Phil Travels The World

A long overdue Update

2008-02-20T17:36:00.004Z

Well it has been ages since I last updated the blog. No good excuses at all other than the fact that my laptop was stolen from my bedroom a few weeks ago. The landlord and painters left the front door open resulting in my laptop and PSP being stolen from my bedroom. Needless to say I was not impressed. Anyways, there is no point in dwelling on that situation.

Over the last 2 months I have been to a premiership football game to see Man U vs. West Ham United where West Ham won 2-1. I went into a local pub in the east end of London and joined in the high spirits of the west ham fans. Quite the experience!

I also managed to get tickets to see Bath vs. Auch (French team) in a Rugby tournament and sat 2 rows back from the back of the post. Interesting view of the game other than the fact that when the play is in the far end you can't see a thing.

I haven’t done much in the way of travelling besides that trip to London for a few days to see the Football game. I am off to Milan next tues for 2 days. Then on to Zurich and Geneva. From there I have 7 days snowboarding in Grand Massif in France before heading back to Bristol. I will update the blog when I get back with photos of that trip.

The other big news is that when I get back from that trip I will be starting a new job in Bristol with a company called WSP which is a Civil Engineering firm in the centre of Bristol. I will be moving more into Transport and development team which is the direction I want to take my career.

That’s about all the news for now. Hope that gives you all a quick update. Below are a few pics from trips around Bristol including a trip with my cousin to see Brunel’s famous ship the SS Great Britain which is docked here in Bristol. It was designed by Brunel which is the same architect that designed the suspension bridge and train station over 200 years ago.

More exciting entries to come.... I promise.

Lions in South Africa

2007-12-12T13:21:00.000Z

The drive back to South Africa passed by really quickly. Perhaps because of the speed we were driving at or perhaps it was the amazing scenery of this country. There was a small incidence where we were flagged off to the side of the road in Botswana for speeding. After a few minutes of negotiation it was a small fine of approximately £5 and we were on our way again watching as another guy was pulled over. At the boarder crossing we ran into this man again and when we asked how much his fine was he responded with a thick South Africa accent "I told him I was not going to pay". Yes he was very serious. Not sure if that would work in England or Canada and to be honest I doubt I will try that one.

We did drive passed a lot of shanty towns which are really a strange sight. You can't help but feel sorry for the way of life in them. The really sad part is that they are thousands of them all over the country. It really is an eye opener.

We were all tired from the drive that day so we spent the night watching the whole 3 DVDs of "The Long way Round" before calling it a night and getting some much needed sleep.

The following morning we were off out for another fantastic breakfast and then on to the local lion park where I told myself I would go inside the cage with the baby lions and wrestle them and perhaps get a nice bite scar that would make a great story. This was all fine until I actually climbed into the cage with two 5month old lion cubs. They are POWERFUL!!! Forget that I thought there is no way I want this thing to bite me. Even at 5 months old the power is incredible. At one point I was stoking is head and it seemed to get a little angry and snapped at my arm which I pulled away faster than I thought possible. Another time one of the lions grabbed onto my shoelace and had a tug of war with me until he just decided to grab onto my leg and try and bite it instead. The lion keeper quickly came over and smacked him on the head and ran off. It really was amazing to sit in there with them and stroke them. They are incredibly cute but you really do get an understanding of the power these animals must have. With that it was on to see the slightly larger lions although this time from a car.... not in the cage with them.

Before we made our way over to see these lions though, we had a quick walk around a few other cages to see the cheetahs and hyenas. The teeth on the hyena are insanely sharp and I managed to get a picture that shows their razor sharp teeth. Good thing I was on the other side of the cage for this one.

There were three sections that we drove around in the car while the lions wondered in and around us. A few times I put the window down a bit to get a nice clear photo. I also put it up twice as fast whenever a lion started walking towards the car. There were not many people or cars around so we had most of the place to ourselves. These animals are simply incredible and even though they look elegant and calm most of the time they can change on you before you know it. But one thing is for sure. They are extremely photogenic animals.

That night was our last night in South Africa so to celebrate we all went out for a nice meal and then Jess, her boyfriend, and I went out for few drinks and dancing at a club on the outskirts of Johannesburg. It was a great night involving many many cheap drinks. 6 tequila’s, 2 beers, 2 cocktails, and water was the first round and it came to about £7. Really can’t argue those sort of prices. I paid for it a little the next morning but still managed to get up bright and early to go out for some shopping. With that we were back at the house packing and getting ready to go. We said our goodbyes and then settled in for the 10hour flight back to England.

It was an amazing trip and something that I will never forget. Even without the 1000 photos I took altogether the memories will last a lifetime. I can not wait to go back and to explore this continent in more depth!

I just want to say a big thank you to Chris and Jacqui for inviting me to the wedding and having me one of the groomsman. Also I would like to thank Ian and Jill for the amazing generosity for everything they did for everyone during the week in Durban.

The trip wouldn’t have been the same without the Jacobz family picking us up, dropping us off, taking us to Botswana, and letting us live in their house for a week. Thank you so much for everything and you are all more than welcome to come and stay with me in England or wherever I am in the world at anytime.

Last but not least thank you to my parents for everything did with meals, organizing, etc. and for making it such a wonderful trip. I had a brilliant time travelling with you both. Yes I would definitely do it again without hesitation.

Khama Rhino Sanctuary, Botswana

2007-11-28T18:18:00.000Z

We arrived at the "A Frame" lodge at Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Serowe, Botswana in the afternoon, unload the car, grabbed a few cold drinks to save us from the 40 plus degree weather. The Rhino Sanctuary is full of wildlife of all kinds not just the White Rhino which they are trying to save. We went out in the car again and did a massive game drive throughout the reserve seeing Rhinos, giraffe, warthogs, zebra, wildebeest, springbok, kudu, and much more.

We went back for a shower which happened to be an outdoor shower and toilet which just some wooden fencing around it. You could still see out through the gaps and was really nice and relaxing having a shower and looking out for Rhinos and other animals.

That night we had a wonderful dinner at the reserves new restaurant and watched the most amazing lightning storm I have ever seen. I tried for half an hour to get one decent photo but about 200 shots I only managed to get one decent picture worth saving.

The following morning we had to pack up the car for the final time and get on the road heading back towards South Africa. On the way out of the reserve though my Dad and I decided to climb a really old rickety watch tower. It was missing the first few steps so we had to climb up the posts and then use the rest of the ladder to get to the top. It was about 10m or so high but provided an amazing view over the reserve. After a few min of trying not to move around too much to stop the tower swaying back and forth we climbed back down, got in the car, and settled in for the 8 hour drive back to South Africa.

Limpopo River Lodge, Botswana

2007-11-23T13:42:00.000Z

It is incredibly difficult to describe the atmosphere around this lodge. I literally mean its in the middle of no where. A four hour drive down a dirt road and then there it is. Right on the water of the Limpopo river. There were only a handful of lodges and I only saw one other person apart from the staff. The staff were amazing though. Doing the dishes in the early hours, starting fires, etc and yet you hardly ever saw them. When we did see them they were always cheerful and always laughing. It felt like a 5 start resort that we had all to ourselves.

Over the next 2 nights we did two game drives seeing all sorts of animals in the wild such as Kudu, waterbok, warthogs, many species of birds, laguans, monkeys and much much more. We were told stories by DJ and Kelly of their encounter with the elephants on their previous trip. They were charged by a mother elephant after they got between the mother and her baby and went flying down the road in reverse until the elephant gave up and turned around. Scary I am sure but part of me really wanted to see the elephants.

We relaxed a lot by the river, tanning in the sun, swimming in the pool, and catching up on a few books. At one point Kelly, my mum, and me decided it was a good idea to try and hop across the rocks to get to the other side of the Limpopo and see if we could enter South Africa this way. It was decided that the chance of crocodiles been in the river were slim to none so we set off to the other side.

We made it over we great ease and started walking up to barbed wire fence that acts as the boarder into the South Africa. We were currently in no mans land as the Limpopo is the boarder of Botswana. As we approached the fence a Springbok (or something alone those lines) jumped out from the side and ran across our path giving us all quite a scare. With that we decided to turn around as next time it might be a leopard or lion.

Other highlights of this trip was do a little off road 4x4 trips down dried up river beds and driving to a huge hollowed out baobab tree. I have never seen a tree quite like it and suggest searching one out if you are ever in Africa. Its quite a remarkable site.

On the last night as we were driving back from the last game drive it was getting a bit late and we decided not to stop to see animals unless it was something really big. About 5min later there they were about 30ft away. 3 huge elephants eating from the tress. Wow. I was just in awe of these animals. I was unable to get a photo as they sort of disappeared into the bush but I was just so excited to have seen a animal like this in the wild in its true habit. That night we had yet another brilliant meal (as we did every night in Africa) and sat around the fire talking and taking a few pictures of the sunset. There really are no other sunsets quite like an African Sunset. At least not that I have come across yet.

The Drive to Botswana

2007-11-22T13:01:00.001Z

Sunday morning we had nice breakfast sitting outside overlooking the reserve before we said our goodbyes and grabbed a taxi to the airport. Just before we left I had about 50 people sing Happy Birthday to me (almost got away with it) which was a really nice surprise. The quick flight back to Johannesburg was a chance to catch a bit of a power nap and get some rest before a week of early morning starts.

DJ and Kelly who are long time friends of family live just outside Johannesburg and kindly picked us up from the airport and told us about what they had planned out. We went into their house where we had to make it past their 2 security fences and 3 guard dogs before getting inside. We had an amazing dinner cooked on the brie by DJ their kids Matt and Jess who many of you in Canada will remember from meeting last Christmas. and then watched a movie before making our way to bed as it was going to be a early start in the morning with a 8 hour drive to the lodge in Botswana.

Surprisingly I was up, wide awake, and ready to pack the car at some awful hour in the morning that I didn't know existed. The five of us (DJ, Kelly, my parents, and me hit the road in the SUV and started heading north. I did cave and have a nap about 30min into the drive though. The road was long and straight but the scenery was unbelievable. You just get lost in thought as you look at all the rocky outcrops, flat barren land, or tress in the game reserves. Before I knew it it was time to stop for breakfast. It was a rest stop on the side of the highway and I couldn't help but stare at the state of a bus that had pulled in. Apparently it was from Zimbabwe bringing people down into South Africa. A definite eye opener.

