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If I was going to openly complain about anything of our trip so far it would be having to reassess my spatial awareness. Europeans are larger than the people of Thailand and I am constantly reminded of this.

In Bangkok I was attacked by annoying light switch in our hotel room. Have you ever been maimed by a light switch? If our wardrobe door was open the light switch would take swipes at me as I walked past.

During our train ride the bed tried to shrink me in my sleep. It was as if I was on a medieval anti-rack. On the ferry ride I felt positively Humpty Dumpty as I walked downstairs to the toilet, it was like the walls were closing in on me. Now on Koh Samui it is as if the door arches are out to get me. I miss my small cushion of hair.

The bright side of all this is that I feel fantastic when sitting down doing nothing at all.

Tough life. Do not be alarmed. Trust me, I know what I am doing.

It is a terrible paradox that you can not write about something until you leave it behind. Now we are on the train to our next longitudinal adjustment I can write freely about Bangkok.

Our two day whistle stop tour was a full symphony of mixed impressions..I have some advice to impart to both travellers and the fine people of Bangkok.

I am not sure what the insurance premiums are like for motor vehicles in Thailand. I suspect the Buddha on every taxi dashboard and the chorus of horns that substitue signaling and indicators serve to lower them somewhat. I can safely say that our first journey by tuktuk was both harrowing and humorous at exactly the same time. Imagine being on a rollercoaster with no safety restraint approaching a hole in the track and feeling as invincible as superman. That is the joy of driving Bangkok style.

Moving as a pedestrian needs deft slight of foot and a full range of street theater acting ability. If you know where you are going move quickly and look positively disinterested. Pausing is as good as screaming I want help. That is not to say that the Thai people are not fantastically helpful. In fact I would say that holding any piece of paper in front of your face and pointing at it is as good as having a mobile GPS unit that talks to you in the same manner as BMW with the right option kit will. They are that helpful.

I have been amazed at the breadth of cultures that call Bangkok home. Perhaps I am overly stimulated but one of the first things I noticed when opening the hotel desk drawers was not one lonely Gideon bible but four different paths to enlightenment. I am not sure where mine lies but it is nice to know there is something to fall back on.

Cow has been a good companion. Let us look at some cow snaps.

Here she is waiting patiently at the Bangkok train station.

Here she is again waiting not so patiently.

Here we are on board the train. Cow in full muse mode.

A couple more photos whilst I am feeling picturesque. A funny sight spotted getting on board the ferry to Koh Samui this morning.

A not so salubrious submarine.

And finally. Paradise found.

It even has free internet!

I knew this was going to be odd but not this odd. I have used the internet for a range of uses over the past ten plus years. Now I am unplugged, alive and it is decidedly strange. Perhaps it is wise to reintroduce you the reader to some of my most common catch cries.

“Sigh” when I read of someone posting about being bored on the internet. Impossible when you have at least one brain cell and one finger.

“Just google it” when I do not know the answer to a question and would have just googled it myself.

“Someone will have asked that question before” usually used in conjunction with just google it.

Then there are my haunts, my morning coffee. My daily routine of cyclical joy. An endless treadmill of opinion, statistics and emotion. E3 is happening right now. Peoples relationship statuses are changing right now on facebook. People are waiting to be badgered and harangued on instant messaging programs right now and I am not there.

What a strange state of affairs. I feel as though the internet is not working properly without me there.to spice things up. I actually miss reading my spam email messages.

Perhaps it is for the best. I notice with some interest that global oil prices have dropped $15 US dollars in the last two days. All of the worlds major stock markets are up with the DOW showing triple digit growth. What a marvelous sacrifice I have made to cure economic woes. Now if only someone could teach me how to ask for banana pancakes in Thai.

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Rest assured the headline is somewhat less sinister than what I had planned. Tragedy, Fear & Pain had all crossed my very boozed and mischievous mind. We had been liberally applying alcohol on the plane as a great way to practice and expand our rudimentary Thai vocabulary with the friendly staff of Thai Airways.

It was not until about three hours into our trip we noticed we had a stow away.

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The boosted bovine from the headline is the very aptly named Cow. Cow has been in the family for over five years and is now travelling South East Asia with us. She has left us before to travel Europe by this stowaway method.

A soft toy with a personality that goes travelling with you is one of the best things you can have in your luggage. I will write a more thorough article on the importance of soft toys in the 21st century soon.

Trip wise we had a very enjoyable flight to Bangkok. No Xray scanning at Bangkok. We even carried cow openly through the airport. Our transfer was in the most incredible van we have ever been in. Think a full leather lounge suite on wheels with air conditioning.

Bangkok is a busy place and there seems to be a lot on for no apparent reason. Our flash packing hotel is very nice. I will take some photos of things later when it gets lighter. Still 5am here.

