Travel – Page 41 – a sibilant intake of breath

Morocco Hitch update

Remember when I mentioned hitchhiking to Morocco for charity? Here is the information page from Link Community Development, which is now accepting registrations. The actual hitch takes place at the beginning of March. For me, this is far from ideal: my thesis is due on April 22nd and taking five days off to travel to Morocco (probably longer, because I need to budget extra time to be sure of catching a flight back) may be a tad reckless. That said, I remain fairly tempted. Such opportunities do not arise often. Those not terrorized by thesis timelines are very much encouraged to consider this adventure.

The registration deadline is February 1st, with a discount for registering by the end of December. The cost is £25 for normal registration, with £5 off for early registrants. You need a team of 2-3. Somewhat controversially, it must include at least one male participant.

Great circles and airline routes

When flying between western Canada and England, it sometimes seems surprising that such a northward trajectory is followed. On my way back to Vancouver, for instance, we were treated to an aerial view of Iceland’s unique landscape. Of course, the reason for the path is that the spherical character of the earth is not well reflected in standard map projections. The most famous – the Mercator projection – is arranged such that a straight line drawn on the map will correspond to a course that actually passes through each point on the earth depicted. This kind of map is called ‘conformal.’ As such, the notorious distortion (enlarging the apparent size of polar regions while reducing that of equatorial ones) is an emergent property of its design.

That said, the most efficient course between any two points on the globe is probably not the one that connects them on a Mercator projection line of the shortest distance. Mathematically, the most direct course is based on what is called a ‘great circle.’ That is to say, imagine marking your present location and your destination using a marker on an orange. The line you could draw all the way around, intersecting both, is the great circle. The line segment between the points is the shortest distance that can be transcribed between them on a sphere (or near-sphere, in the case of the earth).

Unless you are going due north, due south, or straight around the equator, actually following a great circle path requires constantly changing your heading. This is because of how the line you are on does not maintain a constant bearing with respect to either magnetic or true north. In the days before computers and long haul air travel, few people would probably have bothered to calculate great circle courses. A more venerable option can be found in the Rhumb line. Now, GPS and autopilot systems have made doing so all but automatic. Hence the genesis of those gracefully arcing lines printed in your in-flight magazine.

On a separate note, the precision of modern location and navigation systems in aircraft can sometimes cause problems. (Via Philip Greenspun)

Turkey in December

In December, my father and I are planning to spend a bit less than two weeks in Turkey. The prospect is very exciting to me, for various reasons. It will be a chance to spend time with a member of my family, which is always very welcome when they are so distant. It will be my first substantial foray outside of North American and Western Europe since I went to Costa Rica when I was 15 or 16, though perhaps Estonia and Finland counted as well. Also, it should contribute some diversity to my growing collection of travel photographs.

Turkey is an interesting country for many reasons: diverse, on the cusp between Europe and the Middle East, and quite politically important in the contemporary world. Turkish history, both in the post-Ottoman period and under previous arrangements, definitely warrants investigation. EasyJet flights from London Luton to Istanbul also help make it an easy and affordable to visit.

Has anyone been to Turkey recently? We have not yet decided where we will go, except that we will be spending at least a few days in Istanbul. Taking train to somewhere less urban is part of the plan, though we have not yet decided where. Also, do people have any fiction or non-fiction books particularly related to Turkey that they recommend?

The power of place

The contrast between the two weeks in Vancouver and my two days back here has amply demonstrated the simple fact that, fine a place as it is to take a degree in, I couldn’t actually live happily over an indefinite period in England.

Indeed, I would have a great deal of trouble anywhere that does not approximate the most essential features of Vancouver-ness: natural beauty (ideally, mountains), certain styles of food (ideally including inexpensive sushi), the acceptability of a Gore-Tex shell as a constant item of clothing, multiculturalism, reasonably good prices and customer service, good public transport, and myriad other factors that are less distinctly noticed than felt and appreciated at an intuitive level. In the end, it comes down to feeling properly yourself in a place or not. I have that feeling in Vancouver, I quickly had it in Montreal, parts of Toronto (Kensington Market) can evoke it, and I felt it in much of Dublin.

Being in a place that challenges you is certainly an essential part of education, but when the time comes to choose a place for the long haul (provided you have that luxury), the way to do it must be through proximity to friends, family, and those other things that define a place as one’s own.

All that said, it’s time to get back to cracking rocks for the thesis, and sorting things out for the upcoming optional paper (not a paper at all, but a series of seminars, for my fellow bewildered North Americans).

