Live From London 2012
 

Against the warning views of my global band managers, I board “Rockstar Jet” and head east over the pond. Without a guidebook or events ticket, I am off to experience if nothing else, “The Olympic Spirit” in London.

A visit to Buckingham Palace is planned with a possible lunch with Her Majesty then it's off to the Equestrian Events to meet some of my friends that I am sure will come along. It will sure be nice to see Jim Beam and have a pint or two with him.

Dave Matthews, is that you? :)

Welcome To London 2012

From stepping off the airplane, I know I have made the right choice in coming to London as members of London 2012 are standing in the hallway greeting passengers with friendly smiles as we deplane.

My only slight disappointment comes when the Customs official inquires “Why are you visiting The United Kingdom?” I respond, “Dude, for The Olympics”. Apparently, he was unaware it was going on or just being a proper official doing his job. Rock On!

With my hotel address in hand, not printed in Chinese, I head to “The Tube” Ticket Assistance window where the clerk is kind enough to confirm the proper station that I must exit “The Tube”. For UK$8,50, I purchase a ticket that will allow me to ride “The Tube” and bus system all day until 4am!

About an hour or so after leaving the airport, I surface from below The United Kingdom and start walking the streets of London. The weather is beautiful and the streets are filled with all kind of signs and volunteers of London 2012. I think I even pass a few hotels where some athletes and Olympic officials are staying as there is a small police presence visible and a few BMW London 2012 cars parked nearby.

I am glad that I slept a bit crossing the pond and as yet have no symptoms of jet lag. There is an excitement in the air here that is not to be missed and I cannot wait to experience more of it.

Suki,

"Are those ants marching or what would you say?" :)

"deplane" do you also "embus" and "hilawyer" and "uplunch"?
It's like some sort of weird Singaporean
:-)

Dude, for The Olympics”.

The Big Lebowski in London! Rock on!!:)

bilboburgler,

I do what I need to do to enjoy my traveling (embus and all) since it is all about living out a fantasy and I am from the islands...

"Boss, deplane, deplane" :)

emily71,

Look, nobody calls me Lebowski (except emily71). You got the wrong guy. I'm the Dude, man.

London 2012, Rocks!

i think that someone's been at Pal's paintstripper.

So DID you get to the equestrian events? The cross country coverage was so not good stateside--insight please!

best way to the stadium is via tuk tuk...

I knew it would not have taken too long for my equestrian friends to show up :)

Still don't understand why the long faces :(

Maybe you care to join me and Jim Beam for a pint or two, may cure your woes :)

Am I the only one who doesn't understand a word of this???

No, I haven't the foggiest either.

I think (<i>I think</i>) some American chap has come over to London to see if he can catch some of the Olympics. By all accounts he was surprised by the formality of the officials at Heathrow and also by the value afforded on public transport.
Beyond that... nothing. Haven't a clue...

Dr D.

"he was surprised by the formality of the officials at Heathrow"

He was surprised that, in the world's financial and cultural capital, and the commercial capital of the world's biggest trading body, people might be arriving for some reason other than to watch a tiddleywinks contest on steroids.

A very enjoyable tiddleywinks contest. But even in the contests' midst, most foreigners arriving here come for a reason utterly unrelated to watching sport. Selling things, forex dealing, illegal immigration, finding a job, going out clubbing, political negotiations, trolling around our museums and gardens and just seeing uncles and aunts unseen since Dad migrated to Sydney for £5 remain the motivation for the bulk of traffic across our borders - whatever's going on in a taekwondo arena.

I see you managed to get tickets notwithstanding the issues you raised in your other thread, DMBTraveler. Glad you seem to be enjoying London after all.

"I think (I think) some American chap has come over to London to see if he can catch some of the Olympics. By all accounts he was surprised by the formality of the officials at Heathrow and also by the value afforded on public transport.
Beyond that... nothing. Haven't a clue...

Yes, I got the jist of that bit, it was the posts after that were "confusing" (to say the least).

The OP's screen name is "Dave Matthews Band Traveler" and since he referenced his global managers and the Rock Star jet, I figured this must be the man himself. :)

I recently exchanged some words with him and I can tell you for sure tat he's no Dave Matthews. I think he wants people to believe that but at the same time he post videos, YouTube , of himself and you can clearly see that he's no rock star.

FYI this is the thread where I "met" him: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...m#last-comment

What wonderful fans, that just keep coming back for more torture from my postings and "You Tube" videos.

Got to love those that take life too serious and have little or no sense of humor :(

I will keep posting my travel stories to give you something to look forward to and make your days worthwhile :)

Opus,

Did not get to E-Events. Just saw them on big screen at Hyde Park. Of course, the British commentary mad them very entertaining to watch.

rhkkmk,

Can you please come up with some other funny material or I am never gonna give you 20 baht to ride in your tuk, tuk.

I am tired of LMAO at you..r old material. I need new material if I am ever gonna promote you from F.I to R.J.

Now I will be doing a lot of postings, so will have plenty of opportunity to shine or else I might have to pull a D.Trump on you :(

Dr D,

Like the Great Chief Inspector Clouseau, your sense of logic and reasoning is pretty good. However, as in all mysteries you must do your homework and maybe use some English wax to solve the case.

Cato, this I tell you, is what a Great Chief Inspector would do :)

BTW: What was the thesis for your P.H.D? Did you attend Oxford?

flanneruk,

You are right about the motivates of foreigners visiting your country.

