Distinguished Gentlemen Bikers Going Global - Groups banned but solos allowed - worldwide

The Distinguished Gentlmen's Bike Ride was started in Australia to fund raise for men's health, prostate cancer and mental health, a serious subject. However, a prime ingredient of their fund raising is 'fun raising' (my pun). The event features classic and outlandish bikes and riders dressed up in classic and fancy clothes.  The organization has now spread worldwide.

Sponsor

Two years after the start, Triumph motorcycles joined in as sponsors. 

Singapore Plans Thwarted And Revised

The 2021 planned Gentlemen Bikers ride in Singapore had to be cancelled. The organizers had planned the route to end at The Handlebar, a longstanding bikers' bar which was there in the year 2000 when the Harley Davidson brigade paraded down Singapore's main thoroughfare, Orchard Road. This time in May, the number of participants was reduced to five, on a first come first served basis. 

After my husband had signed up, along the web came the bad news for bikers. The numbers were reduced to nil. Of course individual bikers could have ridden. They could have followed the route. Waved to each other from a distance. Met up afterwards on Zoom to discuss it and take photos. 

But the energy had gone out of the event. People made other plans. The route was saved for another time when they can all ride together.

We then discovered that what we thought was a little local event, was not just that. It was worldwide. Or would have been. However, lots of online activity continued and bikers going solo and the possibility of pockets of gatherings.

Never mind. Live and learn, as we say. The route is ready. Next time we can have the contingency plan. Maybe different riders starting at different times and sending back photos showing how the human traffic, animal life, cityscape and countryside scenery and sunlight change through the day.

Sunday 23rd May, 2021 Updates

You may choose to ride solo on a later date. If your city is closed, even if you have already registered, you could select another city.

As the event aims to raise money for charity, naturally many worldwide wished to continue.

Photos are shared in an online map.

Covid-19 Restrictions

Restrictions include not congregating for group photos along the route. Also not exceeding group size restrictions at the start and end points. In some cases hand sanitizers are provided by the organizers. Masks must be worn if required in the ride area.

It looks as though if you cannot join other families and households, in some cases you will be able  In some cases you will be able to ride with others from the same household. 

Online you can click on the name of your country and see the names or nicknames of all the riders and the amount of money they have raised for Men's Health, and the total amount raised in your country.

Movember

They have been raising money for Movember, supporting a charity involved in prostate cancer. A sponsor is Triumph.

Handlebar Bar

If you are in Singapore, you could visit the Handlebar.  You may be thinking, but I can't drink and drive. You can eat. They serve a wide variety of food

Bike Museums

If you are interested in bike museums there are several in the UK, and the USA, some specifically for bikes, others as part of motor museums.

Useful Websites

https://www.facebook.com/HandlebarSGGillmanBarracks/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Gentleman%27s_Ride

https://www.gentlemansride.com/

https://www.gentlemansride.com/about

https://www.gentlemansride.com/blog

Risk management company based in Australia

https://www.riskfacilitator.com/

Information on helmets (compulsory), burnouts (banned) support vehicles and more

https://www.gentlemansride.com/about/safety-information

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOroHrGFCGA

Women riders promoting fundraising for men to have happier healthier lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb76Wti0GY0

About the Author

About the Author

About Angela The Author

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President.

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

The recent meeting of BHA included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . Also an educational on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, (subject to revision)

1 (Saturday, May 15th, was 2 pm Singapore time, postponed because of national speaking contest.) 

After Vesak day and Hari Raya: 

Postponed to Saturday May 29th, 2021, at 2pm. Login to bha.learncool.sg earlier.

2 Next June meetings 1st Wednesday evening June 2nd at 7 pm Singapore time. 

3 Third Saturday afternoon, June 19th, Singapore time.  Thanks to the old team and Inauguration of New Team. 

Special speech with slides about teamwork in sport and Toastmasters International and life, by the President of West Coast Toastmasters Club who often help BHA with workshops and invite us to give speeches at their club.

Inauguration of new committee by incoming Area Director of S

About Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs on speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

The information on Toastmasters is updated regularly.

