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Y2K
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Las Vegas, Nevada
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This place was Average
visited Jan 2000
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Ok, I admit it, I was caught by the hype of making the turn of the millennium one to remember. No fear of the Y2K bug, no fear of lunatics sending a missile into a crowd in a high profile location. SO, Vegas here we come! Cruising into the Strip for the first time is a mighty experience, even for an experienced traveler like myself. The eyes are all over the place, there is so much to see, everywhere you look. The insanely grand hotels/casinos, all of them a theme park in themselves, leave a lasting impression for the first-timer. Appears to be a good choice for celebrating the grandest of New Years, the holiday with capital H. Our little group of six lucked out on the rental car; found one that fit our needs exactly, the day before New Years Eve. The trip from LA to Vegas went by smoothly. But finding a hotel, coming unannounced the day of the big bang...? Surprisingly we're on a roll, finding a small room in a small motel right off the Strip. A one-bed room for the six of us. Not ideal, but what the hell...Inevitably, Vegas gets the best out of the gambler. While Kim & Annica put their luck in the hands of the Keno announcer, I explore the city with the others. A rule of thumb seems to be: the better, bigger, and more expensive the hotel/casino, the more beautiful the drink-serving ladies. Some of the finest in the business of serving drinks to gamblers can be found at the Venetian. Very impressive, this construction inspired by la bella Venezia. I know, so far lots of rambling about the city, but little about the actual event. So, in short: A cold day in the desert. Our disintegrated group managed to gather a couple of hours before midnight, watching on TV the celebration in places in time zones ahead of Nevada. Hit town again to join the masses, only to see the group split again. Hook up with the Dane for a quick burger. Who would have thought that at 11.30pm on December 31, 1999, I'd be at Burger King enjoying a Whopper Meal...? Well, at least the line is short...And we make it well in time for the countdown and the fireworks. Countdown goes smoothly. Fireworks are nowhere to be seen. Bummer, a New Years without fireworks. Bad. The day after I witness one of the most tragical sights ever; a wedding couple in one of the casinos, the guy in his tuxedo hitting the slot machines, the bride in her wedding dress sitting on the chair next to him looking as bored as can be. Wonder if he found his luck, and where...In any event, bottom line is, whatever one does in Vegas, gambling or not, it is bound to leave a perpetual mark in memory.
posted Mar 6, 2005
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Bouncer Wannabees
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New Orleans, Louisiana
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This place was Amazing
visited Feb 2000
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MG2K. Mardi Gras 2000. The show is over for this year, and it’s time to go home. Me and roomie Michalis decide to support the public transportation and take the bus home from the French Quarters. Closest bus stop for our bus #55 is on Decatur St. right in front of Planet Hollywood. Hence, the natural turn of events for Mike and me is to simply stand in front of Planet Hollywood and wait for the bus. As simple as that. One might be lead to think that people would make the connection two guys + bus stop = two guys waiting for the bus. This is however not the case. Probably as a result of us looking (and actually being) sober, the coincidental presence of Planet Hollywood, and drunken and thirsty out-of-towners chased away from Bourbon St., many fail to see this correlation. A bit surprisingly, they ask us to open up the doors. Just for a minute. Just for one drink. Just for them. Story could easily have ended there. The situation is however too good not to take a step further. The conversations that followed before the arrival of the bus could go something like this:
Drunken Girl: “Hey guys. Could you open up the door? I’m still thirsty, I just need a drink.”
C & M: “Sorry, can’t do that.”
Drunken Girl: “Come on guys, just one drink.”
C & M: “Sorry, we’re not authorized to do that.”
Drunken Girl: “But pleeease. I’m just asking for one drink.”
C & M: “We hear you, but we just can’t do that.”
Drunken Girl: “But pleeease, I’m a Long Horn (referring to the nickname of a Texas University).”
C & M (now acting on it): “Sorry, we can only serve Louisiana residents.”
Drunken Girl: “But I’m here all the way from Texas.”
C & M: “We understand, but that’s just too bad. Sorry.”
Drunken Girl: “But come on, pleeeeease. Can’t you open up for just one drink?”
C & M: “Sorry, no can do.”
Drunken Girl: “But why can’t you open up for me?”
C & M: “Because we DON’T WORK HERE.”
Drunken Girl (sober enough to understand that she’s just been had): “Oh, man, you bastards.”
...and that is how you entertain yourself while waiting for the bus in NOLA...
posted Mar 6, 2005
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Human Map
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Luton, United Kingdom
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This place was Poor
visited Feb 2004
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What is it about me that unmistakably give people the impression that I’m a bearer of all information that is needed in order to satisfy their needs? Ok, I admit, I don’t mind this epithet. In fact, I seek it and honor it. But, what make complete strangers single me out of a crowd and request me for information? A mystery.
