It would seem that the planets have started to align themselves above the skies over Hammersmith, and things are starting to fall into place.
The day before last, Caitlin and I made friends with a traveller from Edmonton, Alberta (my old stomping ground), and spent half the day with her at the ever so impressive British Museum. Although we didn't know Vi's name until the end of the day when we got her e-mail over a hot-dog in a nearby park, it was kinda nice to traipse through the Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece exhibits (although I think she enjoyed it more than we did- wanting to start a guided tour a bit after 3pm when we just wanted to get out of there).
The most important thing to note was the mummified corpse of Cleopatra of Thebes, which was in one of the Ancient Egypt domains. Personally, I just wanted to go straight to Level 3 and look at the European and Celtic exhibits (when in Rome...or London as it may be), and would have been happy to bypass all the other stuff. And it was a shame that by the time we got there, our brains were completely over-loaded, and we decided to bounce on out. However, it was good to try and occupy our selves, and pass the time, waiting to hear back from a share house we had gone to inspect, and were very interested in renting...
Caitlin and I had spent the previous Thurdsay looking at houses out in the South, particularly in the Clapham and Battersea areas. The third house we inspected was at 7 Cabul Road, Battersea- in response to an add we found on the GumTree website that had read "A Large room with two double beds for two chicks to move in".
The vibe at Cabul Road was good from the beginning- Chris (a kiwi) showed us through the house and commented that: a) He likes teachers & b) We didn't seem too strange (just you wait Chris...just you wait:)
It all looked good to us- slightly tired interior, and in need of a vacuum- double storey terrace, large kitchen, compact and clean bathroom, indeed there were two double beds in a spacious room which included cupboards, bookshelves and a full length mirror. Chris informed us that the other two 'flatties' were a girl from the Gold Coast, and another boy from Sydney; and the Brisbane bloke who currently rented the room (porn mags, spoons, scissors, lighters everywhere- the works) was being kicked out for not paying his rent. Chris asked us to have a think about it, and get back to him. We headed back to Clapham Junction, and kicked on back to Hammersmith, and over a 2 meals for £5 at Edwards pub, across for St. Christopher's Inn, we sent him a message to say that we were keen. We also decided to send an email saying that we'd like to come and meet the other housemates, if possible.
It was arranged that we would head back to Battersea on Monday night, around 7pm, to meet the other flatties- Rachel and Ben- and we were so nervous (much like getting a call back for a second interview/casting/audition), but it all went well, and after waiting through that painstaking Tuesday to hear back from them, we called on Wednesday to see what the go was, and it was sweet as- the room was ours, and we could definately move this Saturday. Yaaaa-hooo!
So it's fairwell for now Hammersmith (or what we refer to fondly as Hammered-smith).
You've been good to us this last week- but I can't honestly say I'm unhappy about moving on.
St. Christopher's Inn has been A1, and I feel compelled to write a sparkling review for it on the hostel world website, and will certainly stay at the other hostels they have in other parts of England and Europe. I've throughly enjoyed my daily, evening meal at Edward's Pub, and their cheap prices and drink deals- even though I think someone needs to point out to them that HP sauce is not Salsa. They are different products people! Further, had I stayed longer in the Hammersmith area, there was a risk I may have turned into one of those cursing, bitter peeps in the near-by internet cafe with the shoddy connection, or the constant sounds of ambulance, police and fire sirens going off 24/7 due to the proximity to nearby stations may have just done my head in completely.
But all's well that end's well.
(surely that's a traditional english quote?)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Confidence is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as... Parklife!
It hasn't taken me long to work out that the Parklife culture is huge here in London, and I really dig it.
The lush green grass and the leafy trees overhead make parks a perfect refuge here is this concrete jungle.
There's always a park close by wherever you are, where you are sure to find plenty 'a dirty pigeons (and sometimes sparras too), people kicking the soccer- I mean- football, mums with prams and their [rotten] children, high school students cutting classes, and joggers going round and round and round...
These parks have served me well: a place to eat your £2 meal deal lunch from the local Tesco, have an afternoon nap for an hour or three, a place to dry out your hankies or to wait until the time has come for you to check into a place- they're also ideal for drinking pear cider in when the gawd-damn laundrette is closed (nb: you can drink anywhere in this city- except for on the tube or the bus- it's an alcoholics dream...and there are many living out that dream here, might I add!).
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Skulking About
Following those few minor set backs (and minor triumphs, I guess) early on, things seemed to have leveled out somewhat, and ole London town and I are at ease…for now anyway.I’m finally starting to get my head around the A-Z book, and therefore, the way the public transport system works in this city, and have regained some confidence after settling in at St. Christopher’s. We’ve been getting down to the business of job and house hunting, and have some promising leads, but you all know about hatching chickens, so I’ll say no more at this early stage.
