Dover

'Alright everyone, I hope you are all well, and if your not, well I hope at least your not thinking about going to hell, because in my opinion, no such place exists.  Couple of rules today on the National Express, first off all, and most importantly, don't speak to me when I am driving, because I will most rudely ignore you, and second of all, please keep your cell phone conversations to yourself, because, well, I can ignore you talking to me, but I can't ignore you talking to someone else about why there love-life is falling apart or why it is that you think drinking a dozen pints of black and spewing it all over yourself is a good time.  That said, we should be there in about ... '

I was starting to like England. 

The countryside was beautiful.  It was something I had never experienced before, the constant occupation of land with farms and a town every 10 kms, country house's that were older then my country and stone walls that reminded me strangely of Robin Hood.  It was very surreal.  I felt like a little boy reading a good story.  

Something had to happen.  

'Excuse me sir... Excuse me?  What is that beeping sound?' 

'...... ' 

'Sir? ......... Henry, you try. '

'Hey Mate!' 

'........' 

"Mate!  Sorry, but mind you, what is that beeping?'

He wasn't answering.

While I had been off in my little world, the most annoying beeping sound had started, and it had been going on for about ten minutes (which I collected from my neighbor) and the passengers were starting to wonder what it was. 

'What do you mean he won't listen?'

'We'll yew 'eard him didin ya, he won' put up wit it.'

'We'll how absolutely silly that is, George, go and talk to him'

'I 'ill do no such t'ing!  Yew 'eard him!'

'George!! ' 

The bus started to slow and came to a stop.

'We'll everyone, in case you haven't noticed (sarcatically) the bus has been a beeping which means that it is overheating, and if you don't know what that means, well, just go along.  Now I am going to go outside and see what I can do, so if all of you can stay put for a second while I go outside, and mind you, in case I get hit by a car and die, you are not allowed to leave the bus for insurance purpose's, so if you could just stay put until I or someone else comes back it would be in the interest of National Express.  Thank you!'

I loved this guy.

The bus ended up being disfunctional so we were taken to the nearest town and then shipped onto a local transit bus, which then took us Dover, by the highway, and I stress this because if anyone has ever been on a transit bus packed with people and luggage going a hundred kms an hour trying to make a ferry time, well, it was fun. 

We ended up being late for the ferry, and then next one wasn't going to leave for another 3 hours.  One of the passengers threw his suitcase across the room, an englishman, and told the till lady to' go fuck yourself and your ferry'.  Overall it was alright.

I had 3 hours to blow and I was in a good mood, so I decided to go and try and bury some of my things.  It turns out that Dover is jammed between an ocean and towering cliffs, which really means that there was no reasonable place to stash my things.  I got over it quickly and tried to find something else to do.  

Dover was, well, dead.  I walked around for about twenty minutes until I was back where I started and had found out that there wasn't anything open, not even a pub.  I had two and half hours left to burn and couldn't be bothered to stand on the dock freezing, so I decided to sit right where I was and play guitar for a bit.  I wasn't expecting to make any money, for I had only seen one person since I left the ferry station, and was almost happy for it - I had never played on the street before, and it felt better to ease my way into to it. 

Street first.

Then people. 

Then money. 

I sat down and started fiddeling around.  I hadn't been playing for 30 seconds when someone poked there head out of the top window across from me.  She must have gotten bored quickly because 30 seconds later she was gone and that was the last I saw of her.  

That was the only person I saw in the next two hours.

I packed up my stuff and found that I had been sitting on a 2 cent euro piece.  It's as much money as I have made to date. 

I took some novelty photo's and caught my ferry.