Bath Hotels
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Going Home
Entry 120 of 270 | show all | print this entry |
I'm sure I've surprised a few people by the title of this entry. But don't panic... I've just decided to take Malaysian Airlines up on their cheap flights to Perth for a 2 week break from my trip. I am thoroughly excited at the prospect of going home for a few weeks to catch up with my family and friends, even though I'm sure it will be a very weird experience landing into Perth after such an immense life-altering experience. But I'm going home for a few items of business, including getting my job application up to scratch - want to keep my options open for 2007. For £540, I'll fly back to Perth on the 14th June and return to Amsterdam on the 4th July, to resume my Eurail trip around Europe. But you never know... during the last month or so, my travel bug has somewhat subsided and I'm kind of getting itchy feet to do other things such as settle in Melbourne for a while. Even though I love meeting new people around the world, I'm missing the comforts of home, including having a consistent set of friends. One of the options I'm currently considering is to do a 36 night tour from Quito to La Paz (30th August to 4th October), and then fly to Sydney/Melbourne on around the 6th October, for a 3 month stay in Melbourne. But I will make that decision when I get to Santiago on the 5th October. Do I continue travelling through South America or do I return to Melbourne to live comfortably for a while before returning to Western Australia to resume full-time work? I hate making decisions... too hard.
Even though I don't think much of English people on the whole, I'm very much enjoying getting to know several of Wendy and James' friends. Wendy and James introduced me to Adam. I got to know Adam over a glass of white Australian wine. A great guy, Adam who is 29 has beaten 200 other applicants to secure an 8 month tuition deal with Sony. Adam will be based in Brighton. I enjoyed listening to his story of living with James' ex-wife of over 20 years. Adam's been living with the x for 5 years and talked about the struggles and frustrations that he's had to put up with, including watching what mug he uses during the course of the day and being secretly hidden away in a cupboard eating cereal and long-life milk whilst the lady of the house tramped around the kitchen. At least Adam has the comforts of his girlfriend, Maria and other Danish room mate - Carol charges £750 a month ($2000) to rent out these three rooms... wicked deal! Adam met James through Croxsons, but has since moved on to other pursuits. I really admire people who pack up everything to follow their dreams which Adam is doing. A great guy... we hit it off - such an easy guy to talk to ... wish I had of had the opportunity to get to know him better.
I spent the best part of the afternoon watching James and Wendy's wedding video. I'm glad I did it alone because it was, like most weddings, very moving. I was especially moved when Wendy and her bridesmaids (three nieces) gave out flowers to each and every woman in the audience... a small wedding with 65 close family members at a home wedding ceremony but the reception was grand with a guest list of 350. Mum, I'm hoping to get a copy of this video so you can see it... but Wendy and I aren't sure if the video is compatible between machines and it may be difficult getting a copy. I know how much you would be interested in seeing this - Gwen is an amazingly fit and alert woman for her age.
I left Cheam at 4pm and caught the 5.30pm bus from London's Victoria Station to Bath... 3.5 hours. The National Express Bus Service is ever so efficient... runs to the second on most occasions. It is much cheaper than the train service as well. The return trip to Bath cost £25 ($60) - a far cry more expensive than the bus trips of the likes of Malaysia and Thailand!
I've arrived in Bath and plan to catch up with Steve... fellow travelpodder that I have followed closely... check out his outstanding site at stevejames (topped the top 100 for the website for most of his journey). I kind of risked it by arriving here at 9.10pm with no accommodation booked etc. The map in Lonely Planet was WRONG - ditch that book! But, luckily, I found Bath Backpackers and for £13 a night, I get to share with 7 other backpackers. It sure is a shock to the system after the 5 star luxury I've had at Wendy and James'. To think that I would be use to it by now! I had no choice but to dorm it given the exhorbitant prices of accommodation here in Bath. Looking forward to exploring this town tomorrow. It is beautiful from what I've seen so far. In reviewing this entry in the morning, I'm happy that I slept very well for most of the evening... except for a few moments when people came in and out with the ever creaky door. I think I'm kind of use to sharing now... but I was blessed with no snorers last night.
Latest Comments (1)
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Copy of Video (reply)
Jun 5, 2006 00:18 EST by qmtan36
Shane...Just finished reading all about your trip hus far...and about the wedding Video, I believe you can actually get a copy of the video transferred to DVD which may be easier to transport around and even if the compatability may not be there in australia, a puter shop in Perth would be able to format it to the right region back home:-)
I know for a fact that that can be done here in K... show all
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