Mexican John Blogspot

DEAD

2011-04-11T21:15:00.000+01:00

This blog is no more. Thanks to everyone who has checked it out over the years. Check out No feeling lasts forever where new smaller updates and photos will be posted. Cheers

Dynamix Jam

2011-02-27T11:38:00.000Z

Before the dark days and the cold nights

2010-12-21T18:07:00.000Z

Black rails at Whitley Bay got the Cookie treatment at the end of Autumn

This school near North Shields has a good rail to rail set up

50-50 to icepick grind

The grass landing after the second rail is a lot more forgiving than the concrete thankfully!

Pete had about 25 wrecks trying 50-50 to pedal grind on the second, he got it in the end (but not on this attempt!)

Seems like a long time ago being able to go and ride street!

Some stuff to watch while you're sat in the house waiting for spring to arrive:

Ratty made this excellent interview/bio with Newcastle's Dave Young with some footage from the 80's. Its really well put together and Dave talks about what its like to still ride after becoming a father and holding down a full time job after being a pro.

So good to see Ruben riding again after so much time off with back trouble. Who could have guessed that you could fix a dicky back with a set of braces?! You can also watch Rubens 3 part 'First Hand' interview here

Its Christmas! Go and wear a silly hat and get mortal in your kitchen.

See you in 2011!

Trip photos

2010-10-19T20:20:00.000+01:00

We started the trip off in Amsterdam after getting the ferry overnight from North Shields. We had planned on riding here for about a week but the weather was shit so we left after 2 nights in search of dryer weather.

taking shelter from the rain..

We had planned on camping for the entire month, God knows what we were thinking! It was freezing. We lasted 2 nights before I threw my tent in the bin and checked into a hostel.

The next stop was Cologne, Germany and we fell in love with it straight away. Cheap beer, good people and incredible street spots everywhere

Most of the outdoor ramps we rode were very quiet and we hardly saw any riders all month. This mini was one of the best

The ledge that Dave Osato breaks his foot on in Road Fools 6. Dave Freimuth pulls it in the video, its an absolute beast

Cologne University

I bought an issue of Cream magazine about 10 years ago in Paris and it had a Markus Wilke interview with a poster of him doing a wallride to table at this spot. We found it by accident riding through the city one day and needless to say it didnt disappoint- so good

Replica Max Gaertig bike in the People's store owned by Wethepeople

Love locks on the bridge in Cologne

Dussldorf University was amazing even though a lot of the more famous spots had been capped.. there was still countless things to ride. We didnt even get kicked out and rode it for about 4 hours.

The Kebab factory in Hamburg, those boys work it like a production line

Hamburg: not short on street spots..

Those banks in Hamburg took some searching but they were worth it

Coffee break in Berlin

above x4: a very deserted Mellow Park. The whole place is currently getting rebuilt and there was hardly a soul around.

The sign for Flair BMX in Berlin, think its an old Hoffman Taj

Germany Trip video

2010-10-12T17:35:00.001+01:00

Here is the video from our trip to Germany. It was an amazing month can't wait to do it again.

Enjoy!

Carts of Darkness

2010-10-10T18:05:00.001+01:00

Homeless people who fly down hills on shopping trolleys collecting cans and bottles as they go to make enough money to eat. Need i say more?! Get stuck into this excellent 1 hour documentary.

Summer Playpark Edit

2010-08-31T21:00:00.001+01:00

I've been working on this edit for the last couple of months and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I would have liked to have gotten a few more clips from everyone but nevermind. Filmed in the various kid's playparks from Whitley Bay to North Shields. Hope you enjoy it!

Seaburn Jam snaps

2010-08-31T20:01:00.000+01:00

He's back! Grind combo legend Chris Souter leaves his pegs alone with a massive 180 out of the curved wallride. Souter has a plan to ride from Sunderland to Hastings on his BMX soon in what promises to be quite an adventure! Find out more here

Skatepark

2010-08-17T19:42:00.000+01:00

The Trip

2010-08-15T10:21:00.000+01:00

Sunday Session

2010-08-09T11:14:00.001+01:00

After a failed attempt at riding a spot in Gosforth we headed into town to meet up with everyone at the Wasteland. There was a lot of people out today and it was good craic just chilling and cruising around the Quayside. A little bit of riding even got done too!

Rob Cairns

Marty Meenaghan

Chris Lee

Crew

Martin Cook

Martin Meenaghan

Chris Lee

Professional bike thrower Scott Taylor demonstrates his 'DILLIGAF' face over a bottle of brown!

Not. Fucking. Arsed!

Seaburn Jam

2010-08-08T09:08:00.000+01:00

There is a jam at Seaburn Skatepark on the 28th of this month. Head over to We Ride Kids Bikes for more info.

The X Games comes to North Shields

2010-08-05T22:02:00.000+01:00

The next installment of the councils mini comps was at North Shields today and a lot of kids showed up to ride, skate and of course micro scooter. It was quite hectic at times as the park is quite small not to mention slippy so the odd collision was inevitable! The rain stayed away long enough for a few jam sessions to go down and it turned out pretty well.

Classic Meadowell haircut right there on the bottom left!

Whitley Skate Champion Jonny Hayes was disappointed he wasn't allowed to win 2 days in a row!

Local hero Dave Summerson managed to get a few runs in in between judging

"Who won who won?!"

Nac Nac who's there? Andrew Asiamah that's who.

BOOSH! Watch ya heed youngin' ! Ben Spence with some homage to Jay Miron....

...and also a nod to Cameron Birdwell with these crazy maneuvers!

Carl Wright took the top spot in the over 16's with a solid run with moves like whips and hang 10's above

Dom with a bars to disaster

Master of ceremonies!

Show me watcha got

2010-08-04T17:21:00.000+01:00

A small comp went down today at Whitley Bay's Panama Skatepark. It was run by the council and is the first of a series of comps going down over the next 3 weeks. Here is some more information from the council about it:

You maybe aware that we will be having a number of informal Skate/BMX best trick or style sessions at North Tyneside’s Skateparks over the summer school holidays. Fellow Skaters and BMX riders will be on the look out for the best trick or style or for those who can do a number of easy to medium Skate and BMX tricks depending on experience.

There will be some prizes at each of the sessions that are part of the Widening Horizons Sport North Tyneside project. A responsible adult over the age of 16 years old must accompany children under 8 years old. Each session will last for two hours and will be dependent on the weather.

The sessions are informal and a chance for Skaters and BMX riders to show off their skill, see how others do tricks and have some fun. Please see the programme of sessions that will be held at various times. Please note that Panama Skatepark is in on the Links at Whitley Bay.

The first sessions are

Dudley Skatepark Tuesday 3 August from 2 to 4 pm

Panama Skatepark Wednesday 4 August from 12 pm to 2 pm

The Parks Skatepark Thursday 5 August from 1 pm to 3 pm

Week 2

Panama Skatepark Monday 9 August from 1 pm to 3 pm

The Parks Skatepark Tuesday 10 August from 11 am to 1 pm

Burradon Skatepark Thursday 12 August from 1 pm to 3 pm

Week 3

Panama Skatepark Tuesday 17 August from 1 pm to 3 pm

The Parks Skatepark Wednesday 18 August from 1 pm to 3 pm

Week 4

Dudley Skatepark Monday 23 August from 2pm to 4 pm

The Parks Skatepark Tuesday 24 August from 11 am to 1 pm

Panama Skatepark Thursday 26 August from 11 am to 1 pm

There is also an Xperience event being held at Panama Skatepark on Saturday 14 and 15 August hosted by Tynemouth Extreme and supported by North Tyneside Council. Team Extreme will be there. I will have to get back to you regarding times.

Finally we are looking to launch The Parks Skatepark on Saturday 21 August 2010. Details to follow.

Here are some photos from today:

Self filmed seaside edit

2010-07-30T18:45:00.002+01:00

Shot and edited this short vid this afternoon. Nowt mental just a few clips I shot while cruising down the sea front.

Some shots from yesterday

2010-07-28T10:56:00.001+01:00

With the School holidays in full swing now the skate parks are jam packed and most of the spots we usually ride are busy as well so we have a look a little bit harder to find some quiet street to ride.

This spot of wasteland is going to be transformed into a wallride/hip combo over the next few weeks hopefully.. watch this space

Sam with a gap to flat, North Shields

This spot is a small industrial estate tucked away in the back end of North Shields. Its pretty good but the place reeks of fish! Sam again with 2 hops.

Wednesday kickstart!

STRANGER/FRANCO SIMONE from THEM on Vimeo.

Motivation

Friday feeling

2010-07-23T17:32:00.000+01:00

After the crappy weather this week the sunshine coming through my window this morning was a welcome sight. Headed out early and had a session at North Shields park while it was nice and quiet then rode some street. Here are a few photos of Dave Summerson from earlier on:

Nice evening for a BBQ! And beer.

