Valparaiso: a trip to the sea

First, an apology. I am doing so much that I am falling way behind in my posts. I will eventually catch up...hopefully before I get back to Perth! A big thank you to all of you who are reading and commenting. Please don't forget to tell me what you want to see.

Day 20: Wednesday 20 February 2008. I woke up feeling dreadful. My head was killing me and I was supertired after coughing and sneezing all night. Still, I looked forward to my next adventure in the port city of Valparaiso.

First, we had to wait for Marcia, Aurora's friend, to finish her meetings in Santiago as we were staying in Marcia's family unit in Valparaiso. Marcia is the grand-daughter of former Chilean leader Salvador Allende. Aurora and Marcia have been friends for many years and met in Mexico [I believe this was while Allende's family were in exile after his death - Aurora will correct me on this, I am sure].

When we arrived at Marcia's house to pick her up, Aurora gave me a brief tour of the bottom floor that was both a shrine and a museum. I was humbled. I did not expect a visit to a friend to be a voyage through modern history.

On the drive to Valparaiso, it seemed that Chilean drivers could be as crazy as Parisians! Drivers are meant to overtake on the left and move to the right to let people through.

Something else I found interesting about the roads was the tolls, which you have to pay one every newish road in Chile. All infrastructure, including roads, has been privately-built & owned from Pinochet's time in power. In fact, thanks to his water-tight constitutional changes, the Chilean Government can not invest in its own infrastructure. To encourage foreign investment, Pinochet also implemented lax tax laws, which now renders the Government unable to collect tax from multinationals that have set up major Chilean projects and employ cheap local labour (BHP Billiton is a case in point here). It sounds awfully like Western exploitation to me - except that it's not limited to the West. Even China have started to get in on the action. [Luke tells me that Chinese language schools are growing in popularity in South America, particularly throughout Brazil.]

The journey through the hills was beautiful and very different. Suggestive billboards greeted us on both sides [this carried through to the port city itself. There were also no men in the billboard ads!], and native palm trees sprouted awkwardly between shrubs and araucaria (pine-tree relatives, also native). The sky clouded over as we headed into Valparaiso, heralding the cooler weather by the sea, but they soon cleared into a wonderful day.

Marcia's unit was modest and fashionably decorated. The interior was very Mexican and Aurora noted that most items had been brought across from Mexico. A photograph of friends and political allies Neruda and Allende took pride of place in the entry way. We brought two boxes of Marcia's books from Santiago for display at the unit: these were mostly gifts to the Allendes, many of them from presidents and other dignitaries.

Valparaiso is not a clean city. Aside from watching out for cracks in the pavement, we were constantly on the lookout for animal waste. Stray dogs and cats roam the streets and shops, surprisingly passing each other without incident. [For me, that disproved the age-old belief that cats and dogs are natural enemies.]

As we wandered the streets in search of lunch, we passed a number of impressive murals and creative graffiti and I realised that we had stumbled onto the Museo a Cielo Abierto which spans most of the city. Adding to the flamboyance was the fact that most of the houses were block-coloured brightly in rainbow shades and everything in between. I was excited to find a number of pink houses. [Apparently the Chilean Government subsidises house paint purchases and actively encourages the bright colours!]

Aurora and Marcia came out with some Chilean metaphors and similes that I found amusing. For example, if you are attracted to someone, then they "smell as good as fresh bread" and if you "look as fresh as lettuce", then you have woken up looking pretty darned good.

Our 4pm lunch at the Gato Tuerto ("the one-eyed cat") was reasonably priced and the service was great. Despite the kitsch decor (plastic placemats) and small servings, it was well worth the visit for the 270-degree view.

We continued our route through the open-air gallery, where we:

• Took a funicular (on an angle of 48-degrees!) down one of the hills. That was fun - many of these near-vertical trains are 100+ years old;
  
• Walked past the Casa Mirador de Lukas, a memorial to Renzo Pecchenino ("Lukas"), the Chilean cartoonist and satirist.

We freshened up at Marcia's [following a near-death experience courtesy of a local taxi driver] before heading out to dinner at 10pm. By now, we were all pretty starving and I was so stuffed up with head cold that I just wanted something quick and easy [and sleep!]. Instead, we were treated by Marcia to an impromptu tour of Valparaiso.

Valparaiso is pure magic at night. The lights flicker like candles at a large-scale shrine to the sea.

It was after 11pm when we arrived at the pizza place - after 1am by the time we arrived back at the unit. Here I tasted palmitos for the first time and ate pizza sprinkled liberally with smoked chilli powder. I was sated.

The highlight of the night was the lunar eclipse that started with Marcia's tour. By the time our pizzas arrived, the moon was fully covered by the earth´s shadow. I can't remember ever having seen a full lunar eclipse before then.

Day 21: Thursday 21 February 2008. Still feeling like death warmed up, Luke and I set off to forage for breakfast provisions. The strays from the day before now travelled together in car-chasing packs. It was funny to watch, not so funny for the drivers with their snapped-at wheels. Here, the dogs have real character; they wait for the people to start moving before they cross a road, sleep in the middle of a footpath, wander in and out of shops.

Breakfast was simple: bananas, avocado, tomato, cheese, fresh bread. The fresh fruit and vegetables in Chile have so much flavour.

While Marcia waited for friends of her mother's to arrive, Aurora, Luke and I headed to Pablo Neruda's house, La Sebastiana. As we walked, we continued to find more murals, graffiti, colours. The cloudy day made the colours more vivid. I was so excited to be able to see this city evolve in different lights and times of day.

A joint Neruda-Picasso exhibition, hosted between the house and cafe, marked the time that the two men had spent together creatively. I started to realise the connections between places in my journey thus far.

Entry to the house itself was 2,500 Chilean pesos. The house was only part-owned by Neruda, who was able to convince some of his friends to buy into the dwelling. There are mozaics inside and out of the house, on walls and floors; in polygons of tile, stone, mirror. Wood features. Contrasting textures, patterns. Stained glass windows. This is a house of many colours.

Aurora pointed out that the high emotion of Neruda's love poems were based more on control ('you are changed because I love you') than acceptance ('I love you because of who you are'). He seemed suddenly egocentric to me, the way he embraced the lustful blindness of love, his ability to transform others. He was also incredibly eccentric.

Only Neruda was ever allowed behind his bar. Adorning the house are gifts, pieces purchased at auction, rescued and restored items. There is a convex mirror in the bathroom by the bar. In the living room, Neruda placed a portrait of a young man wearing a ruff opposite a portrait of the Queen of Spain, also in a ruff, "so the Queen would not be lonely." Neruda's love of the sea is apparent in the numerous porthole windows, the study that sounded like a storm at sea on windy nights.

I didn't realise just how deeply-rooted Neruda's involvement in politics stemmed before seeing this house; he saw politics and poetry as being inextricably intertwined. I wondered also if he was a religious person [and I haven't yet looked into this]; he placed contrasting religious symbols side by side.

In case you couldn't tell, I really liked La Sebastiana.

Marcia, her mother's three friends (political journalists) and their driver ended up at La Sebastiana at the same time as us. I discovered the true true collectivist nature of Latin Americans as we all set off to find a restaurant together. Eventually, we happened upon a seafood place that really loved its oil. I could barely touch a thing but the view over the port was amazing. I thought it was very sweet of the journalists to buy us lunch; we undertook to pay for dessert. [I then found out that it is customary for the oldest member of the group to pay for meals, after some cursory banter.]

Another funicular ride later, and we were off to find a suitable cafe.

Again, Cafe Turri had a fabulous view but was otherwise nothing to write home about [and, yet, here I am doing exactly that!]. We met Marcia's mum, the Socialist Deputy, who greeted us very graciously and joined our party for tea.

I saw a couple of firsts at Cafe Turri: my first Chilean flies (you just don't see insects!], and my first bumblebees! I could not believe the size of these bees.

'The kids' picked up the 28,000 Ch peso tab, which I think was altogether too much for too-small desserts (my celestial pancakes would not have satisfied a grasshopper) and average service. It was on its way to 8pm by the time we left the cafe.

