London 11,12 July 2013

Big Ben

Windows are sealed to avoid taxes!!

1st King James bible at British Museum

Buckingham Place

The first evening, Nick and I stroll around his neighbourhood and visited Freud, Spice girds’ houses. I have a look at the Hampstead Park (near Kenwood) female pond and there are so many naked ladies there. We also climbed up the peak of Hampstead to have a glance of London. There were plenty of pretty naked girls sun-bathing there.  One and half day trip is not enough for London. There are so many free museums, galleries and site-seeing areas. Nick and I walked and cycled, cycled and walk in the center London, parks, canal: Regent Park, National Gallery, British Museum, Big Ben, Parliament house, Buckingham Palace, London eye..such a rush. British Museum need at least one day! I love London because I have a good tour guide, Mr Nick Purchen.

Nick is a very smart and intelligent man. He get a full- scholarship from a London private school for his primary (partly) and secondary education. After he graduated from university as an engineer, he inherited a house from his grandmother. He decided to develop the house for renting. He successfully developed the house to ten rooms and rented them out. Then he started his journey around the world. Due to the changing laws of property, he has to pay a big amount of money to lawyer to save the house. Nevertheless, what the lawyer told him was exactly the same that he read from laws book. He didn’t get any additional information from the property lawyer. Therefore he decided to represent himself in the case and studied the legislation . Hopefully he is going to win the case as soon as possible then he can start traveling around the world.

Bath (7-10 July 2013)

Bath

Bath’s architecture has its own identity: crescent. There are so many crescents around, The Royal crescent. It is a lovely small city: crescent, rivers, canals, mountains, heritage building. Most of the tourists come for one day trip only. It was sunny in Bath. Many men took off their shirts strolling around, sun bathing and so forth. I arrived there early than expected so I attend a Sunday service. It was Methodist Church, the congregation including the speaker are 10 only.

Neil is an amazing man. He just keeps smiles broadly. He believes that 97% of mankind are ‘good’. His garden is threatened by snails and he stops me killing the snails that I caught. After dinner, we went for a short walk to release the snails to the nature. He loves guerilla garden and plants cheery, apple and other fruit  trees at the small field near to his home. He has inspired me to have positive thinking. Once he embarked a boat which overtook passengers in Philiphines, the captain of the boat ignored his warning and kept sailing. The boat sank and he swam with his rucksack and was rescued. His comment to this incident was : what a wonderful swim!” Since there was no casualty, he just enjoyed the consequences instead of complaining. Moreover, while he was canoeing at Amazon River, his teammate stood up and the canoe was subsided. The one who caused the accident, quickly climbed up a tree nearby the river bank. He and the guide swam to get the rucksack and pull up the canoe by using a small cup to take up the water. They were exhausted and finally saved canoe and then they canoed to river bank to fetch the teammate who was resting on a branch of a tree. He admitted that he was a little bit annoyed while he trying to pour up the water with a little cup. Nevertheless, he just felt grateful after the canoe was saved. He didn’t blame his teammate since the consequence was not bad and he took this as a wonderful experience. 

I really enjoy chatting with him. I cannot understand why he does not annoyed, disappointed etc. He keeps his positive thinking in good or bad situations. He only allowed himself to be in bad mood for less than half hours.  There are a lot I want to talk about him but too lazy to write. The End.

Hitch hiking in England and Wales June/July 2013

From Glossop (Manchester) to Bestheda (North Wales)

Time: 7.30am to 3.30pm  (4 cars, 1 van)
Comment: According to google map, the journey took less than 2 hours, therefore I gave it a poor range. It was raining for whole day and difficult to get lift. I was freezing at the gas station near to motorway (M67/60), I get a lift to a gas station near Stockport after 30 minutes. Then I get a lift to the round about which lead to M56 after 30 minutes. I waited around two hours near to the roundabout, it was a poor spot but there was no good spot nearby. A car gave me a lift to the rest area at M56. Yes, the rest area was a great spot but there were no many rest areas on the motorway. The driver has retired and he used to be a truck driver. He introduced different brands of truck on the journey.  He dropped me off at the junction of A55.
 It was dangerous to wait there, a van pick me up after 45 minutes.  The van driver was bringing her pregnant wife on vacation in North Wales. They were extremely kinds and hospitable. They were musicians and had upload many their songs on youtube (multimorgasmic).

From Llundidno to Haverfordwest

Time: 715am to 4.15pm (6 cars, 1 van)
Comment: poor. I waited at gas station to A470 instead of the round about to A470 since I believe communication is an important tool to get a lift.  However a driver gave me a lift to the roundabout after 30 minutes I waited at the gas station and most of the gas station customers were local residents. I waited at the Cowyn  Road and get a lift to Glan Conwy after around 1 and half hours. It was a short lift and then I get another lift for 10 miles after 1 hour. I was desperate because the lifts were too short but the waiting times were too long. I got a lift around 11am and this was a long lift to Aberystwyth. They  were going to attend a church conference in Lampeter. They were very kind, Pam who sat beside me gave me an apple, a chocolate, a bottle of coke, a cup of fruit and a sandwich. Before dropping me, they prayed for my journey. After they dropping me, I get a lift after 5 minutes..amazing! I was so happy. However, the lift was only few miles and I started to question the mighty of God. The worst was it was raining and I desperate again. After half hours I get a lift. They (Christ and Joyce) explained that they had pass through me and they felt uncomfortable to see a hitchhiker hitching during a rainy day. Therefore they turned around and picked me up. They supposed to drop me at  Cardigan but they insisted to drop me at a place which was suitable to hitch. Lastly they drove many miles and dropped me at Fishguard. I waited 10 minutes only at the junction to Haverfordwest and get a ride to Haverfordwest bus station.

From Haverfordwest to Cardiff

Time 1030am to 1.15pm (2 cars)
Comment: excellent. I just took out the hitchhike sign board and get a lift immediately from Haverfordwest to Cametheon (I waited at a hard shoulder on A40 near to city center). The driver, David dropped me at the round about to Cardiff. I met another hitchhiker there. I spent around 15 minutes only and get a lift to Cardiff, right to the front of my host home.

From New Port to Bath

Time : 8.30am to 10am (2cars)
Comment: excellent. I waited at the roundabout towards London/Bath and get a lift after 15 minutes. After the bridge, the driver dropped me at a roundabout but he asked ‘a kiss’ for the lift. Of course, I rejected him. I waited at the roundabout and after ten minutes, a couple picked me up and sent me to Bath directly.

From Bath to London

Time: 7.30am – 3.30pm (3 cars)
Comment: poor. Neil drove me 14 miles to the junction of M4. I waited at the roundabout for nearly one hour and get a lift to a service area. The driver who was a ski coach, drove me few kilometer to the service area which is 3 km far away from his target destination though. A young couple gave me a lift at this service area. They saw me standing on hard shoulder that morning but they don't give me a lift at that time  and they decided to give me a ride since they meet me twice. It is not a long ride.They send me to another service area. At that service area, I was picked up by a courier service man, Christopher after 11am. He drove to Reading to deliver parcels so I have a glance to Reading. Then we drove to west London and then east south London. Traffic is too heavy for the journey. It was amazing that Christopher delivers a parcel to MIS (Military Intelligent Sixth). The green building is full of surveillance cameras. A security guide and a officer collected the parcel at the back gate of MIS. We do not have a chance to drive in the green building. After finishing his tasks, he send me to Nick's home. :)...it is 330pm.