RTW sort of by Accident

Last week we returned from quite a long trip as it turned out. We hadn't meant it to be like this, witness the number of times we had cause to change airline reservations, but it sort of just happened.  The plan, if you can call it that, was to be in Zurich when our first grandchild would be born.... yes, I just slipped that in. Quietly. And yes, both Viv and I are very excited indeed! Around the same time however were a different couple of dates that we would not be able to change but which had to be included: namely a board meeting for me in New York as well as a 90th birthday party for Aunty Blanche in Bermuda.

Due date for the big day was 1st October for the longest time then all of a sudden it was pushed back, then not again. Not something that could be set in stone, that's for sure. Our grandchild would come when he/she was ready and not before. This didn't help much in our planning for, as everyone knows, those paragons of customer care, let's just call them 'airlines', do not take kindly to last minute booking and changes despite what all those "I traveled the world on $100" smart Alecs say. The later it became, the more painful it was.... for us needless to say. And as I said earlier, we had to make changes seemingly every week all of which increased the pain threshold. Fair to say I am heartily sick of aeroplanes, airports, airlines, mindless bloody stupidity at the airports, endless security lines, aeroplane food (big time), not being able to sleep, immigration procedures that change seemingly change all the time yet when you comment 'this is new', the official gives you a blank stare so you try to remember not to comment on anything but smile in a sort of glassy and fixed way every time someone asks something arcane like 'what brings you to...' -- I mean, I just landed on a plane for goodness sake, what do you think I am here for? To visit.... derr!

Anyway rather than go through a blow by blow for each stage, I'll do it by photos:

1. England

The land of Brexit and Boris Johnson! It seems to have become the only topic of conversation. Will we exit on October 31st in Boris's words 'do or die' or was it he'd rather be 'dead in a ditch'? Doesn't matter, everyone was speaking in ridiculous hyperbole like this all the time. 'End of the world', 'total disaster', 'catastrophic'.... you name it, these are the words of the time. Made me glad that we wouldn't be spending a lot of time here, just a few days with Viv's mum Anna.

Reculver Castle on the Thames Estuary is an old Roman Fort, church, you name it what else. The twin spires seen here are only kept as markers for shipping otherwise they'd be allowed to fall down.

Just had to eat the best fish n' chips in the country! Still great.

That other institution, the Sunday roast. Random country pub and it was fantastic.

Visiting the Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham. Really interesting yet sad to me for it is now a tourist attraction seeing as there is very little Royal Navy left to service.

The Turner Modern museum in Margate I thought would have paintings of said Turner, a local lad who painted mid 19th century industrial type paintings, particularly steam ships, but it had the annual competition going on with artists like this doing modern stuff. The interpretation I found a little less than helpful.

2. Switzerland

Indy and Cat live in Zurich so it was there that we flew next. We stayed in an AirBNB in the centre of Zurich and found that the public transport was cheap, really efficient and on time. Trams, buses, trains... all really clean and a pleasure to use. We also found it was Oktoberfest time! So we had some fun before the big day arrived.

Quite a raucous affair it was too!

Taking our new grandchild for a walk. Felt like a supermarket trolley but of course just like everything Swiss, it really does work!

3. New York

After only a few days I flew through London again (ugh... horrible airport) to New York for my board meeting. Happily Dee Dee came to join me for a couple of days so we were able to hang out and go crazy. I dragged him all around Greenwich Village into bars and blues clubs.... great time!

Found time for the big steak too!

4. Switzerland (again)

Viv had stayed on in Zurich whilst I traveled alone to the Big Apple and I was looking forward to going back to join her, Indy, Cat and our beautiful grandchild for a few more days.

5. England (again)

One thing we have never managed is the knack of traveling light. I am always totally impressed by people that travel only with a carry on even when they are traveling for weeks or months. I imagine their choice of wardrobe is therefore limited but even with umpteen bags I find myself wearing the same trousers and shirt all the time. However this time we'd smartened up a little and actually managed the side trip to Zurich with just the one big bag... each, and had left the other two big bags in England. Hence England for a couple of days.

We took in a visit to a winery nearby which courtesy of global warming is now a producer of very decent bubbles, Balfour Estate. The tour guide explained that the owner had sort of bought the grape producing fields 'by accident' a few years ago and set to wondering what to do with just another 150 acres of decent arable land. He is very wealthy.

6. Bermuda

Thankfully we flew out through Gatwick, not Heathrow but I do have to comment on car rental firms. First time was Avis, second time Hertz. I go by price not loyalty so the companies change all the time for us. We get to see a variety of operators as a result. For some reason, this week no company had any cars to rent! This is Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports. I'd booked ages in advance so was OK but people who rolled up on the off chance were totally out of luck. At Hertz, it was a pick a number and wait your turn thing! Unbelievable. 

