A sky lantern ( or I want one ;-)

not my picture

Cycling through Stanley Park to English Bay tonight, I was stopped dead in my tracks by something I saw at the beach.  It looked something like this:



At first I thought it was some kind of kite, but as the unidentified flying object drifted further and further out over English Bay and at the same time gained altitude at an alarming rate, it dawned on me that the object was designed for and sent on a one time mission.

not my picture

My eyes followed its path for quite a while, and at some point I would have guessed that it was a a high flying plane if I hadn't followed it from its start.







These babies are apparently known as Kongming or Chinese lanterns and are used in VAST numbers in Thailand's Yi Peng festival, which should be somewhere around this time of year, if I read the Wikipedia article correctly.  But instead of the one lantern I witnessed, there are LOTS of them, as this picture shows that I pilfered from the Wikipedia article.

NOT my picture (unfortunately ;-)

The TReO Trap ( or The Trouble with TReO, not Tribbles)

There is a toll payable for crossing the new Port Mann Bridge. The toll is $3 per SINGLE crossing for a regular sized motor vehicle.  In other words, if you drive to Surrey and back, you owe The Toll collection agency (TReO) six bucks.   They have large signs along the highway "Pay your toll at TReO.ca". "They don't just add it to your car insurance or send invoices?", I thought.

Car insurance for two different cars that I took over that bridge repeatedly had to be renewed. No sign of a demand of any contribution to TReO. But then the day of reckoning arrived.  A letter from TReO.  A bill.  Four surprises.
1) They did not include a license plate number, since they just figured out the car owner.
2) If you go to their website they don't tell you how much you owe. They ask you how much you want to pay. Odd, n'est pas?  There is a reason though ;-)
3)  If you don't pay your crossing within 1 week of crossing, they add $2.30 to the $3.00 toll.  Rather high, you think?  There is method to the madness, just wait.
4) They billed me for 6 crossings, i.e. 3 return trips over the bridge.

Port Mann Bridge

Now we have to look at a hypothetical toll bridge (let's call it Sherry Woman Bridge) somewhere in the fictional province Swedish Mississippi in a fictional country called K'anaTa.  In that country lives an entirely fictional character, and we will call him Bear-Heart.  During his efforts of collecting more bear artifacts and getting out of the ugly city of Exhaustopolis, Bear drives his car quite frequently over the bridge that connects Exhaustopolis to the quieter back country.  Bear drives his car over that bridge quite frequently. He doesn't know how much the toll is, because it is posted nowhere, but Bear assumes it can't be much (He did not think it could be as high as 3 K'anaTa Talers). Then Bear gets a bill from the robber barons controlling the bridge.  But Bear is surprised.  The barons only charge him for between 20 to 50 % of his trips over the bridge.  Bear wasn't even trying to hide himself crossing the valley, but the robber barons still didn't see him on many occasions!

Can the telescopes of the robber barons penetrate the fog on the mystical Sherry Woman Bridge?

So here is my guess what is going on in the country of K'anaTa:  The robber barons want you to register your car with them and put a decal on your window and in return promise you free passage on two occasions.  I guess anything on a windshield is MUCH easier to read by automatic digital cameras than a license plate.  Tailgate a truck and your front license plate is invisible.  Go at night and I doubt they'll use a flash on the bridge. Go in pouring rain and I doubt the software is smart enough to decipher your plate.  Or just get a box of crayons and create license plate art before every trip over the Sherry Woman bridge ;-). Just remember to clean it up before you drive by the next police car.

Is it crystal clear now why the robber barons post friendly signs, don't tell you how often they have seen you crossing their valley, and offer free passage on a few occasions if you promise to carry a widely visible torch with you at all times?

Bear-Heart figured all this out too, and he decided that the extra beating he gets from the robber barons in addition to them taking his money on the occasions when they catch him is still a better deal than carrying that torch all the time and handing over the ransom to the robber barons voluntarily every time he passes over their bridge.

All is well in K'anaTa

You don't have to decide yourself whether Bear-Heart's calculation might work for you too because the Sherry Woman Bride doesn't exist and neither does Bear-Heart, remember?  But on the other hand, there might be situations in your real life that are very similar to the one of Bear-Heart and his frequent escapes from Exhaustopolis ;-)

All good rides come in threes

It was SUNNY when  I opened my curtains this morning!
My mood instantly improved when I realized I would not have to take the car today, but could use Le Velo all day.
The first bike ride to Robson Street was planned the moment I found out that Alisia, previously receptionist in my motel, now worked in a posher hotel downtown.  I still owed her a few fridge magnets (long story), so to downtown I pedaled ;-)

The view West from Lions Gate Bridge

Hmmm! far-far-away places ....

the view North

My grandfather JJ would have loved the many anchored ships

Past my favorite Vancouver sculpture (reminds me of HK ;-)

At first I worried that that the ride would miss its objective (small worry: after all, I DID get sun & exercise) because Alisia might not be on shift at the L.. hotel on Robson, but already from outside the hotel doors I saw the copper hair.  A big hug gave the impression that she might have been happy to see me ;-)  I briefly (VERY briefly) considered relocating to the L.. hotel, but the absence of smoking rooms and, more importantly, the room rates quickly made me abandon that idea VERY quickly.

The way back to North Vancouver:

The dirty end of Coal Harbour: "But tell me: Where do the children play? "

View East from Lions Gate Bridge

After a late 11 am breakfast at Pho Japolo (the one with the generous glass of white wine ;-) I took Le Velo up the 200 meters of altitude difference to visit Grandma. At a stop at a liquor store on my way down the hill, I found a gentleman looking with interest at Le Velo.  I regretted my comment "It's electric" almost as soon as it had left my mouth.  Turns out the gentleman in his very early 70s had ridden electric bicycles as early as 12 years ago (Can you say Early Adopter?), and used to be the owner of a bike shop in North Vancouver that is now run by his son.  I also realized how much I am still a glutton for flattery, when Mr. Steed pronounced me a 'Genius' for riding this particular type of e-bike, since in contrast to other types of e-bikes, it actually can handle the North Vancouver hills. Disappointment spread across his face when I told him that this bike was not available locally as it was bought in France, but a short internet search since then has revealed that similar bikes operating on the same principle are built by Panasonic & Samsung and can be purchased from another North Vancouver bike company (Evolution bikes).

At 5:30 pm (it was dark by now), I connected the neon tubes to the bike, and headed over Lions Gate Bridge again towards the Vancouver Main Library, for a meeting of The Kilowatt Hour, a monthly get-together and ride of Vancouver Electric Vehicle enthusiasts.  This being November, attendance was sparse: only two other e-bikes were there, and both of their owners were on their home commute ;-) . BUT: only hours after reading about them in the internet, I saw an Evolution Panasonic model in the flesh (metal?).  Very nice indeed !

A letter from Edward Snowden

Reading the morning news, I gather that a German member of the Green Party by the name of Hans-Christian Stroebele traveled to Moscow and met Edward Snowden.  Apparently he returned to Germany with a letter to Angela Merkel, the German chancellor.

The letter (not my picture ;-)

Not bad for Mr. Stroebele's publicity either (not my pic either;-)(

From previous posts in this blog it should have become clear on whose side I stand in this matter, so just a matter of principle, here is the text of the Snowden letter, copied from The Guardian.

To whom it may concern,

I have been invited to write to you regarding your investigation of mass surveillance.

I am Edward Joseph Snowden, formerly employed through contracts or direct hire as a technical expert for the United States National Security Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency.

In the course of my service to these organizations, I believe I witnessed systemic violations of law by my government that created a moral duty to act. As a result of reporting these concerns, I have face a severe and sustained campaign of persecution that forced me from my family and home. I am currently living in exile under a grant of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation in accordance with international law.

I am heartened by the response to my act of political expression, in both the United States and beyond. Citizens around the world as well as high officials – including in the United States – have judged the revelation of an unaccountable system of pervasive surveillance to be a public service. These spying revelations have resulted in the proposal of many new laws and policies to address formerly concealed abuses of the public trust. The benefits to society of this growing knowledge are becoming increasingly clear at the same time claimed risks are being shown to have been mitigated.

Though the outcome of my efforts has been demonstrably positive, my government continues to treat dissent as defection, and seeks to criminalize political speech with felony charges that provide no defense. However, speaking the truth is not a crime. I am confident that with the support of the international community, the government of the United States will abandon this harmful behavior. I hope that when the difficulties of this humanitarian situation have been resolved, I will be able to cooperate in the responsible finding of fact regarding reports in the media, particularly in regard to the truth and authenticity of documents, as appropriate and in accordance with the law.

I look forward to speaking with you in your country when the situation is resolved, and thank you for your efforts in upholding the international laws that protect us all.

With my best regards,

Edward Snowden

31 October 2013

Turning heads (or Another 2-bridges ride)

The heavy-rainfall warning had already posted but the hourly forecast said I should have enough time to make it to a lunch appointment downtown and back to North Vancouver before the deluge hit.

But looking at the sky it was obvious that the time available was short.

The view from Lions Gate Bridge

I'm a bit early for my lunch appointment (Le Velo is too fast ;-), so I take the scenic route and stop at some of the 'art pieces' I actually like.

Storm coming (Goes well with the whale/boat carcass theme)

I always liked this sculpture. The 'laser gun' points to different parts of the sky depending on wind direction and tide level.

Strange Days

I look back at the 'laser canon' and what I discover on it instantly captures my attention.  Their turning heads turn my head !