More quirks of Valaparaiso:

• criss-crossed power lines. It's worse than Paris;
  
• the coloured houses built precariously into and over the hills, on less-than-vertical stilts;
  
• the cobbled streets. They are everywhere;
  
• the winding roads with super-tight corners;
  
• the decimal point instead of a comma and comma instead of a decimal point (eg. 1,000.00 is written 1.000,00). I was weirded out by this; and
  
• The strange yet oddly interesting busker who walks a collection of wire-based animals around a ring of spectators.

We headed back to Santiago late, just in time to see the full moon rise over the hills like the sun.

The start of my Chilean adventure!

The rest of Day 18: Monday 18 February 2008 was not nearly as eventful as the preceding 30+ hours. Luke and Aurora took me shopping for hiking pants [sorry, Aurora, I mean 'trousers'!] to no avail, but I did get to explore Ripley, an excellent department store that has a chain in Chile.

Alas, I didn't find hiking trousers, however my hosts did introduce me to Havanna, with its fabulous biscuits, chocolate and condensed-milk caramel. [Note that this link takes you through to a page on A Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down, a site that I believe Neale, Chris, Lila or Nerida discovered some years back. I was a little too excited by this!]

I discovered a couple of interesting facts during this shopping expedition:

• Guinea pig is a Peruvian delicacy that is sometimes served in Chile. I won't be trying it. Like chicken, it has a lucky bone but, rather than the wishbone, it's one of the earbones. Luke couldn't tell me if it was the hammer, anvil or stirrup - I will find out!
  
• 'Embarazada' means 'pregnant' in Chile and, predictably, has the same root as their term for 'embarrassed'. If you the actual word for pregnant (somthing like 'preganento'), it's an insult. You would use this term for cows or dogs. [Well, I thought it was interesting!]

Day 19: Tuesday 19 February 2008. The weather was beautiful - sunny and 31. Breakfast was popped kiwicha and mote (a grain historically eaten by peasants) with fruit & yoghurt; for lunch we had fresh salmon and corvina (aka 'white seabass') with quinoa and fresh vegetables. Yum! [Plus, my luggage arrived between breakfast and lunch. Yay!]

The fresh produce was awesome. Before lunch, Luke and I explored the extensive vegetable & fish markets at La Vega & Mercado Central, which were not that far from Providencia (where Luke & Aurora live). The hot-food vendors at Mercado Central pushed their wares forcefully and I learned to use the phrase "No, la pesca fresca" very quickly. I was thankful for my cold: from the look of others walking past the fish stalls, I could tell that some of the smells were not pleasant.

I also had my first coffee for a couple of days and, at around $AU2 (900 pesos) from Cafe Expresso, it was great. My guidebook told me that there was no good coffee in Chile. Apparently, this place had opened recently so I was not about to doubt my information just yet.

Although we aimed for sunset, we reached Cerro San Cristobal just after. The 22m-tall statue of the Virgin Mary dominates the city as she looks over it. Standing at her feet, I found the panorama of Santiago's surrounding hills and main arteries to be incredible. Perth just doesn't have hills like that - for me, they were mountains! The tiered gardens and religious choral music set the ambience perfectly for me as the sky transitioned through sunset hues to dark blue. It was spectacular to witness the moon appearing over another of Santiago's hills. I was awestruck.

On our way back to Luke & Aurora's, I met Chilelo, the cat who thinks he is a dog. Chilelo belongs to Juan, Aurora's supervisor at the University. Juan is in Australia at the moment and Aurora has been given babysitting duties. Lucky her!

Our meals were so late that I could only manage a light dinner - honeydew melon and avocado on Vegemite toast. [Even though Aurora is Mexican, she is as addicted to Vegemite as much as Luke. The day she 'invented' the Vegemite/avocado combination, Luke was so proud!]

By the time I got to bed, I had razorblades in my throat. The long-haul flights and changes in climate had started to take their toll in the form of a really bad cold...

Sleepless in Sao Paulo

Or: "My Nightmare Near-deportation"

The planned route to Santiago: fly London-Sao Paulo, wait for 2hrs then fly to Asuncion (Paraguay), stay the night in Asuncion, fly Asuncion-Santiago after a refreshing nap. Land at Santiago just under 29hrs after beginning my journey.

The actual story summarised: diverted flight, missed connection, almost sent back to London, 3hrs sleep, forced to take the long way to Santiago, lost baggage. This is a long and whingey post.

Days 17 & 18: Sunday 17/02/2008 & Monday 18/02/2008. Hayley dropped me off at Heathrow and it appears it was third time lucky for me: no random body scan!

I did, however, lose my boarding pass on my way to the departure lounge. A nice British Airways person printed another copy for me, then disclosed the fact that the gate attendants never check the ticket against the passport "even though they should". Despite all the extra security measures, there are still obvious loopholes in the system.

Checking in was easy, though the BA person told me that I couldn´t check in all the way to Asuncion. I would have to disembark at Sao Paulo and check in again. This was opposite to my travel agent friend´s advice so I asked her if she could check this for me, which she did. My 1.75hrs between flights should have been just enough time to collect my luggage and check in again at the other end...

My flight began comfortably (I had two spare seats next to me) but it wasn´t destined to end that way. About half way through the flight, it became obvious that the 11.5hr London-Sao Paulo flight that my itinerary promised was actually 12hrs and growing. With just 1hr between my connecting flights, I was getting anxious.

Things went from worse to worst-case when the captain informed passengers that heavy thunderstorms were preventing us from landing in Sao Paulo: we had just enough fuel to make it to Rio de Janeiro. Our flight attendant told us that travel insurance would cover our interconnecting flights and we would most likely receive hotel and meal vouchers for our troubles.

There were two things wrong with this picture for me:

1. I would be by myself in either Rio or Sao Paulo late at night. All I could think of was the flavillas and Katie B´s South American experience. Embarrassingly, I didn´t know exactly what language was spoken in either city. I had done no research on Brazil; and
   
2. I did not have a Brazilian visa. I had a Paraguayan visa, to cover my one night in Asuncion.

My worst fears were realised when we landed in Sao Paulo just after midnight. I had missed my connecting flight and had been on a plane for almost 15.5hrs. It was 3am London time.

I can not sleep on planes. It´s a disability. I managed a couple of half-hour naps around take-off and landing (when I am most relaxed), but no substantial sleep. I had about 3hrs sleep the night before and I arrived in Sao Paulo on edge. I was exhausted, hungry, thirsty and very much alone.

My first challenge, after registering as a displaced person with BA (and I was the only person on the plane travelling to Santiago via Asuncion), was determining the language. I listened to conversations as I moved up the queue and it seemed that they spoke a mix of Portuguese, Spanish and French. Darn multilingual airport staff! I wished that I had done some contingency reading on Brazil.

The people in front of me had British passports and needed no entry visa. When I reached the front of the passport queue, I was told that I needed a visa just to enter the airport, let alone stay in the country. With meal and hotel vouchers being given for places outside of the airport, I feared that I would be spending the night (ie. getting zero sleep) in the departure lounge. Two federal police questioned me about why I was heading to Asuncion then discussed my fate in indecipherable whispers. I felt like screaming, "I am four months pregnant. Give me food and a bed", but I didn´t. I still haven´t used that card.

Hannah´s Brazil Travel Tip #1: Even if you´re just passing through, get a Brazilian visa.

Hannah´s Brazil Travel Tip #2: There is a hotel within Sao Paulo´s departure lounge. It is great for small sleeps and you don´t need to pre-book.
A useful airport person who spoke English fairly well, wasn´t hell-bent on sending me back to London (as the police wanted) and finally understood that I didn´t want to enter the country told me about the Fast Sleep Hotel. I would only pay for the hours I slept and would have to pay up front but I could then make a claim back from BA. He would sort out a breakfast voucher and connecting flight for me.

He also tried to book my replacement flight straight through to Santiago [the Asuncion stay was only booked to avoid the Brazilian visa, which turned out to be unavoidable]. My ticket, however, detailed specific destinations and I had to go via Asuncion. Though unable to give me a more convenient flight, he assured me that he had personally collected my luggage and checked it all the way to Santiago for me.

Hannah´s General Travel Tip #1: Make sure that your ticket is flexible enough to enable you to schedule replacement flights that are outside of original plans.

It was 2:30am by the time I got to bed; I was up 3hrs later, surprisingly refreshed.

My 9:00am flight to Santiago via Asuncion turned out to be the 8:00am flight to Santiago via Asuncion via Cuidad del Este. Very fortunately, I checked in with Tam Mercosur early [I wanted time to eat breakfast...] and I was the second-last person to board the bus to the plane.

