Hilton Cobham

... to call the cleaner's husband out, who had a spare key, to meet us and let us back in! Not the great start we had planned but we managed to arrive at the channel tunnel, with a minute to spare before check-in closed. Our train was delayed indefinitely! , so a happy chance for a catch-up, map-read, coffee, some breakfast with our dear fiends and co-drivers, Jphn & Carolynne ...

... then AJ (weird to be in The Office again); stayed up all night chatting with Fiona; got drunk on Hoegarden with Deb, Mands, Roo and Daz; got my Free Trial Pass rejected by Rhona's gym in Hanwell. Most of what I've done has been free. In fact, Nadia and I are thinking of writing a book, The Cheaper Side of London - you can read books and magazines for free in Borders; the ...

... it cost to be a full on debutant (roughly £130,000 in today's money), and how much it would have cost for those doing it on the cheap (approx £5,000 in today's money). I have to say that it was quite an adventure learning about the debutants prior to heading upstairs to see the state rooms of both the King and Queen. Upstairs there were several rooms, all decorated to the period of King George, and Queen Victoria, and their children, and sisters - of which there ...

... The castle is really nice and the town as well. Day 5 Holiday monday - since May 1 was on a Thursday, in London they push the middle week holiday to the following Monday so today was "holiday" here. So our friends had the day off and we all went to the town of Cambridge. The town was a surprise for me because I thought it was only the colleges, but I was very wrong. The town is quite big and the college feeling is all around, however it is a very ...

... I did the best I could to blend in, but I really only have one black long sleeved shirt and a long black skirt and a pashmina from Northern Indian that i tie around me. I look around and people are well dressed with nice boots and stylish clothes and I feel very out of place. I want to explain that I just got back from India and that is why I am dressed this way and that is why my hair look a mess and I smell a little funny and nothing is quite clean ...

After a year on the road, here's a list of things that I found useful to have in the backpack. I have divided the list into South America, Australasia and Asia. All the lists are based on a 65 litre backpack/rucksack/whatever you want to call it. South Amercia * Backpack which has been tried out in the shop to ensure that it fits you correctly with metal shafts included in the bag to protect your back. It could save you years of discomfort and bills ...

... of birth. I think this is one of the greatest characteristics of London and British people, that they welcomed, or at least tolerated or left in peace these people, who were often troublemakers. One of my favourite pastimes is reading so I wandered along Charing Cross Road, which is full of new and antiquarian bookstores. I was looking for 84 Charing Cross Road, the name of a book I read 2-3 years ago (given to me by my friend Kristina), but it's now a Pizza Hut (gnashing of teeth - where ...

... of it I don't really see the point. It's like a contest to see who can make the weirdest possible thing, and then put it in a museum and call it "art". Most of what I saw fell into one of 2 categories: either it was extermely minimalist, like just some paint splatters or solid shapes, or it was extremely bizzaro stuff like contorted creatures with giant mouths/limbs, etc. One of the works of "art" was just a shower drain mounted on ...

... stationed...so I saw the famous, unflinching guards...kinda felt bad for them..people taking pictures and all that...I took one anyway. :) From there, I passed the House of Parliament and the rest of the government buildings. In hindsight, I should have figured that Buckingham Palace was nearby, but I didn't until I had gone another mile in the opposite direction. Oh well, it was cool just the same. At the end of that ...

... has a lambic first). Progress. Sara tries the 7% alcohol Brain Blasta then a Swedish beer - which is decribed as "dodgy male aftershave" by Neil. But it's Swedish and that makes Sara happy. We all don't really care as we've all got our buzz on, making asses of ourselves as usual. Back on the train (thankfully noone had to drive), back to Phil's for another pajama-jammy jam before our next 4am alarm.