Devia Does The World

Adios Aus.....

2009-03-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

After 6 months of being away from home it has got to that time when we have to start getting ready to leave.....

We sorted out our Russian visa's....after much worry about them not being granted....and then we started the wheels into motion of leaving.....we did some last minute shopping at Paddy's Market for some warm clothes.....(its bloody cold in Moscow).....and arranged for a taxi to pick us up on Wednesday morning to take us to the airport...

We finally got a bit flustered when we realised that Laura had no room when we arrive in China on the first night.....after speaking to numerous tour companies about the problem and having no success we finally today got a bit of good news and had my room in Beijing changed from a single room to a twin room for the duration of our trip....so all good in the hood

So now it is down to 1 more day in Australia......we had a lovely day a few days ago....we went to the Botanical Park in Sydney by the Harbour and had a picnic sitting in the sunshine....it was a really lovely day and we just spent time together and had a good time.....then yesterday we went sunbathing in the local park....read our books and just spent more time together without anything to worry about...

I will certainly miss Australia....I have spent 6 months here and it will be sad when we leave, but it will also be a relief to be heading back home.....our first stop on the list is Beijing in China.....and from there it will be a train through to Moscow....6 days later we arrive in Moscow and then the next day we fly home.....back on the 14th of March 2009......after travelling half of the globe......

Certainly something to tell the grandchildren

Little Penguins, Great Ocean Road, Return to Sydney and Valentines Day

2009-02-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

In Melbourne we had some money sent to us by our parents to get some food and to sort out our Chinese Visas......we used it for those things of course but we also had money left over.....so we decided that we had had a crappy time during our time in Aus and we deserved to have some fun......so we booked a day trip to Phillip Island to see the Little Penguins when they come in from the sea at dusk to their burrows....

We had a lovely day including a stop at a winery where we got to try some wines (6 to be precise).....and then we bought a bottle of something for Laura's Grandparents....after that we went to an animal park called Maru Fauna Park.....which was really weird because when we had first been in Sydney we had seen a piece on the news about a Fauna park that had burned down.....nearly killing the owners elderly mother.....luckily there was no animals killed only a Koala who got a burned nose.......it turned out that Maru Fauna park was this same park.....it had been rebuilt and was a prety good day......we handfed fed Wallabys and Kangaroos and had a good time there......then it was time to move on to Phillip Island

The island itself was really beautiful....and was full of wildlife.....we see wild wallabys and kangaroos and lots of sea life.......then it started to get dark and we had to go to the Penguin Parade.....we sat there for around an hour before we saw some movement down at the waters edge.....finally rafts of them started coming in (a penguin group is called a raft) and they made their way up the beach.....they passed so close to us that we could have touched them if we wasn't on a rasied platform.....they were funny and cute and beautiful creatures....both me and Laura loved them......but before long we had to go back to the coach.....we bought some pictures from the gift shop and then we left.....on the way home I watched Mad Max on the tour companys free PSP's.

The next day we had to get up early and meet the coach outside the Pint on Punt again.....it took us all along the great Ocean Road and we had a fantastic day.....we learned about the history of the road and why it was built and what interesting things had been done on it.....one of which was some of the filing of Mad Max.....freaky....we had another great day and got loads of photographs....to hopefully make up for the lack of photographs of Penguins

The day after that we had to get up early AGAIN!!!! and we had to go into the centre of Melbourne and say goodbye to it once and for all.......we packed our bags into the coach and took our seats.........13 hours later we arrived into Sydney.....it was that uneventful.....but took us much longer to do than it took you to read

We ended up in Sydney in the pouring rain looking for a taxi....we got in one and made our way to Hopetoun Street in Newtown/Camperdown.....the owner was friendly as she welcomed us in and we made ourself settled.....we have our own room and everything and it was really nice for us to be alone together finally after 3 months of sharing.......the day after we had our Valentines meal at the Sydney Tower.....it was great to finally get up there and see the view....we have some photos of us eating our meal and it was very posh...

They served Tuna, Salmon, Lamb and then a dessert made from Bounty Chocolate....it was lush....and above all that?....free wine......needless to say I got a little tipsy drinking not only my wine.....but Laura's wine too.....it was very nice :)

A few days later we had to try and sort out our Russian Visa as its only 3 weeks until we are there......time flies when you're having fun........we got it sorted eventually after being turned away the first time for not having the correct information.....I went back on my own and paid the money and they accepted them.....they will be ready on the 26th Febuary......and then on the 4th March we will be moving on to China......so in 12 days we leave for Beijing and then after 3 days there we jump on the train and go start the journey to Moscow.....then after 1 night there we are finally flying back to the UK......amazing.....

For now though our adventures continue!!!!

Melbourne

2009-02-08T22:34:00.000-08:00

We was in Echuca until the 6th of February....we tried to work from midnight one night to 8am.....picking grapes with spider and insect infested vines......needless to say we didnt' last too long at that one.....we sat i9n the car until 8am waiting for the others to finish instead

After that there was no work for us, apart from making beds and cleaning the rooms (which we did to pay our way for the last few nights we was at the hostel)......after that we moved on to Melbourne, where we have been for 3 days now.....we are here until Friday 13th (ooooh!!)....when we will be moving back to Sydney....

We came to the Pint on Punt pub in St Kilda.....which is a lovely Irish pub with free breakfast and meals for $6 each night......the only bad time we have had here is when I fell down the stairs after missing a step.....I say falling down the stairs but 1 stair doesn't really count......

We met this really nice guy who is sharing the room with us (thats a good way to meet people).....he is from Southampton in England and he went to Winchester University....we played cards with him the other night and he let us drink his Vodka......best way to get into my good books if you ask me :P

Today we sorted our Chinese Visa....because its getting awfully close and we hadn't done them yet, so we walked the 1:30 hour walk to the place.....we got there and lined up for 45 minutes and it was all done....no money until we pick it up and its all good......we also decided that we was going to do a tour thing to go to Phillip Island (just off of Melbourne) where you can see the Penguine Parade......at around 10pm the Little Penguins all coem back from a heavy day of hunting and make the way back up the beach to their nests.....which is viewed by paying patrons.....a very good day out by the sounds of it....so we booked that....not only dio we get to meet more cuddly Koalas and some little Walabies and Wombats but we get Seals and Penguins too.....bonus.....and we visit a winery........and we get free wine too..........please see above comment about booze!!

We are going to be staying in Sydney with somebody we have met online, her name is Suzie.....she is kindly letting us stay in her flat for the final 2 weeks of our stay....its based in Newtown which is about 10 minutes away from where we used to live......so its all good

Other than that there is the obvious tragedy of the Victoria Bush Fires.....they have claimed the life so far of 130 people and its still rising each day......it has wiped out 3 villages and destroyed over 5000 homes.....it is the most devestating national tragedy ever......

Me and Laura are looking forward to coming home....not long now.....save us some snow everybody....we miss you all

Love Paul xxxx

An Epic Tale....For An Epic Koala

2009-01-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

When you left me I was in Mildura.....the hell hole on earth....not Mildura as such but the hostel

Anyhow.....we worked in the dreaded garlic factory for 1 whole month.....dear lord Estee Lauder...then we decided that we had had enough....they were sucking every bit of money out of us that they could (bus every day we went to work $6)....and with the lack of funding that we was experiencing at the time (and to be honest....still are)....we couldn't afford to stay there.....plus the fact that we hated the jobs so much that we was actively trying to get fired in the end I think...

Anyhow.....we spoke to our room mate and she set us up with this guy in a place called Swan Hill....we had to arrive on boxing day though....thats ok we thought, we can get an early train there and maybe start work that day.....it all sounded perfect....

