jono84's VirtualTourist Home Page

Indeed, I was shocked as anyone might be when I read this (main title above) on a menu at a restaurant we visited recently in Nanjing. As we later found out this was to convey to us in a more colourful array of grammar that we could order "deep-fried fish head". And believe me, there were yet more beauties like this one, as I will reveal on my lovely Nanjing page (when i get round to doing it)!

Anyway, yet again I have let everybody down (ok let me just dream for a second), and my vt pages have been about as active as a dead sloth. Well, somehow my laptop is magically working again and i've managed to find all the photo cds that have accumulated in various bags over the past 4 months, so i'll stop drivelling now and get started...

Ok so we're back in Nanjing, for the meantime atleast, and its been great meeting all of Dani's family and friends, whilst getting acquainted with her home city. Having been in Nanjing now for just over a month, its surprising just how few foreigners there are for a city of its magnitude. I was aware before i came it had a 'large foreign student population' due its well-known foreign university, but somehow i just imagined to atleast see the odd 'whitie' in the crowds, not that i'm at all bothered.

Anyway, not long after me and Dani arrived back, my family came over to sample the Chinese way of life for a few weeks, and goodness did we take in a few sights along the way!! Apart from doing the 'must-sees' in Beijing, we also took in Xiamen (quite by accident - ill explain more later), the humidity of HongKong, Shanghai's wonderful Circus, as well as a traditional chinese massage in Nanjing...

My goodness, the chinese scrub and massage has to be one of the most thorough in the world! (You will have parts of you scrubbed you never thought you would ever have scrubbed, believe me!)

We just loved Australia!

Its fair to say it definitely has its fair share of tack, including a mind-boggling number of souvenir shops selling everything from cuddly kangeroos to didgereedoos. But it also is a beautiful country, blessed with some breath-taking sights. I really want to spend some time going through all my photos (ehem - ive said this before), and trying to convey to vt how much this country has to offer. Its a lovely place!

Apart from holding a baby alligator and wombat (well you just have to do these things), we were lucky enough to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, visit gorgeous Fraser Island, stop off at Ramsay Street to see Dr Karl (hey i'm british!), and make the arduous journey down to see the Apostles on the Great Ocean Road... (for coastal scenery dont waste your time here, just head to New Zealand!!)

But one of the best afternoons we had was plump smack bang in the middle of a roaring aussie crowd, watching the Aussie Rules Footy down at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game lasts forever, but it takes pretty much the first three quaters to eventually suss out what the hecks going on! With the odd beer flowing, and the sun out, it defintely made for an interesting few hours...

Being back in China seems a long, long way from the laid-back lifestyle we enjoyed in New Zealand for just over a year...

Even though China can be a very frustrating place with crowds of people pushing in queues, bad traffic, spitting, etc etc. i cant describe the buzz i get from getting up in the morning and stepping out the door and hearing all the comotion out in the street. The place just feels so alive! We're not sure of our plans for the future, but I would definitely like to stay for a while longer and work if possible just to experience the daily way of life in this frantic country.

We could still return to New Zealand yet as we both have valid visas, and even though i have many fond memories of all the lovely people we met and the great places we travelled to, I feel like China is the place to be.

My sunny home town! I live just outside the busy naval city of Portsmouth. It is a pleasant place to live and study, with plenty to keep us young-ones entertained.....

This picture was taken at the Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar back in June last year. It was a big event, and was televised around the world - Dani even saw it on tv in Nanjing, and was trying to spot me in the crowds on the beach in Portsmouth! The anniversary coincided with the Festival of the Sea, and attracted navies and ships from countries stretching from Columbia to South Korea, and from Norway to South Africa.

I was still working part-time in Denby in Gunwharf Quays at the time, and we had many naval visitors to our shop during those couple of weeks. The funniest i can remember being the Japanese Navy, as they all felt they needed to bow to us when they came in and then left the shop....!!!
We all found it highly amusing, but thankfully managed to hold a straight face during the whole episode!

I will try to update my Portsmouth pages in the near future, as the Spinaker Tower and other developments have been slowly hawling the city into the modern era, and i believe the world should be told!! Portsmouth is the city of the future!!!

Travelling the country in search of an away win - and the best steak+kidney pie!!!

This is the small section i normally leave aside for me to bleat about the greatness of Portsmouth FC... and BLEAT I SHALL!!! How about that, we're in the top 5 after 10games - who in portsmouth would have dreamt that?!
In terms of the common mindset we have of "survival", we're already practically half way there!

Having been away from home since August 05, obviously i havent seen any games, but catching the highlights hasnt been easy either! Kiwis are not synonymous with being top athletes at football, and the Chinese aren't much better either!! Argh! I'll have to wait until Xmas (when me and Dani are heading back to UK), so i can get my next dose of shouting, screaming, pie-eating, beer-guzzling footy action...

Anyway, thankyou again for visiting ^_^v