I love cocktails. (Oh...you knew that?? How, pray tell??!!)
So when I was told that, to celebrate the last days of freedom of my 'BFF' Caroline, before she walks down the aisle to her proud fiancee, Andy, a group of fun and funky hens would be scoffing down a great multitude of cocktails, I was overjoyed. But, imagine my excitment when it was added that, not only would we be scoffing...but we would be behind that mahogany bar, shakin' em up ourselves.
Revolution bar in Clapham Junction does feel like a second home to me sometimes, but never have I been so involved in the making of my own ice-cold drink. a shot here and half a shot there (and perhaps a little extra for good luck) and I was sipping on my own creation - the mintiest of mojitos with just the right amount of lime.
The bride to be's cosmo was worthy of Carrie Bradshaw and, with a peach bellini to wash down the chocolate fondue, we spent several hours of hilarity mixing it up with our fearless cocktail extrodinaires, batman and his trusty sidekick, robin.
Staggering our way onto the train out of CJ I herded our hens all the way to Leicester Square and the delishousness that is Browns...complete with stomach lining grilled chicken with hollandaise sauce.
Revived, we waltzed to the next place - Ruby Blues - for some classic R&B and a boogy on the dance floor...and finally onto Onanon...a huge club in Piccadilly circus where the music was cheesy and the punters quite interesting for people-watching purposes!
Quite a night! and one that required some recovery after an epic journey home...a memorable evening for an incredibly beautiful bride to be...next...THE wedding of 2009! We're practiced, our dancing shoes are broken in...bring it on!
stay tuned.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Normalcy (whatever that is)
So i have formal complaints made about the lack of blog updating over the past few weeks since we have been home.
Understandable - though I have wondered just how interesting my long hours spent slaving over job websites would be to people - no matter how hard i try to glam it up.
True, there has been more happening than that. Lets see...countless hours in pubs and restaurants and bars across Sussex and London catching up with this person and that person, dinner parties in small villages complete with grappa and wine, the odd trip to london to visit 26 pubs in 12 hours as we raced around the city Monopoly style, days spent in the Brighton sunshine (well, ok...the rain) with 'da boys' one day and 'da girls' the next....
We have fallen back into a rollercoster of social activity which, of course, suits me completely down to the ground. If only all the glamorous outings could really take my mind off the issue at hand...the fact that I am currently a homeless, jobless bum...!
I have been working on getting the issue resolved...as i say, countless hours sending off my cv and chatting on the phone to an endless array of recruitment agents. Considering the current climate I seem to have done quite well with 4 serious interviews in three weeks. I have even turned down one particular job...a scary decision to make but one must weigh up a few more weeks of job hunting versus a year (or two or three) in a job that my instincts are telling me I would hate...
Matt, on the other hand, has thrown himself back into work at PBE...ok, it's not ideal perhaps but, for the moment, it's keeping me in cocktails and him in beer...and, perhaps more importantly (or not) it's keeping us fed.
His parents have surprised him for his 30th by arriving at a cozy morrocan restaurant in Covent Garden unannounced...a reunion that bought tears to eyes and a bellydancer to our table. Having them here is so exciting as we introduce them to the friends who are our main reason for being back here and show them around our 'hood'...the little flat above the car yard where we used to live and all the local sights (a tour that took a grand total of five minutes!).
We are staying with the Weggs...I only hope that one day we will be able to pay them back for their incredible hospitatality! It mustn't be easy to have 2 aussies completely take over your house!! (believe me - i once had 5 of them...i know what it's like hey Ash!)
And so life goes on. week by week. This weekend Matt will be far far away exploring with his parents and I will be hitting london town yet again in true glam style...Caroline's hens night brings an array of cocktails and funky bars and sunday brings yet more chilled out catch ups...
stay tuned... (i promise to update regularly!!) xx
Understandable - though I have wondered just how interesting my long hours spent slaving over job websites would be to people - no matter how hard i try to glam it up.