Anyhow....we decided we would go our for a meal for Christmas Dinner once we had sorted everything out, and so thats what we did...we went to the local working mans club for a dinner thing (even though we was hardly looking forward to it).....it was strange....the first course was prawns or lamb....naturally we thought we had a choice.....not so....we had both on one table and we had to swap if we didn't like it.......problem was neither of us really like prawns....strike 1

Anyhow....the main course come up....1 slice of lamb, 1 slice of turkey, 1 slice of beef, 1 potatoe, some green beans wrapped in bacon and a slice of lovely looking pumpkin....(???)

WHERES THE STUFFING? WHERES THE YORKSHIRE PUD? WHERE IS OUR DINNER?

Needless to say it wasn't hiding underneath the pumpkin....so we did what we could with the food and ate it....blessing our lucky stars that we didn't have any ominous looking prawns floating in our gravy.....

We finished our lovely meal in all of 5 minutes and then had to wait for the dessert....during which time Laura said...

"You know what would make this day better.....if you proposed"

Funnily enough before we had left the hostel I had put the ring in a Christmas cracker....but during the course of the meal changed my mind and took it out again.....so I indicated to the cracker and she figured I was joking.....she pulled it with me and while she was pre-occupied with reading the joke etc I took the ring out of my pocket and went down on one knee.....she looked at me and burst into tears............nice

I asked her if she would marry me and she said.........yes......woop!!!!

The waitress was walking past at the time and went to the bar to get glasses of their cheapest Champagne that she could find then a friendly person come over and took a nice picture of us.....then a barrage of waitresses come over to ask if they could see the ring......which was nice....it seemed to us that when you ask somebody to marry you verybody suddenly becomes very nice....Laura mentioned that we should get engaged more often....

We went back to the hostel after a less than satisfying meal (but a fun one all the same)....then we found ourselves sitting on a bench drinking wine and strongbow and having fun with our room mates (one of which was already very drunk)......it was a good day in the end....but totally not Christmas without lashings of food and family

We woke up at 3am in the morning and got ready, we got all of our bags together in the dark and we made our way out to the front after saying goodbye to all of our room mates (all but the one who was passed out unconscious)......we made our way to the front and got in the taxi.....which happened to be a 12 seater van thing.....but to be honest we needed it for the amount of stuff we have.....we went down to Westpac and withdrew the money for the first weeks rent at this new place and we started for the station once more......then Laura let out a muffled shriek.....she had left her necklace on the bedpost......so we had to go all the way back for it......it was all ok and she got her necklace back.....then we went to the station to get the bus to Swan Hill.......it left at 4:15am and we arrived into Swan Hill at about 7am.....we got a phone call and was told that we would not be picked up until 10am.....not too bad.....we was expecting 12/1

We got picked up at 10am and was driven around the corner to the local shopping centre.....they wanted to go shopping......good start......we met up again at 12:30.....a whole 5 and a half hours after we arrived....nice

We got driven there and it turned out to be a hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere........and we was staying in a caravan........and the roof was falling in........also the caravan park had no phone network coverage and no internt either......not even a pay phone to be seen........Laura was not best impressed......after a tearful talk she told me she didn't want to stay here....and to be honest I didn't want to either......after working out that we wouldn't be able to get a refund in normal circumstances for the week that we had already paid for......I did some quick thinking and got my acting skills out of the box they have been lying dormant in for years.....

I walked into the office nearly in tears (I know....amazing acting).....and told them that Laura had just got a phone call from her aunt in Sydney....and she told us that her uncle had had a heart attack and had been rushed into hospital....this had obviously very upset Laura.....but the problem was the only money we had was the money we had given for rent.......the nice people said we could have a full refund.....so I was very pleased about that......problem was there was no other busses out of Swan Hill that day.....so we had to stay for the night.....no problem....or so we thought...

There was a storm that night.....and the caravan rocked as if it was on the sea....the wind blew so strong we thought the roof was going to cave in......and the rain was so hard surely everything would be soaked when we woke up.....needless to say the caravan held (though for how much longer we will never know)....

We woke up bright and early and packed everything together.....we got our full refund and got out of there as quickly as we could do......we ended up at Swan Hill station with all of our bags.....and nowhere to go.....but thats the fun of adventure isn't it?

We ended up calling a very friendly sounding hostel in a place called Echuca.......we found out how much it would cost to get there ($13 each) and we decided to throw caution to the wind and go......we had to wait until 5 but we was well used to waiting at Swan Hill station after the day before......then I spoke to the station master and he said you can get on this train that leaves at 1:15 and be there by 3:20......bonus!!!!

We left and jumped on the train for one stop then we had to get a bus for the rest of the journey.....it was fun and they put a movie on for us so it was nice and relaxing.....we ended up in Echuca and had the owner (a friendly woman named Melissa) come to pick us up from the station....we liked the hostel right away.....we knew we had fallen on our feet here.

A few days later we was offered a job picking apricots (which we did and enjoyed somewhat).....it invilved climbing trees and picking the fruit on big ladders (very tall ladders that Laura found daunting).....after the work finished on New Years Eve we rushed back to the hostel and got ready to leave for the night......we had found out the day before that we could get to Melbourne for FREE!!!! if we arrived after 6pm.......so thats what we did......we spent a lovely night in Melbourne and watched the fireworks at midnight and we had a couple of drinks in a restaurant too which was lovely.......then we had to sleep in Melbourne station because we had no other place to stay....which was interesting....

We got our train the next morning and arrived back in Echuca on New Years Day....it was all very nice to be doing something other than sitting around the hostel not being able to drink (tis a dry hostel you see).......about a week after that we was offered a job working in a Tomato Packing Factory......we accepted and we started work.......7 days a week (average 8 hours a day).....all on our feet......as you can imagine by the time the day was over we was slightly tired.....we was threatened with being fired if we didn't speed up.....so we did :)........and then a week later Laura felt very ill so we had to come back to the hostel.....later on when she felt a bit better I got a phone call from Helen (our agent).....who told us that they didn't want us back........so basically we was fired for Laura being ill.......ho hum their loss....

And now we have 7 weeks left before we come home....which is all good and we are excited about it......the next big thing to plan for is my mums 50th, then Lauras 21st and then University.....AHHHH!!!!

But for now the travel blog continues.....I shall update soon

Lots of Love

Paul xxxx

Mildura Backpackers.....Oasis????

2008-11-28T18:42:00.000-08:00

We packed up our stuff in Sydney (it took us most of a week) and after many hours of heaving and pushing we finally had the bags full (to capacity).......then the day come where we had to leave the dreaded flat behind......the flat that now somehow seems like the Oasis that this place promised......privacy being the main feature we are lacking here....

Anyhow....we called a taxi and it arrived late......so we jumped in and it took us to the coach station where we waited for our coach to start boarding.....meantime I bent down with my backpack on my back to get something out of another bag.......this made me dreadfully unbalanced and so I ended up upon my arse.....rolling around like some kind of upturned tortoise.....in the middle of a busy Sydney street.....needless to say Laura found it slightly gigglesome....I on the other hand........did too :P

We got on the coach and started the dreaded journey across *seems like* half of Australia....to a small place called Mildura.....along the way we stopped in Canberra (the capital of Australia) and Wagga Wagga (haha funny names!!!!)....eventually at half past 8 in the morning with a snoozing Laura upon my shoulder I saw the first sign for Mildura......and the last place we had passed through seemed to be nothing but a dusty little village with a petrol station and a fat dog....

Anyhow we were met when we got off of the coach by a large hairy man called Dee J....who was nice enough....he helped us to load our bags onto the bus that he used to bring us back to the hostel......first impressions were good....there was a pool, a bar and a large bar area......then we was taken to a room and said there should be two beds in there.......there wasn't....so I had to follow Dee J around while he tried every apartment in the block trying to find a room with 2 beds in it....finally we found one.....and it had 4 other girls in it......so I am the only guy.....but as Laura said....the previous room we had been in was all boys.....so slight relief there.....

