439at Back in the UK July 2008
Back in the UK

- I didn't want to rush past interesting places so my plan was to hitch up to Cambridge and see some museums, since many of the things were closed on Mondays maybe stay overnight and also stop off in Lincoln. I got a right to the Duxford air museum, but it costs at least double any museum I have ever been to. I tried to hitch onto to Cambridge, but my technique was a little rusty so it was 12.30pm before I made it. As soon a I arrived I had a druggie ask me for money. I went through 3 museums with dinosaur skeketons and a 30ft whale skeleton. There was nowhere cheap to stay and the rain made camping impossible so I decided to push on. I should have done more planning and made some couchsurfing contacts.

- At the bus station I was assaulted by a smackhead kicking on the door of my telephone box ... what a welcome for tourists to Cambridge ! So disorganised after Malaysia even when I found a bus out of the city the driver didn't speak English.

- After buying a soft drink for 3 times the Malaysian cost and walking 3Km I got a ride with a Polish worker another 50Km north. Then the bloody hitching was awful, I was waiting 2.5 hours at a petrol station in the on/off rain. Hitching is the only practical way home, since home is so far from any big city, never mind the phenomenal cost at least 10 times the cost of buses/trains in Malaysia.

- At 9pm I was still 140Km away. The petrol station café closed and I got one ride with the worker 10Km then another 5 minutes later I had a lucky ride 100Km in the right direction to a place at Lincoln I have hitched from late at night before. I got a ride just as it got dark 10pm so by 10.30pm I was at the house.

Malaysia versus UK

- It bloody cold wet and miserable here. It's July and I have to wear a jacket ! (in the first 2 weeks there was rain every day, but very very light sometimes
- In Malaysia I can jump on a bus or train without thinking about. Here it's too expensive mostly
- the petrol prices
- the Air museum costing 100Rm
- the small bottle of soft drink costing 6Rm, at a southern convenience store
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- however when you get to a cheap shop things here are as cheap as Fk I bought 4 litres of quality soft drink today for 10Rm, a bottle of good wine was 15Rm
- and here there are about 5 times more variety of things to buy in the supermarket. It feels like I have just been living ina desert.
- It was still light @10pm

- the news is all about the economic recession coming

- many telephone boxes are being turned into ATM's .. another bizarre thing

- the building companies have just laid off 40% of their workers.
- there were lots of druggies on the streets in Cambridge

- I see all the banks I have shares in are worth 70% less than last year, but I see last year I earned plenty of dividends on
- Indeed if I have money in the bank I can earn up to 9% interest

- The TV now has more channels than ever - now more channels than ever e.g I notice in the 500 channel mix there are 10 Islamic Channels. The general quality is the lowest ever also.

- At home there's no broadband; even dialup costs me twice as much as an internet café in Malaysia

- Last night flossing my teeth my toothcap came off, even if I can find a dentist it will still cost me 3 times as much as Malaysia.

UK Strange prices
- As I said at first glance many things are much more expensive than Malaysia, but there is something very strange.
A Comedian said - now at demonstrations people don't throw egg or bread rolls any more co they are too expensive... they throw IPODs and plasma TVs instead
- this is true whereas some basic food stuffs have got more expensive, volume and competion mean many consumer products cost almost nothing compared to salaries. Indeed shopping can be very very cheap if you have time to seek out the bargains.

- I just bought a new sleeping bag for 36Rm and a cellphone SIM card for 33Rm with 72Rm credit which doesn't time expire. And even thugh is nthing t d here there are 5 times as many things t buy as in KL, the supermarkets are great.
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