October 4, 2009

English Hitchhiking?

A few days ago, I found myself driving across a familiar section of Dartmoor. Considering the time was around 3am, you can imagine my surprise when, after turning a fairly tight corner, I was greeted by two individual sets of rapidly waving thumbs. Snapping out of the driving trance I had slipped into, I decided to pull over and find out if the thumb’s had anything attached to them.

After leaning across and winding down the window I called into the darkness “Alright Lads?”

Once a few seconds had passed, a response came, “Hiya, can we jump in?”

Feeling a little dubious, but trying to maintain a sense of stoicism I let them in. In the light of the car, I quickly realised it was a good decision. Apparently, after a rather heavy night out in Plymouth, they had only managed to save enough money for half the taxi ride home. Once the taxi had made it to the halfway point, they had been forced to try and walk the rest of the journey. To my astonishment, they had already walked 6 miles and I was the first driver to pull over. In his words, “We’ve had about seven cars drive past, and four lorries. They were all way bigger than your car but they just completely ignored us.” After wondering whether I should feel offended for his brief mention of my ‘small car’, we had a brief conversation about hitch-hiking, and why it just doesn’t seem to sit well with the UK road network.

During my time in Canada last year, Hitch-hiking was a great way to travel. Moreover, it seemed that anyone with a spare seat, regardless of their age or gender, would happily open their door to a complete stranger. In one particularly memorable act of generosity, I remember a small Asian lady who picked up me and my mate Tony. Not only did she take us back to town with no request for petrol money, but she also loaded both our boards on top of her Van and opened the doors for us. Arriving in town, she then ran around the van before we had even undone our seatbelts, and basically chauffeured us into our house. An incredibly kind act that left us both feeling a little confused, but happy.

A shame then, that hitch-hiking in England seems to be a dying method of transport. Maybe it’s just a result of British culture falling into a state of fear. With the media constantly telling us all to lock our doors, and then providing constant updates of just how dangerous anything out of the ordinary can be, it seems we are all destined to walk to our destination. Even if a big car does happen to drive past.

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September 28, 2009

Review of ‘The Lost Symbol’ by Dan Brown

I have always considered the best kind of literary review, to be one that is presented in an honest and straight forward fashion. Far too often, when searching for a new book, I come across a review that sounds great from the outset and then progressively falls short. For instance, describing a writer’s narrative style as, ‘a grasp of passionate twists and turns, through a chasm of shadowy vineyards’. Although this may sound precise and revealing, it really does nothing but make the reviewer sound more intelligent. So, with this observation in mind, I will try and keep this review as open, honest and free from jibberish as possible…

Since reading Angels & Demons, I have always admired Dan Brown as a writer. Where he is often criticised for following a repeated formula and relying too heavily on his research to create a narrative, I personally believe his ability to deliver a good book is superb. With all the hype for his latest release, ‘The Lost Symbol’ I was surprised to find the internet littered with critical reviews, that claimed it was nothing new and should only really be a consideration for ‘Brown’ fanatics.

Regardless, of such criticisms I still managed to anticipate the book’s release, with a good deal of enthusiasm. Unlike ‘The Da Vinci Code’, this book strays away from the culture of Europe, and finds itself in the superpower that is, the USA.  As with all his former releases, the book balances a heavily researched area of revolutionary science, with an area that is a subject of interest to the most avid conspiracy theorists. More specifically, the field of Noetics is used as a backbone to explore the world of Freemasonry. As something of a novice in both these areas, I was glad to find Brown’s ability too explain complex issues in a typically layman fashion, was still present.

The narrative itself, is unfortunately a little forumalic. Not that I lost the urge too keep on reading at any point, but the repeated process of jumping from one narrative strain to the next felt a little obvious at times.  To elaborate, although Brown is indeed a master of explaining obviously complex fields of science, it appeared that his reliance on the naivity of certain characters was too heavily played upon. Specifically, certain parts of the book came across as more of a lecture than an actual integral part of the narrative. However, in consideration of these personal criticisms, I still found his introduction to the field of Noetics to be truly fascinating. Furthermore, Browns descriptions of masonic ritual and practice were equally as interesting. As with all of Brown’s books, I was once again highly impressed by the amount of research he clearly completed, in putting together this story. After finishing the book, I felt an immediate surge to go and find out more about noetics and the power of thought.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this book to former Brown readers, and new readers alike. It kept me reading late into the night on more than one occasion, and really does touch on some extremely intriguing areas of science, religion and history. Browns ability too educate and inform, through an exciting and thrilling narrative, is once again submitted to the scrutiny of the masses. In my opinion, he nailed it.

