Same irritating gym behaviour also exists in Kuala Lumpur

Yes sad to say. Ladies in KL just as ignorant. Old biddy switched off the 3 a/c's at the cardio area in my club on Sunday. I asked her if she switched it off and she said her shoulder hurt from the cold. WTF. It's KL. It's 32 degrees celcius. The cardio area couldn't have been colder than 25. And it's cardio. How are you hurting the shoulder ? I told her optimum workout temp is 21, and if she thought perspiring meant getting a workout then better to go to a sauna, and if you still feel cold, workout harder !

So to the women in my gym in DHA Lahore who switch off my a/c, I apologise, stupidity is everywhere.

random rant on gym behaviour in Lahore

Ok just a totally random rant.I work out in a gym in DHA on weekdays (weekends its Structure gym of course).The thing that realy annoys me especially during summer is when the shawal kameez lady (if you are reading this you all know who you are) in the dupata jumps next to me on the treadmill and SWITCHES OFF the air cond. WTF !! I'm sweating buckets, I was here first, I chose this spot so that I can get cold air blown at me !

Not only is this rude but displays a serious lack of knowledge. Optimum workout temp = 21 degrees. If you think switching off the air cond is good cos you perspire more, it's just your body's mechanism of cooling you down you dumb *****. If sweating really helps you burn fat, then all gyms would close down and you can just spend an hour in the sauna everyday. Jeez.

best golf course in Lahore - Defence Raya Golf and Country Club

Another activity for Lahore !

OK firstly I must declare that I was involved in the building of this golf course, but it's still an unbiased opinion. Length off the tips is 7100 yards, but unless you can knock it more than 270 yards, don't bother. It's much too much effort.

You will not get a longer, more undulating course with elevation changes, rolling greens that actually bite, white sand bunkers anywhere else in Lahore. Wind is a factor as it's unsheltered, and there's not much of a crowd, so bookings are not necessary (Lahori's generally do not like paying more than USD 5 for green fees)

It's in DHA phase 6 and green fees are still cheap (less than USD 20 for weekends). Only drawback is there is no clubhouse, but the driving range provides F&B facilities, and you can bring your own tipple if you want.If you are a keen/serious golfer, don't miss this.

Random random ramblings on Beijing

Went off for a few days to visit Bejing with the family. My general impressions are,in no particular order :

1) If you are even halfway chinese,or have some chinese blood, you must visit Beijing. Even though the buildings that have been restored,kept etc are only 600 years old and represent mainly the Ming and Ching dynasties, it really is amazing. I would put my experience at the sites on par with Angkor Wat (but then again I have yellow skin, so I may be a bit biased). The guides have many great stories to tell and its better if you speak mandarin, but Beijing has enough english speaking guides.

2) Visit when you can still walk well as its BIG, and there are many many people. getting around entails a lot of walking walking walking. And as for the great wall, it's a brutal workout (think stairmaster).

3)Pollution is still bad, but the govt has done amazing things with the people of Beijing. No more spitting on the streets, toilets are clean, and the place is actually very clean. The govt spent a lot of time educating its 18 million beijing residents on manners,etiquette, cleanliness. In fact the govt also has taken cognizance of how their citizens behave when traveling abroad and has made it a point to educate the mainland chinese traveling on proper manners and behaviour, as befitting China's status as a superpower.

4) Food in beijing, if you are used to southern chinese (and I am generalising here), is more oily,salty and tastes are stronger. This is probably due to the really cold winters they have. So at restaurants tell them less salt,less oil. And really, Peking duck in Peking, well you have to try it since you are at the place of origin, but you really you can get better in HK,Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Melbourne,Sydney etc.

5)The mix of old and new in Beijing is amazing, newly skyscrapers next to old imperial buildings.

6) Taxis are plentiful, and reasonable, a 10 RMB flagfall and I would say averagely 1 RMB per km. But as with the rest of China, you may need to give directions as the place is BIG and they may not know where you want to go (obiously if you go the popular places its not an issue). But if you are staying off the beaten track, get someone to write the directions for you.

things to do on weekends in Lahore if you are a bored expat

1) wake up LATE cos there's nothing to do
2) go for breakfast at Coffee,Tea and Co, or Massoon's, they are open early and have have a breakfast menu
3)play golf
4) go for a beer at Royal Palm
5) go for breakfast at Avari if you have their gold card (the standard one person eats free thing, good value)
6) go to the gym
7) go hang out by the pool at Structure gym(no dressing hang ups, bikinis not a problem)
8) get people over and get drunk
9) go shopping at Metro, Hyperstar or Al Fatah at Liberty
10) go shopping at Liberty market. btw, lots of shops are closed on Sunday in Lahore. Why? I have no fucking idea. You would think the traders would have more business sense than that, seing as there is fuck all to do on weekends
11) play tennis at the International club
12) go to Anarkali on saturday, it's great
13) jump on a plane to Bangkok or Dubai
14) watch TV
15) surf porn
16) hang out at Cosa Nostra, bring your own grog

Hmmm, now I am struggling. Anyway you get the drift.

restaurant review - Cosa Nostra

OK. I have been meaning to write about this place for quite some time now but couldn't get off my lazy ass to do it. Many people in Lahore including foreigners reckon that this is the best western restaurant in town.

It's located off Main Bouleverd, but you will not be able to see any signage as it's hidden behind brick walls. Mostly it's word of mouth. A lot of very good looking people hang out here. The downstairs is 'casual dining' and serves pizza, pasta,salads,gelato. The pizza I agree is the best in town, and the only place where you can get proper thin crust. The pasta is not bad, good texture, but again,no aglio olio, only creamy or tomato base stuff. Salads are not bad but again, no romaine lettuce for the Ceasar's. The gelato is actually more like normal ice cream, but still good.

Upstairs its the formal dining, with chef's menu changing regularly, which makes it fun and interesting. But IMHO the food at Aylanto is better. The last time I came I got annoyed with the service upstairs as they took forever to bring the ice and water for my whisky and also I had to go get my own glass for my beer. A thirsty man is an angry man. Anyway it's a bottle friendly place.

Overall not too bad a place to hang out, good ambience,food is solid, service OK, good looking people to watch, but a tad pricey.

More ranting re Lahore Airport

OK. I am now officially pissed off. The last few times I have come back to Lahore, my luggage has been subject to "scanning". Come on. It's a hand carry. I travel light. And I am one of the first through immigration. This means I can't bring my whiskey in as it will get confiscated. OK, OK I know it's law of the land. Bullshit. The amount of bootleg stuff we can get here.

Yes, I can get the JW black here , but like I told my friends, I am in Pakistan suffering, therefore I should spoil myself by drinking a better quality whiskey. The hypocrisy really irritates me. Plus it's not as if I bring it in to sell, it's for my own consumption. Come on move on with the times. Don't like the beardos win, and let Pakistan fall back to extremism. At least let the barbaric unholy foreigners like myself drink and burn in hell.

There are no such bullshit even in the gulf states, which, as a sidebar, if you go to BKK airport, you will find many caucasians in shorts boarding flights to the UAE,Qatar, etc. So why not Pakistan? Sigh....