The Truth

2010-07-22T17:57:00.000+01:00

Chester Blacksmith is fucking bad ass. Not only is he double handy on a bicycle he also has one of the best outlooks on riding and represents what I think riding is all about. Having fun with your friends, travelling to new places and riding new spots.

One of the burliest things ever done on a BMX

This crash and injury below is actually sick, don't watch if you're squeamish!

Summer Stylin'

2010-07-14T13:36:00.000+01:00

A short promo for a BMX edit I'm currently filming. All the spots are found in kid's playparks around the area where I live. A lot of new ones have popped up lately so I decided to film an edit of all the locals. Full web edit coming soon!

Kids bikes

2010-07-08T11:22:00.000+01:00

I'm busy filming and editing this 'Kids Playpark' Summer edit at the moment so have been filming more than I have been snapping photos. Been riding a lot and have ridden some good old spots and one or two new ones as well. Here are a few shots from the last week or so inbetween filming sessions.

Find it and grind it! Dom with a smith grind over a less than smooth ledge, nothing half a candle can't fix though

Will with a hop over the rail at Churchill Playing Fields, Whitley Bay

Marty avoids the heckles and demands of the local rats at North Shields Skatepark and shreds a little known spot in New York (North Tyneside not NY, NY)

This curved wallride is pretty tucked away and was spotted by Wicked Joe. Best one I've ridden for a while..

The tricky spot next to Regent Centre Metro is good for a frisk when its raining as its undercover.. waxa

This spot is in Ashington and is rather good, hidden away in some industial estate somewhere..

H Man getting some interesting shots with his brand new Sony HD Bloggie camcorder thing. Things were going great until we attached it to my rear peg and I blasted out of that bank going full speed and it snapped off the mount! Sorry H Man.

Summer Edit in the works!!

Some snaps from the last few days

2010-06-24T16:11:00.001+01:00

Mundo with a fast wall ride near Wellfield

Marty lays down his cobblers tools for a minute to show this bump jump who's boss!

Sweet new spot in Newcastle, Scotty T shows us the lines

Crew chillin'

Big crew met at the Wasteland for a sesh and of course a BBQ

Chrissy Lee

Cookie X Grind

Tommy Lee

Rob and Mundo on the beer run for LCL

A hop o meter was constructed with the finest German precision by Fertig and people tried to go under and and over it in hilarious fashion! Newrick got the hop over in the end.

These days are ours

2010-06-19T12:56:00.000+01:00

For a good few years now 2 of the best spots around the coast have been the kids play parks in Whitley Bay and North Shields, known locally as 'Black Park' and 'Blue Park' respectively (although Blue Park is now green). For some reason now all the other parks in the area are all getting a revamp (probably the last one for a while before the 'Cameron Cuts'!) and all have new spots in them to ride. I'm planning a "Park" edit soon with only footage from the kids parks in the area of which there are now about 6 with hips, grinds and other weird obstacles. Here are some photos from yesterday from Blue Park and the park on Links Avenue and a bit of street in Monkseaton.

Above x2: the park on Links Avenue, Cullercoats with a new hip/jumpbox thing and a weird balance beam set up that is good for launching out and grinding across..

Local shred machine Dave Summerson with a bars over the awkward hip at the now Green Park in North Shields across from the Police Station

The infamous Robert Cairns of Westmoor was in town repping the colour green

Rob outlining the benefits of having the snip.. Dave is unconvinced

Double foot in the tire by Dave

Rob gets Luc-E on the sub. Lets hope he does with ladies soon..

jeggings whopper!

Rob with a hop over the rail in Monkseaton

Rob finishes the session with a roof drop. Another good session in the sunshine!

Back in the mix

2010-06-17T16:50:00.001+01:00

Got to ride North Shields park the last few days in the sun while its been nice and quiet. The park is pretty good with a good mix of transition, flat banks and grind stuff. Its a bit tight in places without much flat bottom but it makes it more challenging to ride and makes flowing around easier.
There are a few imperfections such as some of the concrete almost overlapping the coping making grinds impossible and unbelievably they haven't installed any drains whatsoever (!) so chances of riding it anytime soon after a downpour are unlikely. Its also slippy as hell with it being new but its possible to borrow brushes from the sports centre to sweep away any dust. Here are some photos of the finished park:

plenty of possibility's and lines here

The super tight but fun hip/spine/bowl

Riding after 4 months off was painful and sketchy for the first day but not too bad yesterday. Rode with Mundo both days and it feels good to be back on the stead!

Above x2: Rode an old favorite, the fence has been removed at the top so its possible to gap out the bank into the grass if you come flat out round the corner!

Above x2: Rode a new spot in North Shields, this slide makes for a good hip as well as a sub/grind box..

deece spot!

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

2010-05-28T07:05:00.000+01:00

The first thing you notice in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is the traffic, its the busiest I've seen anywhere. The roads are clogged all day long with thousands of scooters buzzing around the streets like swarms of angry insects. The Vietnamese love to honk their horns at any given opportunity so it is very noisy too. Once our bus got within the city limits it look at least another 2 hours for us to reach the drop off point as it was so busy. Thankfully our hotel was just across the street so we didn't have to venture far with our luggage through the busy streets. Aside from the manic traffic and constant hawkers offering anything from motor bike rentals to drugs we really enjoyed HCMC and stayed there for about 5 nights.

One afternoon we visited the local water park which was a good laugh, it had some slides that I never even knew existed as well as zip lines and other things that health and safety would never pass in the UK! One of the best ones was a really fast straight tube which shot you into a bowl which you span round until you lost momentum and were spat out the hole at the bottom into the pool below!

The crazy bowl slide on the left

Some of the restaurants we ate at were excellent, in particular one called Zan-Z-Bar which was one of the best meals me and Alba had ever eaten!

We took an excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels which are a network of underground tunnels that facilitated the Viet Cong during the 1960's during the Vietnam War. From the surface they were undetectable to the American ground troops and they helped save a lot of Vietnamese lives. Some of the traps they made were pretty gruesome with trapdoors leading to pits full of sharpened bamboo spikes- ayaz!

one of the entrances to the tunnels... tight

naughty!

Our tour guide. Notice he has put his snout in the dummy's hand, what a joker!

One night when we were leaving a restaurant near to our hotel we saw a crowd forming on the street outside. A couple of scooters were on their sides in the middle of the street so we thought there must have been a crash until we saw glass bottles flying through the air and a group of young lads starting going for it trying to glass each other. This lasted for a good few minutes until the Police showed up batons swinging. Never a dull moment in HCMC!

Vietnam- Hoi An, Nha Trang & Mui Ne

2010-05-24T04:19:00.001+01:00

Hoi An

Since Johnny and Lowy had left a day before us from Da Nang they had already sorted a nice hotel with a pool in the centre of Hoi An. We met them there mid morning after being dropped off by the Easy Riders. Our hotel room number was 204 for the third hotel room in a row- weird.
Hoi An is a beautiful town with narrow streets packed with excellent restaurants, an assortment of textile shops and plenty of tailors. Alba and Johnny both had footwear made for the equivalent of 7 quid a pair.
On the second day we all hired bikes and pedalled the short distance to the beach and spent the full day there relaxing, playing frisbee and swimming in the sea. The waves were pretty big and the rip was strong- I got flipped upside down by a wave much to the amusement of the locals!

After a few nights in Hoi An we decided to move on further south down the coast to Nha Trang, another beach resort which took an over night bus ride to get to. The sleeper bus was OK albeit slightly cramped; we shared the back bunks with 3 Russians to personal space was minimal to say the least!

Nha Trang

When we arrived at the beach side city of Nha Trang just before 6am it looked as if most of the city's inhabitants were already on the beach either running, swimming, doing Tai Chi or even playing happy sack. When the sun comes up and gets hotter the Vietnamese and most of the people in South East Asia avoid the sun at all costs and it is quite common to see people covered head to toe even when its high summer. People ride motorbikes with an umbrella held over their faces to avoid the suns rays. Shower gel and other cosmetics even contain whitening skin agents. Ironic really how people who are naturally tanned want to be white and pale skinned people do anything to do the opposite.
We took a boat trip around the bays of the nearby islands to do some snorkeling around the reef. It was a good day and we also had a blast on a banana boat just before lunch. It was much more difficult than I thought it would be to hang on when it flipped- it actually knacked! Good fun though.

