Sep 11, 2009 12:00 AMStockholm (SE) - my first visit
This is my first visit to Stockholm. I have been to Sweden on a number of occasions, but it has been almost 20 years since I travelled there last. Not counting an odd stop of an emergency landing en route from Gdansk to Copenhagen one cold and snowy winter evening.
I am staying for the weekend. I do not have a specified plan. The idea is to just have a look around, relax, take some pictures. Simply explore what the reputedly chocolate-box style capital of Sweden has got to offer. Weather forecasts looks really promising, so I hope this to be a nice, sunny weekend, full of new discoveries.
All thanks to Ryanair's £10 all inclusive return fare from London Stansted to Stockholm Skavsta. Both airports located long distance from the cities, transfer between which is at least twice as expensive than the promotional flight tickets... Oh, well. We can definitely enjoy low fares air travel, if only this was also possible on British rail, and Swedish coaches...
Sep 09, 2009 12:00 AMTravellers - beware!
As I mentioned a few translation issues from my trip to Indochina a few years back, this appears to be a news piece that lands in newspapers every now and again. This is what I read today, onthe magic date of 09/09/09:
Notices about women being diseases, people being ordered to play with the opposite sex in public or told to take advantage of the chambermaid have left English-speaking travellers confused.
Signs at the airline ticket office in Copenhagen told visitors that the airline will take their bags and send them in all directions.
Some British tourists arrived in a hotel in Budapest to find a sign saying that the lift was being fixed for the day and during that time the management regretfully informed visitors that their stay would be unbearable.
Another sign in a Zurich hotel lobby stated that because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose.
In Yugoslavia, the flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid and in Japan visitors are invited to take advantage of the staff.
And in Rome, the notice in launderettes' windows promises that if women leave their clothes they can spend the whole afternoon having a good time. Similarly, in Bangkok men are asked to drop their trousers for the best results.
Ladies with nuts are served special cocktails in Tokyo, and in Norway ladies are requested not to have children at the bar. If their children are left unattended, they will be sold to the circus, whereas in Austria, children left unattended will be sold as slaves.
Chris Brown, managing director of sunshine.co.uk, the online travel agent who compiled the translations said: “English speakers are among the most heavily travelled people in the world and so it’s no wonder touristy places try to appeal to them by translating signs and menus.
“However, the problems come when these translations are completely inaccurate. The above examples are just a bit of fun and aren’t likely to offend anyone, other than chambermaids, but when menu translations wind up saying ‘delicious roasted hepatitis’, companies are bound to lose lots of business!”
Sep 06, 2009 12:00 AMSandefjord (NO) - in Granholmen
Sunday was an easy day. Lazy morning and in the house, and a few preparation for going back home. But I also took a walk to Granholmen, which is housing a very popular summer camping ground, right by the fjord. There are no sandy beaches there, but a few flat rocks work well as an alternative. People normally bring their caravans for the summer months and stay in them. Even if they lived just few miles away in the neighbouring towns or villages. But of course there are many that travel great distances to spend their summer in this popular spot.
I think for the first time, I saw a small colony of pink jelly fish. They were swimming close to the shore twisting and bending their bodies in their typical slow motion. They were incredible and very bright pink...
The sky was so clear and weather was fantastic. It was so easy to notice the difference between the clarity of the air in London and in Granholmen.
Sep 05, 2009 12:00 AMSandefjord (NO) - it has not changed that much
Since my last visit to Sandefjord, probably 5 years ago, the city has not changed much. The Hvaltorget shopping centre has been enlarged and a few new appartments have been built, but apart from that the centre looked the same as I last saw it. Even the shops and cafes are still in the same spots.
In the suburbs, however, near Grandholmen, there have been noticeable differences. A few new houses have been built, many right by the fjord, close to the water. And a few have been changed, mainly repainted or slightly altered.
The concert of the men choir, which celebrated its 20th birthday was great. They guys recruited a few other performers to enrich the show with surprising elements. One of them was a world record line walker, who was also studying opera and was singing beautifully. The other were acrobats, who jumped in the air making loops and twisting their bodies impressively. And a very nice young lady supporting the choir with some solo vocals.
Sep 04, 2009 12:00 AMSandefjord (NO) - it has been a while
I must have been to Sandefjord about six or seven times in the last 20 years. Not that often. But then it has been a good number of years, since I last time visited the town. And my friends there. And thanks to Ryanair's £10 all inclusive return fare, I am on my way there today.
If all goes well, I will attend a rather flamboyant concert of Sandefjord's famous male choir, and will take some updated pictures. I am really wondering how much the town has changed since my last visit.
Should I manage to take notes, I might write a report about this great little place of Vestfold, Norway. Who knows...
Sep 03, 2009 12:00 AMThe Chengdu album is now complete.
Hello All,
I just would like to announce that my photo album about Chengdu is now complete. There will not be any significant addition to it. At least they are not planned at the moment. The album, hopefully, depicts the different faces of this great Sichuan capital. There are pandas, of course; parks with people dancing, teahouses and temples; there are ugly high-rise residential towers; pockets of traditional architecture; and a lovely compound, where China beloved poet, Du Fu, lived and wrote his work.