Canada finale

Barring some final familial plans, frantic packing, and travel, this Vancouver visit has come to an end. The best part, of course, was spending time with friends and family. I am made up of parts from all of you, so seeing the whole of you makes me feel whole myself.

I will keep in touch from Oxford.

Matters logistical

Permit me to apologize quickly for the scheduling problems that have cropped up in the last few days. While I would dearly like to spend time with all of my friends in Vancouver, limitations of time and communication capability have reduced the scope of what can be achieved. As it stands, I have visited Lonsdale, the UBC campus, downtown, and Commercial Drive on basically every day that I have been in Vancouver – averaging some ten bus journeys a day, criss-crossing the city.

Therefore, if I have been confusing or unavailable, please do not interpret it as any slight against you. This visit has been a marvelous opportunity to connect with family and friends and be reminded of the kind of deep networks that can surround you. While Oxford has much to recommend it, there is nothing to take the place of familial relations and ancient friendships.

PS. Anything that is not actually Vancouver centred is entirely on the back burner at the moment. Things like the final edit of the fish paper will just have to await my return to the city of spires.

Departure countdown

To all those Vancouverites thinking “naturally, I am going to be able to engage in Activity X with Milan during the period before he returns to Oxford,” take heed. I now have only three full days left in the city: days that are increasingly full of existing commitments. Arranging new ones at times that do not conflict is thus becoming ever more challenging. While I do want to do everything and see everyone, I shall be constrained by the limitations of my time and other people’s initiative.

My flight home is in the evening this Saturday. I have a family dinner on Friday, but if people would be up for a group outing on Thursday night (after eight), to somewhere where a bit of food and beer might be had, please list yourself and suggested locations as comments.

PS. I have made good, but not complete, progress through my list of Vancouver tasks.

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Tropika

Having dinner with Jennifer Schofield tonight was really enjoyable. We went to Tropika: a Thai and Malaysian place that has a well deserved reputation among my friends for excellent food. In particular, their scrumptious sauces deserve commendation. So too does the experience of conversing with Jenn, who is on her way from Calgary to Nanaimo. A co-graduate from UBC and a fellow member of the NORAD trip, I am sorry we didn’t take the opportunity to spend more time with one another while still in the same city.

Tomorrow, I am going for a hike with my father during the day. In the evening, I was meant to have dinner with my whole family, but it seems that Mica cannot make it. All told, I have spent less than two hours in his company since arriving in Vancouver, though much of that can be put down to his duties as a residence advisor in Totem Park. I must make a point of heading out there when he will be free enough for us to hang out together.

PS. I know that photo doesn’t do Jennifer justice, but it is the best of those I took this evening. We can only work with the lighting conditions we are given. Here is a better photo of her.

Rather calmer day

Following the party, an early morning, a good walk in Capilano Canyon with Kate, and a frantic rush to the bus station to help her catch her ferry, I am pretty exhausted. This evening has been practically the only unscheduled time I have had since arriving. Tomorrow, it is back to the pattern of meeting people and zipping across the city. Naturally, seeing Kate was especially good, as I have not seen her for a period that we approximated to be four years. I very much hope that the coming year will involve rather more communication than the previous one.

I have Ireland photos to edit and upload, books to finish, and much else to do besides. Also, my iPod (is it the fourth or the fifth replacement I have had through the extended warranty) seems to have a failing hard drive, while my camera is now prone to memory card reading errors. I am going to slog away at all that for a while, then go to bed early. After all, I am meeting both Caity Sackeroff and Jennifer Schofield tomorrow.

[Update: 7:05pm] The Ireland photos are now up on Facebook. I am adding them to the blog posts written during the trip, as well, with Photo.net to follow.

[Update: 7:45pm] I have added photos to the major blog posts written in Ireland. They are all linked on this page.

[Update: 10:30pm] The best photos from Ireland are now on Photo.net.

[Update: 11:00pm] My best shots from Cabin Fever II are now on Photo.net.

Sunday hike adjustment

Because of problems securing both cars and drivers, there is a good chance that the hike on Sunday – following the party at my place on Saturday – will not actually be to Petgill Lake. It’s too far, and I cannot be sure that rides will be available.

The (very good) fallback is to catch the bus up to the Grouse Mountain parking lot, then take the British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC) trail up to the top, since the Grind is closed. From there, we would progress to the majestic view that exists off the top of Crown Mountain.

If you care to provide a vehicle or a driver, speak now. If you are mortally opposed to Crown Mountain as a possibility (it is a bit strenuous, but the view is great), this is likewise the moment to air your grievances.