Mui Ne

Mui Ne is another of Vietnam's premier beach resorts with huge complexes dotted along the 8km or so stretch of white sand. The stretch of beach we were staying on was clean and we had a bungalow right on the beach and ate at a very swanky restaurant next door every night for cheap. The weather was so hot it was impossible to stay out in the sun too long and the sea was warm so jumping in gave you no rest bite from the heat.
One of the local attractions were the huge sand dunes just outside of the town and after reading you could sledge down them it sounded like a fun thing to do. We hired scooters for the day and off we went along the coast with the yellow dunes in the distance. We parked up at a cafe across the road from the dunes and hired some shady looking sledges off some shadier looking street kids who led us up to the top of the dunes. It was midday and was around 40 degrees and the sand was the hottest thing that has ever touched my feet! We winced in pain as we hobbled slowly up to the summit. The street urchins were seemingly unperturbed by the searing heat as their feet looked like well worn leather.

After what seemed like forever we reached the top of the dunes out of breath with burning feet. I decided to go down first and it was really crap, a total anti climax. Climbing back up was worse as the sand was finer and covered my feet up to my shins with every step. Needless to say I didn't bother going down again!
We left the dunes and drove to the nearby Lotus Lake. It really was something else, a deep blue lake fringed by a desert of pure white sand- I'd never seen anything like it. Swimming proved difficult with thorny weeds clogging the shoreline but it was still great to cool off after the relentless heat of the dunes as Alba's face was still pink an hour later and Johnny had mild sunstroke!

Johnny and Lowy left Mui Ne early as Lowy had to go back home as the cost of his knackered boiler forced him to cut his trip short. We had a great time with you mate and you are missed! We ate at Sankara's again and said our goodbyes.

The local

Its open

2010-05-18T10:15:00.000+01:00

North Shields skatepark is officially open and I've heard from a few people that its really good.. check it out. Its located at the Parks Sport centre not far from the Tyne Tunnel. The skatepark is on that patch of tarmac to the right of the centre:

View Larger Map

Thailand and Vietnam street spots

2010-05-16T13:09:00.000+01:00

Since being out here I've lost count of all the amazing spots I've seen, most of them being untouched with not many riders or skaters to speak of. Marble ledges a plenty, no skate stoppers and a shit load of ditches. Its killed me not having my bike to ride them! Here are a handful that I've passed while I had my camera. If I get the chance to come again my bike is definitley coming with me!

The above 3 are in Bangkok's shopping district near Siam Square. They have probably been taken to bits and used as weapons in the riots by the Red Shirts by now though!

Above- All in Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand..

Above- The riverside in Da Nang, Vietnam

Saigon, Vietnam

Vietnam - Da Nang

2010-05-09T12:30:00.000+01:00

The bus trip to Vietnam was set to take 24 hours and it was to be aboard a bog standard bus with normal seats, no air con and no toilet! None of us were really loving this idea but we had little choice as the flights from Laos to Vietnam were astronomical for the distance.
Arriving at Vientiane Bus Station was much akin to what I imagine a wild west market would be like. Shifty characters carted goods and animals onto already heavily laden coaches while others stooped low and mumbled to one another. Once we found the 5.30pm overnight bus we werent even given the option of putting our luggage in the hold of the vehicle like you normally would as this was already full of boxes of whiskey, vegetables and God knows what else! It became clear that carrying passengers across the border was a mere afterthought compared to the seemingly lucrative haulage trade.

If our bus was half as good as this one things would have been sweet!

We made ourselves as comfortable as possible and settled in for the journey ahead. No sooner had we been on the road for 5 minutes that we made a stop in a dodgy looking waste ground to pick up more contraband and what could only be described as a pinata!

Some guy making use of the various boxes on the bus

The Pinata in question!

We slept until we reached the border at around 5am and were rudely awoken by an invasion of Lao women getting on the bus to offer us crap exchange rates for our currency. Johnny thought we were under attack! Once across the border it was plain sailing thankfully to our first destination in Vietnam, Da Nang.
The first thing we did after finding our hotel and getting showered was to go and find a proper Vietnamese Restaurant. Although we had been spoiled in Thailand with flavorsome food it was the Vietnamese cuisine that we were all looking forward to! Simialr in many ways to Thai food but with a lot more too it with Japanese, Chinese and French influences. The first meal was outstanding and set the bar very high for meals to come!

Johnny and Lowy decided to go straight to Hoi An the next morning but we decided to stay an extra day to explore the city. We hired 2 motorcycle tour guides from Da Nang Easyriders for the day and it turned out to be one of the best days yet! The first thing they did was take us to meet local fishermen and also acted as translators.

"look at my squid"

From there we visited 'Monkey Mountain' to see the huge Buddha statue and various temple that were perched on a hillside overlooking the bay and the city.

It was great cruising around on the back of the bikes and being taken to see things that we wouldn't have found ourselves.
In the afternoon they took us to Marble Mountain to the south of the city where more temples and shrines have been carved out of the jagged cliffs hundreds of years ago. It was one of the best temples we have visited on the whole trip and had a certain eeriness to it.

Our first impressions of Vietnam were certainly very high! A brilliant day.

More North Shields Skatepark news

2010-05-06T06:28:00.000+01:00

If the weather holds out the park should be completed within the next couple of weeks. Here are some more photos of the work along with the updated 3D plan for the whole park. Click here for the other photos I posted last week.Looks like its gonna be a sweet!

Laos

2010-05-03T02:29:00.000+01:00

We arrived at the Thai border town of Chang Kong and the journey into Laos seemed doomed right from the off. The trip to the northern Laos town of Luang Prabang was set to take 3 days travelling on the slow boat down the Mekong River stopping at a couple of places on the way.
As soon as we arrived at the guest house in Chang Kong we were subjected to an hour wait outside before we could get into our rooms as the staff took our passports and what we were assured was payment for our visas. We also had to pay a 1000 baht (20 quid) penalty for overstaying our visas for one day so we gave them the money for that too as we were told they could do it overnight so we could just waltz through the border in the morning.
The morning came and after a vile breakfast of overcooked eggs and another long wait we did get our passports back. But instead of having the neccessary visas stamps sorted they had just exchanged our Thai Baht for dollars at a shit exchange rate telling us that we had to pay in dollars at the border which was of course bullshit. The tidy scam had just pocketed the difference from 75 pissed off travellers!

Waiting and waiting..

Once finally at the border we encountered more problems trying to pay the overstay penalty. The immigration 'official' tried to charge Alba an overstay of 30 days instead of 1 as he wouldn't acknowledge that we had a 60 day tourist visa as opposed to the regular 30 one that you receive at the airport. After half an hour of panic and arguing the fool finally saw sense and we got our stamps and made our way to the pencil thin taxi boats to take us the short distance across the river into Laos.

In Laos the problems increased with more delays and a bizarre system of check in proceedures with no one knowing what was going on. Finally we got to the tour operator office near to the ferry for the slow boat and thats when the fun really began! We waited some more and then the shifty tour rep sat us down to deliver the bad news. They had overbooked the slow boat so there was no space for about 40 of us. After the frustrating morning we had already had it was a piece of piss to kick of with this shifty eyed salamander of a man who fumbled lame excuses and was close to tears after the barrage of insults that rained down on him!

"Lies and bullshit!"

We were offered no other choice but to get on a mini bus to Luang Prabang for 12 hours so we had to take it. The 'bus' arrived and was basically the first ever people carrier prototype or something, a shabby 10 seater with no air con. Our luggage was precariously strapped to the roof with string and we crammed on to the sauna on wheels. I really wish I could say things got better from then on in but they actually got worse!
The road to Luang Prabang was terrible. In fact in wasn't even a road in places, barely a patch of earth that mountain goats wouldn't dare to cross. The whole journey had about 1 hour of tarmac and the rest (which turned out to be 14 hours) was mountainous and rough. Every pot hole and bump threatened to rip the ancient vessel in 2 and also made sleep impossible. The hair pin turns and cliff edges had everyone shitting it but we swallowed hard and feigned courage and determination to get through this. No one was surprised when the sound of air hissing from one of the tires was heard after the driver negotiated a particularly rough stretch of rocks. Stuck on the side a mountain in the jungle at night with a flat tire is definitely not the flavor!
The driver fumbled with spare wheel and jack with the van almost on his head at one point. Somehow he managed to replace the flat and we were back on the road. After that everyone winced even more after every bump because we knew that another flat meant a night in the jungle -or worse- sleeping in the decrepit van.

How not to change a tire, using your head as the jack

We stopped for food at what looked like a tasty street food vendor selling chicken kebab skewers and we all ordered some and sat down salivating at the thought of some food after going all day without any. Sadly it wasn't the finest chicken breast with a tasty marinade it was actually chicken neck. I almost burst into tears.
When we finally arrived in Luang Prabang we were dropped off and had to look for a hotel at 3am. Then as the cherry on the cake of one of the worst days of my life we were followed by the local nutter along the darkened streets until a hotel let us in and we had to pay $130 for 2 rooms. I didnt care, by that point I was just glad I was alive!

