So sometimes you have to take the time to explore your own local neighbourhood. London is a pretty big neighbourhood and its been a long time since I’ve walked along the Thames so after a mammoth feast at yum-cha I thought it would be a good idea to join my bro for a bit of a walk.

The great thing about London is that you can walk practically anywhere very easily. Its pretty much flat all around and you are guaranteed to see something interesting in your travels, especially around South Bank where there is always something going on.

For example, until Feb next year (2007 – not long to go now!) Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett has a set of amazing murals up on display around the Royal Festival Hall. Jamie actually won the ‘Designer of the Year Award’ for his work in animating and creating the Gorillaz’s alter-egos. I especially liked this mural where in the upper right corner there is the Grim Reaper but he looks like he is just hovering in the background or is being seen in a reflection.

Another thing that might take your fancy is the current Unilever Series exhibition by Carsten Höller, titled Test Site, at the Tate Modern which consists of five slides in the Turbine Hall. The work is a “playground for the body and the brain”.

Although tickets for the slides are free they are timed and only available on the day. And as everyone who knows about the slides wants to slide down them you aren’t guaranteed a ticket if you arrive late in the day. If you can’t get on to the slides on Levels 3-5 slides I think the one on Level 2 is available on an as comes basis – but who really wants to slide down that when you’ve got gigantic ones you can get on to!

Apparently Höller has undertaken other projects including a machine that hoists the user through the air (Flying Machine) and a room full of Frisbees (imaginatively titled the Frisbee House) so this is not his first attempt at crazy. Just kidding! When I said crazy I really meant fun. We arrived too late to consider trying to get a ticket but to be honest I was more worried about getting to the end of the slide and then flying off to who knows where in my helmet and burlap sack! What a piece of comedy that would have been.

Leaving South Bank we somehow found ourselves near St Paul’s Cathedral where there was a very strange and unexpected Fun Fare happening. It felt a bit eerie to be honest but people seemed to be enjoying themselves!