It seems that the down part has passed mostly, I had a weekend full of bed-bugs bites and a cold that I'd like to forget, but at least things are looking up. I'm staying with my friend Enys now in the east end which is about 80% bangladeshi, so it's really interesting see another part of London. We are right behind the biggest mosque and muslim center in the UK, complete with a fitness center with a pool day reserved for women who want to swim in their burkas (or so I'm told). London definitely is mish-mash of cultures and economic backgrounds as Enys said, "The rich and the poor are all living on top of each other here", so it's interesting how many different types of people I see everyday and the mix of neighborhoods.

So far, London has proved to be quite expensive, but all I've had to pay for so far is transport (Oyster card!) and food, so it hasn't been too bad, but it is a shocker when I treated myself to a capuccino and a cookie in a cafe in Notting Hill and I realized that the £4 I paid is equivalent to $8. In any case, all I do all day is wander around different parts of London and wander in and out of free museums, which has actually been quite nice. I love observing people in each setting and it's relaxing to just wander alone in my thoughts. Especially having a cold and being all stuffy, it's nice not to have to make conversation when you're feeling fuzzy headed. And NOONE wants to have a conversation with you in London, at least strangers, so that's taken care of. The weather has been dreary, but I don't seem to mind it so much right now. It's ironic that I'm the least fashionable right now, all layered up with a raincoat and sweater, as I walk around swanky London, but eh, who am I trying to impress? Definitely not the people at F&M, the swankiest department store here where they even sell yachts. I wandered in for funnsies and was looked at like an ogre. I guess I don't blend in with the rich 60-something crowd.