True, there has been more happening than that. Lets see...countless hours in pubs and restaurants and bars across Sussex and London catching up with this person and that person, dinner parties in small villages complete with grappa and wine, the odd trip to london to visit 26 pubs in 12 hours as we raced around the city Monopoly style, days spent in the Brighton sunshine (well, ok...the rain) with 'da boys' one day and 'da girls' the next....
We have fallen back into a rollercoster of social activity which, of course, suits me completely down to the ground. If only all the glamorous outings could really take my mind off the issue at hand...the fact that I am currently a homeless, jobless bum...!
I have been working on getting the issue resolved...as i say, countless hours sending off my cv and chatting on the phone to an endless array of recruitment agents. Considering the current climate I seem to have done quite well with 4 serious interviews in three weeks. I have even turned down one particular job...a scary decision to make but one must weigh up a few more weeks of job hunting versus a year (or two or three) in a job that my instincts are telling me I would hate...
Matt, on the other hand, has thrown himself back into work at PBE...ok, it's not ideal perhaps but, for the moment, it's keeping me in cocktails and him in beer...and, perhaps more importantly (or not) it's keeping us fed.
His parents have surprised him for his 30th by arriving at a cozy morrocan restaurant in Covent Garden unannounced...a reunion that bought tears to eyes and a bellydancer to our table. Having them here is so exciting as we introduce them to the friends who are our main reason for being back here and show them around our 'hood'...the little flat above the car yard where we used to live and all the local sights (a tour that took a grand total of five minutes!).
We are staying with the Weggs...I only hope that one day we will be able to pay them back for their incredible hospitatality! It mustn't be easy to have 2 aussies completely take over your house!! (believe me - i once had 5 of them...i know what it's like hey Ash!)
And so life goes on. week by week. This weekend Matt will be far far away exploring with his parents and I will be hitting london town yet again in true glam style...Caroline's hens night brings an array of cocktails and funky bars and sunday brings yet more chilled out catch ups...
stay tuned... (i promise to update regularly!!) xx
Sunday, April 19, 2009
home sweet home
England is a funny place to love. More often than not people wonder loudly whether we are crazy...why do we live in a land of grey skies and warm beer over one of sun soaked beaches and barbeques? And sometimes I wonder it loudly myself. Loving two countries, worlds apart, can break your heart.
But england has charms of its own...in a cozy pub on an icy day surrounded by loving friends, the warmest of beers can taste like heaven. So many of the people I adore and hold dear live in Australia - there will never be any doubt about that...and so many of them live in England - there will never be any doubt about that either....my heart aches when I'm traveling, i miss my family and i miss my friends...not so carefree then i guess!
so arriving at the airport to the welcoming arms of some of our dearest friends was coming home. and to trudge around the corner that night in the pouring, freezing english rain for a cup of tea with more friends was coming home...and, the next day, cooking lasagna for yet more much loved friends and trooping down to the local for drinks with the whole crazy gang....THAT was coming home...I will never say that England will always be home but, for now...albeit with a whole quandary of questions and uncertainties and problems hanging over our heads...for now, it's home.
It was always going to be difficult to put down a few sticks once more. no one ever said it would be easy to start all over again...again....but this time we're lucky. we have friends here and what we would do without them i really and truely dont know...
For now England is home....but ask us again in 6 months....there's always sun soaked beaches and barbeques and another world full of our adored and most loved....
stay tuned. xx
But england has charms of its own...in a cozy pub on an icy day surrounded by loving friends, the warmest of beers can taste like heaven. So many of the people I adore and hold dear live in Australia - there will never be any doubt about that...and so many of them live in England - there will never be any doubt about that either....my heart aches when I'm traveling, i miss my family and i miss my friends...not so carefree then i guess!
so arriving at the airport to the welcoming arms of some of our dearest friends was coming home. and to trudge around the corner that night in the pouring, freezing english rain for a cup of tea with more friends was coming home...and, the next day, cooking lasagna for yet more much loved friends and trooping down to the local for drinks with the whole crazy gang....THAT was coming home...I will never say that England will always be home but, for now...albeit with a whole quandary of questions and uncertainties and problems hanging over our heads...for now, it's home.
