tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83205523625141018892024-03-05T05:54:37.082-08:00Neal Logan TravelogLightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-20254395472236630012017-01-25T02:08:00.000-08:002017-01-25T02:13:26.542-08:00Day 2: exploration of Trollhattan, education and skating tests<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Monday, January 23, 2017<br />
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0030: Fell asleep watching BBC World Service at 20:00 after an extremely long day of travel, was wide awake again only four and a half hours later. So, I get up to write yesterday's travelog from my hand written pocket notebook into this text file that I will then copy into the blogspot app along with photos. My mind was not working well, and I was unable to figure the transfer of images from mobile phone to my netbook for composition of the travelog on the blogspot app. So, I decided it better to go back to sleep for another four hours.<br />
0800: awoke, showered and shaved before putting a little more work on the computer to transpose the travelog and add photos.<br />
0900: Down to the dining room for breakfast where the other three USA referees are there working on their computers. They too, had early rise and were waiting for the dining room to open at 0530. I enjoy breakfast and conversation with our USA corps before the dining room closes for breakfast.<br />
1030: I decide to take a walk along the river and explore the trails between the canal and the natural river where there were historical waterfalls. <br />
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Trollhattan is name based upon Troll Hats, which signifies the natural rock formations that poke up from the river and resemble the hats of a troll. There is a series of great waterfalls in this area with a large hydropower system powering industry. Shear cliffs with exposed granite remind me of the area around Taylor Falls on the St. Croix River between the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin north and east of the Twin Cities metro area. A nice walking trail makes its way below the dam, and I find a special rock outcropping with inscriptions of Swedish royalty going back several centuries. <br />
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A beautiful old church overlooks the river gorge between the canal and river. <br />
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I continue my walk back up river to the hotel which is on the east bank of the river canal. With more time to kill, and the desire to walk off more of the kinks in the legs after yesterdays long flight I decide to make the short ten minute walk up to the bandy hall, Slättbergshallen, home of the Grippen Bandy Club. The hall is located in a nature reserve where the receding glaciers had scrubbed the landscape clear leaving large flat horizontal slabs of exposed granite. There are nice walking trails where many people are out walking their dogs, and there are many birds flying about. The birds are quiet, so I am not able to attempt at imitation of their whistling calls. After brief reconnaissance of the facility, I make my way back to the hotel for lunch before we are scheduled to begin the referee education, tournament protocol, and written tests of the FIB rules.<br />
1400: we meet at the referee conference room in the hotel, and I find myself beginning to set up with the referees before I realize that I am now a Supervisor and will be seated at the front of the room with the other four FIB Match Delegates. I do miss the camaraderie of the referee corps, but also am very happy to have been invited to act in this new capacity.<br />
1730: the education and tournament protocol is completed and we break before dinner, opening ceremonies and skating test at the bandy hall later in the evening.<br />
1900: opening ceremonies begin with procession of the teams from hotel to the town square. The referees may participate in only part of the ceremony due to need to depart for skating test.<br />
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1930: Team FIB (referees and supervisors) board the motorcoach for transport to the arena where the referees will be put thru their skating tests. The first test is composed of an endurance interval test where the referees skate a 240 meter oval circuit inside the bandy pitch. Each lap must be skated in 30 seconds, with a thirty second rest in between each interval. Referees must complete the circuit withing 5 meters of the line at the 30 second time - or they are shown a Caution Yellow card. Upon two Cautions, the referee must stop and they are recorded the number of laps completed. Assistants must make 12 laps and Head Referees a minimum of 15 laps. This is not an easy task, and the key is to make a quick start for first 50 meters of the lap and then carry the momentum thru the rest of the lap. The referees skate as a group and take turns leading the pack and breaking the wind like speedskaters or cyclists. All of the skaters to well, and the leader of the referees are able to get a first look at skating skill of each of the referees.<br />
We then spend 10 minutes cooling down with some instruction on positioning during match situations such as corner strokes. Each referee position is defined depending upon which corner the play is restarted. It is critical that the Assistant Referees understand the system of control based upon whether the corner is taken from their side of the pitch.<br />
