Journey froom india - My first feeling about Nottingham

My first mail to Dad, as soon as I reached UK..., 13th Sept 2008

Life is very nice here, lots of green parks, nice walking lanes, disciplined crowd, very nice public transport, many Indians, good infrastructure, very nice people around to help. There are extremely good people around. Looks like heaven on earth. I am enjoying each and every moment here.

After you guys had left us in the airport, I filled on the immigration slip, completed immigration; many duty free shops were there in the upper level. I got some things for Shiva (fags) which he asked me to get from India. I was in the in the boarding hall for 2 hours where the free phones were there. I called on beena athai, raje athai mama and all. Many Indian students were there coming along to UK. I also met Anna’s friend who was speaking with me for some time, then we had to break up and leave India. Then at last I boarded the UK flight to the British airways (BA 1036) 10th September 2008. As dad had mentioned there was a Indian girl on my left and a British girl on my right (like how Siddharth says in aaiultha eluthu). But I dint speak to them much.

I was totally tired and I slept most of the time. There were movies as well in the flight along with some radio channels, they gave a headphone and a small LCD monitor fixed in the seat of the previous person. The route in which the plane is flying, along with map was displayed in the Lcd monitor in front of me. After Breakfast, 2 snacks, Lunch; I changed the time in my watch to the destination local time (4.5 hours ahead of us). The city of London from the plane was looking extremely great. I have never seen any part of the world from an aeroplane...

As soon as the plane landed I walked fast to the collection of luggage. Before that passport verification was there. I went in the other nationalities passport queue, and after answering some simple questions to the immigrations officer, they asked us to meet a nurse and register ourselves.( I noticed a long queue behind me in seconds, if I had walked slow I should have waited for at least 2 hours to clear immigration)

They asked for the chest x-ray report (Note: they dint ask any vaccination certificates and not even the x-ray) and even this is for only people who decide to stay more than 6 months. After that I had to climb down to a level to collect the Luggage. As soon as I collected the luggage, I took a trolley to come out through to the 4th terminal. From there to go to the terminal 3 (from where my next bus was there) I had to take a train service within the airport. Train was really gr8. I got out in terminal 3 to the central bus station, at Heathrow. Then god my Indian airtel, per paid connection was working here as orange...! i jus had 4 rupees left in that. Immediately sent a message to Shiva telling that i reached London safe, and asked him to contact appa to tell that the journey was successful. hoops! i had just saved a 160 rupees phone call (2 pounds). Now, I took the National express in the central bus station to Victoria coach station and ate one of your bisckets that we had packed from India. Then I had drunk an energy drink for 2 pounds. Every thing is really very costly here.( can’t imagine a energy drink for Rs160/- in India), no other go, water was even costly than that.

I had to wait at Victoria coach station for 2 hours. Then took another bus ( ticket booked by Shiva, on funfare, in National express) to Nottingham. Shiva was waiting the board marsh station, Nottingham. I was really happy to see him. He had a large beard, he had just submitted dissertation that day (3 days late) He took me to his home and it was 12.00 in the night, local time and it would have been early morning 4.30 in India. 24 hours of journey to Nottingham from chennai....