TIMEWARP ALERT! This is my border expedition report for July 9, 2003:

Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Oelstykke, Denmark

The alarm goes off at 7.
The alarm goes off at 8.
The alarm goes off at 9.
Rapping on the door alerts me to the fact that I am still a bit jet lagged, or in my elderly state, I need more sleep. Peter’s knocking continues until I mumble some sort of retort to his call for breakfast.

After a shower and a feed of cheeses, meats, and breads, I dive into a bowl of muesli yoghurt. I busy myself with last minute preparations, the never ending quest to book my Belize flight, email a confirmation to the folks I’ll be working for in Belize, and eat some more. Peter has a bunch of things to do today, so that means Mike and I will head into Copenhagen. Mike wants to see Tivoli, a big amusement park in the centre of Copenhagen. I fancy something with less walking. Perhaps I will stay on the train all the way to Malmo, Sweden. Actually this is not possible, as the S train does not go to Sweden. The airport train does – so if you miss the airport stop, you end up in another land. Cool!

11:15am: We are stepping off bus 303 at Oelstykke Station. Then, aboard the train to Copenhagen we decide to go our separate ways: Mike will check out Tivoli while I will hire a bicycle and zip around town. Later, we must meet up with the rest of the border freaks at another of Peter’s favourite watering holes. I am tired of walking around Copenhagen, simply because I have done so much of it. It’s one of those things: are you wasting a vacation when you want to just chill out and do nothing? Or is it a waste to feel obligated to do touristy things. Ah, the big dilemmas of traveling.

Outside Central Station, I find one of the rental bike racks. It is a simple operation, and similar to retrieving a shopping cart in Canada. Stick a coin in and off you go. The bikes are plastered with advertising and feature one speed and hard rubber tires. No matter, it is still a kick to be able to cycle Copenhagen. The only bike in the rack has super stiff steering – it probably hasn’t been oiled since Copenhagen was founded.

As Mike heads to Tivoli, I take off at an angle down a busy thoroughfare. My bike is the equivalent to a shopping cart with a bum wheel.

My first goal is to find a replacement bike. After checking out numerous empty racks, I finally find one – and I am now set to ride to my hearts content. Unfortunately it is a hot and muggy day, and I turn in to a hot and sweaty tourist. After a bit of this, I return to the main square and whip out a book. I spend the next hour alternating between people watching and reading. And I feel no guilt what-so-ever.

I meet up with Mike after returning my bike to an empty rack. It is snapped up immediately. Mike and I hit a grocery story and buy some food for lunch and some snacks for the ferry. After we meet the other border freaks at the pub, we will be headed back towards Nyhaven and the ferry to Poland.

The store has a great selection, and the bananas sport barcodes. We fill up our baskets and then head back to the main square to eat. I am drinking a beer with my lunch. An elderly Chinese woman comes up, and gestures that she wants the bottle. As it is still half full of beer, I gesture that she can go away. She walks about 20 feet away and is joined by a young boy. A minute later, he is gesticulating that I should finish my beer and give him the bottle. Soon, this escalates into a war of the wills. I become extremely possessive of my bottle and determined to keep it until the last possible second. Finally, after been stared at and likely cursed in Chinese, I give in.

Mike and I walk towards the bar where we are supposed to meet the rest of the group. We stop for ice cream (Magnum bar #1) at a 7-11 and then enter the bar. We are the first ones, so we order a beer and a napkin to wipe the ice cream from our chins.

Suddenly, familiar voices are heard: it is Anne, Harry and Peter! We all exchange hugs and start chatting away about what we’ve been up to since the last border expedition. We’re waiting for our newest member of the group, Hans-Peter.

When Hans-Peter arrives, he orders another round for us, and then picks up the tab. Again! What a guy!! He knows a lot about modern European history and he fascinates me with his stories.

On our way to the ferry terminal, we stop and see what is supposed to be a big deal in Copenhagen: the statue of a mermaid on a rock in the harbour. I decline to tell everyone about the one that resides in the harbour in Vancouver.

There is a line-up at the ferry terminal, so I walk around exploring and taking pictures. It is around 9pm.

Finally the ferry begins to load, and we pass through Danish customs control. I had not expected to get a stamp or go through customs before Poland.

The ferry reeks of oil. On the car deck, in the pub, even outside – the pungent smell is inescapable. The sun is beginning to set as we cast off. The group of us is standing outside, watching Copenhagen slip past. We’re only 5 minutes behind our scheduled departure.

