Life In London (England)

Back Home With My Boys

I have been home from my year and a half travels around the world for just over a month now and life is fully back to the way I remember it. There is still the odd person I haven’t seen, the odd reunion I haven’t arranged and the odd homely locality that I still haven’t yet ventured to, but all in all, my life is back to London normality.

This past month has been busy. I have attended my sisters wedding, travelled across Europe to Germany’s capital, Berlin, for a small trip away, had a fair few reunions with friends from home and travellers alike, who I had met at some point down the road, and have been on plenty of nights out on the town with almost every group of friends I have. Of note, the boys and I went to a fancy dress party. Surprisingly, it didn’t worry me that for the first time in my life I was attending a public event with Banana Man, Captain Jack Sparrow, Peter Pan, an Old Granny (oh young man), a Bishop, and Spiderman by my side. Nor did it bother me that I was attending a public event dressed in the brightest, pinkest, most ridiculous looking hippy outfit imaginable. Equally, it didn’t concern me that most of the boys said I looked like John Lennon. What was worrying, however, was the fact that all of the boys said that if I had just stepped off the plane from my eighteen and a half month trip around the world looking like that, they wouldn’t have even raised an eyebrow. The perception of myself as a traveller and in fact, the perception of all other backpackers who have just stepped off the plane back home, has now been categorically shifted into a realm I hadn’t before considered. Luckily, with the number of alcoholic units consumed that night, by the end of the public event, neither my or any other traveller’s perception was ever questioned again, nor was the need to worry over it’s meaning.

On worldly matters though, something which has been genuinely bothering me, is the news of a series of natural disasters which have been wrecking the lives of thousands throughout the world. Most of these events have occurred in locations that I had travelled to recently. About 15 months ago, I made a quick stop over in Myanmar (Burma) to get my visa extended for Thailand. Less than a few weeks later, on the 2nd May, 2008, the country is devastated by one of the worst tropical cyclones (Cyclone Nargis) to ever hit this part of the world, killing close to 150,000 people and later taking the title of the second deadliest named cyclone of all time.

About 14 months ago, I’m travelling through Indonesia’s largest Island – Sumatra. Since that time, one of the world’s most potentially dangerous volcanoes (Anak Krakatau) started to erupt. When I was there the volcano was just huffing and puffing, spectacular to watch but not at all a danger. I climbed onto the volcano of Anak Krakatau and clambered mid-way up the small island to a point which was only just (at the time) safe enough to reside. If I had been at that point a year later – I probably would have needed a bucket of ice on standby…….it makes you think. Just a few days ago, a 7.6 MM earthquake hit’s the western edges of Sumatra killing 700 people and less than one day before that, a submarine earthquake of 8.0 MM strikes the South Pacific, generating a devastating tsunami which attacks the island nations of Samoa and Tonga. I watched a computer model on the BBC website of where the tsunami waves were generated and which parts of the islands they struck, with one of those lines focusing on the very tip of Eastern Upolu Island in Samoa, where just over 6 months ago, I was sunbathing on the beach.

Now of course this is all coincidence. You could argue that the more of the world you travel, the more likely devastating natural events are going to occur in those locations that you have visited, especially if those locations are ones with a history of disastrous natural phenomena like that of Indonesia – that’s all just statistics. I myself was in an earthquake during my travels of Sumatra, it was centred very closely to the recent event and it too caused damage and devastation although not on quite the same scale. Yet, while I plan my life and which worldly destination to head off to next, I may first pass by the London Flood Barrier and just double check that everything is working properly before I leave these shores. You never can be too careful.

On a happy note, I saw my team - the mighty Spurs win 5-0 against Burnley the other week. Some often claim that Tottenham Hotspur could be considered a natural disaster in itself. It was the first time I had seen them since my travels and I can’t quite describe how good it was to be back at White Hart Lane. Equally as good, my father and I were very generously given tickets in the Centenary Club, where you are provided with a three course meal before the game, then watch your team out on the terraces, but in seats made of the most softest of cow’s skin. After the game, whilst walking out the ground, we also bumped into Harry Redknapp (the Spurs Manager), where we proceeded to have a brief chat and a shaking of hands. I had missed the footy more than I realised.

My 26th birthday passed too. Yet while I didn’t celebrate this one by jumping off a ledge towards a river, safe only by a piece of elastic as I hurtled to the ground attached to my friend Darren, and both dressed with party hats on, as was achieved last year, I did still manage to have a great night out in London with all my mates and celebrate with the enthusiasm of two birthday’s - to make up for lost time.

Apart from all these events, I have been concentrating on my future. Many applications to volcano jobs have been sent out to places all over the world. I’m trying hard for jobs in South America and even harder for employment in the Caribbean – well you can’t blame me. I have also been reviewing my PhD options, however nothing, I’ve realised is going to happen quickly, but, if I keep pushing, they will happen eventually……..