Current and former Newcastle City AFC members and players are well and truly out and about this year with some of our jet setting friends letting us know how they are going. Read on for some of the news from China, Afghanistan and even exotic Eastlake.
Black Diamond Cup team captain Marty Dinneen is currently enjoying a holiday in China and sent this back from the land of the bloody big wall.
Ohaio Gozaimasu
G`day, that means morning in Japanese. We are having a great time in Japan, visited the golden temple and various other Shinto shrines on the first day. We went to a Chinese restaurant, of all things, on the first night.
The Chinese have a large influence here with Buddhism being the second biggest religion and believe me the chow food here is vastly different to that rubbish we get in the plastic containers at home!
Caught the Shin Kan Sen (bullet train) (they might call it the bullet train because it goes so fast but I think its because you want to shoot yourself when you hear the price) to Hiroshima yesterday and saw the A-Bomb dome, a monument to those killed in the first use of WMD`s. It is a bit of a spin out to see the effects of nuclear- fission- warfare, scary stuff.
Today we are off to Nara, the spiritual capital of Japan to see more temples and hopefully meet up with my old flatmate, Luke!
We are sleeping on a futon which is very comfy and sleeping very well in the air conditioning considering it is a constant 28 degrees and as muggy as a back street in Harlem!
Meeting the Mayor of Matsubara on Wednesday and flying to Bangkok on Friday!!
What a fantastic victory for the big man's 200th game. Sounds like it's going to be an uphill battle to get back in the side when I return. Hope the race night was a success and Hammer is destitute and living in the Hunter Street Mall!
Yeah well didn't happen Captain the good old Hammer Time Syndicate made it two from two.
Another Club member out and about is Ben Niland (Gerry and Brenda's eldest son, Mitch's older brother and former player). Ben recently went to Afghanistan as part of the UN infrastructure re-building program (he's a civil engineer).
Hi All, Am here in Kabul, Afghanistan, safe and sound. Chaotic at airport - Condoleezza Rice was here as well so security was a bit higher than normal. Arrived about 2ish yesterday afternoon, which is about 7:30pm your time (I am 5.5hrs behind - not the first time that's been said!)
You should see this place - it's been an experience already. Traffic is chaos - there appears to be absolutely no order at all, but it still works. The defensive driving skills of the locals are unreal.
I got all my stuff today, so I should be able to send emails on a fairly regular basis from now. I spend a week here in Kabul getting briefings then transfer to my duty station, Herat, about next Wednesday to become the International Regional Engineer.... Pressures on. Herat is in AFGs safe zone, in the west.
Food is good - on the compound there is virtually all the food you would expect at home, although there is a tendency to have a little more lamb and rice on the menus. Outside compound in local streets there is all sorts of unhygienic practices - carcasses hanging from butchers hooks etc.
Temperature here is quite warm - I would guess it's about 37-38 or so.
Anyways, got a fair bit to do this arvo, so I better get on to it. Will send another one when I can. Everything is very safe here - they leave absolutely nothing to chance. You go to the loo -someone knows about it.
Be in touch soon, Ben
Our third jet setter is former Newcastle City player Brendan "Dooley" McGrath who has made his way down to Canberra to suit up for the Eastlake Demons in the AFL Canberra League.
A quick look at their website has True Blue convinced that he hasn't changed too much, missing the scheduled Website Photo Shoot by the looks of things. Dooley has picked up the prestigious No. 50 guernsey.
http://www.eastlakefc.com.au/efc/football/content.asp?IntContId=130Good man Dooley, good man.
GO THE BLUES!
Last Modified on 02/11/2006 14:37