En route

ADO – the name of a bus service in Mexico Starfish –  a 5-armed sea creature that everyone loves I absolutely dislike traveling at night. While it may seem like a cost-effective option and works for some, I simply cannot sleep on trains, buses, or planes unless I can stretch my legs in semi-bed position. Traveling at night in Vietnam, however, had its perks.                     If only Mexican night buses offered the same comfort...                            Currently exploring southern Mexico, I knew the time would come for a long-distance night bus. That moment arrived with my journey from San Cristóbal de las Casas to Oaxaca (pronounced 'Wahaca'), a “lovely” 12.5-hour ride. I even took sleeping pills in an attempt to catch some sleep during the trip. The bus was dark, the seats were comfortable, and it was only half full, allowing me to spread out across two r...

For me, London is defined by its street names, locations, and urban landmarks. Over the past 14 years, these elements (and more!) have left very distinctive mark on me. My London, first and foremost, is the one I came to know as a courier. I memorised all the addresses—Soho’s townhouses, the glass and steel skyscrapers in the City, and the many other places I delivered to. That was pre-smart phone era, so the famous A to Z map became my best friend for three years. This experience formed the foundational layer of my "London skin". Later, as I became an operations controller, these addresses took on a more digital form. They became combinations of postcodes (EC2M or EC2N—who can tell the difference? Well, I can, as I’ve become a bit of a postcode geek!), each just another place to send a delivery. Then there’s another layer—my social life in London, full of moments, encounters, people, and unexpected events scattered throughout the city. After 14 years, this collection of expe...

Howdy from London, where my next adventure brought me. It's funny to come back here after over 3 months and see London, my second hometown, from an outlandish perspective, from a no-longer-a-Londoner perspective... Every hi-vis I pass on the street seems brighter than ever, I completely forgot that hi-vis is such a British thing. The neverending, concrete health and safety regulations that reach above and beyond. Then the everyday communication is different than what I observed during my travels. The only thing that definitely feels familiar is my beloved London street names. I still got it, you know, the so-called 'Knowledge', the ultimate thing I geek out on and my least useful talent. Who would anyone care about memorising all central London streets if you have Google, it's 2024 after all, right? So anyway, I am back in London for work. The dream came through and cat sitting is my official job now. It definitely has so many pros, a pleasure to deal mostly with furry ...