So at the moment I'm a town behind in writing down what I've done. This is mainly due to the short amount of time I spent in Sofia, about 31.5 hours. Last time I wrote I was on my way to Brasov. I was not alone on this trip. Derrick was a Canadian I met at the hostel in Bucharest and he was leaving for Brasov the same day I was so we went to Brasov together, so when I use we it's not because I've gone all hoity toity and am using the royal we.
The train from Bucharest to Brasov was very good, new rolling stock that was well appointed and even had numerous power outlets throughout the carriage, although I did not make use of them on the trip. We got to the hostel with little difficulty. On arrival we were sat down with a couple who arrived at the same time and made to fill out our booking information on paper (every other hostel has done that themselves on a computer) and received the sales pitch. First the lady who ran the hostel outlined the things to see in the area, then the tours they offered to see them all. The tours sounded ok, but a little rushed and a little pricey (40-45 Lei per person, not including entrance fees). After setting into the hostel, Derrick and I strolled around town to get a feel for the lay of the land.
The next day was the first bad weather I've encountered so far. It was raining/drizzling most of the day except when it was snowing. After it eased up around 11ish we went out walking around town to see things in the light of day and to go inside things. The Black Church was interesting and had a huge pipe organ, although not as big as the UQ one. We walked around in the drizzle for a few hours before calling it quits.
the next day was a beautiful day with barely a cloud in the sky. We caught a bus from Brasov to Bran (4 Lei) and got into Bran at 10:40 only to find the castle didn't open until midday, so we walked around for a while, but the town seemed pretty much consist of the castle, souvenir stands and pensiones. The castle was alright, but didn't live up to expectations. The attached collection of peasant houses was also underwhelming. After finishing up in Bran, we caught a bus to Rasnov (3 Lei). Here we visited Rasnov fortress, which was built by and used by the peasants of the town when attacked. It was a bit of a climb above the town though. Going up we walked up the road going up behind the fortress, as this was the only marked path. It was a pleasant walk in almost forest with some great views near the top. In fact the views from the fortress were amazing, snow capped mountains, the town, the plains, all amazing. At the highest point of the fortress you get a full 360 view which is amazing. The fortress is about 500 years old, and was neglected for a lot of the 20th century, but still intact and they are working to restore it.
To descend back to town we took the stairs from the front of the fortress, which took us down to a street we'd walked down on the way up. We looked, but there was absolutely no signs suggesting the stairs existed at the entrance of the building we walked through to get to the street.
We then caught another bus back to Brasov (2.5 Lei) where we took the cable car up the mountain right next to the town and saw there was more of Brasov on the other side of the mountain. We could also see the hostel from the top as it was close by and a bright purple in colour.
On Thursday (the 12th) we parted ways, Derrick headed to Sighisora while I made my way to Sofia via Bucharest. I had about a 7 hour wait in Bucharest so I left my bags at the station and went to an English bookstore I'd seen while walking around town. I bought a Sandman book and a book about the AK-47.
The train to Sofia was an overnighter, and I arrived at about 6:00 I walked to a hostel a few people had recommended, for the first time not booking ahead. This turned out not so great as they only had a bed for one night, whereas I had been planning to stay in Sofia for three nights before going to Istanbul.
During the day I walked around Sofia and took in a lot of the sights. During m walk I decided not to try and find another hostel in Sofia, but to go to Veliko Tornovo, a place a lot of people had recommended. I'm going to stay there two nights and catch the train to Istanbul from there Monday evening.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Monday, March 09, 2009
Really, why even bother pretending?
So North Korea just had an election. Not surprisingly, Kim Jong-Il got 100% of the vote, although surprisingly he was only running for what seems to be the equivalent of an MP. But getting 100% of the vote is pretty easy when there's only one pre-approved name on the ballot in each electorate, and everyone has to bow to a giant photo of you before casting their vote. The guys with guns probably discourage independent thinking on the matter as well.
I wonder why they even bother. This is simply a more expensive way of appointing a body and doesn't fool anyone into thinking this was a real election. Either put on a better show and make it look like you're trying to be democratic, or admit you're a tyranny and use the money you spent on the election on food for your people, or more likely a tank or two.
While I'm on the topic of North Korea, I don't believe this is really a communications satellite. The only people allowed to communicate in the country are the military, and the country's small enough you don't need to send something all the way into space to build something to provide decent coverage. They're doing it to show that they can launch something big a long way.
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I wonder why they even bother. This is simply a more expensive way of appointing a body and doesn't fool anyone into thinking this was a real election. Either put on a better show and make it look like you're trying to be democratic, or admit you're a tyranny and use the money you spent on the election on food for your people, or more likely a tank or two.
While I'm on the topic of North Korea, I don't believe this is really a communications satellite. The only people allowed to communicate in the country are the military, and the country's small enough you don't need to send something all the way into space to build something to provide decent coverage. They're doing it to show that they can launch something big a long way.
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Big in Bucharest
En route from Bucharest to Brasov which is about a three hour trip. The views are nice, we're going up into some mountains, the Carpathians I believe. It also looks like it was a good idea not to have posted my jacket to London yet as it's snowing outside. Maybe I'll post it from Sofia.
Bucharest had two highlights although one of them had nothing to do with Romania. The Romanian highlight was the Palace of the Parliament. This is the second largest building in the world (in terms of how much land it covers. I think tall buildings are generally more impressive than broad ones). It's about 170m on each side, a giant square with towers on each corner. The rooms inside are huge. There is a gallery that goes along the front of the building that is 150m long. Most rooms are very tall, some going up to 19m tall. No one is changing a light without a ladder here. The building has 3500 tons of crystal in the chandeliers, a fortune in gold leaf, a lot of the floors and walls are marble, and all the materials and labour came from Romania. This is the kind of structure you only get when you have a megalomaniac dictator running the country.
The other highlight was going to see Watchmen, which was fantastic. It stayed true to the book, but obviously they had to cut a lot of stuff, and the cuts they made left the main point intact, although they had to change the ending a bit as without all the stuff they cut it would have been a giant deus ex machina.
Another interesting thing in Bucharest was the history museum. They had a replica of Trajan's column, which I believe commemorates the Roman's conquest of what is now Romania. As it was indoors and they couldn't fit in vertically, they put all the sections in order around the walls so you could see them up close and follow the story, which I doubt I'll be able to do when I see the original.
I feel like I'm getting a bit blase with my sightseeing. I think that it's partly that I've been on the go for over a month, and partly that the last week and a bit have been in between places, the places en route between the cities I'm really excited about. I remember how excited I was when I arrived in Moscow, a feeling I didn't have in Kiev or Bucharest.
Bucharest had two highlights although one of them had nothing to do with Romania. The Romanian highlight was the Palace of the Parliament. This is the second largest building in the world (in terms of how much land it covers. I think tall buildings are generally more impressive than broad ones). It's about 170m on each side, a giant square with towers on each corner. The rooms inside are huge. There is a gallery that goes along the front of the building that is 150m long. Most rooms are very tall, some going up to 19m tall. No one is changing a light without a ladder here. The building has 3500 tons of crystal in the chandeliers, a fortune in gold leaf, a lot of the floors and walls are marble, and all the materials and labour came from Romania. This is the kind of structure you only get when you have a megalomaniac dictator running the country.
The other highlight was going to see Watchmen, which was fantastic. It stayed true to the book, but obviously they had to cut a lot of stuff, and the cuts they made left the main point intact, although they had to change the ending a bit as without all the stuff they cut it would have been a giant deus ex machina.
Another interesting thing in Bucharest was the history museum. They had a replica of Trajan's column, which I believe commemorates the Roman's conquest of what is now Romania. As it was indoors and they couldn't fit in vertically, they put all the sections in order around the walls so you could see them up close and follow the story, which I doubt I'll be able to do when I see the original.
I feel like I'm getting a bit blase with my sightseeing. I think that it's partly that I've been on the go for over a month, and partly that the last week and a bit have been in between places, the places en route between the cities I'm really excited about. I remember how excited I was when I arrived in Moscow, a feeling I didn't have in Kiev or Bucharest.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Living Large in Lviv
It was only while looking at the stamp I got in my passport today that I realized that today is one month from when I left Korea. And I've only just made it to the third country. I've entered the EU, but not yet entered the Schengen zone or the Eurozone. That will probably occur in about two weeks when I make it to Greece.
As has often happened in my life, I don't feel like I've done enough to fill up a month. Nine days (including today) have been spent on trains. Twelve in Russian cities and seven in Ukrainian cities. That adds up to twenty-eight.
I think I've kind of stuck within my budget on average. I had a few bumps with regards to taxis on this front, but should not repeat that as I've decided to avoid taxis and make sure I stay at places that give good direction and are close to public transport. I'm using a different website to book hostels which is a lot better than the first site for giving directions. Hostel World for those who want to know. I've used my credit card a lot to get local funds as it's usually been easier than exchanging the cash I have(at least in Russia. The Ukraine and Romania have exchange booths everywhere).I'm going to cut back on that as I have only three, maybe four more countries outside the Eurozone, so I will try and use up my US dollars in those countries, and cash in my travelers cheques when I hit Greece.
I'm on another train as I write this (no surprise there. I seem to pretty much just write these on the train). I have the carriage by myself at this point. There was an Italian couple on board, but they got off around lunch time. In fact, when the train arrived in Lviv, this carriage was not yet part of the train, which initially caused me some confusion as my ticket said I was in car 16 and the train only went up to car 8.
Lviv was a nice town with lots of old buildings. The town center was quite historic looking with lots of statues and churches and other stuff around. My first day I did a walking tour from the Lonely Planet which took in a few churches, a few vacant lots that were synagogues until WWII, Castle Hill which distinctly lacks a castle but does have a good view, a few museums that were closed that day (I tried to go into one, noticed the sign saying it was closed on Wednesdays, thought nothing of it as it was surely later in the week than Wednesday, got confused at the lack of anyone trying to sell me a ticket until one of the men I passed on the way in showed me the sign again, at which point I realized it was indeed Wednesday).
On Thursday I visited Lychakivskiy Cemetery which had many cool tombstones that I was unable to photograph as the battery in my camera died. After the cemetery I went back into town to visit some of the museums and the tower of the town hall. The museum I liked the most was the Arsenal, which as its name suggests has a display of weapons from all over the world including swords, axes, maces, crossbows, pistols, rifles and cannons.
My last four days in the Ukraine I have had dinner at the same chain of restaurants, which is a non all you can eat buffet. The food was good and cheap. I sort of liked the borscht. The soup was good but I'd leave the cabbage behind. I wonder if it's possible to make borscht without the cabbage.
The hostel in Lviv wasn't as good as the others I've stayed at. The building was old and the stairs were not level and it was a bit dank. The theme was good (it was called Kosmonaut and had pictures of Yuri Gagarin on the wall and a vampire Lenin). While I was there I was the only guest, so I had not only a room to myself but the whole place. It was OK, but I prefer the liveliness of the place I stayed in Kiev. Another plus for the Kosmonaut is that I got a free t-shirt from them.
I arrive in Bucharest tonight and will spend a few days there. Then I'll head north a bit to Brasov and do the Transylvania thing (If I'm lucky I'll get to stake a vamp or two, though I doubt it). Then I'll move south again to Sofia in Bulgaria (via Bucharest no doubt) and then onto Istanbul, the second on my "must see" list for this trip (the list includes Moscow, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Paris and London). Other places are on the "what's cool around or between those places" list. It will probably be about one and a half to two weeks before I arrive in Istanbul. I have a plan for what I'm going to do with my pictures from Istanbul, so look forward to that one.
As has often happened in my life, I don't feel like I've done enough to fill up a month. Nine days (including today) have been spent on trains. Twelve in Russian cities and seven in Ukrainian cities. That adds up to twenty-eight.
I think I've kind of stuck within my budget on average. I had a few bumps with regards to taxis on this front, but should not repeat that as I've decided to avoid taxis and make sure I stay at places that give good direction and are close to public transport. I'm using a different website to book hostels which is a lot better than the first site for giving directions. Hostel World for those who want to know. I've used my credit card a lot to get local funds as it's usually been easier than exchanging the cash I have(at least in Russia. The Ukraine and Romania have exchange booths everywhere).I'm going to cut back on that as I have only three, maybe four more countries outside the Eurozone, so I will try and use up my US dollars in those countries, and cash in my travelers cheques when I hit Greece.
I'm on another train as I write this (no surprise there. I seem to pretty much just write these on the train). I have the carriage by myself at this point. There was an Italian couple on board, but they got off around lunch time. In fact, when the train arrived in Lviv, this carriage was not yet part of the train, which initially caused me some confusion as my ticket said I was in car 16 and the train only went up to car 8.
Lviv was a nice town with lots of old buildings. The town center was quite historic looking with lots of statues and churches and other stuff around. My first day I did a walking tour from the Lonely Planet which took in a few churches, a few vacant lots that were synagogues until WWII, Castle Hill which distinctly lacks a castle but does have a good view, a few museums that were closed that day (I tried to go into one, noticed the sign saying it was closed on Wednesdays, thought nothing of it as it was surely later in the week than Wednesday, got confused at the lack of anyone trying to sell me a ticket until one of the men I passed on the way in showed me the sign again, at which point I realized it was indeed Wednesday).
On Thursday I visited Lychakivskiy Cemetery which had many cool tombstones that I was unable to photograph as the battery in my camera died. After the cemetery I went back into town to visit some of the museums and the tower of the town hall. The museum I liked the most was the Arsenal, which as its name suggests has a display of weapons from all over the world including swords, axes, maces, crossbows, pistols, rifles and cannons.
My last four days in the Ukraine I have had dinner at the same chain of restaurants, which is a non all you can eat buffet. The food was good and cheap. I sort of liked the borscht. The soup was good but I'd leave the cabbage behind. I wonder if it's possible to make borscht without the cabbage.
The hostel in Lviv wasn't as good as the others I've stayed at. The building was old and the stairs were not level and it was a bit dank. The theme was good (it was called Kosmonaut and had pictures of Yuri Gagarin on the wall and a vampire Lenin). While I was there I was the only guest, so I had not only a room to myself but the whole place. It was OK, but I prefer the liveliness of the place I stayed in Kiev. Another plus for the Kosmonaut is that I got a free t-shirt from them.
I arrive in Bucharest tonight and will spend a few days there. Then I'll head north a bit to Brasov and do the Transylvania thing (If I'm lucky I'll get to stake a vamp or two, though I doubt it). Then I'll move south again to Sofia in Bulgaria (via Bucharest no doubt) and then onto Istanbul, the second on my "must see" list for this trip (the list includes Moscow, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Paris and London). Other places are on the "what's cool around or between those places" list. It will probably be about one and a half to two weeks before I arrive in Istanbul. I have a plan for what I'm going to do with my pictures from Istanbul, so look forward to that one.
Come On Catholics
This case from Brazil seems a little bit of overkill. An archbishop has excommunicated a group of people who helped a nine year old girl who had been sexually abused by her stepfather get an abortion.
I think this is the sort of case almost everyone would agree on that the girl is in no way physically, mentally or emotionally ready to be a parent, and that to continue the pregnancy would be dangerous to the girl.
Frankly, if anyone should be excommunicated here, it's the stepfather who has acted in a despicable fashion
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I think this is the sort of case almost everyone would agree on that the girl is in no way physically, mentally or emotionally ready to be a parent, and that to continue the pregnancy would be dangerous to the girl.
Frankly, if anyone should be excommunicated here, it's the stepfather who has acted in a despicable fashion
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Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Killing Time in Kiev
Once more I'm on a train from somewhere to somewhere. In this case from Kiev to Lviv (or Lvov or one of the many other forms I've seen). It's a daytime train because the overnight trains get into Lviv at around 4 in the morning, so instead I'm catching a daytime train which left Kiev at 11 and will arrive in Lviv at 9pm.
Lviv represents the first departure from the general plan. The plan was that after Kiev I'd go to Crimea and catch a ferry across the Black Sea. But the ferries are too flaky this time of year, so instead I'm going to go overland to Istanbul via Romania and Bulgaria.
Kiev was a nice city, although I prefer Moscow and St Petersburg. For the first time the lingua franca in the hostel was English rather than Russian, although I was one of the few who only spoke English. Without more information my hypothesis is that the common language seems to be that of the people who run the place.
Last Wednesday I got to Moscow around 9pm, caught a taxi to Kievskii station, got a bite to eat and sat around until 11:23 when the train left. I got told off by security for taking photos of some of the decorations of the station. I went to sleep soon after the train departed and would have had a good nights sleep if it weren't for being woken up by customs at about 3 or 4 in the morning. They were a bit concerned about my visa since I've got two, one of which is canceled because the embassy made two mistakes on it. In the end though, all was well and they let me into the country.