From the ground, Sao Paulo looked like an industrialised suburb of Perth. It wasn´t until we were in the air that I appreciated the expanse of the city with its verrugated landscape and candy-coloured houses.

The hum of the Fokker 100´s engine was musical and familiar. It reminded me of the soundtrack to the Dali exhibition; droning bass overlaid with dissonant treble.

Half an hour into the flight, I discovered that my vegan vegetarian meal preference was not communicated to all flights as QANTAS had promised. The set meal promised listeriosis and I sipped gratefully on my orange juice. Minutes later, Maria Johnson´s fruit platter materialised in front of me and it was very good.

Only 5.5hrs left before I could enjoy a proper meal - which meant 5.5hrs for me to learn basic Spanish from my guidebook and the in-flight duty-free magazine. I was ordering drinks in Spanish before the end of the flight.

Two unexpected bonuses: (1) flying over snow-capped peaks just before reaching Santiago; and (2) landing 25mins early!

I entered Santiago with four different currencies - euros, pounds, $Sing, $US - and only just not enough $US to pay the unexpected $US56 entry fee to Chile. I had to exchange all other currency for Chilean pesos then buy the extra $US, then re-queue. All this before reaching immigration and baggage claim.

Hannah´s General Travel Tip #2: Always have a destination to list on your immigration forms. If you don´t know the address, list a hotel from a guidebook.

My recent good fortune meant that I was due for a balancing bout of bad, which I got when my luggage didn´t show. I went to the Tam Mercosur counter next to baggage claim and lodged a report, as they could not tell me where my luggage was. The attendant didn´t understand that my mobile phone was actually with me and operational in Chile, even though I physically showed her my phone, as I listed it as an international contact number. So she left two numbers for me to call her on when I could give a local number.

I met up with Luke an hour after disembarking and spent the next 1+ hrs trying to find Tam Mercosur´s main office [the two numbers I had been given rang out]. After being assured that my luggage would arrive "tomorrow", despite no further information [and I suspect it was sitting in Sao Paulo], it arrived later that day - only we were shopping well away from the house. All I could do was laugh. And shop. And eat Havanna chocolate bombs. Mmm...Havanna.

I now have my borrowed suitcase returned and my first 1.5 days in Santiago have been 31 degrees and fabulous. Valparaiso tomorrow. More to come.

Things I didn´t do in London

There are many more things that I would do or see another time. This is a short list of ideas so I don´t forget:

• Eat high tea at a major hotel. This was on my agenda and dropped off when I was disappointed by the Ritz menu.
  
• Head outside of London for at least a day. I was meant to go to Brighton and didn´t.
  
• Find wombles in Wimbledon. Or at least look for them really, really hard.
  
• Take a cruise on the Thames. Thanks to Jelena for that idea.
  
• Photograph all of the locations on the Monopoly board. I got part-way there...
  
• Visit the National Gallery.
  
• Go to Sherlock Holmes house. 221b Baker Street. I was so close.
  
• Look for Paddington Bear in Paddington.

Last days

Four-day outlook:

Day 14 - lazy day, dinner with friends of Hayley & Shane;

Day 15 - Hammersmith, Baker Street, Madame Tussauds, Covent Garden;

Day 16 - Dr Johnson's house, shopping;

Day 17 - leaving London.

Thanks to Tamara and Jelena for commenting on my previous post!

Day 14: Thursday 14/02/2008. Happy Valentine's Day! I had a very lazy day at Hayley & Shane's apartment, followed by a relaxing dinner with them and their friends Julia and Simon.

Day 15: Friday 15/02/2008. This was my first day of London weather that lived up to its reputation. Sullen, grey, cold, unwelcoming.

The day started with a scheduled detour to Hammersmith for Hayley. Apparently, you register yourself to one doctor's surgery over here and you can't use any other. Hammersmith, a 40+ minute drive from Earlsfield, is near to where Hayley & Shane used to live. It's also close to Notting Hill but, with the day focused on Madame Tussauds, we were never going to make it that far.

After freezing my face off in the bitter cold wind, Hayley & I stumbled upon a Starbucks, where I firmly planted myself to await her return. Smooth jazz and hot chocolate in a warm cafe. Perfection.

What I noticed, sitting in that cafe, is that people stare. It's not like Central London where everyone is head down, all frown. The people here are inquisitive but it's searching, leech-like.

On Hayley's return, we caught the tube to Baker Street Station and I was almost immediately greeted by the bronzed figure of Sherlock Holmes. Hayley condescended to take a picture of me with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous character; I couldn't quite convince her to journey to 221b.

A paparazzi attack on the red carpet marked the start of our visit to Madame Tussauds. Further down the red carpet, we were greeted by big name stars. Many of them were recognisable but didn't look quite right. Some of the more realistic likenesses included Nicole Kidman [I made Hayley take my picture with Nic], Samuel L. Jackson, Humphrey Bogart, Alfred Hitchcock and Kylie. I was going to try to pass of my pictures with Richard Branson and Nelson Mandela as the real deal...

We looked only at the serial killer section of the Chamber of Horrors - the screams put me off the live show. The whirlwind cab drive through London's history was good; the 'Wonderful World of Stars' IMAX-styled theatre show was not.

Over all, and I know I've said this a number of times before, I am glad I have seen but I wasn't dazzled by the display. I think I had built it up too high in my expectations over the years.

Hayley & I lunched at Souk, a Moroccan restaurant in Covent Garden that was incredibly delicious and authentic. At £20 each, it was worth every penny. If you happen to make it to Souk, please try the pita & hommous, the fresh mint tea (which isn't what you expect) and baklava.

Within the Seven Dials of Covent Garden, there is a fabulous little courtyard called 'Neal's Yard'. Hayley and I really enjoyed it there, with our £10 manicure, £9.75 10-minute massage and natural remedies store [I highly recommend the lip balm - at £5, it's pricy, but it's darn good].

We ate an ok dinner at Fuel. Our amazing lunch would have been hard to follow at any venue, however the onion soup was ordinary and beef-stocky; the pizza was too salty and lacking in other flavour. The garlic pizza was yummy but dry. On the bright side, alcoholic beverages seem to be reasonably priced. Shame I couldn't drink...

I finally fitted in my London cab ride - between Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush, when we picked up Hayley's car at the end of the night. Then we headed home and to sleep. Yay :)

Day 16: Saturday 16/02/2008. Of course, I left it until absolute last minute to post clothes home so that's how I started my day [well, after breakfast, cleaning, washing]. I was super-shocked when the guy in Post Office told me that 2.5kg of fabric would cost me nearly £50 (+ packaging) - to send via surface mail. Apparently there is a 2kg limit for cheap postage of surface mail (6 weeks to delivery).

Hannah's London Tip #13: If you're going to post items home, send them in smaller packages of 2kg or less. It cost me just over £14 (+ packaging) in the end.

When I reached the overland, I was greeted by a group of giggling teenagers - who were celebrating a hen's day. That freaked me out a bit.

My big adventure for the day was finding Dr Samuel Johnson's house, which is not nearly as simple as the guidebooks would have you believe. Dr Johnson wrote the first universally-accepted English dictionary (Johnson's Dictionary) that went further than lists of synonyms. In fact, he included quotes as well as etymologies and some very amusing words and definitions. Examples: fopdoodle (meaning "idiot") and fribbler ("one who professes rapture for the woman, and dreads her consent"). I will try to use fopdoodle in a sentence each day this week.

Dr Johnson was a distinguished man of letters before he commenced the dictionary. I was also intrigued to find out that his best friend had a thing for prostitutes and constantly battled VD, while he may have had a touch of OCD.

In my explorations, I also discovered the meaning of 'amenuenses' - in reference to Dr Johnson's six helpers over the nine years it took to compile the dictionary [guessably, it means clerks or assistants]. I am still at a loss as to why a guidebook, designed for foreign visitors, would include such a broad and obscure vocabulary.

On leaving the house, and suffering from hunger and the biting chill in the air, I was tempted to eat in the inviting warmth of the nearby McDonald's - then I noticed the portliness of its patrons and talked myself out of it. I don't need to look nine months pregnant prematurely.

