# OUT & ABOUT in JAPAN # ... 200 Meters to go

     "OK,  guys.  See you in the morning at Shinjuku station."

          It was Friday night and we had just finished a drinking session.  Tomorrow,  bright and early ,  Carlos,  Alex and I would meet at Shinjuku station at 7am,  crack open some beer and jump on a train to climb Mt. Fuji.  We were looking forward to the climb.  Fine weather had been with us for the last few days.  There was no full moon,  but still,  all looked promising. 

          On the train the usual antics of getting completely drunk,  doing runs to the toilet when possible,  drunkenly talking nonsense to the unsuspecting passengers and having a whale of a time went down a treat.  :))

# WONKY ENGLISH #

" 'ello  'ello  'ello,  what's up 'ere then? "   Looks a bit wonky to me  :))

Please,  who can sort out this wonky English?  It's just a tad wrong,  not much to do here.  Don't be shy. Want a hint?   Something needs to be extracted!!  :))

By the way ... this is the wickedest sport ever invented!!  I seriously suggest you give it a try. 

As they say in the U.S.A. ... have a nice day  :))

# INCREDIBLY TASTY VEGETABLE SLICE #

Like I say,  if I can make this then anyone can  :))

What you need:

                          Lots of yummy vegetables ... any are OK, it's the goodness once it's cooked that is the final product  :)

Around 6 - 8 eggs,  depending on how much you want to cook

1 cup of self raising flour

About 200 grams of Bacon

Cheese,  what ever you like for taste ... I'm a cheese freak so I use Cheddar and Parmesan

Some oil for cooking and some salt & pepper for taste

How to cook:   

You can pre-heat your oven a bit.  Then get the other stuff ready.

Lightly cook the Bacon until it's browned

Chop,  grate or slice your veggies how you like them,  fairly small is suggested then put them in a mixing bowl :))

Whisk the eggs and flour together then add to the veggies with your desired amount of salt & pepper.  Stir everything until it's blended together.

Pour into a shallow baking dish and cook until browned on top.

When finished let it cool for a little while.  But my suggestion is to eat it while it's quite warm and fresh!!  It's sooooo bleedin' delicious!!  :))

                           Enjoy  :))

# OUT & ABOUT in TOKYO #

     It's that time of year when the green leaves on the trees turn into a colour spectacular.  Carlos and I went to check it out,  and do some mountain biking at the same time  :))   Can you believe this place is in Tokyo??  Very cool  :))

    We found a winding river path and followed that for a while.  Eventually stumbling upon this place ... time for some lunch  :))

                     

     Later when the sun slipped behind the mountain it was time to get the fire flaming  :))

There had been some rain during the week.  The wood was wet so our fire lacked flames.

# WONKY ENGLISH # ... cats in a bag??

     It's here!!  The purrrfect product for the guy that just can't get enough  :))


               It's finally been put in a bag for the convenience of everyday use.  Directions for use:   just pick one from the bag,  add three drops of water,  wait while product inflates,  then enjoy at your pleasure  :))   Not reusable!!  Not intended for group use either  :))  Animals, other products and batteries are not included.   :))

# WILD STORIES of ADVENTURE # ... England to France, or just the South Part of England

     I'd only been in England for 3 years.  School was settled,  had some work and saved some money.  I was only 16,  and the thought of so many countries close by was a huge temptation. 

     There was a long weekend coming up soon.  I would have Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday off.  I entertained the idea of going on a short break to somewhere.  Paris came to mind.

STREET BEER INSIDE ... for a change :))

http://mobile.gnavi.co.jp/shop/b319000/

Street beer with style !!  Some of the guys wanted to head to a bar this time.  So we were off to the " O Lounge " in Shibuya.  Actually it's just around the corner from where we always have our street beer so we didn't need to travel very far. 

Good place to go to.  International is the flavour,  friendly staff,  clean,  groovy toilets ... the female toilet is much funkier ( errr ... how do I know that!?? ).  I had a peek ... whoops,  that sounds a bit kinky!!  No I didn't peek.  Anyway it's a cool place!!  The PIZZAs in the O Lounge are freakin' delicious!!

   Check out the link above to find out more of the " O Lounge "  in Shibuya   :))

                                   

CYCLING TO WORK

         Was on my way to work last week.  The bridge I cross is a good viewing point to check the weather around me.  I turned and saw this!!  Not a bad way to start the day I reckon  :))

# WILD STORIES of ADVENTURE # ... BANGKOK - AMSTERDAM & GREECE Part 2

     After spending some time in Somerset visiting tiny English villages and sampling the local beer and food it was time to head over to Greece.  Kim wanted to look around Athens for a few days before cruising over to the island of Symi.  We went via Amsterdam so we could sample some more local produce,  our flights also left from there too. 

# RECIPE # For Incredibly Tasty Hamburgers

     What You Need: 

                                Lots of Minced Beef
                                1 or 2 Large Onions ... depends how many you make
                                1 Carrot ... grated
                                1 Tub of Button Mushrooms
                                2 - 3 large spoons of Miso  -  optional
                                 Salt and Pepper to taste


      What You Do:

                                 I use 2 big mixing bowls because I like to make a lot of these  :))

                                 Slice the onions finely.  Grate the carrot. 

                                 Put everything except the Mushrooms in a bowl.  Mix it all up very well.  Grab a large clump of the mixture and make a ball.  Throw it between your hands quite hard,  this will clamp it down and make it a solid ball.  With your index finger poke a hole into the center.  Insert a mushroom.  Cook.  That's it ... simple huh  :))   I don't use a lot of vegetables with these because if you are using Miso then the flavour is quite strong and will overwhelm the veggies.

