ratna goes to town

this is very tongue in cheek.....

Recently I went to The Big Smoke. Where It All Happens. The Inner City. I seldom go because I sometimes don't have a great time there. Like the time, decades ago admittedly, when I was surrounded by a group of thugs in an underground carpark who said that they were going to beat me up. Maybe because I was a bald monk wearing orange robes, and quite tiny. So, fair game obviously. Luckily one of them made out that "I wasn't worth it" (he looked really worried and freaked out on my account), and managed to pull them away. I am now very careful in those places.

Anyway, I offered to drop off vee dub to her new owner, a really lovely student who was also working twelve hour overnight shifts to pay for her life. In a carpark parallel to the main street. It seems that during The Auckland Lockdown level 2, which is now, the Auckland City Council is redoing the Inner City roads. I circled the city about five times, navigating blocked off and redirected streets, trying to get to my destination. Finally it was suggested that I meet new owner at another carpark. Which of course was also closed off. But she also had given me the wrong name. Long story short, we finally met at an opened carpark. After more city circling.

Next step: I thought a nice walk to Downtown to restore my outdated public travel card, (I was going home by train) with a quick lunch, would be nice. Er, no it wouldn't. Where were the real food places? I couldn't find any.  All rubbish fast food or plastic food. I would have loved to go to visit some stores like Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Trelise Cooper, but I was too hungry to enjoy even the thought of it.

I discovered that all trains out to West Auckland where I live, were cancelled. Good one. More walking to find the replacement bus, which eventually turned up. So I was in a bus, masked up, social distancing, and I realised that the bus thought it was a train. We had a very long guided tour of Auckland suburbs, taking the long routes to cover all of the train stops, and navigating all of the road works. I got off at the major transport station closest to my home, and got a bus almost to my door. Another er, no, moment. Bus driver wouldn't stop till after two more stops past mine. I was not a happy camper. 

I limped home. Dodgy foot and ankle were being, well, rather sore. They were worse the next day. 

Message to self: wear trainers when you go to town..... there is a reason that everyone looked like they were dressed for hiking.

** link here to my yoga blog