The UK Story so far - Part One

Last time I left this blog I was job hunting and the delay in the posts means I found one!! So, let’s start back in June. I’ll split this into two posts June – September and October to Now. Job hunting took me 3 weeks and in the meantime, Sarah showed me around Milton Keynes and introduced me to Green Tea Chai Latte... mmmmm. 

During this time I took a trip into London (see previous post), only an hour away on the train for the Queens Jubilee, Thames River Pageant. I’ve never seen so many people in all my life. I didn’t even end up getting to see the river Thames because the crowd was so many people deep but I did get to experience the atmosphere, travel around on the ‘tube’ and see some famous landmarks.

I also managed to get down to Kent to see my Great Uncle Derek and Great Aunt Pam for the day. I was lucky enough that they had all of their sons, daughters in law and grandchildren around for the day as 1 son had been married the previous day. I got to meet a lot of family in one go which was a lot of fun! I even gave them a taste of NZ by taking around a Pavalova Roll. In between working I hope to get down to London and Kent again soon so I can see them again.

Being in Milton Keynes there are a lot of places of interest that are a short coach or train ride away. I’d always wanted to see Oxford so off I went to the University Town. Oxford has so many lovely buildings, a gorgeous park and canal and bicycles and hanging baskets everywhere. It is such a pretty place, I can see why one would love to go to Oxford for Uni! I walked around the town and decided on a traditional English lunch of Bangers, Mash and a Pint of Beer!

Eventually the holiday had to end and I got a phone call about an interview. I went up to Leeds for the interview and had the job secured an hour after leaving the office, I was to start on Monday the following week. The next step was to find a place to live and I ended up getting a room in a two bedroom flat in the middle of Leeds City Centre. I moved in Saturday and started work Monday! I won’t bore you too much about the work as at the end of the day, work is work and this blog is entitled ‘Steph’s Adventures’! I had a 3 month contract working at Manheim Auctions doing some web testing and met some really nice people during my time there. 

A few weeks after starting the job, it was back down to Milton Keynes for the F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone. I felt very spoilt there as we had guest passes of the British Racing Drivers Club thanks to Brendon. On arrival we got to park in the grounds and then got taken by golf buggy between the clubhouses. Watching F1 was such an experience, I had no idea the cars would be so loud!! It was a great atmosphere and even though the first day we used our umbrellas for rain, the second day I had to borrow Sarah’s for the sunshine!

Back in Leeds, I have taken a few day trips away on the weekend to see places such as Kirkstall Abbey

Skipton Castle,

Embsay Railway, Bolton Abbey,

Harrogate, York, Sheffield and Manchester (to watch the All Whites play at Old Trafford as part of the Olympics!).

I also took another visit down to Silverstone to watch more racing, this time with Brendon in the car for Murphy Prototypes. We had a nice group of Kiwi’s there and it reminded me of our kiwi sayings such as ‘mean’ and ‘sweet as bro’. We really are a unique group of people and I’m so proud of that!

I eventually made my way down to London again in early September for an interview which went well but while I was there I got to see ‘Rock of Ages’ at the Shaftsbury Theatre at West End and had a look around. I made sure I visited the Museum of Natural History, the British Museum and Hyde Park!

Sarah joined me in Leeds for my birthday at the end of September and we spent a really nice day in York. We had a good look around and they had a food festival on which meant the place was busier than usual. After a drink next to the river and a meal at Jamie’s Italian we headed back to Leeds on the train. What a great way to spend a birthday!!

This pretty much takes us up to the end of September so next stop is Prague...

Arriving in the UK

Thanks to my UK Passport, going through customs was a breeze.  I went straight through the e-gate and cleared customs in record time. After travelling through a few countries, I think Australia and NZ are the only two countries that require you to fill out a customs declaration form, everywhere else I have collected my bag and walked straight out the exit door.