It was always going to be difficult to put down a few sticks once more. no one ever said it would be easy to start all over again...again....but this time we're lucky. we have friends here and what we would do without them i really and truely dont know...
For now England is home....but ask us again in 6 months....there's always sun soaked beaches and barbeques and another world full of our adored and most loved....
stay tuned. xx
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Best and the Worst of It....a 6 month journey around the world...
Three continents. Twelve countries. 201 days. From the most western of worlds to the most eastern of worlds we have taken every conceivable form of transport to negotiate countless miles over the past 6 months. Memories upon memories....we have climbed mountains and snorkled with the fish, ate anything from duck tongue to the most succulent of steaks, partied in practically every place we've visited with some of the most amazing people we've ever met....ahhh - the people! we have met some of the best, some of the craziest and some of the most genuine...people from all over the world...thank you all for helping to make this trip so memorable.
Want some stats? Want the best memories? and the worst? Here's what we've come up with - so many memories...
Countries visited:
USA – New York State, Massachusetts, California, Navada, Washington
Canada – Quebec, Ontario, British Colombia, Alberta
New Zealand – North Island, South Island
Australia – Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory
Indonesia
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Hong Kong
Macau
China
No. of days:
201 - from 29 September 2008 to 17th April 2009
No of £ spent:
Unthinkable amounts!
types of transport used:
car
overnight train
seated train
seated bus
overnight sleeper bus
local bus
rickshaw
cyclo
plane
dragon boat
cruise boat
junk boat
chinese trekker wooden boat
canoe
row boat
motorbike
scooter
bicycle
tandem bike
tube/underground
taxi
tram
jetboat
gondola
bamboo rafting
elephant
tuk tuk
and many miles on our own two feet!
Most delicious meal:
It had to be Aussie....juicy aussie surf and turf accompanied by aussie red on the banks of the Brisbane River.
Worst meal:
Matt – yellow-ish lasagna served at Italian restaurant in Chiang Mai, thailand...he was quite ill the next day!
Kirsh - Just the thought of a scorpian kebab - Beijing, China
Weirdest food:
Matt – duck tongue in Yichang, China
Kirsh - licking chicken's feet, Xian, China
Top 12 nights out (this was a hard one and try as i might i couldnt get it down to Top 10!!):
1) On 'the island' in Vang Viene, Laos - with our favorite spaniards, Jo, Blanca, Alberto and Jordi and a few Canadians thrown in for good measure...add some happy shakes and buckets and OH what a night!
2) Halloween. Vancouver, Canada with John (aka Buddy Holly!), Jorden, Marty and Christine...dress ups and live bands in THE funkiest nightclub in the whole of Canada!
3) Welcome home party. Toowoomba, Australia - Megs, Clare, Stace and the rest of the gang! home sweet home really doesnt get better until you fall down the stairs!
4) Full Moon Party, Koh Phangagan, Thailand - Em, Emily, Katie and some awesome Swedes...add a drinking game or two, buckets and a full moon on a thai beach - it doesnt get better
5) Belinda and Scott's wedding, Inverell, Australia - with a great crowd and a karaoke machine!
6) 1+1 bar, Xian, China - with our awesome Gap tour group, Serena, Doug and Andy and a bit of beautiful D-floor action from the boys
7) New Years Eve. Newcastle, Australia - with some of my fave people in the world - Ashman, Bundy, Toad and Jbot - plus all their mates and an awesome live gig
8) Gas Lamp District, San Diego – with Christy....the coolest yank in the USA and some of the worlds biggest margaritas!
9) Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong - with South African randoms, Hong Kong Rugby 7s and 'litre' beers...