Americanisms and British translations

Americanisms - British English
VOCABULARY
a la mode - with (vanilla) ice cream
done - finished (a task is done; a person has finished doing it)
grocery store - grocers, shop
Jello (brand name) - jelly
Jelly - jam
Outhouse - outbuilding / outside toilet
restroom - toilet
guys - boys and girls
pants - trousers
underpants - pants
eraser - rubber
rubber - Durex

Pronunciation
Americans say rout when the British say route, rhyming with root.
Americans say erb where the British say herb.
Americans say yawl - you all / all of you

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

I and my family have lived in the UK, Spain, the USA and Singapore. I am a travel writer and photographer and teacher of English A level and English as a foreign language.

Please come to a Toastmasters International Club where the English clubs have a language evaluator or grammarian.  We also have French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil and clubs based in Singapore and many more online around the world which because of Covid-19 are now meeting online.

In addition to being a member of Tampines Changkat Advanced, and Tiarel,  I am President of Braddell Heights Advanced, meeting every Wednesday, on zoom the first Wednesday of the month but the other wednesdays are workshops on app learncool.sg

Or quicker, tinyurl.com/BHACOOL

In Singapore we are on the same time zone as Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China (Beijing and Shanghai).

Please share links to your favourite posts.

American pronuncaition

American Pronunciation
As for pronunciation
French route is pronounced as rout in the USA which sound like rounding up rioters to the British, a distraction.


 The British say route to rhyme with root.

As for erb? urban? No that's US speak for herb.

Author

How To Speed Up In An Airport Or Other Queue (Line-up)

Problem
You are stuck forever in the queue at the airport. You are tired and your taxi driver is waiting. What to do?

Answer
The answer should be obvious but last time we went through Heathrow, despite having been through three or four airports in the past few weeks, we still forgot our strategy, so it's worthwhile making a mental note.

IDENTIFY SUITCASES WITH COLOURS AND PHOTOGRAPH
Before leaving home, identify your luggage. Try to buy a distinctive pattern or colour. Black is nicely anonymous. But colours are handy to deter thieves and identify your luggage fast.

Stick a large ribbon on the handle. Write a name of a person or place or even a large initial letter on the side of your case. Buy a set of luggage all the same colour so you can tell airport staff or other tourists, "Have you seen a suitcase same colour as this but smaller / larger?" Write a funny message on the bag, "Mine. Not yours. Contains left shoes. Contains right shoes."

Photograph your bag at home and print a picture. Photograph again in the departure hall. This proves you had it with you for insurance. Helps you find it. Reminds you the brand and colour if you are filling out a lost item form. Count your pieces of luggage, out of the door and into the taxi, out of the taxi, into the airport check-in.

PLAN FAST ARRIVAL
In the taxi, check your terminal to be sure you are dropped at the nearest door. You can check the airport layout on line. Also see if you get free trolleys, need a coin, or need money for the tip or fee.

GENERAL
1 Have your passport and ticket handy, so you can check check in counters on the board overhead.
Make sure you are not delayed before the queue trying to decide which queue you are eligible to join.
Be ready if you see a free counter.
At checkin and security you might get called or beckoned forward to the front of the queue at very busy times because staff know you and others have a connecting flight and little time.

CHECK IN DEPARTURE
Checking in at passport in the airport arrival hall, one of the family might be in business class, another on a redemption fare. If the lines are all busy, you must go to the correct line.

Keep your eyes open and smile at the smartly dressed girls or boys handling the queues.
If another desk is free, rather than leave you wearing behind somebody in economy with twenty bags, you might be beckoned forward to the business class or even first class desk even if it's the first class or business and only your partner is business and you are not.

BOARDING
a) In the departure lounge, you might get priority boarding and be eligible to go first onto the plane if you are business, with children, with a disabled person.

b) After that some airlines board by row and call out Seats 1-20. So you need your ticket handy to check the number - unless you have memorised it. In any case you are going to need to show it.

ARRIVING
2 If you have a fast track ticket because you are a frequent flyer, get your ticket out and know where it is. For example, in top right pocket, in lower left pocket, in front pocket of around my neck bag.

The frequent flyer's fast track ticket should get both of you through in the same queue - no point in having one of you going through fast toad the other delaying them. Have your brief explanation ready and say it confidently.

3 COLLECTING LUGGAGE
While waiting by an empty carousel, one of you can watch and keep a place beside the carousel whilst the other goes to the toilet.

Check with staff where oversize items are delivered. Your large suitcase or box or skis might already be at the other end of the luggage hall waiting for you.