We have an air conditioning unit....which I am very impressed with....and an en-suite bathroom....and we have kind of settled in now having been here for 5 (seems like a month) days

The room mates we have are pretty ok....mostly....ok maybe not....one of them seems nice enough but the rest are stuck up and just slightly rude (slightly is a slight under-exageration).....they just....yeah well...don't let me get into it....GAH!!

Me and Laura on the other hand don't care....we have been spending a lot of good quality time together....drawing, playing cards, doing crosswords.....all those things that bored backpackers seem to do....reading has also played a big part in our time here.....and (you better be proud of her)....Laura has finished a Thomas Hardy book (the most boringest books in the world)....woohoo!!!!

For now I will sign off....but send our collective love to all those people out there in England-land....we miss you like jelly tots

Always yoru faithful weirdo

Paul xxxx

Laptop Blues

2008-11-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Our laptop has broken....so we cant get online....which sucks monkeys really

Not only that the flatmate we have been sharing with has been a complete arse and not given me all of my money back that I paid for bond....he says its because I paid for the furniture from his previous flatmate.....so I'm out $50...which doesn't sound much but it is when you're as skint as we are atm

Anyhow.....on a principle matter we decided to sell the furniture and leave him up the proverbial creek without a paddle......serves the little gay right for messing with us

I am on his laptop atm.....he is out at work so I stole it to check emails and put the furniture on gumtree.....an extra little poke at him from afar....and we are keeping the flat key too.....you know.....just in case :)

We are off to Mildura soon and we have free internet there.....so thats all good...we will be earning again...woo

The plan is to go to Mildura.....then come back to Sydney for New Years....then back to Mildura to work for a couple of weeks and then on to Alice Springs....where Ayers Rock is....and then fly up to Cairns and slowly work our way down the coast until we get back to Sydney sometime in mid February......so thats all good also

Anyhow....thats us for now....we will have free internet soon so...woop woop

TTFN for now

Paul xx

Bye Bye Bike....How I Hardly Knew Thee

2008-11-07T02:38:00.000-08:00

Today I done gone sold my bike

Yes thats right....I advertised my cherished push bike upon Gumtree.com.au and there it was gone.....sold like a thief in the night....gone to a new home....pastures new as it were....through the pearly gates.....ok not quite that far.....just down the road actually to Lewisham

$80 has now gone into our *to be named fund* for whatever we decide to spend it on.....so now thats around about $120 (I think) and Laura has just set about to counting it....

We had a lovely day today....went to a nearby town called Burwood where we looked around the shops and Laura bought some stuff for our travels....including a hat, some three quater lengths and a space saving bag that you put clothes in and then roll up....it sucks all the air out so leaves more room for stuff....very good

Then we went for our farewell to Burwood and Sydney meal (for now at least) at a small restaurant that sells Souvlaki (YUM) and Laura had a steak sandwich....it was all very nice and yummy....and a feast fit for a king topped off with milkshakes and pancakes smothered in caramel and banana slices.....was yum but we felt fat and flup afterwards

Then we come back to the flat and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon.....its all very clean here at the moment because we had a bit of a whirlwind cleaning effort last night.....swept, mopped, dusted, washed up, wiped sides, cleaned toilets, took bins out.....all for people who are going to be taking our place here.....bloody nice arent we?

Thats about it for now....will update when something fun or interesting happens......so probably write again when we are in Mildura :P

Love Paul xxxx

Mildura...

2008-11-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

Is apparently where we are off to.....we have booked a coach that leaves on the 23rd of November

We will be spending the first week or so there working in a vineyard or something, planting, trimming, picking grapes....whatever.....and then the first week of December the garlic factory work starts.....the pay is about $15-$17 an hour and the cost to stay in the hostel is $140 a week.......so that leaves us with about $500 a week extra after transport costs and everything......not too shabby eh?

The plan I suppose is to work there for a while to get some money and then eventually carry on our backpacking travels around the country, after sorting out our visas for China and Russia because we have to do them here before we go too....

So Mildura it is.....the hostel is part of the fruit picking thing....you stay in the hostel and they run you to work every morning....and it has free internet......have a look if you want to

http://www.tntdownunder.com/accomm/2456055253.html

Thats where we will be staying....not too shabby huh?

So thats the next leg of our journey

Will keep you updated

Paul xxxx

National Upset Australians Day....

2008-11-05T01:19:00.000-08:00

Today seems like its National Upset Australians Day.....so you can remember remember the 5th of November for a new reason nowdays.....pick on an Australian Day....so.....kids.....all those substitute teachers out there teaching you in the land of kindy and high school.......upset them as best you can......

Want to know why I have renamed this epic day NUAD????.....well.....it all started with a text this morning while I was at work.....to a very well known and loved character in my story....Laura Smith..... "I miss you, I don't want to be here"

She text back

"Leave then"

Me being the literal being that I am indeed decided to take the literal sense of the words literally and leave........I figured I had started the day so I would just leave at the end of the day.......and so I left....told Jesus I could no longer work for her anymore as it was getting me down and just wasn't where I wanted to be in life.....she understood and said she would have "allowed" me to stay until the end of the term.....I smiled by best smile (grimace?) and said its kind of her but I just wasn't feeling it anymore.....and that was that.....I leave with my head held high and $140 extra in my pocket.....

This you can imagine is hardly worth naming an entire day after.....right?

Right

I didn't stop my rampage of Australian Upsetting there.....oh no.....I continued when I returned back to the flat.....see our flatmate still in his pyjamas on the couch......saw the mountanous pile of washing up on the side that he hadnt even bothered to put in the dish washer.....and I thought No......no more will I wash anothers dishes.....no more shall I put them in a dishwasher even.....no...no....no

I am not a slave to a mincing prancing fairy..........and neither is Laura........I hasten to add that I am hardly homophobic......just Joelaphobic

So I said to Laura we need to get out.....and she said "Lets go"......and me being the literal being that I am took them there words literally and indeed literally took them to mean.......lets go

So.........upsetting Australian round 2.......ding ding.....1,2,3 hes out for the count....Joel was beaten.....no matter how much moaning and whining and facebook (or indeed blog) slagging off there may be.....we are leaving......as of the 5th of November......(NUAD).....we are leaving our flat for pastures new......maybe we will find ourselves.....maybe we will find another fairy to annoy us......maybe Davina McCaul will come over a tannoy system and tell us we have to leave the big Aussie house.......then again thats far from likely.....but then so was me (Me of allll people)....being frightened of a fairy

So oop north or daaan saaaffff we shall go....to pick fruit of the fruity kind.....and there shall be no washing of dishes that do not belong to ourselves.....I DECREE THIS

Put that on your Moses board and smoke it

I Come From A Land Down Under....

2008-11-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Me and Laura have been trying to make the best of our time out here, it is (as we constantly remind ourselves) a once in a lifetime opportunity......and we shall never get to do anything like this again...

I took Laura down to the Sydney Harbour last week, so she could get her photograph taken by the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.....I thought after 3 weeks of being here it was high time for her to do some sight seeing (once in a lifetime)......so we had a day trip down there and we ended up taking a nice walk around the Royal Botanical Gardens....which are beautiful....I sincerely enjoyed my day and I hope Laura did too

The day after we went to Burwood, just to have a look around and I ended up paying for a brand new engagement ring for Laura....she loves it....well she should do...she picked it.....

This weekend we went to Taronga Zoo, where we spent Halloween night....and got to have a midnight tour around the zoo........we slept in some very cool tents (I say slept....but it was probably more like rested restlessly due to possums on the roof)........and then the day after we got to have 3 behind the scenes tours of the zoo, including feeding giraffes, a close encounter with the chimps (including some very cute babies) and then we got to stroke a sealion (who was very friendly)....then we got to spent the rest of the day in the zoo at our own leisure, exploring and looking at all the different animals....very fun day but we was very tired by the end of it....and on the way home some guy on the bus had some overpowering aftershave on....so it made me feel a little bit ill.....and combined with my lack of sleep I contracted a cold.....NICE....

