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Layout changes

I’m trying out a Javascript hack to get the Blogger bar to hide unless you hold your mouse over the top of the page. When I publish to my own site, I’ll be able to do away with this, as it’s a bit ugly.

As you will have noticed, I’ve changed the layout around a bit, to make this look more like northlandboy.com. There’s still plenty of issues to work through, and I’ve only just started working through some areas like comments. I can’t get rid of the blogger bar across the top yet, so there’s some overlap going on there, which I haven’t worked out how to get rid of yet. There are also quite a few problems if you make your window too small (i.e. much smaller than 800×600) in IE – Safari seems OK though.

Don’t even think about looking at the underlying code either, it’s a right mess. Currently I’m doing it with Blogger’s inline styles, modified to look my normal stylesheet, but what I need to do is do it properly, and add a few styles to my main stylesheet, then get the Blogger template to reference an external stylesheet, like it should really do.

Once I get things working as I want them too, I’m going to change it so that the blog is published to northlandboy.com/blog. When I do that, I’ll be able to get rid of the Blogger bar.

If you’ve got any comments/suggestions, feel free to post them. Like I said though, don’t expect anything pretty if you start digging into the code – there’s a lot of kludge from the way it developed – took the Blogger template, pasted in my own, then hacked about a bit to try and combine them.

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Which ****ing team do you support?

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I now own a Thorn Raven bike. I’ve started getting out and about on it, and exploring some of London’s cycle network. The UK has a pretty extensive national network, created by Sustrans – some 10,000 miles or so. London also has many local bike routes marked out. The national ones tend to be more protected, with plenty of off-road (paved) sections, whereas the local ones may have a small lane at the side of the road.

The local ones are extensive though, and are handy for riding around, mainly for helping you not get too lost. I’ve ordered a few free maps of the local ones, to try and work out some nice rides around the magnificent borough of Croydon. The problem I’m having with riding around here is that it’s all pretty flat, and if you go off the main roads, it’s pretty easy to get lost, since there’s so many meandering little streets.

But anyway, last Saturday I decided to ride up the Waterlink Way, from Croydon up to Greenwich. A very nice Saturday morning ride it was too, perfect weather, and much of the ride off road, or at least on very quiet roads. All flat too, which is good for the distances/average speeds, but perhaps not so good for the fitness. It was nice to be able to go out, ride 50km, have time to get home and shower, eat, then make it to the rugby. Most other people there watching the rugby had probably only just gotten out of bed.

I was riding through a small park, when a young guy approached me. He wanted to know if I’d seen any Millwall football fans. I said no I hadn’t, why was he looking for them “Because we’re gonna ****ing do ’em.” I told him that I thought that was a bit harsh, and asked why. He seemed not to comprehend the ‘why’ part. “We’re just gonna ****ing do ’em.” Then he started wondering about me – “What team do you support?” I told him I was a New Zealander and didn’t follow anyone (or for that matter, care or understand). Having established I was definitely not a Millwall supporter, he was quite pleasant to me. It was interesting that we were casually discussing causing grievous bodily harm to other people, but I never felt threatened personally. I told him I thought it he would be better off enjoying the nice weather, and just having a good time with his mates, but he was still pretty keen to find the other team’s supporters. With that, we shook hands, and he went back to drinking with his mates in the park. It was 9:00am. Long day coming up I guess. And it was Stella they were drinking, which sums it up really.

Semi-related to that, I haven’t quite worked it out, but people seem to find you a lot less threatening when you’re on a bike. I was on the train with my bike, and got talking to a couple of guys on there way home from work. Within a few minutes, one of them was telling me his life story, and how much he regretted having never been able to take off and travel the world, etc…. Now this might not be all that big a deal, but for those of you who know London public transport, you will understand how rare it is to speak to other people on public transport. To many, speaking to them is tantamount to physical assault. It’s amazing how close you can be to other people without making eye contact.

But anyway, the plan is to ride to Brighton this weekend, then get the train back. Living in East Croydon makes that pretty straightforward – just follow the main road down, then the train will bring me right back to here, no problems at all. Distance-wise, it’s going to be a bit of a challenge, considering where I’m at right now with my bike fitness, but I figure that if I set out early, and take it easy, I’ll be fine. I can always stop for refreshments. Plus, if I’m going south, it’s downhill, right?

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Back in saddle again

Both literally and figuratively. After nearly 5 months of not working, I’m now about to start work again. I’ve just completed contract formalities for a 3 month contract in Croydon, south London. It’s all going to be a bit of a shock to the system having to go into work each day. A man can get used to the sort of lifestyle where you don’t really know – or care – what day of the week it is. However, money just seems to fall out of your pocket walking down London streets, so getting paid will be good. Probably good that I don’t have to wear a suit every day though.