I found my way to the car hire and picked up my rental for the day along with a Tomtom Satellite Navigation so I wouldn’t get lost. Or so I thought. I was having a bit of trouble sticking the Tomtom to my window so I asked the guy at the booth as I was driving out to help me. He ended up dropping it and as I picked it up I think I might have pressed ‘Alternative Route’ without realizing. I started following directions from Tomtom, which are not the easiest to understand and to cut a long story short, the estimated 1 hour drive turned into a 2 and a half hour drive. I was taken onto the M1, then off the M1, through a few little towns and villages until eventually I found my way to Milton Keynes where Sarah was waiting for me. We went out for dinner at a nice Italian Restaurant and I had a couple of beers after a very long day.

The next day we drove down to Brands Hatch race circuit to watch Brendon race in the Masters series which involved driving old F1 cars. Luckily I had Sarah with me this time to help out with the navigation. We arrived at Brands Hatch without getting lost and met up with Brendon. Brendon won his race in which he was driving Nigel Mansell's old F1 car and he came 2^nd in the Touring Cars race. I felt very spoilt as I got to hang out in the Pit Lanes and Brendon’s sponsor let us spend our downtime in a very lavish motorhome. It was such a fun day out at the track and was great to see Brendon racing. At the end of the day we even got a private drive around the track! 

It was then time to get down to business and start looking for a job. I updated my CV and started applying for anything that I might have a chance of getting. I decided my best strategy would be to cast my net wide and see what happens. The first day I got a phone call about a job in Milton Keynes but couldn’t make it to the interview stage as the client only wanted contractors that had a car.

Apart from looking for a job, I also had to open a bank account and get a National Insurance Number. For the National Insurance Number interview, Brendon and Sarah drove me down to Bedford where I had to meet with someone and go through the interview questions. Basically this was about who I was and why I wanted an NIN, because I would like to work was my response to that question.After my interview we all went and had lunch at an old English pub called the Embankment which overlooked a canal. It was lovely and sunny and a good day out.

The job hunting hasn’t gone too badly considering I’ve only been here a week. Before the Queens Jubilee Long Weekend kicked off I had 2 good indications that I might have an interview the following week. As Monday and Tuesday are both public holidays, I have to wait until Wednesday to find out so essentially I feel as though I too have the long weekend off!

On Sunday the 3^rd of June I took my first trip into London City. I took the train from Milton Keynes to London Euston Station. From there I then transferred onto the London Underground and took the Victoria line to Oxford Circus and then the Central Line to Shepherds Bush. There was a Westfield shopping centre here where I had a look around and picked up some Peanut Butter M&M’s from the Newsagent next to the Underground Station.  I then got the Central Line to Bond Street and walked along Oxford Street towards Oxford Circus. 

From Oxford Circus I took the Bakerloo Line to Charing Cross to join more than 1 Million other people that had come out to watch the Thames River Pageant for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people in my life. I got a small glimpse of the actual river but I got there a little too late to secure myself a good viewing position. I ended up watching most of the pageant on one of the big screens put up along the Thames. It was a great atmosphere with so many people and every time the Queen or the Duchess of Cambridge came on the big screen the crowd went wild! It was nice to see New Zealand represented in the pageant with a Waka!

After watching the pageant for a while I made my way up to Leicester Square and walked around to get my bearings. I have to come back here as there are so many shows I want to see such as, The Lion King and Wicked. I then made my way back to Euston on the Northern Line and then onto Milton Keynes.

It is now the final day of the long weekend so back to work (job hunting) tomorrow! Not a bad first week in the UK!

Abu Dhabi and Dubai

 Upon my arrival into Dubai airport I said goodbye to my NZ Passport and hello to my UK Passport. After getting through customs I had a 1 hour wait before boarding the complimentary coach to Abu Dhabi which was another 2 hours of travel time.

I arrived at my hotel, the luxurious Grand Millennium Al Whada which is my first 5 star hotel and the service was fantastic. I went out to the local mall which was right next door to have a look around and get dinner before heading back to my hotel for a quiet night in. 

The next day I booked to go on a Desert Safari which started at 4pm so I spent the day down at the Marina. I caught a local bus to get there and at a price of 1AED which is about 30cents it was very cost effective. The buses have a Ladies only area at the front which was something new for me.

At 4pm I got picked up from the hotel in a Toyota Landcruiser which would be our vehicle for the afternoon. We drove about 45mins out of Abu Dhabi towards Dubai and into the desert. First up it was Dune Bashing which is driving and sliding around the sand dunes in the 4X4. This was a lot of fun and at some points I thought we might tip over as we slid down some pretty steep dunes! 

