A place to call home (for now)

So we've just encountered our first (and probably not last) overseas scam for this trip. Whilst looking for accommodation on Gumtree, we found this kickass double room for rent in Marylebone, listed at 600 pounds a months, all inclusive (pretty cheap for that area). So we emailed "Emmanuella" asking when we could view the place. Turns out "Emmanuella" is currently living in Manchester, and would only come down to London if she had more of a guarantee from us - we were to get a moneygram of a month's rent plus 600 pounds security deposit, not made out to her, but to a "trusted friend", and then scan and send the receipt via email. Sound dodgy? Of course it does.. which is why we did a net search on accommodation scams in London - click here to see what we found! I guess it pays to follow that old adage - if it seems to good to be true, it is.

Anyway, after sussing out a couple of other places, we found ourselves a short term place in a really good location (right near 2 tube lines and heaps of buses). It doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside is warm and decent, and unlike most flats in London actually has a living room. We're sharing the place with 2 other couples who seem pretty nice - a Kiwi who came to London intending to travel, and is still here 7 years later, his Korean girlfriend (called Unar), an English guy and Scottish/Irish? girl (called Una - how's that for coincidence?). For those who know a bit about London, we're right next to Petticoat Lane and Spitalfields markets, and a stroll from Brick Lane. Anyway, we've got a home base until February, by which time we'll know whether we're staying in London or moving on.

No jobs yet... but I've had calls about 2 jobs that weren't paying enough to warrant going in for an interview. And although this may seem ungrateful to some, I'll put in perspective: the novelty of this cold, grey city will very quickly wear off without the promise of a big, fat paycheck that covers more than just the rent and a couple of pints at the end of the week :-) Hopefully I'll get some good news about the other applications next week... otherwise, southern Spain is starting to look very appealing!