Given that it was a glorious spring day today, we decided to head into central London, to embrace the tourist thing before we’ve been here too long to be caught dead doing so. This morning we caught the Tube from Hammersmith Station into Embankment, where we walked up to the Golden Jubilee Bridge, crossed it and the Thames, and followed Queens Walk. The walk took us under tress and lamp-posts with huge cast-iron fish wrapped around their base (very effective, but they just looked like big old carp that we used to try and catch when we were kids), past eastern Europeans trying to flog off gourmet sausages and roasted chestnuts, whilst trying to dodge kids as young as three flying by on scooters, until we reached the Tate Modern Gallery.
The Tate Modern is an ultra-cool museum for a few reasons: it’s (mostly) free, open seven days a week, has an amazing permanent collection including the likes of Miro, Picasso, Pollack and Monet, and well as fabulous contemporary pieces. My absolute favorite was the work of Robert Therrien- his giant size chairs and table took up a whole room, as he wanted people to remember (or resonate with) how it feels to be a tiny child…I just thought of Mao.
Therrien’s The Red Room was also amazing- a room where everything is just red- equally as impressive as David Lynch’s concept! Another exhibit I fell in love with was Cornelia Parker's 'Thirty Pieces of Silver'- a piece made of thirty circles of silverware that the artist had collected over many years, lay them out in her street, and had them stream rolled- amazing!
After walking through the Tate Modern, we stopped to have a vegetarian lunch on the grass at the front of the museum, which was swarming with families enjoying the sunshine. When we had finished, we continued walking along Queen's walk- where we came across Shakespeare's Globe theatre (or at least the remake) which, although we didn't go in, was great to see- past restaurants, bars and churches until the Tower Bridge came into view. My reaction to seeing it was much the same as when I stumbled upon Buckingham Palace. It's such a striking structure, but also one I've been familiar with since I was a child.
We walked until we reached the bridge, and crossed it, and the view from the bridge, and down the Thames and into the city was superb...But what we saw next, I found even more interesting (nerd-burger-in-extremis) !! Across from Tower Bridge is The Tower of London, and ancient structure-with towers and castles built in the 11th and 12th century, with drawbridges and moats and all- that was built at the time of the Crusades. Although we didn't go inside (but I will when I start earning some £££), we walked around the structure and saw the 'Beef eaters' and people dressed in costume having an archery contest.
By this time we had done heaps of walking, and decided to jump on a number 15 bus- the ancient-red-double-decker bus took us down to St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral- the fateful site where Charles and Diana's ill fated nuptials took place, amongst other things.
It is a breathtakingly beautiful structure, and we began by walking the perimeter, trying to cope with the sound of the bells ringing in our ears. Given that it was a Sunday, a scheduled day of worship, there was a service running and people in prayer, and so no sight seeing or tours were available. Still, it was lovely to walk through the Cathedral, and marvel at the ceilings and side-chapels.
From St. Pauls, we got back on the number 15 bus, and headed to Trafalgar Square, and visited The National Gallery. The building it's self is stunning, and it's contents, marvellous (I really sound like a touro)!
The gallery is home to the likes of (and all the real deal originals, mind you) Botticelli's 'Venus & Mars' , Michelangelo's 'The Entombment', Titian (Tiziano)'s 'Bacchus & Adriane', and (the one that made me loose my breath momentarily) Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'. It was somewhat surreal to be standing before these works, to say the least. As well as the works mentioned above, there was pieces by Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rembrandt & Monet...makes me realise that we're seriously starved in Oz.
By this stage, it was late in the day, and we rested out weary legs and strained brain capacity on the steps of Trafalgar Square, and agreed that it was time to go and answer the call of the Pear Cider once again.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Like A Rolling Stone
It's fair to say that we didn't have much sleep that night at the Abercorn- and Cailtin and I had decided the night before, that as soon as day broke, we were hitting the street to see what we could find.
We rose around 6am (skipped the shower option for reasons I hope have been made clear in the previous blog entry) and made our way out onto the Hammersmith pavement. We thought it was worth a shot to get on the Tube over to Ravencourt station, to see what the deal was with the Globetrotter Inn- it seemed impossible that London's backpacker mecca could really be out of action. Interestingly enough, on our way through Hammersmith station, I realised that my entire 300ml bottle of water had spilled throughout my back, and I found myself unashamedly ringing out my bag on the train station platform, feeling slightly un-phased (I admittedly was concerned for my passport which narrowly escaped complete destruction) in light of the previous twelve hours.