I slept lightly for another few hours before arriving in Kiev. I walked to the hostel and although I missed the turnoff (the hotel given as a landmark did not show it's name all that well to someone coming from the direction I was) but realized my mistake a block or two further and found my way in the end.
The hostel is run by a British guy named Marcus who is a bit of a wheeler dealer in the Ukraine hostel business and extolled the opportunities out there for someone with a bit of cash to set something up. The hostel was alright, my only complaint being that the base of the bed was made up of planks that just covered the width of the bed and with a sudden movement one or two might fall off.
My first afternoon I walked past the National Theater, the Golden Gate (the rebuilt gate of the old city walls), the grounds of St Sofia cathedral (the buildings were closed Thursdays), St Micheal's Monastery, St Andrew's and then down St Andrew's descent, an old cobblestone road lined with guys selling souvenirs. The ones which really caught my eye, although not for reasons that would make me purchase somethings, were the stands selling tin soldiers. Russia had some exceptional tin soldiers with exquisite detail, but Kiev not so much. The stands in Kiev would have a few large models around 7-10cm tall, and then a lot of small ones around 28mm tall. How am I so sure of that height? Well, the first stall I looked at I started to look at some goblin like creatures on squares bases that kind of looked familiar. Next to them were some elves that looked quite Tolkeinish with a lot more detail on them. The I saw a futuristic soldier in big bulky armour carrying a massive laser gun. These were in fact Warhammer models given a quick once over with some metallic spray paint and being sold for about 100 hrivnias, or about AU$20. Last time I checked you'd have got two for about AU$18, so no the best souvenir.
So far I have bought three souvenirs. Two have been t shirts, as I figure I can wear them as I go and it's a practical investment. The other is an old badge from the KGB (probably a replica, but cool none-the-less).
For dinner on Thursday I went out with a group from the hostel to a place referred to as both the hospital and the doctor bar. It was a bar/restaurant with a medical theme. The waitresses wore nurse outfits (with varying amounts of clothing underneath), the bartenders wore scrubs, they served some drinks in test tubes, they had a padded room, etc. It was reasonably priced and the food was good.
On Friday I visited the caves monastery, an old orthodox church complex that included a set of catacombs with the preserved remains of a bunch of guys and people would go down there to pray. After the monastery I went to the WWII memorial, which features a 62m tall woman holding up a sword and shield, a collection of old tanks, jets, artillery and other military hardware, and two museums (one for WWII, the other post WWII). Reasonably interesting, but not much English.
On Saturday I took a walk along the main street downtown and then up to St Sofia again to check out the inside and the bell tower. The inside of St Sofia was very good, as they left some parts unrestored so you could see the effects of time. Overall, a nice cathedral. I also saw a poster for Watchmen, which is coming out in the Ukraine on the 5th.
On Sunday, I went to the natural history museum, which was pretty good. They had a lot of dioramas that were well produced, a hut built of mammoth tusks and jaws, a collection of live reptiles and insects, some whale skeletons and much more.
On Monday I went with a group from the hostel to the Chornobyl museum, and we were lucky enough to arrive there just as an English tour was beginning. It was actually a private tour three people had paid for, but they didn't mind people following along and joining the tour. Over the course of the tour people accumulated in the group. It was not as sad as the Hiroshima museum since it was an accident rather than a deliberate act and nowhere near as destructive, but it is still a tragedy.
After the Chornobyl museum we went to a folk village where traditional houses, windmills, churches and other structures are preserved. The wooden churches have a strong smell of timber when you're inside them (not surprising) which really gave them a very different feel to the stone cathedrals I've mostly visited.
That evening I tried to but some train tickets. I managed to get my ticket for Lviv, but my onward ticket was more frustrating. I had to go to a different ticket stand at the other end of the station, which was behind a set of doors with very little signage (after days of visiting museums and such, I know the words that go on the places that sell tickets). I found the stand and the lady couldn't read the note I'd had written in Ukranian by a local working at the hostel. The ticket lady thought I wanted a ticket from Kiev to Sofia, instead of Lviv to Sofia, and as there's no train from Kiev to Sofia, wouldn't sell me one. I double checked with information I'd gone to the right ticket stand, and went back. I got in line behind the man who was being served and a few minutes later a man got in line behind me and asked if he could go before me. As I was a bit frustrated at this point I said no and continued waiting. When the man in front of me finished the man asked again, and again I said no and tried to communicate with the ticket I wanted. At this point the man stated talking to the ticket lady in Ukranian (or Russia, I can't really say which), and when she started serving him instead of me I gave up and left. (Regarding the man's actions, I think if you're in a hurry you could ask once, but if the person says no you should leave it at that. Don't keep pestering, and don't barge in front. The ticket lady was even worse, as she should not have served him.)
It is for the best though that those two vexed me. I had gotten the order of Romania and Bulgaria mixed up, and didn't actually want a ticket to Sofia, so fate saved me a big hassle by giving me a small one.
Lviv represents the first departure from the general plan. The plan was that after Kiev I'd go to Crimea and catch a ferry across the Black Sea. But the ferries are too flaky this time of year, so instead I'm going to go overland to Istanbul via Romania and Bulgaria.
Kiev was a nice city, although I prefer Moscow and St Petersburg. For the first time the lingua franca in the hostel was English rather than Russian, although I was one of the few who only spoke English. Without more information my hypothesis is that the common language seems to be that of the people who run the place.
Last Wednesday I got to Moscow around 9pm, caught a taxi to Kievskii station, got a bite to eat and sat around until 11:23 when the train left. I got told off by security for taking photos of some of the decorations of the station. I went to sleep soon after the train departed and would have had a good nights sleep if it weren't for being woken up by customs at about 3 or 4 in the morning. They were a bit concerned about my visa since I've got two, one of which is canceled because the embassy made two mistakes on it. In the end though, all was well and they let me into the country.
I slept lightly for another few hours before arriving in Kiev. I walked to the hostel and although I missed the turnoff (the hotel given as a landmark did not show it's name all that well to someone coming from the direction I was) but realized my mistake a block or two further and found my way in the end.
The hostel is run by a British guy named Marcus who is a bit of a wheeler dealer in the Ukraine hostel business and extolled the opportunities out there for someone with a bit of cash to set something up. The hostel was alright, my only complaint being that the base of the bed was made up of planks that just covered the width of the bed and with a sudden movement one or two might fall off.
My first afternoon I walked past the National Theater, the Golden Gate (the rebuilt gate of the old city walls), the grounds of St Sofia cathedral (the buildings were closed Thursdays), St Micheal's Monastery, St Andrew's and then down St Andrew's descent, an old cobblestone road lined with guys selling souvenirs. The ones which really caught my eye, although not for reasons that would make me purchase somethings, were the stands selling tin soldiers. Russia had some exceptional tin soldiers with exquisite detail, but Kiev not so much. The stands in Kiev would have a few large models around 7-10cm tall, and then a lot of small ones around 28mm tall. How am I so sure of that height? Well, the first stall I looked at I started to look at some goblin like creatures on squares bases that kind of looked familiar. Next to them were some elves that looked quite Tolkeinish with a lot more detail on them. The I saw a futuristic soldier in big bulky armour carrying a massive laser gun. These were in fact Warhammer models given a quick once over with some metallic spray paint and being sold for about 100 hrivnias, or about AU$20. Last time I checked you'd have got two for about AU$18, so no the best souvenir.
So far I have bought three souvenirs. Two have been t shirts, as I figure I can wear them as I go and it's a practical investment. The other is an old badge from the KGB (probably a replica, but cool none-the-less).
For dinner on Thursday I went out with a group from the hostel to a place referred to as both the hospital and the doctor bar. It was a bar/restaurant with a medical theme. The waitresses wore nurse outfits (with varying amounts of clothing underneath), the bartenders wore scrubs, they served some drinks in test tubes, they had a padded room, etc. It was reasonably priced and the food was good.
On Friday I visited the caves monastery, an old orthodox church complex that included a set of catacombs with the preserved remains of a bunch of guys and people would go down there to pray. After the monastery I went to the WWII memorial, which features a 62m tall woman holding up a sword and shield, a collection of old tanks, jets, artillery and other military hardware, and two museums (one for WWII, the other post WWII). Reasonably interesting, but not much English.
On Saturday I took a walk along the main street downtown and then up to St Sofia again to check out the inside and the bell tower. The inside of St Sofia was very good, as they left some parts unrestored so you could see the effects of time. Overall, a nice cathedral. I also saw a poster for Watchmen, which is coming out in the Ukraine on the 5th.
On Sunday, I went to the natural history museum, which was pretty good. They had a lot of dioramas that were well produced, a hut built of mammoth tusks and jaws, a collection of live reptiles and insects, some whale skeletons and much more.
On Monday I went with a group from the hostel to the Chornobyl museum, and we were lucky enough to arrive there just as an English tour was beginning. It was actually a private tour three people had paid for, but they didn't mind people following along and joining the tour. Over the course of the tour people accumulated in the group. It was not as sad as the Hiroshima museum since it was an accident rather than a deliberate act and nowhere near as destructive, but it is still a tragedy.
After the Chornobyl museum we went to a folk village where traditional houses, windmills, churches and other structures are preserved. The wooden churches have a strong smell of timber when you're inside them (not surprising) which really gave them a very different feel to the stone cathedrals I've mostly visited.
That evening I tried to but some train tickets. I managed to get my ticket for Lviv, but my onward ticket was more frustrating. I had to go to a different ticket stand at the other end of the station, which was behind a set of doors with very little signage (after days of visiting museums and such, I know the words that go on the places that sell tickets). I found the stand and the lady couldn't read the note I'd had written in Ukranian by a local working at the hostel. The ticket lady thought I wanted a ticket from Kiev to Sofia, instead of Lviv to Sofia, and as there's no train from Kiev to Sofia, wouldn't sell me one. I double checked with information I'd gone to the right ticket stand, and went back. I got in line behind the man who was being served and a few minutes later a man got in line behind me and asked if he could go before me. As I was a bit frustrated at this point I said no and continued waiting. When the man in front of me finished the man asked again, and again I said no and tried to communicate with the ticket I wanted. At this point the man stated talking to the ticket lady in Ukranian (or Russia, I can't really say which), and when she started serving him instead of me I gave up and left. (Regarding the man's actions, I think if you're in a hurry you could ask once, but if the person says no you should leave it at that. Don't keep pestering, and don't barge in front. The ticket lady was even worse, as she should not have served him.)
It is for the best though that those two vexed me. I had gotten the order of Romania and Bulgaria mixed up, and didn't actually want a ticket to Sofia, so fate saved me a big hassle by giving me a small one.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
St Petersburg Redux
Once again I'm sitting on a train. I'm en route between St Petersburg and Moscow, and from Moscow I will catch an overnight train to Kiev.
I don't have much to add about my stay in St Petersburg. On Monday, which was a public holiday, I visited a few churches (St Isaac's, The Blood of the Saviour) and the cruiser Aurora, which was involved in the revolution before heading back to rest. I bought a souvenier, a KGB badge.
Tuesday I was very slack, and mostly lounged around at the hostel. I kind of feel like I should have done something but on the other hand I'd spent the previous seven days walking around all day, so a day of rest seemed in order. That evening I hung out with a few of the other guests who now all spoke English as all the Russian guests had left on Monday. I then went out with some of them to an English style pub called Dickens to watch a football (soccer) match. Actually, there were three games at the same time, but the main focus was on Manchester United vs Intermilan.
Today I packed up, sent some postcards and then caught the metro to the main train station.
I don't have much to add about my stay in St Petersburg. On Monday, which was a public holiday, I visited a few churches (St Isaac's, The Blood of the Saviour) and the cruiser Aurora, which was involved in the revolution before heading back to rest. I bought a souvenier, a KGB badge.
Tuesday I was very slack, and mostly lounged around at the hostel. I kind of feel like I should have done something but on the other hand I'd spent the previous seven days walking around all day, so a day of rest seemed in order. That evening I hung out with a few of the other guests who now all spoke English as all the Russian guests had left on Monday. I then went out with some of them to an English style pub called Dickens to watch a football (soccer) match. Actually, there were three games at the same time, but the main focus was on Manchester United vs Intermilan.
Today I packed up, sent some postcards and then caught the metro to the main train station.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Petrograd Patrol
This follows on directly from the previous post. You should read it first.
During the 20 minutes between waking up and arriving in St Petersburg I started talking to the guy in the bunk above me, whose name was Dmitry and is a professor working on terahertz optical and acoustic signals. I said goodbye to him as I got off the train, but he bumped into me while I was checking the map of the Metro, and he helped me get part of the way to my hostel.
I found the hostel pretty easily (especially given that I was walking. I think I shall have to eschew taxis as they never seem to be able to find the place and rip me off in the process). The hostel is called Crazy Duck and I'd say it's better than the Hostel Napoleon (so named because Napoleon stayed in the building back in 1812 allegedly) in Moscow. It's cheaper, the rooms are more spacious, the TV is huge and has surround sound and is also centrally located.
I checked in about 8:30 and while checking in saw a brochure for a walking tour at 10:30. That seemed like a good introduction to the city so I decided to do it. I was almost late because I got confused on the Metro, but got to the meeting point just as they were about to start. The guide was Sasha who was a history buff and walked around in jeans and a thin jacket, while the rest of us had gloves on and several layers done up. The rest of us were myself and two Belgians, Girt (I'm not sure of the spelling) and I forgot the others name.
The tour meandered around central St Petersburg, and took in a lot of small sites I'd have never known about, including an arts centre that used to be a squat and now includes the headquarters of a group planning to build a temple devoted to the Beatles. We also stopped in at a cafe and tried a cheese pastry thing for which I can't recall the name of (it happens a lot).
After the tour ended I continued on with the two Belgians and had a look at Peter and Paul fortress and then we had a late lunch at a cafe Sasha had recommended. At about 700 rubles it was the most expensive meal I've had in Russia, but definitely the highest quality.
After that we parted ways. I lounged around in the hostel for a while when two good looking girls introduced themselves and told me to come drink. Now, I may not be the suavest of individuals, but I know this is an offer not to be refused. I spent the evening not understanding much but indulging in the one lot of drinking I'm allowing myself per country. It was pleasant, and they were all friendly, but hard to get into entirely when all the conversation is going over your head. I did get a free dinner out of it.
On Sunday I woke up to a rather non-PG sound as metal bunks are not the most discrete of beds for certain activities. This is not an unprecedented experience, but at least in Japan I had a wall separating me from things. I basically stayed quiet and made as though I was still asleep.
Sunday's sightseeing was confined to one building, the Hermitage. I must confess I don't think I'd heard of it until I played Civ IV. The building itself is a work of art, and you could wander around and marvel at it even if it were empty of contents. As it is the contents are an outstanding collection. The only disappointment was the Egyptian display which did not line up to the hype in the Lonely Planet. I saw paintings by da Vinci, Raphael, Matisse, van Gogh, Rembrandt, and many, many others. There was a very good display of Greek and Roman statues, and I think I got photos of all the muses along with a bunch of other mythological figures. The rooms fitted out as they were in the days of the tsars were extremely elaborately decorated and it's safe to say that their tastes did not include simplicity of design.
I took a lot of photos, but am disliking the trend of having to pay extra to take photos of things. It was an extra 200 rubles to take photos in the Hermitage, but I think it was worth it.
In the evening I spent a little time with the group I hung out with last nigh, but too much Russian got to me so as they dispersed to get ready to go out I returned to my bunk. I spent a bit of time talking to a group of cadets who were staying in my dorm, and then finished up writing my journal after they left.
During the 20 minutes between waking up and arriving in St Petersburg I started talking to the guy in the bunk above me, whose name was Dmitry and is a professor working on terahertz optical and acoustic signals. I said goodbye to him as I got off the train, but he bumped into me while I was checking the map of the Metro, and he helped me get part of the way to my hostel.
I found the hostel pretty easily (especially given that I was walking. I think I shall have to eschew taxis as they never seem to be able to find the place and rip me off in the process). The hostel is called Crazy Duck and I'd say it's better than the Hostel Napoleon (so named because Napoleon stayed in the building back in 1812 allegedly) in Moscow. It's cheaper, the rooms are more spacious, the TV is huge and has surround sound and is also centrally located.