We pass the Oresund bridge (one of the longest in the world) as well as a row of huge windmills standing out in the sea. With the sun setting, it creates a beautiful scene. Pictures to be posted soon!

The Polish ferry features a bar with a hot tub and lots of Polish women. They are very different from the Danish women – more stylish and less earthy. It’s like Denmark is the land of milkmaids and Poland is the land of models.

There is a duty free shop on board, but there isn’t anything too exciting to buy. After a snack it’s time to crash. I’m still hungry – so I make some sandwiches from the leftovers from the meal in the square earlier. I wonder if warm 6 hour old salami is harmful? I also struggle to keep up with my journal. And I spend more time texting people back in Canada. The content of the messages usually has to do with beer, the book McCarthy’s Bar, and beer again.

The cabin is small, and I am sharing with Jesper. He has the top bunk, mainly due to my fear of rolling out of bed in the middle of the night. There is a sound system built into the wall which features four audio selections. All seem to be Polish dance music.

I set my alarm for 6am and drift off to sleep, and all night I dream that I work at an oil refinery.

-30-

TIMEWARP ALERT: This is my border expedition report for July 8, 2003:

Tuesday July 8, 2003
Oelstykke, Denmark

I rise early and jump on Peter’s computer. The big challenge for the day, if you can call it that, is to book a flight to Belize in August. This is for work, and it will see me traveling down there to work on a couple of documentary projects. In order to make the purchase, I must transfer money from one account to another, pay my visa, and pull a few other financial miracles. Using a PC again reminds me of how blessed I am to be a Mac user. After multiple crashes, encryption problems, and blue screens of death, I give up. Anyway, its time for one of those big Danish breakfasts of cheese, cold cuts, and heavy bread. Three more reasons to love Europe.

After breakfast, we take the bus to Oelstykke’s train station and board the S train for Copenhagen. We stroll around, Peter, Jesper, Mike and I. It is a beautiful day and the beautiful people are filling the cafes in Nyhaven, the trendy beautiful people area of the city. I snap a large number of photos of signs, musicians, and buildings. We climb the big round tower in the centre of town.

The Jazz Festival is on, and the plan is to visit a local venue for some music and beer. But a few thousand other beer and music fans have the same idea, and we are denied. We stroll around some more, taking in the beauty of Copenhagen.

Peter takes us to one of his favourite watering holes, Gulliver’s. It is here where he watches footie with his mates. The bar is totally English as is the bar staff and clientele. I make two amazing beer discoveries named Black Pearl (a black ale that could be the evil twin of a Guinness) and a lighter pint called Kostrizer. My handwritten notes sum these tasty offerings with one word: yum.

As the day gets late, we visit a restaurant that I last was at in 2001. It is called “Broadway” and serves Turkish fare. The best thing about Broadway is that not only is the food good, the prices are cheap – even by Copenhagen standards. 49DKK! Which is about $10. And Dandy Dolma too.

Back at Peter’s, I am dealing with Travelocity and Visa. Still trying to resolve the Belize trip issue. I am also fighting fiscal fears – that I am living a lifestyle way beyond my means (stupid thinking, I know). I discover the wonders of SMS or Texting – and slowly hammer out messages to folks back in Canada. 10 cents per text is much cheaper than calling home.

I wrestle with whether or not to bring my video camera along on the actual expedition. I know that if I bring it, it will seriously impede my enjoyment of the trip. And if I shoot in a professional style (ie: taking time to shoot video that doesn’t look like holiday videos) then I will seriously impede my border mates. I decide to leave it at Peter’s. And anyway, why bring something along that could be stolen? Both the laptop and the camera will be safe in Oelstykke.

We close the day with discussions of what will be and a few cocktails. My room at Peter’s is his wife’s art room. It is adorned with art. In the 2am darkness, I notice that the ceiling has glow-in-the-dark stars and the clock radio beside my bed projects the time on the ceiling in devil red numerals. I feel like I am on a drug induced trip as I drift off to sleep.

-30-

TIMEWARP ALERT!!! This is my border expedition report for: July 7, 2003

July 7, 2003
Hedehusene, Denmark

I am paying the price for not editing the Great Central European Border Expedition 22 months ago! Without an injection of cash, its hard to commit time to such a huge project: chopping 20 hours of footage into 1 hour. It sounds easy, but believe me, it is anything but!

So, that leaves me at Jesper’s place, with all the GCEBE footage burned to a dozen disks. In preparation for a evening get together at Peter Hering’s place (he is the expedition leader), I have decided to put together some of the footage. I spend the day on it, hacking through all the events that made up Day 1. After several hours, I have a rough, though long, day one video. The GCEBE was 11 days. This is going to take a while.

