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  1. #1426
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    Belgian Finch singing contest.
    Link ?

  2. #1427
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    vinkensport which tbf is Dutch but its taken to a whole new level of excitement in Belgium

  3. #1428
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    The excitement is palpable

    -ggfggdgd-jpg

  4. #1429
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    out boast
    We are nationalists.

    No boasting......probably comparing perfection

  5. #1430
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    The excitement is palpable
    Small pic

    Are you trying to destroy Skinny's thread again ?

  6. #1431
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post


    I'm not convinced, is this Tom the cabin boy

  7. #1432
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    Doubt it; if so he stole Mendip's very cheap Casio watch.

    Also doubtful that anyone would do that deed

  8. #1433
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    Well, I could put it off no longer.

    We have 1.5 metres seas as we head into Samsun... not big seas but enough to create some movement as we transit. With hindsight I should have weighed meself while we were waiting off Russia in calm water.

    Anyway, my first weigh-in was still in treble figures which pissed me off immensely, but after stripping down as far as I was comfortable on a boat full of hairy arsed contractors...



    This put David78's 96kg entry right on the money.

    But I wasn't finished yet... as we rode down the swell...



    So, I have a range of 99.58kg and 98.52kg. Whichever way you look at it I've beaten the magic 100kg barrier. I'm gonna call it an even 99kg, and I reckon I could knock another 500g off if I did a Looper but it's just not that important. This means I lost 8kg in 12 weeks... not as much as I hoped but it could have been a lot worse.

    Congrats to David88, even at 99kg you are still the winner which I guess is only justice after you were so cruelly robbed last time. A box of Turkish Delight is on it's way.

    And a special mention to MalmoMike who came in a close second with his 98kg entry. If I stayed onboard another 2 weeks I reckon you could have clinched it!

    And to all the doubters who went for over 100kg... bollox to ya! (but you may be looking good after my 2 weeks in Somerset!)


    The good news doesn't end there... an observant person may have noticed my feet. After 3 months I now have the very obvious start of a left big toe nail and my right big toe nail is still there... it never did fall off. I reckon my feet will be as good as new in another 6 months, so long as I stay clear of any pond work!


  9. #1434
    Thailand Expat David48atTD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    Congrats to David88, even at 99kg you are still the winner which I guess is only justice after you were so cruelly robbed last time. A box of Turkish Delight is on it's way.
    Graciously accepted

    Winners are grinners



    Just quietly Mendip, a well deserved congrats on the weight loss.


    Now, I've got you @ 102.5 the day you leave Mother England ... still a worthy weight!

    (blame the weight gain, not of the many SnK Pies washed down with gallons of Cider ... but on your toenail growing back ... those suckers are heavy)
    Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago ...


  10. #1435
    Thailand Expat Saint Willy's Avatar
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    Congrats on the weight loss!


    But phaaark me, those feet a minging!

  11. #1436
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saint Willy View Post
    Congrats on the weight loss!


    But phaaark me, those feet a minging!

    Nobody's perfect.



















    Except me, of course

  12. #1437
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saint Willy View Post
    But phaaark me, those feet a minging!
    Yeah reverse cowgirl isn't on the cards while renewing passports just yet..

  13. #1438
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    it never did fall off.
    Credit you faithful dogs.

  14. #1439
    Isle of discombobulation Joe 90's Avatar
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    A healthier body and bank balance Mendip!
    Congratulations, now enjoy your freedom.
    108kilos when you step on that plane for Thailand

  15. #1440
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    Quote Originally Posted by David48atTD View Post
    Nobody's perfect.
    Quote Originally Posted by David48atTD View Post
    Except me, of course
    G'Day, Nobody

  16. #1441
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saint Willy View Post
    Congrats on the weight loss!


    But phaaark me, those feet a minging!
    Safety shoes Willy boy

  17. #1442
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    Well done, Mendip!!!

    Considering your sedentary work, the weigh loss you achieved is very impressive. You should also remember that weight loss at your age is very difficult, so very well done!

    This truly has been one of the best threads ever on any of the forums over the years, thanks Mendip!
    "I was a good student. I comprehend very well, OK, better than I think almost anybody," - President Trump comparing his legal knowledge to a Federal judge.

  18. #1443
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    Cheers Mendy. 99kg and call it a trip. As was said, losing weight as we age is not an easy task. Unfortunately it's easier to gain weight. In the end once back here, it will likely come back or a good portion of it. The most important thing though is your health, not so much the weight.