The second skating test is for agility and entails skating a rectangular course of six cones at 40 meter intervals. Each skater starts at the middle of one side and skates forward the first leg to and around the first cone, 90 degree turn and around the second cone where another 90 degree turn toward the middle cone where there is a corner flag set up. The skater then switches to backward skate another 90 degree turn into figure eight pattern back toward the start line cone. The figure eight is completed still skating backwards and continues with 90 degree turns around the final two cones to the finish. This test certainly gives the Referee Leaders a complete indication of each referees ability on their skates.<br />
2100: the skating session is now complete and one of the teams is arriving for their practice session, the referees pack their gear bags and we board motorcoach back to hotel and again to the conference room where the first days assignments will be given. There is great anticipation, and I am very happy to see that our USA referees have shown their excellent skating skills, giving the leaders confidence to give them their assignments. All referees are instructed that assignments are to be held in strict confidence, for the referees assigned to all games are not published until one our before each fixture, when the team leaders meet in the referee room for handshakes and to confirm the jersey colors are in contrast. We USA referees are now really hitting the wall that is jet lag, and we head straight to bed. Our second day is now in the books, but we have been on the run for three days now. Tomorrow the tournament begins and there are sure to be some butterflies in the stomachs of the referees which is a good thing in anticipation. I have great confidence in our crew and their preparation. The two female referees will make history tomorrow as they will be pioneers - being the first to referee in a major International Men's tournament. I am so very proud of both the FIB and these very talented individuals in this regard.</div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-39509873428353803352017-01-23T00:12:00.000-08:002017-01-23T00:51:38.910-08:002017 World Bandy Championships: Day One travel to Trollhatten, Sweden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Saturday, January 21, 2017<br />
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Preparing for trip to Trollhattan, Sweden to participate in the International Bandy Federation (FIB) World Championships, B-Pool. So very happy to have prepared in advance with most of my gear washed and packed several days ago. With an afternoon flight, this gives me extra time this morning to wrangle the rest of my belongings before a mid-afternoon flight. I've cleared the refrigerator with some left over sandwich fixings, so have packed myself a sack lunch to enjoy while waiting at MSP (Minneapolis-St. Paul) airport and Delta flight to AMS (Amsterdam).<br />
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1230: called for Uber transport to MSP, and estimate pick up in less than 10 minutes. These new arranged transportation services have made getting to/from the airport so easy and relatively cheap. The 11 mile (18Km) has very little traffic and I am at the terminal in about 12 minutes for $19.<br />
1300: I have cleared the security checkpoint with zero wait, seriously, there was only one person walking thru the queue in front of me and I went direct to the agent to process passport and boarding pass. I have no issues with my carry-on backpack with lunch, electronics, toiletries and my coffee brewing apparatus. The departure gate is very close, and they have made major improvements to the retail areas and the departure lounge is full of single seat booths and high-top bar tables. Each seat has a built-in I-pad where travelers can place orders for food that is delivered directly to your seat. There is a retail area set up similar to a grocery store with fresh fruit in addition to all the other trappings that are found in most airport convenience stores. I am the first of our group of four USA Bandy game officials to arrive, so I break out my sandwich, potato chips and clementine orange. The other referees begin to arrive as I am preparing to begin my airport tradition of brewing a small batch of coffee. <br />
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The portable heating element takes an extraordinarily long time to get the water hot, and I figure this is due to very low amperage being fed to the convenience outlets that are located at each seat. As boarding time approaches, I complete the brew. Our departure is scheduled for 15:18, and I am seated near the rear of the Delta Airbus A330-300 by 14:55, and we take off at 15:30 with on time arrival indicated.<br />
1715: I enjoy these international flights, for each seat is equipped with seat back monitor with free movies and video provided. First beverage service includes complimentary beer, and I select Sweetwater IPA from Atlanta. It is not too bad, but a little sweeter than I prefer, but better than any of the mega-brewery alternatives. Dinner is served shortly thereafter, and I select the spinach ravioli with a glass of red wine. Th dinner includes a shrimp (3 of them) salad, garden salad, dinner roll, cheese and cracker. The ravioli is quite tasty. I hope these two alcoholic beverages will assist me getting some sleep during the overnight flight.<br />
1750: dinner is complete and there are still 5 hours, 21 minutes remaining to destination. I settle back in to complete the most recent in the series of Jason Bourne action thrillers.<br />
2200: the cabin lights come back on, and the flight crew are delivering a breakfast which of Orange juice, greek yogurt, orange+cranberry roll with orange marmalade and of course a cup or two of coffee.<br />