So the past couple of days Laura has been looking after me.....feeding me toast and wrapping me up nice and warm and stuff.....and tomorrow we are going down to the park again but this time with a picnic.....which will be lovely

In other news.....I'm fed up of working but I can't leave either....at least not until I find another job......which will fund us for another 2 months and then our travels around Australia land....which we have decided we will be doing from the start of February....my personal idea is to rent a campervan and drive up the coast....but considering Laura is the only driver....it might take some convincing.....but hopefully we can do it because it will work out the cheapest

We are getting a little excited about University now as well....Laura has finished writing her personal statement and it has been sent off to UCAS to be reviewed....and then she will be accepted because she is amazing.....only problem is her aunts wedding is 2 days after we are supposed to start University.....which means she will miss Freshers week....where most people get to make friends, get drunk and have a really good time......so she is a bit bummed about that....I elected to stay behind as I was supposed to be going with them to Turkey where it is going to be held....but considering we are going to have to move some 500 miles a week before I thought it best I stay behind and sort out the living arangements and stuff.....but I am sure we will have lots of fun throughout the rest of the year, so she wont miss out on much.....

For now I am going to cough and splutter my way off and do something productive like....eat toast and make strange demands on Laura.....she is very good to me though.....shes looking after me very well :)

Oh yes and my books have finally been delivered to my home address....so I should be getting one before long....hopefully they won't be as bad as my imagination is letting me think they will be....

Lots of love

Paul xxxx

Working For Jesus....

2008-10-15T01:53:00.000-07:00

Its not too bad I suppose, it was a bit daunting when I first started but it seems to have gotten better now I am more confident...

We did 2 days of training from 9-3 and on the second day we was put on the phones for an hour or so....and it was all very pant stainingly scary....but it was ok too....kind of.....

I ended up making 1 approved sale on that day and then today was the first day of the real thing, the real work started....and this morning the first thing I did was write out my script of what I had to say, and then I pinned it to the cubicle wall in front of me.....so it was there when I needed it.....we do have a script that we follow but there is far too much information there and it just ends up getting confusing.....so I rewrote it and made it better :D

Then It was time to make my first phone call, and it was scary but at the end of the day I was making phone calls at around a pace of 10 calls in 5 minutes......at which rate during my 7 hours of working time I made over 150 phone calls......

We are phoning schools all across Australia, which is interesting, considering a lot of Australia is on different time zones to us, so we have clocks on the wall of all the states in Aussie land and we ave to try and find out which is the best state to call at a certain time, trying to work it around tea breaks, lunch breaks and then after school......the most sales are made in the morning apparently, though I made the most in the afternoon

In the end I got 13 approved orders and my target was 28.....and I was being told thats not too bad, considering its my first day on the phone....

There has been no major dramas so its not too bad, and if anything unexpected has come up I have tried to deal with it to my best ability.....so onwards and upwards....tomorrow is a new day and tomorrow is day 4 of my Jesus experience....

Also I have been riding my bike to work all this week....its not too far, only 15 minutes away....but it can be a bit tough because its all down hill in the morning,.......and so come the end of the day....what goes down must come up....or something to that sentiment....so by the time I get back to the flat I'm usually pretty tired....but cuddles from Laura makes it all better

Talking of which....she booked her Trans-Siberian express train yesterday....so we are both offically going as far as Russia.....and then from there on we are stuck lol......well she is but I have a flight back....but I'd never leave her on her own....thats cruel

I took her out for a meal tonight to celebrate a little bit....my first day and her coming with me, so its all good....and I hope she enjoyed herself

Not much else to report...other than that nobody has bought my books....I am distressed at this.... but its probably not that suprising....they are probably awful anyhow

Love all and peace

xx

Whats On Down Under?....

2008-10-11T04:30:00.001-07:00

So....the last time you heard from me was a full 8 days ago....and what fun filled days they have been

The weather wasn't all that good for the first few days Laura was here, but that was ok because Laura was still jet lagged and didn't much feel like going out....and it was just nice to spend time with her again....it had been too long since I see her last

Since then we have had lots of fun.....including a day out to the wildlife park and booking a special night for us both on the 31st October....to spend a night in Taronga zoo....in tents hehe

Its a special deal where we get behind the scenes looks at the animals and we get to spend the night out under the stars and then the next day we get to spend the whole day exploring the zoo also.....so we are both very much looking forward to that

Other than that I have tried to show Laura the way around.....so when I have to start working she can find her own way around without having to get too lost (like I did when I first got here)

I have been cooking every night....and I am enjoying it very much so....and up until today I was reading Christopher Paolini's book Brisingr....the third book in the Inheritance Trilogy....which they decided to change to the Inheritance Cycle.... ¬_¬ .....because he couldn't finish it in the final book....not happy about that in the slightest...even though it is a very good book and I am looking forward to getting the final one.....even though I waited over a year for this one

Talking of which......I got the job with Jesus.....so I start on monday and yeah...should be interesting

Also.....exciting of most exciting news..........Laura is coming with me the rest of the way home :D.....we booked the flight from Sydney to Beijing today and hopefully will be able to book the train in the next couple of days too and then the final flight from Russia to London.....so she won't be back until the 15th March now with me....which is dead exciting

Thats pretty much it for now....I will keep you up to date

Check my facebook for picture from the wildlife park...lots of love

Paul x

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....Laura!!!!!

2008-10-03T01:24:00.000-07:00

Shes here :)...and my my my does that make me happy lol

It seems like forever since I last saw her....and in my head it has beenI spent the day finishing off little bits and pieces before she got here....and as you can see....avidly followed her progress on her flights from London to here......I also had to go to the bank to get some money out and to buy some flowers too....which were lovely it turned out....they were roses with a some foilage in there as well.....thing was I was in Marrickville....which is 3 Km from the flat....and I was on my bike.......I am sure some people were taking photographs of the spectacle of me riding along on my bike with flowers balanced on the handlebars

Then I come back to the flat and slept for an hour and a half because the day was dripping by like hot molasus.....and then it was time for me to start getting ready and to leave the flat.....I left with plenty of time with a bottle of wine, the flowers, a CD of our songs and a bottle opener.....only to be faced by a police blockade on the road to the station where I had to get my train.....luckily I allowed for the extra time and took a detour which added about 10 minutes onto my journey....eventually I got to the station and caught my train....even though the ticket cost $15....pfft...ridiculousI got there and waited for her with my array of gifts.....and watched as the plane was getting delayed further and further back....it seems the time they lost in Singapore by leaving late affected their arrival.....eventually they landed at about 5 minutes past 7....15 minutes late....

I smiled as soon as the status changed to arrived....because I knew my baby was again in the same country as me...

I got a phone call shortly after and it was the Limousine driver I had hired for the ride back to the flat from the airport.....he met me and I took all my presents to the Limo and put them in....the flowers waiting for her on the seat and the wine chilling.....it was all very romantic

I went back into the airport and waited for her to arrive....which seemed to take forever but eventually there she was.....I was so happy I ducked under the barrier and went to hug her.....and she fitted right away....like she always did so well

I took her outside and we was talking...I had told her we was getting the train and had to get a bus there first so she had no idea.....we come to the Limo and she looked at a man in a suit walking towards me and then looked back at me puzzled.....he took the case from me and put it in the boot and Laura looked at me again smiling....

I hope she liked it

The ride was over far too quickly but it was enjoyable just the same....he played our CD and we talked a little....and held each other like we had never been apart....and it was so good to be back together

We got to the flat and I showed her around and everything was perfect....we was back together and that was all that mattered....reuinited over 10,000 miles away from home for both of us....and here we was.....returned to each other

The past two days we have spent kind of dossing around doing not a lot....spending time with each other and her catching up on the sleep that she so desperately needed after such a long flight......she is lying on the bed behind me asleep at the moment....its been a long day for both of us and hopefully we will go to the wildlife park tomorrow because we woke up too late to go today

I hope she knows I love her and I truly appreciate her so much....never before has somebody made me feel like she makes me feel

I love her.....and thats all I need

TTFN for now xx

P.s. My book is now ready to be bought offline if anybody is interested in doing so feel free

Love Paul x

Another Flight Update....

