Running at altitude hurts
However you tend to find yourself having to do so behind skidoos when all the women in your family insist on trying to kill themselves just to get a ride in the ski patrol blood wagon. I'm back with my family for one week in 90 and they manage to break themselves, I'll not be going back again that's for sure!
It was really good to be back in the motherland and a warm glow of being home came over me as I sat on the Piccadilly line from Heathrow (though not from the heater which appear to only work for the square inch around my left ankle). I sat and enjoyed listening to the driver mumble details about minding the doors and other useful irrelevances, such a quaint personal touch compared to the sterile Hong Kong MTR (Mass Transit Railway) with its pre recorded sing song bilingual announcements and its perpetual air conditioned 21 degrees.
The main reason for the trip back, my family skiing trip to Courmayeur over Christmas, was superb. I have to confess I was a little concerned by the fact I was going to spend longer with my family than I had done in over 10 years but thanks to the girls (mum, Rachel and Jane) injuring themselves at regular intervals the pressure was taken off me and it was just great to be with them all again.
It's probably very unfair that I was one of only two of us not to get injures as I threw myself down every run in the resort with no real skill or style to speak of but then we already know I'm rather lucky! The place was admittedly a little icy by the end of the week (hence the injuries) but I can't help but love skiing and the Italian Alps and all the near death experiences were all forgotten or even enjoyed once indulging in plenty of vino caldo for apres ski.
I was back in London for New Years Eve and I don't need to say more than it was great to be back and a good few nights were had. Thanks to everyone that came out and sorry to those of you I failed to see. I got suitable drunk back in the old haunts and as with the family it was great to catch up and act up where people at least pretended to understood me as I staggered home in the early hours.
And now I'm back in the office and the Chinese working hours that involves, d'oh! I knew I was back in HK as I stepped into a toilet in the airport and heard the now familiar sound hacking from every cubical as the locals attempted to remove god only knows what from their nasal regions. That said I can't complain, life is good here and I'll hopefully be moving out of my cell into a spacious (ish) flat at the weekend.
So Happy New Year and bring on 2006!
Until the next exciting installment
Jonathan
Hong Kong SAR
+852 6429 4092
It was really good to be back in the motherland and a warm glow of being home came over me as I sat on the Piccadilly line from Heathrow (though not from the heater which appear to only work for the square inch around my left ankle). I sat and enjoyed listening to the driver mumble details about minding the doors and other useful irrelevances, such a quaint personal touch compared to the sterile Hong Kong MTR (Mass Transit Railway) with its pre recorded sing song bilingual announcements and its perpetual air conditioned 21 degrees.
The main reason for the trip back, my family skiing trip to Courmayeur over Christmas, was superb. I have to confess I was a little concerned by the fact I was going to spend longer with my family than I had done in over 10 years but thanks to the girls (mum, Rachel and Jane) injuring themselves at regular intervals the pressure was taken off me and it was just great to be with them all again.
It's probably very unfair that I was one of only two of us not to get injures as I threw myself down every run in the resort with no real skill or style to speak of but then we already know I'm rather lucky! The place was admittedly a little icy by the end of the week (hence the injuries) but I can't help but love skiing and the Italian Alps and all the near death experiences were all forgotten or even enjoyed once indulging in plenty of vino caldo for apres ski.
I was back in London for New Years Eve and I don't need to say more than it was great to be back and a good few nights were had. Thanks to everyone that came out and sorry to those of you I failed to see. I got suitable drunk back in the old haunts and as with the family it was great to catch up and act up where people at least pretended to understood me as I staggered home in the early hours.
And now I'm back in the office and the Chinese working hours that involves, d'oh! I knew I was back in HK as I stepped into a toilet in the airport and heard the now familiar sound hacking from every cubical as the locals attempted to remove god only knows what from their nasal regions. That said I can't complain, life is good here and I'll hopefully be moving out of my cell into a spacious (ish) flat at the weekend.
So Happy New Year and bring on 2006!
Until the next exciting installment
Jonathan
Hong Kong SAR
+852 6429 4092
posted by JP at 5:00 am
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