And So It Begins

  Perth, Australia
Friday, December 29, 2006

With my bag packed with pretty much everything i could possibly need for a year away and weighing in at only 10 kg, everything was coming along swimmingly. I has said most of my goodbyes, and a handful of my awesome friends were coming to see me off at the airport. And then the time to leave came. And by some mysterious means my bags became obese between home and the airport, putting on 15 kg, and putting me about $100 over my weight limit. However thanks to the delightful people in Perth airport, I was allowed onto the plane without having to spend the entire budget for my first month away.
When i got into the airport a carload of friends were sitting waiting over cold coffees, having been there for 2 hours already, despite being stopped by police on the way for dangerous driving (The driver is in fact one of the best drivers i know, the WA police are some of the most miserable people i know, especially to young drivers). We sat in a circle on the floor, drinking coffee, telling sad stories, reminiscing, remembering the good times, and looking forward to the many yet to come. If all goes to plan i will see a good few of these people this year, as they make their own pilgrimages and their own adventures to all corners of the globe. The people in mention are Dan Monks (http://www.travelpod.com/members/wounded soldier - yes, this is a shameless plug for his travel blog), Bim Grandoli, Claire, Ellen and Lindi. Thankyou so much for coming.
My dad was travelling with me to the UK, before i set off on my own for the almost arctic conditions of Schleswig, Northern Germany. Because of this, even as i sat on the plane, watching my home city disappear under cloud, i didnt feel like i was leaving. I still had my contact with home sitting next to me. It was an easy way to leave, to be slowly weaned off my peeps in Perth.
24 hours later, 19 flying hours, we rolled into Oxford, rolled into bed, and rolled into a wacky world of dreams involving antelopes, creolithic dinosaurs, vibrating beds and Paul McCartney.