2008-09-30T23:55:00.000-07:00

London Heathrow - 9:25pm (12:25pm)- 30/09/2008 - Departed 10 minutes later than scheduled
Singapore - 09:55am (12:55am) - 01/10/2008 (Arrived)

Refuel - Allow for 1 hour 30 (estimated)

Singapore - 12:06am - (3:06am) - 01/10/2008 (Delayed 36 Minutes)
Sydney - 7:00pm - (10:00am) - 01/10/2008 (Delayed 10 minutes)

Flight Details Update....

2008-09-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

London Heathrow - 9:25pm (12:25pm)- 30/09/2008 - Departed 10 minutes later than scheduled
Singapore - 09:55am (12:55am) - 01/10/2008 (Arrived)

Refuel - Allow for 1 hour 30 (estimated)

Singapore - 12:06am - (3:06am) - 01/10/2008 (Delayed 36 Minutes)
Sydney - 6:50pm - (9:50am) - 01/10/2008 (No delay as of yet)

Flight Details....

2008-09-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

London Heathrow - 9:25pm (12:25pm)- 30/09/2008 - Departed 10 minutes later than scheduled
Singapore - 09:55am (12:55am) - 01/10/2008 (Arrived)

Refuel - Allow for 1 hour 30 (estimated)

Singapore - 11:30am - (2:30am) - 01/10/2008 (Scheduled)
Sydney - 6:50pm - (9:50am) - 01/10/2008

Interview With Jesus....

2008-09-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

Today I had an interview with Jesus........literally

And it wasn't some kind of religious epiphany....I actually had an interview with a woman called Shani De Jesus....so obviously I have had much fun with the double meaning to the name....

It was for a call centre job, it starts on the 13th October.....and thats perfect because it gives me lots of time to spend with Laura when she gets here....its $20 an hour with incentives as well....which sounds interesting....and it would be for 6 weeks until the end of the winter school term here....and basically I would have to make 150 phone calls a day and let schools know about book special offers.........so it don't sound too bad

She asked the normal questions like....what could you bring to the job and what sort of environment do you work the best in....I answered them all perfectly if I do say so myself...then she give me a book and told me what I would say about it....so I basically said what I saw....

So I am fairly confident about that....and she said she would contact me by the end of the week....so woo :D

The rest of the day was spent cleaning the flat....including the oven, the microwave, getting onto my hands and knees to clean the floor, washing the settee and pillow covers as well as tidying the room and vaccuming the entire flat.....yes yes....I am house trained tut

And then by my watch it was time for Laura to be leaving home to go to the airport.....and the excitement started......I spoke to her about 6:30am UK time and then called her again a few hours later to make sure she was checked in and everything....she was waiting to board at 11:25am (UK time)......8:25 this time......and by now she is 45 minutes in the air.....I just sat here and worked out as best I can with as much information on her flight as I can get....here it is....as perfect as I can make it so far....

London Heathrow - 9:25pm (12:25pm)- 30/09/2008 - Departed 10 minutes later than scheduled
Singapore - 09:50am (12:50am) - 01/10/2008 (Estimated arrival time)

Refuel - Allow for 1 hour (estimated)

Singapore - 11:00am - 01/10/2008
Sydney - 6:50pm - 01/10/2008

That is rough general idea based on this time.....so yeah....it should be fairly accurate....little bit sad?.....so bloody what?......I love her and I am sooooo excited about seeing her heheI'll leave you with that thought for now lol

Love xx

Help Me Shanni Jesus...

2008-09-29T05:32:00.000-07:00

Recently I haven't really been up to much....I have spent most of my time looking for jobs and sorting some stuff out for when Laura gets here....which I can't speak about here as of yet because it would ruin the suprise.....ahhhh

I have been cleaning the flat too.....or doing as much as I can do....including sweeping and washing the stairs and the hallway that leads to the flat and washing down the kitchen sides and doing some hoovering....I will do the rest over tomorrow and Wednesday before I pick her up from the airport

Tomorrow I have a job interview in a call centre....with a woman called Shanni Jesus...hence the title....they call schools and tell them about special offers and stuff about books....its 5 days a week and its 8:15 - 3:34....and it works out to about $20 an hour....which is roughly $700 a week.....which I think is good money....plus its fairly local too so it gives me a good excuse to ride my bike and get fit woo :)

Next time I post I will probably be here with Laura....so mucho excitement for me right now hehe

Hope I get this job too...sounds like good prospects

TTFN for now

Paul x

Woolworths..

2008-09-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yes....the fact of the matter is....there are actually Woolworths in Australia.....difference is they ain't like some little roadside shop....they are the equivalent of Asda at home....which is quite amazing really...

Today I did nothing much really.....I started writing the first few chapters of Memoirs of a Vampyrs Daughter 2 (Wisdom) and got 7 pages done....which for me is quite productive really.....and then this evening me and Joel (flatmate) decided to go shopping....considering the fridge and both of our cupboards were bare....so thats what we did.....on the way I withdrew $200 (about £100ish) and we went shopping in Woolworths......I bought $156 worth of stuff....which should lead me well in the next few weeks.....and until Laura gets here.....so it wasn't too bad really....but it was nerve racking for sure......walking around thinking I had too much stuff and not enough money.....I really didn't want to be that person who has too much stuff and has to walk away and put it all back.....that would be like....Hell

So now I am down to $2100.....which sounds a lot but its not really....BUT....I do get paid a couple of hundered on Friday this week....and I am doing another couple of days work this week too so.....yey.....¬_¬

Much happier than I was though....and counting down the days until Laura gets here for sure.....only 11 days for me now hehe....

Oh yeah.....

Hope you have a good one darlin :)

Love ya xx

I Want To Ride My Bicycle....

2008-09-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so today....or last night even....I had a fantastic idea.....how about I buy a bike?

This way I can go about on it and it would save me bus fares.....so....today on impulse.....which I am very good at.....I bought a bike....

I asked a guy how much they wanted for it....and he said $150....so I said thanks and walked away to look at some more stuff...then I called another guy over and said I want to have a look at that same bike....so he asked me if I had been quoted a price and I said....yeah....I think he said $130.......

So I am the proud owner of a bike for $130....which I am going to sell again on Gumtree for a profit when I have to leave....not too shabby......

Only problem with my fantastic idea....though it does save me money....and it will eventually get me fit..........Sydney seems to be built on hills.......ahh

I rode home and it took me a while but after a shower and a rest I felt pretty good about myself.......and so yeah....thats me for now....nothing majorly exciting

Keep you updated

xx

Oh My Bloody God...

2008-09-16T06:25:00.001-07:00

LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!

http://www.authorcrossing.com/BookStore/BookStoreBookDetails.aspx?bookid=37405

I HAVE PUBLISHED A BOOK.....HAHAHAHAHAHA

Yall better buy a copy....and I will sign it for you when I get home hehe :P

Should be available in about a week so yeah....buy it on credit card or whatever hehe

16 Days....AHHH!!! :D

2008-09-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up at 5:45....yeah I know....ouch..

Bet you didn't know I knew that oxygen existed at such a ridiculous time in the morning....but I do so bloody well ner...

I caught the bus (after checking my emails and emailing my beautiful lovely Laura) and sat on the bus for 30 minutes.....its suprising though the amount of people on transport at that time of morning here....don't think its the same at home

But anyhow I stopped off and got a Red Bull and a bottle of water and then stopped at McDonalds quickly to get an egg mcmuffin for breakfast....yummy.....then went on to work....

