Leaving For Australia

27/11/10

It probably was time to leave. I’ve had a good innings and managed a whole six months (minus a weekend break to Utrecht and a trip around Iceland) of staying relatively still. I can even say I’ve enjoyed my working time, but as with anything, as far as I’m concerned, it was time to head on out again. What better excuse than the Ashes Series to go and venture around Australia again? This time covering the last edges I failed to just under a year ago, and getting well and truly stuck into the diving of the beautiful reefs of the West and East Coast. I’ve decided to see a few new places this time, but cut the trip relatively short in comparison to previous ones, and restart my life in the city I love and consider home, Manchester. I’ve even been organised enough this time to get plenty of work booked in for my return, but disorganised enough to leave myself without a place to live; and I have just three days to fly back and find somewhere. That’s a problem for a later date, but I do have a few ideas towards solutions, if not a little short-term.

It’s fair to say I’m pretty well travelled by this stage of my life, and I’m starting to get the feeling a more constructed life will have to take over soon. For now though, I have what I need in place for a positive future, and with plenty to enjoy in the present, I’ve packed up and I’m setting off again. The first stop was to be St Albans to see my good friend Bondy for a couple of days, and leave the UK in customary British manner *Hiccup*.

29/11/10

With a helluva flight(s) to face in the pending hours, I really do feel like I’ve forgotten something….. Hang on, that’s because I have forgotten something; pretty darn major as well actually. I have left a tax return incomplete and unpaid, and after several phone calls to a brother [sic: cheers Simon, you’re an absolute star], showing far more use than ever utilised before, and a slightly desperate plea to the Inland Revenue, I get the feeling this could really come back to bite me in the ass when I’m supposed to be completely shut down to the realities of life. Normally I pay meticulous attention to detail and have an organisational skill that should leave me relatively problem free, however, I have one serious Achilles Heel in procrastination, which tends to cost me dear; I really must learn that lesson faster! Well as I sit onboard part one of a flight leaving at 11pm on a Monday night with an ETA of 5:30am Wednesday morning, I have plenty of time to contemplate my lifestyle.

Half way through the journey, I arrived a LCCT in Kuala Lumpur. I had managed enough patchy sleep to no longer feel the irrelevant GMT hour, but no way near enough sleep to avoid an inevitable future dose of jetlag >.< In my awakened hours I’d worked out I’d actually spent more time in Kuala Lumpur in the last two years than I have in the city centres of Nottingham, Manchester, and London totalled together. Now that’s some going; maybe it is time to see something new??

The second half of the journey was to be as inconsequential as the first. I tucked away my sixth Walnut Whip (a kind gesture of a leaving present from some staff I’ve had the pleasure of working regularly with) in the space of 24 hours (I have a seriously problematic sweet tooth which is only rivalled by the notorious Pringles theory of ‘Once you pop, you cant’ stop’) and arrived on the familiar territory of Perth, WA. I feel good that I know my way around this city pretty well, and so getting sorted out efficiently was an easy task to solve. I’ve told my body to ignore any hang-over effects of flying and I’m actually not allowing myself to be phased by jetlag as I have no time to recover. With a 6:30am pick up scheduled for the 3rd and a long trip to Broome already booked in, I just can’t afford a shut down just yet. Luckily, on the surface at least, I feel fine.

As for the day, I went out and take a few city snap shots to replace to lost ones from my previous visit (most notably up Jacob’s Ladder to Kings Park to see the city skyline at night), and pass some time with odds and ends. Tomorrow I can either re-visit Freo (Freemantle) or Cottosloe beach. I feel 30°C sunshine may be the better option over the Ned Kelly famed suburb. Hell - I’m ready for a lazy day on the beach after escaping the snowstorms of the UK. I do feel like I have a healthy fair share of responsibility for that though given my excessive carbon footprint (I have totalled in excess of 30 flights over a two year period. Sadly just shy of half of those were long-haul). How the hell with I neutralise that? I suppose all I can really do for now is apologise to low lying countries such as the Netherlands and Philippines and promise to get more house plants and eat more vegetarian options in the future. It’s all I’ve got at the moment unfortunately.

I’m going to wrap it up for now. I just wanted to let Bazza (my ‘don’t you dare call me Baz’ father (16,000km of safe distance gave me the courage to write that)), Mum, other F+F know that I’d arrived safely and I’m well. Over the coming weeks I’ll be gathering more relevant travelling stories from new experiences, so I’ll speak soon. The best observation I have at the moment is actually something I noticed, but failed to note last time: The Australians love one set style of sun glasses. You probably know the sort - the cheapo ones you win as a consolation prize on hook the duck at any fair ground. Huge, chunky, jet black frames rendering your world effectively colour blind. Well I guess even those are better than my replica Roy Bens - Kuala Lumpur’s finest.

Right, see you later; I have an insatiable craving for chocolate and now for Pringles to sort out. I just hope I can stream the iPlayer over here and mong out watching The Apprentice later. Wish me luck.

P.S. I remembered to pack a huge packet of Yorkshire Tea this time, so I won’t get too grumpy over the coming weeks!!