I’m not sure if they get taught in China to sit on the horn when they drive but it has got to be one of the most annoying things here, almost as bad as the spitting that takes place.  I think I mentioned before that you are half expecting to see a blackened lung follow it out onto the ground. 

I’m sitting at the entrance to Suzhou university while I wait to meet one of the students and there is s bike lane here also. One guy is after going passed finger on horn and there is no one else there. What the fuck? 

They have not been driving long in China and so you have millions of learners on the road and most don’t seem to have a clue. Rather than look where they are going and adjust their driving to suit they just stand on the horn and expect it all to work out. I came here years ago and it was the same but the only difference this time is that there are more cars and more noise. I fuckin’ hate it and it’s getting on me tits. So much so that I really want to get way from here and back to some peace and quiet. I guess the grumpy old man has grown within and the tolerance within is now almost non existant. So now what?  Do I stay? Do I leave?  Do I take this as an opportunity to learn?  I do want to stay and learn and do the right thing because there are a few people expecting me to stay and I don’t want to let them down but I ain’t happy and for me that’s what it boils down too.

I find myself in Starbucks again for a meeting with another prospective employer.  Why they come here is still a mystery of course;  no it’s not really.  They come here because it’s the place to be seen,  it’s trendy,  it’s status. They certainly don’t come here for the coffee because it’s shit. I’ve tasted dirty water with more flavour than an Americano coffee.  You know there are so many other coffee shops here which are far better in regards to the quality of coffee and flavour,  but they do not have the status that Starbucks has managed to muster. And of course it comes from the country that is soon to deliver to the world president Trump,say no more. 

Anyway my Chinese friend has left and I’m sitting here staying out of the rain and then through the fog of noise I hear, what I thought was a voice coming over a tannoy, but it is in fact the nasal filled voice of a very loud American girl. My god what must that voice be like without all the background chatter?  

The place is full of foreigners and I’m just another one adding to the myth that Starbucks is the place to be. The after taste in my mouth can only be compared to the after taste of a full 16mg cigarette. In fact that might be a more pleasant experience. 

Do yourself a favour and avoid Starbucks like the plague, you would be better taking up smoking really. Not only is it cheaper it’s far more enjoyable.

The Kuzi building or trousers in English. Just one piece of interesting architecture in Suzhou. Quite a contrast to old Suzhou at Pinjiang Road. 

It’s 9am and some clown in the block of units I’m living in has decided to have an almighty fireworks display. Hundreds are let off at once and you feel like you’re living in a war zone and not a residential area of a large city. You can feel the shockwave from some of the larger explosions. Shit is flying everywhere in the middle of the apartments. No health and safety here you know. 
And here was me this morning going to have a bitch about the drivers on their horns all the time. Why can’t they learn to drive like other civilised countries and just drive and look where they are going without the need to shout look at me look at me  just look where you’re fucking going  it’s so much easier and better for everyone concerned. 

From early in the morning I’m awoken by a cacophony of horns big and small  no chance of sleeping in here although I’ve tried but then some bastard lets off some fireworks. 

Why am I here? 

Today is my first day in China and I had to get some dumplings and Jian Bing, they’re two foods that I enjoy here and to be honest they did not disappoint. 

Shanghai once more and I’m waiting for Windy to pick me up. It’s strange being back in China and I’m not too sure how long I’ll be here for. I have a 2 year visa with 3 month a re-entry requirement, so of course I have to leave every 3 months to get my visa stamped. I’m hoping I can get to Korea and Japan and maybe Taiwan while I’m here and of course I’m hoping to be able to see a few more places in China. I’ll really have to focus on my language skills as my Chinese is very basic but I believe if I get the hang of it I’ll be able to earn a few quid by doing so. So here’s to me and my next adventure. 

I’m waiting for my flight for Shanghai which will board shortly. I’ve had 10 days in Thailand and spent half the time in Hua Hin and the other in Bangkok. I’ve really enjoyed Hua Hin and met some nice folks along the way. I really didn’t want to come back to Bangkok but I had already booked the hotel, so not much choice there really.   Hua Hin is a lot quieter than Bangkok and I can understand why so many people go there. My hotel was right on the water and you could hear the tide coming in. It was only a short walk to the beach and as I mentioned before I enjoyed the beach because it was empty of those annoying tourists that get everywhere.

I found a small restaurant which sold great food and was run by some really funny Thai ladies. They invited me to join them one day for a drink and so after that spent some time with them. Noy was coming to Bangkok for a visa and she gave me a lift to my Bangkok hotel along with her good friend Phon that I spent a few days with in Bangkok.

I also made time to see the wonderful Kaew who works in a small massage place in soi 4. When I break my body from carrying my suitcases or twisting my ankle,  she manages to put me back together again.

Soi 4 can be a seedy place because it’s full of girlie bars Ladyboys and other colourful characters of the night, but it’s great to spend a few days in this other world and of course I like to get a massage , but don’t ask for a happy ending if you go to see Kaew because you will get a smack in the face instead.