We arrived there a little after 7am to find the gates of the Inn chained up, and sure enough, the Globetrotter was closed without explanation, and we were back to the accommodation drawing board. Caitlin knew of a hostel in Bayswater that she had stayed in before, but we were unable to contact them, and found ourselves in need of Internet access yet again. We got back aboard the Tube, and headed back to Hammersmith to see if we could find a 'cafe', and realised that nothing was open at this hour of the morning, and so we walked around the high street, looking for places to stay out of the wind. We managed to find a little staircase in behind the Hammersmith high street, where amid our laughter about the sheer tragedy of our current situation and the way people on their way to work that morning were looking at us, the tiniest bit of sun peaked out from behind the clouds, and I took that as a sign (I was clutching at spanners) that things were on the way up.
You cannot know the joy I felt when a little after 9:30am, the roller door to the front of an Internet cafe started to roll up. Despite our initial idea to stay in the Bayswater hostel, we decided that given the amount of luggage we'd need to move, we should probably look in Hammersmith first. The first place that came up was a place by the name of St. Christopher's Inn, which I had actually noticed when we came back from Ravenscourt, directly opposite Hammersmith station, but I hadn't realised that it was a hostel. From the online description, it looked clean and decent, and we didn't waste much time walking back there and booking in- I must admit, I was almost moved to tears when at about 11 am (which felt at this stage like 11pm) when the Frenchman behind the counter said there were vacancies and we could come back around 2pm to check in. I could have kissed him, I tells ya. Lucky for him there was a sizable bench in between us.
Given that my bag (phone, i-pod, passport, make-up bag, diary, travel journal) was still saturated, and that the sun was out from behind the clouds and shinning by this stage, we took off back to Stamford Brook, were Caitlin had seen a park that we could go and hang out in until our room became available. I hung out there, feeling like your regular gypsy-gal, sleeping under the trees and drying out my personal belongings. It was kinda nice.
By 4pm that day, we had cut our losses, and dealt with the fact that we had lost some cash in leaving the Abercorn a day early, but it was so worth it for regained peace of mind, and a shower, even if there was four months worth of backpacker hair clogging the drain.
We rose around 6am (skipped the shower option for reasons I hope have been made clear in the previous blog entry) and made our way out onto the Hammersmith pavement. We thought it was worth a shot to get on the Tube over to Ravencourt station, to see what the deal was with the Globetrotter Inn- it seemed impossible that London's backpacker mecca could really be out of action. Interestingly enough, on our way through Hammersmith station, I realised that my entire 300ml bottle of water had spilled throughout my back, and I found myself unashamedly ringing out my bag on the train station platform, feeling slightly un-phased (I admittedly was concerned for my passport which narrowly escaped complete destruction) in light of the previous twelve hours.
We arrived there a little after 7am to find the gates of the Inn chained up, and sure enough, the Globetrotter was closed without explanation, and we were back to the accommodation drawing board. Caitlin knew of a hostel in Bayswater that she had stayed in before, but we were unable to contact them, and found ourselves in need of Internet access yet again. We got back aboard the Tube, and headed back to Hammersmith to see if we could find a 'cafe', and realised that nothing was open at this hour of the morning, and so we walked around the high street, looking for places to stay out of the wind. We managed to find a little staircase in behind the Hammersmith high street, where amid our laughter about the sheer tragedy of our current situation and the way people on their way to work that morning were looking at us, the tiniest bit of sun peaked out from behind the clouds, and I took that as a sign (I was clutching at spanners) that things were on the way up.
You cannot know the joy I felt when a little after 9:30am, the roller door to the front of an Internet cafe started to roll up. Despite our initial idea to stay in the Bayswater hostel, we decided that given the amount of luggage we'd need to move, we should probably look in Hammersmith first. The first place that came up was a place by the name of St. Christopher's Inn, which I had actually noticed when we came back from Ravenscourt, directly opposite Hammersmith station, but I hadn't realised that it was a hostel. From the online description, it looked clean and decent, and we didn't waste much time walking back there and booking in- I must admit, I was almost moved to tears when at about 11 am (which felt at this stage like 11pm) when the Frenchman behind the counter said there were vacancies and we could come back around 2pm to check in. I could have kissed him, I tells ya. Lucky for him there was a sizable bench in between us.
Given that my bag (phone, i-pod, passport, make-up bag, diary, travel journal) was still saturated, and that the sun was out from behind the clouds and shinning by this stage, we took off back to Stamford Brook, were Caitlin had seen a park that we could go and hang out in until our room became available. I hung out there, feeling like your regular gypsy-gal, sleeping under the trees and drying out my personal belongings. It was kinda nice.
By 4pm that day, we had cut our losses, and dealt with the fact that we had lost some cash in leaving the Abercorn a day early, but it was so worth it for regained peace of mind, and a shower, even if there was four months worth of backpacker hair clogging the drain.
Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you ?
People'd call, say, "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
You've gone to the finest school all right, Miss Lonely
But you know you only used to get juiced in it
And nobody has ever taught you how to live on the street
And now you find out you're gonna have to get used to it
You said you'd never compromise
With the mystery tramp, but know you realize
He's not selling any alibis
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes
And say do you want to make a deal?