I’ve also just picked up my new bike – a Thorn Raven Tour. It’s a pretty cool bike, although it’s not going to win any beauty contests. However, it is a tough bike, built for riding around the world. Not sure that I’ll ever do that in one go, but country by country I’ll manage it. It’s not cheap either, but I figure if I can still be riding the same frame and some of the components in 10 years time, then it’s worth it. One of the things making it so expensive is the Rohloff hub – rather than a derailleur like most modern bikes, it has a sealed rear hub, with 14 gears, all internal. Just one sprocket visible at the rear, and one chain ring at the front. It has the same range as a 27-speed system, but in larger steps. The basic idea is that if you can seal all the working parts, then your maintenance becomes more or less non-existent. All I have to do is change the oil every 5,000km or so, and keep an eye on the shifter cable. I’ll add a section to my website in the next few weeks with pictures and specs.

Not only am I now gainfully employed, I am also no longer homeless! I’ve just finished sorting out getting a flat in Croydon. A nice flat, with a bit of a back yard, somewhere to put the bike, and a greenhouse even. I could start growing tomatoes. Definitely have to have some kitchen herbs. You can’t live in London without a minimum 1 hour commute on a cramped tube, right? Or failing that, at least an unreliable bus that only turns up when the driver feels like it? Well, I’ve got a pretty tough commute – a 5 minute walk. I think I only need to cross one road. Plus East Croydon is pretty well-served by trains and trams. I can get to London Bridge or Victoria in around 15-20 minutes, and trains run regularly all through the day. There’s even late night trains, so I can go out to say Clapham, and get the train back, no problems. Plus Gatwick Airport is one stop on the train from here, so planning a few city breaks should be pretty easy. And there’s even a Walkabout in Croydon! Hmm, actually maybe it’s not so great here…

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Wandering Minstrel

Well, I’m still an unemployed bum. Rather than sit around all day though, I’m putting my time to use, by wandering around Southern England.

I went up to Bridgwater the other day, to order my bike, followed by trips to Brighton, Winchester and Salisbury. I hadn’t realised that Brighton was quite so popular amongst the gay community. I found myself in a gay pub – think normal British pub, but where you get better service/attention from the barman. What was probably more disturbing though was that I didn’t have anything to drink there – I was just there to eat and watch the football. It was actually quite a nice pub.

Winchester is a lovely town, and the place I stayed at was just fantastic. The Dolphin House Studios would be easily the best place I’ve stayed at in months. Well worth checking out if you’re passing through. Because of that, and because I was just enjoying being in Winchester, I stayed a couple of nights. A nice town, with a lot of history behind it.

Salisbury next, to visit Stonehenge. I know, I know, everyone will tell you how much of a disappointment Stonehenge is, but I felt that since I was in the area, I really had to go and see it, get it out of my system. It was livened up a bit by a bunch of Druids performing some sort of odd ceremony. I wonder if anyone’s told them that the Druids didn’t build it? I dunno, it looked to me like they’d put on funny robes so they could walk amongst the stones, unlike most visitors. Probably got in for free too. Maybe they’re not as stupid as they look…

But I’m back in London now, for a couple of days at least, until I push on, visit somewhere else. I guess I’ll just keep moving around, until I can find a suitable contract. I wish it was cheaper to travel here though – it’s costing at least 10x as much to get a place to stay as in Egypt. Still, the plumbing does tend to work here.

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And these are some of my favourite things…

Someone asked me the other day about some of the highlights – here’s some of them, excluding my time in Crete:

  • Best journey – sitting on the back of a scooter, wearing full backpack, getting a lift from Olympos up to the main road. About 11km of narrow, winding roads, on a small scooter. Certainly a lot more fun than the minibus, although perhaps not quite so safe…
  • Best country – has to be Turkey. Nice people, nice place, so much to see and do. I could (and will) go back and spend a lot more time there. Just a nice, relaxing, low stress place to travel. A little more expensive than I expected, but I imagine that will only get worse if/when they ever join the EU, which I hope they do. Jordan would be the second-best country I think – again, it’s the people that make it. After all the hassle of Egypt, it was so nice to be in Jordan.
  • Best town – Goreme, in Cappadocia, Turkey. If I didn’t force myself to leave when I did, I could still be there. Just a crazy landscape, with a lovely relaxing town to base yourself in. Heaps of good, well-priced places to stay in too. Go to the Kose, and get Spotty the dog to take you for a walk through the valleys.
  • Best experience – getting a haircut, shave and massage in Turkey. My head has never been so well looked after. I’ve never had a haircut involving a lighter before. I don’t know how many different steps were involved in the complete procedure, but it’s not that expensive, and such a cool thing to do. Cut-throat razors certainly make for a smooth shave.
  • Scenery – would have to be in the Sahara, just feeling lost amongst the vastness of it. You start to understand why the Arabs think of it as a sea. Just a feeling of vastness, and terrible power and beauty. Second place would be Cappadocia, for all the weird land formations.
  • Graeco-Roman sites – Leptis Magna in Libya is pretty hard to beat. A huge city, with only part of it uncovered. The ampitheatre is particularly well-preserved.
  • Best city – on this trip, but outside the Middle East would be San Francisco. In the Middle East, Istanbul was awesome. Amazing location, with huge oil tankers cruising right through the middle of the city.
  • Best bar (outside Crete) – Spitfire Bar, in Alexandria. Like a Bangkok bar, but without the girls. Quoting from their business card in front of me ‘If yoy come to Alexandria, dont miss to drop into the “Spitfire Bar” where you will find good drinks And any kind of Music.’ Quite. I liked their system for keeping track of how much you’ve had – rather than throw out the empties, they create a pile just for you, then count them up when you go. So much easier than paying per beer.
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Some of my favourite people