I guess I’ve had my fare share of booze over the years and I’ve drunk myself into oblivion on many occasions but you know, you reach an age and that age for me was around 45 that I no longer did that. My body just wasn’t happy and I was feeling like shit. It’s got to the stage where a couple of glasses of red wine or a few beers are drunk my head feels like someone is trying to escape from the inside by crashing their fists against me skull. So these days I’m sober most of the time but do have a couple. But I’m amazed at the guys my age or older (56) that still drink to the levels of my youth.  How can they do it?  Why are they not dead?  Maybe they will be soon.  Their beer belly’s are certainly testament to the amount of training they still do. Funny thing is the more they drink the younger they feel I guess and of course they are surrounded my hundreds of young ladies ripe for the picking, but for a fee of course.

So this is how it works in these bars.  Man likes girl, girl needs money girl goes with man for “Boom Boom” long time short time up to you. The price is negotiated before you leave the bar and once agreed you pay the mamasan a bar fine of about 400bht about 10 pounds. Price for girl varies of course to what’s on offer and for how long.  You can rent for an hour or a month, Up to you. Short time 1000 bht, long-time maybe 3000bht. I really don’t know as it’s been some time since I have made this kind of purchase. And I know this will horrify many people but in Asia, having sex is no different from any other commodity. Tonight I might go for dinner and then maybe a drink. After that I’ll have some sex and have an ice-cream at McDonald’s or maybe both at the same time. …..Up to you.

Thailand is a lovely country and it’s certainly not all about seedy bars and sex, there are many other things to do in Bangkok and of course the rest of Thailand. I’ve been lucky to have driven many thousands of kilometres here and I’ve gone off the beaten track and if you do that here you will find many amazing places, discover many fantastic foods and meet interesting people.  For me I love Thai food and now I’m on my way to China to start a new adventure which also has many things to offer but unfortunately the food in China is just not as good as Thailand.

If you have never come here (Thailand) then you are missing out on a wonderful country. So do yourself a favour and come to Thailand.  Love you long-time.

Well I think I know. As you might be aware I am in Hua Hin and this is the view from my terrace. 

I don’t like pigeons and of course I was very surprised to see so many walking on the beach and just generally chilling. So when I was in Trafalgar Square the other day,  there was a distinct lack of pigeons and now I have discovered where they’ve gone. Now you know just in case you were wondering. 

Can’t really blame them, I too was pissed off with the Great British summer.

Walked out onto the beach this morn and saw a wee hill in the distance and so off I set. I kept high above the tide line so that i didnae get ma feet wet. The old trusty sandals are near the end of their life and i haven’t managed to replace them yet so I don’t want them being attacked by the salt water. 

The beach is long, very long and the sand white. Every inch of the seafront has a building on it. Each varying in size but I’m sure even the most modest of dwellings is worth a small fortune. 

The beach is almost deserted, well it feels that way because it’s vast. As I walk I see that the sand is covered in tiny balls of sand which have been produced by crabs.  As I stroll along they scatter to the safety of the burrows they’ve produced at low tide, not that I’m going to eat them but they’re a couple of large birds with menacing beaks that I’m sure would. 

That wee hill that I saw when I first set off doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger but the sun is getting hotter.

I’m certainly the odd one out when it comes to clothes here,  well I mean compared to fellow walkers. Most have got a wonderful reddish glow about them which I’m sure they’ll regret later. I’ve got the factor 50 on and my feet are changing colour already and I’ve only been out for a couple of hours.

I make it to the golden Buddha on the out crop and have a coffee which is just what I needed. 150 steps later I’m at the top of the hill looking the full length of the beach. 

The golden Buddha has a lovely view.

Time to head back for lunch and so as much as I’ve enjoyed the noise of the ocean I think it’s time for Pink Floyd and so on goes Dark Side of the Moon. This has got to be one of the best ways I have listened to this album in years. Only having outrageous  sex with a gorgeous hippy can top this.  The water is tepid at least and some parts are positively roasting. My feet, mind and body are all happy and content and I’ve just come to the conclusion after all these years and that is, that I don’t dislike the beach but merely the people that it attracts. Walking along this almost deserted beach listening to Floyd has been a very enjoyable and relaxing way to spend my day. 

As I come off the beach and carefully remove the sand from my slightly red feet my stomach says hello so I respond by giving it some rice chicken and spicy papaya salad. 

Hua Hin this has been a good day. 

As I sit here drinking my beer my thoughts are distracted by the waves gently lapping around the pier which is my hotel for the next few nights. 

My guest house sits right in the water and when I arrived this afternoon the tide was coming in but it had only got to the outer pillars. As I sit here at night sipping a beer and watching the wee boats with their green lights on looking for squid,  I’m finding myself quite relaxed. Mind you it could also be the gentle rocking of the hotel to the rhythm of the waves. I’ve slept in a water bed and I’ve slept at sea but I’ve never slept in a hotel literally in the sea so it will be interesting either way.