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
You never turned around to see the frowns on the jugglers and the clowns
When they all come down and did tricks for you
You never understood that it ain't no good
You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you
You used to ride on the chrome horse with your diplomat
Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat
Ain't it hard when you discover that
He really wasn't where it's at
After he took from you everything he could steal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
Princess on the steeple and all the pretty people
They're drinkin', thinkin' that they got it made
Exchanging all precious gifts
But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe
You used to be so amused
At Napoleon in rags and the language that he used
Go to him now, he calls you, you can't refuse
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose
You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone ?
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Hi[yas] & [Hel]los
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
Alice is marrying one of the guard.
"A soldier's life is terrible hard,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We saw a guard in a sentry-box.
"One of the sergeants looks after their socks,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We looked for the King, but he never came.
"Well, God take care of him, all the same,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
They've great big parties inside the grounds.
"I wouldn't be King for a hundred pounds,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
A face looked out, but it wasn't the King's.
"He's much too busy a-signing things,"
Says Alice.
They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
"Do you think the King knows all about me?"
"Sure to, dear, but it's time for tea,"
Says Alice.
-- A. A. Milne
Well I guess it's true what they say about the Highs and Lows of London town... Here's my first encounter and example of this truth.
It had been made 'clear' to Caitlin and I that it was all too much for us to stay at our temporary accommodation- in fact, it was suggested we start looking elsewhere on the second day.*
Anyhoo, we decided to get right on out there and keep on trucking. We woke up really early on the morning of May 5th as Caitlin had an appointment at number 1 Regent street. The place was right near the Oxford Circus tube stop, and I decided to accompany here into the centre of town. Caitlin's meeting was scheduled to last about two hours, and I decided that, rather than take a left hand turn towards all the amazing shops that I simply didn't have any money to spent in, I would turn right, down towards a park I could see below a large statue and at the bottom of a flight of stairs.
I noticed a path that led down around the gardens and a half-empty pond. I sat down briefly to take a call from a girl who messed me around about a meeting she scheduled for me on the previous day (the bank holiday), and I finished my coffee and re-scheduled the meeting for Thursday. I decided to get back up an continue along the path- the gardens were stunning- and I noticed a sign that said 'The Royal Parks', and didn't think much more of it until, a little way down the path, I looked up and saw a signpost that read "Buckingham Palace". I eagerly and excitedly followed the path, which sure enough, led me to the gates of Buckingham Palace! Eeeeee!
At first, I was very taken by the Queen Victoria memorial statue, and the stellar golden angel sitting on the top of it. I guess I was just really taken by finally standing in front of the Palace I have heard and seen of for as long as I can remember- and despite the gloomy clouds overhead, the gold tipped gates and the bright yellow flowers in the surrounding gardens seemed to illuminate the place.
I wandered along the front gates, and found out that the changing of the guard would be taking place at 11:30am, and given that it was just after 10, I decided to hang about. I walked around the Queen Victoria memorial fountain a couple of times, taking snaps from different angles, before I made it over to the gates that stand at the entrance of Green Park. I marvelled as I read the history of the park, and looked at the trees overhead and the lush green grass. From here, I watched 'the King's men' march out of the palace gates with a brass orchestra in tow, off on their city tour before the formalities of the changing took place.
After a while, I headed back towards the palace gates, looking to secure a place to sit and view the daily ceremony. As I went to cross the road, a policeman stopped me, and asked me to wait which I did...and in just a few moments, a black range rover flew in the the gates, driven my Prince Phillip (Mr. Queen Elizabeth to you!)- Right in front of me! I thought it odd that this was the only car that wasn't stopped immediately, searched and verified by the security guards armed with automatic machine guns- I guess he just called ahead!!!
I made my up to the steps on the Queen Victoria memorial, and sat down amongst the many tourists and high school students. A bit after 11am, the guards returned from their merry-march-around-town, and the changing of the guard got underway. It took about an hour to complete, and to be honest, I'm not really sure what was going on, but the orchestra/band/what-have-you was awesome, and those black hats that the guards wear are hilarious- they should seriously be added to the Egan Street dress up cupboard!
When all the Queenie-hoo-ha was finished, I made my way back through the St. James Gardens and along the path back to Regent Street. I needed to meet Caitlin at twelve, to ensure we could make it from Oxford Circus station, back to East Putney, out to Wimbeldon and on to Surbiton for a meeting I scheduled with a teaching agency at 2pm. Caitlin's meeting was running overtime, and so we scrambled madly, made it out to Wimbeldon, alas, no Wombles, and miraculously got to Surbiton on time. The meeting was successful, but by the time it was over with we were exhausted, and made our way back to our temporary accommodation in Putney. We didn't arrive til around about 5pm, and we needed to organise accommodation for the evening. It's fair to say that we didn't feel comfortable about using the Internet where we were staying, so we had to do most of our searching on the phone. Unfortunately, when we called the Globetrotter hostel where we had planned to stay, the phone just keep on ringing out. We ended up booking a place that was advertised in the TNT magazine, a place called 'Abercorn House Hostel' in Hammersmith.