I checked in about 8:30 and while checking in saw a brochure for a walking tour at 10:30. That seemed like a good introduction to the city so I decided to do it. I was almost late because I got confused on the Metro, but got to the meeting point just as they were about to start. The guide was Sasha who was a history buff and walked around in jeans and a thin jacket, while the rest of us had gloves on and several layers done up. The rest of us were myself and two Belgians, Girt (I'm not sure of the spelling) and I forgot the others name.
The tour meandered around central St Petersburg, and took in a lot of small sites I'd have never known about, including an arts centre that used to be a squat and now includes the headquarters of a group planning to build a temple devoted to the Beatles. We also stopped in at a cafe and tried a cheese pastry thing for which I can't recall the name of (it happens a lot).
After the tour ended I continued on with the two Belgians and had a look at Peter and Paul fortress and then we had a late lunch at a cafe Sasha had recommended. At about 700 rubles it was the most expensive meal I've had in Russia, but definitely the highest quality.
After that we parted ways. I lounged around in the hostel for a while when two good looking girls introduced themselves and told me to come drink. Now, I may not be the suavest of individuals, but I know this is an offer not to be refused. I spent the evening not understanding much but indulging in the one lot of drinking I'm allowing myself per country. It was pleasant, and they were all friendly, but hard to get into entirely when all the conversation is going over your head. I did get a free dinner out of it.
On Sunday I woke up to a rather non-PG sound as metal bunks are not the most discrete of beds for certain activities. This is not an unprecedented experience, but at least in Japan I had a wall separating me from things. I basically stayed quiet and made as though I was still asleep.
Sunday's sightseeing was confined to one building, the Hermitage. I must confess I don't think I'd heard of it until I played Civ IV. The building itself is a work of art, and you could wander around and marvel at it even if it were empty of contents. As it is the contents are an outstanding collection. The only disappointment was the Egyptian display which did not line up to the hype in the Lonely Planet. I saw paintings by da Vinci, Raphael, Matisse, van Gogh, Rembrandt, and many, many others. There was a very good display of Greek and Roman statues, and I think I got photos of all the muses along with a bunch of other mythological figures. The rooms fitted out as they were in the days of the tsars were extremely elaborately decorated and it's safe to say that their tastes did not include simplicity of design.
I took a lot of photos, but am disliking the trend of having to pay extra to take photos of things. It was an extra 200 rubles to take photos in the Hermitage, but I think it was worth it.
In the evening I spent a little time with the group I hung out with last nigh, but too much Russian got to me so as they dispersed to get ready to go out I returned to my bunk. I spent a bit of time talking to a group of cadets who were staying in my dorm, and then finished up writing my journal after they left.
Moscow Meanderings
This was originally written as one piece with the next post, but since it's pretty much evenly divided between Moscow and St Petersburg and it's quite long, I'm going to split it into two posts.
So it's been a few days since I last wrote so let's catch up. On Thursday I took a bus tour around town. It started at the Kremlin, but then went around town in a minibus to a few good sites. These included the World War II memorial, which is very tall, the Moscow State University main building, which is one of the seven Stalin skyscrapers, Sparrow Hills, which overlooks a large part of Moscow, and a fortress/nunnery. We also drove past a bunch of stuff which our tour guide was about 5 seconds late pointing out to us. At Sparrow Hills I bought a souvenier, a t-shirt with a Kalashnikov rifle on it. The tour group was 5 people; myself, Peter and Yana, a couple around my age, and an older couple of which the wife was rather bossy.
After the tour I went to Gagarin Square, which was a lot further away than the map suggested. I nonetheless got there, looked at the monument for a few moments, took some photos and headed back to the hostel.
In the evening I went to an English club run by a guy called George who seemed to be a permanent resident of the hostel. He's kind of a freelance English teacher. He invited me along to meet some Russians and be the native speaker at the nights meeting (I noticed some of the paperwork in his plastic sleeves showed that people (Russians) pay 900 rubles a month to attend the meetings, so George has to sort of be a native speaker wrangler for the meetings). Two other people showed up, Alexy and Julia, both professionals who worked for banks. Conversation covered topics such as Moscow, work, travels, Boris Yeltsin, the media, comparative drinking, Australia, Korea, trains and more.
The last item of note for the evening was when at MacDonald's (I'm sure I've already presented my reasons for greater consumption of the big M while overseas) I realized they did indeed have quarterpounders. I was trying to read the menu and one item came out to be a "royal cheeseburger". It took a few moments of wondering what a royal cheeseburger was when I recalled the phrase "royal with cheese". Yes, Pulp Fiction saved the day.
Friday was my last day in Moscow. I did another of the suggested walks on my map, but missed a turn and walked an extra two or so klicks, but it was alright. This walk had more of an arts theme and went past a few theaters and a few museums, although I only went into the museum of recent soviet history. This museum takes off about where the big history museum at the Kremlin left off with with the late imperial era and goes up to the modern day with Putin and Medyedev. I was disappointed that the small section on the space race seemed to miss Sputnik I, which would be in any museum I could put it in, let alone one specifically on 20th century Russia.
After I finished my walk I hung around the hostel for a while before eventually heading to the train station (Leningradskaya, for the record, since there are numerous train stations in Moscow) for my 23:55 train to St Petersburg. The train was much nicer than the Trans-Siberian, but I didn't really get to appreciate it much as soon after departure everyone in the berth went to sleep and I woke up about 20 minutes before arrival.
So it's been a few days since I last wrote so let's catch up. On Thursday I took a bus tour around town. It started at the Kremlin, but then went around town in a minibus to a few good sites. These included the World War II memorial, which is very tall, the Moscow State University main building, which is one of the seven Stalin skyscrapers, Sparrow Hills, which overlooks a large part of Moscow, and a fortress/nunnery. We also drove past a bunch of stuff which our tour guide was about 5 seconds late pointing out to us. At Sparrow Hills I bought a souvenier, a t-shirt with a Kalashnikov rifle on it. The tour group was 5 people; myself, Peter and Yana, a couple around my age, and an older couple of which the wife was rather bossy.
After the tour I went to Gagarin Square, which was a lot further away than the map suggested. I nonetheless got there, looked at the monument for a few moments, took some photos and headed back to the hostel.
In the evening I went to an English club run by a guy called George who seemed to be a permanent resident of the hostel. He's kind of a freelance English teacher. He invited me along to meet some Russians and be the native speaker at the nights meeting (I noticed some of the paperwork in his plastic sleeves showed that people (Russians) pay 900 rubles a month to attend the meetings, so George has to sort of be a native speaker wrangler for the meetings). Two other people showed up, Alexy and Julia, both professionals who worked for banks. Conversation covered topics such as Moscow, work, travels, Boris Yeltsin, the media, comparative drinking, Australia, Korea, trains and more.
The last item of note for the evening was when at MacDonald's (I'm sure I've already presented my reasons for greater consumption of the big M while overseas) I realized they did indeed have quarterpounders. I was trying to read the menu and one item came out to be a "royal cheeseburger". It took a few moments of wondering what a royal cheeseburger was when I recalled the phrase "royal with cheese". Yes, Pulp Fiction saved the day.
Friday was my last day in Moscow. I did another of the suggested walks on my map, but missed a turn and walked an extra two or so klicks, but it was alright. This walk had more of an arts theme and went past a few theaters and a few museums, although I only went into the museum of recent soviet history. This museum takes off about where the big history museum at the Kremlin left off with with the late imperial era and goes up to the modern day with Putin and Medyedev. I was disappointed that the small section on the space race seemed to miss Sputnik I, which would be in any museum I could put it in, let alone one specifically on 20th century Russia.
After I finished my walk I hung around the hostel for a while before eventually heading to the train station (Leningradskaya, for the record, since there are numerous train stations in Moscow) for my 23:55 train to St Petersburg. The train was much nicer than the Trans-Siberian, but I didn't really get to appreciate it much as soon after departure everyone in the berth went to sleep and I woke up about 20 minutes before arrival.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Untitled Poem
Written while on the train.
The journey goes on and on
The wheels turn and turn
And still I am so far away
From the place for which I yearn
In solitude I sit and sit
An empty mind to think and think
This days travels over distances far
Is still just one small link
Time passes as I wait and wait
Within my sight things appear and disappear
One hour or two, ten trees or twenty
My destination is still not near
I cannot just sleep and sleep
My bed at night goes to and fro
The cushions do not soften it
The gentle rumble brings comfort though
The noise keeps on a steady pace
Across the land we race and race
I do not know how I now seem
I dare not look into my face
The plains I see are vast and great
From our path we do not deviate
The rails we follow loom ahead
Two lines of metal seal our fate
I marvel at this massive feat
To link two points so far away
We've traveled for two days so far
We've made but one third of our course
I ponder on my rhyming scheme
Now long abandoned for freer verse
I think I should end my efforts now
Before the meta makes things worse
The journey goes on and on
The wheels turn and turn
And still I am so far away
From the place for which I yearn
In solitude I sit and sit
An empty mind to think and think
This days travels over distances far
Is still just one small link
Time passes as I wait and wait
Within my sight things appear and disappear
One hour or two, ten trees or twenty
My destination is still not near
I cannot just sleep and sleep
My bed at night goes to and fro
The cushions do not soften it
The gentle rumble brings comfort though
The noise keeps on a steady pace
Across the land we race and race
I do not know how I now seem
I dare not look into my face
The plains I see are vast and great
From our path we do not deviate
The rails we follow loom ahead
Two lines of metal seal our fate
I marvel at this massive feat
To link two points so far away
We've traveled for two days so far
We've made but one third of our course
I ponder on my rhyming scheme
Now long abandoned for freer verse
I think I should end my efforts now
Before the meta makes things worse
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Moscow Musings
Moscow is quite a bit different to Vladivostok. It's much more metropolitan; it has a subway system, there's the occasional bit of English signage around the place, there's lots of restaurants and perhaps too many shops. And the occasional mausoleum containing a leading revolutionary.
I haven't been in Lenin's tomb yet. It's allegedly open from 10 to 1 but every time I've gone by it's been as quiet as a grave. There's enough to do around it that I've not felt too bad about it (although I do still want to get in there). I've been to St Basil's with its multicoloured onion domes, inside the Kremlin and the churches it contains, the history museum (which had English notes on the first floor but not the second floor), and the cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which is across the river from the Red October chocolate factory.
My hostel is pretty good. I'm in a dorm at this place, which I guess is a downgrade from the place in Vladivostok, but a known one so I can't complain, and this is more likely to be the norm from now on. They also have wifi which is great. It's pretty close to Red Square which is very convenient. It's also just down the road from the former headquarters of the KGB. It's a rather bland building with a bunch of what I presume is the KGB coat of arms across the front.
The subway here is rather deep, and the escalators going down to the platforms are in a tunnel that leaves the Third Infiltration Tunnel for dead. The trains themselves are a bit on the old side, being noisy and rickety with nary an electronic display in sight. they are however plentiful, with just over two minutes between departing trains.
The art in the churches is amazing, although I feel sorry for everyone who did the painting on the ceilings. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is a particularly fine example and if I hadn't already known I wouldn't have thought it was built in the post soviet era (technically rebuilt since the soviets demolished the previous incarnation of the cathedral). If it were well lit instead of full of shadows it would be almost overwhelming.
I had a worrying situation today. I went to the MacDonalds on Red Square for brunch and to pay I gave them a 500 ruble note. The cashier looked at it and then took it to a manager. The manager looked at it and used one of the machines I've seen at a lot of places and then consulted with another manager before they decided they weren't going to accept it. This worried me since I'd just got the note from a bank. Fortunately, the museum accepted the note when I bought my ticket. A similar thing happened when I bought my train tickets. The ticket seller wouldn't accept one of the 1000 ruble notes I gave her. This is something new to me as I've never been anywhere where legal tender isn't just automatically accepted. Lots of places have machines that illuminate bills to reveal watermarks or UV writing or other stuff that may be on the bills.
I'm also surprised at how wet and muddy snow makes the place. A mud slushy is an accurate description of the streets.
End Post
Writing time:
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I haven't been in Lenin's tomb yet. It's allegedly open from 10 to 1 but every time I've gone by it's been as quiet as a grave. There's enough to do around it that I've not felt too bad about it (although I do still want to get in there). I've been to St Basil's with its multicoloured onion domes, inside the Kremlin and the churches it contains, the history museum (which had English notes on the first floor but not the second floor), and the cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which is across the river from the Red October chocolate factory.
My hostel is pretty good. I'm in a dorm at this place, which I guess is a downgrade from the place in Vladivostok, but a known one so I can't complain, and this is more likely to be the norm from now on. They also have wifi which is great. It's pretty close to Red Square which is very convenient. It's also just down the road from the former headquarters of the KGB. It's a rather bland building with a bunch of what I presume is the KGB coat of arms across the front.
The subway here is rather deep, and the escalators going down to the platforms are in a tunnel that leaves the Third Infiltration Tunnel for dead. The trains themselves are a bit on the old side, being noisy and rickety with nary an electronic display in sight. they are however plentiful, with just over two minutes between departing trains.
The art in the churches is amazing, although I feel sorry for everyone who did the painting on the ceilings. The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is a particularly fine example and if I hadn't already known I wouldn't have thought it was built in the post soviet era (technically rebuilt since the soviets demolished the previous incarnation of the cathedral). If it were well lit instead of full of shadows it would be almost overwhelming.
I had a worrying situation today. I went to the MacDonalds on Red Square for brunch and to pay I gave them a 500 ruble note. The cashier looked at it and then took it to a manager. The manager looked at it and used one of the machines I've seen at a lot of places and then consulted with another manager before they decided they weren't going to accept it. This worried me since I'd just got the note from a bank. Fortunately, the museum accepted the note when I bought my ticket. A similar thing happened when I bought my train tickets. The ticket seller wouldn't accept one of the 1000 ruble notes I gave her. This is something new to me as I've never been anywhere where legal tender isn't just automatically accepted. Lots of places have machines that illuminate bills to reveal watermarks or UV writing or other stuff that may be on the bills.
I'm also surprised at how wet and muddy snow makes the place. A mud slushy is an accurate description of the streets.
End Post
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Vladivostok to Moscow
So I finally made it all the way from Vladivostok to Moscow. The Trans-Siberian Express is definitely a great experience, but it is also six days on a train with no showers and narrow beds. I don't think I've enjoyed a shower as much as I did the shower I had at my hostel tonight. Nor enjoyed dinner so much. Six days of eating ramen and instant mashed potatoes with meat gets to you.
Fortunately there was power points on the train, so I spent many an hour watching the landscape go by while charging my devices.
I think there might have been two other people on my carriage who ended up doing the whole Vladivostok to Moscow trip (aside from the guards) and I shared my berth with 6 people over the trip. There was a women who was there from Vladivostok and got off late in the afternoon the next day, one guy who was there for one evening, three men who got on early the day after and got off around lunch time, and late that evening the last person got on, and he went all the way to Moscow as well. His name was Uri, and he was the only one of them who actually tried to speak to me. He was pretty nice, and helpful as well.
Photos will go up as soon as I find a way to upload them all (I have about 1 or 2 hundred from Vladivostok and 500 odd from the train trip (not all will be great, so there will be a bit of a culling)).
Tomorrow I'm going to check out Red Square and the stuff in the surrounds, including, but not limited to the Kremlin.
End Post
Writing time: seven minutes
Time since last post: over a week (the first time I haven't felt like I'm slacking off for leaving it that long between posts)
Current media: None, although I think someone is watching Ghost in the common area.
Fortunately there was power points on the train, so I spent many an hour watching the landscape go by while charging my devices.
I think there might have been two other people on my carriage who ended up doing the whole Vladivostok to Moscow trip (aside from the guards) and I shared my berth with 6 people over the trip. There was a women who was there from Vladivostok and got off late in the afternoon the next day, one guy who was there for one evening, three men who got on early the day after and got off around lunch time, and late that evening the last person got on, and he went all the way to Moscow as well. His name was Uri, and he was the only one of them who actually tried to speak to me. He was pretty nice, and helpful as well.
Photos will go up as soon as I find a way to upload them all (I have about 1 or 2 hundred from Vladivostok and 500 odd from the train trip (not all will be great, so there will be a bit of a culling)).
Tomorrow I'm going to check out Red Square and the stuff in the surrounds, including, but not limited to the Kremlin.
End Post
Writing time: seven minutes
Time since last post: over a week (the first time I haven't felt like I'm slacking off for leaving it that long between posts)
Current media: None, although I think someone is watching Ghost in the common area.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Trans-Siberian Thoughts 4
One more sleep until Moscow. It sounds like I'm a kid counting down to Christmas, but that's the best means of keeping count I have. I set my computer (and so ipod also) to Moscow time (GMT+3) a few days ago, and have been trying to sync with that, but I woke up at about 5 this morning, so that's not working so well.