We arrived at the border crossing after a brief stop for some billtong (dried meat like beef jerky) where we all had to get out of the car and get our exit stamp for leaving South Africa. It was laid back and after a quick chat with the crossing guards we were back in the car and driving towards the Botswana side of the Limpopo river. The river at the crossing was completely dry which alowed for us to just drive through where the river should have been. Not something you get to do every day. If the river had been running then we would have had to turn around and find another place to cross. The guards at the Botswana gate where great.

They just seemed happy to have something to do and someone to talk to. After a 10min talk and stamping of passports we proceeded into Botswana in the now 40C hot sun. We turned onto a dirt road which we proceeded to drive down for about 3 hours of bumps which I could not get enough of.

The excitement of being in this country and looking out the window for wild animals was outstanding. There was no way I was going to miss any of it. At two more points we had to cross the Limpopo river again and at one of them we got out and went for a bit of a walk. Me, Kelly, and my mum were about 60ft from the car when I found a footprint of some kind. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be that of either a lion or leopard. Lets just say we made it back to the car if pretty good speed all the time keeping our eyes on the rocky outcrop about 40ft away. Its strange but I doubt you would see anything on it even it was there.

With that it was on towards our riverside lodge on the edge of the Limpopo where there was a bit of water and a sign saying beware of crocodiles.

The Wedding

2007-11-19T13:35:00.001Z

The wedding took place in the afternoon on a raised patio with the backdrop being the animal’s watering hole. It was a perfect day and a wonderful ceremony. Just like the rest of the trip so far the food was amazing. A full buffet of meats and vegetables kept people going for 2nds and 3rds. The speeches were hilarious and there were many jokes about the World Cup Rugby final game as it was England vs. South Africa. It was a brilliant night regardless of the games outcome and everyone had a great time dancing and meet new people. Congratulations to Chris and Jacqui!!!

Tula Game Reserve

2007-11-08T13:17:00.001Z

Luckily I managed to get out riding in the mini bus and jumped in the car with my cousin Chris instead. We had a quick stop on route a shopping mall to pick up a few supplies and of course have a quick bite to eat at the KFC. There were about 15 people working behind the counters and another 15 in the kitchen. They seem to have more people working at all stores than we are used to. That said I am not sure it speeds up the process at all. They are after all still working on South African time.

Arriving at the game reserve Chris took me for a bit of drive in the rental car around the reserve where we very cautiously approached a mother rhino and her baby. Although they may look very peaceful when they are grazing it doesn't take much to anger them into a charge. Especially when the young rhinos are around. We did stop very close though, wind down the windows, and take a few pics. There were also wildebeest and zebra covering the field. As this was my first time seeing this animals in South Africa I was in complete awe of them. I could have sat there all day just watching them. But we had other things to do (like a wedding rehearsal) and made our way on to meet everyone else. On the way though we did stop to take a peak at the hippos (or rather just their noses in the water).

That night we did a night game drive in the land rovers and had a wonderful tour by the guides where we taught us about the animals and vegetation of the reserve. The sun was setting at this point and it was getting hard to see the animals so we went down to the hippo pond and had a few beers and snacks overlooking the water. At night by shining a light across the land you can see the reflection of animal's eyes. If its green it means they are herbivores, red is carnivores, and orange means you are looking at the animal from the side. As it was pitch black everywhere else you really can't see them until the light finds them. All of a sudden on the way back we saw 20 eyes from a heard of zebra's all light up green. Really remarkable. Also on the way back we saw more rhino and lucked out by seeing the Hippo's walking back to the water. They only tend to come out of the water at night to feed and even though they are massive its still not easy to find them in the dark.

After a nice meal and a few drinks back at the lodge we all decided to call it night as the following day was the wedding.

The morning of the wedding we had another game drive booked for those who thought they would have time to do both. Even though I was in the wedding party there was still time to go out and see a few more animals. Our first destination the far end of the reserve to go in search of the giraffes. We found them with ease (one as the game ranger knew where to look for them and two they are just ridiculously big) and parked up right next to them. They had a bit of a look but remained un-phased by the land rover we were in. We took a ton of photos until something spooked them and they ran off.

With them running off it scared the wildebeests who also took off in a run. That just started a chain reaction with the waterbucks, zebras, and ostrich's all tearing off into the bush. While we were watching these run we had the engine turned off and didn't notice the mother and baby rhino come up within 10m of the car. However we did notice when the male rhino made a loud grunting noise, stopped in his tracks, and started giving us the evil eye. I have never seen anyone start a car and floor it out of the way in my life. The rhino was just giving us a warning to get out of the way or suffer the consequences.

We decided to go off and find what might have scarred all the animals but after a while we concluded that it was probably us. oops. We did however find the African buffalos which trust me are more than a glorified cow as people may think. They can be extremely temperamental but that day they just relaxed in the grass. They were the only animal that didn't seem to be running away in all the chaos. With that we made our way back to the lodge to get ready for the wedding.

Durban

2007-11-06T17:37:00.000Z

I found it very hard trying to concentrate on work on the morning of Tuesday October 16, 2007 knowing what I had in store for the next 2 weeks. Luckily at 12:30 I left the office and made my way to the bus station in Bristol to catch a ride down to Heathrow where I met my parents who had flown in from Canada a few days before. We also met up with 12 other members of our extended family who were all on the same flight to South Africa for my Cousin Chris' wedding.

The flight went by fairly quickly for a 10 hour direct flight to Johannesburg International airport even though it was delayed leaving Heathrow. This resulted in us missing our connecting flight to Durban but they had already booked us on the next flight out 2 hours later before we even arrived in South Africa. It was a quick 1.5hour flight to Durban and it felt so nice to get out into the hot sun after all that travelling.

We were shuttle bussed to a resort south of Durban called Pumula where I was shown to my room with a balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean. What a stunning view it was. The resort was right on the beach but still had its own pool, trampoline, and bouncy castle. I made use of it all except the bouncy castle due to the age restriction.

The following day we swam in the ocean, sun tanned by the pool, and made our way to a place called Crocworld. We only had about an hour to see the Crocodiles though before the place closed. There were tons of the mean looking animals around and at 20ft long they are rather intimidating. However this did not stop 2 employees climbing in to retrieve a few crocodile eggs. The only problem with this was the adult crocs where sitting on them. Armed with nothing but a long stick these 2 men started hitting the crocs on the snout trying to get them to move. Clearly this irritated the crocs who started snapping and snarling at these men who eventually all ran off. All except one croc who stood his ground and watched as these men took the eggs. What a job. Not sure how much they were getting paid but I bet it wasn't close to enough.

Once back at the resort we were out on the patio overlooking the ocean when we saw a few fins on the inside of the shark net. The lone surfer didn't seem to be too phased by it so we decided it had to be dolphins. At that point a wave broke and we saw about 10 or more dolphins surfing in the wave before turning and swimming north along the coast. It was a truly amazing site.

The remainder of the day was spent eating, drinking, and meeting the bride and groom for drinks which was followed by a few games of darts in the resort bar before calling it a night. The following morning we packed up our things, had breakfast, and made our way towards the game reserve called Tula where Chris and Jacqui were getting married.

Cardiff Half Marathon

2007-10-15T16:42:00.000Z

Yesterday was a bright and early start at 5:30am which is not something I plan on getting used to. After a quick breakfast Greg, Karsten, and myself piled into the car and drove over to Cardiff and into the city centre. We were all there to run in the Cardiff Half Marathon (13.1m/21km). I had been dreading the run for the prior few weeks but once we arrived I was full of energy and really looking forward to the race. I had a goal of beating my previous time of 1hour 42min 22 sec which I got in the Bristol Half Marathon back in August. I started a lot further up in line this time thinking that starting at the 2 hour mark last time slowed me down a little.

The course was brilliant and took us all over Cardiff city centre, Cardiff Bay, past the millennium stadium, into a huge park, and ended in the middle of Cardiff Castle. The first 7miles seemed to fly past and I was making really good time. I ran into my friend Greg at the 7mile marker and we ran the rest of the course side by side pushing each other to keep going and keep the pace up. I have been training with Greg quite a bit over the last few weeks and we constantly push each other further each time.

We hit the 10 mile marker just past 1hour 7min and then we both became really tired and a bit dizzy. Heading into the park to do 4 laps up and down was not a pretty site as you can really tell how far you have left to go. With one mile left I turned up the pace, put my head down, and just pushing on through. I have never been so happy to see the end of a race in my life. After crossing the line I looked up at the clock hoping that I beat my previous time to see a clock time of 1 hour 34min and 28 sec meaning I was the 427th person to cross the line out of 6000. My official chip time put me at 1hour 33min 56 sec (446th place). If you are interested in what each means then just check back a few entries to the Bristol Half Marathon for a explanation of each. Well needless to say I was incredibly happy with this time although I was more focused on trying to breathe properly at this point. The highlight though was the incredible medal with a carving of Cardiff Castle on it which as Kelly pointed out made my day as I am somewhat obsessed with castles. The goody bag at the end was full of snacks, lucazade energy drink, t shirt, and cans of soup. Can’t complain over that. The only thing I didn’t like about the race the fact that after we were done there was one small gate to leave through (been a castle and all) and it took 45min for me to get out onto the street. Apart from that it was a great day out.

Today my legs are aching but apart from that I feel great. Its going to be a few months now until the Bath Half Marathon and the London 10km run but the training will continue all the way up to that point. I might take a 2 week break starting tomorrow though as I am off to South Africa and Botswana for 2 weeks tomorrow night. I am sure there will be plenty of photos and entries up here on the blog upon my return at the end of October.

Charity Dragonboat Racing

2007-10-12T12:14:00.001Z

Our company recently set up team for a charity dragon boat race which took place in the river Avon that runs through Bristol. As I have been taking in part in just about everything the company has to offer I saw no reason to turn down this opportunity. Going out on the Saturday until 2am was probably not the greatest idea but as half the team did the same we were all in the same boat (literally) the next morning... Upon arriving with a bit of headache we saw one of the teams we would have to face. It was none other than the British Army Riffle Squad. Great!!! 4 members of our team didn't show up for the first race but we were determined to do our best. We won the race 18sec ahead of the other boat and we were all really getting into it. It was however incredibly painful in the arms and we welcomed the break until the next race.