After some crappy pizza and wine, we were driven to the hostel, as it was close to Putney, and arrived there quite late in the evening and it was dark outside. Our first clue about the nature of this place should've hit us when they said on the phone that they only accepted cash payments, but sadly, I over looked that, and I guess it was the combination of the security window, CCTV, the fire alarm sounding and the stench of alcoholics at reception that really got the clue ball rolling...
The man behind the desk gave me the keys to three rooms to go and check out, one on the second floor and two on the fourth.
"I think you'll want the one on the second" he said.
Caitlin decided to stay and 'protect' our belongings in the 'lobby' while I headed up-stairs to check out the rooms. As I walked up the first flight of stairs, past the third-world-standard toilets, and the old men sitting in the halls, drinking and smoking, I started to feel rather scared, and somewhat sick. I was stared down, and even approached by a couple of them, but I just kept my head down and made my way to room 230. I passed a girl who had her head peeped out from the slight crack in her door, who was looking to see what the commotion was (there was a fight happening on the fire escape deck between a couple of blokes), and she gave me a wayward smile- probably just pleased to see another female of the species. I made it to the room and realised that we'd have to take it- there was no way I was walking up two more flights of stairs to see what else was up there.
I went back down to confirm with the guy, to find Caitlin being harrassed by a guy in an orange jumper, and the fire alarm started going off again. I shouted to the guy behind the desk that we would only be interested in staying for two nights, rather than five, as we had first stated. He didn't seem overly impressed, which made be concerned about handing over my passport and details to him. But it was late, and we needed to stay there. By the time we carted all of our luggage up the stairs, all we could do was lock ourselves in the room, and start making plans to get out of there at day break. There was constant noise and craziness in the halls, people banging on others doors, and slamming stuff around. We lay on our beds, hoping no-one would bust through our door, clutching our bags, and decided to try and sleep...and we left the light on.
So there you have it.
From Buckingham Palace to a half-way home in Hammersmith.
Helluva day.
*I'm not going to waste my blog space on explaining this further. Contact me directly if you wanna know the deal.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Culture Vultures
Monday May 4th was a bank (public) holiday here in the London, and so it was a great opportunity for me to head into the centre of town.
We took the tube from East Putney station into Piccadilly Circus. From Piccadilly Circus (yep, took the standard photo in front of the fountain) and from there walked down Regent Street, through Carnaby Street (channelled my inner mod) to Oxford Circus. The architecture is stunning, and unlike anything I've seen before, as far as they eye can see, building after building.
We strolled through lanes ways, and popped in and out of shops, bought lunch and found a cute little park by Oxford Circus to eat our lunch in. From there we caught the underground to Embankment station, crossed Waterloo Bridge and walked along the Southern bank of the Thames; from here we had incredible views of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, again the Gothic architectural genius a sight for sore (and tired) eyes. We walked under the London eye, and crossed the Westminster Bridge for an even closet look at Big Ben, the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the general Westminister area.
It is all so absolutely beautiful- the trees, gates, buildings, fences and parks-such an exciting place to be...
We took the tube from East Putney station into Piccadilly Circus. From Piccadilly Circus (yep, took the standard photo in front of the fountain) and from there walked down Regent Street, through Carnaby Street (channelled my inner mod) to Oxford Circus. The architecture is stunning, and unlike anything I've seen before, as far as they eye can see, building after building.
We strolled through lanes ways, and popped in and out of shops, bought lunch and found a cute little park by Oxford Circus to eat our lunch in. From there we caught the underground to Embankment station, crossed Waterloo Bridge and walked along the Southern bank of the Thames; from here we had incredible views of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, again the Gothic architectural genius a sight for sore (and tired) eyes. We walked under the London eye, and crossed the Westminster Bridge for an even closet look at Big Ben, the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the general Westminister area.
It is all so absolutely beautiful- the trees, gates, buildings, fences and parks-such an exciting place to be...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
RACE TO THE BASS LONDON!
The flight from KL to LDN on Saturday was smooth sailing, especially with the help of some sneaky sleeping aides that Kim and I found when we were packing up Clarke Street. Although the flight was a little under thirteen hours, Malaysian Airlines made is completely comfortable, and we were able to hit the ground running when we landed at Heathrow.
We were picked up in a car at the airport, which is quite a luxury here in Great Britain I believe, and were shuttled off to our temporary accommodation in Putney, right by the Thames River in London's south. After a quick dinner and a power nap for me, we headed to London's North via the Tube and a number of double-decker buses, which is uber cool I must to say, right near the Angel Underground station.
