Im stuck in London, someone pick me up!

Nice to see you are well, we got a little worried about you!

Welcome back sim.

Happy Holidays!

*takes deep breath* YOUr ok!!!

Gosh that really scared us lol,. Anyway glad your all fine now and look forward to seeing you when you get back on,

Asala

I know I kept checking this thread and I am sure lots of other folk did also. Glad things turned out ok and someday you will have a great story to tell your children and grandchildren


Can't wait to hear the whole story when you are home.

jm

Glad to see that you made it! Man, that had to be cold and uncomfortable sleeping on those three chairs. At least you had some cheetos to get you through the night.

Originally posted by justme1640
I know I kept checking this thread and I am sure lots of other folk did also.

I am definatly guilty of the above.

Although I had no intention of responding to this thread, I did have it booked on favorites and was checking in every few hours. I am truly glad to see that our felow ATSer is safe. I will be looking forward to hearing the details when you return Simulacra.

like I was saying on my earlier post if you need a job for a while to get some more funds so you can keep traveling let me know plus i could also arrange for some places to stay in various places if you need that just keep everyone posted on whats going on and be safe and good luck in your adventure.

Yey! I'm glad you're ok

Well that's a relief

I also checked frequently. I'm so thankful you are OK. The hard part for us, I think, was there was not anything we could do to help.
Happy New Year

I'm another one who kept checking. I'd hate to think of anyone on the board being in trouble like that, so I'm glad your safe man

That was touching! It's comforting to know if I'm ever lost somewhere and have internet access, everything will be okay! Thanks to all who were so willing to help Sim and have a happy holiday!

I've been peeping in on this thread and hoping that you'd be ok. I am glad that you are. If you (or anyone) is lost in Fort Worth/Dallas, holler and I'll help in any way I can. Happy New Years!

Ok people. I�m back at my temporary home base (Wales, UK). Once again, thank you for all the help. Well let�s see where I should start...

The day (Dec 26th) started off with me waking up at 9am. I live in this little town called Treforrest. If the university didn�t exist there, the town would just be a couple of small houses and maybe a dirt road. It�s literally the smallest town that I've ever inhabited. People call it a 'Village'. Anyway, the upside is that there is a rail station right in front of the University. My initial plans were to take the train to the place where I needed to go to and then catch the bus. Before I even go on let me give you a brief breakdown of what the hell I�m talking about and the locations.

Treforrest (University of Glamorgan) ---> Cardiff Castle --> London --> Brussels

Now I planned on taking the Rail from Treforrest to Cardiff Castle then from Cardiff Castle take the Bus to London then from London take the Chunnel Tunnel to Brussels Midi (Train Station). Then my friend was going to scoop me up like a Frito in Bean dip, take me to his place and that would be the end.

However, when traveling, things always get unnecessarily complicated.

Dec 26th was Boxing Day. And apparently the entire UK shuts down for 24 hours. Literally. So at 11am in the morning, I was stuck in Treforrest. The local rail station was closed and there wasn�t a single taxi in sight. I knew I had to get to the bus station by 3pm or I would miss my Bus from Cardiff Castle to London. If that part of the equation fell through, then that was pretty much the end of my trip. I knew I had to get there quick, I looked at my watch and it was 11:20am. Screw it, I�m walking. 3 hours later I made it to my destination. My fingers were bleeding because apparently bag designers cant properly create a handle that would withstand 3 straight hours of finger to handle contact. But my fingers were the least of my concerns.

I made it to my Bus on time!

Needless to say, I slept during the duration of the bus ride to London. We arrive in London at 3:30. Everyone is a little agitated. If you ever traveled on a Megabus you'll definitely understand. So I step foot in London for the first time of my life.



The emoticon pretty much sums it up. Just what exactly am I doing in Wales when everything is here. Anyway, I begin to scramble for my Eurostar train to Brussels. I walk into the Victoria station ask around a little and find out that my train to Brussels was leaving from the Waterloo station!!. The guy told me that I could hop on a quick underground rail to the station; it'll just take a few minutes. Sounds good enough, I dig into my pocket to get some of my travel money.

Ugh...wait, it may be in my other pocket, hold on. Maybe in my jacket pocket...let me check my wallet. . It fell out of my pocket on the bus to London!. This is about the exact moment I knew that things were just going to be extremely rough.

So I just do what I do best. I grabbed my bags and walked to the Waterloo station. It was about a 30 minute walk, my hands were numb from the cold so they really didn�t bother me. Besides, how could you worry when you�re right in front of Westminister Abbey for the first time!