The Lost Symbol

By Dan Brown

(Bantam Press. £18.99. 509pp)

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September 17, 2009

The Power of Literature

Every now again I am fortunate enough to stumble across a truly memorable piece of literature. A couple of weeks ago I noticed the intrepid adventurer Mark Beaumont, had already set off on another feat of human endurance. After following his progress via his twitter I began to grow fairly restless and felt inspired to embark on a new challenge. During the process of working out exactly how I could test myself, I decided to look at what had already been done. While doing so I came across the book ‘Jupiter’s Travels’ by Ted Simon.

The book is essentially the end result of hopping on a motorbike and circumnavigating the mass we call planet earth. As he writes, Mr. Simon basically decided to start his journey on pure impulse. An incredible adventure to undertake and in a way, the ultimate journey into self. As his travels progress, it becomes easier start wondering how plausible an expedition of this, or one of a similar nature would be. Obviously it would be a massive demonstration of naivity just to embark on something of this scale with no planning or preperation but the more you read, the more seductive the idea becomes.

As a starting point of my quest for adventure, and a way of getting back to reasonable fitness, I decided to enter the Tour of Dartmoor. In comparison, nothing like the expedition I anticipated but still a way of fulfilling my ambitous tendencies. I intended to ride in the event last year, but unfortunately work commitments stopped me from entering. Thinking retrospectively, I now realise a large proportion of my choices seem to be delegated by the world of literature. I took up cycling after seeing the Tour de France and reading Lance Amrstrong’s, ‘It’s not about the bike’. I decided to go travelling last year after reading Henri Charriere’s, ‘Pappilon’. Right Now I’m spending most days on my bike just to get ready for the Tour of Dartmoor because of Jupiter’s Travels. Realising this, I actually felt quite resentful of the whole idea at first. Surely to have your life dictated by the tales of others can only suggest being a little too impressionable and also a little unimaginative. Regardless, at least I’m still able to choose exactly how to test myself. As  Dickens famously said, “I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free.”

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August 29, 2009

Music

In my opinion, the best kind of music is the kind that is delivered in a passionate nature from a talented individual. With the emergence of Britain’s hunger for reality TV, and the subsequent production of X-factor and the like, the traditional pop charts seem to have developed a lack of both of these neccesary traits. As a result, anyone that manages to fit the mould seems to be able to strum up a brief relationship with that seductive temptress, ‘fame’. The usual method for success is to simply take an already succesful song and add a ‘modern’ twist to win the commerical battle for christmas number one. In light of this fairly dire situation, there has been a fairly positive outcome.

Unlike the previous generations, the modern music lover has to look a little further to find an artist that truly demonstrates to them the reasons why they love music. Obviously, having the internet as a resource for doing this has facilitated this modern tactic of finding a good song. Furthermore, the internet has also given way to absolutlely anyone having a platform for showing their music to the world; this does of course hinder the progress of finding a truly great artist but at least no great talent is left unheard.

Fortunately, although rarely, the modern listener is lucky enough to stumble across an incredible performance by sheer luck. Amazingly, this occured last night as I stumbled upon a truly inspiring BBC Four session with Yusuf Islam. While always being aware that Yusuf (formerly Cat Stephens) was a world renowned artist I had never experienced his full talent until this point. Understandably, enjoying a performance from an artist that has already sold over 60million albums does not exactly fit the whole ethos of ‘finding’ a new act. However, it is always refreshing to come across an act that reminds you that talent still has a place in what has become an extremely talent-less industry. To take a look at Yusuf Islam’s session click here.

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August 12, 2009

‘Doing a season’ in Banff

I recently returned to England after an epic season in Banff, Canada. Before I left, I remember having to endlessly search through forums and websites to put together some idea of what to expect when I arrived.  Now that the seasons all done and dusted, I figured I should try and put my journalism degree to good use. Here is a guide that covers most of the subjects I wish I had known about before I arrived.

