July 2005

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Wales Part 1

Having packed my backpack I set off for Oxford Circus tube station. I bought a ticket to Victoria tube station and stood on the tube with my big pack on, cause I couldn't sit down with it on and it was easier to do that than to take it off since we were only going about 4 stops away.

After getting off the tube station I had to find the coach station which is in a different spot, so walked for about 10 mins or so til I finally found it. I'd arrived one hour early so I was quite happy just to sit for a while and listen to music.

The bus was very new and comfortable, and the journey to Cardiff took 3 hours and 15 mins, non stop, which was good. To the right is a pic of the countryside on the way to Wales.

Aunty Jeane met me at Cardiff outside the Castle where the bus stop was, and we went for a cup of tea before driving home. I was talking continually cause I hadn't had anyone to tell about my days since I arrived!

At Jeane's house it was so unbelievably different from the last time I was here, so many houses and no more fields around. (think of Yarra Glen) Even the big hill that used to be behind her house has been basically flattened and houses built on top. The village pub is still there though!!!

Uncle Mick and my cousin Jeanette had been for a run so they arrived soon after we got back, and we arranged to have tea at the pub. It was so great to be with family, and weird because there is such a connection even though you hardly know them, it's just really comfortable. Jeanette and I are quite similar, same taste in movies, clothes and food. (she likes the crust of bread better than the actual bread too, and her favorite jam is Rasberry just like me)

We got home at about 10pm and all went to bed, having organised to go shopping in Swansea tomorrow.

I was awake at 6.30am this morning so I went with Mick and Jeanette for a run around a lake near their house. Lovely walking tracks. We took Jeanette's dog Cindy with us and I was having a great time throwing sticks for Cindy to chase. Very sweet dog. Here are pictures of the walking track, and Cindy.

After running we went into Swansea (after cleaning ourselves up and changing of course).
Swansea is about half an hour drive from here in Foelgastell (pronounced Foll - Gas - Teff). Jeane, Jeanette and I went shopping and I got all my photos burnt to CD to send home. I bought a new belt cause my other was breaking and we had lunch in a good cafe. Jeanette and I had the most amazing icecream from a place called Joe's, I will definately be having that again before I leave here!!! After shopping we got home, had a light tea and I watched Casualty with Uncle Mick while Jeane was on the computer. I went to bed at 9pm cause I was tired, and I finished the book Marlene got me for my birthday (it was excellent).

Today we went to Pembrokshire which is the next county, and did a long walk from Bosherton Lily Ponds (see first pic to right), past Broadhaven Beach, across the headlands to Barafundel Bay and Stackpole Quay. I just think they have the sweetest names for a lot of their little villages. We had lunch at the tearooms at Stackpole Quay and walked back a different way through some fields with dairy cows in them. Jeane is scared of cows, and it was quite funny when we had to walk through a big herd of them! The scenery here is just beautiful, like something out of a story book, the roads are all bordered by green hedges and the fields are surrounded by either hedges or stone walls. We saw some swans on the river too, and a couple had some babies with them. Very sweet. I had to explain that yes, we do have swans in Australia and they arent' all black!

On the way home we stopped to see Carew Castle and I got a couple of pictures. We didn't go in cause it cost money to see inside and there are a lot of other castles that are free. We were also all pretty tired having walked for so long already. So we came home via the pub, and here we are after having a couple of drinks. (I had a lovely hot chocolate, cause I was quite cold and they are laughing at me cause it's about 17 degrees, which they say is warm)

Tomorrow Jeane is taking me to see some historical places while Jeanette and Mick are at work. Tuesday Jeanette is taking me to a friends house to see her animals, including a young foal, and Wednesday we are going out with Jeanette's friends to an amusement park. So will have lots to write over the next couple of days. This holiday stuff is really tiring isn't it?!!!!!
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Saturday, July 30, 2005

London Town

29/7/05

1055hrs GMT

I am now sitting at the bus terminal at Greenline coach station near Victoria tube station. The coach to Cardiff, Wales, leaves in 45 mins so I will try to catch up on the last couple of days.

Landing and getting through Heathrow was easy, it only took about 15 mins altogether. A man helped me to get the right ticket and find the train into Oxford Circus via Paddington station. Once at Oxford St I found a phone but the card didn't work so I bought one, only that didn't work either so I gave up (found out later I was dialling wrong)
It was drizzling rain so umbrella up I navigated my way 3 blocks down to the hostel in Noel St, Soho. Rang the doorbell, no answer, ? too early. Tired and fed up and wanting rest I decided to go to McDonalds which I'd past on the way so bought a drink there and sat and wrote some stuff in my journal. Went back to the hostel after 8am and checked in. Dumped bags and went to find nursing agency. Found it, soaking wet and probably looking terrible. (the rain here is very clever, it gets you wet UNDERNEATH your umbrella) They were not especially helpful at the agency, and told me I needn't have come straight away, could have gone to Wales! (contrary to previous advice given) Oh well, will see London while I am here.

