A certain episode with the Kingsgate in Rotorua once upon a time sort of prepared me for this (eh Dad). I had a bit of a pricey one last night. I caught the ferry back from the Isle of Man, but I couldn't find any hostels on the internet so I hadn't booked in advance. Turns out, this is because there are no hostels in the port of Heysham, the town of Morecambe, of the small city of Lancaster. Typical.
I caught a taxi (the only form of transport to be had at that time of night) to Lancaster (ta Angus, you were right - it's not far at all) because that was where the driver said was the only accomodation which would be open at that time of night. I checked in to my £51 hotel room, wich was really quite comfy. I slept a little poorly (price cringe maybe? Or the "I have no plan" stress?), and got up this morning to have a nice long shower and then walk in to Lancaster proper.
The walk took me nearly an hour! I was wearing my backpack, which by no stretch of the imagination weighs just 17kgs anymore, and carrying a package of some things to post which, it turns out, weighed 6.2kgs! And the weather was hot!
I sweated my way into town, found a post office, posted my stuff (what a weight lifted! Another price cringe though... everything is SO expensive here!) and then walked on to find out where I am catching my bus from tomorrow, and to find somewhere to stay nearby. I managed both, and then (at 1pm) went out to find some breakfast!
I found a local "greasy spoon", as they call them, got a fry-up with tea for £4 and read my book for a bit. My next task was to find a book shop to buy a Lonely Planet for Britain. I figure I'm going everywhere, and it's going to be easier to buy one guide book with all the extra details than to buy maps at each place, even if it is another million kgs to carry :p
So I did that, and found this internet cafe near by. I now have to find somewhere that sells phone cards and call the hostel I am booking in Inverness, to pay by credit card before I get there.
The place I am staying is called the Duke of Lancaster, and it's basically just a pub with some rooms upstairs. It's the cheapest place in the whole city (at £35!) and looks like it's worth about £3; shared bathroom and all. Walls with holes in, doors with hand-scrawled numbers... *Shudder* Oh well, I've stayed in worse in India. Actually, I don't think that's true, apart from the trains. Hah. Still, at least I have somewhere to leave my pack. Touch wood it's still there when I get back... Heh.
Well, my bus comes at 10am tomorrow, so I won't be there long. I'll spend the rest of the day today poring over my new guidebook planning stuff, get an early night tonight, and then get up early to wrestle with whatever it is that passes for the bathing facilities and find some breakfast before I move on. To Inverness!
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2 comments:
there is the beginnings of a book here somewhere1 Drama, twists turns, late night taxi rides, dingy hotels, a heroine ... even a beginning, a middle and eventually an end!
Father says "that was a low blow daughter"! I had all but forgotten.
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