There might be a spin off album (suggested by Gloria) with shots of the pandas...
Best regards,
Krys
Aug 29, 2009 12:00 AMTwo million visitors... and counting
This morning, I noticed that I got just over 2 million visitors... And yet again I missed the moment the clock turned to the magical figure of 2,000,000. I must have been just a few minutes late! I did not think it would grow this fast. I think I only passed one million a few months ago... Then, it happened in the middle of the night. This time round, I have no excuse - it might have been just after 11:30 am - on Saturday!
Well, I guess I will have to be more vigilant when the number grows to 3,000,000. :)
Aug 18, 2009 12:00 AMA draft itinerary for Tunisia. Feedback welcome!
Considering a trip to Tunisia ever more seriously, I drafted an itinerary (and a first stab at a budget, too), to see what I could fit into this trip, as far as sights and transfers are concerned.
Now, I am speculating that I could depart on Thursday, Christmas Eve, in the evening, which would bring me in Tunis on Friday, ridiculously early in the morning.
25-12 Tunis
26-12 Tunis to Sousse by train, and then to Kairouan by coach
27-12 Kairouan to El Jem by coach, then to Sfax by train
28-12 Sfax to Tataouine by coach
29-12 Ksar Hadada, Ksar Ouled Soltana, Madenine by taxi charter
30-12 Tataouine to Gabes by coach, then on to Matmata & Douz
31-12 Douz to Tozeur by coach - and NEW YEAR Party
01-01 Tozeur
02-01 Tozeur to Le Kef by coach
03-01 Le Kef to Jendouba for Bulla Regia and Dougga, then Tunis
04-01 Tunis - and escapade to Carthage by commuter train
05-01 Tunis to Bizerte by coach - and BIRTHDAY Party
06-01 Bizerte
07-01 Bizerte (buffer zone)
08-01 Tunis (need to get there by night)
09-01 early morning flight to London
I would be planning to move everywhere by public transport, and only hire taxis for the ksars near Tataouine and for the ancient ruins near Jendouba. Towards the end of the holiday, I have a buffer zone, to allow for unexpected side trips or delays. I would not mind just relaxing near a beach if weather allows, so perhaps a quick transfer to Jerba might be also on the cards... or if Bizerte is nice and warm, I might even just stay there.
If I am missing anything spectacular or important, I sure would like to be told. So, please let me know. Any feedback welcome. I would be grateful.
Aug 15, 2009 12:00 AMWhat does one call this syndrome?
As soon as I get home from a trip, I plan another. Or several others. So far, I have been speculating where to go for the next total eclipse, increasing chances to actually see it... It will be hard one to choose, as the event will be happening exactly on the other side of the planet. The line of totality will pass through southern parts of the Pacific Ocean on 11 July 2010 without falling on an inhabited land except a small island of the Cooks and Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Right at the end, it will also land on southern Chile and Argentine, but it will be right in the middle of austral winter!
I initially made plans to go to New Zealand and the Pacific islands in the summer instead, six months earlier, and now I changed my mind. This meant that I had to figure out a few options for Christmas/New Year this year. One of the options (an expensive one) was Sao Tome & Principe and Gabon. The other (less expensive) was Tunisia, which I wanted to visit two years ago.
So far, I am leaning towards the Tunisia plan, although I miss the Sub-Saharan Africa very much!
Aug 14, 2009 12:00 AMNext eclipse lucky? We'll see.
I did not see the eclipse on 22 July 2009. I experienced it, but I did not see the sun. So, what is the next eclipse (on 11 July 2010) be like? On that day, the narrow corridor of the totality will pass through Southern Pacific and will make landfall on one of the Cook Islands, the Mangaia, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) only. It will pass through smaller, uninhabited atolls and islets, and it will finish its path in the southern tip of South America, in the winter-bound cold and snowy Chile and Argentina. Perhaps it would be easier to get to El Calafate of Argentina, in the Los Glaciares National Park, but winter weather there will likely be severe, and cloud cover thick and uninviting. Rapa Nui sounds very nice, but I already have been there. I did consider this option, though, I found that there were no seats on the airplanes left however. Not at the convenient times, anyway.
So, after a few hours of speculations, I thought that I should try my luck at the Cook Islands. It will not be easy there, either. 11 July 2010 is Sunday, which is pretty sacred on the Cooks, with everything closed... I contacted one of the travel agents on the islands, and they advised me that foreign tour operators might be organising something... Well, since I have not been on the Cooks yet, it would be a good destination to try my luck. Even if I do not see the eclipse (like in Shanghai), I will explore places I have not seen before.
Cook Islands are far enough to try this holiday as a round the world trip. I plotted a route and made a provisional ticket reservation with Star Alliance. If all goes well, I should pass via Canada to Hawaii to New Zealand to the Cook Islands to Samoa and Tonga. A lot of new places to see. The ticket will be very expensive, but I guess I could start saving right away... :)
A cheaper option would be just a winter visit (not such a hot idea) to New Zealand and/or Australia with a side visit to the Cook Islands for the celestial event only. Hmm...
