Saturday

I am now in Singapore with another 45 minutes till my flight home.

After finishing the last post, I packed up and left the AA lounge (American Airlines - there was alcohol there) and called into the British Airways one to see of there was any difference. I was quite surprised. The AA seems more spacious and was less crowded and of course the showers were working , which is why I was there in the first place. However there was a broader choice of food in BA. I didn't stay long and headed for the departure lounge which was not to far off the 15 minutes suggested.

The flight was much more crowded then the one from Singapore, with every seat in Premium economy filled. Originally I was seated next to a garrulous  old codger of about 70, a surgeon it seems who specialises in facial reconstruction for kids, although it was not till we were landing that I over heard this. He managed to knock over his coffee onto the seat next to him, then found out he was in the row in front. I sat next to an much younger African american, who was conventionally unchatty.

I watched part of the Green Lantern film but fell asleep before it finished and had 6 or so hours all up. I realised that, although it was 5-30 London time when I woke up it was already afternoon in Singapore and decided not to try for more sleep. I watched the Hangover part II but missed the last 5 minutes (i'm guessing) when they turned off the entertainment system before landing.

I have been doing my own little survey of international prices. There was one that compared the price of a Big Mac in different coutries converted to a common Currency. My standard has been iPads.

The base model (for comparison) is the 32GB Wi Fi only model, which lists on the Australian Apple site for $690. When I was in KL you could get one in the "high street"  For 1800 rmb or about $600.  There was a special from an on line retailer, at the time, in Australia for less than that but with postage it was around 640.

The London street price is 480 Pounds and the duty free 440, still well over 700. Also the price for my Macbook, for which I paid $2500 in the US is 2100 pound or about $3500, so the UK is definitely not the cheapest place for computers and similar.

I have just checked the Singapore duty free shop and they have only the 3G + wifi version for $800 only $40 less than the Apple store at home.

So.... No rush to but one here either. Maybe I'll just be patient and wait for the iPad 3 next year, then see if I can get to KL to buy one.

Later

One more data point - The iPad is $626 in the duty free shop in Perth airport and the 3g Version is under $800, so cheaper than Singapore.

The trip was not to bad despite the smaller legroom in the standard economy class. Saw the last 5 minutes of the Hangover and watched the Social Connection and Source code.

There was a passport chip reader on the way to the immigration hall which I used without a clue so I whizzed through that, and my bag was out quite early. However there was a huge queue for customs with almost everybody having to get searched or at least  have the bags scanned. It was nothing like this last trip so I expect it is the beefed up security for CHOGM.

I eventually got home about 1-45am.

Friday

Ironically I slept into 9-30 so my body clock has finally synched to London time just as I get ready to leave. I just managed to beat the 10am deadline for breakfast and then packed in time for the 11am check out.

I updated yesterdays blog and face book in the lounge and I am about to leave my bags with the porter and head out. I don't fly out till 9-15 tonight but will be leaving here around 5.

Later

I walked to Tottenham Court Road which I am sure took a lot less time than using the tube for the same trip - less than 10 minutes for sure. The shops were open but not the ones I was looking for. I recall we came here in about 1977 and bought a golf ball electric typewriter. Now the bulk of the shops are selling, phones, computers and TVs.

I bought a huge avocado and a roll - total < 1 pound - for lunch and ate this on a bench near a park on the way back to the Museum which lies between TCR and the Hotel.

I then had a lengthy visit to the Museum easily over 2 hours and got a quick overview of the history of the world. Fascinating exhibits although, of course, the result of plundering the original locations.

Took heaps of pics which I uploaded to facebook. I was asked to tag all my friends, most of which were statues.

I headed back to the hotel and retrieved my cases from the porter. I'd had enough by then and decided that if I had to wait somewhere it may as well be at the airport, ie where I am now, since I have free food, alcohol and internet.

According to Samuel Johnson, I must be tired of life, because I've have had enough of London and am looking forward to going home. (At least for a short visit, I'm off again in 11 days).

I left the hotel a bit after 3-30 and trundled across the park to the bus stop where I got off on Monday. There was one bus waiting but without a driver and a second pulled up later. The second driver indicated I had to board further up so I sat in the shelter and was looking at the map, when the first bus pulled out. I made sure I didn't miss the second one. AS it turned out there was a bus stop much closer to the hotel just off the park.