Numbers on the train are dwindling, and everyone is becoming more reclusive. There is hardly anyone in the corridor watching the landscape go by anymore, and the door to most berths are generally shut. This does make it easier to charge my various bits and pieces.
I too am paying less attention to the landscape, and there is a clear decline in the number of photos taken each day. After a while snow and trees and the occasional village gets a bit repetitive. We have started sighting the mile markers counting down the distance remaining to Moscow (2162 at time of writing, with 32 hours to go).
There's a bit of snow falling now and then today. This is the first time there's been falling snow on an ongoing basis. There was a bit at one of the stops on day two, but that was about it. The snow I've seen on the trip has been very fine and dry and does not make for good snowballs. I've tried once or twice and it's like throwing sand.
War and Peace is a bit more interesting now that I've gotten past the society intrigues of Part I and am now into the war against Napoleon. I can't say the Russians are doing well at this stage, but something tells me they win out in the end.
I have managed to work out the mystery of the bathroom tap, which has made me feel much better, although it looks as though the carriage has gone through its allotment of toilet paper for the trip. Given that I have a roll from Korea and that Russian toilet paper is the roughest I've ever come across, this development has not troubled me too much.
I've written a few different bits and pieces that aren't exactly a journal (well, are in no way a journal), more free writing, which I suppose I'll put up when I have access to the internet again. The book I'm writing in is lined for the first half and the second half is all blank pages, so I'm using the first half as a journal and the second half for everything else (drawings, maths, poetry, memes, etc). I do quite like the book and will have to post a picture of it. I had intended to use "The Deeply Unfortunate Doings of an Ill-Fated Life" for this purpose, but this book was a last minute splurge at Kyobo books when I should have been looking for a money belt and suits the purpose a lot better. I've still to find something worthy to put in the ill-fated life, but for now its got a few general bits of writing that have been produced for various reasons.
Anyway, that's getting a fair bit offtopic and the train has stopped for some reason, so I think I shall stop writing as well.
Numbers on the train are dwindling, and everyone is becoming more reclusive. There is hardly anyone in the corridor watching the landscape go by anymore, and the door to most berths are generally shut. This does make it easier to charge my various bits and pieces.
I too am paying less attention to the landscape, and there is a clear decline in the number of photos taken each day. After a while snow and trees and the occasional village gets a bit repetitive. We have started sighting the mile markers counting down the distance remaining to Moscow (2162 at time of writing, with 32 hours to go).
There's a bit of snow falling now and then today. This is the first time there's been falling snow on an ongoing basis. There was a bit at one of the stops on day two, but that was about it. The snow I've seen on the trip has been very fine and dry and does not make for good snowballs. I've tried once or twice and it's like throwing sand.
War and Peace is a bit more interesting now that I've gotten past the society intrigues of Part I and am now into the war against Napoleon. I can't say the Russians are doing well at this stage, but something tells me they win out in the end.
I have managed to work out the mystery of the bathroom tap, which has made me feel much better, although it looks as though the carriage has gone through its allotment of toilet paper for the trip. Given that I have a roll from Korea and that Russian toilet paper is the roughest I've ever come across, this development has not troubled me too much.
I've written a few different bits and pieces that aren't exactly a journal (well, are in no way a journal), more free writing, which I suppose I'll put up when I have access to the internet again. The book I'm writing in is lined for the first half and the second half is all blank pages, so I'm using the first half as a journal and the second half for everything else (drawings, maths, poetry, memes, etc). I do quite like the book and will have to post a picture of it. I had intended to use "The Deeply Unfortunate Doings of an Ill-Fated Life" for this purpose, but this book was a last minute splurge at Kyobo books when I should have been looking for a money belt and suits the purpose a lot better. I've still to find something worthy to put in the ill-fated life, but for now its got a few general bits of writing that have been produced for various reasons.
Anyway, that's getting a fair bit offtopic and the train has stopped for some reason, so I think I shall stop writing as well.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Trans-Siberian Thoughts 3
It looks like I have a companion for the rest of the trip. A man named Uri got on board this morning. He's been more talkative than the others who have been in my berth. He's told me his name for a start. We've also managed to exchange destinations (Moscow and Moscow) and book titles (War and Peace for me and a Bond novel for him).
During the day we've passed what seemed like a giant lake, quite possibly Lake Baikal. The track ran quite close to the shore and we followed it for a few hours. The lake was a huge white expanse with absolutely no vegetation at all on it. Most of the landscape has had trees or grass or something growing, but not here, just white as far as the eye could see. Occasionally I could see land on the other side rising up, but not often.
There also seemed to be a few cars and people out on the ice. I guess they were ice fishing. Someone must have been as at a recent stop there was a mass of people selling fish. Uri bought four and is keeping them cool by placing them next to the window. The window is the weak link in keeping the berth warm, and has got a fair bit of ice on it over the past few days.
I'm beginning to feel a bit grimy not having had a shower in three days. I have yet to work out the taps in the bathroom. No matter how I turn them, nothing happens and I worry I'm going to pull them off, and angry Russian sounds very angry, so I don't want to actually do that.
I'm also beginning to worry about money. It's not that I don't have enough, it's that most (all) the vendors so far have been reluctant to accept a 1000 ruble note (about A$40). I should try the drinks lady as she's obviously selling a lot (I've bought 125 rubles of stuff from her) so she should have sufficient change somewhere on board. As it stands now I only have a few hundred rubles left in small bills which won't last the whole of the rest of the trip.
During the day we've passed what seemed like a giant lake, quite possibly Lake Baikal. The track ran quite close to the shore and we followed it for a few hours. The lake was a huge white expanse with absolutely no vegetation at all on it. Most of the landscape has had trees or grass or something growing, but not here, just white as far as the eye could see. Occasionally I could see land on the other side rising up, but not often.
There also seemed to be a few cars and people out on the ice. I guess they were ice fishing. Someone must have been as at a recent stop there was a mass of people selling fish. Uri bought four and is keeping them cool by placing them next to the window. The window is the weak link in keeping the berth warm, and has got a fair bit of ice on it over the past few days.
I'm beginning to feel a bit grimy not having had a shower in three days. I have yet to work out the taps in the bathroom. No matter how I turn them, nothing happens and I worry I'm going to pull them off, and angry Russian sounds very angry, so I don't want to actually do that.
I'm also beginning to worry about money. It's not that I don't have enough, it's that most (all) the vendors so far have been reluctant to accept a 1000 ruble note (about A$40). I should try the drinks lady as she's obviously selling a lot (I've bought 125 rubles of stuff from her) so she should have sufficient change somewhere on board. As it stands now I only have a few hundred rubles left in small bills which won't last the whole of the rest of the trip.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Trans-Siberian Thoughts 2
I'm pretty sure I've got the date right. Time on scales less than a day aren't really much use on the train, and even a day isn't really a day. I left Vladivostok at 10pm and arrive in Moscow at 6pm with a travel time of 6 days and 3 hours. Over the trip I'm losing about an hour a day, or put another way, each day is 23 hours long.
Not everyone on the train seems to be on board for the long haul. At the moment I have my berth to myself again. At departure there was a mid 30ish woman in my berth as well, but she got off late yesterday afternoon. She was replaced a few stops later with a man who just slept, which is a lot more understandable after he got off the train late at night. Early this morning the berth was filled with three more men. I'm guessing a father and two sons, by their ages. They weren't on board long, getting off before lunchish.
A few of the people on my carriage have been here the whole trip so far, and we shall continue to see how many remain on board for the whole trip. I haven't really spoken to anyone, and no one has tried to talk to me. There is one person I've considered going up to and saying hello to. She's a redhead I first saw at the station at Vladivostok with a large backpack and looks more like a traveler/sightseer than other passengers. I saw her again at a stop while I was buying some ramen to eat. I really should go exploring and see if there's a restaurant car or the like. Yesterday I only got one thing of what I thought was ramen but turned out to be instant mashed potatoes with a little bit of meat. It was pretty good.
The landscape continues to amaze, but the white does get a bit monotonous after a while. Sometimes I think that if all the snow were brown dirt instead, it would look just like the scrub back home. There's plenty of mountains in the distance, but we don't seem to have gone over any ranges. My geography isn't good enough to know if we will or not. I suppose we might have already done so while I was sleeping. On the whole the views are well worth it, and I'm not the only one who spends a lot of time watching the scenery pass by.
Some of the time I'm doing that though I have an ulterior motive. The few power points in board line the corridor, so some of the time I've spent standing there my laptop or ipod has been plugged in getting some juice. I have decided to stop playing Civ IV while on the train, as the workout it puts the CPU and fans through really burns through the power quickly (I get about two and a half hours watching videos but only one hour playing Civ IV).
The train stops a few times a day for about 15 minutes or so (there are other stops as well but these are briefer) which gives those of us on board a chance to stretch our legs, buy some food, and in my case say "fuck" a lot because of how cold it is. The places we've stopped at have definitely been colder than Vladivostok was. Of course, I'm not as well prepared for the cold since there aren't any announcements of upcoming stations (not that I'd understand them, but I'm sure I'd quickly make the connection between an announcement I can't understand and arrival at a station (I did so pretty quickly in Japan.).).
I finally finished Paradise yesterday, after months of procrastination. I found my mind would just wander off while reading the prose and found the notes generally more interesting and illuminating. Like Machiavelli, a good knowledge of renaissance Italian politics is essential for the fullest understanding, and it is a subject that is not my strongest. I wonder though who would be put where in a modern version. Would Gandhi join the virtuous pagans in Limbo? (Indeed, what was Gandhi's religion?) Is there anyone despised enough for their adultery to make that circle worth visiting? What politics would replace those of Florence and Italy?
This has let me start once more on War and Peace, which is just as tedious this time through. I think I got through about a dozen pages at most before finding something else to do. I'll see how far I get through during the trip.
End Post
Writing time: a half hour or so.
Time since last post: two days
Current media: none
Not everyone on the train seems to be on board for the long haul. At the moment I have my berth to myself again. At departure there was a mid 30ish woman in my berth as well, but she got off late yesterday afternoon. She was replaced a few stops later with a man who just slept, which is a lot more understandable after he got off the train late at night. Early this morning the berth was filled with three more men. I'm guessing a father and two sons, by their ages. They weren't on board long, getting off before lunchish.
A few of the people on my carriage have been here the whole trip so far, and we shall continue to see how many remain on board for the whole trip. I haven't really spoken to anyone, and no one has tried to talk to me. There is one person I've considered going up to and saying hello to. She's a redhead I first saw at the station at Vladivostok with a large backpack and looks more like a traveler/sightseer than other passengers. I saw her again at a stop while I was buying some ramen to eat. I really should go exploring and see if there's a restaurant car or the like. Yesterday I only got one thing of what I thought was ramen but turned out to be instant mashed potatoes with a little bit of meat. It was pretty good.
The landscape continues to amaze, but the white does get a bit monotonous after a while. Sometimes I think that if all the snow were brown dirt instead, it would look just like the scrub back home. There's plenty of mountains in the distance, but we don't seem to have gone over any ranges. My geography isn't good enough to know if we will or not. I suppose we might have already done so while I was sleeping. On the whole the views are well worth it, and I'm not the only one who spends a lot of time watching the scenery pass by.
Some of the time I'm doing that though I have an ulterior motive. The few power points in board line the corridor, so some of the time I've spent standing there my laptop or ipod has been plugged in getting some juice. I have decided to stop playing Civ IV while on the train, as the workout it puts the CPU and fans through really burns through the power quickly (I get about two and a half hours watching videos but only one hour playing Civ IV).
The train stops a few times a day for about 15 minutes or so (there are other stops as well but these are briefer) which gives those of us on board a chance to stretch our legs, buy some food, and in my case say "fuck" a lot because of how cold it is. The places we've stopped at have definitely been colder than Vladivostok was. Of course, I'm not as well prepared for the cold since there aren't any announcements of upcoming stations (not that I'd understand them, but I'm sure I'd quickly make the connection between an announcement I can't understand and arrival at a station (I did so pretty quickly in Japan.).).
I finally finished Paradise yesterday, after months of procrastination. I found my mind would just wander off while reading the prose and found the notes generally more interesting and illuminating. Like Machiavelli, a good knowledge of renaissance Italian politics is essential for the fullest understanding, and it is a subject that is not my strongest. I wonder though who would be put where in a modern version. Would Gandhi join the virtuous pagans in Limbo? (Indeed, what was Gandhi's religion?) Is there anyone despised enough for their adultery to make that circle worth visiting? What politics would replace those of Florence and Italy?
This has let me start once more on War and Peace, which is just as tedious this time through. I think I got through about a dozen pages at most before finding something else to do. I'll see how far I get through during the trip.
End Post
Writing time: a half hour or so.
Time since last post: two days
Current media: none
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Trans-Siberian Thoughts
Note: This was written while waiting for the train last Tuesday. I'll leave it up the top for a day or so and then shift it to the actual time of writing.
So it turns out I was right and the staff at the hotel were wrong. The 15:00 departure time on my train ticket is indeed 15:00 Moscow time, not 15:00 Vladivostok time. If it weren't for the fact that this is a difference of 7 hours I wouldn't be much put out.
I'll admit I was initially wrong as well, getting the direction wrong and thinking 15:00 Moscow time was 08:00 Vladivostok time, when it is actually 22:00. Just as well I didn't turn up to catch the train then. That would have been quite a wait.
As it is, by the time I board the train I'll have been lurking around the station for about 11 hours, and will have gone through the batteries on most of my devices, although my ipod should last a while longer. The best run it has had is about 24 hours on the go, while playing videos and shuffling, which put a bit more of a drain on the battery. If there is no power on the train, which I believe is the case, things will go dark relatively soon on the trip.
I should make it into tomorrow with juice in the batteries of things as I figure once I get on the train I'll hit the sack pretty quickly.
Vladivostok has been pretty good. The submarine museum inside an actual submarine (no longer underwater unfortunately) was an experience, although they took ever chance to extract some rubles from you (100 for entry, 50 to take photos, 50 for a brochure, and 50 to get a photo in a navy major's jacket and hat). The guy selling souvenirs at the exit said he collected Australian dollar and fifty cent coins and offered to buy any I might have had on me. Unfortunately, I only have a ten cent piece I don't intend to part with. I have considered drilling a hole in it so I can place it on my chain so I'm less likely to lose it.
There's a fair few monuments around the place here, mainly for sailors and admirals and such, this being very much a port town. There's also the to be expected remnants of the soviet era. Across the road from the train station is a grand statue of Lenin, or as it is written on the statue ΛEHИH. (Knowing the Greek alphabet has made it easier to pick up bits and pieces of the Cyrillic script (Ф = f, Λ = l, etc)). There are also monuments to the workers who rose up during the revolution, a few for WWII, and some other bits and pieces of history.
The weather has been better than I feared, although today I'm not wearing my really thick pants and can feel the difference. I've not seen any snowfall or rain, and the temperatures seem to have been between -5 and 0, or at least during the day when I was outside.
It's cold enough to keep the ice in the bays frozen. On my second day I strolled out onto the ice for a while which seemed to be the winter equivalent of the local park. There were families and couples walking around. The majority of people there though were ice fishers. They each had there own seat of some kind, be it a stool, a box, a tire, or whatever else, a drill, and one or two rods, which are about a foot long. They drill the whole and then lower the line and twitch it until they get a bite. The fish they caught weren't that large (the holes were about 10cm in diameter) and I don't really see how it could be viable as anything other than recreation.
Also in the ice was a cut out section about 10m long up by the shore where you could get into the water. A lot more people than I thought were doing it. Most simply climbed in, got there whole body except for their heads underwater and got right back out straight away, although a few hardier (and older) individuals actually swam the length of it and back.
There was also a lot of ice around the lighthouse I visited, but I did not go walking on the ice there. It was not as solid or as well attached to the shore. This may have something to do with it being a lot closer to the shipping lines than the other spot. The lighthouse is a small structure which apparently cannot be got to at high tide (I don't know if going in winter helped, but it didn't look as though the tide had been in for a while).
The best view I found in the city was at what I believe was the state agricultural college which is up a hill and looks down on the city. I got a few good pictures looking eastish, but not many looking westward as the sun got in the way. The college is actually split in two parts, one at the top of the hill and one at the bttom. The guide book said the two were connected by what is called a funicular and my plan was to find the lower station, take it to the top and enjoy the view. Instead, I found the top, enjoyed the view and then learnt the funicular had been closed, possibly for repairs (there were men working on the track), possibly for good, and walked down the adjacent stairs back to the main street.