It wasn't until our last day at Gatwick that we managed a full English breakfast! Very nice.

Great time of year to visit Bermuda by the way. Sunny and warm, yet no humidity. We stayed with Charmaine and David again and it was just lovely to catch up with friends. Dee Dee was working there too so we were able to  hang out with him as well.

Aunty Blanche's 90th birthday party was lovely. She got to sit next to her favourite person, Dee Dee, so was very happy. Very pleased to be there with her. Happy Birthday Aunt Blanche!

It was also lobster season so we just had to...

A week or so before we arrived, this hurricane came to visit. It was a bad one causing plenty of damage. Very unusual for Bermuda. No loss of life thankfully.

7. Toronto

We've a condo in downtown Toronto which is a lovely place to stay, however we have also found that the best long distance routing from Penang is first via Hong Kong and then onto wherever via Cathay Pacific. Direct to London and Zurich going west, and direct to New York and Toronto heading east. All are very long of course but the Toronto routing really works out best for us. Only for a few days this time.

8. Hong Kong/Penang

Transiting through HK still hasn't been impacted by the troubles going on there ... yet. 

The Wild West Part I

Now I cannot remember whether this is Part 1 or whatever for this title but as it chronicles our visit to Wyoming and car trip back to Chicago across the prairies, that's what I will call it. More parts to follow.

I don't know if I've mentioned before in this blog that Viv and I have the notion to visit every one of the 50 states in the USA, so we do and this trip ticked off a lot of new ones for us. But of course that isn't the reason for wanting to do this trip, it's that Viv and I enjoy road trips and the US is so big and so diverse that it makes it really interesting, fun and easy to do. This time... and it really never occurred to me before in this way ... I really do see why the Americans love their driving, their big cars (bikes and trucks too) and not that infrequently do not feel the need to get a passport as their country is both big enough and accessible enough for anyone.

We were in Toronto after our Bermuda trip and whilst not exactly wondering what to do with ourselves, had a couple of notions of things to do whilst we were in North America. My first thought was to circumnavigate the Great Lakes. Lake Ontario is one of them so the start and end point wasn't too far away and as the lakes spread out across the continent, they take in a mass of both US states and Canadian provinces.

The Great Lakes

Then we remembered we'd have to hire a car and cross the international border at least a couple of times, if not more. And we've heard about the increased delays with all the Homeland Security stuff so thought it may be simpler to just stay in one country which meant looking for a flight west somewhere and then onwards. So Plan B (again mine) was to hire a car in Chicago and then drive out to the Rockies... and back. In a week or so. Viv said isn't that quite a distance so I looked on Google Maps and discovered that yes indeed it was a long way. About 3,000 miles there and back actually.

So onto Plan C.

Viv suggested flying out to the Rockies and then hiring a car and drive back. Now this was a better idea and of course the driving distance back would be just about half of Plan B, so much more manageable. And we'd get to spend some time way out west too instead of just driving there and turning right around.

Next question was where? Then I remembered about Jackson Hole which is in Wyoming.

Being a nerd, all I knew about Jackson Hole was that it was the home of the annual Fed jamboree, sort of like a Davos but in the USA. It takes place in August each year. This is what the Kansas City Fed website (the sponsors) say about it:

'The Jackson Hole Economic Symposium is an annual symposium, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City since 1978, and held in Jackson Hole, Wyo., since 1981. Every year, the symposium focuses on an important economic issue that faces world economies. Participants include prominent central bankers and finance ministers, as well as academic luminaries and leading financial market players from around the world.'

Pull the other one, I say. What a load of nonsense. They could do this symposium in Cleveland or Dodge City even if they wanted to stay in Kansas, but by chance selected the most picturesque little town on the edge of the Rockies with plush resorts and 5 star dining everywhere you looked. Does the 7,000 feet high mountain air really clear the boffins' minds or is this just a total bean feast? Yeah, right.

... which of course was great for us as (a) the great and the good would not be there and (b) it sounds like a really spectacular place.

It was.

Booking flights, car, accommodation and tours was of course a breeze but before we left we went for dinner to a friend's house in Toronto and he told us that Jackson Hole was THE Mecca for skiing in North America. We didn't know this but then again he and his family are big skiers so they do know even though they've never visited. He backtracked later that same evening and said that Jackson Hole was A Mecca, rather then THE but still its reputation was pretty darned good.

So much to look forward to then. One thing that was a pain was the flight leaving Toronto to make the connection to Jackson Hole. It was at 6.30 am which meant a ridiculously early start. Why couldn't those important people complain about the ungodly hours? Oh yes, forgot. They use their private jets.

Cool airport!

I'd Almost Forgotten

The title is something that people say a lot as they get older, I think. Well certainly I do for whenever something happens, quite often I remember another incident from a while back where something similar happened and I think this. Well recently that came back again over a series of evenings spent eating.

