Here it is, just outside my bus window.
Greenwich Mean Time adopted as a global time standard. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) …
Astronomers no longer use the term “Greenwich Mean Time”, but what do those geeks know?
Category Archives: travel
An Idiot Abroad – Japan
The last episode of the 2nd season sees Karl Pilkington on a mission to climb Fuji. … And to come up with an invention — inflatable pants.
I don’t know why I like An Idiot Abroad. It’s absurd. But there are little moments of brilliance.
Karl almost liked Zen Buddhist meditation. Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Almost.
what am I doing in London?
PUnditifying from the rogues Press gallery.
All day every day blogging the Olympic Test Meet, final trial for the 2012 Games. I’m posting over on my Gymnastics site.
You can tell by the spelling mishakes and tpyos that I’m the real deal. The people’s press.
hate rent-a-car companies
Fox is the cheapest national brand in the USA, it seems.
For many cities you can get a vehicle for $50/week. Or even $6/day. … At least that’s what their website claims.
So why was my bill — still cheaper than the competition — more than double what I saw online:
$82 / week
$3.61 SEA Concess
$8.13 Tax SEA
$6.59 WA Rental Tax
$.26 WA MotVehTx
$35 CFC … (explained to be some sort of new building fee)
$3.36 VLF
Of course you are hassled with a scary up-sale of insanely expensive daily insurance options.
All in all, a terrible customer experience. Like this guy had:
On a recent trip to the airport rental counter I marveled at the ability of the Avis/Budget representative to make me feel like a criminal, a moron, and an irresponsible lout gambling with my life all in the space of about eight minutes. Welcome to modern car rental. …
Are there any rent-a-car companies who actually tell you the entire cost? …
Canada must have more rules against deliberately obfuscating prices. The same company prices online are about double in Canada for the same vehicle as in the States.
Filipina with Western (older) man
On the resort island of Boracay in the Philippines you see many of these culturally and age mismatched couples.
I don’t blame you for jumping to conclusions.
You’re probably right. 
Yet some of these couples are in Boracay to be married. Many men of European ancestry, past their prime, look for younger Asian brides.
It’s not always the case that the rich dirty old man is taking advantage of the young, naïve woman from a developing country, more interested in the bulge of his wallet than anything else.
There’s a perfectly innocent story behind some of these photos.
Like this:
ferry Victoria, B.C. to USA
Clipper Ferry – Victoria to downtown Seattle
$75 + tax
Black Ball Coho Ferry – Victoria to Port Angeles
$15.50 + tax
… That’s a BIG differential for a walk-on passenger. Yeesh.
Like this:
Longs Round-the-World wrap-up
Warren:
Well, we are actually home now and have been for over a week. All in all it was a fantastic trip and I can’t really say I would have done many things differently …
No doubt Warren’s plotting their next escape.
in Machu Picchu
I’d completely forgotten about this excellent photo taken by my buddy George Novak. We were two of the first few visitors in the gate this day … a few years ago.
click for larger size
Here’s another of George’s Machu Picchu pics.
THANKS George.
Like this:
world’s biggest shopping malls
There are plenty of arguments.
Don’t you hate it when somebody claims piddly Mall of America (2.77 million sq ft) is biggest?
Eastwood Mall Complex (3.2 million sq ft) in Niles, Ohio is largest in the USA.
West Edmonton Mall (3.77 million sq ft) is largest in North America.
But if you like BIG MALLS, the place to go is Manila, Philippines:
SM Megamall(3.74 million sq ft)
SM Mall of Asia (4.20 million sq feet)
SM City North EDSA (5.20 million sq ft)
I was at Megamall one of the busiest days of the year
The only larger malls than EDSA in Manila are the Golden Resources Mall, Beijing (6.0 million sq ft) and the South China Mall (7.1 million sq ft).
Projected to be much larger, when finished, is the Abraj Al Bait Mall, Saudi Arabia. It’s being built directly across from the Holy sites in Mecca.
Other contenders are under construction in China and Thailand.
wikipedia – List of largest shopping malls in the world
headed for London …
Just confirmed. I’m soon off to the London Prepares Series Gymnastics Test Event at the same venue hosting the 2012 Olympics.
I’m NOT going to the Olympics themselves. This is the next best thing.
This competition is a run through for the Organizing Committee. Athletes will be qualifying in Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline gymnastics. It’s important.
I’ll be MEDIA covering the action for my Gymnastics blog.
… I’m still looking for inexpensive accommodation. Contact me if you know of any Couch Surfing or floors I can crash upon. I’ll have full camping gear.