So I caught the train to Oxford Circus, where I came across a manic street preacher (literally) and sandwiched @ EAT (at the bottom of Top Shop, followed by a snail-shaped danish and a hot chocolate at the Apostrophe boulangerie & patisserie. The hot choc was more like a rich chocolate yogo than a drink; I had to eat it with a spoon! [Donald, I did find Abeno Too near Leicester Square - too late for lunch. I will make sure that Hayley & Shane have the details so that I can dine vicariously through them.]

I ended my day with a last look at the shops [when is Marks & Spencer coming to Perth?] and commenced the three-train journey home. This trip was mildly eventful, with mice playing together on the train tracks at Covent Garden Station, a twentysomething prat reunion next to the train at Leicester Square Station, and an impromptu choral performance (in harmony) on the escalators leading up to Waterloo. Seriously. And they were good!

Hayley took me out to dinner at a Fulham pub (in)aptly named The Temperance. The meal was hearty, seemed very English to me, and cost us less than £15 each. [Thanks for taking me out, Hayley!]

*
It's now 17/02, Day 17 of my trip, hours away from my next long-haul flight. Icky la la.

I will miss Hayley & Shane, who have looked after me so well over the last two-and-a-bit weeks. Though I am looking forward to my next big adventure in Chile, I'm getting increasingly homesick...

Back in London - days 11-13

The quick three-day preview FYI:

Day 11 - Buckingham Palace, Green Park, shopping;

Day 12 - Harrod's, pedicure, dinner at the Algarve;

Day 13 - Dali Universe @ County Hall, London Aquarium, big night in.

Day 11: Monday 11/02/2008. We carried the Parisian weather with us. Sunny and 13. How fabulous! I started the day with changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, which took far too long. I could not believe the off-season crowds! Judging by the accents around me, I would say that this is the time of year when the locals come out to enjoy the tourist attractions.

I have to say, I felt a bit let down. I am glad I did it - to be able to say I did - but it really was not anything special. After an hour of standing, several photos, very sore feet and the persistent feeling that I was about to faint, I headed across the road to Green Park and the Princess Diana Memorial Walk. I was more interested in finding a park bench than doing the walk, which stretches across four parks, however I was excited to stumble across it.

It was in Green Park that I met up with Tom H (who will be known to Landgate readers) for lunch and shopping. It was great to catch up with a friendly face! We stopped by the Ritz on the way to the tube to find out about their high tea, which I was superkeen to try. We realised very quickly that we were not suitably attired and I could only eat half of what was on the menu. For £37, I decided to give it a miss. I'll still look into the Berkely, though. They have boot and handbag shaped cookies.

So we headed into town, which leads me to my next tip, courtesy of Tom.

Hannah's London Tip #11: Ignore Tip #8. Buy an Oyster card (that you can top up) for train travel. It magically works out the cheapest journey for you, depending on the # of uses, times of day, destinations. Better than a Day Travelcard.

The first thing we did was shop for shoes [the bones in my feet have shifted due to my lack of sensible shoes, I am sure], and I bought some flat boots from Dune within minutes of reaching Oxford St. Reduced from £65 to £45. Yay me! We had a yummy lunch at Bella Italia on Argyll St, then onto more shops.

After less than a day, Tom managed to pass on a longstanding addiction to me. No, not cigarettes. It's Thornton's toffee. I love the choc-coated vanilla fudge...

I also enjoyed my first-ever Starbucks coffee (hazelnut hot chocolate) and it was brilliant! Then it was time to find Tom's friend's birthday celebrations, using Shane's A-Z.

My evening was relaxing and home-cooked. A perfect finish to a lovely day.

Day 12: Tuesday 12/02/2008. I slept in until about 10:30 - my first sleep-in while I've been away - and watched bad TV as I ate a breakfast of Thornton's choc-coated vanilla fudge and Sainsbury's salt & vinegar twists (another recent addiction), all the while vowing to eat a healthy lunch.

It feels like every second show on London's free-to-air TV is Antiques Roadshow, The Very Best of Antiques Roadshow or Antiques Roadshow: a Retrospective. They really cling onto their old stuff here.

Everything about the day was delayed - from getting up, to buying a train ticket (the ticket office closed as soon as it was my turn to buy a ticket), to catching the train (delays on several lines, including the Jubilee). I just had to accept that nothing would be rushed today.

By the time I made it into Harrod's, I was starving. I tried to make a bee-line for the food hall, however I could not help but be sidetracked by pretty things. The cosmetics counters were impeccable, Harrod's Arcade was delightful, and the soft accessories were luxurious. I made mental notes of everything I needed and moved on to the food. [BTW, it was here that I discovered the £12 that the Heathrow shop wanted for a Harrod's green bag wasn't actually that steep - they are £14.95 at Harrod's!]

The fruit & vegetables, prepared meals and fresh pastries and sweets looked amazing. I found some very nice looking artichokes and decided that I had to cook some for Hayley & Shane before I head home.

It was upsetting to find a fantastic fromagerie. Ordinarily, such a find would have been a boon, with all the delicate soft cheeses and robust blues calling to me by name; instead, they were transformed into temptations to be avoided in my current condition. Despondent, I wandered into Harrod's Cafe Espresso.

The first thing that made me smile was the bag hooks under clean tabletops. My cappuccino was also fabulous (and so I should have been, for £3.80!). I was heartened by the fact that this and many other places around London are using exclusively fairtrade coffee. I read an interesting article in BA's in-flight business magazine about the economics and low additional cost (to industry) of supporting fairtrade coffee, yet there is generally a high cost passed onto the consumer. Very interesting.

I looked around as I awaited my melanzane di parmigiana [yes, again] and I tingled with a Christmas sensation, the promise of a gift unopened. I could have kicked myself for contemplating not going to Harrod's whilst in London.

I quickly corrected my 'merci beaucoup' into a 'thank you' as my meal arrived. Naturally, it was fabulous. I passed on my compliments to the kitchen via my waitress and found out that a bona fide Italian chef prepared my meal, which explained the simple, authentic flavours. Full of cheese and fully satisfied, I sipped on peppermint tea as I finished writing out my postcards. It was 3:30pm when I left the cafe, and I happily handed over the £23 (incl tip) for such a pleasing meal.

I realise, as I read through my travel notes, that my trip thus far has been marked by simple yet pleasurable gastronomic experiences. I haven't been able to drink alcohol or take any risks, yet I have really enjoyed my holiday - particularly because of the food. Even the basic £2.95 nachos at Debenhams were just right for the time.

I left the cafe with a resolve to book a tableau pour un at Gordon Ramsay's Maze restaurant before I leave, a meal sure to cost me between £40 and £60. I love my food. Up to that point, I was under budget [good project management!]. All that was about to change: I stumbled upon Harrod's jewellery section.

One Tiffany & Co necklace later, I was no longer looking at a Gordon Ramsay culinary experience. It's funny how one's priorities can turn on a dime like that. [I can hear you shaking your head. It's a congratulations present from me to me. And it will last a lifetime, unlike a meal. Truly.]

Hannah's London Tip #12: ATMs, or magical money walls, are called 'cashpoints' over here. I have managed to confuse more than one salesperson by asking for directions to the nearest ATM...

After sauntering around some more in Harrod's, wearing in my new necklace, I stopped, looked at my mobile phone (my watch didn't go with the outfit) and realised it was 5:28pm. I had a pedicure booked for 6pm. In Earlsfield. An hour away.

Rushing home with shopping bags in peak hour was not fun (three Jubilee line trains were too packed for additional passengers before I managed to squeeze on), but I made it to Glowz [yes, that does say much about the salon] for my pedicure. It was just what my feet needed - and have me just enough time to get home and change jackets in time for dinner with Kristian & Jasmina.

I have known Kristian since primary school, though we hadn't seen each other for years; Jasmina [I so hope my spelling is right!] is his lovely wife. We had ~17 years to catch up on and a lovely meal at the Algarve (Portuguese resturant in Wandsworth; I think there was one other occupied table...), but the piri-piri chicken couldn't compare to Nando's! Now I can order food in four languages and say thank you in six. I'm so proud of me :) [Thanks again, Kris and Jas.]

The weirdest thing happened at the end of the night: the Indian taxi driver accused me of having an American accent.

Day 13: Wednesday 13/02/2008. I started out at County Hall's Dali Universe, where I managed to catch three art exhibitions (Dali, Picasso, Azam) for the bargain basement price of £12.

