Adventures on the Underground

It's 3am here now. And the only reason why I'm awake now is because I only got back at 2.15am. How did this happen??

Well, Jeanette kindly invited me to this comedy club thing with her friends, and so there I was in Clapham Common (south London, edge of Zone 2). Some of the comedy was good, some of it was bad, but I'm glad that there was some good in it (: Haha.

So anyway the whole thing finishes around near 12am, and that still involved taking a 10-15min walk back to the tube station. So yes, hopped onto the Northern line hoping to change to the Jubilee line at Waterloo Station to take me back to Finchley Road tube station (which is where the very kind Yinghong is hosting me now (:).

After getting onto the Northern line I realise that the train is not going on the branch that passes Waterloo, but the other branch! Okay but no worries cos I can always change to the Jubilee line at London Bridge instead. So off I get at London Bridge station, and as I am walking to the Jubilee line I hear an announcement that sounds vaguely like the the last westbound train is departing from the station. UH-OH.

Oh and just FYI, I knew that London Bridge is the worst place to be stuck at because no buses go across the river (something I realised a long long time ago -I always had to get a tube back from there to Camden) -and those that go across the river don't head towards the areas I need to get to.

I reach the platform and the sign now reads that the last west-bound train has already left. Mildly stunned, I stare at the sign for awhile to make sure that this is not a bad dream and then walk off, hoping to get back to the Northern line and catch the train to Camden Town (sidenote: I still miss Camden, Ifor Evans, A303, the company I have there -not that living in Finchley is bad and unfun, but I miss the experience back there), where at least I possess some degree of familiarity with -and hopefully catch a night bus back from there. People who know me know that I rarely swear (unless I happen to be in Paris haha) -but I felt that this occasion warrented a "f***" under my breath. Bleah.

So I walk as quickly as I can back to the Northern line, only to find that the board doesn't show any train timings and that the platform is utterly empty. Uhoh x2. A man pops out and tells me that the last train has ALSO left already. CRAAAAAAAAAAAP!

I decide to exit the station, and spend the next 5-10min staring at the bus maps to figure out if I can possibly get a bus out of the South side of the river, but no feasible routes present themselves to me. And here I run into one of the kind souls of London -or rather he (someone who works at the tube station) came up to me to ask in a very concerned manner if I needed help. I tell him that I need to get to Finchley Road and he goes oh hmmmm (knowing as well as I do that it isn't the easiest feat in the world to do so) the best you can do is get a bus to Trafalgar Square (which was what I was thinking of doing) and get a bus from there. He then very kindly gave me directions to the bus stop, and so off I headed.

So yupp go to the bus stop (around 1245am or so) and realised that none of the normal buses go to Trafalgar Square -I'd have to wait for the night buses which only start running at 1.10am. I briefly contemplate taking a normal bus to Kings Cross -but then it's not really worth the risk because I don't know what night buses run from there plus I've heard it's not really the most safe of areas at night. Raah!

So yes I wait at the bus stop which increasingly fills up with people who have just finished with their nights out (I know because these people inevitably involve girls in crazy high heels and short skirts), put on some Jason Mraz to listen to (figuring that I needed something upbeat to keep me sane) and people watch to pass time (e.g. silently observing a guy peeing in a corner -but no worries, it was his back to me haha).

The bus finally arrives, (and this part stops being exciting) I realise I can drop off at Strand to minimise walking, wait for N13 to bring me back straight to Yinghong's place. Phew.

While walking back to Yinghong's place, there's a lady in boots walking behind me, and I really hate the sound of people walking closely behind me at night (this is after 2am) -and even though it's a woman thoughts of whether she's going to mug me by whacking me with her handbag pop into my head. Well, she comes closer and closer and my heart beats faster and faster and I'm glad when she overtakes me. Turns out she's one of the kind souls of London, because as she passes me she asks if I'm alright going home. Awwwww. I smile and say yes it's just up ahead, and as I follow behind her this time I realise she lives in the same hall as Yinghong.

Ahh. So I got back safe and sound, with yet another London experience to add to my memories (: