2008 pictures
Click on any of the thumbnails to get the slide show
January - Johan rides into the valley of Death! ....... well actually this shot is a fake - it looks like I am ridng but really I am just posing! Not bad huh?January- at entrance to Death Valley Park with Martin Harding. Martin is a Brit living in Boston who rides a Truimph Trophy (beast of a bike). Imagine our chortling when we discovered that we were issued identical purple Fatboys and both had silver helmets. January- Johan on Harley Fatboy on the road to Death Valley. This time (as you see) actually riding - shot taken by Martin featuring his death-defying move of actually controlling his Harley with one hand whilst taking the shot with the other!January- at entrance to Death Valley Park. I was last here in 1986. Breathtaking scenery with clarity for many miles. I did not expect it to be so cold, however - just above freezing for large parts of the day.January- Indian casino north of Las Vegas. Taken on the road north of Las Vegas on the way to Salt Lake City- entirely the wrong direction for us! How can you lose the way with so few options for roads!? The 120 mile "detour" caused us to have to thrash our steeds mercilessly for rest of the day!January- Car wreck against desert mountains at Rhyolite ghost townJanuary - Riding to Death Valley; a pit stop at Nevada Joe'sFebruary- With KEF Muon speakers at Sotheby's preview in MoscowFebruary- Moscow menu - see item 2 !!February- Moscow taste for cellphone bling!February- Moscow. Paris Hilton's very own energy drink..... March- Barcelona BarMarch - Egans and Browns visit Brighton; any excuse for hats.March- Lord Snooty dances with American lovely at Brighton party!March- short break Algarve with Lyn whilst Hannah stays home and has a partyApril- Hannah model shoot 1April- Hannah model shoot 2May- 2nd youth Brighton seafrontMay- The Mild Ones 10th anniversary breakfastMay- Monaco Grand PrixMay- Monaco Grand Prix 2May- Monaco Grand PrixMay- Monaco Grand PrixMay- Utrecht - BMW at Marktzicht. 1st foreign bike run ever.June - Johan and Jacques UtrechtJune - Johan and Auna UtrechtJune- Utrecht - with the Beijer-Steultjen familyJune- KievJune - Kiev- Is Rasputin alive and well? (See "wanted poster")June - Kiev eveningJune - Moscow's ever changing skylineJune - Lyn and Myriam BrightonJune- with the Westcotts at a loud Dougill Friday night curryJune - Mum and daughterJune - Varndean Prom girls 2008July- danger, unstable!July - trip in Beetle to Dartmoor. Above Chessel beach DorsetJuly - at the old Star and Compass pub Worth Matravers Dorset coastJuly - Best named Morris Dancing Troupe Ever!July- Steve H and our 2 modern machines at Le Shuttle terminal on the way to Rouen. VERY different technology compared to the next picture........!!July - 1st longer journey down to Tours. Great riding weather. Stop off at Chartres for a coffee. I had to ride back 60 miles north to look unsuccessfullly for my lost wallet at petrol station. Steve H continued on to Tours, to meet me there 3 hours later.July- Tours. Marie tries the Beemer for size whilst Frederic admires the Guzzi and memories come flooding back about his Triton in the 70s!July- Tours. With Steve H preparing for the 450 mile ride back to UK.August- Firle Beacon Sussex - a visit from Mick on his HarleyAugust- middle class English kids (Hannah in black bikini) pose on the beachAugust- Biarritz Les Halles eating oysters at 1030am!AugustAugust- Biarritz fish on display at Les HallesAugust- Ride out on BMW over the Pyrenees from Biarritz. Samll village at dead end track. Lyn enjoyed one day ride but that was enough for her!August- Lyn having flwon back from Biarritz, I rode back to UK via Saumur France, stopping of to visit frinedsSept- A few days on business in St Petersburg. The weather was absolutely fantastic - here classic St Petersburg vista from boat