There is still no internet at Jespers, which is probably a good thing. Though I am in the middle of setting up some shoots back in Canada, and access to email would be nice. When Jesper comes home from work, I am still hammering away at the video.

We head over to Peter’s place in Oelstykke (Ølstykke). I will be staying at Peter’s this evening, so I am loaded down with my million-kilo bag, video gear, and laptop. It is great to be back in the company of my two borderfreak friends again.

As we sit and talk excitedly about the big event that is just days away, we are joined by Hans Peter Nissen – another Danish borderfreak and Mike Kaufman from the USA. We look over maps and then take a look at my videos. Hans Peter orders and then pays for pizza. What a great guy!

The beers flow as we flip through Peter’s collections of previous border expedition pictures. It is unbelievable to think that we’re about to start our third! We’re all very excited, though it seems weird that the rest of our border mates are not here yet. It won’t be a real expedition without the likes of Rolf, Harry and Anne.

It is quite late when I make my way to my room. Sleep comes easily.

-30-

Only a weekend seperates me from the next journey to Belize. I leave Monday night (8/11) and arrive the next afternoon. I'll be down there for nearly a month, and will be able to do something that I haven't been able to do in Canada: make some $! Talk about a slow production year! Yeesh!

I was just thinking about all of the traveling that I have been able to enjoy in the last two years: NYC, Ireland, most of Europe, Central America... and Australia before that. It amazes me still. I love it so.

I have not forgotten to post the notes from the Baltic Border Expedition. I am still behind, but I hope to make head way this weekend. And there will be the Belize updates as well.

Cheers!

Doug

Hi. I have rubber legs. Today I (along with friends Lorne and Katrina) drove up to Squamish, BC and hiked "The Chief," a 702m very steep climb. I think coming down was harder. What a work out. And the view was amazing. There are 3 peaks... we climbed to both 2 and 3 (the highest ones). It gets to the point where you haul yourself along using ropes (chains) and ladders. Unreal!

Here is a PDF map of the trail.

I found some pictures of the trails that we did... and a shot of The Chief. I only shot a few photos... this link will take you to some that are just as good.

Pictures Here!

Cheers!

D

Spent Aug 2st in a most interesting way: I worked! Yes, work has been slow this summer, but that could be because I have been jetting around the planet in search of invisible lines, could it?

Yesterday I was producing a story on the world's only pro female bronc buster! We were out in Abbotsford BC, where it was hot and dusty and I swear I had been transported to the Canadian prairies.

Kaila Mussell is 25 and is a pretty cool woman. She's in a sport where there have been no women for 60 years! And she competes directly against the menfolk. We were able to get right down to where the gate is that she launches out of on a bucking horse. The power of the horse is incredible, and it makes you wonder why anyone would care to do such a thing.

It's a hard life for Kaila (from Chilliwack, BC). Now what she is a pro, she has to go to various rodeos to compete and get better. And she generally rides once per rodeo -- only for 8 seconds, if she doesn't get bucked off. Unfortunately she did yesterday. So far this year, she has been to 60 rodeos -- driving all night to get to the next one. Sometimes sleeping in her car. Sometimes bunking with people. Rarely staying in a hotel, as it costs money, and there isn't a lot of money at this stage in her career.

But she has focus and grit, and will do very well in the years to come.

And that is how I spent my Saturday.

WEIRDNESS

Tonight I met a man named Bart Simpson who used to live in the house where I now live. No shit.

It's a mad mad mad mad mad mad world.

If you're wondering were tales from the GBBE are... well, they are coming, but slowly. Time is an issue, but so is accuracy... and some of the locations need to be confirmed before I publish them here.

In a little over a week I will be headed to Belize for work. Yet another trip. And the last one for a while.

Keep checking often!

D

It has been so hot in Vancouver that I feel like I live in a sauna. Except a sauna would be cooler than my home. Like last summer, we have had an incredible stretch of hot and sunny days. And the forecast calls for many more. I think going to Belize in August will be a relief!

I've been very busy looking for new gigs. It is very slow, and there isn't much. That always means that you have to work harder to find work. And that eats up time to trancribe the rest of the border expedition notes. Though I should get some more done within the week.

I leave for Belize one week from Monday. SO much to do...

Cheers!

Sunday, July 6, 2003

After the mega-sleep, it is time to go into Copenhagen with Jesper to explore. I have been here before, but nothing beats walking around a European capital. Later in the day, we meet up with a friend of mine, Al Coen, who has been in Prague covering the 2010 Olympic decision. His flight included a forced one night stay in Copenhagen.