The first 3 hours went by in a flash.....before I knew it I had earned $50 and had done very little or nothing....it went so fast because I was enjoying it......I was in charge of a team to start off with arranging all the signs and putting them up in the correct places throughout 4 different halls....floor plans a go go.....but yeah I sorted that out and when I realised that the people working under me were very unthrilled to be helping me I carried on on my own....organising and putting everything in its rightful place......for the OCD in me it was pure heaven lol.....apart from the fact I walked about 15 miles today....BUT.....at 12:30 I had finished....even though it only took me so long because the stalls which the signs were supposed to be were not built yet.....kind of a problem when you are supposed to stick the signs up there...ahh

But yeah I finished at 12:30 and the guy in charge told me to look busy for 30 minutes so he can pay me for the full 6 hours.....which I did.....and he did.....so thats $208 in 12 hours work.....before tax.....so I am not sure how much I will get but its still a good return....

So now I am back in the office using the free internet and then am going to get some lunch from my favourite restaurant.....and who knows.....I may try something other than the steak........maybe :P

I am actually in a much better mood than I have been recently.....Laura is here in 16 days :D....thats like.....the highlite of my life right now haha....I am earning this money so I can spoil her....hehe....and take her for a steak in......my favourite restaurant hehe :P

For now I am going to fall asleep on the keyboard because I am slightly tired....but its worth it.....much love and all that jazz

Paul x

Today...

2008-09-15T02:04:00.001-07:00

I was meant to have a job interview today with another sales company but due to busses running late I got there 5 minutes past 9 when they asked us to be there at 9 o clock this morning.... when I got there the receptionist said they had all left and to come back tomorrow, so I left the office and walked towards the work and travel office and on the way I got a text message

"Labourers wanted today in Sydney central, $17.39 an hour, start at 10am"

I called the number and it was work and travel anyway, so I spoke to her and she said that they wanted people to lie carpet in the exhibition hall on the harbour side....so I took the job....started at 10 and finished at 5....so thats $140....before tax

Had to lie seperate carpet tiles in an area the size of 2 premiership football pitches together side by side......took us from 10-12:30...but we finished it in the end....and then we had to start putting signs up....at 5 I said I had to go because I was just shattered and he asked me to work again tomorrow too, he said it may only be a half day but its better than nothing....so I have to be there at 7am tomorrow morning (ahhhh)

So yeah....I get paid on Friday from the 2 days work so thats not too bad....I ache now though and I think I will pay for it tomorrow but nevermind....its all money

Ho hum.....I had a bit of a bad turn last night but I am feeling much better now....I have been worrying a lot about money and stuff but now I have earned at least 1 days money I feel better than I was before....the money I earned today is going to go on Laura when she gets here....going to take her out for a meal or something....not quite sure yet but we shall see....whatever it is I hope she will like it...

Thats about it for now....will write again when something worth writing about comes up

Paul x

Photos From Today

2008-09-12T01:30:00.000-07:00

Here are the professional photos I promised :)

Hope you like

And here are the photos from my sightseeing...

Thats all folks xx

Sydney Harbour Bridge

2008-09-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today i went to join a talent agency looking for actors for extra work in shows like home and away and neighbours and game shows and other such stuff, so I signed up for them (only $50) so like 25 pounds....not too bad there....and not only that I got some professional photographs taken.....so thats all good too.

After I signed up for the agency I caught a bus back and got off in The Rocks (which is the furthest point north west of Sydney, and it just so happens to be the place where the opera house and the bridge is....so I spent a couple of hours wandering around there taking photographs.....and enjoying the nice weather....which makes a change considering the way the weather was when i first got here.....lovely sunshine

Its been a nice day so far and I decided to stop by the work and travel office on the way back to get some free internet, because it charges me KBs at the house and I don't know if I have gone over it already with my Vlog creating, shouldn't have done but still, never know....

It helps that Joels laptop has broken so he isn't using the internet, he hasn't actually been home for the past 2 nights so I have been pretty much left to myself....

More breaking news....the job interview thing I went to turned out to be door to door sales....so it wasn't really my thing at all, they offered it to me but I said I couldn't see myself doing it, though I do have another evaluation thing to do on Monday for another company doing the same thing, but they work in shopping centres and stuff....not out in the middle of nowhere knocking on peoples doors hoping they answer......gives me something to do until the agency call me and want me to be in home and away :P hehe

Oh god that'd be so weird, in 6 months time when I get back watching TV and seeing the episode that I am in.....and even weirder....people recognising me in the streets....dear lord...

At the moment they are wanting to place me in a documentary type film thing about gangs in Melbourne, because apparently I look like a gangster with all my tattoos?.....I have 2 for the sake of jebus....but ho hum....its all money so can't really complain

The most important part of the recent news is that Laura has changed her ticket and is coming out to Sydney on the 1st of October now (instead of the 28th November)......we was both suffering a lot as you can tell by my last post.....I spent that night crying my eyes out because I missed her so much.....but I am 20 million times better now I know she is coming :)....only 20 days to go until she is here with me.....so thats very good

I woke up early this morning to speak to mum (it was 7am here and 10pm there).....because I hadn't spoken to her in a while, so that was nice to do, I miss her and everyone else at home, and I know they are missing me, but I am enjoying myself and will be doing the enjoying doubly when Laura gets here....so its all good....

Anyhow....I am off because some Germans are giving me looks for being on the computer for so long.....*sigh*....never mind eh :)

I will drop you all a line later on

Catch you on the flipside

Btw I will upload my pictures later and show you here, both of my photoshoot (yeah I got copies pfft) and of the bridge and stuff so yeah...cool

Adios
Paulio xxxx

Day 7 in Sydney

2008-09-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

My job interview today went pretty well I think....I was on time exactly (which was good considering how out of the way the place is)....its about an hour away from my place but its not so bad....its about 2 Km from Bondi Beach....so after I had the interview I caught a bus down there and enjoyed McDonalds on the beachside.....

But the interview....it was rather good....I turned up on time as I said and waited in the office....then I was called in and spoke to a girl who was about 22+....she said that most of the staff are around the same age, which I'm sure makes for interesting work and play when they go to the pub after work too....(apparently they work till 8 unless its a pub night).....then she realised what she had said and told me she probably shouldn't have said that in an interview....

Its in sales....so I am pretty much set up for it already....I could blag anything if I wanted to....and sometimes I do but not much nommore....but its basically what sales is though....its 5 days a week and its 12-7:30 so its good hours....I get a lovely little lie in ;)

Until Laura gets here it will bide me over.....

So anyway I was called back tomorrow for another part to my interview...its an evaluation period because she told me I had impressed her and so hopefully that should go well....the pay is like $800 a week I think so thats quite good too

Gives me something to do until my darling arrives....am missing her like crazy

I was sat on the train on the way back a while ago and I just started crying because I realised how alone I am and how much I miss her.....and how much I want a hug....and then when I got to the free internet at work and travel I checked my emails and there was one there from her saying that her work visa had been granted for her to come out here.....so thats really pleasing news too....

For now I am going to catch a bus back to my appartment, probably sleep for a while and then maybe start writing some of Memoirs of a Vampyrs Daughter.....thats me for now then....see yas

Paul x

Moving In Day

2008-09-07T01:21:00.001-07:00

This morning I woke up at 9:15 and sorted my bags out, then I went downstairs to eat my final free breakfast and run back upstairs quickly to fetch my bags as I got a text from Joel saying he was going to be early....I got my bags, said my goodbyes and then I was out of there....meeting Joel across the street he give me a lift to the place and that was that....I was given a key to the front gate and the house, and then I was in

Slowly I unpacked my bags and then decided the windows needed a bit of a clean, as they were a little bit dirty, no problems.....I got out the faithful cloth and water and cleaned them up nicely, wiped over the window sill and the cabinets and stuff, made the bed and then wiped over the wardrobe.....and that was that.....room was tidy and neat....lovely

The rest of the day I spent unpacking my stuff and sorting out the wireless internet for my laptop (which was slightly temperamental) but it was sorted and then I decided I wanted to go for a walk....predominantly to find a Westpac bank....where I hold my account (so I can get free withdrawls)....I walked into the next town and found it, it was nice there as there was some big festival thing going on, cultural celebration, so that was good fun.....then I walked back into town and found a KFC where I got the favourites dish (this is some Aussie delicacy....it includes mash, gravy, sweetcorn and popcorn chicken.....all mixed together).....it was rather tasty...