It was busy as always on the roads and it was after 4-30 before we got to Paddington but only an hour later I was in He throw, through security and passport control and heading for the BA lounge. Their showers weren't working so they sent me to American Airlines, which is aloes part of the One World group. I had a lovely shower with a towel, twice the size and twice as thick as the one in the hotel.

 I am on my second whisky, had some soup, checked my email, updated facebook and soon will have finished this blog update and still have 2 hours to take off.

Thursday

Another early start again just after 5 am. Perhaps I am still on Sofia time which would have been 7am. Still I managed to spend time messing around on face book email etc so that it was after 9 before I finished breakfast.

I caught the tube to Charing Cross and then after a few false starts found the correct platform for the train to Tunbridge Wells. We seemed to sit on the bridge across the Thames for some time, once we left the station before actually getting on with the journey.

I hadn't been able to get through to my friends but left a message on their phoine and sent an email saying I'd be there between 10-30 and 11. It was closer to the latter when we finally arrived and John was juts walking through the station door as I left the platform. They hadn't realised there was a message - something to do with BT message bank, but had checked his email and rushed down, just in time. Of course it was a challenge for us to recognise each other since it had been 27 years since we were last together. He and Flo were in fact the ones who took us to the airport in Holland when we left Shell all those years ago.

I had a very pleasant and relaxing day, with no need to worry about time, crowds tickets and so forth. They retired some 15 years ago after 30 years roaming the globe with Shell and said it was strange having to live in their own country after such a long time. They have a 2 storey house in the countryside some 10 minutes or so from the station. There is a huge garden - 2 acres in all and John likes to grow different trees on it, including the Blue Cedar after which the house is named. They also have 2 German Shepherds and a Burmese cat, who were all quite affectionate. There is a vast amount of lawn so he has a ride on mower.

Their youngest and my eldest were only 3 when we left so there was a bit of catching up to do.

Flo had been dropping there daughter off at Seven Oaks and after she came back we headed to the village pub for a very nice meal.

After that I got the tour of the yard, showed some of my pics from facebook and had afternoon tea. John  also showed me his workshop. He had been a keen woodworker in Perth and is now into wood carving, mostly caricatures and uses wood from his own trees.

It was about 6 when I left and we got to the station just before the train pulled in. We bid each other a quick good bye then I jumped on the train, which sat at the station for another 15 minutes. At least the way I travelled was against the flow so there was plenty of room both ways. I managed to find discarded newspapers and read them and did the crosswords to fill in my time.

Once back in London I went for a walk, since the shops were open  till 8 or 9 on Thursdays. I walked to Leicester Square, then Picadilly Circus, Up Regent street for a bit then across to Carnaby Street. From there I cut through Marks and Spencers to Oxford street and down to Tottenham Court Road. Those shops had already shut by then so I caught the tube back to Holborn. I had dinner at an Indian Restaurant between the station and the hotel.

What is revealing about this is that the distances around London are not that great and although you can catch the tuibe all over the place, some times it is just as quick and easy to walk.






I fell asleep watching TV, the first time I have turned it on since I left Perth.

Wednesday

My sleep patterns are really screwed up. Today I woke at 5am. Eventually went to breakfast and headed out shortly after 9.

I had till 12 on my 24 hour bus ticket so caught the link to Fleet St, walked along the Strand to the Embakment where I got on one heading South.

This covered much of the same path as yesterday but the sun was shining in the opposite diretcion so I could get shots of Westminster without the backlighting problems.

We also travelled past the other side of it and then the Abbey and New Scotland yard. Yesterday, because of congestion, the bus missed these.

Once past Marble arch it was new territory and eventually we were heading past Harrods to Kensington.

I visited both the Museum of Natural History and the V&A but only saw a small part of each. You could spend a whole day on these.

In the MNH, I saw the mammals and dinosaurs and in the V&A just the exhibits on the ground floor.

