Tuesday, January 24, 2006
the gang. L-R: sacha, mike angie, yumi, Jon, Liz, Veronica, Sam, Pete and myself.
ed ed at 3:35 AM
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{xoxo}
what it's all about! Naeba mountain, Niigata-ken, just north of Gunma.
ed ed at 3:34 AM
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Angie and Sam's beast, The Rasheen, being packed up and readied for another trip to the hills. we had a great 3 day weekend straight after our trip to China in northern Gunma. there were 9 of us in total, snowboarding, drinking and cavorting. good times.
ed ed at 3:32 AM
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Sacha and I in Sach's van on the way up to the mountains. December 23rd. little did we know of the enormous traffic jam that lay in wait ahead. nor of the 3 hours of sleep we'd be forced to take, with a broken heater, in the very same van, in a cold, lonely lay-by. still, we rode hard the next day, sure enough.
ed ed at 3:29 AM
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The Forbidden City as seen from a nearby hill. Central Beijing. Both Mike and I were shocked to discover that the audio tour guide to the Forbidden City, that we'd both declined, was narrated by the man himself, Roger Moore. poor show boys, poor show.
ed ed at 3:28 AM
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just like that great scene in 'big trouble in little china'. what's happening? 'it's a Chinese stand-off, don't make a sound'.
ed ed at 3:27 AM
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chinese alternative medicine has no time for those with dignity. wax clearage, Beijing.
ed ed at 3:27 AM
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The Chairman Himself. and that Mao character.
ed ed at 3:25 AM
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Mike making friends. Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
ed ed at 3:25 AM
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a couple of ponces mincing about talking rubbish.
ed ed at 3:23 AM
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the wall through a window.
ed ed at 3:22 AM
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irene decided she'd had enough and started her descent.
ed ed at 3:22 AM
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i ran up here just to get this shot. then i walked back.
ed ed at 3:21 AM
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the wall.
ed ed at 3:20 AM
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our chinese-italian friend irene deep in negotiations with the big boss man. after 20 minutes he finally relented and allowed us onto the wall for roughly a quid each. we had the entire stretch to ourselves and it was magnificent.
ed ed at 3:19 AM
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one of the 'guards' that we managed to bribe to allow us onto the wall.
ed ed at 3:18 AM
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the lovely ladies who gave us cheap massages, and nothing else. infact, when mike went to remove one of his three pairs of trousers, so that he could actually feel the leg massage he was receiving, the girl freaked out! bless her. we went and visited these two a few times afterwards to chat. incredibly friendly and cool girls.
ed ed at 3:18 AM
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{xoxo}
Mike is stoked with the amount of head-room his top-of-three bunk affords. that enthusiasm soon turned to frustration, anger, tears, and finally apathy.
ed ed at 3:13 AM
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a kind street vendor responds to the question 'how many mouthfuls before we grimace and throw it all in the bin?'. greasy food fried in week old oil, Shanghai old sector.
ed ed at 3:13 AM
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cheap feasts, the only way to keep your body warm in China.
ed ed at 3:12 AM
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comrade Mike Shadrachmaninov infront of the Summer Palace in the dead of winter.
ed ed at 3:12 AM
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fun and games outside the Summer Palace, Beijing.
ed ed at 3:10 AM
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oh lord, it hurts to just remember this evening. 11.30pm on an overnight train to Shanghai. we bump into Shen, a particularly friendly 'businessman' who is eager to buy us beer, practice his english, buy us beer, chat, buy us beer. 18 bottles purchased, he drank one. ouch. great chap!
ed ed at 3:07 AM
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another one of me standing infront of something. Shanghai.
ed ed at 3:05 AM
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a typical Chinese train. please pay special attention to the gentleman to the right of the photo.
ed ed at 3:04 AM
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these two unfortunate souls sat opposite mike and i on the train back to Shanghai. the cheap beer flowed, the silliness kicked in, and the laughter was laughed....
ed ed at 3:00 AM
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fancy boat on a large lake, the name escapes me, a 2 hour train ride from Shanghai.
ed ed at 2:57 AM
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yep, still got the skills after all these years....ahem.
ed ed at 2:56 AM
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Shanghai.
ed ed at 2:56 AM
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ice cold. literally.
ed ed at 2:55 AM
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Mike striking a mean vogue in the middle of Shanghai's busiest street, Nanjing Lu, 8pm on New Year's Eve.
ed ed at 2:54 AM
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this little oik threw bangers at us.
ed ed at 2:51 AM
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mid-alleyway pig-slaughtering session. definitely not one to miss.
ed ed at 2:50 AM
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Mike waxes lyrical with some stone-cold chillers.
ed ed at 2:49 AM
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if you've ever tried to picture someone cleaning out entrails and intestines in a small chinese alleyway, your endeavours may cease.
ed ed at 2:49 AM
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Mike gets 'crazy eye' after spending too long enjoying the intricate carvings. or was it the cheap coke we picked up??
ed ed at 2:48 AM
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this honestly is sacrificial pig's blood. i tell no lie. it was splashed around the gates of the small town we visited in the middle of nowhere. why? i don't know.
ed ed at 2:48 AM
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{xoxo}
at one of the many peaks of yellow mountain, one of china's most famous natural wonders. ironically called 'brightness top'. the weather wasn't with us that day.....
ed ed at 2:45 AM
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south africa's finest doing something my father would describe as 'buggering about'. temple of heaven, beijing.
ed ed at 2:45 AM
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awww!!
ed ed at 2:44 AM
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there's not a lot to do on a train journey regardless of the country you're in. beers and gin rummy were the order of the day. look at that pout!
ed ed at 2:40 AM
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nope, not a borstal for young offenders, our accommodation aboard the train from huangshan to beijing. 20 hours of joy.
ed ed at 2:40 AM
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{xoxo}
as the beautiful chinese countryside whizzes by outside, mike entertains himself on our 20 hour train ride back to beijing. these quality toys can be purchased from the lovely lady pictured for a paltry sum. class.
ed ed at 2:36 AM
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{xoxo}
here's a lovely shot of the local team that i play for. we are the Chiyoda-machi Yakuba Soccer Team! (chiyoda-town town-hall team). This shot was taken early November at the start of the Chiyoda town soccer festival. We only played one game against a chiyoda factory team. We won, mainly due to the guy in blue, the guy next to him and the guy second from left (standing). These three are high-school and university lads, shit hot ringers to prop up the rest of the team. still, a superb bunch of blokes, i certainly feel very fortunate to have been invited to play for the team during my time in chiyoda.
ed ed at 1:01 AM
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{xoxo}
Thursday, January 19, 2006
a great, free, boiling hot onsen at the main gates of mount dread. both robbie and i vowed to build something similar to this when we are rich, although we seem to say that about every onsen we visit!!!!
ed ed at 5:43 AM
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the main shrine at mount dread (osure-zan).
ed ed at 5:42 AM
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mount dread (honestly that's its name) aomori, northern honshu (main island) japan. one of the most atmospheric places i have ever visited. people travel here from all over japan, even though it's tucked up in the far reaches of northern japan, to make small shrines for their dead children. it is eerily quiet but for the cawing of very large, very black crows who inhabit the area. the plastic mills are everywhere, marking out the different shrines, some of which have photos of and personal effects belonging to the child. moving stuff.
ed ed at 5:41 AM
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when it comes to attention to detail some people are clearly better than others. the ultimate auto accessory? probably.
ed ed at 5:38 AM
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nearing the end of day 3. tired, happy.
ed ed at 5:37 AM
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change of scenery, same hike.this mountain's an active volcano.
ed ed at 5:35 AM
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{xoxo}
