The Gloucester Cheese Rolling Race

I hate running. All sorts of running.Uphill,downhill or flat. So it amuses me when I read that there'll be people running after big rounds of cheeses...up and down a really, really steep hill. All chasing after a 8lb Double Gloucester. Gila ka?

So, typical of me, I whinged to Bacon about going to the Annual Gloucester Cheese Race...with a wish to actually join in which was immediately dashed after seeing the hill

As the race was on Monday noon, we decided to take a slow trip down south on Sunday, moving on towards Gloucestershire Monday morn. Feeling a little peckish, we stopped by Leicester looking for curry..as it was apparently famous for its Pakistani, Indian and Bangaladeshi immigrants. Walked round and round the city center...no curry house, only chicken house. No dirty thinking here, but Leicester has definately got more than it's share of takeaways selling chicken..I counted 5 down a 500m strip of road. Those who had clubbed with me will also have come across my yearning for nasi lemak ayam goreng at weekends around 4am :).Either that or tomyum & a piece of fried chicken.

I digress.

We ended up eating at Las Iguana, A Latin Experience. Lovely little place, suprisingly excellent food. I had the sardine starter and Bacon had the cured ham, both yummy over seared slices of baguettes.For our mains, I had the ARROZ CON MARISCOS (Latin paella of squid, mussels & salmon with saffron rice & peas) whilst Bacon had the HUEVOS RANCHEROS ( tortillas topped with two free-range eggs cooked in salsita with chorizo,mushrooms & spiced potatoes).. the typical mexican brunch which I've had countless times when I went mexican-crazy in California. Washed it off with a Caipirinha..some sort of Brazillian cocktail which shot straight to my head..we both had headaches after that. Seeing that we are quite heavy drinkers, this must've been lethal to force us into nearly passing out after one!!


Arroz con mariscos


huevos rancheros


the culprit

So off we went towards Oxford..with me sulkily nursing my headache.Checked into the hotel at 3.30...contemplated on whizzing off immediately to do some sightseeing...ended up in bed snoozing till 5.30. Only in Britian that everything shuts by 5pm on Sundays...so no point rushing around anyway.

Woke up at around 5...still sulking, we decided to get into town for a little looksee. Lovely little place this oxford. Filled with students, the bicycle traffic is akin to China...with most of them choosing the old fashioned ones with the black basket either in front of behind the bike. All the shops were closed for the day, but we still managed to look around town...stimultaneously bumping into my fav sinful dough..



Was closed,but we popped by the next day for some anyway.

Anyhoo, walked around town many times and eventually settled in a chinese eatery which sells my favourite drink...yin yong! A strange concotion of tea&coffee with condensed milk, this is my addiction from Kim Gary.No pics here as I was too dammed hungry to take pictures before eating. Suffice to say,we left the restaurant very satisfied with our double-boiled soup,mapo tofu and sizzling seafood..Just like the tai-chau used to make.


Heritage vs. commercialisation

Didn't have much time the next morning after a sit down breakfast, rushed into town to tapau some Krispy Kreme just to find out that they did not have any original glazed...grrr.Beggars cant be choosers, I bought only 4 of their flavoured doughnuts.Damn toolan.

However, did bump into a house-hugging tree..


It was pouring as we headed towards Gloucester, and I was whinging about how I dont want to go anymore..since we were running late anyway..it starts at 12,and at 11.45 we were still lost. We eventually found our way there, and as the sun was shining, I made the stupid decision that we should still go to the Cheese rolling competition...which is a 30min hike from where our car was parked.


Kill me now..

Silly me in my slippers, I trudged alot the path,wishing for my phua chu kang wellies.The final straw came when my foot got stuck in the mud and wouldn't budge...I had to pull it out quickly whilst nearly in tears with the rain suddenly deciding to pour down on me. Bacon then very gallantly carried me to the open field with his own foot sinking into the mud...better that than me whinging. As soon as we arrived on proper grass, the hailstorm started. Stood in the middle of a field with countless muddy people, holding a brolly to defend ourselves from the stoning that the heavens had decided to bestow upon us, I had no choice but to laugh. It helps that we were witnessing a bunch of crazies tumble down from a godawfully steep hill..not running,not walking,not climbling..just tumbling, head over heels. Ouch.


and we love rollin...esp after cheese

The hailstorm was replaced by sunny blue skies in a matter of minutes - welcome to Britian.

A bacon-shaped brolly

By this time, my feet's so wet I'm slipping on my slippers...

I tried drying my mud-caked feet whilst witnessing the most insane spectacle in my life...people tumbling down after a huge cheese and then the up hill race of people climbing the steep hill to be the first to reach the top; it's so steep that the participants are falling head over heels down the hill whilst trying to climb up! Totally insane...one guy tumbled down so far I cringed and couldn't look. All around us, the blare of the ambulances kept comming...but yet the race for the big cheese continued.

a sea of humanlike cows

Total damage? 25 injured, whilst countless others were taken care by the St John's Ambulance people for sprains,breakages and all that crap. Extreme sports of the country bumpkins.It's more dangerous than sky diving...at least with sky diving there is a chance you will come out unscathed.

and we roll,just like ants

As we were trudging back, there were dozens of tow trucks pulling out cars from the mud..that was how bad it was. As for me, my feet,hair,face and jeans were all spotted with mud and I've never felt more like a cow.Except I don't lactate.


Muddy and tired, eerily resembling these;


Crazy but true.

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Hungry for more cheese? The rest of pics of the day, with more at bbc website,plus a video!