10) Vegas, USA - with Erik and Lovisa, Charlene and Jo and a very lucky streak on the Roulette table
11) Banff, Canada - with our fab and funky 'Moose' tour group and more than a couple of 'ski shots'
12) Kao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand - with many a random on the street and the obligatory buckets
Top 4 Best Alcoholic Drinks
1) fishbowl margaritas in the Gas Lamp district of San Diego
2) buckets in Koh Phangan, Thailand and Vang Viene, Laos
3) glass of aussie red on the streets of Luang Prabang, Laos after drinking nothing but beer and spirits for 2 months
4) rice wine infused with dead roosters and snakes..for vitality...mmmm. The Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
Best Sporting Event Attended
Ice Hockey, Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto, Canada
Best Late Night snack
Poutine, delish canadian snack of chips, gravy and cheese curd - sounds gross but OH so nice!
Worst hangover
Kirsh - Beijing, China...it's the rice wine that did it!
Matt – after night out with randoms drinking too much whisky in Bangkok
Longest time spent in transit
Vang Viene, Laos to Hong Kong – 28hrs via bus and plane
Top 2 hotel rooms
1) The Luxor, Vegas, USA
2) The Rio Casino, Macau
Worst hotel room
Boat on Yankse River, Three Gorges, China - think grotty, small and a bathroom in which you could shower whilst sitting on the toilet complete with the smell of sewerage.
Best hostel
San Diego, Downtown HI - funky rooms and within stumbling distance of the action
Worst hostel
New York – Central Park Hostel - old lady wandering round in only her undies the whole time didn't exactly create a wholesome family atmosphere.
Accommodation set in the most picturesque place
Matt – Franz Joseph, NZ - mountains and green green grass...and the occasional mooing cow
Kirsh – Junk boat on Halong Bay, Vietnam - looking out the window to majestic limestone mountains towering out of the sea...
Top 3 Shows:
1) 'Cirque du Solei', Las Vegas
2) 'Shanghai Acrobats', Shanghai, China
3) 'Chicago', Broadway, New York
Best Adventure Activity
Matt – Bungee jumping in Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh – Shotover Jet, Queenstown, NZ
Best Airline
Bangkok Airways from Bangkok to Koh Samui...free pastries and coffee...yum!
Top 4 Most Scenic Drives
1) The Canadian Rockies - everywhere you look is yet another eye-popping mountain or breathtaking lake...waterfalls, glaciers....for picturesque scenery you really can't go past the Canadian Rockies...
2) Boston – NY - autumn leaves...say no more.
3) Arthurs pass, NZ - the most breathtaking of mountains...
4) Te Anau – Milford Sound, NZ
Most Interesting Animal
Matt – Cresent Bear, luang prabang, Vietnam
Kirsh – glowworms, Te Anau,, New zealand
Best Beach
Box Beach, Nelson's Bay, Australia...with Ashman, Mitch and Elise...a beach to ourselves and the bluest, clearest water.
Top 3 hottest bars/clubs
1) 1+1, Xian, China
2) 'Ivy', Sydney, Australia
3) 'Roxy', Vancouver, Canada
Best Tourist Attractions
USA - Universal Studios,LA
Canada - Maid of the Mist boat, Niagra Falls
NZ - Boat cruise on Milford Sound
South East Asia - The Temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia
China - The great wall of China, Beijing
Best Natural Wonder
USA - Whales Watching, Boston
Canada - Lake Louise
NZ - Milford Sound
South East Asia - Halong Bay, Vietnam
China - Limestone Mountains, Yangshuo
Most Breathtaking Moment
Matt - Bungee Jumping, Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh - first sight of Lake Louise, Canada
Scariest Moment
Matt - Bungee Jumping, Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh - About to get a tattoo, Auckland, NZ
Funniest Moment
Matt - 'I'm so Happy!' night out in Vang Viene
Kirsh - Matt, Doug and Andy and a stage in a nightclub in Xian
Most Interesting Cultural Difference
China - spitting on the street, talking loudly through shows....let alone the things they eat! ;-)
Best City (this could only be narrowed down by country and there were many contenders
USA -Matt - San Diego; Kirsh - New York and Vegas (i couldn't choose between them!)