Not much more to report. We are safe and sound and will be heading out to explore soon, Anna has informed me this morning that she is going to reincarnate her soapbox t to blog from. Look out Woman & Men.

Eleven am now. Spent a couple of hours visiting places with tuk tuk driver. Top chap. A few photos already I will put them in picasa.

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Hair. I now have less hair than I can ever remember.

Admirers and detractors. Rest assured that the hair dresser of dubious origin thought I looked like prison break or a prisoner depending on your persuasion.

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Forgive me whilst I mourn. I do believe I understand the plight of Samson.

We leave tommorow. Yay.

I gave my father a business card last night. This was a big step for me as I have historically hidden my writing away from my family. The estrogen addled side of my family are somewhat critical. Dad, when you read this post; this one is for you.

I am not sure when I developed a fear of horses. It was early because I have always maintained a healthy distance from them. My earliest memories of horses was our neighbours having a horse named Eileen. Eileen was a powerful beast and her owner had made a proud Luddite stand in using one as a farm tool instead of a motorcycle.

Horses are best left in their natural state. By using them in any form we are asking for trouble. Eileen was a tall horse and fantastically muscled. I remember thinking she could cleave me in two with a miss placed hoof. Humans are not happy with this, we have to shoe them with iron boots; which are heated and applied with nails. Can you imagine buying a pair of shoes, only to have them heated up and nailed to your feet? I would be itching to stomp on a mushy surface at the first opportunity. Who cares if it was a pint sized homo-sapien !

Not content with this we proceed to attach all manner of leather bondage gear. We then place on a heavy saddle. Put a metal bit(gag) in the horses mouth and strike it with a crop when it does not go the desired speed. The bit is obviously used to stop the poor horse from screaming.

Now lets get down to aesthetics. Horses look positively beautiful with no adornments leather or otherwise. Humans look pathetic on top of then and then you have the biggest injustice of all. Professional jockeys.

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Take a close look at that photo. Look at the starved monkey parody on the horses back. Look at the horse. Shameful.

Jockeys are only a symptom of a wider problem. The horse racing industry is a shamefully exploitive travesty which leeches at the very soul of humanity. Hiding behind theatric marquee events, it passes itself of as something respectable but really it is just a obscene form of gambling. In New Zealand we have a politician devoted to the horse racing industry.

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Take a close look at that monkey (parody) standing beside the horse. Look at the horse. Shameful.

I think by now you can see the plight that afflicts me every day. Horses should be free. Jockeys should be fed. Leather should remain in the bedroom. This would not be a raving rant with out a solution however. You and I can do our bit.

-If you have to bet on something running around a track; bet on the greyhounds. Not a monkey it sight.

-The next time you want to do a horse trek, just go for a walk. Or better yet pay for the horse trek and give the horse a ride on your back.

-Stay away from horses at all costs. They do not like us. One day they will rebel and they will remember who annoyed them.

Horse riding apologists please take me to task with a comment. I will not be ridden easily!

During our trip to south east Asia we got talking to a squadron of Japanese salary men in a karaoke bar. I’m not one for singing when there is perfectly good drink to be quaffed. Our broken English conversation meandered on to one of my life long loves. Nintendo and gaming

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It was during this slightly inebriated interchange that I let loose with one of my more fanciful theories. Curing the worlds ills with gaming and how Nintendo is perfectly positioned to do this and make a nice sum of money at the same time.

Cue a faintly familiar kidnapping but with less drama; we were traipsed away onto a jet to Kyoto, Japan. My increasingly zany ideas that had I had rarely dare to utter in public had attracted the attention of Satoru Iwata and I was going to work in R&D at Nintendo’s headquarters.

On the eve of my first release I am finally able to share my vision for making the world a better place through a new series of training games and a hint of the big picture.

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Nintendo DS – conveniently packaged and equipped with a parachute and landing crate for war zone deployment. War is Stupid Training is the latest in the highly popular training games. With just a few minutes a day the hardest trained soldier or zealot will be a peace loving pacifist in less than a week.

Through clever use of subliminal messaging and patented “reality check” environmental data modeling. Gamers are urged to ask hard questions of command. Data sharing is possible via WiFi and the only way to unlock various parts of the game is by playing wirelessly with combatants from the other side.

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Take some Time out to Think Training.

Do you know how little people actually think or day dream during an average day? Far to little. Thinking is very important, but by and large my observations are that most people think very little and when they do it is often to late. TTTT encourages daily cognitive and chimerical dalliances.

Positive Affirmation Training

Following on from common sense training for every person that has felt discouraged or has given up on a dream. PAT invigorates long dormant yearnings with its handily placed deep regressive hynoptic eye camera attachment. Supportive and studious this title promises to be the massaging wheelchair that everybody needs sometimes.

