The two guys stacking bottles of water in the corner shop were conversing in Sinhalese. One guy was complaining about some girl called Lalitha to his friend. Being from Sri Lanka, it was easy for me to understand and eavesdrop, albeit inadvertently.
Out on the road, you hear snatches of everything from Arabic to Urdu. The Russians and the French are easy to spot as they order their morning cups of coffee, African voices sing in harmony with the Spanish. Guttural German and quickfire Putonghua hum over the airwaves. This linguistic United Nations is as dizzying as the London Eye must be to those suffering a fear of heights.
Yet it was the presence of this potpourri of languages which helped convinced the International Olympic Committee to choose London as the host city for the 30th Olympiad of modern times. Sebastian Coe and company won the day when they told the judges seven years ago that if London was awarded the Games, every visiting athlete would feel at home.
Coe said: 'Every country which turns up in London will have a home crowd.' It was a persuasive argument and it helped win him the day. The 204 nations, territories and protectorates which marched out at last night's opening extravaganza can rest assured their countrymen will be there to cheer them on over the next couple of weeks.
The cosmopolitan nature of this city lends it a certain charm. Hong Kong has it to some extent but it is magnified in London. Yet, at the end of the day, to integrate, all Londoners must learn the Queen's English.
Language is the DNA strands of civilised society. And at these Games, organisers are going to great lengths to make sure the fan is catered for.
Take rhythmic gymnastics, for instance. This is one of 12 sports and disciplines where fans can buy a headset which will enable them to listen to explanatory commentary on what they are witnessing. It is an experiment and being tried out for the first time at the Olympics after London organisers found out people craved a better understanding of what was happening before them. And the best way to do that, obviously, is to get an expert to tell them the ins and outs of the sport.