Our 2nd race we only just won by a few seconds and then for the 3rd race we came up against he army. By this time we were only 3 men down and we went up against them ready to go. The race was neck and neck all the way down the course with the army just pushing out the win at the end by 2 seconds. We still managed a really good time which put us into the final race as they took the top 4 times from the 17 teams that were there. We spoke with the army after the race and they admitted that they were a little worried for a while as they had been destroying everyone in their previous races. They asked us if we played rugby or had physical jobs which could have been the reason we kept up with them. The look on their face was priceless when our response was "no mate, desk jobs". They replied with how impressed they were and then tried to convince us to sign up for the army. Nice try!

Unfortunately we lost the final race placing 4th overall but as we were still 3 men down it was not that surprising while racing the top teams of the day. It was yet again a very close race between all 4 boats. It was a great day out and another great experience. I have no doubt that I will be back in a dragon boat again in the near future.

Rugby World Cup

2007-10-01T12:16:00.000Z

One of the great things about Europe is that it is easy to get around and there always seems to be something happening within a short trip away. September 16th turned out to be the day that Canada played Fiji in the Rugby World Cup over in Cardiff. Yes I know you are all thinking that France is hosting the world cup but luckily for me France owed Wales a few games as a few world cups ago Wales didn't have enough stadiums so a few games where played in France. It was time for France to return the favour. I went over with 2 friends on the Saturday morning to head down to a pub in Cardiff bay to watch the Wales vs. Australia game. Just been in Cardiff on game day was an amazing experience. The atmosphere of all the welsh fans was insane (probably on par with Toronto Fans if they made it to the Stanley Cup). Roads closed off, partying in the streets, and people everywhere.

We watched the game with about 30 welsh people at a reserved table (friends of one my friends) and unfortunately Australia came out on top. The Welsh weren't too upset though as England lost to South Africa the day before without scoring a single point. This obviously made the Welsh quite happy. We went out for a few drinks after the game in the city centre of Cardiff and hung out with plenty of Aussies as well who were in high sprits before calling it a night and crashing with a friend down in Cardiff Bay.

The following morning we were up around 11:00 and made our way down to the stadium in the city centre. Only paying £10 a ticket we grabbed a bite to eat and went to find our seats in massive Millennium Stadium. I almost felt like I was home with the Canadian flags waving everywhere and the chants "CANADA...CANADA" echoing throughout the stadium. After a tremendous effort it looked like Canada was about to take the win at the very end. One tri would win it and they were right on the line until a bad pass let Fiji intercept and run end to end to secure the win. As rugby is not something Canada is really well known for they were not expected to win but just to be in the stadium and watch them play was a great experience.

We hung around Cardiff for another few hours after the game enjoy a few drinks and soaking up the World Cup atmosphere before taking the train back to Bristol to call it a night.

The Bristol Half Marathon (13.1 miles/21km)

2007-09-10T12:47:00.001Z

Sunday September 9th, 2007 was a day I was waiting in anticipation for and yet also dreading more than you can imagine. I have been training for the half marathon for the last few months and although I felt ready for it wasn't too sure what to expect. I started out with a goal of 2 hours as I really didn't know what a good time was but someone suggested 2 hours was pretty good. Perhaps the part that made me the most nervous though was the fact that I had told so much of my family and friends that the plan was to run in it in that time and I really didn't want to have to tell everyone if I didn't achieve my goal.

I was up bright and early on the Sunday morning to get breakfast in 2.5 hours before the race began. With everything I needed ready (ipod shuffle and race number) I set off to the centre of Bristol to meet up with a few friends from work who also ran the race.

About 8500 people managed to make their way to the start line out of the 15000 that entered so I made my way to the middle where the 2 hour mark was set. There are 2 times that you are given in the race, one being the clock time which is the official time you ran since the clock time and the second being the chip time as everyone has a chip attached to their shoe to record your times at certain markers and is the more accurate time. Since there were so many people running it took me over 4min to actually reach the start line so my chip time was the time I was going to go by. I set my stopwatch, started my ipod, and was on my way.

The start of the race was quite hard with so many people in the way and I quickly realized that I should have started a little further up as I was dodging and passing people within the first few min. That said there were also people doing the same thing and passing me. After an hour I was about 7.5miles through the race and with energy still in me decided I could push it a little faster. By the time the small hill approached at the 11mile marker I was dead tired but determined to run constantly through the whole race. The 12th mile marker was a blessing and I decided to sprint the last mile and give it everything I had. Wow was that ever a mistake. Half a mile later I was feeling incredibly sick and dizzy so I slowed down to the previous pace until I could see the finish line where I sprinted the last 150m or so. I crossed the line with a clock time of 1 hour and 46 min and a chip time of 1 hour and 42min putting me 18min ahead of goal. I couldn't have been happier and yet more tired if I tried.

Overall I placed 1398 out of 8500 and averaged a speed of about 8miles/hour (12.8km/h) over the whole 102 min of constant running. As it was my first organized race I now know what to expect and plan on doing a few more and trying to beat that record in the future. It also gives me a great incentive to stay in shape and push myself further. It was a great experience and one that I am very glad I did.

Not long now until the Cardiff Half Marathon on October 14th. Not sure if this is a wise choice or not running in 2 almost within a month of each other. Only one way to find out!!!!

Another wedding celebration.

2007-09-10T12:38:00.000Z

This Saturday was another family wedding celebration for my cousin Chris and his fiancée Jacqui. It was held down in Goran Haven in Cornwall and yet again the weather was perfect. It was more of pre wedding party as the actual wedding will be held in South Africa next month so this party was for those people who would not be able to make it to South Africa. Luckily for me I was/am able to make it out to both. It started off with a few drinks in the sun and then made its way inside the only pub in the village for a wonderful roast dinner and speeches. It was great to be with so much family again within a short amount of time from the last wedding.

After lunch we all went down to the beach for a swim and some much loved pier jumping which in areas Sam (another cousin) and I managed to jump off a point that was around 20ft high or so. Unfortunately I had to leave a little early as I had to be back in Bristol for the following morning to run the half marathon. I left around 5 and thanks to the British Rail system and its delays it took me 5.5 hours to get home instead of the 3.5 hours it should have been.

Best of luck to Chris and Jacqui and I look forward to seeing you guys again soon in Durban South Africa.

The Wedding

2007-09-10T12:32:00.000Z

It was a very short trip home the other week as I left on the thursday from England only to return on the Sunday night. The reason for the trip was to attend Dawn and Brad's wedding which was a great day. The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, in fact the whole day was perfect. What more can you ask for? I wish them all the best in their life together and am very happy that I have gained a great brother in law.

I would like to thank everyone (espeically my parents) for all their hard work and effort for making it such a wonderful day and. Also, thank you to Kelly and Ryan for coming out to celebrate the day as well. Glad you could make it!!!

Bristol Balloon Fiesta

2007-08-15T17:34:00.000Z

One thing that Bristol is quite well known for is its annual Balloon Fiesta. Its all kicks off on a Thursday and ends on the Sunday. Thursday and Saturday nights are the famous night glows which I went down for (both nights) where as during the day the see about 150 balloons take off throughout each day.

The night glow was spectacular to see as they have speakers everywhere and play a wide range of music. The balloons (30 or so of them) then light up in time with the beats of the songs. With a couple thousand people there to watch the atmosphere is amazing. There are also many carnival rides, food vendors, and of course beer tents (although the whole festival is one big beer tent).

I did not bother taking my camera along this time as I went for the rides and didn't want to worry about where I was going to leave it so instead I have taken a few photos from the internet so you will get a rough idea.

Each night ends off with a brilliant fireworks display which overlaps with the balloons lighting up. If I am around next year I will definitely be attending again.

RYC invade the Gower

2007-07-27T15:58:00.000Z

Last weekend a few flatmates and myself took it upon ourselves to go camping in the rain out on the far west coast of Wales in an area known as the Gower. It is about a 2 hour drive from Bristol and it is just past the city of Swansea. We got there a little late so after setting up our tents in the dark it was straight down the bar for a few drinks. We returned back to the campsite after the bar closed for a few more before calling it a night about 4am. The following morning was spent swimming at the indoor pool and then playing football in the rain. By far the highlight was the fight with the 8 year boy who stole the boomerang after I climbed into a really thick bush of thorns to get it back getting completely cut up all over. After he kicked us a few times we got our own back by controversial methods but at least we got the boomerang back (which we didn't even bother to use after that). It was pouring with rain but we decided to head to the beach anyways for a BBQ and 4 hours of throwing rocks and jumping off of sand dunes.

The food was great and the drinks were plentiful and it ended up with me going for a quick swim in the sea before we made our way back to the campsite for some guitars and drinks. That pretty much sums up most of the weekend to be honest. Swimming, BBQ, eating, and drinking is really all we did but it was a great weekend all the same. Just as we were leaving on the Sunday afternoon the sun came out and it was nothing but clear skies all the way back to Bristol. Typical UK......

London in a day

2007-07-26T12:18:00.000Z

We aimed for a nice early start once again but because of my inability to set the alarm clock properly we managed to sleep in a bit. Not to bad though as we were still out of the house and in the rented fiat punto before 9:00am. We drove to Stonehenge and managed to get through in front of a few buses and have a walk around Stonehenge. It was extremely busy all the same but we still managed a few good pics and made our way over to Kew which is on the outskirts of London. The advantage of this is free parking and a cheap ride into London on the tube.

After battling the traffic and to get into Kew we parked the car, jumped on the tube, and made our way into the city getting off at the tube stop "embankment" where we wondered around the Thames north and south banks taking in the sites of the London eye and the crazy performers around it, Westminster, and Big Ben. From here it was bit of a hike up to Trafalgar square for a quick subway meal before stopping in at Canada house and walking down the mall to see Buckingham Palace. This time the queen didn't come out and make an appearance so we walked over the Hyde park and rented a row boat for half an hour and went rowing on the Serpentine in the middle of the park. The weather was great for this part of the day so we really lucked out. After an ice cream in the park we walked over to Speakers corner on the far side of the park near marble arch and oxford street where we had a good laugh at some the crazy people rambling on before we (I mean Kelly) did some shopping in London's most famous shopping area. She was good and didn't go into every single store. We tried to make it to Hamley's toy store before it closed but just missed it by a few minutes. Yet another reason for you to come back Kel.

We continued our walk down Regent street (the street Hamleys is on and one of the main streets off Oxford Street) which brings you right out into Piccadilly circus. This by night is one of my favourite parts of London. Its full of flashing lights, and people sitting around on statues. Plus it has a brilliant walk up through Leicester square (theatre district) and continues through to Covent Garden (the pub district). One place we had to go of course in Covent Garden is the Maple Leaf. A good old fashioned Canadian Pub that serves Moosehead beer. Yes it was my first Canadian beer since Christmas so I savoured every last drop.