With over 500 masterpieces, the Dali retrospective was impressive and extensive. I was surprised to discover the extent to which religion, mythology and metaphor influenced Dali's philosphy and work. It was for me a sensual, empowering display; his brand of surrealism involves an incredible artistry and attention to detail. He also collaborated with some big names in furniture and film (eg. Alfred Hitchcock for Spellbound).

I appreciated Dali's strong self-belief and view of how ideas can be formed and used. I was inspired by some of his philosophy, which I guess makes him a true artist ["An artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others"], and disturbed by other aspects. He had a definite sadistic streak through his work that more often than not applied to sex.

In terms of the other two artists: the Picasso exhibition was smaller, understated and intriguing [I didn't know he created ceramics or designed tapestries!]; Azam's iridescent spaghetti did nothing for me, hence I didn't spend too long on the artist-in-residence's display. It was interesting to compare Dali and Picasso's representations of the female form side by side. Dali tended to preserve the roundness of natural curves and pervert them in such a way that you could tell what they had come from, while Picasso was more abstract, angular and disconnected. I don't know enough about art to know what that says about either or both of them.

Lunch at the London Aquarium's Cafe A was yummy and too pricy for what it was: £6.25 for a cheese & salad sandwich and chocolate donut. I really paid for the view - overlooking foot traffic travelling alongside the Thames.

As a tourist destination, the London Aquarium is abysmal - and, at £13.25, a waste of precious pounds. Well, maybe not such a waste, as I did contribute to preservation of our oceans with my ticket purchase.

I hurriedly sought out Zone 9 as soon as I entered, thinking I had made it just in time for shark feeding time, only to discover I was a day late/early. Very disappointing. Then I saw how small the sharks were and realised the feeding show would not have been too vigorous. I followed through with the obligatory tour but I remained unimpressed. The Aquarium seems to have been set up for schoolkids and Londoners who haven't really been anywhere. I forget how spoiled we are for aquatic life in Perth.

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around London, trying not to spend more money [I did discover a photo development place and transferred my photos from memory card to DVD - finally! But now they're too big to attach to my blog!].

While Shane was out for the evening, Hayley and I had a junky night in - Thai, chocolate, a tub of Ben & Jerry's icrecream each, back-to-back Scrubs and Friends episodes. It was great, and we both woke up with food hangovers :p

*

Today. Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have something special planned. I am spending a lazy day at the apartment because it is 8-degrees and threatening rain and it is so cosy in here :)

Gay Paris - days 8-10

Before I talk Paris, I have to acknowledge my latest comment [thanks to Kristian. Good pick-up on time stamp, BTW. It was posted closer to 2am but I forgot to change the post time. I just can't get the time-date stamp to show correctly because I am too clueless. Can anyone help here?]. No sooner do I find something that I think is boutique and unique over here, than I discover it is actually a (multinational) chain. Lush, Office and EAT are prime examples. So disappointing. I haven't found a Selfridges or Harrod's outside of the UK in my limited travels, however. Yet. [Harrod's is on the agenda for today, 12/02.]

Thank you also to those of you who have been emailing but not commenting [Sal, Hayley - you come to mind straight away]. It's great to know that my blog is being read & enjoyed by friends :)

Now to Paris, where we had perfect weather for the weekend.

Day 8: Friday 08/02/2008. My day started in Aveda's reduced-service salon. I went in for a half-hour wash & blow-dry, and walked out nearly 1.5hrs later with a head of curls, a full face of make-up, a loyalty card and a bag of products. I can't help it. The products are just so fabulous (and I'm not even getting a commission to say that!). Then I had to race home to pack for Paris. Yay!

The 1.5hrs between apartment and airport disappeared into a time/space vortex. Tamara & Robbie, you would be so proud of my packing efforts - one carry-on bag (that also fitted my handbag!) for the 2-night stay.

Now I wish I could say something glowing about Heathrow, but I can't. Hayley, Shane and I entered the departure lounge through two different entry points - yet we all managed to get selected for 'random' body scans. Great start. Terminal 4 shopping is limited and dismal at best. I couldn't even be impressed by the sensor taps in the bathrooms because of the state of the toilets. Icky.

One thought occupied by mind as we boarded the delayed flight to Paris: at least we all ate the same garlified pasta sauce for lunch.

The flight itself was short and sweet. Our seats were barely warm beneath us before we had to give them up. From the time the plane landed, Paris felt different. No one waited for the seatbelt light to go out before unbuckling [shock, horror! You will be pleased to know that my compliant nature, and my seatbelt, stuck fast]; each 5cm gap in the line for passport checks became an entry point for new passengers [what queue?]; drivers are all over the road and don't respect lines between lanes - worse than in the UK [road rules? What are "road rules"?].

The taxi ride to the hotel was longer than expected in more ways than one. Parisian drivers seem so erratic, yet we passed no accidents on the way. Maybe it was our lucky day. It also wasn't cheap, at E45 [sorry, can't figure out the pretty Euro symbol on the keyboard. It is there...].

Our super-cheap hotel was, however, a pleasant surprise. For 3-star accommodation, the hotel was quaint(the decor and the one-person lift), comfortable and central. We were pretty darned pleased with ourselves, especially when we found out that the daily tariff is ordinarily E210. We booked the Hotel de Neuville through lastminute.com as a package deal with our flights and the entire package came to £185pp. One unexpected thing: we were told that the hotel had only double rooms, however both of our rooms came with 2 single beds.

Hannah's Paris Tip #1: Lastminute.com can really pull through when it comes to cheap flight/accommodation deals. Check out the accommodation separately - this was how we found out that each room had its own bathroom facilities.

After settling and refreshing ourselves, we foraged for a late dinner and discovered San Remo, a little Italian restaurant around the corner from us (and there were so many restaurants just around the corner. It was fabulous). I was impressed with the fact that we were greeted with a complimentary glass of white wine/orange juice. Not realising how huge the servings were, we ordered entrees and mains. Hayley and I had the eggplant parmigiana for starters and, with its 1.5cm-thick layer of melted mozzarella and parmesan, it was way too much. Shane's garlic bread entree was actually a full-size garlic-tomato pizza! I don't know how we got through our mains - we did have to be rolled out the door. Even with the huge tax (TVA)/service charge additions, the E25 (apiece) meal represented good value.

Hannah's Paris Tip #2: As most places include a 10%+ service charge in their bills, you're only expected to tip when you really enjoy the food & service. A few Euro is sufficient.

We tipped our waiter for his excellent service, for teaching us tipping protocols in Paris, and for extending us beyond our please/thank you/sorry vocabulary.

An annoying thing: the heavily perfumed ladies' rooms in Parisian restaurants. You have to be hypervigilant; it comes out in regular puffs near eye-level.

Day 9: Saturday 09/02/2008. On our walk to the Arc de Triomphe, I ate a pastry that looked and tasted like a giant fruit loop. Decadent but not nearly as special as the Arc. I couldn't believe the enormity of this celebration of Napoleon's triumphs, particularly the scale of the scupltures & carvings. I felt sad that Napoleon did not live to see the finished product but it warmed my heart to know that the unknown soldier had a home there.

From the Arc, we wandered down the 1,800m length of the Avenue des Champs-Elysees. The shops were just opening and I felt a sense of what the excitement and bustle that would follow in a couple of hours. All the big names lined the streets, with a huge Louis Vuitton store perched proudly on a prominent corner.

My discovery of Parisian "differences" continued here, to my horror, as I realised that the power lines were woven into the branches of the trees that lined the streets. They crossed over each other willy-nilly and some were within reaching distance. I shuddered and hoped that the wires were well insulated.

At the end of the Champs-Elysees, we ate our first French crepes (E3ea) and they were awesome. Shane definitely ordered best (Nutella vs Hayley's apple & my apricot) and Hayley & I vowed to have a Nutella crepe before leaving Paris.

From there we walked to the Louvre, found it was open from 9:30am on Sunday [so we decided to 'Louvre it to tomorrow'. Sorry, very bad Paris joke...], and decided to take an afternoon bus tour instead - but first we sat and sipped coffee on the Seine. The cafe was layed out for serious people-watching, with all the outside chairs facing toward the Seine in two rows, interspersed with tiny round tables.