I’ve been thinking a bit about some of the more interesting people I met while on the road. Unfortunately I don’t have names recorded for all of them. In no particular order, here’s a few quick portraits:

  • At a bar in San Francisco, I was sitting next to Mark (and his wife who looked like an aged rock groupie – think Goldie Hawn). Mark pulled out three harmonicas and laid them on the bar. I remarked that not everyone carries three harmonicas. “Don’t worry Lindsay, I’ve got more at home.” Not quite the response I was expecting
  • I arrived at Homs in Syria, looking to change buses to get to Crac des Chevaliers. LP said there were two bus stations, right next to each other. Actually LP, there’s another bus station on the other side of town as well. I didn’t know where to go, or anything, plus I was tired and sick at the time. Then I met Hasan, who showed me which bus to get on, refused to let me pay for my own ticket, and took me to the other bus station to get the right bus, and invited me home for tea. This, from a guy who is educated, working a good job, but earns less in a month than I can in a day in London. There is indeed truth to the stories of Syrian hospitality.
  • I’d never seen a 60-year old break-dancing before. But, in Crete, I met a man who did just that. In between sessions on the dance floor (including doing a flip at one point), he would come up to the bar, and order the bar staff and me rounds of drinks. He could certainly put them away too. We didn’t share much in the way of common languages, but we were good friends by the end of the night.
  • Walking past a carpet hospital in Goreme, I was called in for a chat. The owner didn’t want to sell me carpets though, he just liked to chat to travellers and practise his English. Then his uncle turned up with a bottle of Turkish wine. They then opened it in a way I have never seen before. After hunting around for a pair of pliers, they then used the handle of the pliers to whack the cork down into the bottle, splashing wine across the room, and us. Glasses were then passed around. It was a quick way of opening the bottle, if perhaps not the cleanest.
  • In Antakya, I started chatting to a young guy. We were sitting in a park, talking about Turkey, travel, etc, when he started telling me how all his friends were gay. He was quite insistent that he was not gay, but then he went on to describe, in detail, what happened when his gay friend was staying with him for a few days. Now I couldn’t care less what you do with your friends, but I don’t think I needed that sort of detail from someone I had just met. All very strange. It wasn’t even like we were out drinking at a bar late at night – it was just sitting in the park in the middle of the afternoon. However, I now have a contact if I want to import quality leather shoes into New Zealand. Apparently I could make $20,000 in a month, or something like that.
  • Possibly the best guy I met was the connoisseur of fake watches I met in Alexandria. While drinking at Spitfire Bar (well worth a visit) I met Rob, who was in for a few days rotation off the oil rig he works on. His dealer turned up with a bag full of fake watches, and we then spent over an hour going through all the different watches, narrowing it down to a few, then testing the luminous dials, the waterproofness, etc. I learnt several things about fake watches – one is to make sure that all the date/time dials can be set correctly – sometimes you can only have a Tuesday if it’s the 10th of the month. Watch the waterproofness, usually they aren’t. If looking for fake Rolexes, try and get the ones sourced from Italy, not China. Philippines ones are best if you can get those, apparently. It’s not just a matter of going for the cheapest you can find, you know.
  • While sitting outside the train station in Alexandria, a group of young girls came up to me to talk. They were quite impressed with my eyes – I don’t think they see a lot of blue eyes. After chatting with them for a while, they told me, quite seriously, that I should not sit outside the train station, there were too many crazy people there. Funny thing was, that they were the only ones I met outside the train station. Hmmmm.
  • In Libya, we had some locals driving us around the desert. I learnt two things: Even Arabs can have chavs – the desert is not too hot for wearing a tracksuit, and two: you can have an extremely explicit conversation with someone without needing any common language whatsoever. Sign language goes a long way, you know.
  • Captain Basta, in Aswan. He runs a felucca on the Nile. We hired his services for the afternoon, and had a pretty good time. After talking about how he is a Muslim, he then asked if we wanted beers (we did, and we had to get one for him too), and if we wanted any of the joint he had (no thanks, but you go ahead). For the whole afternoon we were mucking around on the boat, we didn’t cover much distance, but we had a good time. He also taught us some Egyptian songs, but I can’t say we were very good at singing them.
  • Pia and Linda at DNA – watch out for Norwegians behind the bar, they get you very drunk. Don’t even think about trying to outdrink them. You have been warned.