Saturday, April 5, 2014

Needed a bigger engine

Complaining is one of our great national pastimes with both the weather and public transport featuring high on our list of favourite topics. As a nation we always compliment other countries for running such efficient transport networks and Hong Kong was a fine example; its buses and trains consistently punctual, immaculately clean, spacious and air conditioned.

As I journey west through Asia, the attitude to travel seems to become more relaxed but this hadn't posed any problems having successfully travelled around Thailand by plane, bus, long boat and ferry. It wasn't until visiting one of the quieter, outlying islands that a different mode of transport was required - the tuk tuk. My friend and I had planned to hire a moped but it was soon apparent that the luggage wouldn't fit.

The tuk tuk in question was a moped and glorified side car with the capacity to carry two passengers and luggage - the only problem being this far exceeded the capability of the tiny engine. I know this feeling myself when cycling up some of the hills at home but somehow I always make it. Unfortunately no amount of will power was going to propel our make shift taxi up the third and final slope we encountered on our way across the island. Halfway up we came to a holt. My friend and I hopped out to push, but it was a little too late.

We eventually 'summited' the incline but the engine had overheated and would not restart. Thankfully Thailand is a safe and friendly country so it wasn't long before we were picked up by a passing truck and had to leave our tuk tuk, and it's driver, to cool down.                                                                                        

Missing home?

I'm aware I should never complain about being abroad as any opportunity to explore more of the world should never be passed but there is always a fear of missing something at home. I left the UK when the sun was shining and worried I was about to miss an early glimpse of summer that would be over once I returned. Other than the imagined perfect weather I also get a little frustrated at missing significant sporting events of which, in my opinion, there have been two so far. The first event I didn't even manage to find the results of until days afterwards - congratulations to the Exeter Chiefs for winning the LV Cup in front of a sell out home crowd. The second event was the Cheltenham Festival although I managed to substitute this with an evening of racing at Happy Valley Stadium, Hong Kong. The humid flood lit track set amongst a backdrop of high rise buildings and a colourful crowd made for an altogether unique experience.

My reason for visiting Hong Kong was not to find Westcountry cider (see 20.03.14) or to watch horse racing but to catch a boat. This might seem something of an understatement as I was in town to board The Adonia, P&O's seven hundred capacity cruise ship. Now I know I'm retired from sport but I would still class myself as too young to be going cruising and as it turned out the majority of the other passengers felt the same. I had to explain on several occasions that the purpose of my trip was work, not pleasure, although I wasn't completely convinced myself. Aside from a bit of after dinner speaking, I was lucky enough to enjoy some lovely weather and a once in a lifetime cruising experience.

Westcountry Girl

I am always proud of my Westcountry heritage and given any chance to represent this wonderful part of the UK, I will. Recently I had the honour of attending St James's Palace to present the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Gold award winners from the South West with their certificates. I remember starting the scheme and obtaining my bronze award before attempting the gold but soon realised the time and effort required for this would not fit around my swimming and sport commitments. Whilst presenting each certificate to these mature and polite young people it reminded me of the importance of life skills and achievements outside of pure academia.

On a slightly less serious note I had another proud Westcountry moment last week. I was in Hong Kong which admittedly used to be owned by Great Britain but other than the odd colonial building and significant amount of ex patriots there is little sign of this shared heritage; that was until I found a slightly quirky kiosk next to the ferry terminals. Whilst abroad I avoid all things British (and American) on principle and try to immerse myself in the local food and culture as much as possible, although there can be the odd exception. It was a sign for cider that caught my eye and on closer inspection I discovered this kiosk was selling Somerset cider and Devon crisps - I just couldn't resist.  

Shaking off the monkey

The monkey has been shaken off their back at last and history made - on Sunday afternoon Exeter Chiefs beat local rivals Bath for the first time in 36 years finally putting an end to a frustrating statistic. The Chiefs took the leap up into the premiership four years ago and haven't looked back since proving they belong amongst the top flight of English teams but one scalp had always eluded them. So many nail bitingly close encounters came and went including a twelve all draw at home last season and another close game away at the beginning of this season. Even though Bath have been on incredible form I knew this statistic had to change soon and I was determined not to miss it; so much so I changed my airline tickets to ensure I could attend this latest game.

It all seemed like painful déjà vu when less than thirty seconds after the whistle Bath had gone over for a try and at half time still had more points on the board. After another forty minutes of the closest and most exciting rugby I've seen this season Exeter Chiefs finally did it whilst also booking themselves a place in the LV cup final at home.

It made for a fantastic start to this trip and I managed to dash home to squeeze in a bit more rugby before heading to the airport. Another significant result saw England put things right against Wales and keep themselves in contention to win the Six Nations.

The only problem I have now is how to watch the finals of these respective tournaments from somewhere in the China Sea; a dilemma I shouldn't complain about but I'll explain more next week.