Here, there and everywhere, The Isle of Wight

As expected I've been here, there and everywhere. I decided to take off for a day or two to the Isle of Wight. So jumped on the train and headed that way. Made it to the ferry with no major drama's. The ferry ride only took 20mins but it was rather rough. Found when I got there the island is made up of all little villages. So it was going to be harder than i thought to get accomodation. Made my way to Sandown, a little town on the far side of the island. Found the information centre and they helped me find some accomodation. A lovely little B&B called The Belmore. Very nice. It cost me 27 pound. I think thats about $65. The next day i made my way to St Helens, Nodes Point Holiday Park. I was looking forward to seeing Nova and Norman again. Norman was busy working in the shop, but we had a good chat for awhile, it was good to catch up with him. Unfortunately Nova had been called to the mainland for work, so i missed her. I then decided to make my way back to London. George and I decided to go to Brighton for the night. 'Party place to be'. We got there to find that you couldnt even see the sea. There was so much fog or is it smog. We felt rather stupid asking which way the pier was. Cause it is massive, you cant miss it(on a clear day). Found a nice little bar on it and once again had a pint or 3. There is a amusement park on the end of the pier, which we decided to take on the next day. So once again, had a great time with George.

A look at London

London, what a place. So many people, but its great. All the houses in london are stuck together, it was like walking onto coronation street. And not only that, they are all the same colour!!! You will not find a green or blue house in this city, thats for sure. and if by some chance i do, im gonna take a picture of it. I think nearly everybody in this city owns a hatchback. And believe me you would not want anything bigger. The streets are very narrow, you quite often have to stop and let someone come down the street before you head up it. Lots of horn blowing and head lights flashing, and this is not to be rude. Thats their secret code for 'i'm letting you in' or 'i'm right beside you, dont cross into me'. So if someone beeps at you, you do not give them the finger and swear. No no no, you smile and wave and say 'Thank you'. I asked George about wearing my money belt, he advised me not to. BECAUSE 'if you got mugged you'd lose everything pip'. Made me feel quite safe that did. ha ha ha. It really isnt a bad city at all. As long as your street wise. And pigeons, there's heaps of these around. And i got told 'these are not lovely birds to feed, they are rats with wings'. ha ha ha. and i am beginning to think like that too. The pubs here are usually closed by 11.30 - 12.00. But i am getting use to asking for a pint. The laundry mat down the road charges £9 for a load of washing. Thats $9.00 NZ. Thank God we have a machine in the flat. Well these are just a few little difference that i have noticed, but to sum everything up really only takes 2 words: CORONATION STREET.

Sights of London 2

I think i have been down nearly all the streets on the monopoly board now. I am getting rather good at finding my way around London. I jumped on the tube and headed for Westminister Station. Big Ben and Westminister Abbey were top on my list today. Big Ben (according to the map) was directly opposite the tube station, so i should see it as soon as i hit the street. Well i didnt. I did see a castle thing in front of me, so i consulted the map again. And guess what??? If you look UP, there it is. It is massive. And so beautiful. In New Zealand we have some of the most beautiful views you can get. In England they have the most beautiful monuments and statues. Big Ben would have to be one of the most loviest things i have seen. You just dont see anything close to this in N.Z. Around the corner from Big Ben I found Westminister Abbey. And yet another surprise. The Abbey holds over 3000 tombs and graves in it. Yes its more of a cermetery than a church. And it was built for the monks hundreds of years ago. It holds people like Henry XII and Henry XIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Abe Lincoln, Dr. David Livingstone. I also saw the grave of the unknown soldier. I ventured into the nave and lit a candle and said a prayer, as well as saying a prayer with the whole congregation. It was a very emotional morning. A very moving experience. I also visited St Margarets church (this is in the Abbey grounds), its beautiful. So after that spiritual experience i took a stroll along the road and came across Downing Street. I couldnt get to number 10 tho, they had very big gates and lots of guards around it. Never mind, i was probably to busy to see Tony Blair anyway. Next time maybe.

Sights of London 1

Well i have only been here for a week and already i have seen some fantastic sights. George showed me probably one of the most well known sights of London the very first day i arrived. They call it "THE LOCAL". HA HA and its great. Yep i had my first pint about 3 hours after i had arrived. We also went to Piccadilly Circus, and to my surprise, its not actually a circus at all. Ha ha ha, its a roundabout. Yep a great big roundabout. Took a nice stroll down Regent Street to St James Park and accidently ended up at the front gates of Buckingham Palace. WOW... What a fantastic place. It is huge. With big gold gates and this massive statue in the front of it. Its very surreal. I was asked if i could spare a couple of minutes because the queen wanted to see me, but i told them my time was short and she'd have to wait till another day. ha ha ha ha ok well it could have happened. I watched the guards do their marching thing for a while and snapped pictures with the other hundreds of tourists, then we took a walk to Hyde Park. And to the Marble Arch. London is just fulled with history. You couldnt possibly take a picture of all the staues and monuments because there is hundreds.

Bring on England

Well it was good seeing everyone again up north, but 2 weeks goes fast and all of a sudden its time to leave again. Bags packed, mike, mum and dad and i were off to the airport. Stopping of course at the Autobahn for breakfast. Pete met us there for breakfast as well, it was great to see him and say good-bye. A bit strange tho, its usually him leaving. It was a teary good-bye. Both mum and i cried, dad and mike decided they were the staunch ones. ha ha ha. It was hard to leave the people i loved, and as in true pip fashion, i cried for the next hour. The flight to sydney was good. 3 hrs with a 3 hour stop at the airport. Back on the plane heading for Bangkok, 8 hours away. This was the hardest part of my trip. I didnt sleep, and was exhausted by the time we hit the airport. But i did met a Brisbane couple travelling together. They are due in England in 2 weeks so we swapped emails and have agreed to catch up when they get here. I walked around for the hour and a half stop at Bangkok then slept the first 5 hours on the plane heading for Heathrow. Wow what a view!! Made everybody on the plane laugh when i wanted to take pictures of all the houses being exactly the same. And all joined together. And all the same bloody colour. George picked me up and we caught up at the local. Do as they do!! Yep i wasnt complaining if i had to have a pint in the local, then thats what i was gonna do. Life was good.

Good-bye Mot !!! Hello Family !!!

Well it's time to say good-bye to Motueka and some wonderful friends i have made. The most memorable chapter so far in my travels. Heywood Orchards, Ruth and Ian, The Girls(Loren, Trinity and Jasmine), The French Connection, Marty and last but not least Mike. All of these people having a major part in my life changing travel experience. After saying good-bye and with tears in my eyes, I rode off on my bike. Heading for the Koromikko Motel. It was one of the loniest nights I have ever had. Excited about seeing my family but missing my new found friends. Up early 3.45 to catch the ferry at 4.30. It was a bit rough and there were quite a few kids being very sick through the movie theatre. I was on the road north and heading back to Rotorua by 9.00am. And Yes it was freezing. 7 hours on the bike and you guessed it my arse was so sore. I stopped twice for petrol and a walk around but by the time i hit Rotorua i was quite sure if i got off my bike i wouldnt be able to get back on. It was great to see Collette again, not only cause i hadnt seen her for awhile also to help me get off the bike, ha ha ha. So am home again, back with the family. Well for 2 weeks anyway. Then England, here I come.