After this we visited the Camel Farm and took some pictures of the camels before heading out to our camp for the rest of the evening. Once we got to camp I got to have a Camel Ride, a Henna Tattoo, a lovely dinner, watch a Belly Dancer perform and smoke some Shisha. I had originally thought the Shisha was some kind of drug but it turns out it’s just flavoured tobacco and when in Rome…

For my final day in Abu Dhabi I boarded a Hop on Hop off tour bus around the city. Our first stop on this was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque which is only open to tourists between 9am and 11:30am. It is also the only Mosque open to tourists as to enter any of the other mosques around the UAE you have to be of Muslim faith. After donning a burka I got to walk around the Mosque and it is an amazing building. All of the detail and intricacy and design is outstanding. I’m really glad I visited this. 

Next stop was the Abu Dhabi Mall for lunch for an hour before I headed to the Heritage Centre. This has replicas of the houses and a museum of artifacts from before the discovery of oil and Abu Dhabi became the build up area it is today. By the time I finished this is was late afternoon so unfortunately I didn’t get to Yas Island which I was a bit disappointed about but it only gives me a reason to come back! Maybe in the winter next time as the 41 degree heat is extreme.

After much debating with myself as to if I should catch a bus back to Dubai or a taxi I finally settled on getting a taxi as I can’t fit anything more into my suitcase therefore shopping is off the cards!

Arriving in Dubai I checked into the hotel and then walked over to the Mall of the Emirates for lunch and to look around. By this stage I think the heat had gotten to me as I’d had enough of the malls and the heat. I like to be outdoors and walk around but that’s very hard to do in what is essentially desert. I decided the best thing for me to do was go back to the hotel and try and nap for the afternoon just to have a break from the people, the language barriers, the cultural differences. I needed time out!

After sleeping away the afternoon I felt refreshed enough to venture out for dinner. I got as far as the hotel bar where I stopped for a few beers, food and watching sport on the tele.

Dubai is hot, as in really hot. The worst thing about this for me is not being able to wear what I want. I think I found this the most frustrating part. At least in Thailand it was high 30’s but I could wear shorts and a singlet so it wasn’t too bad. In Dubai where it’s low 40’s I have to wear pants and keep my shoulders covered. If you want to visit the UAE, may I suggest the middle of winter, I’m sure that’s a lot more comfortable.

On my last day in Dubai I ventured out on the Metro which is the local train service and headed out to the Dubai Mall (yes, another mall!!). If you’re in Dubai, the Dubai Mall is far superior to the Mall of the Emirates. Getting off the train, the Burj Khalifa is directly in front of you and this building is impressive! Every other building is dwarfed by this gigantic structure. 

Back into the Mall and the air conditioning after walking the 10 minutes from the station was a relief. I went for a walk around one of the floors and made my way to At the Top which is the tour to the top of the Burj Khalifa. These are all timed and pre-booking is essential as it sells out. I got to the viewing platform which is 125 floors up and checked out the view. While I was in the UAE, there was a dusty haze most days so the views were a bit limited but I could still see enough to be impressed. 

Once of was back on the ground I headed to the Dubai Aquarium. This had all sorts of fish, sharks and stingrays. This fish tank is huge! I went for a walk in the tunnel which is an impressive piece of engineering considering the amount of pressure this tunnel has to withstand.

 

Then it was outside to watch the Dubai Fountain. This has been designed by the same company that designed the fountain in Las Vegas outside the Bellagio. I’ve seen the Las Vegas Fountain and that was impressive so it’s nice to be able to say I’ve seen the Dubai Fountain as well. The only thing that was markedly different was the music, whereas the Bellagio Fountain has very American Music playing along to the water show, the Dubai Fountain has Arabian music. 

It was then time to head back to the hotel and re-pack again for my final flight (at this stage) to London….