Sounds silly I know but if you've read an earlier blog post of mine you'd have read that I injured my calf muscle playing tennis, which is an injury that only time heals. And in this case it took 7 weeks of almost total inactivity (I exclude walking here) before I ventured back out onto the court again and on that occasion most gingerly. My timing was off and almost all of my movement was very wary so the result was pretty dismal overall. But at least I made it through the game(s) without reinjuring myself which is something that I have done fairly regularly in the past. So, all good then.

What I had forgotten though.... well almost.... was the structure and order of tennis matches as played at Penang Sports Club.

As I sit typing this blog, I am in Bermuda for our annual pilgrimage and only a couple of days ago I met for lunch with my regular tennis buddies (Friday) and on the following day played tennis at Pomander Gate's court number 2 (of course) and then sat under the palm trees drinking beer and talking nonsense for several hours. The first thing one of my buddies did when he arrived for lunch on Friday (this is Wilfred) was order 4 Tequilas and then came the chickens of red wine and then.... well it all ended fairly badly of course. But that was the realistic expectation going in had one had the wit to look back on past history and run the comparison ruler across this occasion versus so many others.  That is the structure and order of my tennis in Bermuda. I do wonder whether I or anyone else could possibly have any sort of alternative impact on similar occasions in the future.  Wilfred will always order the opening tequilas and the red wine chickens will always flow. That is what happens so all that stuff about only eating salad and drinking mineral water, however good and worthy it sounds, simply ain't going to happen.

Now my seven weeks of inactivity were not the same. It started with total inactivity and RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) which in my case meant lying on the couch for a few days watching mostly TV sport. This sounds great but in reality after a day and a half of this, I was going nuts. I cannot imagine how really sick people cope with this. It is appalling. Dull and boring, yes, but the worst part is how you feel not being able to do anything even though your mind is just about firing on all cylinders. I resorted to chocolate during this RICE stage and thankfully it was only for the first two or three days before I was able to get up and motor around a little more every day.

Looking back from here, Viv and I did quite a bit in this time including going to Sabah for 10 days so it wasn't all bad but it did help me forget about tennis. Quite a bit in fact. I made all sorts of resolutions that realistically I will never keep: I'll probably only want to play tennis 2 or 3 times a week; cut back on the post match beers; do a strenuous hike once or twice a week (they are actually great in Penang); and several more involving lettuce and no chicken rice. Then Viv went away for a couple of weeks with her mum, Anna, and I started thinking about tennis again.

It started with the feeling that my leg was pretty much OK and I did a couple of heavy hikes with Viv's brother Anton and wife Catherine (well heavy to me anyway. They had no problems) which felt just fine. So I contacted some guys to see if they'd mind having a none too stenuous doubles with me and they said OK. So we played and all went well and afterwards we sat down and ....

.... this is the bit that I'd almost forgotten....

... for the tradition at Penang Sports Club is that after the match you sit down under the stars with your doubles group and drink beer (or whatever else takes your fancy). Losers pay first. Some times this goes fairly quickly but on others people seem to have a thirst that cannot be quenched. Also, and this was very nice, quite a number of others dropped by to enquire about my injury and then sit down for a beer. So it was one of those occasions and of course at the end, someone said "what about dinner?"

Usually it ends up with anywhere from 6 to 10 people joining in.

First was curry mee (noodles) and deep fried fish belly....

Penang style white curry meets with minced pork, deep fried snapper belly, deep fried fish skin, chicken and veggies steamed, local Penang sausage called Loh Bak

Next was an amazing and awesome steamboat...

Steam buns, deep fried squid, shrimp, clams, scallops, long razor type clams, chicken, fish balls, more squid, veggies, rice porridge... never ending

Next was the seafood restaurant at that famous but weird place on Green Lane in the rain....

Shrimp in maggi sauce, the specialty -- spicy crab, steamed curried fish, veggie omelette...

Next was Korean at the place nearby...

Pickles, kimchee, more shrimp, pork belly, curry noodles... too difficult to name them all

Next was the champagne brunch at the wine shop....

Oysters, smoked salmon, artisanal cheeses and cold meats, lamp rack, wagyu beef...

Next was the Japanese home style cooking ....

Fish balls, deep fried shrimp, grilled eel, grilled small fish, raw baby squid, traditional spider rolls, grilled mackerel, crab, Japanese curry noodles...

And then, and then, and then.... Viv and I left Penang holding our tummies and thanking goodness that we were leaving for Bermuda on our pilgrimage when we could lighten up a little on the eating until we arrived in Toronto (our waypoint) when first thing we did was....

Ribeye at Barbarians in Toronto!!!

Historic.... for now

I am currently in Toronto, actually leaving for Penang tonight, and have been indulging my exercise gene not in the gym (perish the thought) rather from taking long walks in this very pleasant autumn weather here. It's a great way to get to know a neighborhood and today was no different.

