Day 1 1/2?

I am not sure of the day or night. I've arrived at 6am London time. As I got off the plane I was completely fine but then on the bus ride to the hotel I lost it. Despite the most uncomfortable seat I've ever experienced in my life (I wonder if I am going to have trouble fitting into the chairs here?!) I could not hold my own head up, mouth open and drooling, I didn't care who was watching. At least it guaranteed no one would try to sit next to me.

Everything is a hazy blur. Somehow I checked into the hotel and found my bed. Somehow I register that the hotel is not what I normally like to stay in, but who cares it has a bed.

I woke up in the day/night? Somewhere I am used to it's night time, is it? It's still day time here. It's lunch time here? Probably not a good idea to try to orient by meal time since I'm always hungry. It's around 1-ish in the afternoon. In some burst of fortitude I decide I should get up and move around since I think I'll really be screwed up if I keep sleeping.

Shopping is just the thing, I think. Somehow I thought it would an appropriate activity to do while I'm not fully functioning, flawed logic, as it turned out...

However I had a great time exploring Harrods and surrounding shops. I bought some great stuff. Harrods has a great food section and an amazing household goods section. China and beautiful tablecloths. I bought a striped chopping board, what fun. How I'll get it home is another matter. In the food section there were amazing fruits and vegetables. I went to buy this small basket of cherries until the lady said it was 18£...calculating...$27-yikes. I put them back. But I did buy some great gifts for people, quite a few with "Harrods" name prominently displayed.

The day went by really fast. It wasn't until a security guard was saying that I had to leave that I realized it was 8pm, closing time. I was exhausted so I decided to take a taxi home since I hadn't learned the London Tube yet. While sitting in the cab I was trying to remember what I had read about tipping. Do I tip the cab driver? The infuriating concierge response was, it's up to you. Not helpful. Since I won't see him ever again why tip? But isn't this how nationalities get reputations? Cheap. Generous. Friendly. Maybe Im making the significance of my actions a little too lofty, you think? I decide to give him a small tip. He seemed grateful. As I am walking into the hotel congratulating myself on how I handled it, I look down at my empty hands and realize I am watching all of my packages from the day drive away in the cab. Before I have time to yell or run after him, he turns the corner and is gone. I wonder if my tip would buy me a return visit by a grateful cabbie to return my goods? The answer to that question is....no. Surprising, I know.