Banff, Canada

Banff is the largest town in Banff National Park. Situated in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, Banff is the town with the highest elevation in Canada at 1,463m (4,800ft) above sea level. More importantly, it is also an area of Canada that hosts the longest snow season in the country. With three ski resorts close by, and a breathtaking amount of natural beauty to enjoy, it is easy to understand why tourism continues to increase, year after year.

Getting to Banff

Located 78miles West of Calgary, the town is easily accessible for both national and international visitors. From Calgary International Airport, it costs around $30 to catch the bus to Banff. Four departures leave the airport daily to the Banff/Lake Louise area. The journey should take about 1.5 hours to Banff, depending on road conditions, and traffic. Some airline companies also provide inclusive transport to Banff as part of their flight package; worth looking into to save a bit of hassle after a 10 hour flight.

The road to Banff

Where to Stay – Short Term

To some extent, this relies on how you intend to spend the season. For example, whether you are planning to work, or whether you arranged anything before you arrived. In my case, I pretty much had nothing prepared apart from booking two weeks in a local hostel. There are three hostels in town and as can be expected from any hostel, they all have their ups and their downs.

  • HI Alpine Hostel

The Hostel I personally stayed at was the HI Alpine Hostel. The best value if you can secure a two-week jobseekers package before you arrive. Basically, you pay for two weeks accommodation and if you do happen to move out before then, you will be refunded the nights you had left. In location to the town, the hostel sits atop a hill about 15 minutes walk away. The walk back from town can grow fairly tiresome but its not bad for getting you ‘snow-fit’ before the snow begins to fall. The hostel also has a pretty cool bar, full of like minded travellers and, in my experience, a bucket load of Australians. On that note, the first few weeks I was in Banff, it actually felt like being in Australia. Not a bad thing, but still something that takes you by surprise. In fact, when I got back to England, my accent had become a bizarre mix of Aussie and Canadian; Austradian if you will.

Visit www.hihostels.ca for more info.

  • Banff Samesun Hostel

The second Hostel is ‘The Banff Samesun Hostel’, located right in the centre of the town. I never actually visited this hostel but gained a far idea of what it was like from friends who stayed there when they arrived. From what I gathered, the staff are all pretty laid back and as a result, the hostel has a bit of a party atmosphere. I didn’t speak to anyone who really didn’t enjoy staying here but there were a few complaints; Things like, some of the windows didn’t have locks and some of the rooms smelt of smoke. Obviously, being right on Banff Avenue, this hostel is great for job hunting and reasonably priced.

Visit www.samesun.com for more info.

  • YWCA Hostel

The third place to stay is the YWCA hostel. From all accounts, a pretty standard hostel with a cool vibe. Located just over the bridge, at the end of Banff Av, it’s also perfect for job hunting. One of my friends actually ended up staying here long-term as the rent was cheap and he only really used it as a place to sleep. This is also the building that hosts the Banff Ambassador course. Basically a 3 hour lecture about Banff which gives you a massive discount on your ski-pass. Well worth it.

Visit www.ywcabanff.ab.ca for more info.

Sunset over BPL

Where to Stay – Long Term

Along with hunting for a job, trying to find a place to live for the season will be a primary focus. According to few of the locals I worked with, the hunt for accommodation gets tougher every year. The earlier you can get to Banff, the better. I foolishly arrived right at the end of October, to discover that most people I met had been trying to find somewhere to live for the past few weeks. Banff basically has two periods, a winter and a summer cycle. The best time to try and secure accommodation is as the summer seasonnaires leave town. My recommendation would be to get to town near the beginning of October, possibly mid September for the best chance of securing your own room/place. The good news is that the housing situation is no where near as ridiculous as Whistler; trust me, I tried. 800 dollars a month to sleep in a bathtub, no thanks.