My goal was a pea meal bacon sandwich at St. Lawrence Market which is between Jarvis and Church on Front Street, pardon the geography lesson but there is a point to it.

To get there on foot from where I am, you can either walk down Bay Street or go east to the various north/south streets which the map shows quite well. Even the map calls it 'Old Toronto', I wasn't aware of that but did note on many street signs the comment 'Historic Queen Street East', so let's then call it 'historic'.

The definition of historic is 'something that will be important for a very long time'. That isn't my definition, it is what I found on the internet but it is appropriate in this context for historic means something that will be important for a very long time. Examples include important buildings and one thing that you can say about the Toronto city planners is that I am starting to notice quite a few more plaques noting a historic building, so and so lived here and all the rest of it. Sadly however they are not attached to any building for such and such historic building was demolished in the last 20 or so years so that a 60 storey glass building could sit on its 'historic' spot. These plaques are on little pedestals that people can read about.

I cannot imagine what these 2 storey 'historic' buildings looked like because they are no longer there.

Throughout my stroll down to the market I walked past many of these old presumably 'historic' buildings... and to be fair, many are pretty scuzzy ... and endlessly they were shuttered and had a sign up announcing the intent to build a 65 storey something or other on this spot.

Just how many of these will need to have been built to make this area no longer 'historic'? I do wonder about all this building. I receive regular updates from realtors wanting to be my friend and help me either sell or buy a condo and apparently despite the amount of new building, there is still a shortage. It is quite difficult to believe. From my window alone I can count more than 20 new towers under construction.

Having just walked around New York a bit, I am taken with the notion that New York planners have got the mix right. You can walk 20 yards off a major north/south or east/west road and be in a treed residential zone which is just lovely. In Toronto you have endless glass buildings. What makes New York interesting is the fact that both old and new co-exist. I get the feeling that planners in Toronto will knock down anything they can.

I do hope I am wrong.

Recapping

We've had three and a half months away from Penang, half in Bermuda, half in Toronto, and it was a great time. Visiting the place where we'd lived for 32 years, seeing friends and hanging out, going to concerts of rock bands from the 1970's who are just about hanging on but still rocking. It has been great.

Here are some highlights.

1. Bermuda Beaches

No words necessary here. I'd forgotten how beautiful they were. Here's a brief reminder.

Warwick Long Bay and one of the many nameless beaches at Coopers Island

Who wouldn't want to swim here?

2. History and Tradition

I don't think people look back enough and consider where they come from and just why what exists today exists today. It all comes from the past and whilst the way history was taught to me when I was at school was largely an exercise in rote learning dates and in a way that tried to parcel up history into chunks -- mine for example was at O Level from 1485-1688 and from 1688 to 1815... we had two exams, written essays both, covering each of these periods. In isolation this means that history did not exist either before or after these dates which is of course ridiculous.

History writers today cover this much better and attempt to contextualise history in that they also explain or rather try to explain the 'why'. Much of this is down to conjecture as nobody alive then (say in Roman times) is alive today.

I really enjoyed Quebec City but one of those history 'why' moments was the best. Napoleon's blockade of Britain during the Napoleonic Wars forced Britain to look elsewhere for timber for the Royal Navy... hence the opening up of Canada.

Trooping the color... all in French!

The St Lawrence Seaway, one of the great sea lanes that opened up the entire continent

3. Tennis

Both of us are tennis players and were able to indulge both playing and watching whilst we were traveling. I still think that our 'home' tennis club in Bermuda is one of the nicest places to play tennis and as hard courts go is up there with the best.

Beers under the trees in between the courts is very nice indeed!

We only planned to watch one day of tennis at the Rogers Cup in Toronto but ended up going 3 or 4 days... ironically the worst day was the one we'd originally chosen and the others ended up being far better. We also had visitors over this time too which made it doubly nice.

How do they manage to hit the ball?

4. Eating

We like to eat. Simple as that. So finding great places to eat and nice things to eat are important. We got really lucky!

Dodge City steak

Milanese from an Italian in Miami during our horrible hiatus

Quebec lobster

Poutine and traditional Quebec meat pie

Amazing French stick from Toronto

5. Music

Given that we went to all of those concerts, this just had to be included. I enjoyed all of the shows but if I were pushed would have to give pole position to Lynyrd Skynyrd, the last show of all. ZZ Top though were the only band to have not changed personnel for whatever reason over the years. They ran close but...

6. Selfies

Selfies are a great notion and do enable you to take interesting pictures but they do tend to be really awful a lot of the time. We tried to do at least one selfie each day and in almost all occasions deleted them immediately. Perhaps my arms aren't long enough or just as likely I am not that great a photo snapper.

See what I mean?

7. Traveling Companion

Of course the best thing of all was to have a wonderful traveling companion and I was lucky enough to have the best!