The Update Cometh at last

Well I am finally managing to get an update onto the hallowed, but figurative, walls of this weblog. Please forgive, or not, the long delay and let me assure you that I have a great excuse - now if only I could remember what it was....drat it.

Now where to begin a recap of the last month and a 1/2? Well I guess there is always the start of my Quest, the part where the adventure begins for this particular traveller, Dofus notwithstanding :) :)

The Journey Begins:

August 20th: The flight out from Australia was a 1-stop flight to Japan, with an overnight stay at Kansai Airport in Osaka - the flight was about 9 hours. Well 9 weary hours later I arrived at Kansai Airport, I had already been impressed by the courtesy and helpfulness of the Japanese staff (of Japan Airlines) and this was further strengthened at the hotel I was staying at for the night.
After much bowing and almost overly fulsome politness and after having some wonderfully strange Japanese foods for tea I finally went up to my room for the night. Here I had the delights of watching zany Japanese television, experiencing the thrill of a Japanese toilet (I assume some of you will know what I mean) and finally slipping off into the dreamless sleep of a weary traveller (I assume that most of you will know what that means as well).

The next morning, August 21st, I managed a little sightseeing of the environs of the Airport before heading off on my next flight - a 12 hour flight from Osaka to London, passing over Siberia, Northern Russia, Scandanavia, Denmark, Northern Germany and the Netherlands

Osaka Airport recedes into the distance - notice the Tsunami about to swamp the island?

Well I must say that the flight over Siberia is impressive, the power of nature is very evident as one flies over thousands of miles of spectacular emptiness. Emptiness I say in the sense of the hand of humankind being in little evidence. The time of year was the waning of Summer of course, so there were some wonderfully varied landscapes to observe:


From Mountains

To full-flowing rivers
patterned lakes


and the hilly plains of Finnish Scandanavia


One of my Uncles has actually ridden a motorbike across Siberia to Western Europe. As Ali G would say, "Respect".


By contrast the sights that awaited me after leaving behind Siberia and Northern Russia were of great contrast, now I was seeing conquered landscapes. Landscapes tamed by the hand of man, to use a politically incorrect phrase. I could see most of Denmark from the air, roads, farmland and cities met the eye wherever one looked. The Oresund bridge connecting Denmark to Sweden perhaps best sums this contrast up:

I saw the Oresund bridge from a little higher, an amazing sight.












Well with such musings aside I was soon flying over the English countryside, with its patterned fields banded by hedgerows. Then London, I could see Westminster Palace, St Paul's, Tower Bridge, all places I read about of course, but there is nothing like seeing them for yourself for the 1st time.

London from the air, August 21, 4pm.













After disembarking at Heathrow airport I headed off to spend the night at a backpackers hotel near Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park (the suburb of Paddington). Upon arriving I had the worst KFC I have ever had in my life, I have never seen chicken dripping with so much oil and fat before, and had to decline the offer of baked beans with my meal (now that's just weird).
I must say that my sleep for my 1st night in such a different timezone was not a good one, I also had some roommates that were overly snorey.


August 22:
I left the confines of the backpacker hotel behind and headed off for a walk through Hyde Park and Oxford Street. Being the sensible chap that I am I made sure to setup a bank account as soon as possible and headed into the nearest HSBC branch at Oxford St. Two bank accounts later and a 2000 Pound credit card (they certainly give them out easily I must say) I was off. I was tired, jetlagged and seeing the sights of London could wait for another time. It was time to head for my new home base of Reading.

I rang up my Landlady, paid the off-peak rate of 15 Pounds for a ticket (30 for peak ticket - transport is expensive it must be said) and headed in. And here be the house I came to live at, and all I have to pay is 385 Pounds a month (Sigh! Accomodation is expensive as well)


Here be 20 Skerritt Way, Purely on Thames, Reading:

Another night of out of sync sleep awaited me for August 22, but stay tuned for the travels that awaited me.