Obviously, your first choice for accommodation would be to secure your own room. The best way to attempt this method is to be the first to phone all of the classifieds in the local newspaper ‘The Crag and Canyon’ on Tuesday, every week. This is of course, the method everyone gets told about, and competition to even view a room is tough. However, I did meet a lot of people who stuck at it, and within a few weeks they had found somewhere to stay.
Another way of securing a bed is to find a job that provides accommodation. The employers in town are aware of how hard it is to find housing and most of them will try to provide somewhere to stay at a reduced rate. As can be expected, the quality of staff accommodation varies massively from one employer to the other. From what I heard, the Banff Centre and the Fairmont Banff Springs offer great accommodation but its highly sought after. A few of my friends worked at McDonalds for the season and their staff accommodation was super cheap. I suppose it really all depends on personal preference, but in my opinion, take what you can get.
There are a few more options. As I mentioned before, the YWCA Hostel offers certain beds for seasonal use. Two of the hotels near the HI hostel also offer seasonal buildings for 4-8 people. In these cases, you pay for the entire building so to make it a financially viable option its worth filling the rooms; even if it does require sharing beds. A lot of my friends were lucky enough to secure one of these buildings and they sounded pretty cool with quite a few perks: hot tub, free bus into town, gym membership.

The building I moved into after my short stay at a hostel was a share house in the centre of town. The place is pretty well known in town and used to be referred to as the crack house. However, don’t let the name throw you off. A few years ago the former landlord went a little overboard and starting filling the rooms with anyone and everyone; I heard some rumours of 10 people to a bedroom. Nowadays, the property is under new management and it’s a great place to live. The building has been entirely renovated and at most, it is 4 people to a bedroom. It may be a little pricey but being in the centre of town, the location helps to take the sting off. This is also a great place to stay while you look for your own room if you require one. That’s what I did and I ended up with one of the best rooms in town… after 3 months.

Banff from the peak of Tunnel mountain

Finding work

When it comes to work there are basically two options. You can either work for the hill or work in town. Both options have good and bad points but in my opinion, its much better to find work in town. The wages for working on the hill are ridiculously low and the only way to really make it a financially viable means of income is to live in the staff accommodation. From all accounts, the accommodation is pretty standard but it means living up on the hill for at least 6 months. At first, I actually thought this might be quite cool but apparently as the season progresses most people grew tired and started to feel a little trapped. A few of my friends worked on the hill and lived in town and apart from getting themselves into a bit of debt they had a great time.
Finding work in town is difficult and can become even trickier depending on the time of year. Even though I arrived late, by most peoples recommendations, a lot of the employers were not willing to hire new staff until things began to get busy. The standard approach is to make yourself a resume that Canadian employers will understand and blanket drop the entire town. Of course, this method is successful for a lot of people but make sure you actually get a chance to speak to the employer rather than just ticking off each shop by handing in a resume, which will inevitably, be added to the ever growing pile.

I was extremely fortunate when it came to finding work quickly but I met a lot of people who had to wait a few weeks before anything came to the surface. A good method of ensuring you don’t run out of money to soon is to find a crappy job to do until something better comes along. The good news is, I did not meet anyone who didn’t eventually find work. The employers in Banff are well aware that every Summer and Winter they will have to lose, and then hire new staff. On top of that, people often quit their job to take on a new one or decided to leave Banff for various reasons. In my opinion, the best position to be in is to have a job in town and have your own accommodation. That way, if you quit or get fired you’re not left homeless and have somewhere to stay while you find a new job. Although, if you find a job you enjoy and it provides staff accommodation than definitely go for it. This way, you’ve got somewhere cheap to stay if you feel like finding your own accommodation in town.

Banff Avenue

Season ski pass

A few of the employers in town will offer a discounted pass or some sort of benefit so it may be worth holding off on buying one until you find work. However, possibly the best snippet of advice I can offer is how to save quite a lot of money on your season pass. Basically, the most popular form of pass on offer is the ‘Big 3’. This pass gives you unlimited access to Sunshine, Norquay and the Lake. While I was in Banff, the pass cost around 1600 dollars inc tax which does seem amazingly expensive, considering it doesn’t cover transport costs to the mountains. However, it is a really long season and you will definitely make your money back a lot quicker than you thought.

To save about 400 dollars on this pass all you need to do is complete the Banff ambassadors course. The course is basically a 3 hour lecture on the history of Banff which is actually quite interesting. On top of receiving the discount for your ski pass, the card you receive when you complete the course also gives you free admission to most of the touristy venues in town. As I found out, a great thing to have when the snow melts and you have still got a month in town to kill. The course is run fairly regularly up until the 31st January and to register all you need is proof of local employment or address. The course takes place at the YWCA and you register at Ski hub in town; the shop that sells the season passes. I was actually pretty tight for cash when I got to town and although I completed the course I chose to buy a sunshine season pass and then upgrade when finances were less of an issue.

