Back to Bangkok

Its jumping but not as we know it. I don't exactly know where the builders helmet was found but what started with a Belgium mate turning up at the hotdog stand with it ended with the police asking for our Hong Kong ID cards .....

Helmet heading as I think it should be called involved leaping off a short flight of steps while wearing said helmet with the intention of head butting a sign hanging some distance above and beyond them. All good clean fun I'm sure you'll agree but unfortunately a "disturbance" was reported causing us to make claims of being ignorant tourists and passports being in hotels then making a hasty retreat. Got to love Friday nights in HK!

Thailand Mk 2

When compared to my last trip to Bangkok this one was, as the locals would say, "same same but different". This time I was in Thailand to say hello and goodbye to Jen (flatmate from Sydney and wonderful savour of my surfboard) as she headed back to the motherland.

We did pretty much the same as last time I was out there though on this occasion we left the "bar" before ping pong balls were fired, unfortunately not before the string of razor blades were removed, I'll let you create that picture for yourselves!

Other than the show we did the tourist bit of visiting the big lying Buddha (46m long - yes that's big!) and the Wat Pho (big temple) as well as having a fantastic Thai massage that was just the right side of being painful, I'm now hooked. We also trawled the street markets to buy some fantastic bargains (got all sorts of cheap rubbish!) and once again fed a baby elephant.

Now scorpions, giant crickets and maggots may not be on the filthy clowns menu but are all actually fairly tasty when well seasoned, the worlds biggest cockroach however put my "hard to kill" theory in jeopardy.

I don't know how true it is but I've heard that the only creature on earth likely to survive a nuclear holocaust is the cockroach. In my book that means they're hard to kill, and the one I ate was a monster so should have been double brick hard. However although the exoskeleton made a satisfying crunch as I bit through it nothing could help the fact it tasted crap!

And now I'm back in the office and dreaming of hitting the road again so I best get on with some work the earn the pennies I'll need to fund my next adventure.

Bye for now,

Jonathan.


P.S. Congratulations Louise and Noreen or should that be well-done Craig and Brendan, good work!

Jonathan Partington
+852 6429 4092

Wheel chair tastic!!

It's taken the best part of two months to do it but, the big news is I've mastered the no handed wheelie on my all singing all dancing wheel chair. It may not sound that impressive but frankly you try it, I'm overjoyed with the achievement!

Now I know some people may feel its not especially PC for me to have two wheel chairs in my flat instead of dining chairs but... I don't think there's a person who's come to visit yet that hasn't at least sat in one of them and frankly they're great. If my mum had bought me one as a kid there wouldn't have been an issue with me running around creating merry hell for years, I'd of just been practicing holding the thing still and spinning on the spot!

I've had a full house since my last e-mail as Dawn, Ritu and Priya all came to visit HK at the same time. It was a great week, they looked after each other during the day so all I had to do was play host and take them out each night, which as one of my fortes was my pleasure. I think they had a good time and I certainly did, they were the perfect house guests, Dawn even bought me a rather funky bath mat!

In other news, I went to see Franz Ferdinand with a few friends on Valentines day night which was a step up from the beer and TV option I took last year. To be honest didn't really know them before the gig but it was great night, however I was rather disappointed to get back and discover the mail man had screwed up, all the cards I was sent had clearly been put in someone else’s letterbox, I hate that!

The only other event of worth in the last month was last Saturday night when I eventually get round to throwing a house warming party. In a flat that's only 682 sq ft there isn't a lot of room for such things but I'm quietly confident a good night was had by all.

Due mainly to my flatmates alcoholic tendencies we've been on first man terms with the bar manager from the pub opposite our flat since the day we moved in so he provided enough ice to half fill the bath. To complete the preparations we then topped up it up with cans of beer and bottles of vodka, gin and sparkling and still white wine. Frankly with that set up and a couple of wheel chairs even I couldn't fail!

And, as a closing thought in what's become a bit of an epic... have you ever blinked and when you open your eyes though its only been a fraction of a second you've suddenly somewhere that you don't quite know how you got there. I was on the top of a double decker tram in the middle of Wan Chai when my eyes opened a few days ago, I looked about and couldn't see another gwylow then realised I was calling myself a "white ghost" when did all this happen? Don't get me wrong I'm loving it out here but ever now and then I'm at a loss for how it is I'm not in England, contemplating settling down and tying to pay of a mortgage!

And with that I'll bid you farewell, I'm flying to Bangkok first thing in the morning so I'll hopefully have something exciting to say some time soon.

Jonathan

The Center
Hong Kong SAR