We walked back down to the water and jumped on the tube for the first time since the morning (trust me we did a lot of walking) and made our way over to St. Paul’s Cathedral and millenium bridge and then on to the Tower of London and Tower bridge. We found a great little pub to eat at on south bank while we waited for the sun to set so we could get a few pictures of tower bridge by night. London at night is a beautiful city so its worth waiting for. London by day is one of the dirtiest cities I have ever been too. But it has so much character it is still one of my favourite cities in the world.

Well it was getting late so we made our back to the car in Kew and then drove the hour long route up to my grandmothers and crashed for the night around 1:00am. The following morning we drove to Gatwick where Kelly caught her plane home and I made the long trek back over to Bristol to drop of the car and home for some much needed sleep. It was a wonderful trip with many great memories. Thanks for coming to visit Kel. You are more than welcome to come over again anytime.

3 days in Paris

2007-07-25T12:13:00.000Z

Well after another early start at 4:30am we made our way down to Bristol Airport to catch our long 55min flight to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Before getting on the plane though we did manage to have a nice burger and fries at Burger King before 6am. The flight was fine and so was the train transfer into the Paris' Les Halles train station. After looking for the hotel on the wrong street for about 5 min we finally found it one block over. It had the smallest elevator I have ever been in, as it had just enough room for 2 people. We went out straight away and made our way over to Notre Dame and enjoyed a great walk around this amazing church for free. The only part that you have to pay for is getting up to the top to see over Paris which had a huge line up so we didn't bother. The Eiffel tower provides a better view anyways.

We walked over to some of the touristy shops and districts before walking back over to the Pantheon for a quick look inside. Paris, like many other cities has a 48 hop on hop off bus tour and although I have not used many before, Paris is a city where it is worth spending the money. A lot of the main sites are pretty far away and although we did a lot of walking it is nice to have bus transit covered for 2 days. The bus tour has 4 different routes you can take and we managed to get in 2 of the smaller ones in the first day. Main points of interest on these two where Napoleon’s burial place, Tour Montparnasse, Les Invalides, Grande Biblitheque, and La Bastille. Another one of the main stops where we got off and had a look around was St. Sulpice which is famous for the rose line as well as been a simply amazing structure. I prefer it to Notre Dame. But it is even more famous now dew to its part in the book and movie "The Da Vinci Code". We ended the night off by walking around the Opera house area looking for a nice place to eat. After the meal it was down to Les Tuilleries where there was a carnival setup in front of the Louvre. Eating cotton candy and riding on the Ferris wheel while overlooking the lights of Paris is a truly amazing site. You can see the Louvre pyramid, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Basilique du Sacre Coeur all lighting up the night sky. After this is back to the bar in hotel to collect our free glass of French wine.

The following morning we had a bite to eat at the hotel before heading out to Louvre. The line up was tiny and we walked straight in got our tickets and made our way to see the Mona Lisa. We also checked out a few other famous paintings and sculptures along the way of which I can only remember the Venus de Milo at this time. The museum is huge and would take a full 3 days to see everything so we had a good look through the Denon wing and a quick look in the Sully wing before making our way back out via a quick stop at the inverted pyramid (one again all you Da Vinci Code readers should remember this). After the Louvre we made our way the 3rd bus tour which took us up to Sacre Coeur where I have never been on my previous two visits to Paris. This church is truly amazing. It was designed by the architect Paul Abadie but before the completion of the building 6 other architects had succeeded him. With the foundations laid in 1875 it took until 1919 to complete the structure (would have been ready in 1914 if the WWI hadn't started) and is the 2nd highest point in Paris. From the top you can see 50 miles across Paris and the surrounding area and it is truly a breath taking view.

We wondered back down to the bus stop stopping for a baguette and ice cream before jumping on the rest of the tour which passed the Moulin Rouge, the Opera house, and La Madeleine. One of the more memorable sites though had to be the man "BBQ'ing" corn on the cob on a tin bucket in a shopping cart. He seemed to be doing quite well with his sales.... Following this tour it was time to jump on the main bus tour and check out the more famous sites of Paris. The Concorde square with is Egyptian obelisk, the Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees, the crazy roundabout surrounding the arc de triomphe, Trocadero, and of course the stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. We waited in line for almost 2 hours before making our way to the top of the tower where we remained for about another 1.5 hours watching the sunset over Paris before getting kicked off at closing time. We were at the bottom of the tower when the lights came on the strobe lights starting flashing all over the tower (as they do every hour on the hour) before taking the long walk along the river Seine in the direction of the hotel.

We had a late dinner at the carnival again followed by some more cotton candy. I just have to say that I ordered "the American Hamburger" at the carnival which consisted of hamburger cut up into small pieces, placed on a baguette, and then had French fries stuffed into it. How that is an American burger I will never understand. It was getting late by this point so we made our way back to the hotel.

The next morning we packed our bags, checked out of the hotel, and went and did a bit more tourist shopping before taking "Kelly’s long but correct" route back to the train station instead of my "shortcut that may or may not have worked". But we made it back in time and caught our flight back to Bristol where we rented a car (mine is in pretty poor shape at the moment) and drove over to Wales for a dinner in nice little pub called "The anchor" by Tintern Abbey. That made 3 countries in the day. Not to shabby!!! After dinner we drove back to England for an early night as it was going to be another long day in the morning. London was calling.....

Another Canadian!

2007-07-23T12:44:00.000Z

Well it has been a while now since someone has come over from Canada to visit and given me an excuse to take a few days off work. On Tuesday July 10th Kelly arrived in Bristol after spending a week up in Manchester. So I left work early and went to pick her up from the train station. We took the bus back into the city centre and walked up the hill towards Clifton. After a nice meal at a local Chinese restaurant we went to the local bar to try our luck at the weekly quiz night. Unfortunately it was cancelled that week so we had a quick drink before heading back to the house and once it got dark we walked up to the Clifton suspension bridge to get some night photos.

The following day I had to work but I managed to get up and out of bed bright and early and made it to work before 8am. This is quite an accomplishment for me. Kelly spent the day walking around Bristol seeing the sites and we met up for lunch at Cabot tower which was closed due to painting. Guess you will just have to come back at some point Kel...

After work we caught a train over to the famous town of Bath. We wondered around the town for a while and got into the Abby for free which was a first for me. This is the first time I have seen a church go from charging people to go in to making it “optional donation”. The abbey is amazing inside with the ceiling been one of the many highlights.

We wondered around bath for a while walking over Pultney bridge and then along the river Avon, followed by a walk up to the circus (where Nicolas Cage just bought a house) and then over to the Royal Crescent and back through some of the parks. It was getting a bit late so we had some dinner at subway and made our way back to Bristol on the train. It was an early night as we had to be up at 4am to start our journey to Paris….

White Water Rafting in North Wales!

2007-07-09T16:50:00.000Z

This past weekend my cousin Matt and I decided to do something a little different than the usual site seeing touristy things that are usually done when someone comes to visit. Matt is here for 5 weeks from the States so we decided to go and check out Wales. It took about 3 hours to get to our destination of Bala which is a small town in northern Wales. Upon our arrival we set out to find a place to crash for the night. The first B&B said we could share a double bed in a room if we wanted or we could go and see her friend down the road where we could probably stay. hmmmm ok I think I will try somewhere else.

We tried a few other B&B's without any luck before we found something rather promising called the Goat hotel. It also acted as a bar and as we walked in everyone was speaking in Welsh. As soon as we got inside the place went rather silent and heads turned our way and just starred. "Ok....never mind" we thought and left out the front door to continue the search. the next place we found was perfect. One room, 2 twin beds, and a full breakfast in the morning.

Now that we had found a place to stay we went back to the car and drove through the national park of Snowdonia on route to a town called Port Meirion. This is the town that the 60's TV show "The Prisoner" was filmed at and by having British parents I have been forced to watch a episode or two in my lifetime. However most of you will at least know it from the Simpsons where they are stuck on the island, steal a boat, and get chased by a giant bubble.

Once we got back to Bala we decided that we needed to find something fun to do in the town. Lucky for us they have a movie theatre and proceeded to make our way down there to check out what our choices where and what times they were showing them. After checking the sign we quickly realised that we had the choice of one movie at 7:30 and that was it. Welcome to a small town in Northern Wales. We watched the movie Pirates of the Caribbean 3 in what I am convinced is a old school gym with fold out chairs. It was pretty funny nonetheless and we have been making jokes about it ever since. After the movie it was time to take Matt (who just 18) into a pub for a few drinks before calling it a night.

The following morning we had our full cooked breakfast before the 20min drive to the white water rafting lodge. After a quick lesson we were on the water getting soaked and thrown about. It was an amazing 2 runs down the river and a great experience. I could just keep writing about all the rapids and waves but I think the pictures will speak for themselves.

And of course the classic jumping shots!!!

Dublin for Canada Day

2007-07-02T12:26:00.000Z

Let me start off with a quick recap of Friday June 29th. I went to work, went home, and then went out for "a drink" for a goodbye party for two of the flatmates who moved out this weekend. It was supposed to be one drink as I had to be up at 4am to go to the airport. Well one drink turned into many and before I knew it I was drinking vinegar out of pint glasses. That was when I realised it was 12:30 and I should be heading home. Well 4am came much to fast but I dragged myself out of bed and ran into the rest of the flatmates who were just coming back..... hahahaha.

The trip over the Dublin was pretty uneventful. I slept the whole 45min on the plane. Upon arriving I made my way into the city centre and went over the hostel. It was located in the middle of the city right by the famous millennium spire (to me its looks like a giant needle). As I wasn't allowed to check into the hostel until 2pm I made my way back into the city and decided to do a few touristy things before trying to find Kim who I was meeting up with out there. First I walked down the Liffey River and along it until I cut in behind temple bar so see all the famous bars to snap off a few photos as I was planning on leaving my camera behind when I returned to this area later that night.

My first main stop was Christchurch Cathedral which was built in around 1030AD and is one of the most remarkable cathedrals I have seen. It was quite unique with its bridge and a main road splitting it in half. Also in the crypt the had a lot of old religious books and treasures from around the world. Just down the road from Christchurch is the most famous cathedral in Ireland, called St. Patrick’s. Granted it was huge and impressive but I still think that Christchurch is superior in regards to Architecture and features. Still both are worth checking out.

