My WalMart Adventure!

I couldn't stand it anymore! I needed some good old US bang for your buck! So I decided the only way to cure these blues was to head out of St. Andrews to the wilds of Dundee. I put on my best African Explorer bravado and got on the bus.

Now, for those of you who might not know... I have a fear of buses. Trains, not problem - buses, just don't like. You see, if I get lost on a train trip all I have to do is get off and follow the tracks back to my comfort zone. A bus can go anywhere it wants, any time it wants and, if I am not recording the landmarks in my non-photographic memory, I will have absolutely no idea where I am in no time flat!

But cheap Christmas lights, hairspray and a cookie sheet that wouldn't break the bank was the goal so I set off. Weather was typical and well before we made it to the Luchars train station stop the windows were completely fogged over due the the number of people on the bus, the wet clothing they were wearing and the cold air outside. By the time the bus crossed the Tay bridge into Dundee I was resigned that trusting the bus driver's pleasant demeanor was my only hope. The bus made three stops in Dundee - #1 was a HUGE shopping mall. I was tempted but knew that I wouldn't find any marked down large cases of diet coke in there so I stayed on the bus. #2 was a side walk in front of a pub and #3 was the city bus station - YEAH~ I had survived!

But it was only the first leg of the trip. I asked the bus driver which bus would take me to ASDA (the UK title for WalMart). He said I'd need a city bus and they didn't operate out of the city centre bus station. My heart began to quiver... Where do I find the right city bus? I asked with a shaky voice. I got directions... Out the front door walk up the street, turn left and go "on for a while" until you see a series of bus stops... (p.s. I typed those ... very slowly for effect!)

There must be strength in the belief that the US bang for your buck is worth it because I walked out of the front door and up the street. When the street went right I turned left and just kept walking. I figured if, after a while, I hadn't found the bus stops I could follow the bread crumbs back to the bus station or even to the mall as a consolation prize. And then a MIRACLE occurred. Not only did I find the bus stops but the very first bus to pull up had its number and ASDA lit up across its forehead! I got on. And I got off at the stop marked ASDA. I followed my Yankee thrift instincts and a girl in black pants and an electric lime top. I figured it HAD to be a uniform because, even here in the UK, no one would wear that kind of thing on purpose. YES! We had arrived on the back side of WalMart!!! She went in the employees entrance I continued around to the front and entered Nirvana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ok enough - you get the point)

I can not put my joy into words! I found a plastic 3ft tall Christmas Tree and 'fairy lights' for a total of 10 pounds. I got a 15 pack of Diet Coke for half the cost of an 8 pack in St. Andrews. I found all kinds of fun things I put back and lost track of time walking up and down all the aisles. They did not have a MacDonald's inside this WalMart but there was one on the other side of the parking lot so, for the first time since arriving in the UK, I had a late lunch at McD's. To cap off a marvelous expedition I even made it back to the city centre bus station without getting lost or paniced! All in all it was a successful adventure. I may not have any trophy heads to mount on the wall but I plan to make cookies on my new cookie sheet very soon and have consumed three diet cokes already. Here's to conquering your fear!