Canada - Vancouver
NZ - Queenstown
SE Asia - Matt - Chiang Mai, Thailand; Kirsh - Luang Prabang, Laos
China - Hong Kong
What a trip of a lifetime...!!
and now, back to normalcy (whatever that is). stay tuned for wat happens next to bart and the bomb! xx
Want some stats? Want the best memories? and the worst? Here's what we've come up with - so many memories...
Countries visited:
USA – New York State, Massachusetts, California, Navada, Washington
Canada – Quebec, Ontario, British Colombia, Alberta
New Zealand – North Island, South Island
Australia – Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory
Indonesia
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Hong Kong
Macau
China
No. of days:
201 - from 29 September 2008 to 17th April 2009
No of £ spent:
Unthinkable amounts!
types of transport used:
car
overnight train
seated train
seated bus
overnight sleeper bus
local bus
rickshaw
cyclo
plane
dragon boat
cruise boat
junk boat
chinese trekker wooden boat
canoe
row boat
motorbike
scooter
bicycle
tandem bike
tube/underground
taxi
tram
jetboat
gondola
bamboo rafting
elephant
tuk tuk
and many miles on our own two feet!
Most delicious meal:
It had to be Aussie....juicy aussie surf and turf accompanied by aussie red on the banks of the Brisbane River.
Worst meal:
Matt – yellow-ish lasagna served at Italian restaurant in Chiang Mai, thailand...he was quite ill the next day!
Kirsh - Just the thought of a scorpian kebab - Beijing, China
Weirdest food:
Matt – duck tongue in Yichang, China
Kirsh - licking chicken's feet, Xian, China
Top 12 nights out (this was a hard one and try as i might i couldnt get it down to Top 10!!):
1) On 'the island' in Vang Viene, Laos - with our favorite spaniards, Jo, Blanca, Alberto and Jordi and a few Canadians thrown in for good measure...add some happy shakes and buckets and OH what a night!
2) Halloween. Vancouver, Canada with John (aka Buddy Holly!), Jorden, Marty and Christine...dress ups and live bands in THE funkiest nightclub in the whole of Canada!
3) Welcome home party. Toowoomba, Australia - Megs, Clare, Stace and the rest of the gang! home sweet home really doesnt get better until you fall down the stairs!
4) Full Moon Party, Koh Phangagan, Thailand - Em, Emily, Katie and some awesome Swedes...add a drinking game or two, buckets and a full moon on a thai beach - it doesnt get better
5) Belinda and Scott's wedding, Inverell, Australia - with a great crowd and a karaoke machine!
6) 1+1 bar, Xian, China - with our awesome Gap tour group, Serena, Doug and Andy and a bit of beautiful D-floor action from the boys
7) New Years Eve. Newcastle, Australia - with some of my fave people in the world - Ashman, Bundy, Toad and Jbot - plus all their mates and an awesome live gig
8) Gas Lamp District, San Diego – with Christy....the coolest yank in the USA and some of the worlds biggest margaritas!
9) Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong - with South African randoms, Hong Kong Rugby 7s and 'litre' beers...
10) Vegas, USA - with Erik and Lovisa, Charlene and Jo and a very lucky streak on the Roulette table
11) Banff, Canada - with our fab and funky 'Moose' tour group and more than a couple of 'ski shots'
12) Kao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand - with many a random on the street and the obligatory buckets
Top 4 Best Alcoholic Drinks
1) fishbowl margaritas in the Gas Lamp district of San Diego
2) buckets in Koh Phangan, Thailand and Vang Viene, Laos
3) glass of aussie red on the streets of Luang Prabang, Laos after drinking nothing but beer and spirits for 2 months
4) rice wine infused with dead roosters and snakes..for vitality...mmmm. The Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
Best Sporting Event Attended
Ice Hockey, Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto, Canada
Best Late Night snack
Poutine, delish canadian snack of chips, gravy and cheese curd - sounds gross but OH so nice!