Spent the rest of the day walking around exploring a bit, lots of red double decker buses and red phone boxes and policemen and PANDA cars (police cars). Police absolutely everywhere actually. I got tired at 2pm so went to the supermarket to buy food (spent £2.10) for tonight and tomorrow, then went back to hostel and slept all night from 4.30pm to 3am, then 4am-8.30am, pretty good I reckon!


Thursday 28/7/05

I bought a sightseeing bus ticket and spent all day from 10am- 9.30pm out and about. (it doesn't get dark until about 10.30pm during summer months, and is light again at 5am)
First I went to St James Palace and Gardens, via Trafalgar Square where I took a pic of the lions cause I remember sitting on them when we visited when I was six. There were guards at St James' on beautiful black horses.


Walking to find Buckingham Palace I saw the Horse Guards change at St James' and the whole troop of mounted soldiers rode right by me on the road! I literally followed them to the square in front of the palace and took more pics as they changed over.













After seeing horsies I walked through St James' Park to Buckingham Palace. I saw squirrels running around on the grass! They are much smaller than I imagined. I was sneaking up close, wondering how close I could get before it ran away when suddenly it turned and ran - straight towards my feet! So cute, but I was a little worried for a minute that it might run up my legs! So silly. So got close up photos!


On the way to Buckingham Palace I overheard a walking tour guide so tacked on the end of the group and followed. We went past all the huge crowds out the front of the palace and down the road a bit. The people at the front will have been waiting for an hour the man said. So past the palace, I'm thinking where on earth are we going, but we stop down the road and the man says the guard will march right past us, much better for photos than out the front. So more pics, more nice looking horsies and lots of soldiers (guards) in silly fuzzy hats! I listened to the tour man's talk on the palace, the Queen was there today apparently (later I found out she attended a memorial service at Westminster Abbey). Apparently if Prince Charles becomes King he will be known as King George VII. The tour man had said that the guard changing was like watching paint dry so I didn't stick around to watch it!

I walked to find the bus again and saw a sign for the Guard Museum so thought I would check it out. Amazing pieces of history in there, banners (colours) that were carried to war in the 1600s and 1800s! There was also a little cup there that Florence Nightingale had used at Servastapol on the front line to dose wounded soldiers with alcohol. I went to the souvenir shop there where they sell toy soldiers ranging from £4.50 to £300.00 EACH!!! Ludicrous. Didn't buy any!!
When I came out the crowds had gone from the Palace so got some better pictures of the actual building.


Found the bus again and went around for a bit, saw Westminster Abbey (where the bus guide told us about the Queen being there) but didn't stop cause there were armed police everywhere due to security for the memorial. I stopped to see and ride the London Eye, and on the way saw the Florence Nightingale Museum but entry was £5.50 and they said you needed a couple of hours to look around so I gave it a miss, but might see it if I come back to London later.
The ride on the London Eye they call a 'flight' which I think is a bit naff. Got ok pics but the windows of the pod were a bit dirty. I think I found the building they had the flag on in the Amazing Race. I'd just missed the boat down the Thames after the Eye so went walking nowhere in particular and found a NZ guy doing street theatre.

He was a contortionist, and could dislocate both shoulders! He squeezed his whole body through a normal sized coat hanger! Then he escaped from a straight-jacket which had been tied on tightly with his arms crossed over behind his back. Apparently you can't get out of one that way unless you can dislocate both shoulders. Made everyone cringe to watch.

After that I caught the boat down the Thames to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. We passed under London Bridge, which is the 4th one they have had built cause the others either fell down or sank into the Thames. Now I know where that nursery rhyme comes from. The tower of London was a very impressive building, I also didn't go inside cause I didn't think I had enough time, so might do that when Mum comes over, if she wants to.

Was getting hungry by this point so back on the bus and went around to the Sherlock Holmes pub, also seen on the Amazing Race, where I had a voucher for a fish and chip dinner (£3.00 extra when I bought the bus ticket). I found a table at the front of the pub and went to sit down when a bar lady came up and said "sorry, you can't sit there you have to move to the back of the pub, the police are outside and there is a suspect package on one of the buses"!!!!! So I moved tables and ate my fish and chips while we talked about how the Londoners feel about the bombings. They really aren't scared, they just find it really inconvenient with all the disruptions to traffic, trains and buses! After about 10 mins we heard a small explosion, which would have been the police blowing a controlled charge to destroy the package, whatever it was. There are signs at all the bus stops saying to take all your bags with you etc, yet some people obviously still manage to leave things behind.