Getting off the bus in central Luton on a Thursday evening. Have never been to the city. Don’t know a soul there. Don’t have a map. All I know about the city is an address to a Bed and Breakfast. The streets are pretty empty. I chose a direction, and start walking on random. After having spent less than five minutes in this for me completely unknown city, a man walks up to me and asks me for a location. I couldn’t possibly look more lost than I do with my backpack and with eyes flickering all over the place trying to identify anything at all suggesting a direction to where I’m going. Yet, this strange man, probably a local, decides that I am the solution to his geographical dilemma.
Day two in Luton. Slightly more familiarized with at least the central part of the hat city, but obviously still a stranger. The cute girl with the suitcases really wants her inquiry efforts worth. Not only does she have one question, but two! The first one I am able to provide a simple answer to as it happens to regard the intersection we’re standing at. The second one about the bus station I fail to give answer to, possibly distracted by her relative beauty. Could be a coincident that I happened to be the first person she happened to bump into, but considering the time of day and a rather easy location to find themselves for anyone who would give it the least effort, I’m once again stunned by my attractiveness as a source for information.
Well, no use to argue. “Human Map” is written all over my person. Maybe there’s a career in mapping services…
posted Mar 6, 2005
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Dolphin Ride
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Tangier, Morocco
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This place was Average
visited 1997
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Traveling by boat is one of my favorite ways of travel. Don’t know exactly why, but I have always found the big blue fascinating. The ferry ride between Tarifa, Spain and Tangier, Morocco is trafficking a route where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Makes the ride a bit rocky, when two large oceans come together in one strait, fighting for space when the Mediterranean wants out and the Atlantic wants in. The rocky kind of ride that cause a large proportion of the passengers to feel very sick, completely unable to enjoy the ride to any extent, only wishing to set their feet on dry land. Seasickness however does not become me, it takes more than a wave – even if the waves in this case are rather big and frequent – to throw me off course. King Neptune and I are best buds. Anyway, the word is that you can spot dolphins in these waters. The entertainment options below deck are very limited, consisting of merely a cafeteria, residing the seasick. Hence, I spend most of the two-hour or so trip on deck staring at the water. I have never seen a dolphin in the wild before, I want to catch a glimpse of these wonderfully intelligent and beautiful animals. One would think that a dolphin jumping out of the water would be an easy target to spot. Problem is, in the wild they don’t jump through rings or play with colorful balls or let people waterski after them. At least not today. And since they don’t, I’m not quite sure what to look for, and there is a lot of water to cover with only one pair of eyes. Probably something deviating from the ordinary, and on a few occasions I observe some irregularities on the surface. Could very well be sea creatures of some kind, but could just as well be wave breakers. On a couple of occasions I proudly tell my travel companions that I spotted dolphins out there. Two of my friends are seasick – very much so – and do not share even a tiny bit of my enthusiasm. My third friend is a tough little creature, and resisting the curse of the rocking and the rolling she joins me with the hope to catch the whales in action. None to be seen. This day was apparently no good for whale watching. The question remains; did I really see any dolphins that day? Don’t know, and I never will. The search goes on.
posted Mar 6, 2005
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The Bum And The Comic Strip
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Amsterdam, Netherlands
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This place was Great
visited Sep 2004
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Major, high-profile cities have a tendency to attract odd people. People of supernormal or unconventional behavior roam the streets of these cities, adding to the charm or as a deterrent, depending on who’s behind the camera. Amsterdam in the liberal Netherlands is no exception. The Dam square in the heart of the city is the ideal spot for people-watching. This spot is the gathering point for everyone who visits the city at one point or the other, centrally located between the central train station and the museum quarters. The square is decorated with a huge war monument. The wide steps leading up to the monument and the socket on which the pillar is mounted make up ideal seats, where people rest after a day at foot. Rich as well as poor is welcome, from loaded tourists to street bums. One particular bum sitting next to us on the monument on this particular day managed to get hold of a newspaper. He appears to be rather uninterested in the news sections, quickly browsing through the rest of the sections, until he reaches the object of his fascination. Throwing away the rest of the paper, he focuses all his attention to the comic strips. He reads through it once. Then another time, as if he did not quite get the punchline the first time. The third time he starts to giggle, a giggle that soon enough transfers into a loud laughter. One might expect that he would decide to drop the case at this point, and give in to the fact that this is merely a comic strip. However, in order to fully grasp the depth of the joke, he stands up, holding the newspaper in front of him, carefully observing every turn of events in this little strip. He standing up seems to bring a whole new dimension to this strip, as he now is laughing hysterically. As if this was not enough, this very joke is of such wit that the bum now throws away the paper, throws himself to the ground, if possible laughing even louder, kicking frantically with his legs and hitting his fists on the ground out of happiness. As a gesture of good faith to the rest of the world who have seemed to miss out on this masterpiece, he picks up the paper and brings it over to us. In order to make us understand this treasure he provides explanations in Dutch as well as in English. In order not to ruin the whole existence of this man, we noddingly agree that this is indeed a funny joke. This man may not have much in life, but if all else fails, at least he knows he can always flip to the last page of the newspaper for a moment of extreme joy.
posted Mar 6, 2005
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