The rest of the afternoon I spent walking around the parks and residential areas of Dublin. Some really nice places and some... well not so nice. Check out the photo of the BMW....

After this I made my way back to the giant Dublin Spire and back to the hostel where I was finally allowed to check in. This is where I met up with Kim who was already in the room. After catching up we started our walk over to the far side of town to check out the Guinness Storehouse. The line up was fairly short and after we both got in for student prices we made our way around the tour up the 6 floors to finish off with the best pint of Guinness I have ever had in the Gravity bar. The bar is enclosed in nothing but glass windows and gives a spectacular view over Dublin.

The remainder of the day was spent wondering around Trinity college and the shopping district before we went to go and get ready for a night at temple bar.

After a few cheap pints at the hostel bar we went into town and met up with one of my friends from work who happened to be out there the same weekend. We had a drink with him before heading to temple bar where we ended up befriending a few brits out on a stag night from Liverpool who wanted to buy as drinks because we were singing Liverpool footballs songs with them in the middle of the bar. hahahaha.

Our first stop for the 2nd day was the Jameson distillery where we were drinking whiskey at 10:00am. The tour was great and I highly recommend it to all of you if you make your way to Dublin.

As it was Canada day we had to do something typically Canadian. After a search for Tim Hortons (yes there are a few in Dublin for some reason) and some help terrible information from the tourist centre we were still struggling to find it. We jumped into a internet cafe where within no time at all we found the location and set off again. This time to our success we found the Tim Hortons and enjoyed a coffee and donut to celebrate Canada Day. I think we had a few odd looks from people around us as we took photos from every possible angle of the cups, donuts, and signs.

Kim had to make her way back to the town she is living in which is about an hour away so I spent the evening walking down the bay (about 45min away). After one final walk around the city centre I caught the late bus out to the airport and found a bench in the airport where I managed to get a few hours sleep. My plane left at 6:30am and arrived in Bristol about 7:30. Just enough time for me to get the bus to work, get changed, and start working. Needless to say I was exhausted but it was a great weekend away from England. Thanks again to Kim who met up with me and showed me around Dublin and who got me a free drink off the Liverpool fans in the bar. hahahaha. Good times!

Oh and don't worry I did find the hard rock cafe!!! Another one to cross off the list.

Boules in the Park

2007-06-20T17:10:00.001Z

Leaving work at 4pm on Friday Ali, Brad, and myself made our way over to Queen Square in Bristol to take part in the 2007 Architecture Boules Tournament. For those who don't know what boules is it is basically lawn bowling with smaller balls. All you have to do is get your ball closest to the jack (conochet). Yes it really is that simple in theory but not that simple in practice.

With a crate of Fosters beer in hand (yes you can drink in public areas here) we started our first game and came out on top fairly quickly. The 2nd game was against another Faber Maunsell team and we quickly knocked them out of the tournament.

Our 3rd game was a lot harder and with a few skilled shots and a battle that lasted just under an hour we put this team in their place. By this time I had to leave to meet up with a few friends up in Clifton so I had to leave before the final game. A member of another Faber Maunsell team stepped and the team continued the winning streak and came out on top in the final game. A trophy and bottle of Champagne was the prize but the bragging rights around the company are worth a little more than that.

Brad is just happy he has a pint of Fosters in his hand.....(its his pride and joy of his home country)

The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

2007-06-12T16:41:00.000Z

On the weekend Brad, Nada, and me went over to Cardiff for the day. I have been to Cardiff on numerous occasions but this time we had one of the major attractions booked ahead. After a quick lunch in city centre we went over to the Millennium stadium where the Welsh Rugby team, Football FA cup final, and major concerts are held. The stadium has a capacity of 74,500 people and was the first retractable roof stadium in the UK. It costs only £4 in power to open and close the massive roof which is pretty remarkable.

The tour lasted about an hour and we got to go in the dressing rooms, VIP lounge and seating areas, and down to the pitch. Since there was a Rod Stewart concert coming up they had taken the grass away and we were left with a concrete slab and a red carpet to admire instead. It was pretty disappointing but I am planning a trip to do the tour of Old Trafford (Manchester United's stadium) at the end of the summer anyways so hopefully they will have the pitch down. To bring a new pitch in from Holland costs just over £200,000 to buy, install, and take away again. Not exactly cheap.

After the we did a few jumping shots and made our way into the rest of the town.

The rest of the day was spent walking around the shopping area, Cardiff castle walls, city council buildings, and the natural history museum before we went back to England where Nada cooked a meal for us and we watched the 400th episode of the Simpson’s.

Moving house

2007-06-04T12:07:00.000Z

Well last weekend I finally moved into my new flat. It is in the heart of Clifton village on a road called “Royal Crescent” which is one of the nicest areas in Bristol (at least it is in my opinion). The fact that you can buy a postcard of “The Royal Crescent” must count for something.

I am in a shared house with 9 other people and the ones I have met so far I get along with really well. So it should be a lot of fun over the next few months. Luckily it’s a huge house with 2 big kitchens and 4 bathrooms. My room overlooks the local bar (15 sec walk home), a view of the Mendip hills, and has its own balcony. By far the best part of the where I am living is that now I am only a 20 walk away from the city centre and my work. No more driving to the park and ride and spending £80 a month on commuting.

There are a lot of parks, restaurants, bars, stores, etc basically on my doorstep. And for those of you who have already been over to visit me in Bristol, I probably took you to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge which is now literally 5 min around the corner for me which is a great place to cross over to the countryside to get away from the city life.

I have a few more trips coming up as well with the next one been a day trip to Cardiff and then a weekend trip to Dublin. Pictures of those trips to come...

A Weekend in Amsterdam!!!

2007-05-14T12:21:00.001Z

When I got the email from Jon saying he was going to be in Holland on business and wanted to know if he could come and stay in England for the weekend it seemed like a great idea. But what sounded like a better idea was if we were to meet up in Amsterdam instead. For £20 I got a flight with Ryan air from London Stansted to Eindhoven Holland return trip. Waking up at 4am again I made my way to the airport and by 9am I was in Holland. The plane landed slightly early and as there is not much to do in the airport I decided not to wait for the direct bus which was not leaving for another 1.5 hours and made my way to get the bus into the city centre and try and catch a train up to Amsterdam.

As I was waiting inline to get a bus ticket from the machine it appeared that the Australian guy in front of me had jammed the machine and it was now out of order. The lady in front of me tried to help and after no success I had a go wielding the same results. So by now the bus was leaving and we out of luck. The lady decided to get a taxi to the station and just left. I asked the Australian if he wanted to split a cab and when he said yes I decided to flag down the cab with the other lady so we could split it three ways. Once inside the cab we found out the lady worked for Lords Cricket Ground and was one of the people to guard the ashes. She was in Holland to pick up a bird that was killed by a cricket ball in the 1930's from Rotterdam. Wow what a job. Best part was that as she was on business she paid the 35euro fare to the train station.

The train only took about an hour and a half and I arrived in Amsterdam central station about 11:30. With an hour and half left to kill before I met Jon I wondered out on the station in search for food. But Jon was sitting outside the station in the sun reading a book and I and happened to walk out of the door he was at. What are the chances? It seemed the whole weekend was just working out perfectly. We made our way to the hostel but were told to come back after 2 to check in. Dropping off our bags though we ventured back into the city and went straight the pub for a few Heinekens’. After a few drinks we checked in, got changed, and went off in search of a few more drinks. Finding a few great pubs near the red light district (yes we did some window shopping and no we didn't buy anything) we spent the rest of the night sitting by a fire in leather chairs drinking and talking until nearly 3am.

Saturday we actually managed to do some touristy things although both Jon and myself have both been to Amsterdam previously and done most of the museums and tourist sites before. One that neither of us had done was the Rijn museum (Rembrandt van Rijn) where we saw one of his most famous paintings called "the night watch" amongst many others.

Following this we walked around the well known "I AMSTERDAM" sign and snapped off a few pics before making our way to the old Heineken brewery and paying our 11euros entry fee. This seemed a bit high at first but when we learned that they give you 3 glasses of beer and a free bottle opener it seemed well worth it. The tour was great and very interactive. Only a about half the tour was about the history and how they made the beer where the other half was watching old beer commercials, playing the Heineken drums, and a theme park style ride were you are a beer bottle going though its journey from start to end.

As we were leaving we saw this strange bike/car/bar where there was one driver in the middle and the rest of the people on the outside had to pedal to get it moving. It was a bar and yes the drver in the middle was drinking. Have a look at the picture below and tell me you wouldn't want to try it!!! We walked around a bit more for the day before heading out into the streets again at night to take some night shots of the city before once again making our way back around 3am.

Jon had an early flight the following morning so when he left I went back to sleep until 11 at the hostel. I spent a few hours walking around the city before deciding to head back to Eindhoven early so I could see more of the city there instead of just the airport.

Eindhoven was pretty much a ghost town as it was a Sunday and all the stores where closed. So I checked out a few churches, parks, and the outside of the Phillips Football stadium. Something I was unaware of is that the company "Philips" (one of the biggest electronics companies in the world) was founded and has it headquarters in Eindhoven. Everywhere around the city is their adds and the football is obviously sponsored by them.

Well by 5:30 I made my back to the airport (this time on the bus for 3 euros) and caught my plane back to England where yet again I had the wonderful 3 hour drive back to Bristol. It was a great weekend and it was great to catch up with Jon again in Europe. I do recommend a trip to Amsterdam for all of you though. It is a very unique city and I guarantee you come back with your fair share of stories. We have, but let’s just say some of them are not appropriate to share on this site. Hahahaha.

Tyntesfield Manor House

2007-05-04T12:36:00.000Z

About 10 min up the road from where I am currently living in Wraxall is a National Trust site called Tyntesfield that I have always been meaning to stop in and have a look at. My Dad's cousin Lynn volunteers there and as she was up there on Sunday it seemed like a good time to go as well. It was really busy so I had to walk around the Gardens for 45min before I could enter the house (timed entrance cards handed out at the entrance). The gardens are huge though and it took the full 45min just walk around them. With the flowers out in full bloom it was an nice way to pass some time.