My last title is incredibly secret. It is actually such a huge title I have not been able to get my brain and all of the resources around to even begin a specification. It requires a huge investment and Nintendo is famously conservative in its approach to the market. Thankfully, as is with most places I spend time in, it is becoming less conservative. I can only give you a hint as what my next game entails.

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Believe it or not I actually have about three massive posts about 99% done. They just need the final once over by my live in editor. Spurred on by some helpful advice I have been scouring the wild web looking for similar blogs which is not easy sounding or easy to do.

I have a few criteria.

-They must be self supporting and self perpetuating.
-Be bursting of good ideas and action.
-I must not get side tracked before finishing the first paragraph.

I do not ask for much but alas, if you had seen and read what I had….

Anyway I did find one blog suitably link worthy.

Mysterious and Misplaced Logic of a Maniac gone Awry

I have participated in the enticing sounding stranger project.

So yes, it is heartening to find solace in a similar enough blog. They do exist.

Three more sleeps till we fly like birds!

Consider this the briefest respite from my increasingly tall tales. I pause now to sing a merry song lauding my fantastic good luck and current abode. Recent weather patterns have not been beneficial to the single greatest perk of staying here.

Had I wanted to walk, I need not have. We have the technology!

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The Segway Human Transporter has been changing the world in its own fashion. Hence it is no surprise that I end up living in a house rammed full of Segway paraphernalia. There is even a certified Segway engineer here who can attend to both Segway and my own needs.

I jest of course, I am not due for a service for a couple of hundred years yet and it would be a great disservice to Philip Bendall to confuse him with my increasingly odd biology.

Philip is New Zealand’s very own Segway distributor. He was the proud owner of New Zealands very first Segway. Since then he has sold Segways and has run a promotions company. Philip and his partner Katie opened their home to us before we move away and for that we are very grateful.

Where were we? The weather had been appalling and not very Segway friendly. Even after three sunny days I had dared not venture out from the Segway lair. It was warm and we both enjoy being plugged in when the climate is not very clement.

Today however, I ventured out on a Segway. I had forgotten what a positively invigorating experience it is. The wind streaming through my hair, The gentle vibrations coursing through my legs. On returning home I remarked. “it feels like I have been doing something healthy”

Which got me thinking, what if it was healthy? There are bound to be a few cynics out there saying “why don’t you just walk?” But reason and common sense will always be the poor cousins to rampant technology. It is the human way.

Segway vibration training is the answer. Those very same gentle vibrations I remarked upon could be strengthened sending powerful jolts through your body and causing muscle twitch and fibre damage in one sharp movement. After a couple of minutes of Segway vibration training you will be begging to walk.

Segway Joust takes Segway polo and throws you on your head, literally. I actually did a trial run of this earlier in the year. Unfortunately my man of arms was unruly and we were a Segway short but the concept is proven.

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Segways are charged by a wall socket but there is no reason for them not to be chargeable by kinetic energy. A stationary exer-cycle inside a gymnasium could provide the charge for a segway. It makes sense that people expending energy not going anywhere could help someone on a Segway move.

I do believe I am getting a bit silly now. My imagination is spent. My heartfelt thanks to Phil & Katie for our time here. I will miss the segways, but Thailand has something just as grand.

ELEPHANTS!

Since flying into San Francisco and giving up our identities to Uncle Sam, we have traveled every which way across America down into Mexico. Our grand plan was to traverse islands across the Caribbean and find work on a super yacht. It was in Cuba that things took a turn for the extraordinary.

After wandering the wide boulevards of Havana we proceeded to bar hop as the sun came down. It was in one of these bars we were kidnapped! Having not been kidnapped before I can assure you it is somewhat terrifying. The level of terror is directly proportional to the amount of time you are left alone before you meet your captors.

Thankfully for us a plethora of sub aquatic flora and fauna was passing us by. We were inside a Submarine! Submarines are fabulous devices akin only to airships in grandeur and very few submarines were as delightful as our new home.

It turns out we have been kidnapped to work on this super sub. Its owners are both fabulously wealthy and fastidiously paranoid. As such we could not have knowingly taken berths on this voyage and it was necessarily for us to be whisked away without a trace. The Submarine is a Russian borei class model. All of its typical armaments have been replaced with more important necessities like a full library, underwater simulated driving range and various other creature comforts. With a cruising speed of 25 knots we have been circumnavigating the globe with a few stops to refuel. We are not nuclear powered anymore.

The crew is a mish mash of ethnicities and cultures which makes for some interesting working parties. Given our need for secrecy these are often undertaken with our on board launch which can be detached at sea away from prying eyes. I do not know what my official role is on the submarine. I usually wander the narrow corridors looking for a place to tell stories. If anyone has any good nautical jokes please send them through as I could do with some fresh material.

I suppose some of you are wondering about my choice to out this story. At face value it is unethical. However given its content and questionable veracity I do not think anyone would believe it, even if I told you the captains name was Nemo.

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