get some sleep in the plane. If I fall asleep by the time we are flying over India ill be happy!! (I never truly fall asleep before that… if I do). However my legs are already hurting, and generally the pain is a major reason why I don’t fall asleep. Exhaustion kills me eventually and I fall asleep a few hours before touch down.

I’m sitting in a terminal in Heathrow I’ve never truly been to. Actually the security area I am quite convinced I have been to, it rang a bell, but this waiting area really doesn’t. I’m a bit deceived, I thought all BA flights would be leaving from the new terminal 5, and I had been hoping to go there. However departure is from this old terminal 3. Not truly sure why I’m here, there is a PIA flight leaving for Islamabad, one from Emirates, a couple to Barcelona, Hong Kong and others. Not sure why my BA flight is also leaving from this terminal. Here I am, and I truly feel in a hub, people don’t stop running up and down. People watching is interesting, quite a few pakis, which makes me think someday ill have to fly there and makes me really think Irum should be here L. Its clear this are long haul flights, most of the people are dressed properly for flying. I mean sneakers, loose clothing, etc. . . when I was in BCN it was so full of business men flying to London , when we landed, I was the only one walking to “Connecting Flights” the rest all went to “Baggage Claim”. I suppose that the business men that are gona be on my flght are all in the VIP lounge.. darn!

Multiple flights to Sydney!!

Gona go spend my 5 pounds!

(im in transit in Thailand currently, i have applied for 15 minutes of free internet and its taken me 20 minutes to log in, finally its working! gona send this and get on my plane again!! im in ASIAAAAAAA :):):) still half way to get home! :(

My beautiful 747-400!!