Bangkok

Before I arrived in Bangkok I had heard from a few people that it was a busy, dirty smelly place and that some people hated being there. Now don’t get me wrong, Bangkok is a busy, dirty, smelly place but I didn’t get mugged, abused, have to bribe anyone, get lost and I made it to the airport on time and through customs in about 10mins so all in all I think I did pretty well. I’m a believer that there is good and bad in this world and something is what you choose to make of it.  If you go to Bangkok and only look at the negatives then you’re probably not going to have a good time. I really enjoyed myself in Bangkok and this is why…

My first full day in Bangkok I went and got measured up for a new suit and 2 blouses all in the fabrics of my choosing. I managed to barter him down a bit from 8600THB to 8000THB, that’s around $320NZD, not bad for a tailor made suit and 2 blouses! I then took the train down to the road a couple of stops and walked back to get a feel for the area I was in. There was a digital clock in the area showing the time and temperature. At 12:57pm it was 37 degrees and humid! During the walk back I think I went through 2 bottles of water. There are markets and food stalls everywhere although I didn’t try a food stall for fear of getting sick. After arriving back at the hotel I booked a tour for the next day and then went down the road for dinner. 

At dinner I had a chat to the Thai waitress and found out that I was staying in what was essentially the red light district. Good thing for me that I wasn’t anyone’s type so I didn’t get bothered by anyone except the taxi drivers looking to pick up a fare. She did tell me that I could find a nice boyfriend down Khao San Road as that was where all the backpackers went. After dinner it was back to the tailors for my first fitting and then I went out to the local bars to people watch. I saw 2 other white females in the area but everyone else left me alone so I watched sport, played “Where’s that guy from?” and “Lady Boy or Lady” in my head. Travelling solo I’ve found numerous ways to entertain myself.

The next day I did a full day tour so it was up at 5:45am for a 6:45am pickup. Our first destination was the floating markets. I paid 150THB for about a 40min ride around the markets. Most stalls sell the same thing and I got a magnet and a coconut to drink. We floated past markets and then past people’s homes as quite a few people live on the banks of the canals. 

Next stop was the Bridge over the River Kwai. This is part of the Burma Railway which was constructed during World War 2 by both Allied POW’s and Asian labourers. The construction of the railway was commissioned by the Japanese and is considered a war crime. Around 16,000 Allied POW’s died during the 16 month construction due to things such as cholera, dysentery, starvation, and exhaustion. During the construction of Hellfire Pass, a cutting in the Tenasserim Hills, the Japanese Guards beat 69 POW’s to death during the 6 weeks it took to complete. I don’t think there’s much to say about this part but it was nice to pay my respects to the fallen soldiers as they were part of the same war as my Grandparents and they fought so that I might lead a free life today. 

One of my most favourite animals is the Tiger and luckily for me our last stop was Tiger Temple. We arrived here in the afternoon when all the Tigers are sleepy from the heat of the day so tourists can go up and pat them without the Tigers being too active. The Tiger’s at the temple have also been raised there by humans so they have a recognition of us. Say that, they were still tied up on short chains! Thank goodness because nature is unpredictable. I got photo’s with the Tigers and got to touch them, they feel more like short haired dog’s than cats as the fur is a bit more coarse than your domesticated cat. 

It was a long drive back (about 4 hours) to my accommodation so I stayed in, ordered room service and thought about what to do the next day. It was about this time I realized that I would be leaving Bangkok on Monday, not Tuesday as I had been thinking the past few days! So the next day would be my last day.

I had a bit of a sleep in and then headed down to the tailors to tell them my mistake and see if I could pick up my suit that night instead of the next day as I had arranged. I got there to find they would open at 11am not 10am as usual as it was a Sunday. With an hour to spare I went for a walk and found a coffee shop. While there an old guy from Dubai asked to sit next to me and he chatted to me for a while. I think he was trying to make me his 5^th wife or something so luckily for me I had places to go people to see. I really hope it’s not like this when I get to Dubai!!! Back at the Tailors everything got rearranged without a hassle which was nice.

As it was the weekend I jumped on the train and headed to Chatuchak Markets, possibly one of the biggest weekend markets in the world with an estimated 200,000 people there at any one time. This place was a rabbit warren of stalls and it was very easy to get lost. I spent a few hours there and came away with 3 t shirts and 2 pairs of pants for the UAE where I must keep my shoulders and knees covered to show respect. 

