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Sorry for the very late blog but it has been quite awhile since I have had the chance to update. Well a lot has obviously happened over the last few weeks and all it is mainly trying to get organized and getting set up in London as we have found out it can be a real pain in the ass getting organized in this place from the bank accounts, National Insurance numbers, work, finding a place to stay and getting used to the subway here it is very tiring and difficult when not used to this place. Although I have had some luck with a couple of things though like the bank account. I was told that is impossible to get and takes around a month but somehow I went to a bank and 30 minutes latter I was up and running. That was the very first thing I did (of the boring jobs) when I arrived here and thought this is going to be quite easy. Next spot of luck was getting a job made a phone call and the next day I was working but that was thanks to Tommo, cheers mate, so I'm now a laborer and
having a blast with the guys that work there.
The hardest task by far was finding a place to move into and it was a real problem causing a couple of stress related arguments and tears. When arriving here Kylie and I knew nothing about the suburbs around the city centre if they are good or bad places to be living in. Also as I was working it was really hard on Kylie who was running around the place looking at places in between finding work for herself as well. When getting up at 6.30 heading to work and then finishing and going to meet Kylie to go and have a look at a couple of places on the other side off the city really gets ya down when getting back home at 10.30-11 that night.
We eventually got the idea that west is best so just mainly concentrated on that area. After around a week of late nights and disagreements we finally found a place that was near perfect for us and as soon as we got back home to the place we were crashing we rand and were told someone had beat us to it by
Big Ben
With a blown bulb or two3 hours! That was a big lesson in London for trying to get a place here.. If like say yes right away!! But we didn't learn anyway because a couple of days latter we found another but took the tube back into the city to see how long it took (30 minutes) and by the time we got there rang them and it had gone it that time! We were shattered exp me and I was thinking we were never going to get a place. But lucky that afternoon with some help from Kylie dragging my sorry ass there we went and had a look at another place and we both liked it and took it right away this time. We had finally found a place after 1 1/2 weeks so could kinda settle down a little at least but it was another 5 days before we could move in so we were still staying on the couch till then. We ended up crashing at a friend of a friends place for over two weeks and owe them soooo much it was just fantastic for us! Well the house we are in is about 40 minutes on the tube tube
Buckingham Pallace
Waiting for the changing of the guards to the city centre and we are living with three Chinese who can really cook up a storm, I'm near a pro at chop sticks now but still takes to long to eat all the food though.
For work I'm doing some laboring in the city centre.. Actually the suburb that I'm working on is the most expensive to live in London. It's called Kensington and the place I am working on is just in a normal street in the area but the guy purchased it for 10 million quid and is spending another 6 million quid doing it up! It is going to be amazing though with a cinema, bowling alley, computerized golfing range worth 100,000 pound alone and all the high-tech stuff you can poke a stick at. Cant wait to see the finished product but that will be in around 10 or so months and I've know idea what I'll be doing that far away.
Kylie has got a job now which is great and she is doing some waitressing at a restaurant/bar called, get this The Slug and Lettuce! I had a good laugh when I found that out. She has had to do training
In heaven
My best Birthday present by far! for 1 1/2 weeks now along with 8 others. It is a completely new place opening and tomorrow she finally starts doing the proper thing. She is currently on the bed going over all the different wines, beers, cocktails and meals cause I think it is a pretty posh place and they like to know everything and anything about it. She had a fairly hard time getting work over here, waitressing isn't at all what she would like to be doing because of the hours and the amount of pay that she will be getting so she was trying to get into sectary work but they all asked for experience and if anyone has none at all they just say 'no'. Where are people supposed to start doing sectary work and to get some experience? The poor darling was doing it very hard for a couple of weeks but it was great that she stuck it out and kept looking and finally something came her way, not what she really wanted to do but doing waitressing work between 9-5 and very rarely nights and weekends is a real bonus. It would have been very easy for her to just give
Free hugs day
The group off us.. Go to the very last paragraph if wondering what on earth I'm doing.. in since it is her first time away from home, she had just arrived in London, we were sleeping on a couch, had no work and nothing seemed to be going her way at all... It is just brilliant that she has now survived the worst off it all and can enjoy living in London.
Seeing the sights of London well I haven't really gone out and seen that much since I have been here for over four weeks now. Went and had a look at the London Eye, Big Ben, London Bridge and Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards which was all brilliant. Expect ally the changing of the guards at Buchanan Palace I didn't think it would be such a big event but they went go all out with the parades and things. We went to the British Museum on afternoon and just walked back out, it is just massive and a full day or maybe two are needed in that place. Kylie is properly the one to ask about all that stuff, she has seen heaps more than me but on the weekends now I'll be able to go and have a look
Free hugs day
Check out the smile on her face around.
Last weekend was a long weekend here and was the first opportunity to go out for a couple of big nights on London and think I really managed to do that. Of course it was the first Saturday off work for me so naturally Kylie had to work on both Saturday and Sunday so unfortuanlly she had to miss out but made up for it this weekend. Anyway Dutchy came up for a couple of nights and was great to see him again, well he is only the second person I have meet on this trip that I have know before we went so had plenty to catch up on.