What the heck are these? Look at the neck of the one on the left!

Avian scratchy throat?

The one on the right was looking right at me before and when I hop on my bike he does a bat-like wing-spread.  Of course, once I get off the bike again, take off the gloves fumble for my camera, turn it on, point it in his direction, 2 second before the camera focuses, he takes his wings down again.  Reverse above procedure, get back on the bike, and then I pause for a moment and call to the bird: "Come on, do it again. Do it again." (Good thing no one was watching ;-)  And the bloody bird does it again!  Do I look like bird-mating material?  Without much hope, I get off the bike again, take off the gloves, pretty much convinced that Birdy will fold it's wings the moment I get the camera out of my pocket.

But NO:

This time he holds the pose.  Airing out his wings or enjoying the attention?


Any bird-watchers in the audience who can tell me what these are called?

After lunch  I head towards Second Narrows bridge but when I get there I don't take pictures, because the weather forecast seemed to have been too optimistic and the drops are increasing in frequency.  Along the last 100 meters to my hotel it is no longer drizzling, it is raining.  Close call and time to find those waterproof cycling/snowboarding pants in my storage locker !

Do you like Thai? (Sweet Basil Restaurant, North Vancouver)

Today is Halloween and since it is also getting dark outside earlier, I dug out some old lithium batteries and some 12V neon tubes I had bought on eBay years ago, and jazzed up Le Velo ;-!

With the weather turning colder, my body is telling me to feed it some hot spicy food.

After some searching and asking, I finally found the Sweet Basil Restaurant on Marine Drive in North Van.  Hint:  It's situated on one edge of the Save-on-Foods parking lot, and not actually on Marine Drive, as Google Maps would have you believe.
I get my first good impression, when the waitress (probably owner) asks me at 4:52 pm whether I would like to order from the lunch special menu or would like something bigger. No up-selling pressure here!
Wine is not on the menu (definitely no white wine, and after the lady had thought for 30 seconds about whether they have red wine, I had mercy and asked her what kinds of beer they sell ;-)
I ordered a green curry Basa (real fish,not the cheap mixed seafood) from the lunch special menu and while I am typing this i am sipping from a glass containing Singha beer. (After the list of beers had commenced with 'we have the local beers: Kokanee ... and Thai beer' I instantly requested a Thai beer and I am glad I did ;-)

The food arrives and looks great, except for the Broccoli in the curry bowl, which looks a bit odd.  The curry is very yummy but I suspect that it is westernized with more coconut milk and fewer spices. But that is my head talking, my stomach is perfectly happy ;-)

And I just figured out that Broccoli is a perfect conveyor of curry sauce.  Lots of sauce gets stuck in the top branches! Try that with a carrot ;-)

Since the weather will only getting colder and darker, I'm sure to be back here soon ;-)

The 'other side' of Vancouver (or Go West, middle-aged man!)

View from the WEST

And I'm not talking about something sinister (we'll leave that for another post ;-), but about the part of Vancouver situated west of Lions Gate Bridge, in particular West Vancouver.  Census Canada lists it as the richest community or postal code in all of Canada (The poorest is right across the bridge: The Downtown East-side).

If you ever GO WEST (Caution: Link to Village People ;-) along Marine Drive and somewhere west of Dundarave take a road up the hill looking for Highway 1 (you won't find it), you will get lost in a maze of streets.  If you get lost on the right streets, you will see houses like you've never seen before.  The words posh & decadent are much too weak to describe these mansions. You will also see quite a lot of women presumably from the Philippines standing at bus stops. In this regard, West Vancouver is very much like Hong Kong.  They seem to like their household staff to be from low-wage countries.

But there is another side.

When I went to Different Bikes on Ambleside (read posh!) to purchase one replacement hex bolt for the bike, I was looking at a racing bike for $12k (actually 'only' $11,999, and it looked VERY FAST) at one moment, but wasn't charged for 2 bolts the next moment. Thank you, Different Bikes !

Another nice thing about West Vancouver is that it is WEST of all the traffic. Given that the predominant winds in Vancouver come from the WEST, that means that West Vancouver only gets a fraction of the pollution that the rest of the city is inundated by (But given the STOOPID, slower-than-pedestrian-speed traffic jam that can be seen in Park Royal on a daily basis, West Vancouver deserves more of it ;-)

AND:  West Van has a pretty waterfront and nice views!

I could handle waking up to this view ;-)

View from the 11th floor; not my picture

Coincidentally, there was an apartment for rent in those numerous towers populated by tenants with numerous accumulated age years that provided exactly this view, but from the 11th floor instead of from sea level.  Even though the price for a 1 BR apartment was rather exorbitant, the Craigslist ad only lasted one day before it vanished. Lucky new tenant!