Linden - Linden McFarlane

Curiosity and a need to be independent drives us to do strange things. It drove my friend Nicola and I to leave everything we had previously known to embrace the big wide world.

Since the 1st March 2007 we have seen Thailand and lived together in London for 4 months. We have been travelling independently since then, and I have seen the highlights of Europe, with Africa and more of Turkey and the UK planned for this year.

If anything, travel is giving me perspective about people, their differences and similarities, and how leaving home is the only way you can really appreciate it - as they say, you never know what you have til it's gone!

Favourite sayings:
* "Never try, never know"
* "Sevelim Sevilelim" - Love and be loved (Turkish)
* "I would rather feel remorse than regret"

Welcome to the world through my eyes :)

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Joined on: November 24th 2006
Last Login: May 14th 2008

Blog Entries: 67
Photos: 723

TB Code: [blogger=27083]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Linden, order by Date newest first.

By Linden
April 5th 2008

I'm officially sick of London - time for a big whinge

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » Elephant & Castle

For the last year I have based myself in Elephant and Castle. Whenever I tell people where I am from, they always gasp and say 'Elephant and Castle?!? Aren't you scared of getting stabbed?!?' But I have never felt scared here, there are tonnes of people around, well lit roads and I have never had a problem. Until now. Just an hour ago I was mugged. I have been pickpocketed in clubs before, but being mugged is different. Someone came up from behind me, covered my face with their big fat hand, grabbed my bag and tried to run off with [View Full Entry]

By Linden
March 24th 2008

Settled into a home and routine, feels comfy

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » Elephant & Castle

My bed and shelves
Right next to the radiator, so its cosy at best, hot at worst

Hi everyone!! Well a few things have happened since I last posted, so here they are, with pics: New flat!! Thats right, I'm not at the hostel any more! After St Patricks Day I was fed up with noise and living above a bar and hostel life and living out of a bag. So on Tuesday I searched for a flat on the net, found the perfect one, and organised to visit it. On Wednesday I paid my deposit and on Friday I moved in. I absolutely love it! Its huge (5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, small sitting room, huge kitchen and [View Full Entry]

By Linden
February 25th 2008

Life on fast forward

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » Hammersmith

Back in London Hi all, I have made it back in one piece as of last Wednesday and have divided my time into a) recovering from the inevitable jetlag and b) running round like a madman getting set up in this city again. But the running around paid off - I had a job interview with the same care agency Nicola works for on Thursday. They did reference and police checks and by Friday I was called back with 2 clients that I will be providing day visits to over the next month. They had nothing live-in at the time, and [View Full Entry]

By Linden
February 12th 2008

Dancing LJ's month in NZ

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland » South Auckland

Albert Park, Auckland
The closest park to my old work, nice place to eat sushi during lunchtime

And so, the holiday back at home is coming to a close, and I thought I would reflect on what I've been up to in terms of dance. Dancing is a great passion of mine, probably the only thing I would do every day without fail, even if it's only in front of the bathroom mirror :) So here's a step by step summary of my highlights back in Auckland: Partying in Auckland City The clubbing scene in Auckland hasn't really changed since I left, but I have. After seeing the 5 floors of music at the biggest club in Prague, [View Full Entry]

By Linden
January 17th 2008

Aaaaahh, I can breathe again...

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Gisborne

Midway Beach, Gisborne
White sand, East Coast

Blue sky. Sun. Deep shadows and brilliant colour. Being home is everything I hoped for. London is a silvery grey memory, and I have been visiting family and friends in Gisborne and Auckland. It was a relatively quick visit to the East Coast, and I was pretty jet-lagged for most of it, but still got time to see aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. And of course, the traditional eating of yummy FOOD! Before I report back on everything I've been up to since being home, I wanted to post the pics of some of my favourite spots so far. I've made [View Full Entry]

By Linden
January 7th 2008

A quick break, Lanzerote with Nics

Europe » Spain » Canary Islands » Lanzarote

Pool
We didn't use it. why have chlorine when salt is just down the road?

The week at the resort was just what the doctor ordered. After months (2.5 months!) of working, I finally got some time to chill with Nics without having the strains of work or bad weather ruining our fun. Apart from a couple of visits we haven't seen each other much since she started work in Winchester, so it's been a while since the wild months of partying last summer. And fun it was! The sun was bright and warm without burning. The water was cool and refreshing but not too freezing. And we found a beach that was not populated entirely [View Full Entry]

By Linden
January 1st 2008

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » London City

The nıght started respectably
Notıce I am not covered in sour cream or slopped drınks

Próspero año nuevo!! I had two New Year's celebrations this year - at 11am I celebrated New Zealand New Year with (5) people in my office, just because we could. So the champagne was flowing a bit early. We all left work at 2pm and I got ready for the big night. Even put on a bit of makeup! I spent the first half of the evening with Phil and Christine, my kiwi friends from the Europe tour. They are a real laugh! And thank goodness they still had their absynthe from Vienna, because it really made our night. I remember [View Full Entry]

By Linden
December 27th 2007

Happy mass turkey sacrifice day!

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Hampshire » Southampton

Angels near Oxford Street
The lights here are really pretty during the dark chilly winter

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!! I know this is a bit late, but I have had a great week and wanted to share my triumphs and fun with you all. I'm a star! Just call me Alice APACS is a great place to be in December. The last few weeks have been a blur of preparation, anticipation and rehearsal as I learned all my lines for my starring role in the highlight of the Christmas Party: the APACS Pantomime. This year it was Alice in Wonderland, and as you can see from the pictures I made a pretty sexy [View Full Entry]

By Linden
November 4th 2007

London - quick catch up

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London » Elephant & Castle

My street back in Elephant
It's a main road, and once the Christmas lights get put up it'll be pretty

Hi all, OK, time to catch you up on developments over the last couple of weeks. I went to stay with Nics for a day as I'd missed her HEAPS over the last couple of months. We've already started our next plans, more on that in a minute. I got my old job back at APACS, so I've got one part of my life that's still familiar. Same workmates, same desk, same routines. Everything else is different. I got a shoebox flat in Elephant and Castle that is cheap-cheap, so my flatmates are new - 2 Turkish girls, a Turkish guy [View Full Entry]

By Linden
October 15th 2007

XXX Amsterdam XXX. 'Nuff said

Europe » Netherlands » North Holland » Amsterdam

Farm time

Sex, drugs and more bicycles than I've ever seen before in my life - Amsterdam has it all. I have to say that my days in Amsterdam were pretty sedate. On arrival we went straight to a cheese and clogs factory and saw how both were done. The cheese tasted good, but unlike Ximena, I did not get the urge to buy my very own pair of clogs. Wooden shoes are just too weird. After a very quick shower and change of clothes, and we were doing a breakneck tour of town ending at a sex show. There were about 3 [View Full Entry]

TravelBlog » Linden

Linden | Linden McFarlane | Travel Blog

Linden - Linden McFarlane

Blogs & Travel Journals

I'm officially sick of London - time for a big whinge

Settled into a home and routine, feels comfy

Life on fast forward

Dancing LJ's month in NZ

Aaaaahh, I can breathe again...

A quick break, Lanzerote with Nics

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

Happy mass turkey sacrifice day!

London - quick catch up

XXX Amsterdam XXX. 'Nuff said