My hotel was better than I expected. The room was nicer than I expected, and although it was a shared room, no one else was in there during my stay. The only problem I had was a lack of English on the staffs part (or a lack of Russian on my part) which made for some confusion, although for the most part things worked out. The hotel sorted out registration for me, which is one of the bureaucratic roadblocks the Russians put in the way of travelers. I'll be glad when I hit Turkey and won't have that to do with any more.
The ride to the train station this morning was interesting. The driver was what I guess was the hotel's security guard/odd job guy. He was normally dressed in what looked like a military uniform (matching camoish pants and shirt). During the drive he pointed out a few things and grumbled about the traffic. He managed to get across that he used to be in the navy, served on a submarine, and was possibly based in Sevastopol. When he left me at the station he gave me a very firm handshake and then a bear hug, which I was not expecting.
I much prefer the ride I had with him to the one I had from the airport to my hotel. It didn't get off to a good start when the guy said it was six hundred kilometers to Vladivostok. This made the price seem very reasonable, but somewhat put me off as I was reasonably sure no city has its airport that far away. As it turns out he meant 60km, which is still an exaggeration as it's actually about 40km. I eventually agreed as the buses had stopped about an hour ago and he had the best English of the taxi drivers around.
Actually, he wasn't the driver, he was the salesman as he took me to a car and someone else drove, although the guy came along as well. At first I was a little worried I'd walked into a less than good situation as the roads were dark and there was little traffic. I wasn't entirely sure things were OK until when they stopped outside a hotel and said we were at my hotel when clearly we weren't (they took me to Hotel Vladivostok when my reservation said Jing Long Hotel - Vladivostok) and then how serious they were at trying to work out where they should take me. They did try to get some extra money from me, but given that I was already giving them more than I was paying for my hotel, I was not going to give them any more.
I'm going to look for somewhere to leave my bags and then get something to eat, as I've only had a fruit and nut toblerone so far today, and the hunger is beginning to get to me.
End Post
Writing time: about half an hour
Time since last post: a few days
Current media: whatever was on my ipod at the time
So it turns out I was right and the staff at the hotel were wrong. The 15:00 departure time on my train ticket is indeed 15:00 Moscow time, not 15:00 Vladivostok time. If it weren't for the fact that this is a difference of 7 hours I wouldn't be much put out.
I'll admit I was initially wrong as well, getting the direction wrong and thinking 15:00 Moscow time was 08:00 Vladivostok time, when it is actually 22:00. Just as well I didn't turn up to catch the train then. That would have been quite a wait.
As it is, by the time I board the train I'll have been lurking around the station for about 11 hours, and will have gone through the batteries on most of my devices, although my ipod should last a while longer. The best run it has had is about 24 hours on the go, while playing videos and shuffling, which put a bit more of a drain on the battery. If there is no power on the train, which I believe is the case, things will go dark relatively soon on the trip.
I should make it into tomorrow with juice in the batteries of things as I figure once I get on the train I'll hit the sack pretty quickly.
Vladivostok has been pretty good. The submarine museum inside an actual submarine (no longer underwater unfortunately) was an experience, although they took ever chance to extract some rubles from you (100 for entry, 50 to take photos, 50 for a brochure, and 50 to get a photo in a navy major's jacket and hat). The guy selling souvenirs at the exit said he collected Australian dollar and fifty cent coins and offered to buy any I might have had on me. Unfortunately, I only have a ten cent piece I don't intend to part with. I have considered drilling a hole in it so I can place it on my chain so I'm less likely to lose it.
There's a fair few monuments around the place here, mainly for sailors and admirals and such, this being very much a port town. There's also the to be expected remnants of the soviet era. Across the road from the train station is a grand statue of Lenin, or as it is written on the statue ΛEHИH. (Knowing the Greek alphabet has made it easier to pick up bits and pieces of the Cyrillic script (Ф = f, Λ = l, etc)). There are also monuments to the workers who rose up during the revolution, a few for WWII, and some other bits and pieces of history.
The weather has been better than I feared, although today I'm not wearing my really thick pants and can feel the difference. I've not seen any snowfall or rain, and the temperatures seem to have been between -5 and 0, or at least during the day when I was outside.
It's cold enough to keep the ice in the bays frozen. On my second day I strolled out onto the ice for a while which seemed to be the winter equivalent of the local park. There were families and couples walking around. The majority of people there though were ice fishers. They each had there own seat of some kind, be it a stool, a box, a tire, or whatever else, a drill, and one or two rods, which are about a foot long. They drill the whole and then lower the line and twitch it until they get a bite. The fish they caught weren't that large (the holes were about 10cm in diameter) and I don't really see how it could be viable as anything other than recreation.
Also in the ice was a cut out section about 10m long up by the shore where you could get into the water. A lot more people than I thought were doing it. Most simply climbed in, got there whole body except for their heads underwater and got right back out straight away, although a few hardier (and older) individuals actually swam the length of it and back.
There was also a lot of ice around the lighthouse I visited, but I did not go walking on the ice there. It was not as solid or as well attached to the shore. This may have something to do with it being a lot closer to the shipping lines than the other spot. The lighthouse is a small structure which apparently cannot be got to at high tide (I don't know if going in winter helped, but it didn't look as though the tide had been in for a while).
The best view I found in the city was at what I believe was the state agricultural college which is up a hill and looks down on the city. I got a few good pictures looking eastish, but not many looking westward as the sun got in the way. The college is actually split in two parts, one at the top of the hill and one at the bttom. The guide book said the two were connected by what is called a funicular and my plan was to find the lower station, take it to the top and enjoy the view. Instead, I found the top, enjoyed the view and then learnt the funicular had been closed, possibly for repairs (there were men working on the track), possibly for good, and walked down the adjacent stairs back to the main street.
My hotel was better than I expected. The room was nicer than I expected, and although it was a shared room, no one else was in there during my stay. The only problem I had was a lack of English on the staffs part (or a lack of Russian on my part) which made for some confusion, although for the most part things worked out. The hotel sorted out registration for me, which is one of the bureaucratic roadblocks the Russians put in the way of travelers. I'll be glad when I hit Turkey and won't have that to do with any more.
The ride to the train station this morning was interesting. The driver was what I guess was the hotel's security guard/odd job guy. He was normally dressed in what looked like a military uniform (matching camoish pants and shirt). During the drive he pointed out a few things and grumbled about the traffic. He managed to get across that he used to be in the navy, served on a submarine, and was possibly based in Sevastopol. When he left me at the station he gave me a very firm handshake and then a bear hug, which I was not expecting.
I much prefer the ride I had with him to the one I had from the airport to my hotel. It didn't get off to a good start when the guy said it was six hundred kilometers to Vladivostok. This made the price seem very reasonable, but somewhat put me off as I was reasonably sure no city has its airport that far away. As it turns out he meant 60km, which is still an exaggeration as it's actually about 40km. I eventually agreed as the buses had stopped about an hour ago and he had the best English of the taxi drivers around.
Actually, he wasn't the driver, he was the salesman as he took me to a car and someone else drove, although the guy came along as well. At first I was a little worried I'd walked into a less than good situation as the roads were dark and there was little traffic. I wasn't entirely sure things were OK until when they stopped outside a hotel and said we were at my hotel when clearly we weren't (they took me to Hotel Vladivostok when my reservation said Jing Long Hotel - Vladivostok) and then how serious they were at trying to work out where they should take me. They did try to get some extra money from me, but given that I was already giving them more than I was paying for my hotel, I was not going to give them any more.
I'm going to look for somewhere to leave my bags and then get something to eat, as I've only had a fruit and nut toblerone so far today, and the hunger is beginning to get to me.
End Post
Writing time: about half an hour
Time since last post: a few days
Current media: whatever was on my ipod at the time
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Rock the Block in Vladivostok
I'm now in Vladivostok. English is not as common as I'd hoped, but I've managed to acheive what I've set out to, although at a bit more expense than I'd hoped. My goal for today was to get to the train station and buy a ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow. It took me about two hours to do so, but do so I did after two scenic but pointless rides on the tram, a taxi ride that almost got me there because while people here understand "Hotel" and "Vladivostok", they don't get "train station" or "How do I get to the ...". Fortunately the Hotel Vladivostok is very close to the train station, which I found out last night when my taxi driver decided that on my hotel reservation where it said Jing Long Hotel - Vladivostok with an address underneath, this meant Hotel Vladivostok, so I found out where that was. The driver did eventually get me to my hotel, but tried to up the price about 10%, which I was not cool with since the ride from the airport already was costing more than my hotel for 4 nights.
Anyway, after sorting out all sorts of stuff, I have naught to do but sightsee and enjoy myself until Tuesday, when I catch the train to Moscow. Today I wandered around the area near the train station, which is itself an impressive looking building. The highlight has to be the submarine museum, which is an actual submarine. At the end I got a photo of myself in a Naval Major's coat and hat, which look somewhat ridiculous on me, but are cool nonetheless. I can't post them yet, but will as soon as I can. There are a few cool buildings around as well.
I won't add much more becuase this place charges by the minute and the megabyte (which I shouldn't have too many of, but they add up quickly).
End Post
Writing time:
Time since last post:
Current media:
Anyway, after sorting out all sorts of stuff, I have naught to do but sightsee and enjoy myself until Tuesday, when I catch the train to Moscow. Today I wandered around the area near the train station, which is itself an impressive looking building. The highlight has to be the submarine museum, which is an actual submarine. At the end I got a photo of myself in a Naval Major's coat and hat, which look somewhat ridiculous on me, but are cool nonetheless. I can't post them yet, but will as soon as I can. There are a few cool buildings around as well.
I won't add much more becuase this place charges by the minute and the megabyte (which I shouldn't have too many of, but they add up quickly).
End Post
Writing time:
Time since last post:
Current media:
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Fan Mail 2
Well, not so much fan mail as a goodbye letter. This was written by one of my students I've taught for almost a year.
Since it is a bit tricky to read in the picture the text is exactly as follows.
to kevin
Hello this is cindy.
I hear that you will go back to your countty so I am sad.
After you go to your country bat don't forget us.
live healthy and huppily.
Don't forget me. and I won't forget you too. Good bye
2.2.2009
Friday
Sincerely
cindy
While I doubt I'll forget completely about any of the kids I've taught (although there are a few I wouldn't mind forgetting) things like this do stick and show you you haven't been completely useless at the job.
On a less pleasant note, it seems this is no longer in my souvenir box, which causes me some concern as to where it may have gone. I have done a slight culling of the souvenir box, but there's no way I would have got rid of it. I really hope it turns up somewhere.
End Post
Writing time: 33 minutes (I went looking for the previous letter)
Time since last post: half a day or so
Current media: The Legend of the Seeker
Since it is a bit tricky to read in the picture the text is exactly as follows.
to kevin
Hello this is cindy.
I hear that you will go back to your countty so I am sad.
After you go to your country bat don't forget us.
live healthy and huppily.
Don't forget me. and I won't forget you too. Good bye
2.2.2009
Friday
Sincerely
cindy
While I doubt I'll forget completely about any of the kids I've taught (although there are a few I wouldn't mind forgetting) things like this do stick and show you you haven't been completely useless at the job.
On a less pleasant note, it seems this is no longer in my souvenir box, which causes me some concern as to where it may have gone. I have done a slight culling of the souvenir box, but there's no way I would have got rid of it. I really hope it turns up somewhere.
End Post
Writing time: 33 minutes (I went looking for the previous letter)
Time since last post: half a day or so
Current media: The Legend of the Seeker
The best laid plans of mice and men
I got a rather distressing email today. It was from the ferry I had booked to go to Vladivostok. Apparently due to bad weather an inspection was delayed, which means the ferry I was going to catch has been canceled. This is pretty shit, since that was to be the start of my long, and cheap, travels. Fortunately I was to pay when I got to the ferry terminal, so I'm not out of pocket yet.
My boss has been really helpful, and has organised a flight for me getting into Vladivostok the day the ferry was due to arrive. It is unfortunately three hundred dollars more expensive than the ferry and gets in about seven at night rather than one in the afternoon, which gives me less time in Vladivostok (well, my plan for Friday afternoon was to check into the hostel and buy my train ticket west, so probably not that huge a loss).
This does mean I'll get an extra day in Chilgok to sort stuff out, like buying a money belt, figuring a way to post my wooden katana home, packing all my boxes, and more I'll think of when I realize "Oh crap, I haven't done this yet.
End Post
Writing time: 25 minutes
Time since last post: a few days (the preplanned stuff ran out before I wrote more)
Current media: The Office (US version)
My boss has been really helpful, and has organised a flight for me getting into Vladivostok the day the ferry was due to arrive. It is unfortunately three hundred dollars more expensive than the ferry and gets in about seven at night rather than one in the afternoon, which gives me less time in Vladivostok (well, my plan for Friday afternoon was to check into the hostel and buy my train ticket west, so probably not that huge a loss).
This does mean I'll get an extra day in Chilgok to sort stuff out, like buying a money belt, figuring a way to post my wooden katana home, packing all my boxes, and more I'll think of when I realize "Oh crap, I haven't done this yet.
End Post
Writing time: 25 minutes
Time since last post: a few days (the preplanned stuff ran out before I wrote more)
Current media: The Office (US version)
Friday, January 30, 2009
A hero in his own way
This guy in Libya turned down a bribe from a drug smuggler worth more than 1300 times his monthly salary. We need more people like this everywhere. It is good to see such actions being commended.
End Post
Writing time: 5 minutes
Time since last post: a day or so
Current media:
End Post
Writing time: 5 minutes
Time since last post: a day or so
Current media:
Thursday, January 29, 2009
DMZ
Every country has an icon, something quintessential to the country that anyone with a passing familiarity to the country will know about. Australia has kangaroos and the Sydney Opera House. America has the Statue of Liberty and the White House. Italy has the Colosseum, Greece the Parthenon, Japan Mt Fuji. South Korea (and North Korea) have the DMZ. The Demilitarized Zone. The 4 kilometre strip of land that separates North and South Korea that was declared after the stalemate that became the Korean War and intensely guarded ever since.
The weekend before last I went on a tour of the DMZ with the guys from work (we invited the girls but they didn't want to go). The tour met in downtown Seoul early Saturday morning, from where we bussed up to the DMZ which was about 90 minutes away. We then swapped bus to a US Army bus, which took us for a briefing by a very gung-ho and stereotypical soldier on the history of the Joint Security Area, the little area where there are a bunch of buildings nominally there for the purpose of talks, if only the North Koreans would show up. After listening to the briefing and signing a waiver, we took the Army bus into the JSA. Both the North and South have buildings there, and soldiers. We only got to go inside two of the buildings, one of which was the main meeting room. This building is split in the middle by the border, so while inside we were able to technically enter North Korea, although my stay lasted about a minute.
After seeing the main section of the JSA, we were taken on a tour of the places that were involved in the Axe Murder Incident of 1976, which led to Operation Paul Bunyan, the most expensive tree cutting ever (the back up plan to take the tree down if things went really bad was for a battleship on the east coast to bombard the location).
After the JSA we went to Dorasan observatory, a lookout on a mountain near the border. The view wasn't that great, and photos even worse because you weren't allowed to take photos at the edge of the observatory, but had to stand behind some yellow lines about two or three metres back. The fog didn't help either, nor did being kicked out of the auditorium there so some big wig could have a private look at the border.
The final part of the tour was a visit to Infiltration Tunnel 3, one of four known tunnels dug by the North Koreans into the south. Before entering the tunnel, we watched a bizarre film on the DMZ, which started out a bit grim but factual, and then went on a crazy overly optimistic dream about the future of the DMZ. The tunnel itself was low (I had to crouch most of the time, and am glad I got a hardhat), cool and damp. The entrance was pretty steep (about 11 degrees I think) which was OK going down but a good bit of exercise going back up. The tunnel just sort of stops at the end where the South Koreans have put up barricades, and apparently the North Koreans have collapsed the tunnel on their side as well. The tunnel also had a thin layer of coal painted on the sides, as one of the claims the North has made about the tunnel is that it was a coal mine that went a little too far. They said that had it been used, the North expected to get 30,000 men an hour through the tunnel. Presumably the North Koreans aren't as tall as me.
Now for some photos.
Me next to one of the ROK soldiers in the meeting room in the JSA. We were told not to touch them or we'd be "touched" back.
