Note: On the advice of a reviewer I’ve come up with a different way of incorporating footnotes. They’re within the text but noted as FN: and enclosed in () brackets so you can tell what is the original text and what is a footnoted afterthought.

Also, I am adding a Contents List to this first chapter, so people can jump to a certain point if they so wish. :) The Contents List for Book2 will appear in the first chapter of Book 2.

CONTENTS

Perth/Singapore Chapters 1-5

Dubai Chapters 5-6

Istanbul Chapters 6-8

Gallipoli/Ephesus/Pamukkale Chapters 9-13

Greek Islands/Athens Chapters 13-17

(Istanbul) Prague Chapters 18-22

Berlin/Goslar Chapters 23-25

Stockholm Chapters 25-28

Oslo Chapters 28-30

London Chapters 30-31

Coventry/Birmingham/Stratford/Stonehenge Chapters 32-35

Bristol Chapters 36-38

(p.1) June 1st 2004, 12:10 am.

I sort of intended to start writing in this thing right after my “going away party” on Friday night (it is now Tuesday, though only just). But, for one thing, I hadn’t bought the book then. I only got it today, right after I had grabbed around $200 from HBF (FN: I can’t believe I don’t even know what HBF stands for. Health Benefit Fund or something?) for accrued dental and chiropractic refunds. I also bought this pen today – a humble biro. But it isn’t the only pen I bought.

Went through customs after hugging my mum close. I’d agreed to email her as often as I could manage, so as soon as I was done with customs I found an internet terminal and fed it some coins. Besides, I had some news to report already – I can’t get back into the country without an Australian passport or Visa. Since I’m an Australian citizen I can’t get a visa. So, in short, something must be done there (FN: I found out a few days before my departure from Perth that my Australian passport had, in fact, expired. What’s more, it’d expired two years ago!! I now have a new one waiting for me in London.).

I’m now sitting in the departure lounge right at my gate (#5) listening to security guards’ walkie talkies going scchhhh! and listening to that ever-present hum of both air conditioning (just mild enough on a nippy night like this to keep the airport feeling fresh) and sitting jets.

I love take off and landing, even if I did recently hear that they are the most dangerous parts of flying. So I look forward to this take off. The moon looks quite bright this evening, though dad said it wasn’t quite near full. Looks bright to me!

It’s now 12:20 am and we just heard the first boarding call (or at least the first one I heard). It’ll write more later.

(p.2) 2:00 am. Well we have well and truly taken off. After we left the city behind there wasn’t much to see out the window (and yes, I happened to get a window seat on the right-hand side, like Dad recommended – but didn’t see Fremantle. Only the UWA area and surrounds).

Now I am eating a hearty Singapore Airlines meal. I’ve eaten my cheese and crackers – and started on my yellow-tinged bread roll (with butter). Next it’ll probably be the sushi. Prawns, I’ll miss. Nearly finished my cup of tea. Already had a beer earlier.

(p.2) It’s pitch black outside.

I’ve listened to some of the 2nd Michael Jackson CD I made before leaving home this afternoon (or, rather, yesterday afternoon). “Heal the World”, “Speed Demon”…yeah!

I have, therefore, put my first pair of batteries in my walkman – they are Evereadys (FN: I’m not sure if all of you have Eveready batteries, but they are just a brand we have in Australia at least. They have a bunny on their adverts) mum bought earlier. The woman is too good to me.

Over ‘n out at 2:05 am (I kid you not).

5:36 am. Well, it was that time – now it’s 5:47 or so. I just had to fill in an immigration thing. Now I am writing in the dark.

Singapore is visible out the window. The sun is nowhere in sight.

(p.3) 10:13 am. Well I decided to be daring, and do as dad suggested – get buses from the airport instead of paying lots more for a taxi fare. I decided this after grabbing my pack from conveyor belt #36 (I believe), and lugging it and my other stuff around a bit. I had begun to think, Hmm, it’s a bit stuffy in here, as I went through customs, but now, with my bags in tact and in tow, I came to discover just how nice it was inside compared to out. Yech.

It was really, really humid (still is) even when it was still night. Oh yeah – odd thing, that. I expected it to at least be pale grey in the sky by 6 am. It gets that way for us even earlier at times (FN: When I say “for us” I mean for people in Perth, who live without daylight savings of any kind. I don’t know if Singapore has that either, but the difference in lightness is just something I noticed). But here, to me anyway, it was just like midnight.

I was tempted to get a taxi, but chose to at least try the bus instead. So I trekked down to the subterranean bus station (when eventually I figured out how) and looked around dumbly for a while. I noticed that this station was sort of similar to the big one in Perth (except the underground aspect) and was sorta dingy, but also cool (FN: As in, awesome cool, not cold cool). It was no cooler, though, than the ground above, in terms of Celsius.