Greetings From HK

So i'm writing this from a very posh hotel in Hong Kong. I decided to take a trip over here to renew my visa and find out what all the fuss is about. It's a fanatstic place. Springs arrived so it's T-shirt weather.It's not soaked in yet but I'm going to be sorry to leave (but I don't think my ever lame wallet will agree)but I need to work.
I arrived here yesterday with Don, who's in another city doing some businessmantypethings, so we got here at midnight and then went out for a few beers down this trendy street (cue 4 pounds for a pint of Tetleys) Now, dear readers, I haven't tasted that milk of the yorkshire angels in a 'mighty' long time and you know what, it tasted 'muchos muchos bien' (I told you I'm learning Spanish?)So I come to the most cosmopolitan city in the east and order Tetley Smooth bitter..............you can take the boy out of Manchester.......etc.
So yeah, it was good to get out with The Don, catch up, swap some stories and so on.....very good night. I was staying at a hostel (3 square metre room with bunk bed for a tenner???!!) so I woke up with the obligatory sore neck and such like and trundled down to the consul to sort my visa out.....that was really boring. Anyhoo, I then had a wee trip around this great place. I went to Hong Kong harbour and took a ferry across it....HK Harbour is like a cross between 'The Apprentice ' and 'Miami Vice', there are helicopters speeding through the sky, yachts, business monkeys everywhere, bad suits, good suits etc. So that was pretty cool.
So Hong Kong is now a part of China-I think it's called a municipality-but it's probably not, we gave it back a few years ago, which I think is a good thing. Although it's part of mainland China it couldn't be more different. The Hong Kongese people are really polite and speak great English, if you need help in Hong Kong, just stand in the street with a map and a really confused look on your face (I tried to remember the words to Shaddapa Ya Face) and someone will say 'Excuse me sir....do you need help!!!' That would rarely happen anywhere else in China.
Anyway, I'll blog some more soon, I'm going back to Hangzhou tonight, then doing a gig tomoz and then up to Shanghai for a few days.
So all in all Hong Kong is the place to be, a city built on a mountain. How cool is that?
I was thinking before (whilst on the ferry) that us Brits should be proud of our old colonial days. OK, putting aside the raping, pillaging, setting up dictatorships in far off places and all that, we have taught a few few people a few manners. Maybe we should reinstate the idea of The British Empire and take over China for a couple of hundred years?!
The views expressed in this blog are by no means a reflection or any likeness to the actual opinions of any bald headed, guitar playing balloon that is currently residing in China.
Until next time
Ciao

Whitsunday Islands

Sue: Some more photos to make you jealous! I have just come back from cruising the whitsundays, it was amazing! It was a catamaran with 24 people on board and we did lots of snorkelling at different sites, saw sea turtles, angel fish, wrasse, parrot fish and little nemos!

We even had dolphins swimming next to us whilst they were barbequeing at the back of the boat one night......loved it!

The weather was gorgeous too, although the first day the sea was very rough and one poor girl was puking the whole time and we had to drop her off at a resort, I was really paranoid I would get sea sick but it was all good!

The photos are from Whitehaven Beach, where we spent all morning there, gorgeous white sand and blue water, dont think the photo does it justice...truly paradise!

Next stop is Great Keppell Island for a few days of R&R...cant wait!

Hope everything is ok with you all and that the snow has gone.....speak soon

Photos!

What a crazy week in Oz!

Sue: Well its been the best and most crazy week ever since I arrived here in Oz!! I have been scuba diving on the barrier reef which was amazing! Not the colours on the postcard like I expected but they blame that on the seasons/venue etc so may try again further down the coast. After my trial in Thailand I really wasnt sure about Scuba again and thought I would snorkel instead, until the instructor convinced me...I felt so good after it! We saw a big turtle and lots of fish and as we got on board the boat a shark arrived!! Quite glad I didnt see that as I reckon I would have had a panic attack! Not a good idea under water!!
The next day I went on Uncle Brians tour which was a fun bus doing lots of singing and playing games on the way to the most beautiful waterfalls and rainforests. I have a photo of me doing the timotei advert under the waterfall flicking my hair back...it had to be done!
Then after a couple of days on my own I met my new pal Diane who is from Scotland, she is travelling alone too and we have got on so well we have decided to continue the trip together! We have had such a laugh and met loads of great people who we hope to meet up with again later on!
We have also been up to Cape Tribulation and the River Daintree. This is where the main rainforest is and we spotted huge spiders bigger than my hand! aaah!
The river crossing was for crocodile spotting, although again the wrong season, we did see one on the bank but not sure if it was a rubber one!
We stayed in the rainforest, very scary and noisy! Also a wild cassowary was roaming loose which was like a huge emu, we were told not to turn your back on it as it would think its a game, just shout and scream...no probs there!
The following day we went Horse Riding on the beach, I was the only beginner in the group, but I asked to gallop and canter with them once I felt confident and apparently they called me a natural!! We hooked the horses up after a couple of hours and had a swim in a creek and then carried on...just like a film! I really enjoyed it but I was soooo sore the next day...I definately had the John Wayne walk!
After a week in Cairns I have moved down the east coast 2 hours to a place called Mission Beach, very chilled out place and the main reason for coming here is to SKYDIVE! Yes I did it!! That has to be the highlight of my trip so far, so exhilarating and soooo much fun! It is all on DVD so will show you all when Im back! I jumped from 14000 feet which means 60 seconds free fall and then 5 mins with the parachute gliding down over the barrier reef and landing on the beach! Amazing experience which I would love to do again, maybe in NZ over the glaciers......watch this space!
We now have the next 2 weeks booked up, tomorrow we are off to Magnetic island for a few days, where we stay next to a Koala sanctuary, then onto Airlie Beach, Whitsunday Islands and finally Fraser Island (cant wait chev!).
Hope you are all ok, I am back on my oz number 61416792255 if you wanna text me, reception is a bit sketchy in some places so dont worry if I dont reply straight away....miss you all xxxx