We met up with friends of friends at a house over near Islington, and the party got underway quickly with a few cheeky ones, cans of cider, Doves on the stereo and some british lads supplying us with loads of 'spiffling' laughs. We headed out to Old Street, which seemed frightfully similar to my Brunswick street, and lined up for a club called Cargo. The line was long, and it was getting late, so we decided to head to another bar, which I think was called The Music Hall (I'll be back over that way in the not too distant future- just to make sure:) and it seemed we had stumbled across another North Fitzroy gem- a First Floor replica. The beats and bass were kickin', and the tap cider choice...but everyone just wanted to talk... so we headed back to the house, via the dodgy corner shop, which also serves as an after hours bottle shop to pick up some £1 cans of beer and cider for the night ahead.
We kicked on til dawn, dancing to wicked tunes and talking utter cod-shit until we couldn't go on anymore, and it was time to head back south of the city. By the time the cab arrived at the front steps, it was broad daylight, and I could make out where I was more clearly.
Given that we needed to travel from the North to the South of London, we headed through central London, and I could see the River Thames, the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from the cab window- which I had wound down and had stuck my head out of like a bloomin' tourist, but I didn't care! It was amazing so finally see it all, and it hit me I had finally made it!
We were picked up in a car at the airport, which is quite a luxury here in Great Britain I believe, and were shuttled off to our temporary accommodation in Putney, right by the Thames River in London's south. After a quick dinner and a power nap for me, we headed to London's North via the Tube and a number of double-decker buses, which is uber cool I must to say, right near the Angel Underground station.
We met up with friends of friends at a house over near Islington, and the party got underway quickly with a few cheeky ones, cans of cider, Doves on the stereo and some british lads supplying us with loads of 'spiffling' laughs. We headed out to Old Street, which seemed frightfully similar to my Brunswick street, and lined up for a club called Cargo. The line was long, and it was getting late, so we decided to head to another bar, which I think was called The Music Hall (I'll be back over that way in the not too distant future- just to make sure:) and it seemed we had stumbled across another North Fitzroy gem- a First Floor replica. The beats and bass were kickin', and the tap cider choice...but everyone just wanted to talk... so we headed back to the house, via the dodgy corner shop, which also serves as an after hours bottle shop to pick up some £1 cans of beer and cider for the night ahead.
We kicked on til dawn, dancing to wicked tunes and talking utter cod-shit until we couldn't go on anymore, and it was time to head back south of the city. By the time the cab arrived at the front steps, it was broad daylight, and I could make out where I was more clearly.
Given that we needed to travel from the North to the South of London, we headed through central London, and I could see the River Thames, the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament from the cab window- which I had wound down and had stuck my head out of like a bloomin' tourist, but I didn't care! It was amazing so finally see it all, and it hit me I had finally made it!
Kickin' it KL Style
The first stopping point in this adventure was in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia...and what an amazing experience it was! On arrival, I realised that (apart from not being in Kansas anymore) the heat and the humidity may in fact collapse my lungs without warning. The air was so heavy, and the heat, simply overwhelming. We jumped into a 'limo' after making our way out the main doors, and into the Bintang district of KL...so much traffic, so many people...
Given that it was quite late in the evening, we promptly checked in to the Royal Bintang Hotel, and ordered some grub, which was the first introduction to Malay cuisine. Room service sent up a plate of Nasi Lemak, and although a traditional breakfast dish, was sooo good...fresh cucumber, rice, an onion and tomato based chutney with marinated chicken and half a boiled egg and dried anchovies on the side...scrumdiddily indeedily... For the next few days I managed to consume (one too many) nasi gorengs, cuttlefish crackers, pork buns from KL's China town market, roti, vegetables and marinated chicken, a range of Halal dishes, authentic 'restoran' dim-sum of shark-fin, crab, prawn and pork, chicken curry noodles, Char Kwai Teow, seafood laksa, and the delicious Longan drink sweetened with lychees and coconut. Although we bi-passed the tanks of snails, frogs and eels, if I was to return someday, you never know...but I digress...
On our first full day in KL we decided to do a walking tour of KL, which started by taking the train from Bintang station to the Masjid Jamek mosque, the oldest in KL (Nb: we managed to use the KL underground train and monorail throughout our time in the city, and it was really impressive! Again, poo to you Connex!) The Mosque sits on the confluence of the Gombak and Klang Rivers. In view from the riverside was the classic 1930's art-deco-style Oriental Building, the former sessions and Magistrate's Court, City Hall and the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad. Not far from here we walked along the Tudor-style Royal Selangor Club (reeking of the colonial influence) and visited St. Mary's Cathedral. St. Mary's, cooled by the ceiling fans, was perhaps the most humble Cathedral I have yet to have visited, but indicative of the country's Islamic influence. From here we walked to the renowned markets in Chinatown, passing the bright yellow shuttered windows with antiquated iron grill gates and beautiful dutch gables of the Sin Seng Nam restaurant. Chinatown and Little India were fantastic- the aromas, action, atmosphere and people! And it was somewhere here that I realised it was official...I was falling for South East Asia.