I have been to a few different Manor houses since I have been over in England but I found this one really unique. The carvings in every room where over and above your average decorations and you could tell a lot of money had been put into the house. Not surprising though as the Gibbs family were one of the wealthiest families in England at their time. The building is of Gothic Architecture and the majority of the stones came from the city of Bath about a 30min drive (in a modern car) away. Visitors are currently only allowed to view the first floor but there are plans for fixing up the second floor once they raise enough money.

It took just over an hour to walk around the house viewing each room and all of them were really impressive for the age of the house. The billiard room had a heated billiards table that was also electronically hooked up to a scoreboard. One of the first in the country I think. The house was also one of the first to have electricity in England running off its own generator. All in all, not a bad way to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Bristol Rugby

2007-05-04T11:58:00.000Z

Luckily for me Richard got a hold of a extra ticket to see Bristol Rugby play the Leicester Tigers in a very important game on April 24th. After a few beers at the local pub we were about 15 of us were picked up by a shuttle bus and taken to the grounds on the edge of Bristol to watch the game. A win would secure Bristol a place in the top 4 teams and therefore put them into the playoffs. It was a great hard hitting game and at the end Bristol came out on top by a score of 30-13.

Japan Jumping Shots!!!

2007-05-03T17:22:00.000Z

Don't worry I didn't forget. I know this is what you all have really been secretly waiting for..... Enjoy.

Big air by the Rainbow Bridge

Ryans "Freestyle" jumping on the Streets of Kyoto

Not so much a jumping shot but just plain brilliant!!!

Gapping the water feature at the Imperial Palace Gardens

Ryans going big by Lake Ashi

Jumping at Himeji Castle

The other people are loving the jumping shots I think!!!

Ryan jumping at Tokyo Big Sight with Poto and Bear

Stair jumping.....

Ryan posing for the cover of the new "Dragon" Movie

A View of Mt. Fuji and return to England

2007-05-02T12:37:00.000Z

Day 11 Sunday April 15th

We definitely saved one of the best spots in Japan for last. Seeing Mt. Fuji for the first time is something that is now engraved into my mind. One of my favourite views I have ever seen. Its up there with the Golden Gate Bridge view at night from the north end looking south. Anyways..... as I mentioned in the previous post we had a quick sleep of about 4 hours and then we made our was to the train. One of the main train connections we had to make happened to be in the same station we were trapped at on the way down to Kyoto. Luckily this time we made our connection no problem and proceeded on towards Hakone.

Once we arrived in Hakone we made a bus connection that would take us to Lake Ashi where we hoped to get a brilliant view of Mt. Fuji. After going off in search of a Starbucks and finding none we took a few pics of the town and jumped on the bus, which then proceed to take us up some very steep paths to get to the town which is on the edge of Lake Ashi. The ride took about 30min and by this time it was already starting to get quite late in the afternoon as it had taken just over 2 hours to get to Hakone.

Well we finally arrived in this town and to our dismay saw nothing but clouds with a hard to see outline of Mt. Fuji in the distance. We wondered around the harbour taking photos of the Tori Gates and then along a small wooded path where we came to a huge park with every plant cut perfectly.

We walked around until sunset taking photos galore and ended up on this gazebo right as the sun was setting. The clouds had disappeared and it left us with a stunning view of Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi. It was a picture perfect moment and both Ryan and me took full advantage of it.

By now we were running quite late so we rushed back to the town taking a few night shots on the way and began to wait for a bus. We ended up taking the bus back to Odawara where we could catch a local train that would take about 2 hours to get back to Tokyo. Hmm this was a slight problem as we had a small beer festival to attend A.S.A.P. So for time saving and just because I really wanted to we jumped on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) instead which has us in the heart of Tokyo in under 40min. It was so smooth to ride on that I managed to get a little sleep on route as well.

We met up with Ryan’s friends again for a few drinks but called it an early night as we were really tired and I had a 6am bus to catch. So it was back to Kichijoji for one final night.

Day 12 Monday April 16th

Being up at 6am came as no surprise to my body only it was a little strange waking up instead of going to sleep. Ryan kindly came into the station with me (mostly to have yet another Starbucks coffee) and it wasn't long before I was back on the bus and on my way to the airport and then off to Copenhagen Denmark. I just want to say a huge thank you to Ryan and all his friends who did so much for me on my trip and for making it absolutely amazing. It is a trip that I will never forget and I do plan on heading back to Japan at some point in my life.

wait there’s more.....

After a 2 hour wait in Denmark I caught my last flight back to Heathrow. I was a little upsetting to get off the plane back in England as all I wanted to do was turn around and go back to Japan. But work was calling and I have to pay the bills somehow. As I got to the bus terminal I looked up to find I had to wait 1.5 hours for bus. Now I was not used to this as in Japan you rarely have to wait more than 5min for a bus or a train. As the 1.5 hours ended I looked up to a flashing screen next my bus route saying "DELAYED for 45min"..... "F*ck" I thought... or perhaps said out loud based on the looks I received from the couple beside me. Yes it was at that point, I realised I was definitely back in England.

Back In Tokyo

2007-04-27T16:32:00.000Z

Day 8 Thursday April 12th

It was a nice feeling been back in Tokyo after our long excursion down to the southern Japan. It meant finally we would be able to get a good nights sleep. At least I thought it did. To start off with we made our way down to the Tokyo Bay where we got a cheap ferry ride across to Odaiba. On the ride you get a great view of the Rainbow Bridge (50th largest main span suspension bridge in the world)the Tokyo Big Sight building with the 4 upside down pyramids and the Fuji Building.

After getting off the ferry we went straight to the Tokyo Big Sight and went wondering around inside. There was a conference going on and everyone was dressed up for it. Well everyone except me and Ryan who were in jeans and long sleeved shirts. We had a few looks but nobody said anything. Not to far away, was a car show that we checked out for a while and then it was off to another Arcade for some good old racing games!!!

Realising we were getting a bit low on time we made our way around to get some good pics of the Fuji Building and then on to the beach area to get some more pics of the rainbow bridge and the mini statue of liberty at sunset.

We had to be in Shibuya to meet up with one of my sisters university friends at 8:00 so we made our way there once the sun set. What was supposed to be just a meal out and a drink or two ended up being a little longer than that. We started with a great traditional Japanese meal and a few beers before heading out for drinks at 3 more bars. Drinks at these bars included glasses of Absinthe from Czech Republic, double shots of 151 rum, and a few ciders at a Irish pub. This was all prior to going to a club where we were drinking and dancing until 6am. After a quick McDonalds breakfast we said goodbye to Christian who had to work later that day and made our way back to Kichijoji. Well from Shibuya it is only about 20min on the train.... no problem. Ryan and I were both so tired that we instantly fell asleep. I remember waking up about 2.5 hours later and looking up to see what stop we were at. In my drunken state I managed to slowly pronounce the words on the station wall.... Shi... Bu....Ya. This is when Ryan woke up and also realised what had just happened. Sh*t!!! Yes we were back where we started haven ridden the train end to end about 4 times during rush hour on the trains which is quite an accomplishment I thought. My camera was still on the ground next to me as well. Had we been in London I am not sure my camera would have lasted 10min like that weather I was asleep or not. It just proves how much safer Japan is to most other places in the world.

Day 9 Friday April 13th

Well needless to say most of the day was pretty much a right off after the night we had just had. It was a day of sleeping, reading, eating sushi, and emails before we made our way into Shinjuku to meet up with some of Ryan’s friends for a few drinks. It was another great night as we were with Canadians, Americans, eastern Europeans, Japanese, and Koreans. We did debate staying out all night again with another drinking session but decided it best to catch the last train back to Ryan’s as we knew the following night was going to be a big one.

Day 10 Saturday April 14th

The day was spent walking around the Imperial Palace (called Kokyo). Unfortunately tourists are only allowed inside on 2 days each year around Christmas time. However the gardens are fantastic and it was great just walking around and catching minor glimpses of the palace. You also get a great view of some of the bridges that lead into the Palace.

From here we wondered down past the infamous "Diet Building" on our way to Tokyo Tower. Just before we got to the tower though, we heard the sound of bamboo been hit against something really hard. So we ran up a flight of stone stairs to see some marshal arts training in action. I was getting my fair share of the Japanese culture in the short time I was there.

Tokyo Tower is based off of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The main difference is that Tokyo tower is smaller and painted orange. We were going to go up it but as you get a better view from the government buildings (refer to first Japan entry) which is also free it seemed a bit of a waste to go up. Besides we were off to Akihabara.

Akihabara is Tokyo's discount electronics district and I was like a kid in a candy store. Stories upon stories of electronics in street after street. It was impossible to decide where to go next. One store we went in was at least 5 times the size of Hamleys Toy Store in London. Those who have been there can perhaps understand the size I am getting at. We walked around for as much time as we could before heading off to the Sony building to check out all the new Sony Products and a model who happened to be doing a photo shoot on the first floor.

As we were running low on time we raced back to Ryan's place for a shower and clean clothes before it was back into downtown Tokyo for a great Brazilian meal with his friends and a birthday celebration. The meal was amazing. It was all you can eat meat and they kept on bringing it out skewered on swords. Once you pointed out how much you wanted they cut a slab off and slid it onto your plate. After 2 hours of this we were all stuffed and ready to move onto the club Muse. It is also worth mentioning that one the things we ate was Chicken Heart. I might have liked it a little more if I didn't know what it was when I ate it.

It was a long night again for drinking and dancing until 7am but "most" of us stayed up all night dancing yet again. A certain someone.... "Ryan" fell asleep at the club yet again. hahaha. We managed to get a few hours sleep before we were up again and off to see one of the most famous sites in Japan!!!

Nara and Osaka

2007-04-27T16:06:00.000Z

Day 7 Wednesday April 11th

After a good start in the morning we packed our bags and made our way yet again down to the train station. We threw our bags into a locker in Kyoto station and bought 2 tickets down to the city of Nara. Nara is most famous for been the first official permanent capital of Japan in the year 710. However it was then moved in 785 to what is now know as Kyoto. Kyoto remained the capital of Japan until 1868 where it was moved when emperor Meji moved to the city of Edo. The city then renamed Tokyo which means "eastern capital".

Upon walking around Nara you instantly notice all the deer roaming around. They are wondering around in the parks and follow you around hoping you buy some of the crackers for sale for 150 yen ($1.50 Canadian). Well yes Ryan and I did this and found out how aggressive they can be. One grabbed onto the back of my sweater and it was quite a struggle to get it back. Ryan was surrounded...well just take a look at the photo.

