Feet and a Smile!

There is a problem with travelling alone and completely broke. The first problem can be easily solved; I talk to myself! Literally ALL the time!!! And actually I find myself to be incredibly entertaining, for the most part. Also, I have a talent that I am sure many other women share with me; if there is money for endless amounts of fun then who needs someone to share it with?

This brings me to my next part.

I was in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world where the unfortunate exchange rate means that all South Africans can barely afford to order a coffee let alone join the tourist madness. And to make matters even worse, the money that was supposed to magically appear in my bank account that morning from the elves that manage these things, had not appeared. This was worrying.

But I was finally in London again and I desperately wanted to explore.

So after spending a billion rand to top up the credit on my phone, and silently swearing at my boyfriend who was the reason I needed to recharge my phone, I set out on a walking tour of London. The plan was to save the money that I would have spent on the outrageously expensive Underground.

This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

There were tons of things that I had missed on previous visits because I had been stuck on some stupid train with windows that allow you to view the lewd graffiti painted on the inside of a tunnel that snakes underneath the beautiful city and walking around the city exposed me to some beautiful areas.

I finally saw The Monument which memorializes the Great Fire of London, and St Paul’s Cathedral in all its glory. I saw stunning landscapes and noticed many changes to London’s skyline. The Shard is a wonderful looking building which epitomizes modernity and towers over a city which truly showcases the contrast between historical buildings and modern feats of engineering.

I also stumbled upon a pop up exhibition promoting Mexico in all its glorious colour and thoroughly enjoyed this interactive workshop littered with good looking guys explaining why Mexico was wonderful. A VW beetle which had been decorated with colourful beads had already sold me on the idea of one day travelling to Mexico but that did not stop me from approaching the nearest guy, dressed up all fancy and batting my eyelashes. After all, I would need accommodation in Mexico!

Which brings me back to the original problem, and I can tell you with the utmost certainty that even in London, which is the home of the supposedly rude Brits, one never has to worry about travelling alone, because there are many friends to be made along the way. Who needs money and friends when you have feet and a smile?