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Sunday, January 22, 2017<br />
0615: we're on the ground and expecting a 10 minute taxi to our gate at the gigantic Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. We have a very quick layover, so we deplane and head for passport control. There is a full queue for the non-European travelers, and I note that there is only one station open. The agents are directing those with 0700 departures to jump the line in order to make their flights. Our boarding is scheduled for 0730, and it looks dire. Shortly, three additional agents arrive for their shift, and the line begins to move along. No worries. We clear passport control and begin our long walk to our departure gate which, of course, is located at the very end of concourse B. The morning walk will do us all a bit of good to work out the kinks after a nine hour overnight flight.<br />
0815: dawn is breaking as we walk down the jetway and stairs to the tarmac where our KLM Cityhopper, Embraer 195 awaits. The temperature is just below freezing (-1 C) and the cold air infused with the fumes from the kerosene jet fuel is crisp in the nostrils as we make our way up the stairs and into the aircraft.<br />
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0850: we are served a wonderful egg salad sandwich for breakfast. The packaging for the sandwich extols the virtues of this particular chicken farm where the happy chickens live in wonderful conditions. There is full description inside of the packaging. <br />
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The 90 minute flight is uneventful (the best kind), and we break out of the low ceiling of clouds just above the treetops. Amazing that the precise navigation technology has us lined up just a hundred feet above the runway. I do have full confidence for my father was a pilot, my mother a flight attendant, and brother is also a pilot.<br />
1000: we have gathered our luggage and there are two drivers at the land side of the airport with the tournament logo sign and USA Bandy to transport us in their two cars a little over an hour up the canal from Gothenburg to Trollhattan. While the sky is overcast and grey we are still able enjoy the scenery of southwestern Sweden featuring large outcroppings of granite rocks, small farm fields and pine woods. There is quite a lot of heavy industry located along the canal with a long history of heavy manufacturing including Saab and Volvo automobiles.<br />
1130: we are all checked into the hotel. The two women referees are booked into one room, the other assistant referee is booked into his double occupancy room and his Chinese roommate will arrive tomorrow. I have the new luxury of a single room, for my position is now that of FIB Match Delegate/Supervisor. I quickly unpack my bags, set up another coffee brew and jump in the shower. We have just over an hour until one of the other FIB Match Delegates picks us up for a short drive to the next town where we will watch an U-20 Elite league bandy match.<br />
1300: We gather in the hotel lobby and drive the short 15 minutes to the town of Vanersborg and their indoor bandy hall. (image). <br />
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This will be a great opportunity for all of us to observe the professional Swedish referee crew work the game. There have been some changes to the referees system of control which will be very important for us all to observe and implement for the tournament which starts in two days time. The game is very good with the visitors enjoying the better of the first half. The team managers obviously make some changes, and the second half is more equal and the intensity has ramped up. We are luck to be accompanied to the match by the FIB Delegate who is also a member of the Swedish Bandy Federation and a leader of their elite referee training committee. He is also an old friend from several of my previous FIB tournaments including my first men's tournament in Moscow 2008 and women's tournament in Irkutsk, Russia 2012. After the game, we visit with the referee crew in their locker room, and have a very short discussion before we depart back to hotel. Upon arrival at the bridge to cross the canal next to the hotel, the gates are dropping as a large ship is making its way up the canal toward the big Lake Vanern (inland sea). The drawbridge raises, and we must wait a few minutes for the ship to pass.<br />
1630: the USA bandy officials are now getting quite hungry and ready to eat and get some much needed sleep. We are able to get some Swedish Krona (8.9 SEK/US$) from the ATM across from hotel, and we begin the short one block walk up the street to Muang Thai a small restaurant that we saw upon our arrival and sounded much more interesting than the ubiquitous pizza places that seem to dot small towns across the world. We all order some curry with rice (95 SEK / $11) and enjoy dinner before we all begin to 'hit the wall' that is jet-lag. It has been a long day.<br />
2000: I have done some organizing of my room and electronics and decided to look thru the television for a moment before going to bed. I find a broadcast of the BBC World Service in English, so watch that for a while to catch up on the news and begin to set up the WiFi on my devices. Shortly, I find myself asleep, so turn off the lights for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, the tournament begins for the game officials with rules review, education on tournament protocol, written rules and physical skating tests in addition to the opening ceremony that will be held in the local park near hotel adjacent to the canal.<br />