From there I walked back past Harrods (through it actually) and caught a tube to Oxford Street where I bought a pair of stretchy pants to wear on the trip home. I then went to Charing Cross Road where I eventually had a late lunch at a Mexican place. I had been to a store in the same franchise in the Woodlands. I think you got less and it cost more in London. After browsing a couple of book stores I headed back to the hotel. I have been out a couple of times in the local area and  am thinking of going to a free comedy club.






However, I have picked up a cold in the last day or so and I'm not 100%, with a sore throat and runny nose.

Tuesday

I bought tickets to Wicked for tonight, the Big Bus  Tour hop on-hop off and the Tower of London from the Porter at the hotel. He turns out to have come from Wanneroo in Perth.

I took the "green link" feeder bus that passes down the street past the hotel and meets up with the main tours at the start of fleet street. After a short wait I caught the bus that took us down fleet street, past St Paul's Cathedral, the Bank of England and over London Bridge.

It then returned over Tower Bridge to the Tower of London where I disembarked. I enter the Tower complex just as a tour was starting so we got the spiel as we walked around. It took about 55 minutes and we finished in the Royal Chapel. From there I saw the crown jewels and then went through the White tower, which had displays of armour and so forth.

I'd had enough by then and took the included river cruise from the nearby dock down to Westminster. Passing under a number of bridges and seeing the riverside buildings, including Shell-Mex house where I worked in the 80's, the globe Theatre and the London Eye as well as various others.

I rejoined the bus which took me to Buckingham Palace. There was quite a wait for the next bus after I returned to the stop and this took us to Marble Arch. I changed to the other tour (from blue to red) as the blue one went around Hyde Park to Harrod's and the Victoria and Albert. I had originally thought I might just ride the bus back to Victoria for the show but I was getting too cold and needed to get back to the hotel.

This bus took us down through Mayfair and down Regent street to Trafalgar Square, then across the Westminster bridge and back across Waterloo. It seemed I'd missed the green bus connection but just as we were about to pass the Kingsway, one pulled up behind us. I jumped out of my bus onto it and it was the last of the day.

I took over 200 pics today so these are a very brief sample.

I made it to Wicked with 10 minutes leeway. It involved one change on the tube and you felt like you were almost walking to the next station. The show itself was somewhat disappointing after the rave reviews I'd seen over the years. The performances were fine but there were no catchy songs that I knew.

I hadn't had time to eat before hand so I had anotehr Tesco sandwich for a late supper.

Monday and Tuesday morning

I only had 4 hours sleep Sunday night and was up and at breakfast before 9. There were lots of good byes today as people left at different times and eventually I was one of those people.

I managed to pack everything in my case although it was a tighter squeeze than coming over. The company that had run the conference had organised travel to the airport on there were 5 of us sharing a minibus since we were on the same flight. It turns out there were another 2 as well but they went separately.

It was not a long trip to the airport and there was virtually no queue to check in. I obtained a spare invite so Silvia could join us. Michael and Marian were on Business class anyway. The lounge is multi airline and help yourself but I had one drink and some nibbles before we had to leave. Sofia is a small airport with no intercontinental flights and it was less than a minute from the lounge to the gate.




Silvia and I sat together with a man from Iceland, who lives in Bulgaria, occupying the window seat. Silvia talked to him quite a bit (there was no movie) but I kept nodding off.

Once I  Heathrow we went our separate ways. My non EU passport queue was very much longer than hers and it took over an hour to get to the front. I suspect she was long gone before I got the the baggage carousel.

I opted for the express train, more expensive but faster which arrives at Paddington station. From there I took a no 7 bus that goes to Russell Square but diagonally opposite the hotel. My room is quite small with only a single bed. It does have an en-suite but otherwise reminds me of student accommodation. My view is of rooftops.

The front of the hotel faces the square and those rooms have a much better view. likewise the bar on the first floor.

The hotel entrance is off the main street with a courtyard. I think the photos may make it look better than it is. None the less it is a modern style hotel with 9 floors serviced by 5 lifts. It also has free wifi and I updated facebook and checked emails, once I'd unpacked. I went for a short walk about 7pm and found a Tescos around the corner, where I bought a sandwich, yoghurt and drink, which was my tea. A much smaller meal than I'd become used to in Sofia.

There is a 2 hour time difference and that plus the lack of sleep had me asleep before 8-30. I didn't get up till 7.30 this morning so I have caught up quite a bit.