This view came at a premium. After our hugely expensive coffees [E16.20 for 3 coffees! I had to laugh or I would cry - it was my buy], we bought our tickets and enjoyed the 2.25hr circleroute tour.

Hannah's Paris Tip #3: The E22 red/green bus tickets are valid for 2 days and you can jump on/off wherever you want. There are red bus tours and green bus tours - both have the open-roof option.

A funny thing we saw while waiting for the bus: a white French poodle with matching owner. Seriously. They looked exactly the same.

The bus tour was excellent. We sat atop the open double-decker bus and absorbed the magnificent day and uninterrupted view, took too many pictures and learned (via audio commentary, accompanied by classical music I recognised from high-school music studies) a little of Paris' expansive history. Just after Notre Dame Cathedral, we toured through the oldest Parisian settlement - dating back to 200BC. I saw bikes for hire here. This is something I would definitely have done for a day given more time and appropriate clothes.

The Opera House, built in 'Napoleon III style', was stunning. It is now used for ballet; the Bastille is really Paris' opera house. I would have loved to have seen a ballet in Paris.

I found the history of the Champs-Elysees fascinating. Apparently, it is historically where people met up after death to live in joy and harmony. Now, as a playground for the rich and curious, I guess it has a similar purpose.

We disembarked for a too-big 3-course lunch (E25ea; the onion soup and creme brulee were delicious; none of us enjoyed our mains) near to where we started our tour. This was followed by a tour of Notre Dame Cathedral. The Cathedral itself was a massive spectacle, not as imposing or grandiose as St Paul's from the outside, but possibly more ornate. Life-like religious figures adorned the outer walls; inside was simply incredible.

We were allowed to take pictures in the cathedral, which I felt a little odd about, especially as we arrived in the middle of a service. The singing and foreign sermon made the Cathedral even more enchanting, and I think each of us had a spiritual experience. I promise that pictures are on their way!

After being given very poor directions by a local on the Metro [I think this was partly attributable to the fact that we asked for the Eiffel Tower rather than the Tour du Eiffel], we trekked to our final planned destination for the day.

The Eiffel Tower was awe-inspiring. As soon as we were up close and personal, I knew I wouldn't even be able to make it to Level 1 without freaking out, so I left Hayley and Shane in the 2hr queue while I took photos and sought out a cafe.

I found an outside table (by now, I had learned to ask for a table in French!) directly overlooking the Tower at the very delightful Cafe du Trocadero. From my box seat, I watched as the light faded and an unexpected Eiffel Tower light show dazzled the city exactly on the hour. As I waited for Hayley & Shane, I drank the best hot chocolate ever and ate toast with jam and butter (almost tea with jam and bread!) - all for the bargain price of E9. I realised that, after the tip, it cost me about the same to watch the Tower from afar as it did for Hayley & Shane to travel to the top.

I don't know why they don't make hot chocolate like that in Perth: a rosette of chocolate syrup in a cup accompanied by a jug of frothed milk and individually-wrapped sugar cubes. Heavenly.

I learned a new French phrase everywhere I went in Paris and, at this cafe, I learned how to ask for the ladies' toilets. Very useful!

An online review I read while writing this post states that the waiters at Cafe du Trocadero are "rude even by Parisian Standards". I found the opposite to be the case. My weekend experience of Parisian people (including waiters) was generally very positive.

I have to admit, as the waiting time drew out, I started to wish I had asked for an indoors table [my search for a decent beanie in London continues]. It was here that I pondered over the shopping in Paris, wondering if the shops would be open as late as in London, or open early on Sundays.

Hayley messaged me from the top of the Eiffel Tower just as I settled my bill. Perfect timing. I met them at the bottom, then we wandered to the Cafe Kleber for dinner. All I could manage was an onion soup [for comparative purposes. It was delicious] while Hayley & Shane struggled somehow through another 3 courses.

We finished our evening with a taxi ride around Paris, then headed back to our hotel rooms for much needed sleep.

Day 10: Sunday 10/02/2008. We took the Metro to breakfast and almost regretted the fact straight away. The air underground was sour and heavy, which made us walk very quickly to the train. Some quirks: the train doors close very quickly; there is no "mind the gap" [yes, Dan, I did notice that difference!]; the female voice telling you which station you are stopped at is a lesson in French pronunciation as she twice purrs the station name in a soft yet distinctive tone, almost as an invitation to repeat it with her.

Breakfast on Rue de Clichy was expensive and very French (croissant, hot chocolate, orange juice - for E9.50). Hayley really did have tea with jam and bread!

Our day was planned to start with Galeries Lafayette for shopping/perfume-making followed by the Louvre, however our pleasant waitress informed us that Galeries Lafayette was closed on Sundays and we then discovered that all shops worth visiting were closed on Sundays. Hayley and I were super-disappointed; Shane smiled a little too broadly when then waitress broke the news.

It may be the off-season but, with so many people around, I would have thought the shops would be open for longer hours than Perth! My feet were longing for flat shoes; I had only brought my high-heel boots with me to Paris.

Hannah's Paris Tip #4: The shops in Paris are closed on Sundays - at least during the off-season...

So we went directly to the Louvre from the Metro, which turned out to be the best move ever, as we were able to purchase our E9 as soon as we stepped of the train.

Hannah's Paris Tip #5: If you enter the Louvre from underground, you have direct entry to the Museum without having to face the crowds at ground level.

The Louvre was fabulous and enormous. The very building was art. The roofs, pillars, walls - even the floors - were richly decorated. We could have stayed all day but were happy to seek lunch after stopped being so awestruck, which came after about 2.5hrs of wandering. I had seen the Mona Lisa and had my photo taken with Venus di Milo and countless of other artworks - and that was enough for me.

We taxied to the Latin Quarter for lunch at an interesting Greek shishkebab place, where Hayley & Shane started with a free cocktail. I am amused and intimidated by the fact that Parisian restauranteurs spruik so earnestly for your custom, promising drinks and larger servings. [Hayley & Shane tell me that you don't select a restaurant to eat at in Berlin until you are offered at least dessert and two bottles of wine with your meal.]

It was a little off-putting to see a cat weaving its way through the tables in the restaurant, but it looked clean enough and we thought we would be safe with our thoroughly-cooked menu selections. The grilled chicked (E11) was delicious and one of the few reasonably-priced meals I found in Paris.

Hayley was the only one to order dessert. She had never tried souffle before and couldn't resist the mandarin souffle on the menu. It came out of the kitchen super-quick and souffle-looking, then she discovered it was mandaring-flavoured icrecream in the shape of souffle! It looked so real. Poor Hayley has still never eaten souffle. Still, she took it well and gave Shane & I an amusing and very active chair-dancing lesson to Zorba the Greek while enjoying every mouthful of her icrecream (which we almost wore as a result :p).

We explored the Latin Quarter a little more then had dessert (Hayley's 2nd!) on the outskirts: Nutella crepes. They are possibly my favourite food in the world. I know I am not alone in this: a steady stream of people lined up for the same after they saw us enjoying ours so much.

Our day ended with another red bus tour, followed by drinks [I love Parisian hot chocolate!] near our hotel. Hayley & I still needed to shop, so we left for the airport early. This turned out to be a very bad move. I got 'randomly' security-scanned again and found a whole 5 shops in Terminal 2 and we had our first real encounter with rude French people - in the airport, of all places! To cap it off, our flight was delayed by 1.5hrs.

[I forgot to mention my disappointment at not getting my passport stamped when I entered Paris. I mean, aside from the hundreds of pictures, how would people know I had actually been? I made sure it was stamped on the way out - and I got the distinct impression that I was not the first person to make such a request.]

We left Paris full of sugar, butter, salt and happy experiences. There was so much more we could have done, like visit Montmartre, see Rodin's The Thinker or look through the Musee D'Orsay, but we were pooped. Having done none of my usual research or preparation, he weekend was perfect. I was sated.

I didn't feel at all like a third wheel [thanks, Hayley & Shane] and I will definitely visit Paris again one day. With more money.

Not-so-sunny London - days 5-7

It took so long for me to write Day 5's post that it has become a 3-day epic! Since then, London has become less sunny, although it is meant to fine up over the weekend - and I'm looking forward to a 13-degree day tomorrow.