Back on the bus after fish and chips (which had lovely beer batter) to see St Paul's Cathedral. Unfortunately it was too late to go in, the last tickets are sold at 3.30pm, so just rode past on the bus and took a picture of the stairs where the lady sits feeding the birds in the film Mary Poppins. It was getting on for time now so I rode around on the bus for a bit longer seeing some more of London, the buildings are just amazing, nearly all of them really old with intricate decorative architecture. Had to get back to Tower Hill station for 7.30pm for the beginning of a walking tour of Jack the Ripper parts of town, so hopped off there and waited for the tour.

On the walking tour we visited two of the murder sites, and heard the details of the crimes and why Jack the Ripper had never been caught. There are quite a few theories as to who he might have been. What I find most unusual is that after 5 murders, they just stopped abruptly, and no more ever occurred. I thought that serial killers were compulsive and couldn't just stop like that. Anyway we will never know who he was.

I met two Aussie guys on the walking tour who were nice enough to escort me home on the tube cause it was 9.30pm when we finished, so that was comforting. I fell into bed after getting on the net to book my bus ticket to Cardiff.

Kuala Lumpur stop & flight to London

27/7/05
1110hrs AEST - 0210 GMT

We are now flying over the Ukraine, almost on top of Kiev. (can't see any chickens! ha ha ha I must be tired!) 2hrs and 47mins flying time left. Its -22 degrees C outside, we are at 11589m altitude and travelling at 852km/hr ground speed. We were travelling at nearly 1000km/hr before but now we have a head wind. Outside the sky is a rainbow again, very clear and awesome. Half the view is still dark though cause the sun has gone around the earth and caught up with us. (Yes, I know, the earth is rotating underneath us and going around the sun, not the sun around us, but that's how it feels up here) So in one direction it looks dark then the sky gradually lightens and rainbow appears as you look from West to East.

The stopover in Kuala Lumpur (or Koala Lumpur as I like to call it) went pretty fast, most of the time I spent waiting for the free internet, then spent ages trying to send message cause hotmail site was sooooo busy and internet was really slow. I had a look around the shops but it was all pretty expensive stuff and I didn't have any small change of Malaysian money to buy a crappy souvenir so I didn't. I will always have the memory of the toilets though! I walked right past two cubicles looking for a toilet, until I realised. They are sunk into the floor, although still porcelin and flushable, and you squat over them to "go". Weird, and a bit disturbing but I suppose in a way it's cleaner cause you don't sit on the same seat that someone else has! Anyway I won't go on about it. While I was waiting for the plane I listened to my ipod which was nice.

They aren't feeding us much on the plane which is good, I was thinking they would constantly and had already decided to skip snacks etc cause just sitting here it's not like you get hungry very often. I suppose it was about 8-10 hrs since we had tea, most people have been sleeping since. I've had about 4 hrs sleep altogether since we left Malaysia, 2 hrs + 2 hrs so that's not bad, I feel awake now cause my body thinks it's lunchtime. I watched "Anger Management" the movie, which was mildly amusing sometimes, now I'm listening to Marvin (ipod). I've done the in-flight exercise program too!

0235hrs GMT

Still in the Ukraine, soon we will be over Poland, then Germany, then Holland, then England. I'm not in a window seat anymore but I can see across and I get up every now and then to look out the window in the exit door up the back of the plane which is only a few rows away. I'm still trying to decided whether to go straight to the Nursing Agency or go to the hostel first. We are ahead of schedule so I would be early for both, will see when I get to London. Anyway, they've turned the cabin lights on again so maybe food is coming (tummy is growling now) Probably won't write again until I'm settled. Cant' believe I've written so much already, wonder if I'll be able to keep it up!

