from the "back in the ex-USSR dept.

Greetings from Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.

It's been a crazy trip so far and the fun has just begun.

On Friday we were in three capitals in one day -- flying from Copenhagen to Bucharest to Chisinau.

We spent a few hours wandering around the Romanian capital checking out the sights (of the revolution) and testing various beers.

Late in the day we flew to Chisinau, arriving around 10pm. Our totally Soviet hotel (with Soviet service) is outstanding. If you like bureaucracy and concrete.

It is early Saturday morning and we're heading off to explore the capital of this little known country. Then we drive to Odessa, Ukraine via the break-away Moldovan republic of Transnistria.

Longer stories to come, along with photos. However, I left my laptop in Copenhagen, so it may take a while.

That's it for now!

Cheers!

from the "on the road again" dept.

We're just moments away from leaving Jesper and Nicolette's place in Hedehusene -- next stop Copenhagen International Airport. Then Bucharest, Romania. Then Chisinau, Moldova.

The adventure has begun.

I'm still waffling about bringing the Macbook. It'd be nice to have a place to dump my photos to and to connect to the world with. But... carrying all this crap around is a bit of a drag.

So... 16 minutes to make a decision.

The thing is, I already have my camera gear, et al. So it's not like I'm not already encumbered.

How is it that I can make a decision to move to Africa in a second flat, yet it takes days to decide whether to bring my computer to Ukraine.

Anyway... I will post as I am able. Hopefully tonight from the capital of Moldova!

And with that, a little Canned Heat:



Cheers!

Doug

from the "saving it up" dept.

Yes, I realize I should write more on Roadspill than just simply posting links. But, in my own defense, there hasn't that been much to write about.

No arsehole roommates, no little-lost-souls with their laughable sense of superiority, no cool adventures in far-off lands.

That said, I'll at least make an effort at an update:

Working full-time is a challenge. Especially with other projects on the go. It's not that I'm not used to working a lot -- it's more a case of having to deal with a fairly rigid workday. 9-to-5 is tough! How does one fit all the other stuff into a weekend?!

It was a bit different last week. I worked three 6pm to 2am shifts and then two 9-to-5 shifts. The turn-around was tough, but working nights allowed me the time and clearheadedness to finish the second of three magazine articles about development projects in Ghana.

I was also able to book tickets to see the Seattle Mariners (vs Oakland) on April 26 and 27. This is part of my upcoming trip to Denmark/Romania/Ukraine/Moldova et al. Basically:

April 25: Finish at the CBC.
April 26: Head to Seattle to see the M's.
April 27: See the M's again in an afternoon game.
April 28: Fly to Copenhagen before a 3 week journey around the breadbasket of the former-Soviet Union. Hello perogies and garlic coils!


I also booked a flight from Bucharest, Romania to Chisinau, Moldova on Air Moldova. Part of their fleet is from Soviet times. Old Aeroflot mainstays like Tupolev-134s and Yakovlev Yak-40s.


I've been able to put some money aside because I'm still living at no fixed address. Thanks to the generosity of my friends and good timing, I've been able to bounce between house-sitting opportunities and couch surfing. So far, so good.


More stability arrives in April when I start a three-month house-sitting "gig."

In other news: I've been suffering a bit of "old man's hip." My degree in medicine tells me that the problem is directly related to porking up in Africa. And at Christmas. However, once the sun shines on a more regular basis and I'm not moving every few days, I'll take my bike out of storage and start building the Ks. I'm sure some regular exercise will do wonders.

Well... It's now 8:30 on a Sunday morning... time to run off for a coffee and fat-laden muffin at Honey's.

I'm off!

Cheers!