Monthly Archive for November, 2006

The Year That Has Been

Published
by
Callum
1 year, 7 months ago
in Travels
. 3 Comments

It has been 1 year and 5 days since I left little Edinburgh to embark on my exploration of the big wide world.

I spent Christmas on the beach for the first time. I was at the centre of an international media storm and a murder investigation. I lived and worked in a city outside Edinburgh for the first time in my life. I joined Couch Surfing (new window) and welcomed over 25 strangers into my home. I made new friends, I lost old ones.

It’s funny to look back now, a year later, and think that it has only been 12 short months since I left. Somehow Edinburgh it feels like a lifetime away, it’s not home any more. Bangkok doesn’t feel like home either, so I suppose that makes me homeless!

My brother recently posted about his 421 days (new window) travelling. He listed a whole bunch of stuff he’d done, things he’d seen, amazing and terrible experiences. I thought I’d have a similar sense of reflection at the 1 year mark, but I actually forgot last Friday was one year after I left. I knew the date but somehow it slipped by me.

I suppose, above all, life feels normal. Fairly boring, and normal. Time for a change me thinks…

In Memory of Gavin Loch

Published
by
Callum
1 year, 7 months ago
in Personal
. 9 Comments

I last heard from Gavin in July. His email said life wasn’t great, but it was full of promise. He wasn’t happy in his job, but talked about a heap of things he was considering. He’d always talked about opening a Reggae bar and that was still on the cards.

I’d always known Gavin had diabetes, but I had no idea how serious it was. He would never let it hold him back, he’d party as hard as anyone. I seemed to be more concerned about it than he was, asking him if he’d eaten enough, did he need insulin, and so on. He almost laughed it off, as if to say, “come on Mr. Callum, it’s a condition not a handicap”.

Gavid died in his sleep last Monday, the 20th of November 2006. He was a good friend, I saw him regularly before I left Edinburgh and always expected to see him on the travelling road somewhere. In my last email I was trying to convince him to come out to Bangkok, and he said he was talking about coming out to this region.

His death comes as a shock to me. I had no idea he was even a risk patient with diabetes. I never thought his diabetes would be terminal.

Gavin, you will be remembered. My deepest condolences to your family whom my thoughts are with at this time. I won’t make it to your funeral my friend, but I’ll remember you from Bangkok, I’ll do my best to send a card to your family. Rest in peace my friend, I’ll see you on the other side.

News of Gavin Loch

Published
by
Callum
1 year, 7 months ago
in Personal
. 0 Comments

I learned today that my friend Gavin Loch has passed away, his funeral is tomorrow. He died of diabetes.

I’m waiting for another friend to call with the fuller details, that’s all I know so far. It’s an odd thing to hear that a friend has died from the other side of the world. His funeral is tomorrow, there’s no way I could make it home in time. I suppose that’s something you give up when you decide to leave friends and family behind.

I’ll write more once I know the full details. I hope he didn’t suffer.

Hong Kong

Published
by
Callum
1 year, 8 months ago
in Photos and Travels
. 5 Comments

After being hassled by passport control at Macau because my signature on my landing card didn’t look like my passport signature (hello, my photo…) I made it to Hong Kong fairly easily. Seeing as I arrived on a Friday night it seemed necessary to tear it up a little! I think I finally got home around 7am, this photo captured the essence of the evening…

Hong Kong Free Hugs

After finally rising around 5pm on Saturday, I wandered around town a little with my gracious host. We hopped on the (apparently) famous Star Ferry about which I’m told there were serious street protests. It seems Hong Kongers were outraged that the ferry pier was going to be moved a hundred yards! We also soaked up some of Hong Kong’s architectural delights, this being the tallest building in HK…

Hong Kong Tallest Building

I liked the busy feeling to Hong Kong, it’s a bit like visiting China town anywhere else in the world!

Hong Kong Bustling Streets

Sunday afternoon took a leisurely stroll down to Causeway Bay, apparently taken over by Phillipinos on Sundays. I couldn’t quite believe it, but they literally picnic in the streets, in any open space there are literally thousands of Phillipinos, almost exclusively women, sitting around presumably catching up on the week’s gossip.

Hong Kong Phillipinos in the Streets

Sunday evening the wondeful Erie took me for some Hong Kong noodles, when in Rome and all that! I was impressed to see the evidence of a hundred years of British rule in the restaurant’s bathroom…

Hong Kong Toilets Galore

So all in all, a great weekend, I’ll be back in Hong Kong again soon I’m sure.

Hong Kong to London for One Hundred Pounds

Published
by
Callum
1 year, 8 months ago
in Travels
. 2 Comments

Thanks to the very bright, astute, and otherwise wonderful Erie, I discovered Oasis Hong Kong (new window) today. Checking some dates to fly from Hong Kong to London, you can fly for $1′634 HKD (£110, $210 USD). I could book a flight either on Monday (27 Nov) or in June 2007 and still get the same price.

I’m sure it comes with all the usual provisos of budget airlines, they don’t feed you, they don’t entertain you, etc, etc, but whichever way you look at it, £110 to London is still an amazing deal. Thanks Erie… :)

Macau

Published
by
Callum
1 year, 8 months ago
in Photos and Travels
. 2 Comments

I’m sitting in Macau airport having spent the afternoon here in Macau. I popped over on the ferry (very painless, a quick hour trip) this afternoon before my 21:25 flight back to Bangkok.

Hong Kong Macau Ferry

Macau, China’s Las Vegas. I had a little wander round town this afternoon, then thought I really had to visit at least one casino before leaving. The first place was utterly dreadful, an absolute pit of misery, full of Chinese probably gambling away their life savings. However, in contrast to that, we went across the road to the new Wynn Macau casino. It’s only been open for 3 months, apparently Steve Wynn is a big casino operator in Las Vegas, and it has the feeling of a brand new hotel / casino complex.

There’s some nice architecture in Macau left over from the Portugese days I would assume, and there are at least a dozen casinos, but other than that, I’m not sure what else there is here.

Macau Architecture

Well, I say that, but my opinion of Macau, and Macau airport specifically, has improved tremendously in the last ten minutes since learning the airport has wireless internet! I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be free, but the login screen has a demo username and password on it, and it seems to be working like a charm for me!

Other than free wifi there isn’t much else to Macau airport. There’s no bar (which distressed me greatly before I found the free wifi), there’s a few fancy (supposedly) duty free shops, and that’s about it. So, now to catch up on some emails, download some, err, educational material, and get ready for the flight home! ;)

Hong Kong Wifi

Published
by
Callum
1 year, 8 months ago
in Techy and Travels
. 2 Comments

I’m in a friend’s apartment on the 13th floor here in Hong Kong and although I’m plugged into a wired internet connection I wondered if there were any wireless networks in the area…

Hong Kong Gotta Love Wifi

No less than 25 wireless networks of which 7 are unencrypted. If only I’d known this when I arrived I’d have left my laptop hacking away at them all weekend! Ahh well, next time… :)