JOING QUEUES
As you approach the lines, don't just join the nearest. Watch all the lines to see which are shortest and which are moving fastest. Whether you are at an airport or supermarket, if your family group has two or more people, you might split between two lines. If possible jump from the slower line to the faster one. (Either both/all of you move to a different line. Usually the line at the far end has fewest people and a member of the airport staff is trying to encourage people to move to the gap. Or one of you joins the spouse in the quicker line.

Lots of people will be half asleep, too tired to move. Others are chatting to family, and / or stuck with heavy carry on bags, coats and small children.

TAXIS
Check where in the airport to find the taxi queue and the desk where you pay in advance (for example, Changi Airport in Singapore.) Have your hotel name address ready for the taxi advance payment desk, including postcode so they can calculate the fare. Note that cities my have several hotels called Marriott or Holiday Inn and variations on local names such as Royal Hotel or Paris something or other.

In Phoenix, Arizona, USA, we went to the Holiday Inn and checked in only to find we were at the wrong one. In Wales we went to the Castle Hotel when we were booked into the Castle View hotel, smaller - that's why it was cheaper.

In Cambodia, staying at a small guesthouse, we asked the guest house to send a driver who knew the hotel.

If your hotel is a small and probably unknown guest house, try to find a nearby landmark, or ask the hotel for directions (in English and written in the local language). When leaving your hotel, ask for it to be marked and named on a map to show the taxi bringing you back.

Also get the hotel address card for the name, which you might not be pronouncing right. If they don't have an address card (it's being reprinted) nor a brochures (you book on line), get the breakfast or dinner bill receipt headed with the hotel or guest house name. Failing all else, if the towel had the hotel name and logo, photograph that; if the sewing kit or matchbook has the hotel or hotel's restaurant name, take or photograph that.

Photograph the front of the hotel as you leave. You can show the taxi the name of the hotel and what the building looks like. Photograph from the front and also approaching from both directions with the traffic flow so the driver can see if he pulls in alongside or has to cross to the other side of the road.

TAXIS
Check other hotels with similar names to be sure your driver is racing to the right one. Check the route. If he's driving towards the West and your hotel is in the East, be sure you are being taken to the right hotel.

Check the distance and the route. If he expects to take half an hour on the motorway to a hotel which is just around the corner, near enough to walk if you weren't carrying heavy luggage, either he is cheating you or he has misunderstood where you are going.

TAXI NAME AND NUMBER
Keep the taxi receipt so you can phone your favourite driver, call if you have left your luggage or umbrella or passport in the front or back seat or the boot (Americans call it the trunk). Identify the driver if he overcharges or drives dangerously.

Photograph the number of the taxi and the name and phone number of the driver (even if its hand written. If you put it in your pocket it might be quicker to find the photo than the lost scrap of paper. When you come out of the building or temple by another exit you can phone to ask where he is or say where you are.

(Cambodian temples have a one way system. You go in at the West and out of the east, occasionally vice versa. I lost everybody - different exit once. We had trouble finding our driver - correct exit but dozens of tuk-tuks in three car parks - twice.)

You might also like to ask for:
1 A driver who speaks good English.
2 A lady driver, if you are a single woman travelling alone. (Singapore has a small number of lady drivers. I had one by chance and she told me that she was the first, but now there are several. Some of her regular customers specifically ask for a lady driver.)

Author
Angela Lansbury, frequent flyer, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please share links to posts.

The bus ticket which solved a murder mystery

Years ago in a Singapore newspaper I read about how a murder mystery was solved with the help of a bus ticket. If I remember rightly, the story went like this:

A middle aged or elderly business owner was found murdered in a hotel or motel room. The room had no evidence of any kind except a used bus ticket in the bin.

The bus ticket was for a journey from a housing estate to the motel. The man did not live in the housing estate, so it was presumed that the ticket was left by the assailant or one of a group.

The detectives got the list of residents of the housing estate. In addition to the official residents, some unofficial residents were camping out in the void deck (the empty area below the building).

Amongst these unofficial residents was one of the murdered man's employees. The employees were questioned.  I think he ran a restaurant and had three employees, two brothers, or compatriots, and the young girlfriend or wife or sister, who the older employer fancied.

I cant remember the details, whether it was premeditated as a robbery or blackmail. One thing did stick in my mind. A bus ticket tells your route.

Later I used bus ticket route tracking trying to find a lost or stolen phone, when I needed to report which bus I had taken. I was not using a paper ticket for one trip, but a plastic card.