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Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-25722411327609430452014-07-03T06:42:00.000-07:002014-07-03T06:42:08.596-07:00Saturday, June 21, 2014 (Amazon Village to Manaus)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
0600: AJ's alarm goes off an hour early, and I wonder if he's done that on purpose to make me feel better about my previous two days mistakes. I immediately forgive him.<br />
0700: rooster phone and watch alarms sound simultaneously. I grab my black books and head to the patio to catch up on my transcriptions. I have been able to write consistently in the books, but have found little time to transpose the text into the computer for posting to the online travelogue. There has been even less time and opportunity to access WiFi and the internet to update the blog. I fear this will be the case for much of the remainder of the trip.<br />
0800: final breakfast at the lodge on our departure day. Another large spread with four fruit juices and half a dozen breads and pastries.<br />
0900: we settle our bar tab R$128, take some photos and return to prepare for our departure.<br />
1000: large speedboat from the Amazon village thru the 'meeting of the waters' where there is a confluence of two rivers, a muddy one and a clear one. The run side by side for 15 kilometers (about 10 miles). Our speedboat has capacity for 32 passengers and is powered by a 225 HP Suzuki outboard motor.<br />
1030: we have made great time down the tributary which is on the north bank just downstream from Manaus. There are diving birds and floating lilys along the clearly defined edge between the two rivers. There are many large container and Petrobras ships (Brasilian state oil company). Most everything must be shipped up river from the coast, and we are a long way from there.<br />
1100: we have returned to the ferry terminal and transfer to a 16 passenger Citroen van. There is heavy traffic. Gasoline is R$2.90/liter (US$5.24/gal) Ethanol is R$2.59/l (US$4.63). It is approaching mid day and the temperature is 34C (92F) luckily we are in air conditioned transport. Just before noon, we are dropped at the Manaus airport where we will pick up rental car. The Num Lock on my netbook is acting up and it is a major pain, for I am unable to transpose my notes from the black books into the computer, or compose any sort of email.<br />
1530: I break out our portable coffee apparatus and make another couple cups in the Fun Zone as we watch a game. I meet a nice guy, Casey Grady, who is working for a company that is making child labor free soccer balls. We encounter a major issue with the rental car, as we understand that the Dollar agency is at another location. As it turns out, it is only just around the corner at the old terminal. What a waste of time. Unfortunately, we did not determine this until after Bill and Charlie had arrived from Rio - we could have figured this out while we had all afternoon to spare.<br />
1900: we're finally on our way after selecting the Chevy Celta over the Fiat UNO. Just barely able to fit our large hockey gear bags with scarves plus the four of us and our carry on packs.<br />
2030: and we're finally at the Comfort Inn where we find a large group of US fans already partying in the lobby bar. We have to strategically enter the hotel, for we have reserved room for two.<br />
2100: we depart for the US Soccer Fan HQ party where we have brought in several bags of scarves to sell. Beers are R$7 (US$3.15) they are cold and very bland. A small pizza the sixe of my palm is R$12 (US$5.40). We are making our way around the party, and I have draped scarves over each shoulder to display all sides like a sandwich board. We are moving them like hot cakes. At one point someone from US Soccer approaches me and tells me that if I continue to sell the scarves, I will be asked to leave. I stop approaching people, but with a clear bag tied to my belt, people keep coming. Soon, we have sold all that we have brought to the party. We pile back into our rental car and return to hotel. Big game tomorrow. </div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-62991590427107074622014-06-29T13:43:00.000-07:002014-06-29T13:43:29.896-07:00Friday, June 20, 2014 (Amazon Village)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Friday, June 20, 2014 (Amazon Village)<br />
<br />
0600: again the rooster alarm is going off an hour early, for the phone has not automatically set to the local time (no service). AJ showers then goes back to bed while I venture out to the veranda at the main lodge in attempt to update the transcription of this travelog from my little black books into a text file on my netbook. Of course this is to no avail, as there is just too much to see, and people to talk to. At one point, I note another small group of people pointing back up into the treeline behind the lodge. There is a pack of white faced monkeys swinging among the treetops and are soon gone. There are many birds to be heard and seen in the canopy of trees.<br />
0800: breakfast is again a great spread with strong black coffee, juices, fresh fruits and several types of bread and pastries. Scrambled eggs, pizza, sausages and fried eggs are available. We are eating too well. This portion of our trip so far has been both priceless and a great value compared to what we'd have to spend in Manaus on lodging, transport and food.<br />