http://www.morehangzhou.com/venue/nightlife/bars/events-243.html

Salvador Dali's Son Keith and Nils
'I will survive'? By any chance?
the Saki bombers took their toll on Gavin and Iains facial muscles
Camilla and Mac shaking their thang.

OK, so I just got up and I thought I'd tell you about last night....it was great, if not a bit scary! As I mentioned in the last blog, I'm now bar manager at one of the best bars in this place, riht next to the lake, 1st floor veranda...the works. So I have no previous experience of working in a bar and apparantly (as my mate who recomended me said....thats perfect). So I gets to the bar, the sound system is incredible, so straight away I was putting the tunes on. You lot will be pleased to know that I was playing songs that reminded me of people back home.........songs like....'When the Sun Goes Down', 'Take me Away', 'Don't Go Away', The Boys are Back in Town' ....you know who you are! I pretended I was the DJ at 'Tokyos' or the longtime closed but forever remembered 'Dreamers'. I also got a big video screen so I bought a load of dodgy music DVD's and played them too....I had a great time, and I think everyone else did. I took it upon myself to greet people when they came in and become there best friend for 10 minutes. it was good and I'm sure it'll get better. I heard that the lady who owns the place tends to hire us foreigners until we build up the clientel and then fire us , so that should be fun. It was great cos a lot of people I knew came in for a bit of support which was much appriciated. I had 3 beers between 9 and 2am which in itself made me question my mental state.
The only complaint that I had was from a 70 year old balding american guy with a combover and a chinese friend. He was telling me how good it used to be and was pulling his face at my 808 state remix of Fools Gold. He also said that it used to be a lot better when they had a live band....as he was saying this the 'Basil Fawlty' side of my charachter was saying 'I'm sorry to tell you sir but Glenn Miller isn't available to play in china....he's actually dead' but that thought didn't connect with my mouth muscles for a change. But apart from the that it was pretty much a success.
So 'm about to do my 'Saturday Night Playlist' and then go to look at an apartment, buy some jeans, get a train ticket for Shanghai and go and meet Don and Co. Hope all is well over there. Send some cool music please.
Missing y'all, if you're out tonight and a bit bored, get a taxi and ask the driver to take you to 36 Hubin Lu, West Lake, Hangzhou......it would be good to see you.....I have just done a quick calculation and it would cost approx £5,762.20p on Rollers' current rate, but come over it'll be good.
Hasta la vista Baby
LoVePeaCeandShEEp
Gav

I have a wage!!!!!

Howdy or Ne Hao reader, How's thing? Just thought I'd put a little bloggette on whilst I am at the printers here in Hangzhou. Why am at a printers? Well, I am now officially Bar Manager of Paradise Bar and restraunt on the West Lake here in this city. I got asked to try it for a month and it's my first night tonight. I say bar manager, I have been assured by the lady owner that my duties will be to invite my friends, play my favourite music and tell her what drinks to buy in and what price to sell them for. Life is hard at the mo. As all of you who know me know, I do like a tipple and also -some might say annoyingly-love to say to people (often strangers) 'Have you heard this song???It's great, listen to the words'....well as far as I am aware thats my job now, it's well paid and I am even giving English lessons to the owner and her kids. This together with my regular gig on Tuesdays means I now have a wage and enough to save a lot! It's pretty much as good as it gets at the mo............just waiting for something to come along and mess it all up.
I'm off to Shanghai on Sunday, cos it's an amazing place and it's going to be my weekend retreat for a while. My mates recording an album so I'm helping him with that.
So why am I at a printers? Getting the drinks specials sheets printed for tonight...I have just been passed them by the girl who's done them...........all looks good, right back to the office for me now, to drink lots of redbull and become Pete Tong.
Laters Taters

My kiwi pals

Sue: My last day in New Zealand, had a few good nights out with all the friends I have made here.

Friday night my work mates organised a BBQ as a bit of a send off for me which was great!

Had a drunken night and crawled home in the early hours, only to remember I had to be in work in 3 hours time.....aarrgh!!

Last night I went out with Tracey & Steve and some of their friends to the Viaduct in the City, we went to a restaurant called Wildfire which is a Brazilian BBQ where its all you can eat...good if you were on the atkins diet or you are a true caveman!!! The waiters come around with big knifes with the meat skewered on and carve off as much as you like! All different meats and seafoods.....you have a traffic light system too to tell the waiters when you want a break or when you want more more more meat...bring it on!!

So will be sad to leave NZ and my friends, but promised I will be back soon! Sorry Steve!