I've Lived Here How Long?

In the hustle and bustle of London, it is easy to miss things and not quite understand everything around you. There are so many people, places, and stimuli that sometimes you tune things out. Big things. Things that are flashing into your face every single day. I'm coming up to 3 years in London and I have just discovered one of those things.

When I lived in Forest Hill, I bought weekly travel passes, so it didn't matter how often I travelled or what route I took to get there. Now, for all you bumpkins who experience the substandard transport of the TTC or maybe the glorious transport of owning your own car, it is a fixed rate, held on something called an Oyster card that you tap on sensors to get in and out of stations. However, since I have moved I no longer use a weekly travel card, but instead a pay as you go method, still loaded onto my Oyster.

Now enough of the nitty gritty - basically everyday I see a pink - not yellow- tap in sign during my journey. In fact, they are all over the place. Heaps of them, littered this way and that. BUT they are in the middle of a platform or off to the side so that you DO NOT need to tap them to  continue with your journey. This has of course led me to ignore them forever. Every single day I see the odd few people pull out their card and tap this little pink spot whilst trundling along to their next platform. Do I ever read the sign? No. Do I ever stop to think about what they are doing? No. Hmm. And to be honest, if it weren't that shiny, rich colour of pink, I probably would have continued to ignore it forever...but like the ferret I am, I was intrigued by it's appeal.

So I go home after a long day of work and realise once again the pink sign. I glance at it - "pay as you go travellers" - interesting. I walk around it - yes it does seem like something I should do. And I then...avoid it and continue walking. Well oh heck, I might as well google it when I get in.

Yup, it is exactly for me and my form of travel. Yup, it would be saving me bundles of money a week. Yup, I am a complete ostrich, moving my way through life with my head in the sand. What I WAS paying for a week of travel - £40. What I SHOULD be paying a week, doing the exact same route just tapping the G.D. fuchsia sign - £19. Smeh, what's money?






Everything is the answer you're looking for. Everything.


Here it is - easy to miss right? No.