Visit www.skibig3.com for more info

Sunshine village
Banking

In Banff, there is a choice of two banks, CIBC and BMO. I originally opened an account at CIBC but soon discovered I could get a better deal at BMO. Not to slate CIBC, I was actually pretty happy with the service they provided but if you have proof of recent graduation or anything that would suggest ‘student’ status, BMO offer free banking. Furthermore, instead of paying the money directly into your bank account, some employers around town will use ’local’ cheques to pay their employees. During my time in Banff, CIBC took 5 working days to clear one of these cheques where as BMO cleared the cheques instantly; a great help if you can not afford to wait another week for cash.

Transfers from Canadian bank accounts to UK accounts actually proved fairly complicated. Basically, you need to find out what your international banking number and international sort code are. Which doesn’t sound that tricky but It took me a while. If you are planning to transfer, its definitely worth transferring as much as possible in one go. This tact, makes it hard to take advantage of the best currency exchange rate but it does save you money on fees that are applied every time you transfer, both ends of the transaction.

In terms of international banking,most places will accept visa or MasterCard. At my time of arrival, I was using a maestro which turned out to be an issue. Basically, some of the cash machines in town let you use maestro but absolutely rinse you on fee’s. My advice would be to use travellers cheques or one of those ‘money passport’ things for your first few weeks in town.

Finance

The amount of money you choose to take to Banff will most probably reflect how you intend to spend the season. When I was planning for my season, I remember of lot of sources advised people to have at least 1000 pounds to hand. I figured I would play it safe and managed to save up about 1500 pounds. As I soon found out, travelling is an expensive business. Before I arrived in Banff I bought a snowboard, spent two weeks in Whistler and travelled around various parts of the USA. After all this I eventually arrived in Banff with about 800 pounds. After a week in a local hostel and paying for my first months rent, I was pretty close to broke when my first wage cheque finally came through. For this reason, I would advise taking at least a grand if you plan to turn up in town in the same fashion as I did.

The more you can save up before you leave the better. However, everyone’s financial situation will be affected by different variables and I’m sure a lot people arrived in town with less than I did and still had a great season. Just remember to include the cost of your season ski pass in your planning and when you do get to town try not too get too lost in the excitement until you can afford too. It really is a long season.

Mobile Phones

This is a particular department of Canadian life that can prove amazingly frustrating. As far as I am aware, BUNAC are the only company that offer working holiday visa’s to UK travellers. So, if you did secure your visa through BUNAC you will be required to attend an orientation talk. The orientation is a fairly useful experience and they offer solo mobile contracts at the end of the presentation. The deal they offered us did seem to be pretty good and as I discovered, having a phone for the first few weeks of setting up is pretty useful but after that it just became a hassle. Eventually, I changed my phone to prepaid and used a phone card to phone home from time to time. I suppose it depends on your own personal preference but financially having a prepaid phone will save you a lot of money and frustration. I would definitely recommend shelling out for a prepaid phone first, and then decide whether you need to upgrade. Overall, Canadian phones are expensive. Unlike the UK, companies also charge the phone owner to receive calls, even if you don’t answer it. Which is great when your on the hill all day and later discover you have 10 miscalls and very little credit remaining.

Other morsels of advice

  • A local charity, Banff life offer a free pasta night once a week which is wicked when you’re strapped for cash.
  • Hitchhiking up to the mountains may seems a little intimidating at first but all the locals are used to it and it is way cheaper than spending 15 dollars on a return bus ticket. That’s right, nearly 8 pounds to travel four miles to Norquay. Ridiculous.
  • Get a Safeway card from customer services before you start shopping. They save you loads.
  • Bring a lot of warm clothes. Like most people I was aware it got cold in Banff but hugely underestimated just how cold it would get. Think, frozen nostrils cold.
  • Travel light. You will return home with way more than you took with you.
  • Bring a plug adapter. They cost a fair bit in Banff.

