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**WARNING** Formula One orientated post!!
On Saturday morning we awoke rather confused because our wonderful hostel dorm had no windows so you had no idea what time it was! Once we'd establish it was in fact 10:30 (oops!) we hopped out of bed prepared to face the day, me armed with all one could need for a formula 1 day out and Tess armed with her trusty guidebook and kindle (essentials for a city chill out day). I was really lucky to get chatting to some really nice people in our hostel who were also going to watch the race qualifying that day and who also had tickets to the C2 hillside grandstand (the standard backpacker 'I cannot miss the grand Prix' area!). Fortunately the group didnt comprise of any Vettel lovers although Becky who was from Shanghai did unfortunately carry a huge Spanish flag and was gunning for Alonso..I was willing to big the bigger person though in favour of fellow f1 enthusiasts to discuss with! Her friend Daisy supported Raikkonen and Adam from Australia was a bit of a mix with his McLaren t-shirt and Mercedes attitude (he used to work for them), complete with an Aussie flame for Webber :)
We set off at 11:30, picking up a two day travel pass on the way and finally got to the circuit a couple of hours later. It was very exciting and I was making quite a fool of myself bobbing up and down like crazy in the entrance. We had fun looking around the welcome area and Adam managed to win a very unique petronas electric fan/water spray...unusual but very handy in the boiling weather! We then took a shuttle bus to the 'commoner' hillside stand which was packed with backpackers and locals alike all huddled in the shade with an amazing view of the track. Qualifying was very exciting although we were never 100% sure what was going on..Lewis starting in 4th was good enough for me. It took us what seemed a very long time to get home amidst the chaos of the formula 1 crowd and we ended up losing Daisy and Becky on the train at one point..we never found out if they got back in the end!! I was very happy to be reunited with Tess, who had spent the day getting acquainted with KL and a scrummy pizza later in a Reggae Bar, we were exhausted so crawled into our bunks to prepare for the early start ahead of us.
I can safely say that my darling Tess was delighted when at 7:30 the following morning the alarm went off to let us know it was Grand Prix time! We set to getting dressed and fumbling around in our pitch black bedroom and once Tess had scrawled Lewis across my face in eyeliner (face paint wasn't easy to come by!) we were ready to go. The three of us then set off to the station in high hopes of a smooth ride and good seats on the hillstand as we had a good 8 hours before the Grand Prix even started! When we got there we went straight to our stand and were greeted by the beautiful sight of a near empty hill (yes there were people even more dedicated than us..) and managed to set up camp in a great spot right on the apex where we could see at least half of the track! Having laid out our flags, towels, sarongs and food for the wait ahead, Adam and I left Tess on guard whilst we went back for the drivers signing session. Once again we felt an hour early would guarantee us a good spot in the queue but sadly when we reached it it was already twice the length of allotted people allowed into the signing and packed with people with cameras just after a snap. Luckily we managed to squeeze our way into a good gap right in front of where the drivers would be sitting..in an hour..gah! I made myself busy getting us free flags from petronas by liking their facebook page (gotta love technology) and reassuring myself through frequent updates from Tess that our spot was indeed still 1.in the shade and 2. Not completely run over by the crowds. The drivers turned up an hour later (obviously their expensive watches made up for ludicrous Malaysian timings) and I thanked the Lord that one of the main Mecedes sponsors sponsored the Malaysian Sepang circuit so Lewis and Nico were the only top 10 drivers there! All at once panic broke out as crowds surged forwards and Adam's camera battery died..we were therefore left with no room and only my phone for pictures..not ideal! However with the help of a lovely English couple who held my flags, I was hoisted onto Adams shoulders with the strict objective of getting as many pictures of Lewis as I could..of course I was only too happy to oblige..whilst waving my arms frantically to get his attention too of course..poor Adam! Was so pleased to see him :) I had a lot of people throwing their cameras at me too so I sure hope I got them some good snaps..they all only wanted Lewis didn't they? :) pretty soon a lot of other girls were on shoulders and we began to feel like rather good trend setters. When enough snaps were taken I was helped down, we stocked up on coke for a very thirsty Tess and headed back to our spot.
Needless to say it was pretty crazy then with only 2 hours until the race and I was getting very irritated by everyone standing up and blocking the view..not the way the English do it I'm sure! When the race started I'm pretty sure that my nerves were the highest they've ever been and with no big screen in front of us and little battery on our radio it was all about seeing who came round the corner! Tess and a girl from the hostel called Eryn were by now thoroughly clued up on car numbers, helmet colours and teams by us so all 4 of us had our eyes avidly trained on that apex! After the earlier threat of rain everyone was slowly emerging from the shade to get a better view..I also discovered that I was rather burnt..stupid hidden sun! I was ecstatic when Lewis came round the corner and even more so when it was Webber's helmet in first place AND alonso had disappeared! I won't bore you all with specifics but from a spectators view it was a very very exciting race as we had no idea about the team orders etc that have caused so much drama over the past couple of days! When the race finished (Lewis had his first Mercedes podium finish yeyy) we all set off home very sleepy and thirsty once again! We were kettled at every station but made it home with only just enough time to spare to allow us to tuck into pizza, pasta and salad at the reggae bar before quite literally tumbling into bed!
All in all we had a wonderful time, Tess had her first (and I hope not last) F1 experience and I had my first birthday treat..we all know how much I love my birthday ;)
We're running a little behind ATM on the blog..you've probably noticed..but Tess will update on the rest of KL later. We're currently sitting in a pokey little cafe where the waitress keeps getting our order wrong (baked beans on toast and bacon and toast doesn't seem to compute..oops!) waiting for our bus to Phuket where a nice hotel, a pool and my birthday awaits..WOOHOO!!
Lots of love, Flo and Tess :)
- comments
YKW I think that the length of this post directly corresponds to Flo's excitement at seeing Lewis!..
Joanna How exciting and what an experience! very well done Tess, that's friendship at its best ! I bet Tess was relieved Lewis reached the podium , I certainly was! Am counting down Flo , one more day.... Much love to you both ! Mum, Joanna Xxx