The reason that there are Sika deer around the city is that in the Shinto Religion they are regarded as messengers of the gods. Since Nara is filled with Buddhist temples is seems only right to have them roaming around.

We walked around the park checking out a few temples and pagodas before heading to our main destination which was Todaiji. Inside is the biggest statue of a Buddha that I have ever seen. It was cast back in 752 AD. Take a look at the size of the people compared to the building that houses this statue. It is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world! The Bronze Buddha was up to the ceiling and truly a site worth seeing. We spent a lot of time admiring the building and statue before walking around more parks and the rest of the city.

By night fall, we had to make our way back to Osaka where we had a great meal at the Hard Rock cafe. Yes don't worry I bought a shot glass to add to the collection. We walked the 45min or so back to train station in Osaka to connect to Kyoto where we were reunited with our bags. From here we waited until 11pm to catch the night bus back to Tokyo. The bus was magnificent. Each seat was a reclining seat with plenty of space between you and the next person. I had a giant area to myself and proceeded to look out the window until we were out in the country and it was getting to be 2:00am. It was one of the better sleeps I had had so far on the trip.

The remaining days of Japan to come...

Himeji Castle and Kobe by Night

2007-04-26T14:57:00.000Z

Day 6 Tuesday April 10th

Yes it was yet another late awaking but we were on our way out of Kyoto by about 11 or so. It was a quick train ride down to Himeji which is the city famous for having the castle most worth seeing in all of Japan. On the way though the train runs along the ocean and we went right past the longest Suspension Bridge in the world just outside Kobe. The bridge is called the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and holds the title with its 1991m main span. Its 710m longer than the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Apparently this record might be short lived as the Italians are planning a suspension bridge to Sicily that is 3.7km in total. However that been said the Japanese are also looking into bridges with main spans of 2400m. Anyways back to the main topic of the entry...

The castle itself stands out strong as it towers over the city from the north end. It is nicknamed "The White Heron" because of its white plaster walls. The structure is wood but the plaster is used as a fireproofing material, which could be one of the reasons it is still around today since it was built in 1583. There was a fort there as early as 1333 but the structure that stands today wasn't fully built until 1583.

We paid our entry fee and then spent at least an hour walking around the gardens, common areas, and smaller buildings before even attempting to go inside the main building. Inside was a little bare but it did have cases of artefacts and drawings that where interesting to see. By far my favourite was the 2 sets of armour up on display.

After about another hour inside the castle we made our way into the town for some Kebabs and a walk through some of the tourist shops. We were also on the lookout for a Starbucks coffee but sadly we found none...

On the way back we stopped off in a city called Kobe which had a excellent harbour and arcade which are lit very tastefully and makes the harbour a great place to be at night. Also it has a star bucks....very important. We spent a good hour and a half just walking around the harbour and playing many arcade games. One of which was a baseball pitching game which happens to be the sport of choice in Japan...

By now it was getting late so we made our way back again to Kyoto for a few drinks and our last night in Southern Japan….well sort of.

3 Temples in Kyoto

2007-04-25T13:08:00.000Z

Day 5 Monday April 9th

As per usual we had a bit of a late start in the morning as we were trying to recover from the lack of sleep over the past 48 hours. Once we were up and about though it was a fun action packed day of visiting temples. Our first stop was the temple called Ryoan-Ji which is famous for its rock zen garden where it is said to be one of the best examples of "dry landscaping". There are no water features at all in the garden which has a bedding of white gravel. There are 15 rocks in the garden and from anywhere you stand you can only see a maximum of 14 of them at one time. The rest of the temple and gardens were every bit as impressive as the zen garden and we could have spent a lot more time wondering around but we had more temples to visit.

The 2nd temple we went to does not allow visitors to go inside but you can get a great walk around the lake overlooking the temple. This is one of the more famous temples in Kyoto. It is called Kinkaku but its also known by the name "The Golden Pavilion". It gets this name because the two top floors are covered with gold leaf on Japanese lacquer. The building has 3 different types of architecture which makes the building really unique. The 1st floor is Shinden-zukuri, The 2nd floor is Buke-zukuri, (the style of the samurai house) and the 3rd floor is Karayo style or Zen temple style. We walked around the lake and then the rest of the gardens taking many photos before moving on the 3rd temple of the day.

This temple is perhaps the most famous in the city and was pretty busy with tourists. Kiyomizu-dera is the name but it actually refers to several Buddhist temples on the grounds. The temple was built in 798 and was named after the waterfall that is in the grounds. The name Kiyoi Mizu means pure water. At one part of the temple complex visitors can use metal cups to collect water from 3 streams of water run off and drink it. It is said that drinking the water of the three streams confers health, longevity, and success in studies.

After leaving this temple we walked down to the district of Gion which is famous for being the best place in Kyoto to see a Geisha. True to its reputation we did see 2 or 3 walking around. Gion is filled with restaurants and Traditional Japanese tea houses. By this time though it was getting late and starting to get dark. We stopped off a great restaurant for a meal of Tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlets) followed by a Starbucks and a late night stroll through downtown Kyoto before heading back for a drink and some sleep so we would be refreshed for the trip to Himeji and Kobe in the morning..... I mean afternoon.

A long ride to Kyoto

2007-04-19T16:31:00.000Z

Day 3 Saturday April 7th

Saturday for me didn’t really start until about 2pm as I was sleeping the morning away and getting over the 8 hour time difference between England and Japan. Once I was up though it was back in Tokyo to see the temple/shrine called Meiji Jingu. But before heading into the temple we had a look around at all the Goths and “unique outfits” people were wearing and posing for. Apparently this happens every weekend and they don’t ask for money they just enjoy having their photos taken.

The temple was established in 1920 and was dedicated to Emperor Meiji who passed away in 1912. It is a place of worship for peace and prosperity but is also used for Shinto weddings which we were lucky enough to see. We walked around the paths, gardens, buildings, and shrines before heading back towards all the Goths and into a park close by.

At the park were a few live bands playing and selling their albums. These bands were really good but just out to practice, make a few new fans, and make some money selling their CD’s/. I did end up buying a demo of one band that I was impressed with. We walked through the rest of the park watching some skateboarders before ending up close to Shibuya again. We had a quick look around some of the smaller streets after dark when they were all lit up before heading back to Ryan’s place and packing our things up for our trip to Kyoto.

The plan was to take the “local” train (I use the term local lightly) that would take about 8 hours or so to get to Kyoto. Fair enough though, as it was the cheapest way down there. It was overnight and we would have to change trains about 6 or 7 times which wasn’t a problem though it just meant we wouldn’t have a great nights sleep. Well the first hour and half was fine and ran smoothly with the efficiency and timing you would expect in Japan. Not a single train was delayed. Well the problem/adventure all started when we tried to make a transfer in a town called Odawara. On the internet it said that we didn’t need to have a reserved seat for this next train but we soon found out that the rules had been changed 5 days ago and they would let us on the train and after Ryan’s friend had a argument we realised that it was hopeless and they were not going to bend the rules. Also the station was closing and we were forced to leave. So at this point it is now 2am, we have nowhere to stay, and no transportation. So what do we do? We found an all night bar and proceeded to drink beers for the next 4 hours laughing about the whole situation. I thought it was the greatest thing ever and I am actually glad that it worked out the way it did. As the sun rose and the station opened again we jumped on the next train and continued our journey down to Kyoto.

Ryan enjoying a beer at 3am

One of the many trains we took to Kyoto

Sunrise over the Pacific means its time to catch the next train

Day 4 Sunday April 8th

We arrived in Kyoto about 12pm and were met by some more friends at the station who took us directly to the river where a people were all sitting around on tarps drinking and laughing in the park to celebrate Hanami. It was a great time and we met people from all over the world including on Canadian who happened to be a Ottawa Senators fan and was wearing the shirt to prove it. We exchanged a few words….. Running on hardly any sleep at all we grabbed some more beers and spent the afternoon in the sun under the cherry blossom trees eating and drinking away. When night fell we walked back to Ryan’s friend’s house with the large group to drink more beers and eat a few hard boiled Easter eggs. It was a long trip but at least it makes a great story!!!

The main river and park in Kyoto

More Cherry Blossom tress outside Kyoto Station

The flight to Japan

2007-04-07T10:34:00.000Z

Day 1 Thursday April 5th.

It all started with the walk to the bus station from Brad and Nada's house, who I am grateful to for letting me stay the night making the trip to bus station a lot easier. I was up at 4 and at the station by 4:20am. The only eventful scene worth mentioning there was that I was inches away from getting crapped on by a pigeon which would not have gone over to well with me. The bus ride was easy enough as I did sleep most of the way to Heathrow.

From here I flew to Copenhagen in Denmark where I had a 2 hour layover (well 1 hour as the plane from London was late) before getting ready for the 10 hour flight to Narita just outside Tokyo Japan. The flight went by really fast with the TV screens in each headrest and the choice of about 15 movies. I think I managed to get through 4 of them before reading a few chapters of a book and getting some sleep.

Day 2 Friday April 6th.

Arriving in Japan I cleared customs without any major incidents other than the extremely large number of questions as I always get asked in every airport. I must just have "that look" about me.

It was about an hour and half bus ride to Kichijoji station where I met up with Ryan in the matter of seconds. As you leave the airport there were rows of cherry blossom trees on either side of the road which was remarkable. They are only in bloom for 2 or 3 weeks which makes this one of the best times to visit Japan. It is only a short walk to his place from the station down some narrow streets passed small restaurants, grocery stores, and arcades. After a quick stop at his place we made our way down to a park close by to see the cherry blossoms and people just lounging around in the sun. It was such a laid back atmosphere and it was easy to see why everyone laying on mats drinking a few beers.

Before checking out a few local temples and stores in Kichijoji we had to have a quick bite to eat. We ate is this small local sushi bar with a conveyer belt of freshly prepared sushi going around in circles. It was the best sushi I have ever had. No wonder we went back there 3 times throughout the trip.

Jumping on the train we made our way down to Shinjuku to go to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and took the elevator up the 243m to the top floor for a great view of Tokyo. This building used to be the tallest in Tokyo but lost its title in 2006 to the Midtown Tower.

Jumping on the train again we went down to Shibuya to see the famous intersection that has a never ending huge crowd of people crossing. You may recall the famous scene in the movie Fast and Furious 3: Tokyo Drift where the crowd has to disperse as fast as possible as the cars come racing through. Well we went to the 2nd floor of Starbucks to get a great overhead view of the masses of people before we made our way back to Ryan’s to get ready to head to a Salsa bar in Roppongi and dance the night away with some of his friends from work before catching the last train back to Kichijoji for some sleep. Not to bad for the first day in Japan.

