Item 34: Bikram Yoga - Sweat Baby Sweat!

Location: Hot Bikram, Fulham

The decreasing temperature of the London is not friendly. Say "Welcome," to the 1.5 hours of yoga in a room heated to 40 degrees centigrade!

There I was signing up for the "£10 for 10 days" offer to new students, hydrated to the point of needing a bathroom all too frequently and ready to sweat!

At the introduction, the instructors told us the goal for the new students was not to hold all the 26 positions of the class but rather, to remain in the heated room for the duration.

It wasn't an extreme heat upon entry but as the session progressed and the poses stretched your body further, beads of sweat appeared on my brow. Then on the arms, my top was completely drenched, (think having gone for a swim), and as I reached for my ankle to hold the 'tree-pose', I found out my knees had sweat glands of their own too!

"It's the toxins," they tell you. The sense of achievement as I walked out having lasted the whole class, and after a decent dry off, my skin was milky smooth... ah, the detox of Bikram Yoga!

Item 34: Bikram Yoga? CHECK!

Item 33: Hampton Court Palace... and my friend Henry

Location: Hampton Court, UK

Limited hours of sunlight are looming over London. So while you can, follow the tourist map down to Hampton Court Palace.

A good find beforehand was a two-for-one entrance deal on http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk . A small win against the impeding recession!

Although the fresco's in the rooms of King Henry VIII do not compete with those of Vactican City, walking around the palace, getting lost in the maze and rolling down the hills of the well manicured gardens provide a pleasant day of fresh air within a short train ride out of the bustling city.

Item 33: Hampton Court Palace? CHECK!

Item 32: Thames Festival.. and One, Two, Free

Location: Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge, London

The sun came out for the Mayor's Thames Festival this year, held during the middle weekend of September. An array of activities from river races, food and market stalls, buskers, musicians and dancers lined the banks for the Thames river, encouraging the people of London to get involved!

I bypassed the chance to watch the finals of the Pumpkin Growing Competition and Deep Soup Ceremony, 'handmade from locally grown pumpkins, onions and garlic cooked slowly in a cauldron' on the Saturday in favor of the River Tango Workshop on Sunday.

Approaching the tower of the Tate Modern, we saw the dance floor with enthusiastic partners taking their first steps in time with the beat and joined right in. Although I should have been concentrating on the steps, (one, two, three), I found it more interesting watching the people around me in their newly formed partnerships.

"Really, is this your first time? You're great," one stranger would say to another. Dance classes - more success than your online dating service!

A few bumps here and there on our way around the circle, it was a good introduction to the art of tango and how much more practice, and concentration, I would need.

There were plenty of other things on show for the day. With the sunlight and London's cooling breeze my day could have been marked off as perfect had I had a nice warm mug of homemade pumpkin soup.

Item 32: Thames Festival? CHECK!

Item 31: Notting Hill Carnival

Location: Notting Hill, Chepstow Rd, Westbourne Grove, Ladbroke Grove, W11 1HT

In the pleasant streets surrounding Notting Hill, the sound of the bass calls to you. You follow the crowd and stumble across the beginning of a parade. Extravagant costumes, clever use of body paint and dancers who've got all the moves. Yes, the Carribean party has come to town.

A celebration of culture and diversity, the Notting Hill Carnival is held during the August bank holiday weekend. The parade's route sections off an area containing 38 soundsystems scattered within its boundaries.

Walking around it's hard not to stumble upon a funky sound stage as well as some finger lickin' jerk chicken! Hot hot stuff!

But the fancy stores, with their windows boarded up for the weekend, provide a quick reminder that this is London. And these precautions by the shop owners don't go to waste.

The BBC today reports two stand offs and 330 arrests in total for the event. From it's historical aim of calming race riots in the 60's and 70's, how disappointing to see how little things change.

Item 31: Notting Hill Carnival? CHECK!

