# OUT & ABOUT in TOKYO #

http://omantourism.gov.om/

     Out & About in the big smoke today to see the Omani Cultural Event taking place at the Tokyo International Forum right here in the heart of Tokyo.  Actually,  one of the little girls I teach at school,  her parents work for the Omani Embassy and I was invited by them to go and have a sqiz.  It was Christmas day but what the heck. 

# WILD STORIES of ADVENTURE # ... Welcome to India Mate

We flew into Delhi Airport from Singapore totally looking forward to the next section of our journey!  A good friend of mine had provided me with a great deal of stories and history before I left Australia.  I was excited for sure! 

Darren and I walked off the plane.  Out at the baggage claim area we waited for our rucksacks to arrive on the conveyor belt,  slowly,  squeakily rumbling in front of us.  One can't help but notice a big difference between Singapore's airport and Delhi's airport.  All types of people were wondering around.  Disheveled people,  rotund mothers with babies slung across their chests,  tall bearded white robed men,  the odd business man and what looked like scruffy almost homeless people.  It was amazing to see so many different types of people in the airport.  What would we see outside ... in the country of India!?

# ON THE BOX #

                     http://www.videx.jp/detail/hobby/v_h_nhkep/hnhk0014_0001/index.htm



             Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... it's here,  it's what you've been waiting for,  the one and only ...


                         ... well maybe not as hyped as that!!  :)) 

    If you want to have a sqiz at what I do when I get invited by CR-NEXUS to film a show for NHK,  click on the link above and check it out. 

    Quick instructions as the site will come up in Japanese:

                                        so,  click on the link above,  hopefully a picture of myself and lovely Leng Leng ( she's from Singapore ) will come up,  just below the pic there will be a sentence written in Japanese,  this is a link that will take you to the main page about the show.  On that page below our picture there will be a small box,  inside the box are 2 highlighted boxes with some Kanji and DL highlighted in blue,  click on the left DL button to view ... it's that simple ...

                          caution:  what you are about to view could be seriously damaging to your sides ... try not to laugh too much please  :))

# WONKY ENGLISH # ... or just a trendy way to say it?

         Another bonus about living in Japan is the amount of vending machines for drinks.  They are generally cheap,  around $1 for a can.  There are choices in the machines.  You can buy hot drinks ... a real bonus for the long winters here,  and cold drinks.  These machines are almost on every street corner.  As long as you have some coins in your pocket there is no chance of ever being thirsty  :)) 

        But,  what is it about this particular can that seems so normal?  Well lucky I can read Katakana because there's a spelling mistake and it's become WONKY in the translation!!  :)) 

                             Can anybody see the WONKY ENGLISH is this picture?  :))

# WILD STORIES of ADVENTURE # ... FRANCE Part 2 ... the BIG BANG!!

The view from our apartment in Dinan

    

     After getting to know the village of Dinan and the guys who I went to school with a lot better,  plus the other the guys who I was working with,  there was always plenty of action going on.  There were about 10 of us living in our magnificent apartment over looking the main square of Dinan. 

     Summer in idyllic Dinan was a buzz every night. 

     We were all working from early morning until the early evening.  There wasn't a night that went by that didn't have some kind of frivolous adventure :))  Mainly drinking!! 

WHAT'S NEW @ OUTDOOR SPACE

Took a trip to OUTDOOR SPACE on my way back from work yesterday to see the guys and catch up on what's happening,  hadn't been there for a while.  Fresh,  the champion wheel builder,  showed me the new D3 helmet by Troy Lee Designs.  Man that is very cool!!  It's a bit pricey but I have a new Christmas present to put on my wish list  :))  If you have the D2 and are happy with that then a you've got to take a gander at the D3!!  It's sleek lines,  redesigned air intakes and added strength shell just looks the trick!!  Well worth the trip to your local bike shop,  well if they have any left in stock that is  :))

Also on my wish list is the DA Bomb DH frame!!  GIVE  IT  TO  ME ... NOW!!  Grunge,  Speed,  Jumping Power and Smooth-ability  just oozes out of this baby!! 

    ... check the guys out @  OUTDOOR  SPACE

# WILD STORIES of ADVENTURE # ... First Greek Expedition

http://www.symigreece.com/

        I'd just quit my long term ... err,  everything in London!  Job,  apartment,  car and drinking spots!

        I had saved quite a few "air miles" up,  enough for 2 people to go somewhere.  So I called my mate Chris back in Somerset.  "Lets do a cheapy!  Where shall we go?"

        Chris suggested the island of Rhodes in Greece.  I'd never been to Greece before.  It sounded good.

        We like to do things on the cheap when we go somewhere.  ( The winter before we hitch hiked from Somerset all the way to the Cairngorm Mountains in the middle of Scotland,  in 17 hours!  But that's a story for later ). 

# WONKY ENGLISH?? # ... or not!?

        English really makes embarrassing things or situations into funny times,  like now for instance.  Take the interesting title or name for this .... err,  drink for example.  In English this could be called "Brake Wind Juice" ... or,  "Bottom Burp in a Bottle" ... or,  "That Was Silent, But Deadly" ( the type of gas that usually stinks too much!! ) ... or,  referring to the colour of this juice it could be "Green Gas Makes You Go" ... could be sold as a brother to Red Bull ... "it gives you wings",  well judging by the colour of this drink,  or gas,  I think you would be rocketing somewhere for sure after letting out that ... err ... stuff!!

                                                                     Cheers   :))

# OUT & ABOUT # ... In Central Tokyo

Just the other night I was cycling home and discovered that an area close to where I work had been spruced up quite a bit  :))  This is Omotesando Street right in the heart of Tokyo.  This street stretches close to a kilometer long and the effect of all the lights is quite dramatic  :))  If you live in Tokyo or near by in the surrounding suburbs then it's well worth a visit to see this  :))

The streets are quite busy with all the "rubber necks"  :))  ( a rubber neck is someone that is always looking at something,  their head is turning in all directions ) taking pictures either with their mobile phones or cameras.  And unfortunately the overhead crossings have been closed so the best place to take a picture is by running out into the street and standing in the middle of the road  :))  

         

So,  go on ... get OUT & ABOUT   :))

# OUT & ABOUT in JAPAN # ... Izu by bike

From left to right ... Jared, Me,  Kaz and John

     The monthly meeting seemed like the best place to ask the guys if they wanted to cycle around the beautiful peninsula of Izu with me in a couple of months time.  There was a good response.  6 wanted to go.

      Roughly 2 weeks before take off the list had dwindled down to 1.  John from the U.S.A.  was really keen.  He even went out and bought new items in preparation.  Another guy who used to work with us,  Jared from New Zealand,  was going too and was bringing his Japanese friend Kaz.  Another friend of Jared's,  Masa,  would be joining us along the way but he didn't have a bike.  He was going for the fishing.  Where ever we camped,  he would make his way by bus and meet us at the camping point and fish until we made contact with each other. 

A bonus ... sunsets like this  :))

# WONKY ENGLISH #

         OK!!  Who wrote this!?  This is WONKY work at it's best.  First of all,  who ever heard of getting inspiration from work??  Ha ha,  just joking  :))  Any ideas how to fix this wonky English?  Give it your best shot ... it's an easy one  :))

                                           Cheers & enjoy  :)) 

# OUT & ABOUT in TOKYO #

On the train early in the morning to meet John and this is what I'm greeted with ... Good morning Mt. Fuji  :))

          Went searching for some new trails today in the mountain ranges of Okutama that are a part of metropolitan Tokyo.  Just one hour by train from the city center,  or if you have a car then expect to take longer because the traffic is chockas ( busy )anywhere over here!  :)