Confused ...

I came to London on a beautiful Sunday morning in November last year. It was winter that time. Day started much late and it became absolute dark in the afternoon. It was a different experience for me.

I have been to many major cities in India and I found London is unique from all of them. The streets are neatly maintained and clearly signed. It has got a well planned transport system in the world. London has got a wonderful public transport system in the form of TUBE (Underground trains). The London tube covers all the 6 zones. It is fast and frequent. In some places you can see tubes are running at 4 different levels. I was amazed about the London tube service and the way it was planned and constructed.

Next most important aspect of London is each and every place has a city centre and shopping centre at the centre of the council. All major chain of shops is present near the city centre.

London has got many tourists attraction in his central part (busiest part of London) like London eye, London Bridge, London dungeon, London Aquarium etc so you can get a train or tube to reach them in real quick time.

Black cabs (Taxis) in London are not changed from the olden days. London taxis still have the traditional look and it is an attraction by itself. There are no skyscrapers or modern buildings in London which is a surprise to many visitors.

London motorways have got no speed limits. You can stand on your cars accelerator and fly on the motorways. I took rental car and had a nice drive in M3; I clocked my top speed of 120 MPH in London motorway which I haven’t even dreamed off. The motorways are clearly signed and everyone will drive considerately. No hard shoulders, no overtaking without signals and no changing of lanes unless it is necessary. If you want to speed up then catch the right most lane and you are free to reach your destination ASAP.

In spite of all these fun, I am not really happy about this life here at London. London is the most expensive city in the world. You need to get a license if you own a TV in your home. I got a TV for 100 pounds and I was asked to get a licence for 1 yr which cost me 140 pounds :(. If you are blind then you are eligible for 50% concession on your license cost :)

Finding a house for rent is next to impossible in London. You need to have a proper credit history (if you are visiting for the first time then you need to have a strong reference). After all the credit checks and reference checks you need to pay 6 weeks deposit and one month rent in advance. Not sure why they do a credit check if they are going to get a 6 weeks deposit and 1 month rent in advance:(

You are free to get a racist comment at least once in a week and especially when you roam alone in the night. You will be booed and teased by the teenagers without any fault of yours. A recent survey in London says 70% of the London Teenagers carry a knife with them.

I never had been away from my family for more than 15 days together from my childhood. In the last 4 months I started realising the worth of so many things in my life. I started missing my family, friends, my bike, my car, weekend @ Besant nagar beach, Night show on Friday nights, a long drive in ECR etc etc.

I have pounds in my hand (one of the powerful currency in the world) I can buy anything I want and I can roam anywhere I want. I don’t see the josh in this life. I am not desperate to earn lakhs and lakhs or cores and cores as few wish. I am not desperate to visit countries. All I want is to be with my loved ones. I am confused …