Back in Sukhumvit I went and got a Thai Massage. Ok, it was not what I was expecting. I was pushed and pulled to my body’s limit and I can’t say that it wasn’t painful but afterwards I did feel a lot limber. I then went out for dinner at Cabbages and Condoms which is a Not for Profit restaurant aimed at helping the women in the sex industry. The food was fantastic and there was live music. If you ever go to Bangkok, I suggest a visit. You’ll even get a couple of condoms when you pay the bill!

I’m now at the airport getting ready to board my next flight. I still have 441THB in my wallet so I’m on a mission to spend it all! Wish me luck!

Phuket

I said goodbye to Mike at the Gold Coast Airport and hello to Veronica for our Trip to Phuket, Thailand!! It was a long 8 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur where we had a 5 hour layover and waited for Stef Hendry who was flying from Sydney to join us. It was here I got my first culture shock by walking into the bathrooms and finding what was basically a hole in the floor. A bit different to what I’m used to. 

We then boarded the 1hr 20min flight to Phuket and had a lot of trouble equalizing the pressure in my ears on this flight. I had started to get the flu 2 days before leaving the Gold Coast so my nose was blocked up making it hard to pop my ears. We landed in Phuket and that’s when I got my second culture shock. People were following us asking ‘Taxi, taxi?’ We were offered a taxi for 1400 THB each but ended up getting a shuttle for 150THB. The taxi people were saying the shuttle was cheap because of the 2hr wait but we got a ticket and hoped straight on so there was no waiting around. Don’t believe everything people tell you.

Our first day we spent at the markets learning the art of negotiation. I thought I was doing well getting a t-shirt for 300THB but at my next merchant I got it down to 200THB so I did ok . We then spent the afternoon sitting in the pool bar due to the 30 degree heat and met some other Kiwi’s and Aussie’s staying at the hotel. We decided to go and book a tour for the next day and with the written price of 2800THB we ended up paying 1600THB. Everything can be bartered!  We had a night out on the town and I took my first Tuk Tuk Ride (one of many).

Day 2 was action packed. We went Elephant Trekking, Quad Biking, a Fish Foot Spa where the fish eat the dead skin off your feet, an Elephant Show, Monkey Show, Lunch and probably the highlight for me, White Water Rafting.   

The guides were very entertaining and slightly crazy. The would say things like ‘Sexy lady go ‘Waaaoooww’’’ after our screaming down the rapids. Our guide even picked flowers for us from the side of the river! We had a real laugh on our trip and we were well looked after so we just had to get a photo with our guides!

We decided that a morning at the beach followed by a half day city tour would be a good plan for our third day in Phuket. We relaxed on the beach for a couple of hours and Veronica continued to shop with all the merchants walking past. 

The city tour included a trip the Kata viewpoint, The Big Buddha, a Cashew Nut Factory, a Honey Factory, Phuket Town and a Duty Free store. My highlight on the trip was probably being blessed ‘Good Luck’ by a Monk at the Big Buddha and then having an impromptu stop on the way back down the hill to feed Pancake the baby elephant some bananas. 

We got back to the hotel and went for a swim and a beer in the pool bar. This night we headed down to Bangla Road which is where all the pubs and ping pong shows are. Every few metres there is someone asking if you’d like to see show! They really seem to love Australians in Phuket because  a lot of the bars have Aussie theme’s. We stayed out quite a while that night taking in all of the sights. I only saw 1 couple that were both ‘European’ whereas all of the other white men walking around were holding hands with a Thai girl. It definitely looked like some men only go to Thailand for 1 reason!

As I mentioned before we stayed out quite a while that night and in the morning Veronica and Stef were too sick to go to Phi Phi Island so I ended up going with 2 guys we had met at the resort and had already booked on the same tour we were going on. The seas were a bit rough so we ended up going out on a big speedboat and sitting up the front so it meant losing my stomach a few times but not my lunch. We were given sea sickness pills before going on the boat so I never felt sick during the day. First we went to  Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh, the Beach that was used in the movie The Beach. This had soft white sand and beautiful blue waters. Then they took us sightseeing to see the Viking Caves and Monkey Island. The boat then stopped for snorkeling which I opted out of and I’m glad I did because people came back with small stings from jellyfish. Next it was off to the bigger island Phi Phi Don for a buffet lunch. 

