Charlie update

An update: I have just this morning gratefully, if temporarily, left the noise and grime of backpackers hostels for the comparative luxury of an apartment in central London. My cousin, who resides here left for an Australian Christmas and has charitably offered me the use of his lodgings while he's gone.

I've only been away two weeks but I can't tell you how nice it is to have my own kitchen, my own room again. For there to be peace and quiet. To not have a gaggle of Italians yelling excitedly at each other behind me, or to be sharing a room with a group of Russians who hang their underwear from each bedpost bed like soiled flags.

I'll be here for the next two weeks and I have the internet here so during that time I'll probably be on here quite a bit.

My trip so far has been fantastic. It's the incredible sense of freedom I love the most. I've been touring the UK as a sort of extended limbering up process and then I'll be starting the Europe part of my trip soon after Christmas (I leave on the 28th), before coming back to live in London or possibly Brighton and travelling during the northern hemisphere's Summer and then going home.

The thing that has struck me is the way routine robs you of time. How it makes the weeks slip by with little to distinguish one from the other and so the passage of time quickens. My two weeks abroad feel like the equivalent of well over a month back at home in a work routine.

that sounds awesome. russians are pretty gross eaters too. have you ever seen them eat sprats? omg it's so nasty.

f-cking russians! I shared a room with three of them in a shabby hostel in Cambridge. They were three of the most uncouth, inconsiderate individuals I've had the displeasure of meeting. They'd wake up in the dead of night and start talking loudly to one another in their native tongue or get up and start stomping round the room switching lights on and off. Snoring and moaning disturbingly in their sleep.

That was probably the low point of my trip so far. Lying in the dark staring at the bunk above me listening to these morons chatter away and breathing in their stink (and they had plenty of that), with a hearty dinner of potato chips and peanuts in my stomach. I suddenly felt very far from home.

well it's cool you have a place to stay for a little while.

yeah I should be more than ready to hit the road again in two weeks' time.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Boy II [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

The thing that has struck me is the way routine robs you of time. How it makes the weeks slip by with little to distinguish one from the other and so the passage of time quickens. My two weeks abroad feel like the equivalent of well over a month back at home in a work routine.

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Do you plan your time out, or do you just stumble upon things to do? Are you doing any sightseeing?

I generally have a basic, but flexible plan for each day. For example I might plan to spend a day walking down the South Bank of London's Thames river and then meet a friend in Piccadilly Circus for dinner. I've been going to a lot of museums and galleries some of which have been breathtaking and I've been doing a huge amount of walking. But I don't tend to wander about aimlessly, no.

If I'm in a smaller town I'll go to the local tourist information office which usually has a raft of local attractions and things worth doing and I have a fairly useful guide book.

I tend to like having a general plan, too. Otherwise, nothing gets done.

Do you take photos?

Yeah I've been taking photos but not many have me in 'em unless I'm with a friend or I hold up the camera in front of me which feels a bit ridiculous on your own. I've also been keeping a daily journal.

Also I'm far from a manic traveller so my plans are pretty sparse (only a couple of things a day). I hate rushing around. My girlfriend calls me a sloth because they take a week or so to move a few meters.

It would be great if you could post a photo now and then. :)

haha really? Well in a stroke of rare brilliance I've left the camera's USB chord back at home so you might have to wait a while....

Enjoy Europe! What places are you planning on visiting? I can't remember if you ski or snowboard, if you are in Swizterland/Austria/NE France you definitely want to hit the slopes though

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Originally Posted by misombra [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

that sounds awesome. russians are pretty gross eaters too. have you ever seen them eat sprats? omg it's so nasty.

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Sprats are awesome on a piece of toast with butter

Mmm mmm


I enjoyed reading about your adventures so far CB :)

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Originally Posted by Charlie Boy II [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

haha really? Well in a stroke of rare brilliance I've left the camera's USB chord back at home so you might have to wait a while....

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Tard. Buy another one.

Well this tard just worked out how to load on photos using his memory card. I might put some up temporarily later on.

Ok - here're a few photos of my trip so far. I'll leave 'em up for around 24 hours.

EDIT: Gone!

Nice! Thanks for posting. It looks cold there.

yes it's unimaginably cold. Today I went walking in this enormous park (I've found London is full of parks, it's one it's great strengths). I ended up walking around this park for maybe two hours. It was wonderful: duck-filled ponds, well-kept grounds and sporting fields, long green hedges, rows of flower beds, fountains, statues, the works. But the weather! It was early afternoon but already the light was fading and this cruel icy wind froze my nose and cheeks numb and kept my hands deep in my jacket.

So miserable were the conditions that in those two hours I saw only four other people. One couple, one dog walker and one foolhardy soul trying to do some soccer training. And this is a park right in the thick of the city. I'm sure that in summer it would have been teeming with people. It was rather eerie, to be surrounded by expanses of impeccably maintained greenery in the centre of a city of six million people and yet to be, for the most part, alone.

I'd freeze to death unless I was wearing a parka... I guess I am used to that California sun. I shiver when it gets below 50 degrees F (10 degrees celsius).

I've just come from an Australian summer! But I came to the UK on a rugby tour at about the same time of year around five years ago, so I knew what I was getting myself in for. Playing rugby in these temperatures was truly miserable. Not only do you freeze, but everything hurts more because of the cold. (Do you guys know what rugby is? I know there are some teams scattered around the US).

I actually haven't minded the weather this time. It's so different from home, it really lets you know you're in another part of the world and the winter skies can be very striking. The only thing that irks me is that it gets dark by four in the afternoon.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Boy II [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

(Do you guys know what rugby is? ).