Worst hangover
Kirsh - Beijing, China...it's the rice wine that did it!
Matt – after night out with randoms drinking too much whisky in Bangkok
Longest time spent in transit
Vang Viene, Laos to Hong Kong – 28hrs via bus and plane
Top 2 hotel rooms
1) The Luxor, Vegas, USA
2) The Rio Casino, Macau
Worst hotel room
Boat on Yankse River, Three Gorges, China - think grotty, small and a bathroom in which you could shower whilst sitting on the toilet complete with the smell of sewerage.
Best hostel
San Diego, Downtown HI - funky rooms and within stumbling distance of the action
Worst hostel
New York – Central Park Hostel - old lady wandering round in only her undies the whole time didn't exactly create a wholesome family atmosphere.
Accommodation set in the most picturesque place
Matt – Franz Joseph, NZ - mountains and green green grass...and the occasional mooing cow
Kirsh – Junk boat on Halong Bay, Vietnam - looking out the window to majestic limestone mountains towering out of the sea...
Top 3 Shows:
1) 'Cirque du Solei', Las Vegas
2) 'Shanghai Acrobats', Shanghai, China
3) 'Chicago', Broadway, New York
Best Adventure Activity
Matt – Bungee jumping in Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh – Shotover Jet, Queenstown, NZ
Best Airline
Bangkok Airways from Bangkok to Koh Samui...free pastries and coffee...yum!
Top 4 Most Scenic Drives
1) The Canadian Rockies - everywhere you look is yet another eye-popping mountain or breathtaking lake...waterfalls, glaciers....for picturesque scenery you really can't go past the Canadian Rockies...
2) Boston – NY - autumn leaves...say no more.
3) Arthurs pass, NZ - the most breathtaking of mountains...
4) Te Anau – Milford Sound, NZ
Most Interesting Animal
Matt – Cresent Bear, luang prabang, Vietnam
Kirsh – glowworms, Te Anau,, New zealand
Best Beach
Box Beach, Nelson's Bay, Australia...with Ashman, Mitch and Elise...a beach to ourselves and the bluest, clearest water.
Top 3 hottest bars/clubs
1) 1+1, Xian, China
2) 'Ivy', Sydney, Australia
3) 'Roxy', Vancouver, Canada
Best Tourist Attractions
USA - Universal Studios,LA
Canada - Maid of the Mist boat, Niagra Falls
NZ - Boat cruise on Milford Sound
South East Asia - The Temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia
China - The great wall of China, Beijing
Best Natural Wonder
USA - Whales Watching, Boston
Canada - Lake Louise
NZ - Milford Sound
South East Asia - Halong Bay, Vietnam
China - Limestone Mountains, Yangshuo
Most Breathtaking Moment
Matt - Bungee Jumping, Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh - first sight of Lake Louise, Canada
Scariest Moment
Matt - Bungee Jumping, Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh - About to get a tattoo, Auckland, NZ
Funniest Moment
Matt - 'I'm so Happy!' night out in Vang Viene
Kirsh - Matt, Doug and Andy and a stage in a nightclub in Xian
Most Interesting Cultural Difference
China - spitting on the street, talking loudly through shows....let alone the things they eat! ;-)
Best City (this could only be narrowed down by country and there were many contenders
USA -Matt - San Diego; Kirsh - New York and Vegas (i couldn't choose between them!)
Canada - Vancouver
NZ - Queenstown
SE Asia - Matt - Chiang Mai, Thailand; Kirsh - Luang Prabang, Laos
China - Hong Kong
What a trip of a lifetime...!!