The main building on the North Korean side. There was one soldier visible, but we were told there were more inside the building take our photos.
Where the tree that led up to the Axe Murder Incident used to be.
The badge I had to wear. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep it.
The blue JSA bus
Chris at Dorasan Observatory. The yellow line is where we could take photos from.
Going down the tunnel. The south Koreans have made the entrance part nice and neat, but the later section (the flat bit) is a lot lower and rougher.
Another of the ROK soldiers in the meeting building. He's there in case the North Koreans try and break through the door behind him (I'm not sure why he isn't facing that way then, but that's what they told us. Perhaps he's there to stop us trying to defect to the North (like that would happen)).
More photos are here
End Post
Writing time: 48 minutes
Time since last post: a day or so
Current media: Richard Cheese
The weekend before last I went on a tour of the DMZ with the guys from work (we invited the girls but they didn't want to go). The tour met in downtown Seoul early Saturday morning, from where we bussed up to the DMZ which was about 90 minutes away. We then swapped bus to a US Army bus, which took us for a briefing by a very gung-ho and stereotypical soldier on the history of the Joint Security Area, the little area where there are a bunch of buildings nominally there for the purpose of talks, if only the North Koreans would show up. After listening to the briefing and signing a waiver, we took the Army bus into the JSA. Both the North and South have buildings there, and soldiers. We only got to go inside two of the buildings, one of which was the main meeting room. This building is split in the middle by the border, so while inside we were able to technically enter North Korea, although my stay lasted about a minute.
After seeing the main section of the JSA, we were taken on a tour of the places that were involved in the Axe Murder Incident of 1976, which led to Operation Paul Bunyan, the most expensive tree cutting ever (the back up plan to take the tree down if things went really bad was for a battleship on the east coast to bombard the location).
After the JSA we went to Dorasan observatory, a lookout on a mountain near the border. The view wasn't that great, and photos even worse because you weren't allowed to take photos at the edge of the observatory, but had to stand behind some yellow lines about two or three metres back. The fog didn't help either, nor did being kicked out of the auditorium there so some big wig could have a private look at the border.
The final part of the tour was a visit to Infiltration Tunnel 3, one of four known tunnels dug by the North Koreans into the south. Before entering the tunnel, we watched a bizarre film on the DMZ, which started out a bit grim but factual, and then went on a crazy overly optimistic dream about the future of the DMZ. The tunnel itself was low (I had to crouch most of the time, and am glad I got a hardhat), cool and damp. The entrance was pretty steep (about 11 degrees I think) which was OK going down but a good bit of exercise going back up. The tunnel just sort of stops at the end where the South Koreans have put up barricades, and apparently the North Koreans have collapsed the tunnel on their side as well. The tunnel also had a thin layer of coal painted on the sides, as one of the claims the North has made about the tunnel is that it was a coal mine that went a little too far. They said that had it been used, the North expected to get 30,000 men an hour through the tunnel. Presumably the North Koreans aren't as tall as me.
Now for some photos.
Me next to one of the ROK soldiers in the meeting room in the JSA. We were told not to touch them or we'd be "touched" back.
The main building on the North Korean side. There was one soldier visible, but we were told there were more inside the building take our photos.
Where the tree that led up to the Axe Murder Incident used to be.
The badge I had to wear. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep it.
The blue JSA bus
Chris at Dorasan Observatory. The yellow line is where we could take photos from.
Going down the tunnel. The south Koreans have made the entrance part nice and neat, but the later section (the flat bit) is a lot lower and rougher.
Another of the ROK soldiers in the meeting building. He's there in case the North Koreans try and break through the door behind him (I'm not sure why he isn't facing that way then, but that's what they told us. Perhaps he's there to stop us trying to defect to the North (like that would happen)).
More photos are here
End Post
Writing time: 48 minutes
Time since last post: a day or so
Current media: Richard Cheese
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Future Plans
Now my time in Korea is coming to a close I'm about to embark on a large trip that will occupy for the next few months. The plan for the trip is roughly as follows, but is flexible depending on when I can get transport and stuff happens.
Thursday next week I'm going to catch an overnight ferry to Vladivostok. I'll spend a few days there and then catch the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow. A bit of time there, and then a run up to St Petersberg. After Russia, I'm going to head south into the Ukraine, visiting Kiev, maybe Chernobyl (or however close I can get to it), and Sevastopol. From there, I'll go across the Black Sea to Istanbul. Then overland to Athens, where I'm sure I'll find lots to visit and see. I may cross the Med to Egypt from here, we'll have to see how expensive it is. Then on to Italy, Naples, Rome, Venice, Pisa. Then up to Switzerland, maybe via Austria, then west into France to see Paris for more than one day, south to Monaco, then west again to Barcelona, Madrid, and finally Lisbon for a view of the Atlantic ocean. At long last will be a cheap flight to London, where I'll stay until I can just afford a plane ticket home, or I find employment somewhere.
In addition to sightseeing, in the cities I like I think I'll try popping into a few of the local English teaching schools and give them a copy of my resume and just let them know that if they need someone, I'm interested and they can give me an email. It can't hurt to try and if I wind up with a gig in Europe somewhere it would be pretty nice.
So over the next few months expect to hear stories of travels, sights seen, hardships endured, people met, experiences experienced, history felt, hypothermia (Russian winters are very tough according to some guys called Napoleon and Hitler), good weather, bad weather, missed connections, made connections, and photos thereof.
End Post
Writing time:36 minutes
Time since last post: about a day
Current media: The Usual Suspects
Thursday next week I'm going to catch an overnight ferry to Vladivostok. I'll spend a few days there and then catch the Trans-Siberian Express to Moscow. A bit of time there, and then a run up to St Petersberg. After Russia, I'm going to head south into the Ukraine, visiting Kiev, maybe Chernobyl (or however close I can get to it), and Sevastopol. From there, I'll go across the Black Sea to Istanbul. Then overland to Athens, where I'm sure I'll find lots to visit and see. I may cross the Med to Egypt from here, we'll have to see how expensive it is. Then on to Italy, Naples, Rome, Venice, Pisa. Then up to Switzerland, maybe via Austria, then west into France to see Paris for more than one day, south to Monaco, then west again to Barcelona, Madrid, and finally Lisbon for a view of the Atlantic ocean. At long last will be a cheap flight to London, where I'll stay until I can just afford a plane ticket home, or I find employment somewhere.
In addition to sightseeing, in the cities I like I think I'll try popping into a few of the local English teaching schools and give them a copy of my resume and just let them know that if they need someone, I'm interested and they can give me an email. It can't hurt to try and if I wind up with a gig in Europe somewhere it would be pretty nice.
So over the next few months expect to hear stories of travels, sights seen, hardships endured, people met, experiences experienced, history felt, hypothermia (Russian winters are very tough according to some guys called Napoleon and Hitler), good weather, bad weather, missed connections, made connections, and photos thereof.
End Post
Writing time:36 minutes
Time since last post: about a day
Current media: The Usual Suspects
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Final Variations on a Theme
Every month, we have to write reports for all the kids we teach. This is generally tedious work in which each report follows a general theme with slight changes in vocabulary and phrasing. Only the exceptionally good or bad get a more personalised version.
This month has been a little more poignant as this is the last time I have to write reports. For the most part, I've followed the same template as previous months, but I did do a bit more for a few students. These were the students who I've taught the longest, thirteen or fourteen months. I'm currently teaching five students who were in my very first classes.
There is also one class I got in my second month which I've had since then. It is a very young class and started out at the lowest level the school teaches. The first day with them I gave them English names (a mix of Buffy actors and people I knew from Japan) and taught them "Hello" and "My name is ...". I'm dreading telling them this week I'm leaving next week. Looking at how much these little kids have learnt while I've been teaching them impresses me. It also makes me feel really slack for how little Korean I've learnt.
So for these kids I've been teaching for most of my time here, my reports this time have had a longer term perspective than my usual reports that focus on just the most recent month.
On the other end of the spectrum was a new student in my middle school class who has been to a total of two classes so far and has a big test covering about three months worth of stuff next class. Their report was short and optimistic, but otherwise lacking in content.
End Post
Writing time: 20 minutes
Time since last post: an hour
Current media: The Usual Suspects
This month has been a little more poignant as this is the last time I have to write reports. For the most part, I've followed the same template as previous months, but I did do a bit more for a few students. These were the students who I've taught the longest, thirteen or fourteen months. I'm currently teaching five students who were in my very first classes.
There is also one class I got in my second month which I've had since then. It is a very young class and started out at the lowest level the school teaches. The first day with them I gave them English names (a mix of Buffy actors and people I knew from Japan) and taught them "Hello" and "My name is ...". I'm dreading telling them this week I'm leaving next week. Looking at how much these little kids have learnt while I've been teaching them impresses me. It also makes me feel really slack for how little Korean I've learnt.
So for these kids I've been teaching for most of my time here, my reports this time have had a longer term perspective than my usual reports that focus on just the most recent month.
On the other end of the spectrum was a new student in my middle school class who has been to a total of two classes so far and has a big test covering about three months worth of stuff next class. Their report was short and optimistic, but otherwise lacking in content.
End Post
Writing time: 20 minutes
Time since last post: an hour
Current media: The Usual Suspects
Prolonged Quietude
So it's been quite a while since I've put anything on my blog. Just over a month in fact, which is the longest time between posts since I started the thing. This is I think a combination of a lot of mundane stuff happening and the big things going through my head have been too big and personal. But most of those have settled down, and the near future is definitely going to be blogworthy, so it's well time I got back in the habit of writing.
I'm going to put some stuff up over the next few days (yay for automated posting), covering stuff in some sort of order (mainly how close to the top of my mind things are).
End Post
Writing time: 15 minutes
Time since last post: 1 month 3 days
Current media: The Usual Suspects
I'm going to put some stuff up over the next few days (yay for automated posting), covering stuff in some sort of order (mainly how close to the top of my mind things are).
End Post
Writing time: 15 minutes
Time since last post: 1 month 3 days
Current media: The Usual Suspects
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
It's Puntastic
I don't think I need o explain why I like this link. It should be pretty self-explanatory.
End Post
Writing time: 1 minute
Time since last post: a few days
Current media: None
End Post
Writing time: 1 minute
Time since last post: a few days
Current media: None
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Limited Free Speech Doesn't Work
The General Assembly of the United Nations has once again passed a non binding resolution condemning religious discrimination while idly saying that freedom of speech may be subject to limitations. This is the fourth year in a row the General Assembly has passed such a resolution, this year with a reduced vote (actually it only got a plurality, not a majority this time around).
This resolution is mainly backed by Islamic states and opposed by western states. Not a surprising division on the issue. The Islamic states backing the resolution say they don't want to limit free speech, they just want to stop things like the Dutch Mohammed cartoons from a few years ago.
The cognitive dissonance in such a statement is amazing. They don't want to limit speech, they just want to limit speech that upsets them. It's almost as if they don't get the idea that freedom of speech includes speech that upsets them.
Freedoms like speech are one of the things I tend to get absolutist about. Individual liberties are the foundation on which the rest of society is built. If you undermine those, you undermine society.
End Post
Writing time: a while
Time since last post: too long
Current media: None
This resolution is mainly backed by Islamic states and opposed by western states. Not a surprising division on the issue. The Islamic states backing the resolution say they don't want to limit free speech, they just want to stop things like the Dutch Mohammed cartoons from a few years ago.
The cognitive dissonance in such a statement is amazing. They don't want to limit speech, they just want to limit speech that upsets them. It's almost as if they don't get the idea that freedom of speech includes speech that upsets them.
Freedoms like speech are one of the things I tend to get absolutist about. Individual liberties are the foundation on which the rest of society is built. If you undermine those, you undermine society.
End Post
Writing time: a while
Time since last post: too long
Current media: None
Dignity is Optional
Some interesting pics from the Korean National Assembly. The ruling party, expecting the opposition to not be in favour of the free trade agreement with the US decided that the best way to deal with such opposition would be to lock them out of the building. Said opposition then decided the best way to make the governing party listen to them would be to smash down the doors. And the governments rebuttal of this was to spray the fire extinguishers in the oppositions face.
This does little to promote the dignity of the democratic process, and in no way enhances the respect politicians get. Both sides acted appallingly, and this sort of thing should not be accepted in any country.
End Post
Writing time: a few minutes
Time since last post: a few hours
Current media: jPod
This does little to promote the dignity of the democratic process, and in no way enhances the respect politicians get. Both sides acted appallingly, and this sort of thing should not be accepted in any country.
End Post
Writing time: a few minutes
Time since last post: a few hours
Current media: jPod
Friday, December 19, 2008
Creepy
A rather unusual case has turned up in Britain. A baby was born with a foot inside his brain. Apparently it was kind of a twin, which started growing inside of him, but all that managed to grow was a foot. Fortunately it has been removed and the kid is doing well.
End Post
Writing time: 1 minute
Time since last post: too long (I've had stuff that I've been thinking about, but haven't yet wanted to put up here for various reasons that should be coming soon)
Current media: none
End Post
Writing time: 1 minute
Time since last post: too long (I've had stuff that I've been thinking about, but haven't yet wanted to put up here for various reasons that should be coming soon)
Current media: none
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Financial Crisis Explained
Well, more properly, the sub-prime mortgage crisis explained.
End Post
Writing time: 30 seconds
Time since last post: a while
Current media: None
End Post
Writing time: 30 seconds
Time since last post: a while
Current media: None
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Quiz Time
I found a neat quiz today. Troy McClure Film or Actual Terrible Movie?
I'm happy with my score of 13 out of 15.
End Post
Writing time: 1 minute
Time since last post: a while ago
Current media: House season 1
I'm happy with my score of 13 out of 15.
End Post
Writing time: 1 minute
Time since last post: a while ago
Current media: House season 1
Friday, December 05, 2008
Inferno, Canto XXXIV, tercet 139
Last Saturday night I was out rather late (or more accurately, very early on Sunday), and I saw something that I have not seen very much of in Korea.
After the taxi ride back from downtown, I was walking down the street looking up at the sky and thought to myself "ah, there's Orion". It took me a few moments to realize the significance of this thought.
For the first time during my stay in Korea, the sky, while not full, contained many stars. I believe I may have even identified Polaris, a star that has not been visible to me during the greater number of my days.
Apparently it was a combination of the late hour and the cold evening that let me see that which is normally invisible here.
It really is quite depressing looking up at the night sky and seeing just black with only the moon to break things up. It makes the universe seem such a hollow and empty thing, lacking the glory and wonder I know it has.
I have occasionally thought what would science have been like if the night sky had always been like this. Geocentrism would have been a lot stronger, although it would have fallen eventually. Telescopes would still exist, but would anyone bother pointing them upwards. Astronomy would have been stunted at birth, although its evil twin astrology would have been still born. I think science on such a world would still get to where we are, but it would be a slower process and lack some of the wonder we get to experience.
That's all.
For those wondering about the title of this post, the line referenced reads "and we came out to see once more the stars."
End Post
Writing time: 39 minutes (although I was distracted by Wikipedia partway through)
Time since last post: I guess two or three days.
Current media: None (soon to be rectfied).
After the taxi ride back from downtown, I was walking down the street looking up at the sky and thought to myself "ah, there's Orion". It took me a few moments to realize the significance of this thought.
For the first time during my stay in Korea, the sky, while not full, contained many stars. I believe I may have even identified Polaris, a star that has not been visible to me during the greater number of my days.
Apparently it was a combination of the late hour and the cold evening that let me see that which is normally invisible here.
It really is quite depressing looking up at the night sky and seeing just black with only the moon to break things up. It makes the universe seem such a hollow and empty thing, lacking the glory and wonder I know it has.
I have occasionally thought what would science have been like if the night sky had always been like this. Geocentrism would have been a lot stronger, although it would have fallen eventually. Telescopes would still exist, but would anyone bother pointing them upwards. Astronomy would have been stunted at birth, although its evil twin astrology would have been still born. I think science on such a world would still get to where we are, but it would be a slower process and lack some of the wonder we get to experience.
That's all.
For those wondering about the title of this post, the line referenced reads "and we came out to see once more the stars."
End Post
Writing time: 39 minutes (although I was distracted by Wikipedia partway through)
Time since last post: I guess two or three days.
Current media: None (soon to be rectfied).
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Sad But True
Metallica used to be cool. Now they're doing shit like this.