The shower was quite good although the bath was narrow but the water leaked past the curtain. There doesn't seem to be a drain in the floor so I have 1/2" of water in some places.

There was a full English breakfast in a large dining room on the first floor. Many more tables but much less choice than in Sofia. It is also a big difference between having breakfast where you know 50 or so other people and where you are alone.



I will be heading out shortly. No firm plans but will check on shows for tonight with the porter and then perhaps head for the British Museum. Which is a short walk away.

Sunday

I was at breakfast this morning and looked out the window to see it was snowing. It was just heavy enough to cover the bushes but by morning tea it had melted.

This is the last day of the conference and amongst other things we discussed some new rules for running meetings, a simplification of the rules previously used, the Budget and the location of next years meeting. We also had a presentation from the SIGHT co-ordinators who have had a concurrent conference of their own this weekend.

Despite a very good presentation by the German and Austrian Chairs in combination for Salzburg, the Croatian bid for Dobrovnich was selected. Those views of the ocean views were too tempting for some of us. Our gala dinner will be in a castle on a rock on the coast and this same castle was used in the TV series Game of Thrones. Since I had been to neither city it did not worry me particularly which was selected.

The meeting finished a little bit behind schedule and the visit to the Boyana Church was omitted from the City tour. We covered most of the part of the city that we had visited on Thursday but with a guide we saw a few places we had missed on our own. He also gave us more historical background. The sun was shining despite the dark cl;ouds in the distance and the combinatrion gave a new perspective on the builidings compared with Thursday.

There was an hour between getting home and going to dinner. Unlike the other restaurants, there was beer on the table instead of Rakia. I had one bottle and then got some sprite for the second. This restaurant also had, shall we say unusual, toilets, with the gents having life size pictures of sexy women looking at them over the urinals and the ladies having an equivalent poster behind the doors.

The final event was the Helsinki party, so called because that was where the first one was held. (not to be confused with Stockholm syndrome). This has become a traditional, if not official event and is a BYO booze up to celebrate the end of the conference. In our case most people donated 10 lev ($7) to a common kitty and the locals bought the booze and nibbles. I drank vodka all night, because I'd started on it before I saw there was some scotch.



They had a DJ and karaoke and I actually sang quite a lot of songs. Those Asians have converted me after KL. It seems I was not the worst of the singers and even got invited to a duet or 2. I gave up about 3am and was told it wound up at 4.

Saturday night

We all (most of us at least) dressed in our finery and were taken by bus to the gala dinner. After a round about trip that had us feeling lost and confused we arrived at the destination which turned out to be a residence of the president. This is often used for housing visiting heads of state. We were welcomed with champagne and a string quartet.

The dinner was on the first floor up the marble staircase. It was 4 or 5 courses and in between we were entertained by a quartet of dancers who had 4 different costume changes and 4 different styles of dance. between their sets were had 4 male opera singers who sang various opera folk and religious songs for us.

After the entertainment was over the Mensa brilliant prizes were awarded to the winners or the chairs of their country. It was an Australian who won the Poetry competition, so I had a chance to accept and remind everyone of Australia's reputation as a centre of culture with icons such as Barry McKenzie and Paul Hogan.

After this we had a DJ and dancing. One bus left about 11 the other well after midnight. It was all in all a great evening.

Saturday

Today's meeting started with a presentation by Sherman from China, who I had met in Malaysia. He is the deputy chair but the Chair who is a model and TV presenter sent a video greeting. Unfortunately it was displayed sideways without any sound. When Sherman said that they had about 60 members, most of whom were in IT and male, it was obvious why she was elected.

His presentation was very good after that with the potential for growth there explosive. They could easily get a seat on Excomm which requires over 10000 members within 4 or 5 years and have developed strategies for restricting growth rather than maximising it.

We had more discussion on the culture of the organisation and using social media as well as a closed session and other session where motions were discussed and voted. One controversial issue required 3 or so counts before they were satisfied that they got it right.

Not many Pics to day but I did get one of the flags in front of the hotel. I noticed they were a bit worse for wear and the Greek one in particular had a tear as well as frayed edges. I call this photo. "It is not just their economies that are in tatters"