0900: we are scheduled for the jungle walking tour and a couple of groups combine into a group of ten. Just down the path from the main lodge and in front of one of the cabanas, Angelo and another guide, cut up a small fish to lure in a caiman (small crocodile / alligator). The caiman knows that every other day there will be a free meal, and is there for the show. We continue our walk with Angelo narrating about the wide variety of flora and fauna in the rain forest. He cuts off a small scab from a tree that he indicates will be developed into a gasoline type fuel in the future. He lights it, and it sparks and sputters - this small bit the size of a large marble can burn for an entire night. This material is also used for incense and has a very nice smell. Another tree is the source for a silicon like material that is used to seal the joints between the wood planks on their boats. This is an ancient material that he indicates is referenced in the bible in the fable of Noah and his arc.<br />
As we prepare to go deeper into the thick jungle he indicates that it is important to keep to the path and not to touch the plants on the sides of the path for there are poisonous spiders and snakes that may be camouflaged. We can hear a troop of monkeys in the canopy, but I am unable to see them. Angelo stops at a tree, and cuts a small twig for us to smell - it is the basis for some perfume. The soil in the rain forest is some of the worst in the world and there is only a small depth of top soil (3-4") over sand. The roots of the trees spread out and the base of the tree has a buttress like structure at the base to keep it stable. Trees here can not grow as big and tall like in our California redwood forests.<br />
1000: the elderly English woman is feeling fain due to the heat and humidity and the second guide leads the couple back to the lodge. It would be impossible to follow the barely perceptible path back on ones one. The interesting tour continues with description of the killer bees (breed of African and European varieties) which kill the most people in Brasil than any other animal. We are also challenged to point out the tree that is used for making the blow pipe - winner gets a caipirinha from the bar that evening. Our Australian friend is able to point out the variety from which the 3 meter blowpipes are made.<br />
1045: there is sun and clouds and Angelo predicts rain as we continue our trek. Next stop and he displays a fibrous bark that is used for making rope. Another plant, the palm is twisted and tied into a foot and a half circle. This is then placed between the feet and used to climb trees. A demonstration is given, then several of the tourists give it a try to a varying degree of success. AJ is able to climb several feet up. The most dangerous animal in the rain forest is the wild boar, and we are shown that the only way to survive an attack by pack of boars is to climb up into a tree. I am challenged to climb up onto a vine, which I am able to do and then recline for a photo op.<br />
1145: we have returned to the lodge via a circuitous route as the rain begins to fall. AJ and I return to our cabana for our swim trunks to take a dip off the dock before lunch.<br />
1230: lunch is another great spread including large Dorado (catfish) fillets, beans and the assorted medley of great food.<br />
1400: we launch from the dock in two long tail skiffs of eight passengers each and head back down the tributary for our piranha fishing trip. AJ's Geostat has reacquired our global position, and we are looking forward to tracking on a map upon our return. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a signal for the GPS during the morning jungle trek.<br />
1500: we've navigated down river to a small lake and we can see the main Amazon river beyond a treeline. We pull into the shade of the treetops and prepare to drop a line and hook with small cube of beef into the water. The technique is very interesting, for after dropping in the line, the tip of the rod is thrashed about in the water to attract the piranhas. A flock of Maracana parrots is also making a racket in adjacent palm tree. Only Angelo and the guides have caught fish so far, so we move to another location. Shortly after stopping at our new location, I am the first tourist in our boat to catch a yellow piranha, which is the size of a sunfish but with incredible sharp teeth. With little more success, we move across the small lake to another location. I can see a single egret roosting in a low branch. Many of the egrets must have migrated back to the northern hemisphere while the water is so high.<br />
1615: we depart the fishing hole after some limited success; and hope the other boat has had better luck, so we can have a nice tasty snack of fresh cooked shore lunch at our next stop. We cross the lake to a small dock / deck, where there is a long picnic table spread out for our arrival. We are met by follow the crazy old man with a funny basket like hat on his head (apparently a version of the tin foil hat - worn by some who believe in some craziness). We grab some cold drinks (small Brahma can R$10 (US$ ) and follow the old man up the riverbank to his rubber making hut for a display. We are shown how the rubber trees are sliced with diagonal cuttings and the white latex drips into tin cups. We then go to his hut where he has a small fire of burning leaves creating a warm smoke to dry the latex that is used to spread upon a form to make any type of rubber object. Of course, for the display, he is reputed to be the local maker of condoms - good to last three years. There are several phallic forms on display and he begins his demonstration. Shortly, he has one completed, and one of the Aussie's has gladly paid R$10. for his souvenir. Next there is a display of how the locals had made rubber balls that were the wonder of the first European explorers. A base form is created with a small Coke bottle. This rubber form is stripped from the bottle and blown up like a balloon to create the form. This balloon is then taken over to a long plank that has had a thin film of rubber/latex spread to dry. The leading edge of the rubber is peeled up and the rubber ball is then used to roll and shape the form for durability. Soon there is a durable rubber ball - amazing.<br />