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Haha! Not really... I think it is somewhat similar to American Football, no? Or maybe I am thinking of LaCrosse? I know there are teams around, but I think they are primarily on the east coast. Where I live, it is pretty much all about basketball.

Yeah it's similar to American football excpect the game is free-flowing (not divided into "plays"), there's 15 a side (no offensive and defensive teams), we can only pass the ball backwards, everyone can pass and we don't wear pads or helmets.

Less down time is a good thing, if that's what you mean. But no padding? Ouch.

Cold at 50F? Haha! I ski until it gets under around -15 or -20F.

Rugby isn't popular in the US but some people do play. If (American) football hadn't caught on earlier, rugby probably would have

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Originally Posted by Charlie Boy II [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

But the weather! It was early afternoon but already the light was fading and this cruel icy wind froze my nose and cheeks numb and kept my hands deep in my jacket.

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Makes you wonder if people used to commit crimes just so they'd be transported to Australia to escape the miserable weather. I believe my ancestors left Scotland to escape the bad food.

I love the goose pic- that was unexpected.

Alright - three months since my last update. I've spent most of my time since then touring Europe. I spent time in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands (Amsterdam), Scotland. Much of it I travelled alone, however I did spend a highly enjoyable three weeks with a beautiful Brazilian girl.

I returned to the UK at the end of February and began building a temporary life in the seaside town of Brighton. A youthful, vibrant place about an hour's train ride south of London. I absolutely love it here. I've set myself up with an apartment, a job, a smattering of friends. That's actually been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my trip so far. Existing somewhere you've got no ties with, no roots, you're here simply because you've taken a fancy to the place. Small town life has taught me a lot about the sort of pressures one is besieged by in a city like Sydney. Some of those pressures I was only aware of on a subconcious level.

My plan now is to stay here for a couple of months till the weather becomes a little kinder. After that I was going to travel to places like Turkey and the Greek Islands but I've had a change of heart. Going there would mean returning to back packers hostels and daily binge drinking and I've had enough of that. Instead I now mean to spend some time with nature. More precisely I plan to spend about two months trekking in the Norweigan mountains. To forget, if only for a little while, what it feels like to live in a city, in a house. To buy your food from the shops and cook your dinner in a fully furnished kitchen. Once I'm home I don't know when I'll have the time for an experience like that again.

I won't bore everyone with the customary superlatives, but this trip has been a hugely productive time for me. I feel like a stronger man with a much greater sense of self.

This trip has also cemented the ties between Kristin and I. We talk and write constantly and I know she's the one I want to be with when I get home. In a lot of ways we're closer than we've ever been.

I really enjoy reading your updates, CB.

Although Norway sounds lovely, I don't know that I would miss going to Turkey. It is such a different cultural experience. Oh well, who's to say you won't do it later on with Kirsten?

How do you communicate with people in the non English-speaking countries? Are you multi-lingual, or do many of them speak English?

BTW - I'd ove to see more pictures if you'd care to post them.

that sounds great charlieboy!

city life is very hard on people.

i want to visit turkey.

Let's hear some more detail about you and Kristen? You sound as if you are standing on more stable ground with her now than you did before...

I actually just got off the phone to her a second ago. She was kind of upset. She's finding it really hard and, she's a proud person, so I think at times she resents being in love with a guy who's taken off overseas. For the most part she understands and she's been incredibly supportive. But of course she has times when she asks herself is this worth it? What if it doesn't work out when I get back? And they're fair questions. But by the end of our conversation she was great. I think sometimes she just needs to get that stuff out of her system. If we haven't talked for a while that stuff gets stored up.

A woman's love is a humbling thing. And in a lot of ways I don't understand it. I mean, why is she waiting? I don't deserve it, but goddamn I'm grateful for it.

Best of all - she's going to send me some "special" photos. Giggity, giggity.

Welcome back CB. Nice update. Travel is wonderful. I agree w/Vash, your next trip should be together with Kristen.

I think it's awesome that you're travelin' around like that.

And the long distance thing?

I've been there, but not to that extreme. I at least visited Amy every other month or so.

I'd like to do something similar to what you're doing, only, with my girlfriend.

Props for doin' what you wanna do though, too many people put it off until it's no longer a realistic goal.

gone to the congo yet?

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Originally Posted by Frasbee [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

I think it's awesome that you're travelin' around like that.

And the long distance thing?

I've been there, but not to that extreme. I at least visited Amy every other month or so.

I'd like to do something similar to what you're doing, only, with my girlfriend.

Props for doin' what you wanna do though, too many people put it off until it's no longer a realistic goal.

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Well technically it's not really a long distance relationship. I mean, we're both able to see who we want to and do what we want to. But yeah it's still hard. I have patches where the separation is incredibly painful and other times it's not too bad.

And yeah, the next trip is definitely going to be with Kristin. I mean Paris - I'd love to go back there with her.

Don't post the "special" photos here, CB. :D

Ya know, it occurs to me that the quality of your posts rival Frasbee's from when he was pining away over Amy.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Boy II [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

I actually just got off the phone to her a second ago. She was kind of upset. She's finding it really hard and, she's a proud person, so I think at times she resents being in love with a guy who's taken off overseas. For the most part she understands and she's been incredibly supportive. But of course she has times when she asks herself is this worth it? What if it doesn't work out when I get back? And they're fair questions. But by the end of our conversation she was great. I think sometimes she just needs to get that stuff out of her system. If we haven't talked for a while that stuff gets stored up.

A woman's love is a humbling thing. And in a lot of ways I don't understand it. I mean, why is she waiting? I don't deserve it, but goddamn I'm grateful for it.

Best of all - she's going to send me some "special" photos. Giggity, giggity.

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that's so freakin sweet!

anyway, she waits for you because she thinks you're worth it.