End Post
Writing time: 1 minute
Time since last post: a few days
Current media: The Daily Show
End Post
Writing time: 1 minute
Time since last post: a few days
Current media: The Daily Show
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Lucky Bastard
This guy is one lucky bastard. Getting paid to build lego models all day. Why isn't that my job?
End Post
Writing time: 2 minutes (this isn't a very long post)
Time since last post: a day?
Current media: Stargate Continuum
End Post
Writing time: 2 minutes (this isn't a very long post)
Time since last post: a day?
Current media: Stargate Continuum
Sunday, November 30, 2008
This Kids Going Places
This note was found in a hallway in a school somewhere. This kid has potential, if the authorities don't freak out when they find out who he actually is.
End Post
Writing time: 2 minutes
Time since last post: one day
Current media: None (iTunes is updating)
End Post
Writing time: 2 minutes
Time since last post: one day
Current media: None (iTunes is updating)
Saturday, November 29, 2008
An Eye For An Eye Leaves Everyone Blind - Literally
It looks like Iran has reached a new high point in setting the standard for justice. The case in question involved a man who had blinded a woman with acid after she turned down his marriage proposal. Not a very nice act, and certainly something that needs to be dealt with by the justice system.
The punishment in this case though is a bit rough. Under the code of qias, or retribution, that is part of Islamic law in Iran, this man is to be blinded by acid himself, in part at the request of woman he attacked.
This is not justice, this is vengeance, and vengeance is only cool in stories. We've moved past it in the real world. Justice is about righting the wrong, and preventing other wrongs, not committing more wrongs.
End Post
Writing time: I lost track but I did lots of other things while writing this up
Time since last post: A fair while
Current media: Stargate Atlantis
The punishment in this case though is a bit rough. Under the code of qias, or retribution, that is part of Islamic law in Iran, this man is to be blinded by acid himself, in part at the request of woman he attacked.
This is not justice, this is vengeance, and vengeance is only cool in stories. We've moved past it in the real world. Justice is about righting the wrong, and preventing other wrongs, not committing more wrongs.
End Post
Writing time: I lost track but I did lots of other things while writing this up
Time since last post: A fair while
Current media: Stargate Atlantis
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
In Ayr
I'm currently sitting around at Mum's place killing time. I renewed my drivers license today, wihtout having to do a test or go through the whole learners bit again, which is a good thing. I'll see if I can get an international one in the few day's I have left in Australia.
Tomorrow we're driving up to Innisfail where my Grandmother lives. Thursday will be the reason for coming back, and it looks like on Friday I'll be meeting wiht my father's family for the first time since the early nineties. That will be tricky. I think that for somethings, if they don't get changed after a while it becomes impossible to change. I know I definitely tend to stick with what has inertia, although when I do change, it does tend to be by big, sudden shifts.
Friday is also my sister's birthday, so for the second year running I'll be around for that.
Saturday I will fly back to Brisbane in the early evening. I'm not sure if anything will happen Saturday night (suggestions are welcome). Then on Sunday I fly back to Korea so that I'm back before my visa expires. And on Monday I'll probably have to go into work early to finalise my visa extension.
Tomorrow we're driving up to Innisfail where my Grandmother lives. Thursday will be the reason for coming back, and it looks like on Friday I'll be meeting wiht my father's family for the first time since the early nineties. That will be tricky. I think that for somethings, if they don't get changed after a while it becomes impossible to change. I know I definitely tend to stick with what has inertia, although when I do change, it does tend to be by big, sudden shifts.
Friday is also my sister's birthday, so for the second year running I'll be around for that.
Saturday I will fly back to Brisbane in the early evening. I'm not sure if anything will happen Saturday night (suggestions are welcome). Then on Sunday I fly back to Korea so that I'm back before my visa expires. And on Monday I'll probably have to go into work early to finalise my visa extension.
Monday, November 10, 2008
javascript:flink On The Range
Two convoys of Black SUVs arrived at the old rifle range about thirty minutes north of Langley. It had been a training facility back in World War II, and had been government property ever since, but had been bounced between departments without anyone finding any great use for it, and so it had become overgrown for many years. Now the CIA had claimed it for themselves and had restored it to its former glory as a rifle range, albeit one with large patches of burnt grass and trees all over the place.
The President and Vice-President got out of their respective SUVs and walked over to a group of men from the CIA.
"Mr President, Mr Vice-President, welcome to Tasty Fowl range," Bill Torum said. "I'm Bill Torum, agent in charge of this project. Let me introduce my team to you. This is Chris Rudd, Dave Donaldson, John Nakamura, our shooter, and Tony Sparrow," Bill said as he pointed to each man in turn.
"Good morning gentlemen," the President said to them. "What have you got to show me this morning?"
"If you'll come this way, Sir, we'll give you our demonstration," Bill said.
The group walked over towards the shelter at the end of the range. They stood behind a firing stall and Agent Nakamura stood in front of the group.
"Are you ready for this, Mr President?" Agent Nakamura asked.
"Ready when you are," the President replied.
Agent Nakamura turned to face downrange. "Itadekimasu" he shouted and a ball of fire about the size of a basketball appeared in front of him and moved down the range rapidly.
"The directon of the fire can be controlled with a pointing gesture, as can the fireballs speed," Bill explained, as Agent Nakamura demonstrated with a series of fireballs aimed at targets spread across the range. "The louder you say the word the larger the fireball. They can be as small as a baseball or up to about two feet across," Bill continued.
"How hard is it to do?" the President asked.
"The only tricky part is getting the pronunciation just right. If you're a little off it won't work," Bill answered. "Would you like to give it a try?"
"Is it safe?" the President asked, a little nervous at the prospect of doing this himself.
"The fireball always heads away from you in the direction you point, so the thrower is always safe," Agent Nakamura explained. "Just come up here and face down range."
The President did as he was instructed and aked "Now what?"
"Just point and say the word. Like this," he said, then pointed and called out "Itadekimasu".
"All right then," the President said, and steeled himself for what he was about to do.
"Eat-a-duck-I-must" he shouted and pointed emphatically down the range. Nothing happened.
"You need to say it a little bit quicker, Mr President, the middle section sounds more like 'deck-ee', not 'duck-eye', and there's no 't' at the end," Nakamura told the unsuccessful President. "It usually takes a few tries to get the pronunciation right," he reassured the statesman.
"Eat-a-deck-ee-mast" the President shouted, again with no effect.
"Try it one more time, like this 'ee-ta-dek-ki-mas'," Nakamura said, enunciating the magic word syllable by syllable.
"Itadekimasu" the President yelled, and a large fireball flew down the range.
"Jumping Jesus on a pogo-stick," the President exclaimed. "I did it," he continued disbelievingly. He was silent for a few moments while it sank in. "What do you guys need to keep working on this?"
"We need more agents to investigate reports of other supernatural activities. We need scientists and engineers to work out why magic is working now, when it hasn't for the last six thousand years, and how it works. We need facilities to work in, we need to be able to travel to where things happen and we need all of this quickly," Bill Torum replied in a smooth manner that only comes from lots of preparation.
"You've got it," the President told him.
"There's one other thing, Sir. We're going to have to go public with this pretty soon," Bill told him.
"Why on Earth would we do that?" The Vice-President asked incredulously. "If we do it will open up a gigantic can of worms. Not to mention it could start a new cold war, with magic instead of missiles."
"For a start, how else are we going to convice the Japanese to stop saying this word. It's their tradition. Second, other countries will probably have done exactly what we've done. You would know better than I if there have been any similar incidents at our foreign counterparts. And finally, the public will work this out soon enough anyway, and if we've been hiding, it will look like we're behind the curve. If we come out soon and announce it, we'll be ahead of the curve instead," Bill explained.
"That will get decided by people above your paygrade Bill, but we will definitely take those arguments under advisement," The President said. "Are we done here?"
"That was all we wanted to demonstrate today, Sir," Bill told him.
"Right then. Thank you gentleman, it's been a very interesting morning," the President said. He turned to his principal Secret Service Officer "Let's get back to Washington."
The President and Vice-President got out of their respective SUVs and walked over to a group of men from the CIA.
"Mr President, Mr Vice-President, welcome to Tasty Fowl range," Bill Torum said. "I'm Bill Torum, agent in charge of this project. Let me introduce my team to you. This is Chris Rudd, Dave Donaldson, John Nakamura, our shooter, and Tony Sparrow," Bill said as he pointed to each man in turn.
"Good morning gentlemen," the President said to them. "What have you got to show me this morning?"
"If you'll come this way, Sir, we'll give you our demonstration," Bill said.
The group walked over towards the shelter at the end of the range. They stood behind a firing stall and Agent Nakamura stood in front of the group.
"Are you ready for this, Mr President?" Agent Nakamura asked.
"Ready when you are," the President replied.
Agent Nakamura turned to face downrange. "Itadekimasu" he shouted and a ball of fire about the size of a basketball appeared in front of him and moved down the range rapidly.
"The directon of the fire can be controlled with a pointing gesture, as can the fireballs speed," Bill explained, as Agent Nakamura demonstrated with a series of fireballs aimed at targets spread across the range. "The louder you say the word the larger the fireball. They can be as small as a baseball or up to about two feet across," Bill continued.
"How hard is it to do?" the President asked.
"The only tricky part is getting the pronunciation just right. If you're a little off it won't work," Bill answered. "Would you like to give it a try?"
"Is it safe?" the President asked, a little nervous at the prospect of doing this himself.
"The fireball always heads away from you in the direction you point, so the thrower is always safe," Agent Nakamura explained. "Just come up here and face down range."
The President did as he was instructed and aked "Now what?"
"Just point and say the word. Like this," he said, then pointed and called out "Itadekimasu".
"All right then," the President said, and steeled himself for what he was about to do.
"Eat-a-duck-I-must" he shouted and pointed emphatically down the range. Nothing happened.
"You need to say it a little bit quicker, Mr President, the middle section sounds more like 'deck-ee', not 'duck-eye', and there's no 't' at the end," Nakamura told the unsuccessful President. "It usually takes a few tries to get the pronunciation right," he reassured the statesman.
"Eat-a-deck-ee-mast" the President shouted, again with no effect.
"Try it one more time, like this 'ee-ta-dek-ki-mas'," Nakamura said, enunciating the magic word syllable by syllable.
"Itadekimasu" the President yelled, and a large fireball flew down the range.
"Jumping Jesus on a pogo-stick," the President exclaimed. "I did it," he continued disbelievingly. He was silent for a few moments while it sank in. "What do you guys need to keep working on this?"
"We need more agents to investigate reports of other supernatural activities. We need scientists and engineers to work out why magic is working now, when it hasn't for the last six thousand years, and how it works. We need facilities to work in, we need to be able to travel to where things happen and we need all of this quickly," Bill Torum replied in a smooth manner that only comes from lots of preparation.
"You've got it," the President told him.
"There's one other thing, Sir. We're going to have to go public with this pretty soon," Bill told him.
"Why on Earth would we do that?" The Vice-President asked incredulously. "If we do it will open up a gigantic can of worms. Not to mention it could start a new cold war, with magic instead of missiles."
"For a start, how else are we going to convice the Japanese to stop saying this word. It's their tradition. Second, other countries will probably have done exactly what we've done. You would know better than I if there have been any similar incidents at our foreign counterparts. And finally, the public will work this out soon enough anyway, and if we've been hiding, it will look like we're behind the curve. If we come out soon and announce it, we'll be ahead of the curve instead," Bill explained.
"That will get decided by people above your paygrade Bill, but we will definitely take those arguments under advisement," The President said. "Are we done here?"
"That was all we wanted to demonstrate today, Sir," Bill told him.
"Right then. Thank you gentleman, it's been a very interesting morning," the President said. He turned to his principal Secret Service Officer "Let's get back to Washington."
javascript:flink POTUS
The President of the United States of America was sitting on a sofa watching TV when the door opened and the Vice-President walked in.
"Have you read this thing?" the President asked, waving a briefing at the Vice-President.
"I've read it, but I think someone at Langley's has had a few screws loosened," the Vice-President replied. "To think saying 'ita-'"
"Don't say the damn word here," the President interrupted. "How do you think it would look if we blew up the White House?"
"So you believe it then?" The Vice-President queried.
"I was skeptical at first, but the video they showed was worrying," The President answered. "I'm going to their test site tomorrow morning to see for myself. Do you want to come along?"
"The President of the United States of America throwing fireballs around like Gandalf the Grey. Who wouldn't want to see that?" the Vice-President replied.
"Alright then. Tell the Secret Service guys when you head out. They'll sort out the details. Anything else?"
"No, just the crazy magic stuff. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning then. Have a good night."
"You too," the Vice-President said and left the President to his TV shows.
"Have you read this thing?" the President asked, waving a briefing at the Vice-President.
"I've read it, but I think someone at Langley's has had a few screws loosened," the Vice-President replied. "To think saying 'ita-'"
"Don't say the damn word here," the President interrupted. "How do you think it would look if we blew up the White House?"
"So you believe it then?" The Vice-President queried.
"I was skeptical at first, but the video they showed was worrying," The President answered. "I'm going to their test site tomorrow morning to see for myself. Do you want to come along?"
"The President of the United States of America throwing fireballs around like Gandalf the Grey. Who wouldn't want to see that?" the Vice-President replied.
"Alright then. Tell the Secret Service guys when you head out. They'll sort out the details. Anything else?"
"No, just the crazy magic stuff. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning then. Have a good night."
"You too," the Vice-President said and left the President to his TV shows.
javascript:flink Top Secret
Top Secret
Eyes Only
From: Alan Smithee, Deputy Director Office of International Incidents, Central Intelligence Agency
To: POTUS, VPOTUS, SecDef, NSA, DirCIA, JCoS
RE: Japan and Tasty Fowl
1) Introductory Remarks
As discussed in previous briefings from this office, Japan has been subject to what appears to be a massive bombing campaign. No one has claimed responsibility for these attacks. We have a new theory to explain these events.
2) Prior Intelligence
Pooling the data collected by sources from the CIA, NSA, Echelon, DIA, FBI, and their international counterparts from Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia and other nations has revealed absolutely zero intelligence suggesting any attack on Japan prior to the incident.
3) Investigation
Japanese law enforcement, with assistance from several US agencies has been performing forensic investigations of the sites of many explosions. So far not a single explosive device has been found.
(Warning: Do not read the following sections aloud. This is quite important)
(Really, don't do it)
4) Survivor claims
A number of people who have survived the explosions have made a similar remarkable claim. They claim that fireballs appear out of thin air when they said "itadekimasu", a phrase traditionally said in Japan before eating a meal in Japan.
5) An Unlikely Lead
This claim is on the face of it quite unbelievable, but is sufficiently common that some analysts felt that it should be tested. Initial attempts to reproduce the phenomena were unsuccessful until the analysts recruited an agent fluent in Japanese. This agent can reliably create and direct fireballs by saying the phrase
6) Other Incidents
Police records show that since the explosions in Japan, a number of Japanese restaurants in other countries have also suffered from fires and explosions. 15 cases have been reported in the United States.
7) Strategic Implications
The impact of this capability on National security is currently hard to judge. It can provide both advantages and disadvantages. It will act as a superb concealable weapon for our agents, but will also do so for hostile entities. It will also open up a new range of possibilities for the construction of IEDs.
8) Other Capabilities
Having accepted a possibility that is seemingly impossible, it may be the case that other impossible feats are no longer impossible. Less reputable news agencies such as the Daily Enquirer have been reporting a higher rate of unusual incidents that more reputable news agencies typically dismiss out of hand. Incidents include individuals flying, transmutation of objects, premonitions, telekinesis, and more. These incidents bear further investigation.
9) Recommendations
It is vital that we learn the exact capabilities and limitations of the phrase "itadekimasu", and if other such capabilities exist. We have tentatively given the project the code name Tasty Fowl, and recommend that it be expanded significantly immediately. We must systematically test the limits of "itadekimasu" and develop the ability to use and defend against it.
Eyes Only
From: Alan Smithee, Deputy Director Office of International Incidents, Central Intelligence Agency
To: POTUS, VPOTUS, SecDef, NSA, DirCIA, JCoS
RE: Japan and Tasty Fowl
1) Introductory Remarks
As discussed in previous briefings from this office, Japan has been subject to what appears to be a massive bombing campaign. No one has claimed responsibility for these attacks. We have a new theory to explain these events.
2) Prior Intelligence
Pooling the data collected by sources from the CIA, NSA, Echelon, DIA, FBI, and their international counterparts from Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia and other nations has revealed absolutely zero intelligence suggesting any attack on Japan prior to the incident.