North Shields Skate Park in Progress

2010-05-02T09:07:00.000+01:00

Looks like North Shields Skate park is coming along nicely and should be done in the next couple of months. Mixture of quarters and flat banks and a fair few ledges too. Looks cool with the exposed bricks. Can't wait to get home and ride it! Its situated next to the Parks Sports Centre just outside the town centre. Cheers to Jo Oliphant for the photos.

Songkran

2010-04-26T03:20:00.000+01:00

We got back to Chiang Mai on the 10th to see in the Thai New Year (Songkran). The Thai celebrations last about a week and consist of street parties, parades and to top it off a huge water fight. The old town of Chiang Mai is surrounded by a moat which makes it the perfect setting to hold such an event supplying unlimited ammunition. We had no idea of what to expect but the scale of it was huge! Almost every single person in the city got involved armed with supersoakers, buckets and hosepipes. It was probably the most fun you can possibly have and I have never laughed so hard in all my life!

Pai

2010-04-13T03:57:00.000+01:00

Pai is a small village about 3 hours drive from Chiang Mai to the North East through the mountains. The teacher at the cooking School we had attended on the previous day had recommended a guesthouse called Mountain View which was about 10 minutes outside of Pai centre.
On arrival one of the guys from Mountain View came to pick us up from the bus stop with our luggage and I decided to hire a scooter and follow behind so that we didn't have to walk back into town later. Half way up the final hill to the digs the scooter started to splutter and as I looked down at the fuel gauge I realised I had ran out of petrol. The bike came to a stop and I had no choice but to coast back down the hill then push the rest of the way to the garage. Gutted!

Our home for the week

Pai is a really nice place and both of us liked it straight away. Despite its small size Pai has a wide range of bars, restaurants and excursions/activities to go on during the day. Included in the cost of our accomodation was free daily entry to Fluid Bar's Pool and gym so most days we lazed around there most days.

We took a trip up to one of the many local waterfalls not far from Pai which was beautiful. The cascading waters had smoothed the rock so much that kids used it as a water slide. I covered myself in mud for a laugh but when I got out of the water I discovered I was covered in tiny leeches! Alba had to spend ages picking them off. Another waterfall we visited was really dry with the water only about ankle deep as the hotter than average temperatures have caused a lot of the water sources to dry up and there has been a number of forest fires too.

One afternoon exploring on the the bike brought us to Pai Canyon which was suprisingly good. Huge drops and precarious cliff edges on all sides without the slightest hint of safety precautions what so ever. Alba didn't enjoy the danger element as much as I did so I didn't clamber along the edges or across any gorges but it was still fun.

We rounded off the week in Pai with a trip to The Piranha Fishing park. After an hour of nowt, Alba caught the first fish of the day, not sure what it was but it was small and white. We didn't have much more luck after that so we moved to the next pool where I caught a Piranha. Alba then hooked the biggest fish of the day out of anyone at the park- a 3kg catfish while I was at the bar (on my line I might add!). Me and another bloke ran back round with a net and tried to get the beast onto dry land. In the melee that followed the 2 rods got tangled and the fish managed to get off the hook much to Alba's disapointment. She is now quite a keen fisherman (or fisherwoman if you're getting all P.C)!.

Chiang Mai

2010-04-01T04:21:00.000+01:00

I was pleased we had set off 1 and a half hours before our train was due to leave as we were stuck in traffic for 45 minutes during rush hour. Even though the train station was less than a mile away from the hotel it was impossible to get anywhere quickly in Bangkok.
We made our way through the crowded station and found our platform with enough time to spare for a cigarette or 2. Finding our seats brought us both a new wave of excitement- the feeling of the unknown, moving on to somewhere new. We had tickets for the 2nd class sleeper car and the journey was to take 13 hours, arriving in Chiang Mai at 7am. We both had top bunks which were a tad small and uncomfortable but I was out like a light at 8pm. Alba wasn't so fortunate and hardly slept a wink!

Sitting in the tuk tuk on the way to our guest house I looked out at this new city and quickly came to like it; it was cleaner, quieter and more peaceful than Bangkok for a start.The old town has kept its old buildings intact surrounded by a moat and castle walls that once protected them. Buildings in the old town must be built at no higher than 4 stories which also helps keep the feel and authenticity as there are no glass skyscrapers next door to old sandstone temples.
I had planned on hiring a bike to explore the city but upon checking the prices I found that a half decent mountain bike was double that of a scooter so we opted for the latter. Aside from the price of a bike everything else is noticabley cheaper here than any of the places we had been previous; accommodation, food, booze and internet are all dirt cheap. After the blowout in Bangkok we had planned the week or so here to be one of detox and relaxation but these ideals were short lived and we went out on the first 3 nights. Oh well. 'We're on holiday' was the excuse used most often for our lack of commitment to our healthy vows.

Those 2 lads are Seb and Charlie your stereotype textbook travelers. Charlie is a posh lad and was in India before Thailand and wears beads and a headband. Seb is from Sweden and can stretch a simple story into a 2 hour monologue. Both of them never stop going on about weed. Alba summed it up best ''They are just a pair of tossers man, they are trying to sponge money off you cos there're tramps and anyway smoking weed is for knobs!"

Since seeing some peoples work that had been done in Koh Chang I was keen to get a traditional Sak Yant style tattoo done with bamboo. I checked out a few places here and found a place that had a design I liked and got booked in. The tattoo came out great and healed within 4 days without any bleeding or scrabbing. I was so pleased with it I got another one a few days later. I had them done at Magic Tattoo.

Of all the temples and touristy things we have done so far this trip the humorously named temple of 'Wat Umong' was the best. Within a large and quiet park sits a 800 year old temple surrounded by small ponds full of huge carp. The temple has a system of underground tunnels which were built to keep a mad monk from wandering off into the forest and the whole place is still lived in and maintained by Buddhist Monks. This was in contrast to Doi Suthep which is dubbed the 'holiest sight in Northern Thailand'. We found a tourist trap with as many street hawkers as any market in Chiang Mai.

Another good day out we had was at the Zoo and Aquarium. The Zoo was a fair size and had the usual array of animals that you would expect and all of them seemed well looked after and happy enough.

Our next stop is Pai before maybe coming back to Chiang Mai for the Thai new year and giant water fight Songkran before nashing over the border into Laos before our visas run out!

Bangkok

2010-03-25T02:00:00.000Z

We were supposed to arrive in Bangkok a week earlier but due to the anti government protests causing disruption in the city we decided to wait until it had chilled out a bit. I booked tickets on the coach from Koh Chang and by the time Thursday came around we were well ready to leave after spending 3 weeks on the island.
On one of the nights out we had on Lonely Beach we had met Holly and Alan and drank with them most nights after that. They were travelling to Laos via Bangkok so we decided to travel together for the next leg of the trip. We booked a nice double bedroom suite in the Prince Palace hotel after deciding to live it up a little bit but we still got it for the price of a travel lodge back home. On arrival we were blown away by the place which boasted numerous top drawer restaurants, 3 rooftop pools and all the other trimmings of a high end hotel.

The first couple of days were spent shopping at MBK and Siam Square, T shirts in particular were super cheap as was most of the food vendors there. On the night time we went down the Khao San Road which was pretty manic but good fun, a lot of characters kicking about made for good people watching from the Khao San Pub.

On the third day we walked through the thick of the protests taking place around the democracy monument downtown. The demonstrations and protests are taking place against the current prime minister and government and have been going on for over a week. The red shirts are supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a military coup that took place in 2006 while he was out of the country. They want the current parliament to be dissolved and new democratic elections to be held, a demand that has been dismissed by the PM. The atmosphere was buzzing and had an almost carnival feel to it and so far it has remained peaceful.

Later on that day we were duped into getting into a tuk tuk to go on a whistle stop tour of some of the sights for a cheap price with the catch being we had to visit a Tailors to be fitted for a suit. We visited the Tailors but none of us were in the market for a suit and got back in the tuk tuk, the drivers became arsey when we refused to visit another. Still, it turned out to be cheaper than taking multiple tuks or taxis.

On our last night we went to Moon Bar which is at the top of a 63 floor 5 star hotel- the views were incredible. To top it off we went to Bed Supperclub (yes supperclub, as you can be served dinner in bed there) which has an all white interior and decent music- the first I'd heard in 5 weeks!
We had a brilliant 5 nights in the bustling capital but anymore would have been too much. Next stop is the second city, Chiang Mai in the North.