    Fun thread, good read. You added more freedom chips to the bank acct, wife will be happy that you are sustaining her expectations and your daughter will enjoy having Dad home.

    On your feet, please stop showing them. Even with a full compliment of nails those things look tore up and damaged you should wear socks to save people from glancing at them.. Red Dingle will be along soon to point out a few things.
    Last edited by Stumpy; 18-11-2021 at 11:09 AM.

  19. #1444
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    After watching a short film regarding the usage of ships utilising various underwater systems for exploration:



    Have you ever come across anything startling in your work?

  20. #1445
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    ^ No, in 30 years at sea nothing startling I'm afraid. Quite the opposite to be honest.

    I think the most surprising thing that has ever happened to me was one time I was sharing a cabin with a female geo (opposite shifts) and just before leaving the boat she left evidence of a downstairs trim in the sink. I was startled to discover she was a natural blonde.



    Quote Originally Posted by Stumpy View Post
    As was said, losing weight as we age is not an easy task. Unfortunately it's easier to gain weight. In the end once back here, it will likely come back or a good portion of it.

    On your feet, please stop showing them. Even with a full compliment of nails those things look tore up and damaged you should wear socks to save people from glancing at them..
    Yes, well, thanks for the encouragement Stumps!

    I must admit I'd be interested to see how perfect everyone else's feet are! OK, so I've had a bit of bad luck with my big toenails lately but apart from that I've always thought my feet are pretty OK?


    Anyway, just a small recap. On Tuesday night we started heading in to Samsun in Turkey, and I caught a glimpse of land early in the morning.



    I watched for a while as the land became closer...



    ... and then went below decks to pack my bags.

    Exactly 84 nights I'd spent on that bunk... (I realised later that I left my b@stard book sitting on top of my bedside light... could have done with that on the flights the following day...)



    Getting close now... what a fantastic feeling it was to be getting off a boat after 12 weeks.



    A busy little port...



    And we finally berthed. There's a lot of pigeons at Samsun. I'd been wondering about all the birds we'd had on the boat while out at sea. Many song birds migrate across the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey (and beyond maybe) to avoid the harsh northern winter. We constantly had finches, robins and the like land on our boat for a rest and sadly many just stayed too long and died. When we headed to the Russian coast we took a whole flock of birds back to Russia with us, which must have pissed them right off. Strangely enough when we headed southwards to Turkey there were no birds onboard at all. You would have thought they'd take advantage of a free trip. But anyway, the pigeons at Samsun soon found us.



    There's a huge breakwater at Samsun, a reminder that the sea can get rough in this part of the world.



    This vessel was being either loaded or unloaded with timber. Maybe these cargo vessels are the source of all the water-logged tree trunks we kept finding on the seabed alongside the pipelines?



    The vessel to our fore was being unloaded of something...



    At first I thought it was some kind of ore but I'm thinking it was maybe fertilizer?



    A strange vehicle.



    There was certainly lots going on.




    But anyway, bollocks to all that. I took a quick peak down the gangway, itching to get my feet on dry land for the first time since Norway a couple of months ago. Here you can see the poor b@stards about to replace us. This Black Sea project had been a truly awful job with at least another 4 to 6 weeks left to run. We really couldn't wait to get off the damn boat.

    That yellow truck was pumping two month's worth of sewage off the boat.



    And once the oncoming crew had boarded and gone to the upper decks, we were allowed off. There was strict Covid distancing going on between the ongcoming and offgoing crew. No face to face handovers were allowed.

    And finally... my trusty bags made it to shore!



    And meself, of course!



    It took 3 hours to clear immigration and security before we could leave the port. There really isn't much enjoyable about travel these days.

    I finally dumped my bags in a hotel room early evening...



    But it still wasn't over of course. Before I could finally relax I had to get another negative PCR test certificate to allow me to fly the following day. This was only for three of us who weren't fully vaccinated. All the others headed straight to the bar.

    Three Turkish girls turned up... with not a word of English between them. Our agent had fukked off by this time, so with a complete lack of communication these girls sat in one room for an hour waiting for us while we sat in the lobby waiting for them. But eventually thing got sorted out.

    They seem to use a funny alphabet in Turkey and it was difficult making sure they wrote everything down correctly. My colleague here was heading to Austria but found Australia written on his form... my DOB was wrong, but by this point I was past caring. We were promised the certificates would be waiting in reception first thing on the morning for us to collect on the way to the airport.



    And finally... my first beer for 87 days! A Tuborg but still very nice under the circumstances.

