Last weeks based in London

London, UK - With winter winding down and the days getting longer again it was time for my working life in London to wind down and for me to get ready to get back on the road. So in the last few weeks I tried to get out and do as much as I could.

A short day trip outside the M25 motorway took me to Whipsnade Zoo to see the usual animals but there was a 3 week old baby elephant which was funny to watch playing in the mud. There was also a baby rhino but it didn't get up to much while standing next its mother.



Windsor, UK - A couple of days later it was off to see the queen at Windsor Castle. She seemed to have prior engagements somewhere else so I took the tour around inside and had a look at all the historical art, weapons and suits of armour including Henry VIII's suit which has a massive pot gut. As part of the tour I went into the St David's Chapel and stood amongst a lot of dead Kings and Queens who are entombed there. I also checked out the Knights of the Garter which the late, great Kiwi, Sir Edmund Hillary was a part of.



One Sunday we headed to Greenwich and I straddled the prime meridian with half of me in the west and the other in the east. We also checked out and scoffed at the local market and investigated the Royal Naval Museum.

Cann, UK - With two of my cousins, Rowan and Julia, also in London we thought it would be a good idea to make a trip to the small village of Cann in South-west England. On the way we popped by Stonehenge and the chalk Kiwi. We got the obligatory photos with road signs in Cann and then headed to a local Shaftesbury pub for a huge Sunday roast. Waddling from the pub we then headed further west to see the chalk man with the 12m penis and his friend Homer Simpson on the side of a hill. To finish the day we headed to Avebury and saw more ancient, massive rocks placed in a circle and had dinner at the local pub there before heading back to London.

Working and weekends away

London, UK - So it was back to London to start my job. I got a job working for an international freight company as a white van man picking up boxes kiwis and aussies want sent home. So pretty much for the last 8 months my travels and have been put on hold as I work 6 days a week driving around the obscene traffic in London trying to save for the next big adventure. Next time I'll get a 5 day a week job cos I get no time to do anything.

One Saturday night work put on a Thames river cruise for the staff with free drinks which was fun and nice to see London by night from the water.



Liverpool & Manchester, England, UK - I managed to get a couple of weekends off and checked out the northern cities to catch up with friends. Compared to London it is bloody freezing up there and that is saying something. It was good to get out of London and actually see English cities and English people as opposed to London which is completely full of immigrants including me. In Manchester we went to the Xmas markets, watched ice skaters fall over on the outdoor ring and went on the big ferris wheel similar to the London eye that overlooks Manschester as well as spending a Saturday night pub crawling.

Malta - Just before Xmas I was getting burnout from work especially with the Xmas traffic and rubbish weather here. Who has Xmas in winter anyway? Ridiculous! So I took a week off and headed to Malta in the Mediterranean and then Morocco. I went to Malta for a couple of days and biked around the northern island of Gozo and explored the rest of the mainland by bus. It was quite nice with its extensive history and sunny weather but once you've seen all that there isn't much to do in Malta cos it's so small.

Marrakech, Morocco - Then another cheap flight and my first trip to Africa. Anna and I flew into Marrakech where we stayed in a traditional riad near the centre of the old town and over the next 3 days we wandered though the attractions of the medina and through the souks (markets) which sell all manner of stuff. We ate a lot of tagines and couscous and drank huge amounts of 25c freshly squeezed orange juice from the main square. Marrakech is a cool city and I finally had a use for my high school French classes. It was the first time I had been to a Muslim country too which was an eye opener. Hearing the call to prayer was cool.

London, UK - It was then back to London for more work and my first winter Xmas and New Years. There was no snow and even if there was I still prefer it to be summer at that time of year.



So to while away winter I've been working solidly for 6 days a week and to break the monotony had the odd night out at restaurants with Anna, meeting up with my cousins Rowan and Julia, going to the Linkin Park concert at the o2 millenium dome and getting blind drunk on the Waitangi Day circle line pub crawl with thousands of other Kiwis.

Bath, England - One day at work I had a job in Bristol so Anna and I made a day trip out of it and went to Bath to see England's prettiest town. We walked around and had a look at the sights then had an expensive (£22 each!!) soak at the thermal baths, then a quick game of mini-golf before I had to go to work and do what I was actually being paid to do.

Off to see the Queen

London, England, UK - So I eventually arrived in the UK broke as buggery and seriously needing a job. For the first 6 weeks I mucked around trying to get used to staying in one place and sorting myself out. I managed to see a little bit of London and got myself acquainted with the tube (London Underground). I eventually found a flat and after 2 months of half-hearted searching I got myself a job. Until then I was using my NZ credit card to access my savings at home and that was not going very far in London. But before I started my job I had to get back on the road.

Milan, Italy - Anna and I got a £20 return flight to Milan with good ol' easyjet. So for a 3 day weekend we chilled out in Milan and experienced a little of Italian food and culture and we climbed to the top of the massive cathedral for a great view of the city.



Bergamo, Italy - On our last day we headed to the small old town of Bergamo near the airport and had a look at the beautiful and peaceful classic Italian town.