Lonely Beach, Koh Chang

2010-03-13T10:42:00.000Z

After a week at Long Beach doing next to nothing we both got a bit bored so we decided to move to Lonely Beach where we were told there was a lot more going on. We took a room at the Ploy Inn on the main road and had a nice day relaxing and utilising the air con and hot water which we sorely missed while dwelling in the straw hut last week. The first couple of nights we went out on the drink looking to party but we were suprised to find the resort relatively quiet. On the second night we got on the buckets of Sam Song and Red Bull as well as shots of tequilla and snake carcass infused vodka or some shit. Needless to say i was arseholed and had to be carried home by Alba- not a good look! I spent the following hour hoying up- no more Sam Song for me. Alba was throwing up the next day and it was one stinker of a hang over.
One afternoon Alba suggested we get a Thai massage after she had one a couple of weeks earlier and said it was really good. I agreed and as soon as it began I instantly regretted it!My back, neck and shoulders were put through painful twists (often with the masseurs knees in my spine I might add) for over an hour. I was covered in bruises and Alba is still in shock!
On Wednesday we took a boat trip with the people from one of the bars we have been drinking in, it promised snorkeling and a few beaches on the flyer but it was basically a booze cruise. I bought a crate on the way to the boat and had sunk about 4 cans before we even got in the water- I knew it was going to be a good day. We met some decent people and got smashed on a deserted beach- not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

The past few days we have hired a scooter and it has been a lot of fun, exploring every corner of the island. It gives us more choice of what we can do day to day as well instead of being stuck in one place or paying loads for taxis (its only 4 quid a day for the scooter). We had booked tickets to go to Bangkok tomorrow but that has been postponed until Thursday as there are hundreds of thousands of anti government protesters heading there to mash up the place. There has also been bomb threats so think its best to stay clear for a little while longer!

Long Beach, Ko Chang

2010-03-07T10:13:00.000Z

We waited at the 7/11 for our pick up to take us to Long Beach on the other side of the island. The road there is very rough and further on is off road for some of the way. I was sure that our bags would be thrown from the top of the car with some of the bumps and twists in the road but somehow they stayed put.
We stayed at the Tree house beach bungalows for the first couple of nights. It was a very hippyish place with all the materials being from natural sources, namely bamboo and palm trees. The basic wooden huts and bar/restaurant are perched on the north end of Long Beach on the hill (the beach actually should be named Short Beach, not long at all!). Our accommodation was very basic, just a shite mattress and little else but a mosquito net. The toilets and bucket shower were separate and shared.

I was quite suprised to find such a broad range of guests here as opposed to the hippie stereotypes I had in my mind on the way here. Of course they were here in droves as well but there was also families, groups of senior citazens and proper people like us mingling among the great unwashed. Bongo playing, tye dye and those vile baggie hippie pants with the giant crotch down to the floor were all in abundance here on Long Beach.

Despite its laid back charm the Tree House had its problems. The electricity only ran from 6pm till 1am and the first night there was a couple of power cuts, the first of which nearly had me falling down a set of stairs on the way to the toilet- not impressed! The second day the water ran out so the toilets couldn't be flushed and no one could get showered- that makes for a lot of smelly hippies. The over laxed staff didn't sort it or even offer up any sort of apology so we upped sticks and moved down the beach to the Zion beach bungalows. They were right on the beach and were a lot cleaner and also had a shower all for 500 Baht per night (10 quid). We were much happier here and settled in straight away.

This view takes some beating! It was easy getting out of bed in the morning with that on your door step

The owner of Zion was a 30 something Frenchman named Yan who listened to reggae and hip hop and smoked weed all day. There were about 7 resident dogs that didnt really do much apart from squabble for shade in the midday sun.
On Thursday we hired a kayak and took it out on the open waters. It was much harder that I thought it would be but something tells me my paddling partner was not giving it her all! Still we made it to the nearest island in under an hour. The island was beautiful with only one hotel on it. I was bursting for a shit when I got there but the bastards wouldn't let me use the toilet despite buying 2 cans of Fanta from them, whats the world coming to!? I thought about tarnishing their brilliant white sands but the thought of being arrested for such an act and thrown in jail put me off. Instead we got back in the kayak and once out of the bay I jumped in the water once I heard natures call and let rip- I was not proud of it but the tight bastards left me with no choice!

Ko Chang

2010-03-01T02:06:00.000Z

We woke up early to pack then went for a hearty breakfast to set us up for the trip to Ko Chang from Pattaya. Mark had managed to hire a large 3 litre 4 x 4 pickup for the journey which saved us from a long and uncomfortable bus ride. Ko Chang is Thailand's 2nd biggest island and is one of the main places i wanted to visit on this trip. It is a very mountainous island covered with a blanket of thick jungle teaming with wild life. It is fringed with miles of white sandy beaches and crystal clear sea- perfect. The drive there was a good laugh and Mark's expert driving skills kept us on time to make the 12.30pm ferry even after a slight detour through some country roads!
By the time we arrived on the island I started to feel a bit sick and had lost my appetite but i put it down to the long long journey and being thrown around on some of Thailand's steepest and bumpiest roads. After about spending 15 minutes on the beautiful White Sands beach I felt terrible to went back to the digs. I spent the next 8 hours either on the toilet or being sick- nightmare. Alba went to the pharmacy for me and they gave me some electrolytes and anti-biotics to deal with what looked like food poisoning. After taking those for a few hours I felt much better! Looking back i think it must have been the prawn curry I had at the shady looking Neeroys on my last night in Pattaya- avoid!
The next 2 days were spent exploring the island. We visited a waterfall with a really good pool for swimming in which would have been better if it wasn't full of hairy Russians. We drove around the east and west coasts, stopping at sleepy fishing villages and beaches. Alba started to feel ill on Wednesday and it looked like food posioning again so she was confined to the toilet for 12 hours but was much better the next morning.

We said our goodbyes to Mark, Alan and Ay on Thursday morning. Staying with them for the last week and a half has been great. All of their help, Marks driving and of course excellent company has given us a good start to our trip. Today is out last day on White Sands before moving to Long Beach on the South East end of the island. It is a lot quieter there and we plan on chilling out there for at least a few days before heading back to the west coast. We like Ko Chang so much that we have decided to stay here for a good while- probably for another month after this week. Less traveling about will give is more money to do more activities here as well as more time to really get to know the place.

I was uploading some photos yesterday when the computer I was using went tits up and deleted my entire memory card, I was completely gutted and almost in tears as I had about 100 good ones to put up. Damn those shitty external card readers!

Pattaya, Thailand

2010-02-21T04:38:00.000Z

I had read and heard many things about Pattaya before I got here; 'sex tourism capital of the world', 'shit hole' and 'fucking stinks' were the things popped up most. Once we landed in Bangkok my Uncle Mark was to meet us and be our guide for the first 2 weeks and as he was staying in Pattaya with friends, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Mark had booked us into a very nice hotel to which we were very thankful after our long flight and jet lag. Alba's bag had not turned up at the Airport and she was almost inconsoleable but the soft kingsize bed and marble tiled bathroom did offer her some comfort however. Thankfully Emirates located the said bag and returned it to her at our hotel within 24 hours. Smiles all round once again!

Our Hotel room

After a few days here I'm starting to get into the swing of things, the jet lag and cold I was carrying from the UK is gone and the heat hasnt been too hard to adjust to. My taste buds have taken to the spicy cuisine very well I just wish my bowels would catch up with them, imodium sales must be through the roof here! Nearly all the things I was told or read about Pattaya are true but I still like it here for some reason, you could say it has a certain character about it.

This is right out the front of our plush hotel, a reminder of the stark contrast of wealth in Thailand. Rude Dog and the dweebs have fell on hard times

The city is very built up and the roads are always busy clogged with cars, scooters and tour buses. Road laws are non exsistant here and riding on the back of my Uncle's scooter was a scary experience at times! 5 star resorts sit next to corregated iron shacks and packs of stray dogs roam the streets. When the sun goes down the streets come alive with vendors on wheels selling everything from lazer pens to pastel drawings of Muhammed Ali and roasted scorpions. Wide eyed western men creep about ogling the young thai women in the Go Go Bars and massage parlours with neon signs lighting up the night. Although the sex trade is rife, its not seedy or in your face. You can walk about at night without any bother and feel quite safe. All the people here are friendly and go out of their way to help you.

yes those are insects roasted in peanut oil, I've not tried them yet..

It has been great catching up with my Uncle who has been showing me the best of the city, especially all of the top food joints. I've never ate so well! Yesterday would have been my Grans birthday so we went to her favourite restaurant to celebrate. It was an all you can eat place where you picked your own meat and have the chef cook it to your liking. It was amazing! So much good food. To top it all off a Thai Elvis was performing who actually was pretty good.

I couldnt beleive my eyes either!

"Wiwa Las Vegas!!"