After we left Chinatown, we visited the beautifully red, Buddhist Tze Ya Temple, alive with candles, colour and incense. From here we made our way to KLCC station, which is at the base of the Petronas Twin Towers. Our final destination for the day was Carcosa Seri Negara, another colonial building that was a residence of a former British high Commissioner, which has now been turned into a luxury hotel, for High Tea. Hmmmmm....despite my disgusting humidified hair, bad clothes and sweaty-betty-self (next time I'll be working out my Country Road card and finding a local hairdresser and beautician before stepping into such a place), it was divine...if you want to skip past more food hooey, skip to the next paragraph...unlimited Earl Grey tea, egg and cucumber sandwiches, salmon buns with walnut bread with cream cheese, rhubarb crumble, creme brulle, chocolate and banana tarts, walnut bread to start (yeah...) which was followed by plain and fruit scones served with cream and jam, and concluded with strawberries and cream cheese. Yep, told ya. The food (and my obsession with it) was out of control. Then it was time for home, and pool time. Always get a hotel with a pool in KL. Always.
Every night we managed to hit up the bar in the Lobby for a standard cocktails...although consuming a local bottle of Red Bull followed by about ten dirty martinis one night made for an interesting time...each night we were serenaded by Rakim- also known to us as DJ Happy Dude- who would start his set with classic tracks like "Jump Around" and "I See you Baby", and then break out his synthesiser and head-set mic and roll out unforgettable ballads like "Wind beneath my Wings" and Enrique's "Hero")...on the Red Bull night, he even shared with us his repertoire of magic tricks. He somehow put out a burning cigarette butt in the palm of his hand, and then made it disappear. What a pro- step aside Gob Bluth! Gold, I tells ya! (I have his business card, so if anyone's interested, I'll forward you on his details) I believe that it was also on this night, we needed to make a quick stop at the local Quickie-Mart close to The Royal Bintang when I saw my first 'free-range' monkey...I use the term 'free range' loosely, as the monkey was on a leash, with a nappy on, and being forced to sit on it's owner's shoulder. The poor little thing just wanted to escape the cameras and crowds, and was scolded and smacked by it's 'carer' when it tried to find some solace, and rest it's weary head on his friend the python's back. Heavy.
On the day before we headed off, we decided to finally give into the locals harassing ways, and have a Fish Spa, and to be honest, I wish I'd done it sooner. The fish spa process involves putting your feet into a pool of fish who come to eat the dead flesh from you feet...at first just looking at the fish freaked me out, and the sensation was sheer madness, but like with all things of such nature, after a little while, you kind of get used to it...and the end result was superb.
Given that it was quite late in the evening, we promptly checked in to the Royal Bintang Hotel, and ordered some grub, which was the first introduction to Malay cuisine. Room service sent up a plate of Nasi Lemak, and although a traditional breakfast dish, was sooo good...fresh cucumber, rice, an onion and tomato based chutney with marinated chicken and half a boiled egg and dried anchovies on the side...scrumdiddily indeedily... For the next few days I managed to consume (one too many) nasi gorengs, cuttlefish crackers, pork buns from KL's China town market, roti, vegetables and marinated chicken, a range of Halal dishes, authentic 'restoran' dim-sum of shark-fin, crab, prawn and pork, chicken curry noodles, Char Kwai Teow, seafood laksa, and the delicious Longan drink sweetened with lychees and coconut. Although we bi-passed the tanks of snails, frogs and eels, if I was to return someday, you never know...but I digress...
On our first full day in KL we decided to do a walking tour of KL, which started by taking the train from Bintang station to the Masjid Jamek mosque, the oldest in KL (Nb: we managed to use the KL underground train and monorail throughout our time in the city, and it was really impressive! Again, poo to you Connex!) The Mosque sits on the confluence of the Gombak and Klang Rivers. In view from the riverside was the classic 1930's art-deco-style Oriental Building, the former sessions and Magistrate's Court, City Hall and the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad. Not far from here we walked along the Tudor-style Royal Selangor Club (reeking of the colonial influence) and visited St. Mary's Cathedral. St. Mary's, cooled by the ceiling fans, was perhaps the most humble Cathedral I have yet to have visited, but indicative of the country's Islamic influence. From here we walked to the renowned markets in Chinatown, passing the bright yellow shuttered windows with antiquated iron grill gates and beautiful dutch gables of the Sin Seng Nam restaurant. Chinatown and Little India were fantastic- the aromas, action, atmosphere and people! And it was somewhere here that I realised it was official...I was falling for South East Asia.