Then I went and did a short shop because my cupboard was looking a little sorry for itself all empty and what not.....and then back here to go on the internet and speak to Laura and my dad for a little while.....which was nice

I am here now and I don't actually start having to pay rent until Thursday.....so I only pay 11 weeks until Laura arrives....which is nice....works out cheaper than I anticipated.....along with a bond of $800 which I will get back at the end of my time here....its all good

Thought I would add some pictures for your viewing pleasure of my new place......and when Laura gets here.....our new place :)

So thats about it for now....thanks for reading

Love Paul xx

Houseward Bound...

2008-09-05T02:54:00.000-07:00

So a lot has happened while I have been in Sydney, I have made friends and they have moved on....I have been out on the lash until 3am and then called Laura for 2 hours....and I have found a house

I went looking around the city yesterday for places to stay, because I am meant to leave the hostel on Sunday.....the first place I went to was shared by 5 people already and it was so dark and dingy, and there was only 1 window and the washing machine was not connected

Then i was surfing the net and I see this little house that was advertised for a couple for $130 a week.....so I went to view it, and it was in the local area, Lewisham, just outside Sydney city

I went to see it after speaking to the guy and I loved the area straight away, it had everything you would need, including a small bar and an Aldi (OMGZ) lol.....so I saw the room and it was huge, with a big double bed and a big desk for my laptop....and in the living room is a piano

So I spoke to the guy and he was a nice enough guy who seemed interested in the company, as his flatmate is moving out.....the rent is only $260 a week....which works out to about $130 dollars each when Laura gets here......and its fantastic

I called him after I had left and told him that I was very interested in the place and he said thats good.....so he text me today and said that he wants me to move in :D....so I have secured the renting of mine and my baby girls flat for the next 6 months (3 months for Laura)....and here it is

Nice huh?

Sydney....The World

2008-09-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am now in Sydney....my connecting flight went fine and though all my worries were undue and I got my bag ok.....so that good

I am now in the hostel reception type place because I can't check in until 12....greatness

Talking to laura.....tis weird the time difference

I'm knackered

Farewell Delhi....Hello Singapore

2008-09-01T02:44:00.000-07:00

Title says it all really....I am currently standing in Singapore airport....after a 5 hour flight from Delhi......and man am I pooped.....and I look very fetching in my pajamas and my sexy steel toe cap boots...

Apparently my checked baggage was sent straight to Sydney.....which is perplexing.....considering I don't know what to do from here

I am waiting at my gate now which opens in about 40 minutes.....its 5:47pm here and its 10:50am back at home......very very very weird

My taxi didn't turn up this morning which was a great start to the day....but luckily I bumped into some Italian woman who was waiting for a taxi too.....so with a bribe of 500 Rupees I caught a lift with them to the airport.....and then after we had checked in and everything we sat and had a chat....she was a very nice lady and suggested some places for me to go in Beijing....

For now I am completely baffled by whats going on to be fair.....I don't really know whats going on and even find it hard to recognise Where I am

I am going to try and find someone to talk to about my bag....hopefully the person who advised me was right and its being sent straight to the plane for me or something.....I don't know....as I said....I'm lost

Love yall xx

Delhi Day 3

2008-08-31T02:28:00.000-07:00

Can't really complain today, actually I probably could but the manager is sitting behind me so I won't :P (for now)

I have spent all of today in bed, which is great I can tell you, and I have a mild version of Delhi Belly.....which is perplexing as I haven't eaten anything....only drank.....must be all that Pepsi I have been drinking

Anyhow I'm fairly ok.....looking forwards to my onwards journey first to Singapore and then to the fabled amazing place called Australia.....(where I don't feel like such a freak I hope)

I got 2 phone calls last night on my room phone which I was very very pleased about....its nice to hear from the people back home.....and I spoke to Laura for 2 hours on the internet too last night

My taxi comes and picks me up at 5:30am tomorrow morning, because I have to be at the airport 3 hours before take-off apparently.....so that should be fun....at least in theory I will be away from the dirty part of New Delhi (my hostel)

So much for being nice huh

I took loads of pictures yesterday and so I will link a couple here for you to have a look at.....tell me what you think.....you can comment me on here you know people :P

Pictures :-

On the road to Agra....we run into these little guys

Oh yeah....they charged me for the pleasure of taking 1 photo ~_~

But the Taj Mahal was worth it

And then my driver took me to the red fort.....the actually palace of the king who built the Taj Mahal

Where you get lovely views of the Taj Mahal

The stone I'm sitting on was actually the kings throne :)

And that was about that for my day

Hope you like :)

Paul xxxx

Delhi Day 2 and Taj Mahal

2008-08-30T08:54:00.001-07:00

After I blogged yesterday the internet went down....which didn't help my feelings of lonelyness.....so I called Laura last night and spoke to her for all of 10 minutes.......and most of that time was spent crying....but after I spoke to her I laid on my bed reading and them mum called me too, so I felt a bit better then....moaning about how crap Delhi is lol

But then today my driver picked me up at 6:55 and we started the 160 Km drive to Agra....4 hours later......and there we was in Agra......just as dirty and smelly as Delhi......but the saving grace......it is beautiful too (if you know where to look)The Taj Mahal was breathtaking.....and it seriously was.....even though I was being stared at by every living soul there......apparently they don't have many fat white hippy types in India????

Anyhow I ignored the stares as best I can and did what I do best.....took photos.....woohoo....so I have some very lovely ones.....I got past the 2 hour que by a friendly local who charged me 100 rupees to show me a way around it....and he did,......instead of queing up for years I got in in like 5 minutes......good locals ;)

So yes I looked around.....and got some rather pretty pictures.....then took my sandals off and went inside.....it wasn't anything spectacular but it was very pretty.....outside is definatly better thoughThen after I had my fill of that I went back to my driver and he took me to some marble place......I don't know why but I recon he deals drugs there or something?.....he left me with the marble designers who tried to sell me table tops.....and I got the distinct impression that he was trying to get rid of me for a while.....to deal his drugs I imagine....

Then from there to the Agra fort.....or the red fort....which is almost exactly the same as the Delhi red fort.....just its.... bigger?That was shown to me by a guide who I knocked down to 100 rupees.....which I have worked out (almost accurately)......is about 1.25 in GBP....so not too shabby.....and he showed me around there and took my picture many many many times for me.....which was nice of him.....in the end I give him another 100 rupees for being such a good sport

Then the taxing car journey home.......dear lord was it a journey and a half......then we hit rush hour traffic......and when I say rush hour traffic.....I mean stand still in the same place for hours on end with cars so tightly packed around you that not even motorbikes can get through....was harrowing and annoying and irritating.....but then we were through

Tomorrow I plan on doing sweet FA......I have about 600 rupees left and 500 of that is going to tip my driver on monday when he picks me up and takes me to the airport..........so I have 100 rupees to my name......so that will be spent probably on water and internet time tomorrow......because I'm cool like that....

For now I am going to speak to Laura and use up another hour of my time......30 rupees for 2 hours....pfft.....bloody hostelAnyhow enough moaning.....can't wait to put my vlogs online when I get out of this place.....for now I bid you adeu again and I shall hopefully write more tomorrow and post some pictures

Love love xxxx

Delhi, India

2008-08-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

I spent one last night with Laura in bed, holding her tight enough to cut off the blood supply and oxygen I'm sure at some points......and then before I knew it, it was time to wake up and make a move, we all got dressed and was ready by 12 and then we left, an hour and a half later we was at the airport, a sense of forboding looming above me as the mileage signs counted down to the airport turnoff....