Jesper and I meet him at the central train station and then we all go a-wandering. We relax in the evening in Nyhavn, the area of the city with outdoor cafes and pubs. Then we board the brand new subway (ingeniously called Metro) and head back to Central Station. Jesper and I say goodbye to Al, and then we head back to the ‘burbs. Jesper’s internet is down, so that means another early night.

-30-

/// Here is the first installment from my Great Baltic Border Expedition notes. This covers the period of July 4 and 5. ///

July 4, 2003

This is the third time in 22 months that I have flown to Europe to take part in a “Great Border Expedition.” This, the Baltic version, promises to be the most interesting yet.

It has been 10 years since first setting foot in Europe. This is the sixth time. Portugal ’93. Bosnia ’97. Malta ’98. GCEBE ’01. GEEBE ’02. And now GBBE in 2003.

As I write this, I am midway between Toronto and Copenhagen. The sun has followed the flight the whole way, creating the longest day. I have no idea what time it is, but I think it is around 3 am Copenhagen time. The plane took off on the 4th, and arrives on July 5th at 7:30am local. I have been aloft since 8:30am Pacific time.

This was a 2 part flight. First from Vancouver to Toronto. That leg was fine, however upon boarding, I was forced to minimize in the world’s smallest seats. The back row sucks. Once airborne, I quickly moved to add another cubic centimeter of breathing room. This landed me next door to a young Frenchman named Christophe.

Christophe was heading home after studying film in Vancouver. He had with him a PD150, the exact same video camera that I own. We talked about all sorts of stuff – and his interest in modern European history. He was reading the Dummies Guide to the 20th Century, something this dummy needs to read.

The sun is shining through the windows opposite. The light is very red, and this multi-hour sunrise will continue as I speed east.

For entertainment, the film “10 Ways to Lose a Man,” was screened. The Kate Hudson (swoon) vehicle was good mind candy. Nothing to write home about, but not the worst thing that I have ever seen.

(Later – Toronto to Copenhagen) I am tired but not exhausted. Two hours in Toronto consisted of a mad dash from one terminal to the other. Luckily my mega-tonne bags were checked through. I am driving myself nuts thinking about creating new revenue streams. It seems this experiment in freelance is not working as well as I’d hoped. Despite huge income occasionally, I find that I am slipping further and further into debt. This is not a good thing.

To chase away the money demons, I fire up my laptop and watch about an hour of the film The Royal Tennenbaums. What is it about this film that I love so much. It is hardly inspirational – and in fact, rather depressing. Could it be that I relate to the characters? All the characters have grown into adulthood, but have not changed since childhood. Hmmmm.

Perhaps it is simply that I love the look, the music, the acting, and the characters? It’s the kind of movie I would like to make. Witty and sad, like real life. Not like “King of Queens” which is what Air Canada is offering the the big screen.

For this part of the flight, I am lucky that the plane is half-full. I have two seats to myself, so I am able to create a little camp. There are lots of kids on the plane, but they are well behaved and starting to drift off.

Officially, the day changes, and it is now:

Saturday July 5, 2003.

The plane touches down, finally, at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen. I stumble off the plane, head through customs, grab my bags, and walk out to be greeted by Jesper Nielsen. Can it be that almost a year has passed since last I did this?

Jesper drives us out to his home, about 30 minutes past the airport in a suburb of Copenhagen. We take the scenic route and he points out all the commune borders along the way. The border expedition has begun!

I am staying at Jespers for several nights, which is very easy on the pocketbook. His wife, Nicolette, has a big lunch ready for us when we arrive. This is enough to push me over the edge. I take a nap.

When I wake up, we decide to see if I can get Jesper’s internet to work with my computer. We plug in a cable and struggle to make it work. Nicolette calls us for dinner, and I put the computer on a high dresser, cable dangling across the floor.

As we eat our second huge meal of the day, Jesper goes to fetch something from the bedroom. CRASH. He has tripped on the cable and my $5000 computer has flown through the air, landing on the floor. Without leaving the kitchen, I know what has happened. Great timing, I think to myself.

Jesper is apologetic when he walks into the kitchen. Then we all go look at the damage… it could have been worse. There is some damage to the hinges where the screen attaches to the body… and some hairline cracks in the case. But, the screen is unscathed and everything appears to still work. A miracle!

After all this excitement, it is time for bed. I sleep for 11 hours.

-30-