paris - london - ny

hello.

i got my ticket to Paris and left later that afternoon. i arrived at
around 10pm and found a bed. the next day i moved to a cheaper hostel
and put my stuff down and went walking, i saw many places; sacre cour,
notre dam, the louvre, Eiffel tower and a lot of other places but i
forget the names. i had some fantastic patisseries, amazing mil foil,
incredible croissants etc... the next day i booked a train to London
for my flight to NY. i left Paris and got seriously delayed in Lyon,
something about the train not being safe enough to go through the
chunnel. i couldn't help but laugh as this one guy is constantly
complaining, this older guy from upper class London i guess. he got
angry at the train staff who knew as much as we did, he got angry at
the fellow passengers who would try and play it down "i think it is
just that the windows are not sealed so it cant go through the
channel" and he would yell that he just wants someone in a uniform to
tell him what is going on, not that him knowing what is going on will
make the process of getting to London any quicker. i get to London at
around 10pm find a hostel. i am checking in when to my surprise a girl
who was in my political class at school storms up to the desk and gets
really furious because there are some random bags in her room and she
is freaking out about it, what is wrong with people, learn to accept
:)

the next day i spend alot of my time finding stoke lodge, to return a
book that koala jack borrowed from the Honorable Richard Alston, megs
or nick, i'm not sure. i finally found the place but no one was home
so i left it on the door step. you may have heard recently about the
planned terrorist plot on heathrow airport; they were targeting London
to NY flights, planning to use liquid explosive in drink bottles and
shaving cream cans. so i got to the airport at around 2:00pm for my
6:40pm flight. there was a lot of waiting so i spent my time playing
this pool game in the arcade. you get the first 4 shots in and you get
1pound credit, you get another ball, you get 2, another 3 etc...
untill you miss in which case you loose it all, or you collect your
money anbd start again. i started of with 5 pounds and i lefts with 30
pounds, it was great, if i find one of these games in Australia, it
could be great to help beef up an income :) i have been playing alot
of pool on this trip, cant wait to play with Clare, Jen and Clare b
and all the rest of my pool junky friends (it's a good thing being a
pool junkie, it's a good game, but you wouldn't believe some of the
stupid rules people play with overseas, it really gets my goat) i make
it just in time onto the plane. i watched MI3 and inside man on the
plane. i wait for 2 hours in immigration before i get out into the
subway.

it is 12:something and i call up lyndi to see if i can crash there. so
back to Roosevelt island i go. now i am back in the apple store, a
place i frequented to bring you this blog while i was here last time.
i don't know how many people i know are still in NY, but i will call;
jack, josh, Attila, Angelo, Brian, heather and Tyrone and see whats
what. I'd love to get a car and take a road trip to LA rather than
flying but people wont just drop what they are doing for stuff like
that unfortunately. it would rock though, feet up, drive through
Philly, Vegas, see Steve there, coldplay on the stereo, sunsets etc..
I'll ask anyway. i would like to do a road trip when i get back to
Australia, i haven't ever really seen Australia, really, it could be
cool, drive up through Sydney, watch Melbourne victory kick scum fc's
butt. go on up to qld, find a place to stay for a few days.

i have lost alot of clothes on this trip; countless socks (probably a
good thing), pants (which were my dads hand me downs), jumper (which
Steve lent me) my good shoes (which i wore to Steve's wedding) etc...
my backpack which i traveled in around Europe weighed 6.4kgs. that
really isn't much to go backpacking, my Canadian friend had a fairly
average sized bag for his travels, it weighed like 45kg's or more at
least. so i am back in NY, the stuff i left in NY is in Harlem at
Steve and Sarah's apartment, including my fake ID so i will have to
make the trek up there at some point. I'm bored, i feel like playing
some pool, and meeting some cool people tonight. i wish i had a small
digital camera, i see things that i used to see but from a different
angle, if that makes sense, i just want to film it all. great for
memories and technique for film and television industry.

i have some calls to make now so I'll catch you later.

Jake.

p.s. i am down to two cigarettes per day, which i know isn't great
Steve but it's better.