Back in England, I 'temped' for a while, although it was no where near as well paid as in Australia. After lining-up a permanent, graduate job, starting in September, I thought I would have one last go at getting the travel bug out of my system. So, after a few months of rain, more rain, warm beer and Thatcher's hideous face I was back on my travels.

I had met several Australians who had inter-railed around Europe. Typical, they had come from the other side of the world and had seen considerably more of what was on my door-step than I had. I took some consolation in that the reverse was also true as most of them had never climbed Ayers Rock and I'd climbed it twice.

As I hadn't quite paid off the debts that I had clocked up going round the world - oh for the State Bank Victoria - this trip was going to be courtesy of my flexible friend. That and the fact that it was going to be some time before I got my first pay-packet meant that I was going to be travelling on a serious budget. Apparently, it's a crime for inter-railers to have money, so I thought it shouldn't be a problem.

Before I left, I thought I would spend a night in London to see some old friends. We all met-up in Wimbledon, where one of them lived, and had a night of serious alcohol abuse.

Alan and a friend of his, Richard, were also game on for some travelling and they would be travelling down the following day from Wales. I called him that evening to make the arrangements to meet at Victoria Station. This was a bit silly, as when I woke with a severe hangover the following morning, the whole conversation was just a drunken haze.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, we ended up having to travel to Paris separately, with only the most unlikely of rushed plans as to how we were going to find each other in that city of several million people.

For anyone travelling to London, here are some helpful tips for foreigners, although I wouldn't recommend that you take these too seriously - if you get my drift.