More to come!!!

Haynes Car Museum

2007-04-02T22:03:00.000Z

On Saturday Brad, Nada, and me went down to the Haynes Car Museum which is about an hour south of Bristol. As this is England it took us a little more than an hour due to the traffic trying to get out of the city. But once we got to the museum we practically had the whole place to ourselves. Once we had paid our £7.00 entry fee went walked into the first hanger which held “The Red Room”. The room was full of old sports cars which were all obviously red. Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, Maserati’s, MG’s, Triumph’s, Porsche’s, Jaguars, Lotus’, and many more row after row. It was hard to take it all in at first. We walked up and down checking out each car. Kris you would have loved it!!! Don't worry though between the three of us I think we took over 300 photos.

There were 5 hangers in all housing over 350 old and rare cars. One car in back hanger is one of seven ever made. Other favourites were the formula one Ferrari, Ford GT40, the Porsche 356, a Model T Hotrod, and the 2000 Ferrari 360 Spider. Check out the pictures taken below.

It was a great place to check out although there were not as many newer cars as I had expected. I did see a lot of cars by companies that I had never heard of before though. On the way out though we did see a few tanks and a really strange zebra paint job on a Porsche. The Porsche wasn't even part of the museum though. It just belonged to another paying customer but I couldn't resist taking a photo of it.

After leaving the museum we made our way up to Wells to have a quick look at the cathedral and then we had a quick walk down the main street where they filmed the movie “Hot Fuzz” which I have still not seen despite being in Wells last year during the filming of it.

We had a great pub meal in a classic British pub complete with the owner coming out and telling us stories about how one of his workers is moving to Canada. He went on to tell us about how his insulin injections have changed due to new government regulations. You just have to love that about pubs in England.

Moving Day

2007-03-27T12:33:00.000Z

Well this past weekend was the end of my stay in Severn Beach. The weekend was spent cleaning the flat from top to bottom ensuring it looked spotless. In the checkout list was a line stating we had to get the carpets professionally cleaned. So I made some calls and got a few quotes. One was £130, another was £85, and the most expensive one was £150. There was no way I was paying those high prices to clean the carpets (that were not that great to begin with). So, I just didn't do it.

Luckily the place was so clean though that the fact of the carpet cleaning never even came up. She was so impressed with everything she said "I wish I had more tenants like you and if you need a great reference just let me know". The good news is I get my full deposit back which should just about pay off the flight to Japan in 10 days!!!

In other news I signed up for the Bristol Half Marathon and I have been out jogging "almost" every night. Its not until September 9th but if I am going to have to run the 13miles then I better start getting ready for it now.

I think this weekend Brad, Nada, and me are heading down to Taunton to see a car museum full of old Ferrari's and Lamborghini's, so stay tuned for that update next week. After that I will be out in Japan with Ryan for 11 days but I promise to do a full update on this blog when I return.

Windsor Castle and one of the Queen's dogs.

2007-03-18T01:01:00.001Z

Windsor Castle has being a place I have wanted to visit ever since I came to England almost 2 years ago. On Saturday Brad, Nada, and me made our way down the M4 motorway to the city of Windsor. I have being to Windsor twice before but never made it inside the castle. I never really had the time. Windsor Castle is the largest occupied castle in the world and is one of three official residences of HRM Queen Elizabeth II who just happened to be at the castle at the same time. We didn't get to see her this time as she was out riding but we did happen to see one of her Corgi dogs being walked by the head Housekeeper of Windsor Castle.

We took a small 30 tour around the castle before it dropped off us in front of the entrance to the State Apartments. During the tour I found out that the flagpole that has either the Union Jack flying or the Royal Flag (when the queen is in residence) was donated by Canada on behalf of the Canadian people.

Windsor Castle is about 1000 years old but obviously it was on the same scale back then as it is today. The castle was built by William the Conqueror and was originally just a wooden structure and only the round tower was built then. The Round Tower is still the main focal point of the castle but today it is made of stone and quite a lot bigger.

Upon entering the State Apartments we first went into the Doll House area to see Queen Mary's famous doll house. Its was huge. At least 10ft tall. We also went into the drawing room to see one of the largest collections of Leonardo Da Vinci drawings in the world. They only had a few on display through but it was still really impressive to see. There was also works there from Michelangelo and a few other famous artists. From there it was on to see many pictures of the Queen and the Royal family before finally making our way into the State Apartments themselves. It took us about 1.5 hour to go around all the rooms you could and each one was unique and incredible in its own way. From the Waterloo room to the weapons room you could spend hours just walking around and looking at all the treasures inside. There was no photography allowed inside so if you want to see what its like I suggest looking it up on the internet or coming over to England to see it for yourself. Its worth the trip.

When we left the State Apartments we made our way back to a few places in the tour to get a few more pictures of the courtyard, guards, and gardens. It was starting to get a bit late and we were all quite hungry so we made our way down to St. Georges Chapel inside the castle walls where Henry the VIII and the Queen Mother are buried. The choir was inside practicing so we were able to watch them and hear the sound with the acoustics inside. Really amazing!!! The Chapel is also home to the annual gathering of the Order of the Garter. It is one of the oldest orders of knights and one of the most limited in numbers with no more than 25 members allowed. If one of the knights can't attend a meeting or gathering then one of the "military knights" who live in the castle stand in on their behalf. Click here if you want to learn more about it.

We left the castle and walked down the main street to a pub overlooking the castle. Brad and Nada treated me to a great pub lunch before we made our way back to the car and then back to Bristol. It was a great day out and another place to check off the list.

Dont worry we didn't forget to do a jumping shot!!!!

Phil and his Mum go to White Castle

2007-03-11T18:07:00.000Z

Sunday March 11, 2007

A day out in Wales visiting Castles is always a great day out and today was no exception. After a 10am start we drove across the Severn into Wales and made our way towards the town of Raglan. We drove the long way past Tintern Abbey and through the Wye valley which is a wonderful drive through little villages next to the Wye River. Just outside the town is one of South East Wales more famous castles which is not surprisingly called Raglan Castle. This castle was built in the 15th century and is well known as the home of King Henry VII when he was a child. It is not in the greatest shape but then again it is 600 years old. The moat around one of the towers (the castles final line of defense) is still in tact which is a rarity in castles these days. Below are a few pictures taken today at Raglan Castle.

Moving on from Raglan it was a 20min drive though narrow hedge lanes to yet another castle. This one was not nearly as impressive but it was free to go in. The main reason we went was so we could give this blog post a funny title. Yes you guessed it! It was called White Castle. It was named this as the rendering on the outside was white but most of it is long gone. Only one of the towers was in tact but we could still climb up the 3 stories and take a few photos of the Black Mountains in the distance which was an incredible view from the top. Other highlights of the castle were the drawbridge on the way in and the fact that once again the moat was still in tact. 2 moats in one day!!!

Well as there was yet another Castle about 20min away and it was on our way home we took a small detour to have a quick look at the town Skenfrith. Here is yet another free castle which is owned by the National Trust and it is believed that the first form of the castle was built around 1160. It was pretty run down once again and this time there was no steps in the tower to go up but we had a quick look around the castle and then walked into the town to see the small church. Gotta love checking out the small Welsh churches that have so much history.

We made our way back to Severn Beach the long way again, through the Forest of Dean stopping at a petrol station for some sausage rolls and crisps. We ate at a small picnic area in the forest and then drove back through Chepstow to the Old Severn Bridge. It was another great day and made for a very long but eventful weekend.

On a side note I picked up a package from the post office on saturday morning. In it was a sock puppet made by the great Sara Wong and sent over to travel the world with me. So keeep a look out for it in the pictures!!!

Down the Caves of Cheddar

2007-03-11T08:24:00.000Z

Well this is the first real site seeing post of the new blog and it has been a busy two days so far. My mum is over from Canada and she took a bus down to Bristol on Thursday night. Friday I had to work so she walked all over Bristol seeing the sites until I finished around 5:30. Friday night we went to the opening night production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the hippodrome which was really good. As I grew up with watching the movie as a child I knew the story line pretty well.

Saturday March 10th 2006

We made our way down to Cheddar Gorge and Caves. Usually when I go there is just for a drive through the gorge but this time we got the day pass and went into the caves. There are two caves there that you can go in and both are a fair size inside. The first one we went into was Gough's Cave which was founded in 1890 was about 1/4 mile long and at the end had a very impressive chamber full of Stalactites and Stalagmites which are formed by the calcium carbonate in limestone caves. The 2nd cave was Coxe's Cave and this one was much more narrow and had a lot of low ceilings that you had to get fairly low to get through. It was also a little cheesy with the props but still great fun to walk around anyways.

We had a quick look around the museum Cheddar man and the Cannibals where we saw England’s oldest complete skeleton, a bizzare skeleton (with what looked like a raptors head and human body), and a really strange giant replica of a creepy head.

Last but not least we climbed the 274 steps up Jacobs ladder to the lookout tower for a great view over the Mendips before we walked along the top of gorge hike which was quite tough terrain and some places very step and muddy. The hike was just over 3 miles but it took you down one side of the gorge then dropped down where you crossed the road and then hiked up to the top of the other side and then back into the town and then back to Bristol for yet another great dinner with family Lyn and Richard.

A New Adventure

2007-03-05T13:20:00.000Z

As one chapter of my travelling has come to and end and brand new chapter is just beginning. This blog will document all the exciting places I visit from here on in. The good news is this blog is not currently limited to just Europe. I am expanding my travels to the rest of the world, and have already made any plans. Highlights this year will include:

April 2007 - Tokyo, Japan
August 2007 - Toronto, Canada (my sisters wedding)
October 2007 - Durban and Johannesburg, South Africa
October 2007 - Botswana to go 4x4ing
2008 - An unconfirmed relocation to Sydney, Australia for a year or two.

I will still remain living in Bristol England and have plans for a few weekend trips here and there. A few European destinations may or may not include, Budapest, Madrid, Oslo, and perhaps Iceland depending on funds. All of you are more than welcome to join me on these trips just give me a little bit of notice.

So thank you for taking the time to update your links and bookmarks and I look forward to reading all your comments over the next year or so. I hope you enjoy the site.

Cheers