and now, back to normalcy (whatever that is). stay tuned for wat happens next to bart and the bomb! xx
Of Peking Duck and Other Chinese Whispers
We've been on the road, traveling, backpacking, seeing the sights and drinking in the culture of 12 different countries for 200 days. It is over. unbelievably, sadly, happily - the emotions i'm feeling are endless. Today is our last day as free and careless vagabonds before flying back to london tomorrow morning...at least until our next trip - as we all know travel is our addiction and we will work only till money allows us to follow our hearts to the next blank canvas waiting to be explored.... I'm excited to be returning to england. i've missed my friends there incredibly. i've missed roast pork and mashed potatoes. I've missed routine. i've missed understanding the language. i've missed understanding (most of!) the culture. I've missed knowing where to go to buy shampoo. But how could i have missed a life of nine to five in a life where one day is completely different to the next, where i can fall asleep on an overnight bus and wake up the next morning in a new city, a new state, a new country. And how could i have missed the miserable english weather when i have spend the greater part of 6 months following the sun around the globe and basking in its glory on golden beaches, watching it set over gentle, majestic rivers and sky-high mountains.
all good things must come to an end, i'm told, and what a way to end this trip with a bang - in the thriving, historical city of Beijing - rich with thousands and thousands of years of cultural heritage. this city tells the tales of wealthy dynasties and socialist ideals, of war and, only occasionally, of peace. We've seen a lot this trip - natural wonders, beautiful animals, the tallest of buildings....but what better way to culminate 6 months of awe inspiring wonder than to stand on the Great Wall itself and breath in the fresh morning air carrying the memories of thousands of years of history - a country once divided, finally united and, soon, a world power...the stories that wall could tell us if only it could speak....
We have tramped across Tinanaman square, imagining it filled with tanks and protesters....glided through a Forbidden City, the home and castle of many a vicious ruler and his thousands of loyal concubines. Watched monks performing kung fu, eaten succulent Peking Duck rolled in pancakes, and drunk cocktails by a lake in the Hutongs - tiny grey villages of one-room houses on narrow streets and curvy lanes where thousands of Beijing locals live their lives still abiding by ancient traditions and class structure beliefs. We have played cards whilst drinking rice wine and partied afterwards on flashy dancefloors while around the corner the locals are sharing toilets with 20 other families.
The city is exciting, its our grand finale. we're glad to be sharing it with those awesome guys we've become quite close to over the past 18 days in china over many a game of 'Arsehole' and many a shared experience.
Tomorrow we fly home to a real life...to our friends that love us and a country, not our own, but one that still, somehow, has control of our hearts.
stay tuned. xxx
all good things must come to an end, i'm told, and what a way to end this trip with a bang - in the thriving, historical city of Beijing - rich with thousands and thousands of years of cultural heritage. this city tells the tales of wealthy dynasties and socialist ideals, of war and, only occasionally, of peace. We've seen a lot this trip - natural wonders, beautiful animals, the tallest of buildings....but what better way to culminate 6 months of awe inspiring wonder than to stand on the Great Wall itself and breath in the fresh morning air carrying the memories of thousands of years of history - a country once divided, finally united and, soon, a world power...the stories that wall could tell us if only it could speak....
We have tramped across Tinanaman square, imagining it filled with tanks and protesters....glided through a Forbidden City, the home and castle of many a vicious ruler and his thousands of loyal concubines. Watched monks performing kung fu, eaten succulent Peking Duck rolled in pancakes, and drunk cocktails by a lake in the Hutongs - tiny grey villages of one-room houses on narrow streets and curvy lanes where thousands of Beijing locals live their lives still abiding by ancient traditions and class structure beliefs. We have played cards whilst drinking rice wine and partied afterwards on flashy dancefloors while around the corner the locals are sharing toilets with 20 other families.
The city is exciting, its our grand finale. we're glad to be sharing it with those awesome guys we've become quite close to over the past 18 days in china over many a game of 'Arsehole' and many a shared experience.
Tomorrow we fly home to a real life...to our friends that love us and a country, not our own, but one that still, somehow, has control of our hearts.
stay tuned. xxx
Monday, April 13, 2009
Shanghai Noon
1/5th of the world's cranes are in Shanghai making it one big construction site...2 years ago there were something like 60 skyscrapers...now there are hundreds...each one slightly closer to touching heaven...soon it will overtake Hong Kong as THE finanial centre of China and THE city to be for culture, shopping and the odd cocktail...already the city sparkles.
