the blog quebecois

Start planning for that summer vacation, folks!

To fully enjoy the sewers of Vienna, you should be familiar with the 1948 film, The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed and starring Orson Welles. Not only does the film capture the bizarre nature of living in an occupied, half destroyed city at the onset of the Cold War, but proudly features the sewers of Vienna as a major player in the thriving black market at the time. If you are in Vienna and want to see the film, it plays late nights in the English language movie theatre near the Opera.

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This tour only covers a much smaller part of the sewer network, but is hosted by actual sewer workers. Not only do they talk about what it is like to work below the streets, but they conduct a multi-media extravaganza loosely tied to the movie. There's special lighting effects, video projection and someone dressed like Orson Welles who shoots a gun at you. Really.

It must be the 1948 Orson Welles, because I doubt you'd be able to fit the later version into any known sewer. Next stop: the

Parasite Museum in Meguro, Tokyo, which displays 300 varieties of parasites that have been found in humans.

This is an interactive display of part of the Great Wall of China. Stunning views.

Annoying flute music.

I'll be away for a couple of days, so you might as well do some travelling too.

This is a collection of panoramas from Europe, Asia, Africa, Central America and Mexico. (Oh, and Mars, too -- click on the sphere on the location map.) Some are of famous sites and attractions, but there are a lot of beach and other scenic shots. Just use your mouse to scroll through the full 360° view.

Click on "Case Studies" at the bottom of the page to go to virtual tours of some impressive Italian villas and hotels.

Via The Presurfer

From an email to Dave Barry's blog:

This in itself has most flight attendants saying.... what? so now anyone can have their pet in their lap for emotional support through out the flight??? better yet... WHAT contstitutes an "Emotional Support Animal"... and what authorization does someone need to carry this "ESA" with them on flights. Remember we are not talking about Dogs for the Blind or Monkeys for the Paralized. Spefically noted in the Update Pigs and Small Horses are to be allowed on board planes.... YES ... SMALL HORSES?

I googled Emotional Support Animals + Airlines and sho' 'nuff (no direct link -- it's in a PDF file about in the middle of the page), from the F.A.A.'s own lips:

• Other unusual animals such as miniature horses, pigs and monkeys should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Factors to consider are the animal’s size, weight, state and foreign country restrictions, and whether or not the animal would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, or cause a fundamental alteration (significant disruption) in the cabin service. If none of these factors apply, the animal may accompany the passenger in the cabin.

I wonder if my pet cobra would qualify? He usually only bites people who make sudden moves or noises.

i'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here
i've got two tickets in my pocket
now baby, we're gonna disappear

eddie money

Wikipedia:

The North Yungas Road (also Grove's Road, Coroico Road, Camino de las Yungas, "El Camino de la Muerte", "Death Road") is a 38 to 43 mile road (depending on source) leading from La Paz to Coroico, 35 miles (56 km) northeast of La Paz in the Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger, one estimate is that nearly 100 travellers annually have died along the road -- the road moreover includes Christian crosses marking many of the spots where such vehicles have fallen. The road descends from approx. 12,000 ft (3600 m) to 1000 ft (330 m), transitioning quickly from cool altiplano terrain to rain forest as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs.

Only 38 to 43 miles, you say? No thanks! I'll crawl!

More pictures here.

Tourist websites are upbeat about arriving by plane, with one saying: 'The landing, especially on a windy day, is an adventure in itself.'

I'll bet.

The next part of our journey was almost more than I could bear. As we turned the corner, I was sickened to discover a perilous walk across the cliff. There in front of me were nearly two hundred feet of wooden planks jutting out from the side of the cliff. Nor was it a straight line - the damn thing turned a corner!

Yes, there were chains to hang onto, but there was ice and there was wind and the margin for error was very small. Those planks could not have been more than two feet wide. Exposed to the elements, I wondered just how safe they were. (Note: This ramp had a name: Floating-in-Air Road. But I called it Boardwalk)

The only reason we continued was those Chinese college kids. Laura and I watched them cross. It looked like they were dancing... step apart, step together, step apart, step together... they walked sideways across the cliff! And they were laughing!

I swear to God if it wasn't for those kids, Laura and I would have turned around a long time ago. Left to ourselves, we would have given into our panic, but to see those crazy kids fearlessly move across the cliff made us think we could do it too.

Laura and I gave each other the "what are we getting ourselves into this time?" look. I grabbed the chain, made sure not to look down, and did my step-together-step across the face of the rock.

I kept telling myself if they can do it, I can do it. Nevertheless, I nearly slipped one time. Normally I never actually picked up my feet, but there were places where the new set of boards didn't match the set I was standing on. Since I didn't dare look, when I switched to a new board, each step was an adventure.

As I took a step to the new board, my foot didn't hit the board right and my heel slipped on the edge of the board. I had only my left leg for support. I gripped tightly to the chain and regained my balance. Laura, bless her heart, didn't see it. She had enough problems of her own.

A panic attack immediately kicked in. I could feel my knees shaking. I was scared to death to take another step. I just stood there and breathed a while. Laura asked me if I was okay. That broke the ice. I decided I hadn't come nearly as close to dying as I first thought. So I nodded I was OK and started moving.

Soon I actually managed a laugh of my own. I found a spot on the rock smeared with lipstick. I suppose one of the Chinese girls had pressed her face so close to the wall, she kissed the rock.

You might not suffer from vertigo. On the other hand, you well may develop a case of it reading this harrowing account of these hiking trails up some mountains in central China. Methinks there's a serious shortage of personal-injury lawyers there.

So let's send 'em some.

Via The Presurfer

A sort of publicity stunt-PSA from Cabbages And Condoms, a (very good, apparently) resort/restaurant/aid agency in Thailand.

Banterist:

Rule One: Exhaust all other possibilities.

If you are truly in need and condemned to use the squat toilet, comfort yourself with the knowledge that you are several thousand miles from friends and family. No one has to know.

Brian Sack explores the exotic romance of overseas sanitary rituals. Numerous charming examples follow in the comments.