Good food, good company and a Thai Elvis. Does it get any better?!

Tomorrow we leave Pattaya for Ko Chang, the second largest island in Thailand which is about a 3.5 hour drive and ferry ride away. Can't wait to get to those beaches!

Holidays are here and Winter Skatepark edit

2010-02-12T14:36:00.000Z

Yesterday was the last time I got to ride for the next 4 months because I'm off on my travels to Thailand and South East Asia on Monday, to say I am excited would be an understatment to say the least! This week me and my girlfriend have packed all of our stuff up and today we moved it all into a storage place up at Byker. Thats pretty much everything we own in that shittty crate! Haha.
Aside from my friends and family my bike and riding is the thing that I will miss most for sure, bit gutted the weather wasnt a little better this week so I could ride more but never mind. I left my bike with Jo so I can get it as soon as I get back, fuck leaving it in that crate! I get back in June just in time for the lazy summer sessions and maybe a trip to Berlin? Who knows.

Here is my first attempt and making an edit using my Lumix LX3. The software is a bit shit but it didnt turn out too bad! I hope to get a proper editing programme eventually.

Hopefully I can get some updates done while I'm away.

See you in the summer :-)

Cookie in Berlin

2010-02-04T08:36:00.001Z

cookie-dutch/deutsch-summerchills from Pegs eleven on Vimeo.

Good friend Cookie puts together this awesome edit from his travels to Berlin. Makes me miss Berlin and the summer even more! Cookie rides for Kink.

Some photos of Dom from today

2010-02-03T19:34:00.001Z

Dom gets to grips with the curved wall ride at Black Park, Whitley Bay.

A bit of ice shouldnt be enough to stop you riding! This brush was aquired from a building site a little earlier in the day to sweep up the skatepark since none of us have keys for the broom cupboard down there. Even though we swept up as much ice as we could and drained all the excess water it was still too slippy to ride.

Barspin down at Brown's Bay in Cullercoats.

All photos of Dom Johnson. The lad was on fire today!

There's a storm brewin'

2010-01-28T10:44:00.004Z

The council (in their infinite wisdom) have installed a broom cupboard at the skate park. But who has the keys? Maybe they should get off their arses and fix the bowl, its only been a year and a half since it started leaking (the day the park opened).

The second I got to the park this beast started rolling in off the North Sea. 'Stoked' I was not.

Got soaked and got a flatty on the home! Still, mustn't grumble ay?!

Blazeguard

2010-01-27T08:21:00.003Z

Blazeguard - Aussie Invasion from John Thompson on Vimeo.

This video features Australians Kym Grosser and Mick Bayzand in Vancouver and these lads certainly do not fuck about! So much good stuff on here and good music make it one of the best web videos for a while. Spotted on the Life ? blog. Enjoy!

First dry session of the year

2010-01-26T10:26:00.004Z

I finished work last friday so after chilling out in the morning I went out to stretch my legs seeing as it was the first dry day of the year. The skatepark was dry but still covered in sand and mud making things a bit more interesting when blasting around the place! I finally got myself a camera last week after about a year of not having one, went for a Panasonic Lumix LX3. I'm still getting to grips with it but here are a few test shots from yesterday.

Frodo

Dom

First time I've seen the park dry in ages! It was still bitter as fuck with that ice wind blowing in off the North Sea though.

Above and below: Frodo with a double peg grind at the Whitley Lodge shops

This obstacle in situated in the local primary school and there is a good gap to be had over the top of it off the draw bridge thing. No one stepped up today but it will get done soon..

This is my neice Ella, she's class!

Snow, Corned beef and a kebab eating pigeon

2010-01-12T19:32:00.006Z

The local hot spot for sledging was Tynemouth Priory and we had a few good nights there hurtling down the slopes on sledges, bum boards and even a surf board. The killjoys had locked the gates to stop people getting in so we had to climb over after the session. One slip and it would have been goodbye to the family jewels! Here Marty cautiously makes his way over.

January is always a tight month. I was penniless by the 3rd after over spending in Leeds for NYE, so skint in fact I had to eat the last tin in the cupboard- a lovely tin of corned beef..

..along with some frozen veg, a couple of Aunt Bessies and a handful of potato fritters a canny meal was made! Wouldn't eat it again mind.

These icicles were massive! Dangling from a building on Mosely Street they would have caused someone a mischief if they had fell on someone.

The past few weeks have been mental with the snow and the whole country was covered. I for one thought it was great but I'm glad to see the back of it now! Roll on the summer.

Check this little bugger out! While I was at home researching corned beef recipes on the net this rotund looking pigeon was tucking into a kebab! You can see the garlic sauce all down his front haha. When I got my phone out to take the photo and got a little closer he shuffled a bit then sort of just went "fuck it, I cant be arsed to fly away so just take the photo you nosey twat" At least I think that's what he meant.

2009 - You picked me up then dropped me from a great height

2009-12-30T22:34:00.009Z

This year has brought more ups and downs than a roller coaster for me. I've hit my lowest point of my life and other times I've been so full of elation I could of exploded! I think I've cried more this year than I have in the last 10 years- sometimes tears of joy but mostly of sorrow. I can't wait to see the back of it! This is probably going to be pretty bleak so I apologise now, I just have to get it off my chest.

Depression can be hard to shake off. Sometimes there seems no way out of a situation, no light coming through that relentless fog. Then out of nowhere someone takes your hand and guides you through the darkness, to me this is the greatest high when you know the deepest low. Thankfully I have an amazing girlfriend, family and friends to help me out when the going gets tough- thanks to you all.

One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was get in touch with my father whom I had not seen since I was about 3 years old and I couldn't remember any of it- I wasn't sure if he had just left my Mam or what the situation was. It was getting me down but I had always been afraid to brouch the question to any of my family- I didnt even know my true ethnicity- but rolling with Mexican John wasnt so bad I guess, ha.

I figured that I was 26 years old and he wasn't getting any younger either (it was his 50th in September) so it was about time I got in touch.

I spoke to him on the phone for the first time, I didn't really know what to say or what to expect and we arranged to meet the next day. I was so nervous! I was sure he would be nervous too.

I will never forget that moment when we saw each other and he just froze, I walked over and gave him a big hug- it was amazing. We went to a pub and talked and talked, so many questions were answered as we got to know each other again- it turns out we had so much in common- both keen cyclists with a penchant for eating! I was so happy to find out about my 2 half brothers Ethan and Darryl as well as my Dads wife Christine. I went back to their house to meet them, it felt totally comfortable and we seemed to get along great.

Once I got home I felt so good, such a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and that dark cloud was gone.

Everything was going so well, me and my Dad were seeing each other most weeks now. I was back at work after being on long term sick and I had a positive outlook on life.

What happened next felt like someone had pulled the carpet from underneath my feet.

I was on the Metro going to work on the 9th of November and I got the worse call I've ever had in my life, it was my Uncle Mark ringing with the terrible news that my Gran, Carole Bowman had died. I was in total shock. I staggered off the Metro at Shiremoor and my mind went blank. I thought I must have been having a bad dream. My Dad picked me up and took me to my Grans house.

The following 3 or 4 weeks were awful, the hardest part was seeing my Uncle and Mam so upset. My Gran was such an amazing person, its hard to believe that she was gone- only a few days earlier we laughed and joked over a Chinese takeaway. The loss brought my family together like never before as we all supported each other and remembered the good times with Gran- the way she would have wanted.

Christmas was looming and we knew it wasn't going to be easy, my Gran was head of the family and it wouldn't be the same without her there. In the morning I went to my Dads and exchanged presents, I was made up with what he bought me -a Tag Heuer watch- totally unexpected. It was great to see Darryl and Ethan open their presents and enjoying themselves.

Me and Dad went to the pub for a couple of festive pints and met up with 2 good friends of mine. It was really good craic- I felt proud to have my Dad with me drinking and joking like one of the lads.
'Dad' its still funny to me to say that word, I'd never really used it a lot in my vocabulary before! We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
I was having lunch at my Mams and it was excellent as ever- only took one fool to spoil that though..

Of all the things that happened in 2009 for me, the holidays, the riding, the partying etc ect I just cant really remember them anymore after those 2 things- sometimes it seems like you lose one great thing and gain another.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2010-bring it on! I have such big plans and expections for next year. I've handed my notice in at work and my last day is going to be the 30th Janurary (if not sooner!) and I'm vowing never to get bogged down in a shitty office job again! Life is too short to be sat in a shit grey office wishing your life away. Trust me on that! I'm going to Thailand in Feburary for 4 months and I cant wait! No riding for 4 months is going to be hard but I'm sure I can make do with lazing around on the beach and scuba diving! ha. Berlin in the summer for defs. Then NYC for 2 weeks.. looks like next year is gonna be good- and yeah I fucking deserve it! See you next decade.