tour on the Neva river.Sept- Russia becomes ever more oppulent, particularly in the cities. St Petersburg is beautiful. Here a restored classic Volga car on the main street.Sept- St Petersburg canal viewSept - I took the opportunity to go see football- Zenit St Petersburg vs CSKA Moscow (a "grudge match")- the atmosphere is electric with constant chanting and fireworks everywhere! Did not help Zenit; they lost 1-3Sept - Zenit vs CSKA. The CSKA crowd go wild.Seot- St Petersburg has so many beautiful buildings I did not know how to sort them. This vista near the Hermitage museum particularly struck me in the gorgeous sunlight.Sept- St Petersburg. The Hermitage museum courtyard. Sept- St Petersburg. Inside the Hermitage. It would take a few weeks to really see all the 3 million or so exhibits. Over the top, one passes from room to room- there are so many masterpieces in there........ for example, there is a complete Rembrandt room.Sept- St Petersburg. It is not all opulence: Here an old woman shuffles through the sreet in the evening.Sept - St Petersburg airport en route to Kazan Tartarstan, sitting aboard a Tuploev TU134 as pictured. Actually quite a good plane - main impression was it is like being aboard a yacht due to the very large round windows and curtains- makes for a good view. Sept - Kazan airport's new terminal 2 is minicule (for now) and "high convenient"!Sept - Kazan. The old Kremlin quare.Sept - Kazan. The new Qolsharif mosque is Russia's largest and reputedly the biggest in Europe.Sept- Kazan. Sunset.Sept- Moscow. Amazing statue inside one of Moscow's beautiful metro stations.Sept- Moscow. Another Moscow metro station interior.Sept- Moscow. Soldiers ascend metro escalatorSep- Moscow. Detail of ceiling in a metro station. Simply wonderful!Sept- Moscow. Fed up of ridiculous Moscow hotel prices, this time we stayed at Danilovsky monastery at Tulskaya. The rooms are basic but clean and comfortable and about a third the price of other Moscow hotels. It is also nice and peaceful in the grounds.Oct. Guangzhou China. A bewildering array of really high end speakers greets you at this store. Probably the only place left in the world with such a sight.Oct. Guangzhou. Pun Yu, about 40 mins out of the city, not 8 years ago was a dusty village with hawkers peddling their wares on the street. Now look at it!Oct. Shanghai. Fabulous vista over the Bund- ever changing and growing.Oct. Shanghai. Hi Fi Mall- hopefully the sales guys inside do not live up to the name!Oct. Shanghai. At last I got to ride the famous magnetic levitation train back to the airport. Sometimes reaches 400 kph. Sadly the line was so expensive to build that it starts some way out of the city. But still, the super fast journey only takes around 7 minutes!Oct. Shanghai airport. Huge and this time empty. Things have changed since the Olympics. The smiling customs guy thanked me for my visit and hoped I would be back soon. Oct. Shanghai airport. Some bloke probably got paid loads to dream up this new mascot for Expo 2010. What does it signify? God knows! And why the plants scattered around the base? For luck perhaps?Nov. Manley beach Sydney.Nov. Aussie scene in Fremantle. I nice little city but SO far from anywhere!Nov. Freemantle "traditional" drinking establishment.Nov. A beautiful clear day at Sydney airport.Nov. Auckland panorama.Nov. Auckland by night.Nov. Daughter dons Mum's traditional "little black number".Nov. Istanbul - Bosphorus sunset.Dec- Dongguan China; a mixed messageDec - China KEF dealer conference DongguanDec- the latest in cool bike BangaloreDec- security guard Bangalore. Note the uniform. If the recession worsens there is always a job for me!Dec- with cousin Vasudev and our 97 year old step grandmother. Bangalore.Dec- with cousin Vasudev, aunty Saroj and uncle Narayan. Bangalore.Dec- Bangalore. Cousins Anu, Vasudev and Nani.