This entry is so long, hence I have compiled a dot-pointed summary of sights:

Day 5 - Tower of London, Golden Palace, Spamalot

Day 6 - Southwark Cathedral, Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, Millenium Bridge, Selfridges

Day 7 - Trafalgar Square, Horse Guard Parade, 10 Downing St (attempt), Westminster Abbey, Big Ben & Parliament House, shopping on Oxford, Regent & Bond Streets.

Thanks to Jelena, Donald & Kristian for their comments re my last post! FYI, also from last post, a cathedral is so-named because it houses the bishop's throne, or cathedra.

Day 5: Tuesday 05/02/2008. I left home in search of the Tower of London at 9:20am.

Hannah's London Tip #8: Buy your all-day Travelcard (covers all trains, overland and underground) after 9:30am and save money. Applies to weekday travel only. £5.90 instead of £9 means a £21 saving over the course of my stay, which I can waste frivolously on other things.

I lunched very cheaply (£2.94) upstairs at EAT (next to the Tower), an awesome organic & wholefoods place that is actually a 'fast food' chain in London. As I ate, I enjoyed an amazing view - as I do wherever I happen to be in London. The monuments, old buildings, terraced housing. You just fall on top of them without a plan and many do not appear in guidebooks. It's all so fabulous.

The Tower of London is huge. It took me over 3.5hrs to explore. I bought a Tower guidebook (£4.95; useful, but not essential). There are constant interactive displays, short films and plaques about the Tower's history - let alone the architecture, views, engravings from ex-prisoners, atmosphere. I was glad to be here on a bleak day. It felt more authentic.

Hannah's London Tip #9: Don't wear high-heels to the Tower. Aside from doing lots of walking, they get caught between the cobbled path.

I loved so much about the Tower, but the Crown Jewels exhibition was my favourite part. I travelator-ed around the main exhibit twice - behind the same American lady who, whilst also beginning her second round, gestured to me and proclaimed loudly to her husband, "See! She understands what I am talking about!"

I made myself a very kitsch Tower souvenir in the form of a pressed penny.

Hannah's London Tip #10: If you want a pressed penny, ensure you have £1 for entry to the Tower's Regimental Museum, a 1p coin (to be pressed) and a 50p coin (to pay for the pressing).

I now find myself doing/seeing things that friends have shared from their travels, except that I have completely forgotten the related conversation until I am in the thick of the action. Take the pressed penny - I now recall Hannah V telling me about her Tower experience. It's kind of exciting, like I'm trapped in a real-life King's Quest, only I don't know what the ultimate goal is. A bit like the search for the grail.

Speaking of grail, here's my Spamalot review: the Palace Theatre was the perfect location for a musical set in 932AD and, despite Shane being the only one of us to have seen the Monty Python films, Hayley and I had high hopes. I shouldn't have. Whilst I found it mildly amusing in parts, Spamalot let me down. In its defence, I was feeling very cultured and supertired at the time - and this is not a classy show. So what was it about? Certainly not The Holy Grail remake it promised (I am told the film is actually very funny). It's more of a Benny Hill meets Priscilla (as in 'Queen of the Desert') arrangement. Yes, exactly as you picture it now. No, not really my cup of tea. 2 stars [Sorry, Jelena], and only because of the rousing musical numbers, the brilliantly hammy performance from the Lady of the Lake, and the free ticket upgrade we were given as we walked through the door.

Before Spamalot, we dined at the Golden Pagoda in Chinatown, near Leicester Square. We wondered what all the crowds were about, then realised it was the eve of the Chinese New Year. How fortuitous! The restaurant had a 10-page menu, and service was so prompt that I think it took us longer to eat than order. Dinner was yummy but nothing special and, @ £15 per person, we over-ate (very fitting, seeing as it was the last night of the Year of the Pig...).

Still, our stomachs' icecream compartments were not filled and we hankered for dessert. We headed to Macca's, where I experienced my first McFlurry. I did feel odd about that, given we could have gone somewhere more distinctly European, but it was so good and only 99p.

Day 6: Wednesday 06/02/2008. Happy Chinese New Year! The Year of the Rat is upon us.

My first stop on Day 6 was Southwark Cathedral. As the first Gothic church in London, it's got very, very old roots. It even has links to Shakespeare, with its Sam Wanamaker memorial.

Sam Wanamaker was the American actor who, after finding a brass plaque to be the only memorial dedicated to Shakepeare in London, started the massive task of rebuilding Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - as its 3rd incarnation since 1599. He died before he could see his ~50 year project come to fruition in 1997. How do I know all of this? I did the tour and viewed the Theatre exhibition (£9 cost). The Theatre's season runs from April to November, so that makes me either 2 months too early, or 2 months too late.

Just down the road from the Globe is Vinopolis, which I didn't venture into, for fear of being sucked into one of my favoured pastimes.

Entry to the Tate Modern, which is only slightly further along the Thames walk, is strictly free - but they have little, arty, flasky-type things prompting you to donate £3 at every turn. So I donated my unofficial entry fee. I wish they had some sort of "I've given my £3 to keep Tate Modern" sticker - I felt like these donation sculptures were trying to suck more generosity from me at every turn and it was stifling.

Peter, you will be pleased to note that I took pictures of the earthquake in the Turbine Hall, and it was just as you described it. I couldn't, however, bring myself to get someone to take a photo of me with my foot in the crevice; it seemed too macabre.

There was so much art from well-recognised names that I hardly knew where to focus. Picasso, Pollock, Tanguy, Matisse, Monet... It was a feast for the eyes. And not all of it tasted good. I mean, dead birds stuck to a wall? At least they were stuffed, I guess. Jean Dubuffet offered up a 1950s piece of framed granite-look laminex, or so it seemed. And I never did understand those canvasses of block colour - until I read the explanation hanging next to a piece of slashed blank canvas. What is art, really? So profound. Thank you, Lucio.

I should really have kept up my tech drawing. The number of geometric designs and simple patterns posing as art was incredible. How did these artists manage to sell it as art for thousands of dollars?

The piece I really didn't get was 'Lightning with Stag in its Glare' (Beuys). The whole sculpture was brown, and it looked to me like a giant termite mound surrounded by big animal poohs. Possibly a reflection of how scared the stag was to have the lightning after it? [Now I show the true cultural deficit at my core.]

The most penetrating artists for me were Christian Schad, Mark Rothko (always a favourite) and Juan Munoz. The Munoz retrospective set me back £9 that were well worth it. I was disconcerted by 'The Wasteland' (a little boy, smiling with legs dangling from a bench that is too high for him), 'Shadow and Mouth' (a lifelike statue whose moving mouth was exaggerated by shadow) and 'Backs on Bronze' (literally spines protruding from irregular bronze boulders).

When I stepped into 'Many Times', I became part of the art. Surrounded by a roomful of identical oriental men who smiled laughingly despite their sunken feet, I felt crowded and alone. It was a caricature of the famed terracotta warriors - only these versions wore modern Asian attire, carried no weapons, held no order within their groups.

Before I made good my escape (4hrs later...), I enjoyed the awesome view of St Paul's Cathedral from the Level 7 cafe. Btw, the Level 2 cafe is not priced too badly and has excellent food and service. I found it a little rude that they automatically added a 12.5% service charge. Many places in London do, apparently. Total cost: £10.40, incl service - for pumpkin soup with bread, a side of winter greens and a bottle of water)

Anyways, I was meeting Hayley at the front of Selfridges, so I braved my way across the Millenium Bridge, which wasn't that scary after all and gave some brilliant city views. Selfridges was too huge to cover in one evening, but we gave it a red hot go. Hayley had a successful shopping expedition; I managed to find an Aveda salon and make an appointment for Friday.

Finally at home, Hayley, Shane and I succumbed to the smell of Indian cooking (there is the constant aroma of Indian spices streaming from a next-door apartment, day and night) and we bought some less-than-spectacular Indian food from nearby restaurant. At £10ea, I couldn't really complain. [And I forgot to mention that I did find my Krispy Kreme - in Waterloo Station. Yum yum!]

