The flight was good, travelling business class was cool. Food served on a plate with a real knife and fork. We had individual media players enabling us to watch tv programmes or play games on, this made for a very comfortable and entertaining flight. Once we landed our experience with immigration was very simple, it only took about 15 minutes. Leaving with the essential paperwork for a landed immigrant. We did go prepared with every possible piece of paper work they might request to ensure we didn’t get held up. I do remember the Scout moto be prepared! (but sometimes I fail)
So we checked in for 3 nights at the Hilton – we got a good deal on the internet. Plus they offer high speed internet connection, essential for maintaining contact with folk and searching accommodation.
Our first day got off to an early start at the boys school. We had an interview with the principle, a tour of the school, a meeting the academic counsellor to organise the boys time tables, and finished off with a school uniform sale. Oh no time to think about jet lag.
Over the next few days we moved in to the boring, yet essential things. Bank accounts, SI numbers, (equivalent NI numbers) looking for furnished accommodation, and the very important mobile phones. Looking for accommodation was a challenge. We visited some ‘interesting’ places, and being reliant on transit (public transport) did slow things down. The transit is good but we was working at a disadvantage – we didn’t have a bus map or time table. There is a bus and sky train, the 2 systems work well together and you you can buy 1 ticket for both, a bit like a travel card for London. The sky train is very efficient, a train every 3 minutes, 6 minutes at weekends & public holidays. Its like Docklands light railway.
An artie picture of a bus and sky train taken by Mark.
