With the Indian Summer drawing to a close, Allegra and I opted to strap on our hiking boots / flip-flops, walk out the back door, and head for the summit of Twin Peaks. One of those little to-dos that has been on my list since I arrived, we could have not have chosen a better day to do it – music from the Bluegrass festival floating up through the trees and the golden light flirting with us through the trees of Mt Sutro Open Space Preserve … a place that you can actually mountain bike inside the city limits!
Sutro Tower basks in the sunshine (for once)The view down to downtownSutro catches the last of the rays
The view from the Dipsea trail down to the oceanAllegra keeping up a good paceThe trees aglow in the sunlightNew shoes!Fetching colour schemes… and alas another farewell to Abe!
A third hike to Alamere Falls, and still worth it. A lovely little hop from the city, and you find yourself walking along the coast with views as far as the city and Point Reyes. Naturally, the jewel in the crown are the falls that cascade down to the beach; the weather has been a bit dry of late so they were not quite as plump as they have been – but still a nice treat from a busy week.
No filter or editing at all, honest.Pleasing organisation. Todd on the left, Jos in the middle, and Allegra on the right.Allegra gives Jos a friendly scratch on the back of the head.The drive home.
I haven’t ever managed to ride 100 miles in a single day, so the prospect of ticking off this little challenge with the support crews, burritos and ice cream that the Marin Century offers was not a prospect that I could turn down. While the Tour de Cure was significantly shorter, I argue it was actually the harder ride, with much steeper and more sustained climbing and a wider variety of terrain. Still, a lovely chance to blast up and down the coast and reconnoitre some new roads!
I never take anywhere near enough photos.Just before the halfway point.The finish line!
Point Reyes has the strange ability to make me feel like I am ‘home’ – there is something deeply primal about it, and in a vaguely spiritual way reminds me of the East Angle coast, Wales and Scotland. It’s a little gem of solitude, just an hour north of the city, and here are a few portraits of it while it’s in a mildly grumpy mood.
After spending Saturday in the factory, I was keen to get out of Shanghai and see some sights. Initially thinking of heading to Suzhou or Wuxi, I came across this article on water towns, and opted instead to tick another one off the list; especially since I enjoyed visiting Tongli and Zhouzhuang so much. Nanxun, which I hadn’t heard of before, topped the list.
Enlisting a newly moved-to-Shanghai Drew, we headed West. Two or so hours from Shanghai by car (yes we were lazy), it’s a place that must surely arrive soon on the Chinese tourist map – the new motorway heading out in that direction guarantees it. However, for now, it seems that the crowds have not yet arrived, and we were pleasantly surprised by how quiet the place was.
Pleasant surprise soon gave way to broad grins, however. The state of preservation felt like it could have been a real live water town just weeks before, boats carrying silk yarn merely taking their Sunday rest. The people were warm and friendly, the scenery preposterously beautiful, and by the end we simply felt lucky to have been able to visit such an historic town that still housed a real community of people. Unfortunately, I am sure the youth will not want to return and it’s likely that if I ever return tourist shops will have replaced the townhouses by the river.
But how about a Bali-style retreat of river-side escapes, two hours from the city? I can see it now.
What’s for dinner? – Visiting the libraryTwo lovely ladies that virtually chewed our ears off upon discovery that we spoke Chinese. Charming!Sucker for patinas of use.Stylish man with cell phoneView up the first of the side-canals. We meant to catch a boat at some point, but in the end the guys on bikes won out!Can’t resist peeking into the side streetsHandsome hat sellerRed lanterns, reflectedTexturesThis guy … how sartorial!I mean reallyHe kept on appearing in photos, as if someone was paying him to walk by.The mop project continuesThere he is againNo matter where I go in the world, there are always groups of old men hanging out, drinking, playing games, riding motorbikes, gambling … I am sure I will be the same some day.Pixelated … a designer definitely sweated the details on that top rivetView up the main section of the riverWatching the world go byPleasing mixtures of colours‘Jonny, you arrange your images into graphic design layouts’ – according to Drew … he is absolutely right. I do – that’s what happens when you have a graphics designer for a Mum.At first, we thought this guy was going to be your normal tourist trap pusher, but he turned out to have a real sense of humour and amazing idea of the photos that we wanted to take. I suppose with all the visitors, you get photographic training for free!Resting, away from the rain.I always enjoy it when it rains in a new place … interesting to see how people react.Gone Fishin’Lots of people peeking out to catch a glimpse of the funny foreigners … not sure how much longer these guys will be here. I imagine it will all be tourist shops if I ever come back.Pointing out the birds nest above our heads.Across the riverDrew and I could not believe our luck at being here – truly a great experience.Like a scene from a movieChecking to see if the rain has stoppedRed shortsNeighboursMy best mop image to dateThis character had me giggling – doing his afternoon exercises while the rain had paused.One of the pleasingly semi-circular bridgesRain adding a certain something to the wet roofs.Our guy, very pleased with a highly-inflated tip!
After 18 months away from Asia, I finally headed back. Back in the saddle!
Blurry trip from the airportUp at the crack of dawn the next morning … I was so used to living on the ‘other’ side of the world and travelling East to reach Asia that I often felt quite disorientated with time.The Bund, ShanghaiMorning boatsHiking Hong KongHigh-rise livingTanja & Edgar!Reminders of the little nooks and crannies that Taiwanese people would take over … lovely to see the same thing in Hong Kong.Play timeGood times … all rather different now with a car … and a walking talking addition to the family!PanoramaViews out to the islandGreat to have access from their back doorUrban vertical sprawlDown into Mongkok and KowloonEllo DadOut at Discovery Bay … kind of like Disneyland, but you live there.Water worldCouldn’t believe I caught this one – a guy was carrying a dragon’s mask and some shopping as I was waiting for a taxi in ShenzhenView up the street in ShanghaiSome random diggingYoung chefs
No holiday back to the UK would be complete without some nice walks through some mud, on the way to some well-earned pints and packets of crisps. It’s one thing I really do miss in the USA; the hiking here is amazing, obviously, but it lacks the wander-off-on-you-own freedom of just sauntering across the fields in search of a destination. Here, it’s strap the backpack on and prepare for a couple of days in stunning, un-touched wilderness.
Anyway, we had some great little hikes off on the south coast, and around Cambridge – just what the doctor ordered.
Mum catches up on our annual Boxing Day hike … to the pub!Now to the South Coast: Various stiles and other gate mechanisms a continious source of geeky amusement for me and the family.Looking out down the coastVery windy!Mum makes the climbDad and I in conversationCorfe Castle off in the distance, where we were staying for a couple of days.Obligatory wallsTo Anglesey Abbey – one of the local stately homes… and I was fascinated with this: it seems to fade in colour.Interesting textures on some of the Winter Garden treesFading to yellowReflections of winter