    Last edited by Mendip; 20-11-2021 at 01:22 PM.

  21. #1446
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    COVID certainly is adding an additional layer of embuggerance to travel with he testing, clearances, paperwork and in certain places quarantine time. I have questioned the idea of travel until next calendar year.

    Anyway you must have had your emotional reunions with pies, cider and mum so its all worth it.

  22. #1447
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    COVID certainly is adding an additional layer of embuggerance to travel with he testing, clearances, paperwork and in certain places quarantine time. I have questioned the idea of travel until next calendar year.
    Amen to that. Travel is simply a full on pain in the ass. And now reading many countries are beginning a 4th wave of infections which has already showed up in travel restrictions again. If you are currently traveling you better get to your final destination soon or avoid lock downs and quarantines.

    I expect Thailand to see increases and all the nonsense start again.

  23. #1448
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    There can be little more depressing than the sight of a hastily departed hotel room, early in the morning, after a few snatched hours of broken sleep. I had taken it easy and only had 3 or 4 beers... was knackered after being up since the start of the previous night shift.



    And there... the sum total of my Turkish holiday pics. My only experience of Turkey was walking between the hotel and the taxi on the way to the airport.



    The best way to see the Black Sea... You can see the breakwater at the top of the pic where we crew changed the previous day. The boat had departed and would already have been inspecting more kilometres of pipeline... but no longer my concern!



    And the landing at Istanbul. I think the opening of the Bosphorus into the Black Sea is at the top of the pic. What would have taken 2 days in the boat took 40 minutes by air.



    I expected to fly with Turkish Airlines but seemed to be flying with some outfit called Anadolujet, which from what I can gather must be a budget arm of Turkish Airlines. The 3.5 hour flight to Amsterdam was crowded with just a bread roll and glass of water for refreshment. Not even a cup of coffee... and a gin and tonic was out of the question.



    I also flew into SAW instead of IST. This is the old Istanbul Airport which was a surprise to me, but probably a good thing since my experience of the new Istanbul Airport was one of endless walking... it's bladdy huge.

    I managed to get a couple of Fezs (Fezzes?) and a box of Turkish Delight at SAW which was all I wanted. Oh, and a wooden Turkish woman for my woman collection at home.

    I was on a split ticket, so at Amsterdam had to retrieve my bag and check in for my flight to Bristol. This of course meant passing through immigration just to transfer my bladdy bag. I spent around 15 minutes in Schengen, but it meant an hour of queuing and two more stamps in my passport. Thanks for that, Boris you tosser.

    So, even after all that palava I still had 5 hours to kill at AMS... and after my sausage roll what else was there to do?



    Yep... things soon got out of hand. But I was on my hols!



    Bristol Airport has to be one of my least favourite airports. It used to be OK but is now run by money grabbing rip-off merchants. But I still keep using it...

    It remains one of only two airports I have used that charge for the use of luggage trolleys. The other one is Perth, WA.



    I think it sums an airport up when they boast about offering free tap water! Whenever I take a leak at BRS I always press the red unhappy smiley face on leaving the toilet, but my protest seems to go unnoticed.



    After waiting 40 minutes for a rip-off airport monopoly taxi (26 quid for a 5 mile trip), I finally got back to my mum's house. It was late but I had something to do...



    Finally, the important things in life!



    Later today I have a second Pfizer jab booked, and once that's loaded up on this NHS system I can apply for my Thailand Pass and finally complete this year's work commute.
    Last edited by Mendip; 20-11-2021 at 02:00 PM.

  24. #1449
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stumpy View Post
    I expect Thailand to see increases and all the nonsense start again.
    It'll be a close thing. Countries are going to have to take the chance and accept there will be a level of deaths even amongst the vaccinated much like Flu every year, otherwise we'll never escape this cycle. The UK has had infection rates of c35-45K per day for a month or two now, although the accuracy of those numbers is debateable. Deaths are 100 to 200 per day, but luckily the ICUs aren't filling up. I just see this as the new norm, we can't eradicate it at present.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    There can be little more depressing than the sight of a hastily departed hotel room
    Confession time. I tidy my room and fold back the sheets before the cleaners come in daily. Just ingrained in me that i keep a tidy room. Sad i know.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    It was late but I had something to do...
    That is a plate worth the wait, what a pre-bed snack. Steak and Kidney today

  25. #1450
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    What I would give for pork pies, cheese and pickles in chilly ol' England over the next few weeks.

    Enjoy, Mendip. You've earned it, and provided us with yet another great thread.

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