I miss you and I love you,

R.I.P

You can't fuck with this

2009-12-29T06:23:00.002Z

This is amazing.

“Two thieves on a motor-scooter flew by and snatched a woman’s purse on a street in Wenzhou, China. Surveillance video shows a man riding a bicycle. As he was passing by the front of a hotel near where the thievery happened, he stopped, calmly got off his bicycle, picked it up, and then threw it at the thieves. The bicycle hit them, they lost control, and crashed to the ground.”

Get that man a drink!

Keep on searching

2009-12-15T16:03:00.008Z

Looks like we have found an opening..

What have we here?

Need to come back here when its a bit dryer, looks like it could be fun with a bit of work

This is a few doors up from my house. the driver of the silver car decided to drive straight into the front of the hair dressers. I think he was the only one that was hurt, not seriously though.

New whip

The skate park empty? Must be winter. Have a nice Christmas fuck bags x

Sunday Session

2009-12-07T10:39:00.010Z

I got out of bed about 10am and the prospect of riding today didn't look too great since the ground was sopping wet and the sky was black. Marty came down to mine and we chilled for a bit to see if it would clear up and by 12 the sky was blue, result! We planned to scout about the fish quay area of North Shields for a disused or derelict warehouse to build some ramps. Its been years since we've had any ghetto ramps near the coast and the success of Dyno's ramps has spurred us on to get some built.
It may have turned into a sunny day but it was still cold as fuck so we were well wrapped up when we headed out. Marty wanted to get a hat to cover his lugs so we headed to Poundland and was kitted out with a stylish woolly hat for cheap as well as Toblerones and Lucazade to boot. After we were fully kitted out we went on the hunt and rode a few bits and bobs that we found on the way.

We had a good look around the quay but didn't really find anything with much potential unfortunately so we went to grab some lunch at the chippy to console ourselves. At least it was it had dried up so we could ride some local spots now.

Off the stairs to manny on the grit bin

We found this total dead man gap at the top of the quay, Austin Church gap style. Down hill take off where you have to swerve in to hit it as the stairs are narrow, pull up like a beast, hang on and hope you have enough speed to make it to the other side. Obviously neither of us did it! It is definitely possible though. If Sean Burns comes through Shields anytime soon I'll take him down there haha.

Fancy it?

From here we found a gap off some stairs to Ruben-esque wallride on some white temporary boards that had been put up. Marty took care of that in no time.

We checked out the back of this run down building and found a few pallets and sheets of wood so we made a wall ride on the side of the wall.

It turned out to be pretty good. We messed about there for a while then headed home as the darkness fell. No warehouse found but it was a good days riding.

For Those About To Peg Prem // P5 Dub Jam weekender

2009-12-06T10:17:00.021Z

The excitement had been building for sometime on the 'Phire as the next P5 jam was to be in Newcastle at a secret location and the night before Pete Greaves was to hold the premier of his new vid 'For Those About To Peg' at the Tyne Bar. The secret location turned out to be a huge warehouse in Gateshead which had been commandeered by Dyno a couple of months before. I went up there on the Friday to check it out and it was clear that D and the rest of the lads had been really busy. The ramps were just as good as a standard skate park but the set up was far better. I was impressed to say least.
We spent the day shifting some wood about and making a few repairs before the big day. Quite a few people turned up in the afternoon and it turned into a pretty good warm up session.

The driveway and sub box set up

Jump box and flat banks over view

Vert Wall

Quarter to wallride

Irish Ben with a gap over the driveway

Jump box warm up session

Liam Oakes was eyeing up something from the drop in off the roof and it looked like he wanted to land fakie into a wedge ramp some 7ft below. He decided to go for it and everyone reached for their cameras. He spotted the landing perfectly and he was about to roll away clean but as he made contact with the ramp his bank wheel went straight through the wood sending him shooting off the back of the bike onto his back just managing to keep his head up missing the cold hard concrete floor. He had the wind knocked out of him but it could have been a lot worse.

The gap

The moment of impact

Thats someone pulling Liam's bike out of the ramp (!)

..and the hole it left

At about 4pm its gets pretty dark in the warehouse so we left to start the drinking for the evening. After a couple of cans in Dyno's house I headed into town to check out the (free booze) exhibition at Electric Sheep and met up with Rob, The Count and the rest of the lads. By the time I got there it was heaving and I couldn't be arsed to wade through to the warm cans of beer so I bought 4 Red Stripe from the shop instead, thought I was gonna have to pay with one of my eyes when I heard the price; £6.40! Wish I had just queued for the free shit instead.

guess who?!

From here we headed along to the Tyne to check out the prem. The video was excellent as was Cookie's Berlin edit which was shown before. Most of the riding comes from Scott Taylor, Pete Greaves, The Count, Olly Olsen, Dyno, Rax, Robin, Dchum and a few more besides. Scott Taylor is out for a long stretch after shattering his heel trying a hop over rail drop in the video, he's pretty done in and its gonna be a while before he's riding again. At least he can be happy with the riding he put in for the video as he was a real stand out for me. Get well soon Scotty T!

For Those About to Peg Trailer - Premiere Friday 27th November from Pete_G on Vimeo.

If you would like to get a hold of a copy Paypal £6 to pete.greaves@gmail.com with your address. Bargain.

It was an early start on Saturday to make best use of the natural light in the warehouse so the meeting time was 10am at 5 Bridges in Gateshead. Quite a few were nursing hangovers from the night before!

There was a lot of kids out and dying to get to the warehouse. We split up into groups and went over one at a time to try to reduce the amount of attention as we got into the building. Once inside it was clear it was going to be a class day, so many people here and wanting to ride. Shit got done pretty quickly.

Nikki Croft just getting warmed up

Unfortunately I had to leave the jam at about 2pm but up till then I had a blast. The riding was amazing and everyone was having a good time. I saw Nikki Crift destroy pretty much every ramp in there, going higher and bigger than anyone in the building. Well done to Dyno, Mute and everyone else who invested time and effort into the event, cant wait for the next one.

Spot homage - Whitley Bay's 'Black Park'

2009-11-26T23:08:00.004Z

Before Whitley Bay skatepark was built the spots down here on the coast were few and far between and most of them were shite to say the least. One spot that did get sessioned is the park near Rockliffe School in Whitley Bay. It has a large concrete hump/flatbank thing in the middle which you can hip or jump like a jumpbox or whatever. It also has a pretty decent curved wallride in the corner too.
With it being a kids play park there swings and a whole lot of other crap to avoid/use with the latest addition being a climbing frame and some large rocks which can be used for abubaccas if your still into that sort of thing. Legend has it that there used to be another hump where the see-saw used to beback in the day and Tom Dorneys brother did a 360 over it..
I think i started riding here about 13 or so years ago and still ride there now and again to this day. I first learnt barspins there and probably how to fakie. The spot is a good session spot as long as there are not a load of familys in there and there are plenty of lines to be had if you are being creative. Its situated on the seafront inbetween Whitley Bay town centre and Cullercoats, check it out if your in the area.

Xtremeties

2009-11-11T12:59:00.005Z

For the second year running North Tyneside council has laid on an 'extreme' event imaginatively named Xperience. It was held on the last weekend in October to coincide with the annual Surf competition in Tynemouth, not a great time of year for the weather usually and not surprising it pissed down just like last year. The BMX side of things was taken care of Team Extreme and this year they brought their vert ramp and questionable 'street' course along for everyone to have a crack at and to do a few demos. Sure the course was a bit shit but it was OK for something different to ride for half an hour but it soon got pretty busy and the course was over run. If BMX wasn't your thing you could have watched the snowboarding big air or even some Mountain Boarders jumping a van when it wasn't pissing down. I think there was a circus tent or some shit and for some reason a beat boxing showcase. Down with the kids man. The best thing about it all is that I've won a session for 2 to go paddle boarding in a random competition, cant wait to take wor lass down to the sea and watch her try her hand at the zimmer frame of the water sports world.

Sunday Factory Session

2009-10-19T19:54:00.006+01:00

There is this factory near Wallsend that has one of the best spots around hidden inside it. I first stumbled upon it while living near Hadrian Park Metro station many moons ago. Inside the factory yard there is a long bank to wall ride, a concrete hip and a few other bits and pieces. Part of the wall is curved and the end part has an elbow so you can wall ride to wall ride as well. The best thing about this spot is that once your inside you rarely get bothered by anyone, no security or nosey busy bodies questioning what your doing. Nice and quiet.
The wall used to be really shady in places and there was a battered old billboard sign in the way of one part. The brickwork was recently redone and the sign removed. The barb wire has been removed as well on that part of the wall so its easier just to jump over from the road side rather than crawl under the gate round the front.
Yesterday me, Joe, Marty and Sean headed up for a session. Joe brought his home made kicker ramp to make things a bit more interesting!

