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Published: March 5th 2008
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Goodbyes
At the airport in Perth Armed with advice from every person I know regarding how best to travel including "say yes to everything", "airports are cheap places to sleep" and "only let females strip search you", I've set off in search of an adventure. I'm not entirely sure what sort of an adventure I'm in for, or even how long it will last but I remain optimistic that whatever happens, I will enjoy myself. (At the very least, I am just very glad that I no longer have to be asked the ever pervading question "So, are you excited?!!" There is a limit to how many times you can be asked that question by good-intentioned friends & family.... after the 753rd time... I got over it...)
The flight over was quite easy. It helped that we were travelling through the night because the lights stayed off so when we landed it just felt like it was 6 in the morning. It was actually 0630 & customs was a breeze so by 715 I was out to get my first taste of London.... the tube. Well, I had to laugh... the trains & tunnels look like novelty rides- they're so small! Reece & I crammed
into one of those & headed off to Hammersmith to dump our bags at the hostel. As we travelled along, I got my first real glimpse of London & I thought..... .... "This place is a hole".... The houses are ontop of eachother & its all just old and, for lack of a better word, blegh. It was a balmy 2 degrees outside & I started to doubt the checkin baggage calculation of 16kg for my pack... it felt like I was carrying a dead horse (mental note- when I start actual backpacking... throw half my stuff out!).
Despite all of this though, I was still very excited. The feeling you get when you realise that you're on the other side of the world and you have no idea when you're going home is so inspiring.
After we dumped our stuff, we set off in search of the essentials... food, food & more food. On the tube again, this time into Oxford Circus. The longest I have had to wait for a train so far is 3 minutes- perfect :o) I love how the novelty of something as simple as finding somewhere to eat in a new city is
so fulfilling. London city reminds me of Melbourne. The architecture is quite similar & of course there's a bunch of really cold people rushing around, trying to get somewhere very important. If you're unemployed & completely lost like Reece & I though, you can just take it all in & watch. (One thing I have noticed is that Perth girls have to be some of the prettiest girls on the planet-comparitively.)
I already enjoy being a foreigner. I met a lovely guy from Iran on the street in Picadilly & he was just excited that I was out of my depth too :o) Admittedly, Reece & I did check to see if we had been pick-pocketed as we left. I am now very awear of my accent. I feel as though everytime I open my mouth I may as well scream "TOURIST!".
We set up our bank accounts & wondered around for a lot longer, past a few sights including Big Ben & the Abbey, the London eye, Trafalgar Squar etc. We also bought a new sim each- so email me if you want my new number.
The shops are just massive. I get really excited when I see
the prices of everything... 20 dollars for pants! ... ... then I remember its actually pounds & that I'm an unemployed bum... still, it's not as though I want to buy anything anyway- the crazy poms have got all their spring collections out- all I want is a cute little beanie & instead there are mini-skirts. Case in point- when we eventually got back to the hostel, I had a go at one of the staff for only being in a t-shirt & jeans... his reply was that "nah, it's spring, you gotta stay optimistic". Admitedly, the weather is nice, it's just cold. I do like rugging up though.
It was such a full on day that I was asleep by 6pm London time. I slept for a solid 9hrs so now I'm feeling ready to go again. I have to be a responsible adult today though & start setting up interviews for work & places to stay down in Brighton. I've enjoyed myself in London but I am glad that I'm going down to Brighton. Hopefully it's what I'm looking for- if not, I'll just head off somewhere else.
Aaaggghhh- how good it feels to travel :o)
xx
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sister
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TOURIST!!!!!!
oh my god sister you're SUCH a tourist i LOVE it because it looks like me when i was in london and just took photos in front of everything!! you two clearly wasted no time!! i'm so happy and so jealous at the same time but after 3 interviews today-2 of them very very positive on all accounts i am one step closer to joining you!! you sound like you are well on your way to becoming a seasoned traveller-SO happy for you gorgeous!!! miss you and love you lots! xxx