So about 45 minutes later I arrive in the Waterloo station. I�m late, really late, I missed my train. But I�m thinking to myself, since it is the Christmas season, maybe the ticket office would be compassionate enough to refund my ticket. I walk into the office, explain my situation and they tell me that I would have to buy a new ticket for tomorrow morning. Ok, whatever just get me on the train. I hand them my Visa, *Denied*. Here take my second Visa *Denied*. Well what about my HSBC card, *Denied*.

"Sorry Sir, we are closed now. You are going to have to wait until tomorrow to make adjustments to your ticket, please exit through that door and die of hunger, hypothermia and excess blood loss. Oh by the way, have a Merry Christmas"

Doors are locked. I�m stuck in the train station until the next morning. Note to anyone that hasn�t been to the UK during Dec/Jan. Temperatures are frigid. It's beyond cold. The word cold doesn�t even apply to this type of weather. Especially when you have no where to sleep and nothing to eat. So I realized that this train station was going to be my home for the next 10 hours.


I apologize for not getting a clear picture. My hands were shaking, the flash was off, and this was the best I could do. You know, after looking at that picture that place just looks cold. Regardless of if it's the middle of August or the end of January.

I�m standing in the middle of the station trying to find something to occupy my mind until the morning comes. Ah, a BT internet terminal. Here is something I could work with. I pull up a chair and sit down. What you want a credit card Mr. Machine? I could provide that, I�m pretty sure it won�t work but hey, it won�t hurt to try.

*Verifying - Please Wait*
*Verifying - Please Wait**
*Verifying - Please Wait***
"I wonder what is in that McDonalds bag on the table...maybe some ketchup I could squeeze into my mouth"
*Connection Established*

What? Are you serious? Ok, maybe God doesn�t hate me after all. Let�s see, where should I go. Maybe I should check on that Earthquake that happened in Asia. AboveTopSecret.com it is. But wait...Simon Gray is from the UK, so is Pisky, UK Wizard and a slew of other people on ATS. Maybe by a long shot they could help me out.

So I began to post. And people began to read. And then what shocked me the most is that people begin to help.

After calling the numerous phone numbers that were provided by members of the board, my credit card just stopped working on the BT terminal. Maybe they found out that I was actually a broke college student. Anyway, I knew that I had to eat. I walk all over the train station just trying to find something, anything to eat. The Junk Food God was smiling on me that night. Buried between the midst of a few finished beers was....A near full bag of CHEETOS!


Devoured. Consumed. Mangeled. Destroyed. Whatever verb you want to use. I decimated those Cheetos. I was somewhat satisfied. So now it was time for me to get some sleep. In these train stations they don�t provide 4 star beds so I had to make due with what I had. This is what I managed to create from my sleep/nutrition deprived mind.


It looks uncomfortable, but actually...well...It was uncomfortable. And yes, one chair was higher than the other. But I just kept repeating the phrase 'European Ergonomic Design' over and over again in my head. By this time I could see my own breath. I had socks on my hand. Three pairs of socks on my feet. Two hooded sweaters on. Two hats. Two pairs of pants. And I was still freezing. I eventually fell asleep.

Anyway, the next day was a breeze. I woke up from my make-shift wooden bed, waiting for the ticket office to open and they replaced my ticket, for free. Hopped on the Chunnel, two and half hours later, my friend met me in Brussels with a couple of beers, drove to his house and introduced me to a full Belgian Breakfast. The End.

Note: I know I've said this before, but Thank you ATS for everything.

Here are a couple of pictures from the trip, don�t want to turn this into a picture thread though!




Did I mention Belgium is beautiful?

I'm glad that it al worked out. I think that this tread should be saved for future reference to show that the world can be a helpfull place... Cheers to all how helped him.....

Originally posted by Simulacra
It was uncomfortable. And yes, one chair was higher than the other. But I just kept repeating the phrase 'European Ergonomic Design' over and over again in my head.

....Wow Sim - You had your �brave hat� on that day...

I can't say I've been there or done that - lol - But in my travels in Europe I have defiantly encountered quite a few dead ends and tumultuous turns similar to that situation....for some reason, psychotic laughter and a flippant stomach always enter my memories when I think back on those times...

But the good thing is....You got some pictures!!!

Well worth the trouble, wasn't it?

Originally posted by EnronOutrunHomerun
Well worth the trouble, wasn't it?

Of course. I think the highlight of the entire trip was just standing in downtown Brussels as the New Year arrived. It's just one of those moments that you'll cherish for the rest of your life because I know that it will probably never happen again.

Welcome back Sim.

Wish that night had worked out a little better, but you sure did get some great pics.

And this thread sure is something to cherish too.

It made some of us sorry we couldn't help more ....but on retrospect, it sure does the heart good to know that people are still willing to help each other out on a cold winters night!

I tought it was sweet!

Just my two pounds!