Joe pegs the wall out of the shady flat bank! Massive

Marty getting real on the wall ride

This spot is just in the nearby Burnside school, we got kicked out in seconds though..

Marty fakie to whopper

Marty lays it down flat with a little help from the kicker

Marty took it hard on the first attempt at this gap to wall but he got it done after a couple of tries

Optimus Prime barebacking a decepticon

2009-10-17T17:11:00.006+01:00

The funniest thing since Tim Westwoods twitter craic has to be the comments underneath Dubstep tunes on Youtube. It seems to be the done thing to out 'filth' the next man and ting and express your pleasure in hearing the 'durtiest' tunes with the most outrageous statement possible. Some of them of comic gold! Heres a few of my favorites:

jeroine: "it's like optimus prime barebacking a decepticon while being high on a cocktail of crystal meth lsd and pure nitrous oxide"

tehweine: "This track is so filthy I killed my first born child with the spirit of the Lord"

UKhoboso: "He played this live a couple of days ago, it fucking melted my face"

Krats0killer: "10 skunks have shat on me tonight and I still don't feel as dirty as this "

tehweine: "i jsut put a dozzen eggs in the microwave!"

08CJ09: "So filthy my unpregnant wife was forced into labor."

timotje25: "oh my fuxxxn god i jus shat all over the place like a small over excited dog"

Trujunglist23: "Feelin Dis Big Tym , Nyc Wun! "

platoon: "this is how i like it..sounds like that alien tearing and feasting on my puppydog in the garden last night. "

dubstepaholic: "iam actually going to go out and shit on a pensioner, this tune is hype!!!!!!!!"

Toprawmen: "This is the dub I like... the kind that makes you wanna rob a bank and punch a cop."

willjspencer: "oh my good god.. role me over n tickle my colon, this is DURT!!"

Lordgryn: "this filth made me vomit blood"

Just give up mate! You've got about as much rhythm as a bread stick

Fish Quay

2009-10-14T19:57:00.007+01:00

Just some snaps I took while looking for a place to build a ghetto skatepark..

Death Kebab

2009-10-13T22:10:00.008+01:00

I love kebabs. Doner, Chicken, Shish.. I love them all. Kebab wraps, kebab and chips, kebab skewers; they are all friends of mine. Just like any restaurant or eatery the quality and price varies from place to place. If you are sticking to the Doner the product isn't gonna change too much from place to place. Instead of being made in house its usually bought in from a wholesalers. The spiced spinning stick may not be the greatest quality meat in the world but it usually satisfies thousands of hungry party goers every weekend up and down the country.

I'll set the scene. Typical Friday night, few beers with the lads and before long my hunger gets the better of me. Being at a friends in Newcastle city centre a kebab house is never too far a way so without too much persuasion one of the lads is roped into picking up the scran.
The closest place to us was Mighty Bite which is located on Westgate Road right next to the Star Pub and the O2 Academy. A respectable establishment I thought..

I could hardly wait for the bait to arrive. I had ordered a chicken kebab with all the salad and garlic sauce, a safe bet at most places. Upon receiving my late night snack I was overjoyed with the smells and overall weight of it. "Sorted" I thought as I began to hungrily tuck in. As far as kebabs go it wasn't bad, a bit overly greasy but everything else seemed in order. That was until I got to the last few mouthfuls of chicken. I remember biting down and feeling something hard and then something else, I then pulled out 3 chicken ribs (I think) the longest being about 2 inches long!

Those 3 things in the middle are bones. Looks like a prehistoric Adidas logo doesn't it?!

Now any normal person would probably stop eating after this grim discovery but I used the logic that all the bones must be gone so I carried on. Luckily I was right, no more bones were to be found. However there was one last surprise for me lurking at the bottom of my meal. On the last mouthful I bit into what can only be described as connective tissue or some other piece of meat that shouldn't be in a chicken kebab, especially since they are usually made with chicken breast!

Can you tell what it is yet?!

I hope you've already had your tea!

I know I should have took it back and kicked off but I had demolished the lot and it wasnt me who bought the damn thing.. I know one thing though I won't be going back!

Sick as in Sick

2009-10-08T10:49:00.012+01:00

The lack of camera in my life is the main reason for the lack of posts of late, my dire financial situation means I can't afford to buy one either! This is shit. My trusty phone does the job for some things but its no good for capturing fast bicycle maneuvers. Anyway I'm laid up with the flu at the moment so I may as well try and sling a post together.
We were all out partying a few weeks back at the Habit outdoor party at the Tyne and everyone was getting loose. Wally in particular was mortal and somehow managed to fall flat on his dish splitting his nose and head. Think his nose is broke too. In typical Wally fashion he refrained from going to A&E that night or even the next day, instead getting pissed up again at a BBQ. This left him with a lovely scab on his wonky nose.

Oh dear

If he's not cracking his face he's cracking the concrete!

Wally is moving to London this month to start a job with British Airways as an engineer. Congratulations mate! No doubt he will be tearing up the bars and clubs every weekend in the big smoke..

Here's a few things I've found interesting lately..

Keiichi Iwasaki

Keiichi Iwasaki is a Japanese man who went for a bike ride 7 years ago to the end of his town and enjoyed it so much he decided to carry on going with the equivalent of £1 in his pocket. Since then he has travelled halfway around the world with his only income coming from performing street magic to the people he meets. He has been robbed by pirates and arrested in India, almost died when he was attacked by a rabid dog in Tibet and nearly married in Nepal.
In total Mr Iwasaki has cycled over 45,000km (27,961 miles) on his favourite Raleigh shopper bike but two have been stolen and two have broken so he now rides his fifth. In May 2005, he became the first Japanese man to climb Mount Everest from sea level without using any transportation. He has also rowed from the source of the Ganges river in India to the sea, a journey of 1,300km which took him 35 days.

Here's the route that Keiichi has taken from his home in Japan. Amazing.

I really want to do some long distance cycle touring (on a road bike not BMX!) in the future but without possessing unreal magic skills I'll have to do it the hard way and save some cash- that may prove difficult!

Rowing down the Ganges River

London

Australia

India

Cambodia

This story along with Marc Beaumont's achievement of circumnavigating the world last year in a new world record time of 194 days has really inspired me to do something bigger than the Coast to Coast ride that I did earlier this year (which is like a trip to the shops in comparison). I am going to sign up for a 300km ride from London to Paris next year for the British Heart Foundation and I'm planning to cycle Edinburgh to Tynemouth in the spring.

Charlie Crumlish

This section is amazing. Nice to see someone original for once! From the FUTU DVD.

Charlie Crumlish in FUTU from bradhill on Vimeo.

Crazy Female Fixie doubles flatland?

This is immense, especially when they stand on each others sholders!

Hopefully if the weather stays fine there will be a proper update soon with some riding snaps in it.. maybe.

Not dead yet!

2009-09-04T17:28:00.008+01:00

Finally had my Internet installed yesterday after a month off so we should resume normal service over the next few weeks. Quite a few things have been going on for me personally in the last month. Firstly I met my Dad who I hadn't seen for about 23 years or so, which was one of the most nerve racking experiences of my life. Everything went better than I could have hoped and I'm really pleased with how things are going. I also have 2 half brothers Ethan and Daryl who I met which was awesome. Daryl just came 5th in the under 16's at the Skate Comp at Whitley Bay the other week, good work Daryl!
Not really ridden that much in the last 2 weeks with so much going on but hopefully next week when the schools go back there should be some good sessions kicking off (so long as this rain pisses off!).
I was loving the new Shithawks logo so I had Scotty T tattoo it on my leg, still a bit to do yet but it looks sweet! Cheers Scott.

Dave 'Frodo' Summerson

Since Whitley Bay skatepark opened last July there has been so many new faces turning up and starting to give BMX a go. Sure there are a load of kids who just go for something to do and quit as soon as they get bored but there is a group of younger riders who are really getting into it and progressing at an alarming rate.
The rider who sticks out most in my mind is 17 year old Dave 'Frodo' Summerson. Despite only been riding since October 2008 he already has the skatepark on lock down and seems to learn something new every time I see him (he just learnt fakie whips this week). His airs are getting higher and his lines more technical. Pretty soon he will be giving park boss and house wives favorite Marty Meenaghan a run for his money! The best thing is Dave has a good attitude towards riding and always has a smile on his face. I'm sure if he keeps progressing at this rate you'll be seeing a lot more of him.

Lipslide in the bowl

Smith grind on the Jersey

Daves signature 1 foot barspin! (he can do them properly now)

Blasting the gap from the bowl to the street course