Day 7: Thursday 07/02/2008. I was going to take it easy today, but I figured I still had next week to be lazy. So I hit:

Trafalgar Square - including Lord Nelson & his lions; for a photo shoot only. The National Gallery awaits!;

the 11am Horse Guard Parade on Whitehall - good to say I've done it, but it wasn't much and the nearby Cavalry Museum didn't interest me for £6 entry fee;

St James's Park - where I discovered just how close Buckingham Palace was. Palaces and castles are on next week's agenda; and

10 Downing Street - from the other side of iron bars and mean-looking guards with big guns.

Westminster Abbey was just down the road, so I meandered down. The building was amazing and unmissable. The entry fee of £10 matched that of St Paul's Cathedral but, at £5, the tour was pricier. Recalling the 2-hour epic tour of three days prior, I opted for £2 guidebook. Unlike St Paul's, stained glass is everywhere that light could possibly get in. I think this makes it feel darker, more Gothic.

The Abbey is beautiful but cluttered. Carvings, tombs and marble slabs commemorating royalty, nobility, the rich and the influential over gravesites litter the hallways and chapels and, rather than feeling awe-inspired, I was simply overwhelmed by the spectacle. It also saddened me to think that I was wearing away the history underfoot with my every step; some of the marble slabs were already worn smooth.

The Cloisters gave me the chance for fresh air and I was super-excited to stumble upon Muzio Clementi's marble slab tucked down a quiet passage. A definite highlight for me. The converted crypt that is the Abbey Museum, beyond the Cloisters, is a veritable celebration of coronations (as it claims multiple times - just read the wall hangings).

Big Ben & Parliament House also got a look in before I called it a day. I was fairly sight-seeinged out at this point, which you can probably guess from my reduced entry size for the day, hence shopping in central London seemed an excellent option.

I headed directly to Oxford, Regent & Bond Streets and found some fabulous little boutiques. While all the big names were there, I also discovered some quiet gems, such as Lush (handmade bath and beauty products; the shop is set out like a cheese room) and Office (great shoes).

I was exhausted when I returned home and am just so glad that I have a relaxing morning of pampering planned before we fly to Paris for the weekend.

It's after midnight here, so I am finally calling it a night. Thanks for reading!

Sunny London - days 2-4

I'm not joking! Aside from 5 mins of cloud yesterday, the days have been clear and sunny.

I don't apologise for the length of these posts. I am also using them as my travel journal for reminders to me - so you may find what follows too onerous.

Day 2: Saturday 02/02/2008. So much to say! Hayley and I took the overland/tube into Waterloo (I couldn't find the newsagent where Matt Damon's source hid in The Bourne Ultimatum), then to Central London.

Hannah's London Tip #1: Insert your ticket face up into the ticket machine...

Leicester Square to buy Wednesday night tickets for Sound of Music. After lining up for ~40 mins, we ended up purchasing SoM for that night plus tix for Tower of London, Spamalot and Madame Tussauds.

Hannah's London Tip #2: Sometimes the tickets you want are cheaper and more available off-line.

Lunch in Covent Garden at The Rock Garden was a little overpriced (£11.95 for a grilled chicken burger) but it was a heated venue and it hit the spot. Shopping was fabulously overwhelming, most notably Whittards of Chelsea (instant mulled wine flavoured tea! Who would have thought?) and Godiva for chocolate. Also viewed: the Royal Opera House - everything I wanted to see was either sold out or too far into the future.

Hannah's London Tip #3: It's a good idea to layer but forget the tights under long pants. It's not really that cold - especially after walking around all day.

Seeing the neon lights & Angel of Christian Charity of Piccadilly Square and discovering Regent Street inspired me to collect pics of all the Monopoly locations. And find wombles in Wimbledon. And Paddington Bear in Paddington.

Despite my fear of heights, Hayley and I took our 'flight' on the London Eye at 5pm. My guidebook told me it was 'not at all vertiginous', but I still couldn't stand up at the railing once we got near 1/2-way. The views were amazing and unique. I highly recommend it.

Hannah's London Tip #4: Sometimes it can pay to buy tickets online. We avoided an hour-long queue and saved 10% (our cost: £13.50ea).

Hannah's London Tip #5: Don't count on taking a warming mocha with you. No hot drinks allowed on the flight.

Hannah's London Tip #6: Take the London Eye at sunset on a clear day and you see London in the light and in lights.

We stopped at the Ice Bar and Carnaby Street on our way to dinner at Bella Italia (great food and serice at reasonable prices) and the Sound of Music at the Palladium Theatre. I give it a mixed review: I could live with the difference in storyline with the film, set design and lighting was magical, the extra songs were tedious, Maria overacted, the children were darn good, and Mother Superior was the stand-out role. 4 stars.

Day 3: 03/02/2008. A rest day. Video Hits dosed me up with all the old 80s hits from Kylie, Jason and Mel & Kim. I subjected myself to 5 mins of Eastenders and 10 mins of Coronation Street - which were both dreadful [my condolences to any fans...]. I also discovered that UKTV has very long ad breaks with very, very bad ads.

The day wasn't all about English television. I ventured to Southside Shopping Centre and discovered some pretty ordinary clothes shops, a fabulous bakery [though my search for Krispy Kreme continues], and Aunty Anne's Pretzel shop. Then I relaxed at home, planned my week, slept very well.

Day 4: 04/02/2008.I finally figured out the ticket/train situation, which enabled me to start exploring St Paul's Cathedral (£10 entry) before all the crowds arrived. Simply breathtaking. I took the 90-minute Supertour, which set me back £3 and 2 hours. This let me see areas other visitors can't normally access and I took pictures, with permission (they're not allowed elsewhere inside the Cathedral), in the Geometric Staircase leading up the Clock Tower. I also found out why a cathedral is called a cathedral. People have to start writing comments on my blog before I share this tidbit, though I am sure the info is readily available [many thanks for my one comment, Donald!].

With some very bad direction and lack of confidence in my own bearings, which turned out to be right after all, I reached the Tower of London too late to enjoy it - now a Day 5 event.

Hannah's London Tip #7: Listen to Hayley and Shane - buy a central London map...

Roast chicken dinner. Yum yum.

I'm just about to embark on Day 5: Tower of London, shopping on Oxford Street, dinner in Soho, Spamalot at the Palace Theatre. Pics are on their way! I am having a great time and missing Perth as well.

London

1/02. After getting a grilling at Heathrow because I didn't know my sister's new address, I was finally released.

Southfields. I had a couple of hours of sleep on the couch at Hayley & Shane's and went for a really big walk. It wasn't meant to be as long as it was, but I got a little lost trying to find an ATM and admiring the mossy walls and terraced housing.

Where I visited/what I saw today:

Wimbledon Park Tennis Gallery;

Villeroy & Boch factory outlet (walk-by);

The Pig & Whistle (walk-by);

HSBC (for money);

Tuk Tuk Thai (for lunch - the Tom Yum Gai was surprisingly good);

a free-range butcher (to buy chicken, because I'm cooking dinner. The poor guy looked at me like I was from Mars when I spent a few seconds too long in my wallet before announcing, "I'm really sorry about this - I'm still trying to get used to which note is which"...); and

a dog that looked like Tin Tin's Snowy.

Tonight, Hayley is driving me around London to see the lights. Tomorrow, we will shop and enjoy pedicures in central London.

In transit

31/01. My flight to Singapore was very smooth and comfortable. The Bourne Identity, a documentary on chocolate and 2.16L of water later, I was in Singapore.

Changi Airport. Wow. It's huge. I was met with a flurry of light and colour - then I put on my glasses and noticed the armed guards with very big guns. That made me walk between terminals a little faster.

I was instantly impressed by just about everything at Changi: it's cleanliness, the shopping, the drink fountain sensors, the toilets (spacious & numerous!), the restaurants, the Sky Train, the prayer room. Yes, folks, Changi has its very own multidenominational prayer room! Naturally, I had to investigate, and I turned out to be the only person in the women's side of the room. It was a simple space, aside from the prayer mats, Koran and power points. [How you would possibly use four power points in a prayer room?]

I had to leave the room when my stomach started vibrating the walls of the room - I had noticed a particularly delicious-looking Nonya restaurant on the way [and the vegetable curry was excellent, btw]. Thankfully, my shoes were still outside the prayer room where I left them.

Despite a pretty fabulous experience overall, I had two disappointments:

The Coffee Bean had no handmade chocolates in stock [Peter, I was so full of expectation!]; and

I was not permitted to take sealed water purchased from the Departures Lounge onto the London flight. This resulted in annoyance, many excursions to the water fountain, and dehydration, from which I am still recovering.

Next post: my 1st day in London!