Back into the Bush - London

Shepherds Bush Green

After arriving in Shepherds Bush on Tuesday 21st September at 2:30am then drinking with my Irish friend until the sun came up, I managed a few hours sleep in my dorm and headed for my friends place around the corner.
The plan was to have somewhat of a detox/ recovery for the week after my 10 days Amsterdamage and my 1st weekend in Oktoberfest!!! My poor liver has been sending me hatemail....

After taking up residence on the couch again, I rested for the day then was lucky enought to be heading for a cultural night watching the Orpheus Sinfonia's Annual Charity Concert, at Cadogan Hall. This was a great change to the fast pace lifestyle I have been living. It was a great concert and a good change up in the lifestyle.

I largely chilled out for the week getting in some quality couch time doing nothing over strenuous. This included enjoying many typical English breakfasts, great for getting the strength back :) :)

I stayed in Shepherds Bush for the week and hung around for Alex's birthday that weekend (the 25th September).

Alex, Matt and myself headed to the Portobello Road markets on the Saturday morning. This is another must do while in London

(for more photos click link)

These markets go straight through the heart of Notting Hill (made famous by the film Notting Hill).

It stretches down Porobello Road for about 2km's and is really crowded. It has lots of different foods, antiques, fashions, second-hand goods and a lot of people squeezed between the narrow streets.

Notting Hill is also a famous area from some of the people that have lived such as George Orwell, 1903 - 1950.

We had a good day browsing the stalls, and enjoying some of the local food stalls.

Matt and Alex picked up some cupcakes for Alex's birthday from the Hummingbird Bakery, this bakery is widely renowned for its cupcakes.....

After tasting one i know why! they are delicious, and they have an amazing, and extremely rich cream cheese icing.
They had to line up for about 15 minuets just to get served!

That afternoon we went back to celebrate Alex's birthday and consumed a few litres duty free, and had a very raucous evening.

Me and Drew In the Dam

It was Drew's birthday the following weekend (my friend from Amsterdam) so I decided to hang around for it. I headed back to the hostel @ St Christophers in Shepherds Bush to chill there for the week and await the coming weekend.

The plan was to meet up go to the Bedrock 12 @ 02 Academe Brixton to see Carl Cox and DJ Digweed on Saturday the 2nd October...
Only something major would change these plans...

Urinals at Belushi's

I had a good week meeting new people at the hostel, i really got into the swing of life in the Belushi's bar which is attached to the St Christopher's hostel.

Monday 2 for 1 cocktails (this includes Jugs) and Trivia Night,

Tuesdays are match days for (for football / soccer) and £2 snakebites.

Wednesdays Glenn Aitken plays, (this guy is awesome) he is the UK loop champion.
Sir Paul McCartney signed Glenn to his publishing company and is playing on his debut album. Check out the link he is an amazing artist.
Plus it is £1.50 Jack Daniels or Vodkas

Thursdays is Karaoke, and just the weekly specials, 2 for 1 Coronas and £2 bundy's
(these are available all week as well as all other specials relevant to there particular day)

Friday's there is a DJ and just the weekly specials as well 2 for 1 Coronas and £2 bundy's

Saturdays is just £2 bundy's

Sundays there is a band, £2 bundy's and £2 snakebites ALL DAY...

I had an awesome week, meeting most of the staff and getting on well with all that I met*, also meeting a lot of other cool peeps at the hostel, both locals and guests** I had a crazy week partying it up and enjoying living in such a vibrant and amazing place....

After all of this I was just awaiting the arrival of the weekend to meet up with Drew and go out for his birthday....

* The staff at Belushi's / St Christophers have been amazing they are are really cool people that would do anything for you and help you out if you need it, I have a lot of respect for all of them and they have made this place my home away from home. This is the best hostel I have stayed in yet...and it is because of the them. I feel I have gained a whole lot more friends just from staying here a getting to know them.

Belushi's Bar

** There has also been a handful of locals and long term guests who stay at the hostel that have become my immediate partners in crime, giving me the low downs, getting up to shenanigans with me, drinking all night (on any given night), getting out there with me and experiencing what London has to offer, these people have also become good friends and have helped make the experience what it has become and continues to become now some weeks on.

ALL THINGS CHANGE AND NOTHING IS PERMANENT especially while you are a backpacker travelling on your own!!

Late on Wednesday I went up to my room and found a note on my pillow...


Come to reception because they had something important to tell me, apparently I had won something????

To my knowledge I had only entered one competition through HostelWorld.com
(which I thought had closed when I entered it) I had really only entered it to get me a HostelWorld gold card, this enables me to have no booking fee when I book hostels through there website.

I made it down to reception (and was very intoxicated this evening), to receive another piece of paper with a name and 2 contact numbers, they confirmed for me that I had won something but could not advise what it was....
I continued to drink on into the night with some friends from the hostel not getting to bed until early in the morning...

Getting up the next day was difficult. It was Thursday 30th September and the Oktoberfest final weekend was only 2 days away (this was a little concerning if I had won a comp there???)

I headed down around midday when I finally pulled myself out of bed for some breaky and to ring the numbers I had received for the competition.

During this time I pulled my laptop out and checked my emails (which hadn't been checked since Wednesday morning) only to find out that I had received an email Wednesday (at 3:30) which I was supposed to respond to by 4pm to confirm and claim the competition.

I received another email Thursday morning informing me I now had until 1pm to confirm everything...this left me with less than 1 hour to get in touch with hostelwolrd!!! I sent reply emails and used both contact numbers provided but could not get a hold of anyone, I left messages and continued calling every 10 minuets trying to get through....

At this point I was not holding my breath, just in case I was not successful...

Finally I got a call and confirmed that I had still won the competition...YEW....

I now had only 15 minuets to find someone to take with me as the airline could not hold the seats for any longer...

My German friend Emil was upstairs in his dorm and the only one around at the time, he had to cancel his trip to Edinburgh, but accepted.....we where going to Oktoberfest....

Apparently the original winner of the competition did not claim it in time and I was the second drawn out. The prize was valued at £500 per person, and included return flights, transfers, 3 nights accommodation  in Munich, 1 night accom in a hotel in Stuttgart, Orientation walks, Day tour to Neuschwanstein Castle, Table booking and meal at Volksfest T'shirt and experienced guide..WOOT!!!

So after everything was finally confirmed it was around 3pm Thursday arvo with the flight leaving out of  Stansted airport at 6:30am Friday morning. This was only about 15 hours later!!,
We had to leave the hostel at 4am to get a cab to the bus stop by 4:30am to get to the airport on time, it takes around 1 and a half hours to get to Stansted from Shepherd Bush....

               Back to Oktoberfest......Twice in one year!!!
                 I am not one for doing things in halves :)