Back on the boat we headed out to a party island. On the way we had to go into and through a storm so we all got pelted with rain. Luckily I had remembered to bring my rain jacket so it wasn’t too bad, I felt sorry for the guys that had no protection from the sideways rain. We reached the island and it was time for a beer before heading back to the mainland for our final night in Phuket. 

I had such a great time in Phuket with Veronica and Stef. I really have to go back as 5 nights was not enough time to do everything, I really wish it had been 7 or 8 nights! The Thai people are so friendly and helpful when they can be but the language difference does make things a little bit harder and slower. The only Thai I have learnt so far is Kob Kun Krab which is Thank you and I have used it a lot. I’ll try and learn some more Thai in Bangkok which is the next stop.

Airlie Beach, Rockhampton, Gladstone and Bundaberg

After Townsville we headed down to Airlie Beach, which became my favourite place on the tour. Airlie Beach has one street of shops and a man made lagoon for people to swim in so the stingers (jellyfish) don’t get them! After walking around the town Mike went to hang out at the Lagoon and I grabbed an Ice Cream and walked around town some more. We went out for dinner that night at Cactus Jack’s and I had a Toblerone Cocktail for dessert. This was a mixture of Baileys, Frangelico, Crème de cacao and Honey mixed with Milk and Cream... Mmmm. After watching the NRL I went back to our accommodation for an early night as the next day we had a full day sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands!!

We got picked up at 7.25am and taken to the marina to board the Camira which is a sailing catamaran. Once we got out into the passage they turned the engines off and put the sails up. It got a bit bumpy and a bit wet out there as Mike and I were on the nets at the front of the boat so I lost my stomach a few times but had a bit of a laugh as well. Our first stop was Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. This beach is very unique as it is 98% pristine silica sand. This means that the sand doesn’t retain heat making it very easy to walk on without footwear. This beach was lovely and we spent an hour here in the water and going for a walk up and down a part of the beach. We found 2 Jellyfish on the beach and they were about the size of a fingernail, very easy to miss. 

Back on the boat it was time for lunch and we got a BBQ of steak, chicken and fish cooked for us with a fabulous array of salads.  After eating we had an hour’s sail to our snorkeling spot near Hook Island. The visibility of the snorkeling wasn’t very good at about 1 metre visibility however after having a look around and then duck diving down I managed to see a lot of coral and fish.

After spending about 30mins in the water we got back on the boat and it was time for afternoon tea and a couple of beers to finish off the day. We then headed back to Airlie Beach just as the sun was setting. It was a great day out so thank you to the Cruise Whitsundays tour operators.

The next day we were up early for a day of driving. We had around 6 hours of driving time to Rockhampton which was going to be an overnight stop… or so I thought. 

We arrived at our accommodation and got ready to check in only to find that I had booked the room for the 6^th of April, not the 6^th of May!! We were a month late! It was Beef Week up in the Rockhampton region so all of the accommodation was full! After checking the map we decided to continue on for another hour and a half to Gladstone. Arriving there we found a backpackers and hit the sack!

Thanks to driving a little bit extra the previous day we only had a 2 hour drive to Bundaberg. We arrived in Bundaberg around 10am and went to the Bundaberg Barrel where they make Bundaberg Ginger Beer and 13 other flavours. Yes, I did get to taste test them all. 

Next on our list to do was the Bundaberg Rum Distillery where we were taken on a tour of the distillery and then a taste test at the bar. I had a try of a Rum, Chocolate and Coffee liqueur which was very tasty. 

All good things must come to an end and the following day was the last leg of the journey back to Southport. We managed to squeeze in a stop at Hervey Bay and Noosa before getting the car back to Southport with 5 minutes to spare before the car rental office closed. 

I’m now relaxing on the Gold Coast and enjoying the sunshine and gentle sea breezes. I haven’t seen a cloud in a few days now which I’m hoping continues till Saturday when I leave for Thailand.