Item 30: Way Out West - "way way waaaayy out"

Location: Slottsskogen, Göteborg, Sweden

As a music festival virgin, this was a great weekend introduction to some quality acts during another visit to the Göteborg. It was its second year running and everything was smooth sailing over the three nights and two days. Well done my Swedish friends! With three stages in the park as well as in the clubs in town at night, choice was plentiful. This also meant running shoes between acts would have been handy.

Unlike the famed Glastonbury, there was no camping at the site. Although the muddy marshes from rains during the nights called for wellington boots by some, we got to go home to clean up when the day was over. This, in hand with our lucky emergency ponchos was the perfect recipe for a good time.

As for the artists there was so much to see and it all happened so fast!

The Caesars and Mando Diao represented the host nation with pride.

N.E.R.D had the crowd raise their hands with the Star Trek symbol before getting them to clap and bounce. Yes, Pharrell was there too.

Sigur Ros took us away to a magical place, possibly Iceland, as the sun went down.

The Flaming Lips surfed the crowd in a giant bubble before dancing with the Tellie Tubbies on stage for the rest of the set.

And as a side note, there seemed to be excessive facial hair sported by the majority of the male artists: José González; Wayne Coyne - The Flaming Lips; Sam Beam - Iron & Wine; Nick Cave – Grinderman; and the amazing NEIL YOUNG!

Item 30: Way Out West? CHECK!

Item 29: Visa!!! The Waiting Game

Location: London, United Kingdom

29 June 2008
The UK Boarder Agency made changes for people on working holiday visas:

We have now closed the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme to applications from people who are already in the United Kingdom, so it is no longer possible to stay in this country by switching into this category. The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme has been replaced by Tier 1 (General) of the points-based system. It is not possible to switch into this category if you are here as a working holidaymaker.

20 June 2008
As I had always expected, to prolong good times in London I would be required to get a proper work permit when the Working Holiday Visa expired after a year of work in the UK. However the impending changes at the end of June called for a race against time to get my HSMP application paperwork submitted to the Home Office before the closure date.

Around antipodean circles throughout the country, the confusion and frustration of interpreting new eligibility criteria, new processes to extend the visas of the long-termers over here and for me, a poorly timed trip back to Australia to get the passport stamped is a hot topic. (The old HSMP application followed a two stage process. The first was for approval for the permit in the UK. The second, which changed in February, requires entry clearance to be applied for in your home country).

Visa agencies are milking the changes for all their worth right now. They charge extortionate prices for doing not much except for giving their client's peace of mind, "No visa, no fee".

Waiting periods are estimated at 10-12 weeks before people get any response from the Home Office. Updates on their website regarding their current processing times are not even as promising. My new favourite site has become www.trackitt.com. Providing a community for people to eagerly wait together for outcomes of their application, allowing them to compare dates for the whole process with each other.

But enough with the complaining. We have only Australia to thank. This is after all,

"an Australian style points based system for managing migration"

Item 29: Visa? Waiting....

Item 28: Le Tour Eiffel

Location: Paris, France

Number one on the itinerary for a visit to Paris is the Eiffel Tower. It is iconic and, being the most visited monument in the world, rarely missed.

It was ticked off the list during my first trip to Paris, in more youthful days, whilst travelling on a Eurail ticket across Western Europe and living off the Aussie dollar for a month.

Teasing glimpses of the steel structure, built for the 1889 World Expo, can be seen throughout the city. In the summer weather with perfectly manicured grassland at its feet, the magnetic fields of the radio tower called to me once again.

This time being grossly grossly paid in British pounds (joking), I lived the lavish lifestyle. Ignoring the shorter queue for the 600 stairs to the second platform, I waited 45 minutes and paid the €12 to take the elevator to the top floor. That’s right, sky high!

In temperatures of around 26 degrees the cosy lift of well warmed tourists was luxury as I enjoyed the ascent to the second and third levels for clear landscapes of Paris. Picking out the Notre Dame, Sacré Coeur and the Seine River from the heights confirmed my visit to the cosmopolitan city, "Oui. Je suis à paris!"

Item 28: Le Tour Eiffel? CHECK!