Thursday, July 28, 2005

The flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur

26/7/05

1725 hrs AEST

This is AMAZING!! Australia is soooo big, which I knew, but the view is blowing my mind. We are at 30000 ft (10km above the ground) flying over central Australia. Red sand and scrub/trees everywhere, sometimes less trees, sometimes none. The roads are just little straight scratches on the landscape. No signs of life anywhere, no movement.
Our ground speed is 885km/hr. Outside air temp is -41 degrees C. Occasionally I see a lake or river, but theya are nearly all dry, the lakes are white - it looks like a model from the museum!
The hills that come along every now and then are rocky and look like scars on the earth. We flew over a collection of little white buildings (tiny) with a couple of air strips that looked about as big as a piece of Extra chewing gum! Just awsome. I reckon everyone should pay for an international ticket just so they can see Australia at 34000 ft! It's getting drier again now. There are ridges scoring across the ground as far as I can see, they look like the sand does under the water at the beach. Obviously wind erosion, but on a huge scale. At this altitude I can see the curvature of the earth! That is just unbelievable, seeing it curve in either direction as I look at the horizon. I am truely excited now, still teary when I think of everyone at home but now just loving the moment. What a wonderful country we live in. I am going to have to schedule my home flight so I see this again! The cabin lights are going out now, must be time for siesta. I'm getting up to go to the toilet - Robert, I wonder if they have a "jobby wiecker" ha ha ha.....

1750hrs AEST

The plane is nice and steady, I can see the wing and it is nice and still, I don't like it when they move around! Just passed a big pointy hill/rock, I don't know what it is. Lots of little dots of cars there, must be tourists. Black bitumen airstrip, so thin it looks like it's been drawn on with a black fine liner pen. Now long stretches of rocky ridges, very straight and long. They look a bit like the veins on a man's arm. Now passing a huge lake, I think it's mostly salt, with some blue water in the middle. We're on the border of NT and WA now, the lake shows up on the in-flight map on my little screen. It's 1/3 of the way up the NT border. The terrain keeps changing ever so slightly, there are now little round craters that look like acne, some have water in them. So round like man made dams but there are so many they must have naturally formed. The man in the seat in front of me says there has been rain in this region recently. (duh)

The plane seats are either bright purple, blue or green. I have a window seat, in case you hadn't guessed. Each seat has a screen in front. There are heaps of movies to choose from, I've already watched one! (you can start playing them whenever) It also has games, in-flight shopping, TV programs, radio, CD music and news. Very different from our last trip when we kept missing the start of the activity thing on the radio cause they kept bringing food! The games are ATARI games. They have a game called centipede, which we had when we were kids. I still just like watching the little plane on the screen though! We're heading toward the ocean now in WA.

Food was good. I had salmon and rice, and chocolate cake. Too full now, I think I'll skip the next one, I can't go walking to work up an appetite! Might watch another movie......

Just realised it's dark now in Melbourne. Still light here. Weird....am I going back in time now or forward? Time is slower for me cause I'm travelling faster through space......

Anyway,

Looking at the map, I am as close to Malaysia now as I am to Melbourne!

1850hrs AEST

Passing WA coastline NOW. Swampy beaches with long inlets of water that extend like fingers of fungi in a petrie dish. There is a little town down there, I can see a boat offshore. We are chasing the sun! Flying toward a white platform of fluffy cloud with sun reflecting off it making it bright and luminous. Beautiful. The soil is very dark here, I am nearly over the last bit of Australian soil. Bye bye Australia, I will be back soon cause you are so beautiful and I couldn't live anywhere else. Wow, the outer beaches are really clean with light coloured sand. Deep blue water, I can't see and wave motion, I am too high up! We have just climbed to 12192m, I heard and felt the engines arc up. My tummy is a little queasy now.

We are over half way to Kuala Lumpur now, our ground speed is 889km/hr!! I wonder how fast model planes go, relative to their scale. How amazing that this big hunk of methal is just floating up here, 12km above the ground! I can still see a little bit of coast but that will be gone soon then just water below until we fly over Indonesia in about 2 hours time. It will be more boring then so I might watch another film, or CSI, or Parkinson! The clouds look just like cauliflower now, a bit flat piece of cauliflower as far as I can see. Can't see Australia anymore. I can't believe I've already been on the plane for 4 hours.

1950hrs AEST
I closed my eyes for a bit but not tired enough to sleep.
The sky is a rainbow now, right across the horizon...grey below where the sea is, then orange, then yellow, green, blue and indigo. All hazy covered in cloud but still stunning. Only little spatterings of cloud now. We are at nearly 40000ft now, over the Indian Ocean close to Indonesia.

2005hrs AEST

Land Ho! I see the first island of Indonesia, a mountain peak poking through the clouds.

2040hrs AEST

I can't see anymore land, just sea and clouds below. The sun has managed to out run our plane (duh again). It's setting now in front of us (still to the east) Sky is pink but not spectacular cause it's not clear enough. I'm watching Million Dollar Baby and I've just realised I left my Celtic necklace at home.... will have to get it mailed over to me!
Coming into land now, the lights are very pretty, it looks like Sim City with the town so close to the water and the mountains. Looking forward to stretching my little legs!