The big weekend started on Friday with work putting on a bbq and keg in the park near work so can proberly imagine what that turned into so wont say much more on that.
Saturday morning I went and meet Dutchy in the city and one of the guys from work has his brother over from Perth so he had organized a 'lazy way to see London' we hopped on a boat and went up through the city and somehow there just happened to be a bar onboard
Free hugs day
Anyone for a hug? and for some reason one of the guys decided to play a drinking game and this was at 10am so another long day that was. The boat tour was good off memory and it ended up at Greenwich where time is started from but we couldn't work out if that is where it is started why is the countries like Aus further ahead. If anyone knows let me know so I can fill the guys in plus the guy talking on the boat who had know idea.
Sunday with a beer for breakfast among other things then we went to an internet cafe and for some reason my mates brother booked us a 5* hotel in the city centre completely out of the blue for only one night. Things got messy again after spending most of the day is one of the Aussie pubs here called Walkabout. They are great over here always have a AFL game going on and I was watching Hawthorn v West Coast from Aurora Stadium, was weird though know that home is only 50 min from where the game was. So that was the big weekend and paid for it with the body and wallet
but had a great time and Dutch your not allowed up for another month if that is what is going to happen need that long to recover mate.
The weekend just gone, it is still Sunday night here, Kylie and I both had the whole weekend off work for the first and proberly the last time so was just a great relaxing weekend spent chilling out in the city and meeting up with some friends last night for some drinks. It is really a great feeling when actually you have your own place, know some other people, worked out the bloody train system and just go and meet some friends for some drinks in the city! Saturday morning we could actually have a sleep in but was still up and about at 8 so headed to a couple of markets in the city. The first had some ballet going so that was quite good see, never seen that before and they were only young performers and did a good job (I think) and the tights the guys were wearing didn't leave much for the imagination at all! The second market we went to was a food one and I
was in heaven! Will be defiantly going back there to try some more of the local produce they have. After that we went and got a couple off drinks and headed to Hyde Park and sat in the sun for a couple of hours drinking away. Yes the sun is actually out here in London and the weather , to the disagreement of Kylie, has been quite good. It is only going to get better from now on so cant wait for that! The park in right in the centre of London and anyone is able to take along some drinks and have a good session in the park or where ever they like. It is fine to have a open can on the bus, train in the city or where ever.. Quite weird though walking around and I am always thinking that I'm going to get a $100 fine slapped onto me any minute now. So after that we headed and meet some friends but stayed a little to long as we missed the trains back home. But there is night busses back home and we got onto the correct one but was going the wrong way, thanks to
Mr Stella and Mrs Scotch, so can imagine how angry we were when we realized 30 minutes latter that we were going in the wrong direction. It ended up taking two buses and 2 1/2 hours to get home instead of 15 minutes on the train if we made it! A Another lesson learnt, drink more and crash at someone's else's place near bye
Today we actually had a decent sleep in and then headed to The Monument and this was built to remember the Great Fire Of London. It burnt for 3 days destroying more than 13,000 houses along with 436 acres of the city. We had know idea what it was built for until we arrived, the main reason for us going there is that we are povo and it is also 202 Feet high and for 2 pound has brilliant views of the city. Could have gone on the London Eye for around 30 pound so the choice was made and had exactly the same views. Again the sun was out so had a 360 dec lookout over London.
Over all in London after a few setbacks and finally, I think I can say we are
living and working in London and I'm loving this place. I thought that I would hate it in a big city like this but with so much to do and go and see, even though I haven't seen anything really, I have really got sucked into London. We are going to book to go and see some theater shows as soon as we both know what hours we will be doing maybe the Lion King of The Lord Of The Rings plus can go away for the weekend to somewhere like Spain of maybe France! Going to be very hard to take once we get going 😊 But I am really here to save money for my further backpacking latter in the year and early next year. Plus with the big news back home I'll be heading there early next year for a massive weekend for the wedding. Kramer and Eve as soon as a date is sorted let me know and I'm all over it, really cant wait!!
Well I think that is all for this time and I'm sure it is long enough for everyone and I could have easily bored you more. Next time it will
no way near as long between updates since we have the internet in our room now so ne excuses..
Take it easy everyone from the London Locals
Another quick thing there is a couple of photos with people and me holding up 'free hugs' signs. Some might have heard of it but anyway a guy from Couchsurfing organized a day off it and what it is pretty much is what it says, people giving out free hugs!! Properly sounds quite weird and I was thinking what is going on here as well but after awhile it was a really great feeling when your holding up a sign and ask a random then they look puzzled and you see the expression on there face go to 'oh why not' then they go away with a smile on there face. Doing that a couple of hundred times that day was something special. It originally started in Sydney and now it randomly happens all over the world. When i was Dublin it was going on as well but I missed out that time. Go to www.youtube.com and type in 'free hugs' and a very good video clip will come up and see
why it is so good!!
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Charlie (Egypt)
non-member comment
Here at last!
Hey chris, been a while. reading your blog, sounds like everythings coming together for you which is good to hear! hope your enjoying london, make sure you go and see a musical in the west end! how long you in london for, be good to go for a drink or somthing!!!! take care, have fun!!!!!!! happy birthday by the way. xxxx