Two weeks until I board the long flight to China and today I have been looking back at the opportunities I have had since coming to London. This great city certainly has much to offer...

Things to do in London, tried, tested and recommended....

- Watch David Beckham score a goal for England at Wembley Stadium.
- Have a pillow fight with over 300 people in Trafalgar Square.
- Cycle through Hyde Park, Oxford St, Picadilly Circus and other parts of central London, naked.













- Take part in a Cha Cha Cha slide flash mob at Trafalgar Square.
- Swim outside in the snow, in Covent Garden.
- See the best unknown one man show ever.
- Watch Roger Federer  win the men's semi finals at Wimbledon.
- Attend a squat party with the really free school.
- Watch a show in a giant upside down purple cow.
- Stand at 0 degree Longitude.
- Watch your first 3D movie at a Leicester Square movie theatre.
- Proudly attend London and Brighton Pride.
- Pose nude for a life drawing class.
- Take a Vipassna ten day meditation course.

Will Beijing have as much to offer?

Saying goodbye...

Three weeks to go until I dive into the unknown and my flights are booked, my passport has been stamped and my notice has been handed in. But before I even start to think about what lies ahead, there is much to prepare, lot's to organise and many goodbyes to be said.

This week will be one of the hardest, as I will be saying goodbye to my best friend and soul mate, Gabor.

I first met Gabor at work, lifeguarding in an outdoor pool in central London. I had just broken up with my girlfriend and had had just been through a rough couple of months. Seeing that I was having a tough time, Gabor asked me to meet for drinks and a few shots of a Hungarian speciality, Panlinka.

I will never forget the night we met to have these 'few' drinks. I wasn't in the best of moods and was fully intent on have one drink before escaping home where I could continue to wallow in my own self pity. But after a couple of shots of the home made Panlinka, I was informed that I was a terrible dancer and dragged onto the dance floor for some lessons. Before I knew it, it was 4.00am, the birds were tweeting and Gabor had had me laughing harder than I had laughed in a long time. Since that day, our friendship has continued to grow and grow. He has been there for me through some of the toughest times but also shared in some of the best.

As I prepare to leave and move on to the next chapter, I realise that London has been a place of growth and personal development for us both. We came here with no expectations and took everything London had to offer. There have been tears but also utter delight. There were anxious times but also sheer contentment. I will never forget my time in London, but more importantly, I will never forget the people I spent my time with.

I hope that they won't forget me either...

The clock is ticking...

Four weeks before my intended departure date and it and  it all came down to a Monday morning at the Chinese Visa Office.

Those of you that know me will be aware of my rocky relationship with a Monday morning, and so the fact the the past 8 months of planning came down to this particular morning, didn't fill me with confidence.

As I sat, waiting for the visa desks to open, I thought about the consequences of the mornings possible outcomes.

If my visa was rejected, what would I do? No going back to work now, they all know that I'm leaving. Would I go somewhere else? Teach somewhere hot? Thailand? Maybe. But it's China that has me intrigued, China is where I will face the high and lows of a new and completely different culture.

What if I do get my visa? I would be going. I would be leaving London, my friends, my girlfriend. I have a fantastic life here and it has taken me two and a half years to get to where I am. Am I really throwing all of this away for a risky venture in China?

Can I really do this alone?

As I sat thinking, my thoughts were interrupted by a tannoy announcement. 'Number 3007 to desk number five please' As I approached the visa desk, my heart was pounding. Scared that I would and scared that I wouldn't get the visa I needed.

I was asked to pay and informed my visa has been processed successfully.

I'm going.

Sent to desk number four, for the passport and visa collection I was full of mixed emotions. Excitment, much excitment. But sadness, sad to be leaving a girlfriend, friends and family that I love and are used to having close by.

Am I really going?

After a long anxious wait, I stood and stared at my passport and at the new information stamped inside.

I'm going... The China adventure starts here.