                                 They are really tasty and you'll thank me after you've eaten  :))   You may find yourself saying " WOW,  they are amazing !!"   :))


                                                 Cheers  &  Enjoy
                               

                               

         

# NATURE'S REVENGE #

      I was out and about in the mountains this summer looking for some new trails to ride.  The sun was shining.  The river down in the valley below was inviting me to go for a swim ... which later I did.  But what got me spinning  was being confronted with a sign eating tree!!  :))

                                   

# TALES FROM TOKYO # Need a Room ?



On my way home from Hakuba.  Mt. Fuji in the background  :))

          If you have never been snowboarding ... then get off your arse and try it   :))


   I used to ski a lot and have considerable experience.  Then one sunny snow packed day one of the two long things attached to my feet decides to cross over.  I was going quite fast.  I not only tumbled,  I back flipped,  somersaulted and spaghettied myself in a heap on the very cold snow.  I could already feel it was bad.  I wouldn't be walking very well for some time!!

   I'd twisted my right knee!!

WHAT'S NEW @ OUTDOOR SPACE

          Now,  if you want to be the boy on the block,  and you have a little cash to throw around ... then I suggest you head down to OUTDOOR  SPACE  and take a gander at these very cool pedals that have just come in!!  I kid you not,  the little gold things you see poking around the pedals ... are GOLD!!  Yep,  that's right!!  Talk about flashy!!  Your feet certainly won't slip off with these   :))  

             And another new item that's hot on the list and has just arrived @  OUTDOOR  SPACE are these trouser protectors.  Now that winter is settling in and we all have to wear longer pants,  trousers or a track suit ...  to stop the oil from our chain getting on our clean clothes,  these 100% leather protectors will do the job  :))

    Any questions??  Give the guys,  Yuichi or Fresh a call @ OUTDOOR  SPACE
                                                    
                                                     

A WONDER AROUND IN TOKYO

                    It must be one of the final warm days before the cold of winter sets in.  Fleece jacket in my bag,  neck warmer in my bag,  just need to roll up the sleeves on my T-shirt and I'm ready to hoon!!  Time to have a look around on my bike.  See what I can find today. 

                                                  
          The contrasts of the old and new are always fun to discover,  though sometimes the new has gone a bit rusty so it just looks old  :))  

                                                
          Cycled from where I live in Saitama all the way down to Tokyo Bay zig-zagging along the Ara River which seems to run forever.  Got close  to the new highest building in Japan that looks almost finished.  It's called the Sky Tree ... I think they should call it The Big Stick.  Really!!  It looks like a big stick sticking out of the ground. 

                                                            Cheers   :))

#WILD STORIES of ADVENTURE# ... BANGKOK - AMSTERDAM & GREECE Part 1

                     The end of my first summer back in Australia was coming to an end.  March was approaching and I had to get my ticket back to Europe sorted out.  It would be cool to have travel partner too.  Who would drop all they had to do to come on an adventure with me to various countries to have a wicked time as we travel to destinations unknown to us. 

          I had a job waiting for me on the island of Symi in Greece.  It didn't start until some time in April so there was plenty of time to enjoy the fruits of travelling to countries that are always at our doorstep.

"WONKY ENGLISH" ... or is it!!??

Now hold your horses a moment please!!  OK ... OK ... I understand that two sides of the same sex get it on with one another ... but come on!!  Now this kind of thing,  or should it be referred to as they say in the U.S.A.,  a Wiener,  or as we say in Australia,  a Wanger,  or as they say in England,  a Plonka ... is being sold in shops???  

They really need to FIX the name on this product for sure!!

!! CRIKEY !!       :))

A TRIBUTE ... for many

                      www.indonesia-tourism.com/west-java/pangandaran.html



                      I have recently been informed that most of the people I had met in the beautiful town of Pangandaran are dead!!

          One lady I did meet survived!

          She is a foreign lady that has a jungle style backpackers hotel just outside of town.  Though I say she survived,  she had multiple bones broken in her body.  Probably,  her pet fruit bat that hung outside her office died too!!

          Not much survived that day along the southern coast of Java in the deluge that happened unsuspectingly to all along the coast.  And to all the people that were consumed in other parts of the Indian Ocean,  so many kilometers away!!

          Tsunamis certainly are destructive!!

        
          My friend and I had been backpacking through Indonesia.  We started in Singapore and made our way through the amazing island of Sumatra down to the more cosmopolitan island of Java.

          Then one day we arrived at Pangandaran.  This small town on the coast with coconut tree lined beaches,  the small sanctuary of land that juts out to sea that was home to many cheeky monkeys,  the friendly smiling locals,  the delicious restaurants that lay near the beach, the very friendly Indonesian man that made name bands by hand .... the list is endless.  It was here at Pangandaran that we decided to take a rest from travelling for a while and relax in this relaxed town.

          We splurged and rented a cottage type bungalow just meters from the beach.  I certainly remember the bathroom because it was half open air and in the tropical atmosphere it was ... well,  a great place to take a shower!!  :))

          We met many people while staying in Pangandaran.  We met lots of locals.  We met Indonesians that were day trippers from Yogyakarta.  We met fellow travellers.  Never,  from all the people we met in the tranquil town of Pangandaran was there one complaint.  It was possible to hear a complaint about other parts of Indonesia,  but Pangandaran was everybody's getaway.  It was a place to unwind,  a place to get to know someone with whom there was no attachment,  a place of isolation,  or peace .... to feel you had got away.


                                    SUDDENLY,


                                    OUTRAGEOUSLY,


                                    CATASTROPHICALLY,

      
      .... with defenses down, .... but with no need to have any ....


                        .... the might of Mother Nature swept her hand across this peaceful and beautiful and friendly part of our world ....


                                             .... and closed so many eyes!!