We went inside and I sent my bag through the machine and then we went to sit down and have a drink, we found the spoons pub in the terminal 4 so we sat and had a drink there, I of course had the Kopparberg and we spent some time together....mum and dad wandered off and left me and Laura alone for a little while, it still hadn't sunk in what was going to happen, but I was upset....the real upset come later though.....me and Laura spoke and reassured each other that it was only 93 days until we get to see each other again.....which isn't particularly long really.....and then again in the snap of a finger it was time to leave them.....we each said our goodbyes and me mum and Laura all bawled our eyes out (getting choked up thinking about it).....and then I was gone....through baggage check.....through security and waiting at my gate for the plane to start boarding....

I got on and found my seat, pleasantly suprised with the extra footroom and free headphones and blankets etc that were provided, I even had my own personal TV screen and nobody sitting next to me....which all made for a fairly good flight.....

I got here early also so we waited around on the runway until we could come into the terminal......the first thought as I got off the plane was...."Turn the heating down".....it was like a saunaThen I was going through passport control and they was checking my details and all of that, stamping my passport for me and then I was free to go, I collected my backpack and wandered out to the terminal entrance where I was met by a small man holding a sign with my name on it (how pleasant).....I signaled him and we was off......to the back of beyond......at least it felt like it......he had parked in a carpark about half a mile away......and when we got to the car I had a bit of a shock.........it was a state.....(I'm sure mum would hate to think of me in such a vehicle).....

We swerved in and out of the traffic for half an hour until we was here.....along the way I saw 3 monkeys so I was fairly pleased with that......when it said on the description that it was in the centre of a market......it wasn't half joking.....Its down a seedy little back alley surrounded by internet cafes and other hostels yet its simple and its home (for only 3 days thank god)...

I tried to get some sleep when I got here.....after a massive breakdown in which I may well have said "What am I doing in this god forsaken country?"......I opened a letter and text Laura and yet it still felt raw....I cried my eyes out....as my Vlog will show when I upload it....anyway trying to get some sleep was impossible.....the hostel had builders in on the floor that I am on....so I had them hammering and banging and sawing like mad.....no sleep then?.....fine ~_~

So I thought I would go out and see if I could find a bottle of water because I was absoloutely parched....along the way I picked up some random guy who told me I have nice sandals and then proceeded to take me to some building where they charged extortionate rates to go on day trips....in the end I said sorry for wasting your time I don't have the money and ended up walking out.....into a rickshaw....they decided to take me on their own steam and off their own backs to another place that would charge me $90 GBP for a pickup-dropoff-airport pickup to Agra.....including a tour of the surrounding areas......I ended up buying it.....little did I know that my hostel did it for 3000 Rupees less than that.....but never matter never mind....tis done now......and if the taxi that picked me up was anything to go by.....at least I know the car I'm going in has air conditioning.....

Then I got a complementary free ride back to my hostel and there I am now......just emailed my mum and am trying to convert videos to make vlog 4 out of.....but it is being very slow....

For now on day 1 in Delhi....where I am hot, sweaty, miserable, homesick and dirty.....I bid you adeu xx

4 Days and Counting....

2008-08-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

I sent out my collective email today giving everybody on my msn contacts list my blog and vlog address.....I have 4 days until I leave

If somebody was to ask me right now how I was feeling.....I would say that I am not feeling it at all....I have no feeling towards it....Its as if its not going to happen....(though I know it is)....even though there are pockets of time when I can't help crying because I won't be able to hug Laura in a weeks time....silly things like that that I am going to miss the most.....those are the times its real

And yet I am fairly excited too I think.....its an amazing opportunity and I am greatful to everybody who has made it possible......my parents, my family and most of all my amazingly supportive girlfriend

The next time I will post will probably be when I am in India....or if I can get to a computer with internet at the airport before I take my flight.......

For now I bid you adeu and will be seeing you again soon

Paul x

YouTube

2008-07-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

I have created a YouTube as well so you can all watch my progress there if you wish, with videos I will try to keep as up to date as possible

www.YouTube.com/DeviaDoesTheWorld

Enjoy

London (Home) and My Story

2008-07-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

My journey starts in just over a month....44 days if we are being pedantic

This is me at home to start off with....home at this present juncture in time being Dagenham, Essex.....or for those who are not familiar with the wonders of the Southern Counties of Britain.......East of London

My name is Paul and I am 21 on the 1st of August 2008 (yes 16 days)....

To start off with I am going to tell you a little about myself.....yes, yes.....get the boring stuff out of the way first....

I always had the dream to travel the world.....and I had a trust fund. My parents put into it every month, and I was always told that I could get it when I turned 21......and my reply always was that I wanted to travel the world.....

I have 2 brothers who are both over the age of 21....and they have both received their savings......and they both spent them on cars that didn't last 12 months.....now you see my reasoning?

A trip around the world, thought I.....was something that could be remembered forever, something that will go with me for the rest of my life....the experiences and differences in the cultures from different countries that I visit......the photographs that could be taken.....the languages spoken.....the foods sampled.....

Overall.....I wanted my life to be different......and then come the chance to fulfill that dream....

Coming up to my 21st birthday was always going to be a traumatic time.....before I could even think about travelling I had to finish my college course, I had to get a University place and I had to work out how much it would cost......

Over the years my plans had shrunk.....I had originally started thinking places like....tha Galapagos Islands and Kenya and other such wonderful places (mostly for the wildlife)....but as I got older I realised that money is always an issue.....so my plans of grandeur shrunk slowly....until i was quite happy with touring Europe

That was....until a man by the name of Alan Kipping......he was kind of a student support officer at Redbridge college where I went for many years, he helped out with the Student Union and had a wealth of knowledge from all walks of life.....during a conversation with him one day he asked me where I wanted to be in 5 years time....this conversation led him to giving me a sheet of paper which I had to fill out.....(I say a sheet, it was more like a booklet)....saying where I wanted to be in 5 years, 10 years....and all that jazz.....when I explained to him that I would love to travel the world more....he replied.....why not?

He was right....and it took his encouragement to see that.....no matter what factors stand in your way....there is always a way to get around it.....mine was money troubles.....but after some investigation I worked out that it wasn't going to be as expensive as I thought it would be...

I booked a programme with Realgap.com to go to Australia for up to 12 months....it included work, housing and all manner of things to set me up in Australia.....and it was only £650...wow

Problem was that didn't involve flights....

Ahh......

OK so......return flight to Sydney.....can't be that much.....right?....

Seems I was very wrong in fact.....they can be.....very expensive

OK so....I have £2000 in my account.....surely I can use that to do my flights....right....so thats around £1600 for both things I wanted to do.....small problem though....there is more I wanted to see.....

Things that were....kind of.......out that way....the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and I wanted to see the Kremlin in Moscow.....

Right.....time to do some detective work.......the initial cost of all these things was quoted to me at around £4000.....which I didn't have....the final price I got....including a stop over for 3 days on the way to Sydney in India (Taj Mahal)......5 months in Sydney Australia.....a flight to Perth at the end of my time in Sydney for a weeks stay......then flights on to Beijing for 2 nights in a hotel (Great Wall of China)......and finally a train ride from Beijing, China to Moscow, Russia.....which takes 6 days.....was......£2100......wow.....thats right....I got all of that for that cheap price....and now I get to see the wonders of the world that not everybody will be able to see

So....that is my trip......with the help of my fantastic parents, who without their support (and their money) I wouldn't be here today.....a man who was well respected who inspired me to think bigger.....a supportive girlfriend who I love very much.... and a lifelong dream by a boy who dared to dream......all leading to this moment

Now I have my Indian Visa sorted, I have my hostel in Delhi sorted (with airport pickup) and I am waiting for my final injection.....thats me......the final step is to change some British currency into Indian Rupees.....

The next time I blog the leaving date will be nigh upon me.....and I will probably be nervous about it.....but then.....when actively taking a step into the future....don't we all panic?

For now goodbye

Paul x