After we left Chinatown, we visited the beautifully red, Buddhist Tze Ya Temple, alive with candles, colour and incense. From here we made our way to KLCC station, which is at the base of the Petronas Twin Towers. Our final destination for the day was Carcosa Seri Negara, another colonial building that was a residence of a former British high Commissioner, which has now been turned into a luxury hotel, for High Tea. Hmmmmm....despite my disgusting humidified hair, bad clothes and sweaty-betty-self (next time I'll be working out my Country Road card and finding a local hairdresser and beautician before stepping into such a place), it was divine...if you want to skip past more food hooey, skip to the next paragraph...unlimited Earl Grey tea, egg and cucumber sandwiches, salmon buns with walnut bread with cream cheese, rhubarb crumble, creme brulle, chocolate and banana tarts, walnut bread to start (yeah...) which was followed by plain and fruit scones served with cream and jam, and concluded with strawberries and cream cheese. Yep, told ya. The food (and my obsession with it) was out of control. Then it was time for home, and pool time. Always get a hotel with a pool in KL. Always.
Every night we managed to hit up the bar in the Lobby for a standard cocktails...although consuming a local bottle of Red Bull followed by about ten dirty martinis one night made for an interesting time...each night we were serenaded by Rakim- also known to us as DJ Happy Dude- who would start his set with classic tracks like "Jump Around" and "I See you Baby", and then break out his synthesiser and head-set mic and roll out unforgettable ballads like "Wind beneath my Wings" and Enrique's "Hero")...on the Red Bull night, he even shared with us his repertoire of magic tricks. He somehow put out a burning cigarette butt in the palm of his hand, and then made it disappear. What a pro- step aside Gob Bluth! Gold, I tells ya! (I have his business card, so if anyone's interested, I'll forward you on his details) I believe that it was also on this night, we needed to make a quick stop at the local Quickie-Mart close to The Royal Bintang when I saw my first 'free-range' monkey...I use the term 'free range' loosely, as the monkey was on a leash, with a nappy on, and being forced to sit on it's owner's shoulder. The poor little thing just wanted to escape the cameras and crowds, and was scolded and smacked by it's 'carer' when it tried to find some solace, and rest it's weary head on his friend the python's back. Heavy.
On the day before we headed off, we decided to finally give into the locals harassing ways, and have a Fish Spa, and to be honest, I wish I'd done it sooner. The fish spa process involves putting your feet into a pool of fish who come to eat the dead flesh from you feet...at first just looking at the fish freaked me out, and the sensation was sheer madness, but like with all things of such nature, after a little while, you kind of get used to it...and the end result was superb.
All in all KL was a well-wicked introduction to South East Asia, and it has inspired me to return, and return I shall.
She's leaving home...again
After ten amazing years in what is colloquially known as The Rainy City, the time has come for me to move on…well, for a while anyway.
Melbourne has been so incredibly good to me, and it is home to my favorite parks, gardens, galleries, bars, cafes…and most of my favorite people.
It wasn’t an easy decision to leave, and I found it harder than I could have imagined to relocate my cat, pack up my little house and farewell my friends.
So much has changed in Melbourne since I first arrived- the scene, the population and the water storage levels- and I have evolved right along with it. The friendships, share houses, music, parties…two universities, two gyms, two cars…
More than anywhere else on the planet, I consider it to be my home, and for my concerned and loving peeps, I’ll most certainly be back.
But there’s an adventure for me to be had, that’s for sure. Stay tuned.
Melbourne has been so incredibly good to me, and it is home to my favorite parks, gardens, galleries, bars, cafes…and most of my favorite people.
It wasn’t an easy decision to leave, and I found it harder than I could have imagined to relocate my cat, pack up my little house and farewell my friends.
So much has changed in Melbourne since I first arrived- the scene, the population and the water storage levels- and I have evolved right along with it. The friendships, share houses, music, parties…two universities, two gyms, two cars…
More than anywhere else on the planet, I consider it to be my home, and for my concerned and loving peeps, I’ll most certainly be back.
But there’s an adventure for me to be had, that’s for sure. Stay tuned.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Imminent Departure
In exactly three weeks, I will be exiting the country to embark on another adventure...
So much to do, so little time! And as much as I am incredibly excited, I am also starting to feel overwhelmingly sad at the prospect of not seeing my loved ones for some time...but, God bless Skype:) My sister and I will be travelling via Malaysia to London town, to commence our two year youth mobility visa, and despite a few false starts, please tune into this little blog to follow my happenings...so here goes...
So much to do, so little time! And as much as I am incredibly excited, I am also starting to feel overwhelmingly sad at the prospect of not seeing my loved ones for some time...but, God bless Skype:) My sister and I will be travelling via Malaysia to London town, to commence our two year youth mobility visa, and despite a few false starts, please tune into this little blog to follow my happenings...so here goes...
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