At least most of us don't visit countries like others did in the past with guns and battleships :)

By the way, I did not see any "tiddleywinks contest on steroids" during my visit. I guess I missed out :(

PatrickLondon,

It was a challenge to get tickets and many people I ran into even British residents were unhappy with the process, the point of my original post.

At the event I attended, a quarter final event, there were still hundreds of empty seats :(

I came here to enjoy "The Olympic Spirit" and to revisit London. Thanks to the good people of the city and the hundreds or thousands of volunteers, I had a great time :)

Hoomaeye,

I think you deserve an explanation of what seems to be my odd posting.

As you might have reasoned from the response to your question there are a few that post here that put themselves out there as experts on everything that is written here.

I share my travel experiences here the way I chose to share them but apparently not to the liking of a few who I consider "tall horse riders". A reference to being on a proverbial "High Horse".

They seem to know better what is best for others than others know for themselves. They want to think for you and have you travel the way they would instead of accepting that we all travel differently and for different reasons.

They cannot accept another way of doing things and act like spoil brats if you challenge their expertise. Some to the point of stalking and posting others personal information on the forums or writing comments that have to be removed by the forum moderator.

Just look at the some of the responses above..

"Some American Chap"..

"Selling things, forex dealing, illegal immigration, finding a job, going out clubbing, political negotiations, trolling around our museums"

"you can clearly see that he's no rock star"

Seriously, is this what travel and this forum is suppose to be about.

Does anyone really believe there is a "Rockstar Jet" or that anyone would say "Dude" to an Immigration Official?

See the experts should know that private jets would not normally clear Immigration and Customs at London's and one of the world's busiest airports or that DMB could only mean "Dave Matthew Band".

However, if I challenge their conclusions and intelligence then I would have to be looking up at another set of long faces and I am afraid the track is almost full :(

"

"I can tell you for sure tat he's no Dave Matthews."

No! I'm shocked, I tell you.

Here I am with the leis of Aloha you requested so eloquently on a previous post. I see you've gotten yourself into another pickle but that's your primary intent here on this forum isn't it? :)

I would have been here sooner but I had another equestrian event to watch over. :)

We all get that everyone travels differently....actually that is a no brainer. What you don't get is that you think everyone here is dissing your travel style, which no one is doing. What we don't like is how you travel to those equestrian events with those donkey blinders on.....you can't see much till you take them off. :)

So when are you going to tell us anything about the trials and tribulations of how to travel to an Olympic venue at the last minute? That would be useful to us here indeed. I can see nothing of use to any traveler in this thread.....all I see is an veiled attempt to cause trouble.

Suki,

Have you being hanging out with Dr D?

Your deduction is brilliant, brilliant I tell you but I do love "Ants Marching" :)

HT,

Thanks for the leis. An eloquent response to which I will attempt a respectful reply to your points.

What you and others see as me getting into a "pickle" is about the way I travel. I have no problem getting into a pickle or a jam as long as it is sweet or strawberry.

I would never attempt to know anyone's intention in posting here other than my own. Or determine what works or doesn't work for anyone in any particular situation. It is an apparent insight that you and others here seem to have that I don't.

If you are not comfortable going to The Olympics without tickets to events then stay at home. Why do you not like the way I or others do things? If I chose to wear "donkey blinders" or a grass skirt, it is my travel experience not yours.

If you and others want to be helpful, post your travel experiences and let others learn from them however they choose to learn from them. Write a trip report or start a post about scams, tuk tuks, or whatever dangers you think are lurking out there for travelers with "donkey blinders".

As I have previously stated I have just as much as if not more travel experiences as most posters here. And as you would put it even with "donkey blinders" on all of my travel experiences have been worthwhile even with others considers blunders.

For me, it is all why I travel and if you have read my some of my other posts you should have noted that out of some of these events I experience the kindness of the human spirit.

Now that's what the joy of traveling is all about even as a donkey :)

copinesq,

Glad you are back. I always knew my posts were entertaining to you, so I'll keep posting!

Can you please send me a link to your trip reports and Youtube videos, so I can "Like" you on Facebook :)

DMB I am glad I can help point out the errors in your reports but I am afraid I don't travel much or as rich as you. To be able to fly "over the pond" for a couple of days only you must be rich or perhaps you fly for free? Airline employee, owner or maybe you're flying on MAG flights? Any how, I don't travel much and hence no report.

Copinesq,

I'll keep writing and you keep pointing.. Don't mind errors being pointed out because I know I am not perfect.

Posting here is just about sharing my travel experiences not about seeking perfection.

I hope you get to travel more and even if you don't I am sure sharing your experience would be more benefical to others than just pointing out what you perceive as errors made.

One of the reasons I post here is to show the other side of traveling if you are not rich. For the most part all of my travel is done as a frugal, budget minded traveler.

Yes, my fortune in life has given me opportunities that others may not have but believe me I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

So now that we are done with the witty repartee, can we please have the rest of the trip report. I was actually enjoying it.

cferrb,

Unfortunately, there are some that enjoy "the witty repartee". Posted more of the trip report under a different posting hopefully to get away from the "witty repartee".

I enjoyed London 2012 and more postings will share my "Happy Experience" :)

HT,

I guess you can't stand the heat :)

I am sure you and others are disappointed that at least one person seems to have enjoyed my report.

Maybe your assertion:

"I can see nothing of use to any traveler in this thread.....all I see is an veiled attempt to cause trouble."

Might be wrong ... but of course not, you and others are always right :)