3) Investigation
Japanese law enforcement, with assistance from several US agencies has been performing forensic investigations of the sites of many explosions. So far not a single explosive device has been found.
(Warning: Do not read the following sections aloud. This is quite important)
(Really, don't do it)
4) Survivor claims
A number of people who have survived the explosions have made a similar remarkable claim. They claim that fireballs appear out of thin air when they said "itadekimasu", a phrase traditionally said in Japan before eating a meal in Japan.
5) An Unlikely Lead
This claim is on the face of it quite unbelievable, but is sufficiently common that some analysts felt that it should be tested. Initial attempts to reproduce the phenomena were unsuccessful until the analysts recruited an agent fluent in Japanese. This agent can reliably create and direct fireballs by saying the phrase
6) Other Incidents
Police records show that since the explosions in Japan, a number of Japanese restaurants in other countries have also suffered from fires and explosions. 15 cases have been reported in the United States.
7) Strategic Implications
The impact of this capability on National security is currently hard to judge. It can provide both advantages and disadvantages. It will act as a superb concealable weapon for our agents, but will also do so for hostile entities. It will also open up a new range of possibilities for the construction of IEDs.
8) Other Capabilities
Having accepted a possibility that is seemingly impossible, it may be the case that other impossible feats are no longer impossible. Less reputable news agencies such as the Daily Enquirer have been reporting a higher rate of unusual incidents that more reputable news agencies typically dismiss out of hand. Incidents include individuals flying, transmutation of objects, premonitions, telekinesis, and more. These incidents bear further investigation.
9) Recommendations
It is vital that we learn the exact capabilities and limitations of the phrase "itadekimasu", and if other such capabilities exist. We have tentatively given the project the code name Tasty Fowl, and recommend that it be expanded significantly immediately. We must systematically test the limits of "itadekimasu" and develop the ability to use and defend against it.
Friday, November 07, 2008
You thought we had it bad
If you thought things looked bad for the internet in Australia, just be glad you're not in the United Kingdom. They're going for full on "log everything, find the crimes later" type internet monitoring system.
This is not good.
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Writing time:
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This is not good.
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Writing time:
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The Appropriate Size for a Fridge
Recent events have left me with a fridge of smaller dimension than I was previously used to. This has led me to realise that I do actually have standard for what size fridge is sufficient for my purposes.
A fridge should be large enough that you can lay a pizza box flat on a shelf and still close the door and have a bit of space next to the pizza box. The vertical dimension is more flexible but should be in the normal fridge proportions to the horizontal dimensions.
Discuss.
End Post
Writing time: 3 minutes
Time since last post: A while
Current media: Drop the Hate by Fatboy Slim
A fridge should be large enough that you can lay a pizza box flat on a shelf and still close the door and have a bit of space next to the pizza box. The vertical dimension is more flexible but should be in the normal fridge proportions to the horizontal dimensions.
Discuss.
End Post
Writing time: 3 minutes
Time since last post: A while
Current media: Drop the Hate by Fatboy Slim
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
javascript:flink Terrified Tokyo Torched
Terrified Tokyo Torched
by Tokyo correspondent Trish Takanawa
Tokyo and indeed the whole of Japan is reeling after a tsunami of explosions has devastated the island nation. The explosions have occurred in every town and city and seem to be focussed on restaurants and residential areas.
The first explosions occurred at 8:21pm yesterday at multiple locations throughout the country and many more have followed in their wake. The rate of explosions had dropped off late last night, but have picked up again this morning. The peak times for the explosions have coincided with the normal times for main meals, which would be when the most damage could be inflicted at restaurants.
No one has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility for this unparalleled act of terrorism. Some believe that Al-Queda has rearmed despite having laid down their arms last year. Others hypothesize that it is a local group, possibly an offshoot of the Aum Shinrikyo sect that was responsible for the 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo Subway system. Officials have yet to comment on who or what is responsible for teh explosions. Indeed the safety of the Prime Minister and other senior officials is unknown after an explosion at the Diet building center on the cafeteria.
One survivor of an explosion in a downtown Osaka restaurant claims that he saw several fireballs appear out of thin air as he and his coworkers were about to start eating their meal. He says these fireballs set the restaurant on fire and resulted in it burning to the ground.
by Tokyo correspondent Trish Takanawa
Tokyo and indeed the whole of Japan is reeling after a tsunami of explosions has devastated the island nation. The explosions have occurred in every town and city and seem to be focussed on restaurants and residential areas.
The first explosions occurred at 8:21pm yesterday at multiple locations throughout the country and many more have followed in their wake. The rate of explosions had dropped off late last night, but have picked up again this morning. The peak times for the explosions have coincided with the normal times for main meals, which would be when the most damage could be inflicted at restaurants.
No one has yet stepped forward to claim responsibility for this unparalleled act of terrorism. Some believe that Al-Queda has rearmed despite having laid down their arms last year. Others hypothesize that it is a local group, possibly an offshoot of the Aum Shinrikyo sect that was responsible for the 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo Subway system. Officials have yet to comment on who or what is responsible for teh explosions. Indeed the safety of the Prime Minister and other senior officials is unknown after an explosion at the Diet building center on the cafeteria.
One survivor of an explosion in a downtown Osaka restaurant claims that he saw several fireballs appear out of thin air as he and his coworkers were about to start eating their meal. He says these fireballs set the restaurant on fire and resulted in it burning to the ground.
javascript:flink Mr Bunny
Anthony Brandberg opened his front door and called out to his wife "Honey, I'm home." He knew it was a cliche but it had always felt right to him. He entered the house and walked down the hallway towards the living room. On the way he stopped to look in on his three year old son Edward.
Edward was on the floor babbling and playing with his favourite toy, a white stuffed rabbit named Mr Bunny. Anthony stood there watching his son for a minute before he noticed something was not quite right. His son was definitely playing with a rabbit, but Mr Bunny was nowhere in sight. His son was playing with a real rabbit with floppy ears and a constantly twitching nose.
A little surprised, Anthony headed to the kitchen where his wife Jill was beginning to prepare dinner for the family.
"Hello Darling. How was your day?" Jill asked as he entered the kitchen.
"You know. The same old stuff," Anthony replied. "And you?"
"I had a busy morning, but the afternoon was quiet. Edward has been playing nicely in his room for the last hour or so," Jill said.
"I just saw him now, and I was a little surprised," Anthony told his wife.
"Oh, what was he doing?" Jill queried, a hint of worry appearing in her voice.
"It's nothing he's done. It's just I thought we had decided we would wait until he was older before getting him a pet," Anthony said.
"Of course we did Darling. What does that have to do with anything?" Jill asked, unsure where Anthony was going with this.
"Well, I just looked in on Edward and he was playing with a rabbit," he explained.
"You know how much Edward loves Mr Bunny," Jill said.
"He wasn't playing with Mr Bunny. He was playing with a real rabbit," Anthony stated.
"He's what?" exclaimed Jill.
"He's playing with a real rabbit," Anthony reiterated.
"Well how on Earth did that happen?" Jill asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Anthony told her. "I've just got home."
"Well, it wasn't me," Jill came back.
"And it wasn't me," Anthony said. "So how did it get here? Magic?"
Edward was on the floor babbling and playing with his favourite toy, a white stuffed rabbit named Mr Bunny. Anthony stood there watching his son for a minute before he noticed something was not quite right. His son was definitely playing with a rabbit, but Mr Bunny was nowhere in sight. His son was playing with a real rabbit with floppy ears and a constantly twitching nose.
A little surprised, Anthony headed to the kitchen where his wife Jill was beginning to prepare dinner for the family.
"Hello Darling. How was your day?" Jill asked as he entered the kitchen.
"You know. The same old stuff," Anthony replied. "And you?"
"I had a busy morning, but the afternoon was quiet. Edward has been playing nicely in his room for the last hour or so," Jill said.
"I just saw him now, and I was a little surprised," Anthony told his wife.
"Oh, what was he doing?" Jill queried, a hint of worry appearing in her voice.
"It's nothing he's done. It's just I thought we had decided we would wait until he was older before getting him a pet," Anthony said.
"Of course we did Darling. What does that have to do with anything?" Jill asked, unsure where Anthony was going with this.
"Well, I just looked in on Edward and he was playing with a rabbit," he explained.
"You know how much Edward loves Mr Bunny," Jill said.
"He wasn't playing with Mr Bunny. He was playing with a real rabbit," Anthony stated.
"He's what?" exclaimed Jill.
"He's playing with a real rabbit," Anthony reiterated.
"Well how on Earth did that happen?" Jill asked.
"That's what I'd like to know," Anthony told her. "I've just got home."
"Well, it wasn't me," Jill came back.
"And it wasn't me," Anthony said. "So how did it get here? Magic?"
javascript:flink Polaris Perplexes Physicists
Polaris Perplexes Physicists
By science correspondent Nigel Hawke
Two days after Polaris lit up the Northern skies astronomers are still struggling to explain the triple supernova. A supernova normally occurs at the end of a larger stars life, but the three stars making up the point of light we call Polaris were all too young and too small to go supernova.
"This is quite an event," states Andrew Tannen, the head of the astronomy division at Leeds University. "This has given us a lot of new information about the lives of stars that we'll be studying for a good while."
Some believe the triple supernova is not a natural phenomena. "All three stars of a triple star exploding at the exact same time is impossible. This has to be some sort of mega-engineering project by an extremely advanced extra-terrestrial civilization." is the claim of Aliens Now! spokesman Oliver Firth.
Whatever the cause, all agree the night sky has changed forever, and what was once a guiding light for generations of travelers and known as a symbol of faithfulness is now slowly fading from sight forever.
By science correspondent Nigel Hawke
Two days after Polaris lit up the Northern skies astronomers are still struggling to explain the triple supernova. A supernova normally occurs at the end of a larger stars life, but the three stars making up the point of light we call Polaris were all too young and too small to go supernova.
"This is quite an event," states Andrew Tannen, the head of the astronomy division at Leeds University. "This has given us a lot of new information about the lives of stars that we'll be studying for a good while."
Some believe the triple supernova is not a natural phenomena. "All three stars of a triple star exploding at the exact same time is impossible. This has to be some sort of mega-engineering project by an extremely advanced extra-terrestrial civilization." is the claim of Aliens Now! spokesman Oliver Firth.
Whatever the cause, all agree the night sky has changed forever, and what was once a guiding light for generations of travelers and known as a symbol of faithfulness is now slowly fading from sight forever.
A + B = Why?
Here's another product I'm not sure how someone came up with the idea of. Lingerie with a built in GPS tracking system.
I'm not sure exactly what the application of such a combination is. Some women are calling it a modern chastity belt, but that seems a bit ridiculous given that the GPS device has a power switch, so it would only transmit when the lady wearing it chose to.
The design itself looks pretty good, but I'm reasonably sure having a chunk of plastic hanging off of one side would be slightly uncomfortable (I can't be completely sure, but I do know if my coat pockets are unevenly loaded it sits less well on my shoulders and the general principle should be the same).
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Writing time: 10 minutes
Time since last post: Does anyone care?
Current media: none
I'm not sure exactly what the application of such a combination is. Some women are calling it a modern chastity belt, but that seems a bit ridiculous given that the GPS device has a power switch, so it would only transmit when the lady wearing it chose to.
The design itself looks pretty good, but I'm reasonably sure having a chunk of plastic hanging off of one side would be slightly uncomfortable (I can't be completely sure, but I do know if my coat pockets are unevenly loaded it sits less well on my shoulders and the general principle should be the same).
End Post
Writing time: 10 minutes
Time since last post: Does anyone care?
Current media: none
Monday, November 03, 2008
javascript:flink 1
John Smythe stood up from his desk and turned around. "I'm taking a break. I'll be back in ten," he told his coworker, Bill. "OK," Bill replied. John left the interior of the telescope and breathed in the cold night air. He leaned against the wall of the telescope and looked down the mountain. The bare rocky ground was a relaxing contrast to the stars he looked at all night long.
As his break ended John looked up at the sky. Like always he was amazed by the way it seemed like a permanent painting across the sky, a work of art to outlast any man. John was taking in the vastness of it all when his attention was drawn to one star in particular. Polaris, the North Star was growing brighter. Much brighter.
"Hey, Bill," he called. "Swing the telescope round North will you."
"I'm taking pictures of Canopus. Wait a sec, alright" Bill replied.
"Bill, do it now. Take a look at Polaris and bloody forget about Canopus," John called back into the telescope.
Bill did not reply, but when John heard the whine of the motors start turning the telescope he knew Bill had looked North and seen what he had seen.
As his break ended John looked up at the sky. Like always he was amazed by the way it seemed like a permanent painting across the sky, a work of art to outlast any man. John was taking in the vastness of it all when his attention was drawn to one star in particular. Polaris, the North Star was growing brighter. Much brighter.
"Hey, Bill," he called. "Swing the telescope round North will you."
"I'm taking pictures of Canopus. Wait a sec, alright" Bill replied.
"Bill, do it now. Take a look at Polaris and bloody forget about Canopus," John called back into the telescope.
Bill did not reply, but when John heard the whine of the motors start turning the telescope he knew Bill had looked North and seen what he had seen.
javascript:flink Magic Spell
Magic Spell
taken from wekepedia.org on October 1st 2010.
A Magic Spell is a form of magic whereby a magical effect is created by the recitation of a series of words and phrases. The spoken words may sometimes also require accompanying gestures. Throughout the ages many have claimed to be able to cast magic spells but to this day no reliable claims have ever been shown.
The idea of magic spells comes from the prayers and chants used in early religious ceremonies. Words and phrases originally gained their power from supplicating varies gods and deities but over time the power became associated with the words and phrases themselves.
Magic spells are claimed to be a reliable mechanism, depending only on the skill of the person speaking the spell. However, those who claim to use magic spells have been unable to teach others the skills, or perform under controlled trials.
As science and technology have developed, many of the effects attributed to magic such as spells have become commonplace and well understood, although a small minority still believe in the power of magic such as spells.
Cultural Influences
Numerous stories, books, films and television shows portray characters able to cast magic spells. Examples include Charmed, The Lord of the Rings, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Merlin, The Sword in the Stone, One Thousand and One Nights, and The Books of Magic. Many spell casters from these have become cultural icons in their own right. The potential of magic and the possibilities it opens for story tellers makes it an element frequently used by writers.
See Also
Magic
Rituals
Enchantment
Rune smithing
Unexplained phenomena
taken from wekepedia.org on October 1st 2010.
A Magic Spell is a form of magic whereby a magical effect is created by the recitation of a series of words and phrases. The spoken words may sometimes also require accompanying gestures. Throughout the ages many have claimed to be able to cast magic spells but to this day no reliable claims have ever been shown.
The idea of magic spells comes from the prayers and chants used in early religious ceremonies. Words and phrases originally gained their power from supplicating varies gods and deities but over time the power became associated with the words and phrases themselves.
Magic spells are claimed to be a reliable mechanism, depending only on the skill of the person speaking the spell. However, those who claim to use magic spells have been unable to teach others the skills, or perform under controlled trials.
As science and technology have developed, many of the effects attributed to magic such as spells have become commonplace and well understood, although a small minority still believe in the power of magic such as spells.
Cultural Influences
Numerous stories, books, films and television shows portray characters able to cast magic spells. Examples include Charmed, The Lord of the Rings, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Merlin, The Sword in the Stone, One Thousand and One Nights, and The Books of Magic. Many spell casters from these have become cultural icons in their own right. The potential of magic and the possibilities it opens for story tellers makes it an element frequently used by writers.
See Also
Magic
Rituals
Enchantment
Rune smithing
Unexplained phenomena
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Writing with Cryptic Limits
Fans of A Void and Gadsby: Champion of Youth have another book to sink their teeth into. Eunoia is a new book that while not written in quite so strict a form as those other tomes I mentioned, has been written in such a way as to make you ask yourself "Why would anyone do that?"
Each chapter of the book is written using only one vowel.
The text is surprisingly readable, but I doubt I'll do more than read the samples the Beeb has provided. This is more something I'll give props for having done it, but I don't really want to go through the whole result.
End Post
Writing time: 5 minutes
Time since last post: I don't think I actually care that much anymore, although I have been slack of late compared to earlier in the year.
Current media: None
Each chapter of the book is written using only one vowel.
The text is surprisingly readable, but I doubt I'll do more than read the samples the Beeb has provided. This is more something I'll give props for having done it, but I don't really want to go through the whole result.
End Post
Writing time: 5 minutes
Time since last post: I don't think I actually care that much anymore, although I have been slack of late compared to earlier in the year.
Current media: None
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