Now that we are hitting city after city with our tour group of partiers...including a troop of particularly interesting dancers in the form of Matt, Doug and Andy...we have hit our stride when it comes to the Chinese nightlife and we are showing them just how it's done in the west...heading out on our first night in Shanghai after drinking a bottle of barcardi, a bottle of smirnoff and a bottle of soy sauce between the 6 of us, we stumbled into 'soho', a club of white sofas, sparkling chandeliars and random tunes - anything from britney to jamiraqui had us bouncing on the dance floor, chatting to the locals and beating the pro dancers to the stage...outdone only by a group of breakdancers who almost put our boys to shame...but not quite...we tend to draw a crowd...the Chinese party elite adore us...and we adore being adored...
Waking up the next morning we stumbled down the Bund with it's beautiful skyline, river views towards 'Higher Ground'...a sunny restaurant offering steak and chips (yes please) where we met up with Caitlin and Alex and their little boy Jonty, old friends from Aus who just happened to be in Shanghai at the same time. A good old catch up and some chocolate cake later we all flew up the elevator to the top of the 'bottle opener', a fancy-smancy financial building offering views of the city from over 400 meters above the ground - the highest observitory in the world at the moment (till they do their thing in Dubai at least...)...
Meeting back up with our party people again we gave the beer a miss that night in respect for our hangovers and went instead to watch the Shanghai Acrobats...how, pray tell, does one realise that one's talent is to swing a hula hoop well enough to do it for a crowd? or to ride a motorbike with no hands round 'the ball of death'...or to balance 30 wine glasses on one's foot whilst upside down and twisted in half?? amazing stuff...though of course i could do it all....
We've seen gardens and shops and eaten and been drunken in the shanghai noon...and it's time to move on...one last train ride (oh thank goodness) and one last tub of instant noodles...and one last city. Beijing is the ultimate...the last hurrah before we return to a life of nine to five...at least for now....watch out beijing.
Stay tuned. xx
Now that we are hitting city after city with our tour group of partiers...including a troop of particularly interesting dancers in the form of Matt, Doug and Andy...we have hit our stride when it comes to the Chinese nightlife and we are showing them just how it's done in the west...heading out on our first night in Shanghai after drinking a bottle of barcardi, a bottle of smirnoff and a bottle of soy sauce between the 6 of us, we stumbled into 'soho', a club of white sofas, sparkling chandeliars and random tunes - anything from britney to jamiraqui had us bouncing on the dance floor, chatting to the locals and beating the pro dancers to the stage...outdone only by a group of breakdancers who almost put our boys to shame...but not quite...we tend to draw a crowd...the Chinese party elite adore us...and we adore being adored...
Waking up the next morning we stumbled down the Bund with it's beautiful skyline, river views towards 'Higher Ground'...a sunny restaurant offering steak and chips (yes please) where we met up with Caitlin and Alex and their little boy Jonty, old friends from Aus who just happened to be in Shanghai at the same time. A good old catch up and some chocolate cake later we all flew up the elevator to the top of the 'bottle opener', a fancy-smancy financial building offering views of the city from over 400 meters above the ground - the highest observitory in the world at the moment (till they do their thing in Dubai at least...)...
Meeting back up with our party people again we gave the beer a miss that night in respect for our hangovers and went instead to watch the Shanghai Acrobats...how, pray tell, does one realise that one's talent is to swing a hula hoop well enough to do it for a crowd? or to ride a motorbike with no hands round 'the ball of death'...or to balance 30 wine glasses on one's foot whilst upside down and twisted in half?? amazing stuff...though of course i could do it all....
We've seen gardens and shops and eaten and been drunken in the shanghai noon...and it's time to move on...one last train ride (oh thank goodness) and one last tub of instant noodles...and one last city. Beijing is the ultimate...the last hurrah before we return to a life of nine to five...at least for now....watch out beijing.
Stay tuned. xx
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