I’m sure this list could fill a few more pages but I seem to have hit a wall. I’m happy to answer any questions anyone has about anything and I hope this helped. Banff really is an amazing place and hopefully, it should now be a bit easier for you to enjoy! Thanks for reading!

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August 4, 2009

Future Chinese astronauts are an inspiration

As I awoke this morning to another day or torrential rain and fog, I felt surprisingly optimistic.  Personally, as much as I hate to admit it, periods of boredom and monotony always seem to eventually give way to a flood of enthusiasm. While browsing the news this morning, I came across an article that only helped to boost my feelings of productivity.

When a person dedicates their life to becoming an astronaut, it is quite obvious they consider themselves fairly ambitious. However, applicants for China’s next space programme will need a little more than a positive personality.

The programme will typically feature all of the usual Hollywood tests. However, hopeful candidates will also have to adhere to a list of 100 rules. A list, that in some instances appears quite irrelevant and fairly absurd.  If the applicant has bad breath or is common to a runny nose they will not make the cut. If the candidates spouse feels against the idea of their partner flying into space, then they will not. Most impressively, if the applicant has bad body odour they will not make the cut.

Shi Bing Bing, a doctor at the 454th Air Force Hospital in Nanjing told the BBC, The purpose of this list is to recruit “super human beings”. The guidelines also state that the successful applicant will possess a “pleasant and adaptable disposition”. So, not only will the individual have to demonstrate physical perfection, but they will also have to be a thoroughly lovely person.

While some of the rules, like suffering from ringworm or possessing an allergy to drugs do seem a little more realistic, the candidate will clearly have some fairly high hurdle’s to leap over. At least, when the successful kryptonite is finally whittled out of the common stock, earth can finally announce the discovery of its very own Clark Kent.

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July 28, 2009

TDF 09 – A great day for British cycling

The people of France can once again take to the roads withouth having to worry about whether they might get swallowed up by the peloton.  As the race barriers are put back into storage and the mountains are peppered with the usual remnants of thousands of fanatic spectators,  the Tour is offically over.

Alberto Contador proved he has become even stronger since his win in 2007, by taking the win with an overall lead of 4:11 over the Belgian, Andy Schleck.  Lance Armstrongs miraculous return to form after a three and a half year absecence sealed the bronze medal and left British rider, Bradley Wiggins to claim fourth.

At times, it did look as if Wiggins could have managed to steal third but it was not to be. Considering his performance in previous years, fourth is an incredible result and marks the beginning of his real presence in Tours to come. Proud Mancunian, Mark Cavendish also set a new record by being the first rider to win six stages by sprints. Surprisingly, Thor Hushovd managed to hold onto the green jersey. Cavendish’s performance at the Champselysees really was inspirational to watch as the motorbike powered, camera man struggled to keep up.  The good news for fans of the Tour is that while Wiggo and Cav did put on an incredible show, it is clear that when next years Tour rolls around they will both be looking to acheive even more. As Cavendish said after the race, “I didn’t win the green jersey did I?”

In further good news, the rivalry between Armtrong and Contador will be an incredible source of motivation for both riders as they enter next years race. Considering the effort the entire Astana team put in,  Contadors recent remarks only help to show how arrogant a rider he really is. When asked about his personal opinion of Armstrong, Contador replied “He is a great rider but it is another thing on a personal level, where I have never had great admiration for him and I never will.” To say you dont have great admiration for someone who won the Tour seven times, after surviving an impossible level of cancer is absolutely ridiculous. In a typically blunt counter reponse, Artmstrong said, “If I were him I’d drop this drivel and thank his team. Without them he doesn’t win.” He added via Twitter, “A champion is also measured on how much he respect his teammates and opponents… There is no ‘i’ in ‘team’. What did I say in March? Lots to learn. Restated.” Obviously a lot of the fuel for this argument will be ego based but it really does show that as team mates the pair were not a great fit.  What makes the argument a little more interesting, is that the comments from Contador seem to echo the perspectives of pre-cancer Armstrong.

Regardless of overly-confident bickering, next years Tour is shaping up to be an incredible race with unfinished business and individual rivalrys popping up all over the spectrum. Just to spice things up even further, Andy Schleck has already announced that he “is coming after the yellow jersey”. Well, lets just hope while they are all arguing among themselves, a certain British rider can sneak past and take the win.

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