Here I am in Hong Kong once again after a bit of a scary trip to the airport, with a taxi driver that had clearly never driven on the motorway before.
A bit more relaxed now…. and ready for the leg to Australia!
Blog
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Louis Vuitton Dental Clinic
Louis Vuitton moves into the dental health care industry -
Zhong He Camping
Excellent photo from Gerd of life as a scooter rider -
Graveyard Sessions
The weather in Taiwan is perfect. What else to do except shred the rad!
Momental -
Welsh Rarebits
One half of my family lives in Wales, but don’t hold that against them. The Biddle unit decamped to the South, primarily focussing on good mountains, food and beer. Here are some wee piccies:
Trecking in The Brecon Beacons
Mum & Dad at one of the amazing waterfalls of the day
‘Now, the GPS says there is one more left to find today…’ – Lady Mio has the last laugh
The Welsh contingent in force (with exception to newl-wed cousins Huw and Alex … Congratulations!) -
Edinburgh Hogmanay
100,000 drunk revellers descended on Princes Street in Edinburgh for the annual Hogmanay bash, and at the last minute Phil and I decided to join them by taking the train up to Scotland. It was really worth it, since I got to see old Glasgow buddies Craig and Ali, plus Masters pals Andrew and Kyle. Plus, of course, I saw Scotland and recharged my Whiskey batteries.
The street was full of horny Glaswegian girls, drunk Aussies and high numbers of bemuzed looking Chinese visitors. Drunk Chinese conversation of course meant that I lost the group within about 3 minutes – and feverish multiplexed cell phone calls to the guys only made matters worse.
Phil and I on Princes StreetAfter the bells, we retreated to my first proper arty party in over a year and a half – a very nice reminder of life in Glasgow. I also met a nice chap who happened to be sales manager for premium Glenmorangie whiskies and I humored him through an extensive sampling session, well into the morning.
Kids – part of the installation, it seems
Craig looking pensive / drunkA stonking hangover, healed only by the MacDonalds (the only open food hole in the morning) was partially soothed by the wonderful train ride, passing by Durham, York and Newcastle – all bathed in clear winter sunlight. Something you do not get in Taiwan.
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In the Bleak Mid Winter
The mountain biking in Taiwan this past year has been one of the major highlights, and a regular feature on schedule. I started riding at about 14, and my main riding buddy has always been my Dad. Many of our most memorable rides have been found in the gap between Christmas and New Year when the Peak District seems to deliver crisp, cold, clear weather.Somewhat contrasting the sub-tropical riding of Taiwan, today was one of the coldest mountain bike rides I have ever experienced. Starting at Chatsworth House, we ascended through fields of snow and frost, with the rock-hard mud punishing any mistakes. By the top of the first climb our extremeties were aflame with cold and both of us felt nauseous as our lungs attempted to return to the car. And you know it is really cold when your water bottles freeze, dishing up rather unwelcome Slush Puppies.
You have never tasted a more welcome pint of beer and pub fireplace, I assure you.
Dad Braves the elements
Old skool bikes – the lack of suspension was a real surprise
The boys on tour -
Christmas in England
After almost one year away, it is fantastic to be back. As a contrast to last year, which felt more like coming up for air, this year I feel much more confident and relaxed to be home. Much has happened in the last year, so I can only guess what is likely to happen in the next twelve months.
Mum!
Wandering back from the pub after a swift jar on Christmas Day
Grub’s up – home cooked food after a year away tasted so sweet
Dad gives Mum the lowdown on her present – the new GPS device – on a Boxing Day stroll in the local fields
I’m dreamin’ of a white Christmas
Grandpa works it for the camera
We are family -
Anke&Lars
George and I prepared a belated housewarming brunch to say farewell to Anke and Lars – two of the first friends I made in Taipei, and a pair that I will miss in the coming months.
I’ll miss their vitality, enthusiasm to entertain at their apartment and ability to make me feel lazy! Some of the most memorable times in Taiwan have been with them … but who knows, after their move to Shanghai perhaps we will be sipping tea on their balcony sooner than expected.
Ludvig, George, Martin (obscured), Marta, Anke, Lars, Michael, Tanja and Moi in our wee gardenSee you soon!
Postscript:
In the series of ‘no, this is their real farewell dinner’ dinners, this really was the final farewell dinner. It was very nice to be surrounded by the guys that have made the Taiwan experience what it is, and a few bottles of wine certainly did not hurt matters one jot.
Xie Guang Ling! -
La La Shan
4 metres into the ride and all is well …The ride of the year … 2 weeks of planning and avoiding bad weather were very nearly ruined 100 metres off the first climb when, losing a touch of balance / direction / control I veered off a cliff, landing 15 foot from the path, downwards.
… then my world shifts by 15 ft. Checked all the bits were attached. Took a photo.
Blurry, in more ways than one : “I’m okay!”Luckily, the sound effects of splitting bamboo helped break my fall and I landed, frozen in motion with my bike suspended 7 foot in the air, caught on the branches. Luckily – very luckily – I escaped with little more than an hour of mild shock and a rational fear of going near the edge again. Several handfuls of peanut M&Ms; later, however, and I was feeling a bit better.
This improvement was sadly checked by three and a half hours of the hardest, most gruelling, demotivating hike-a-bike that I have ever endured, the slippery singletrack only broken by trees pushing into the queue in front of us.
To cut a long and cold story short, we made it up to 8 Km by 12:00 (our designated cut off point) and started on the tough walking descent … but how much psychology is important! Our spirits returned with our energy and we were hopping over the trees without looking back once.
Motivated by the bright sunshine and dancing girls, Team 7-11-7 discuss race tactics7 Km of epic singletrack descending through Bamboo forests, with the distinct feeling we were in land of the giants, and being watched by bands of lycra-clad ogres.
And with steam whisping off our disk brakes as we return to the final bridge, there was no question we will be back next year. But time with better weather, felled trees, and a nice parking spot at the top of the trail with 16Km of some of the best descending available snaking out in front of us.
Back at base (after a rather shaky bridge ride)
Our trained maintenance crew inspects the bikes for water ingress