Eventually a foreigner smuggled 40,000 rubber plant seeds out of the country and the Brasilian rubber plantations were no longer of any value. Henry Ford bought a large tract of land and planted trees in Brasil to supply rubber tires for his automobiles.<br />
1700: we return from the rubber demonstration to find the dock / deck / bar with a spread of our freshly cooked piranhas. The fish is great tasting and as fresh as you can get. Those who caught the piranhas are offered up the jaw bones that are covered in the razor sharp teeth.<br />
1715: return via the long tail boats to the Amazon village as the sun is setting behind some far clouds. Upon our arrival back at the Amazon Village, we are back into our swim trunks and jumping off the dock for a refreshing dip.<br />
1900: dinner again, and we are fed like kings. Tonight the star of the meal is a whole cooked Dorado. There is a special cooked vegetable, Machacha, that is unique to the Amazon and resembles a cucumber. Rain begins to fall is a torrential downpour, and none of the guests want to leave the tables. Eventually, we are persuaded to retire to the bar for caipirinhas, so the staff is able to clean the dining area. There is thunder and lightning in the distance. The sound of the rain falling upon the thatched roofs is wonderful. We have several rounds of caipirinhas and conversations range from futebol to travel and economics.<br />
2200: early to bed with a quick scan of the rafters before settling in after a magical day in the Amazon rain forest.</div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-61020770175246671072014-06-29T11:02:00.000-07:002014-06-29T11:02:29.752-07:00Thursday, June 19, 2014 (Manaus Hostel to Amazon Village)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
0600: alarm set an hour early by mistake. Hope AJ doesn't dock me another demerit. I try to make amends by getting right up and starting our coffee ritual while he snoozes for another half hour. Meanwhile, I sit down to transpose the notes from my little black book and into the text file on my net book. I have only been able to transpose up thru Monday as we have been on such a hectic schedule - I hope we can find some downtime, but I fear we may have scheduled ourselves on a very tight timeline for the entirety of the trip (at least thru next Wednesday when we depart Rio de Janeiro).<br />
0700: and the breakfast provided by the hostel is ready. Coffee, bread, cheese, pineapple, guava (or papaya) and banana.<br />
0800: we're all packed up and ready to be picked up by Brazil Nuts tour. As we wait outside on the veranda the temperature and humidity is stifling with barely any breeze to cool our skin. Half and hour and still no sign of our transport.<br />
0905: the transport (Peugot 15 passenger van with air conditioning) arrives. Maybe there was some misunderstanding between our itinerary and the tour provider here in Manaus. There is an Austrian couple already aboard, and we are off to pick up the next pilgrims. Ten minutes later we have arrived at the Inner City Premium Hotel to pick up a pair of Australian guys as the rain begins to fall. Our guide, Angelo (Marco) indicates that he doesn't believe the rain will last too long. The slight drizzle has become a downpour and there are dark clouds on the horizon. We pass by a covered field with several guys playing futebol. There are a couple more fields adjacent - Brasil really is crazy for their futebol. We pass some gas stations where the price is R$3.84/liter (US$6.85). I imagine the greater cost compared to Natal is due to it all having to be shipped up the river, and there are many tanker ships moored in the river.<br />
0940: arrival at the ferry terminal. The guide, Angelo, asks if we're all prepared and lists some items of importance: flashlight, rain poncho, water. He indicates that we should all purchase a 2 liter bottle of water R$4 (US$1.90). There will be drinks available for purchase during meals, but nothing else will be provided (later he indicates during our canoe tour that the water in the tributary in crystal clear and is save to drink ... we do not take him up on this. I take a moment to walk down the market and covered terminal where the automobiles pay their fare, then maneuver into position to back up onto the ferry. The ramp slopes to the river and there is meat and fish market on the left side and dry goods on the right. There are piles of fresh fish with some ice covering. They look great, and there are many different types.<br />
<PHOTO><br />
1000: we depart on a small boat which can seat up to 16 passengers and is powered by a Suzuki 115 HP outboard motor. Our group consists of six tourists, our guide, a driver and assistant. The rain continues as we walk down a pair of parallel planks to the dock launch and climb aboard. The boat has plastic screens installed on the front and along both sides to protect us from the now driving rain. We have a very limited view of the riverside and the activity in the middle. The river is massive and even here in Manaus way up the Amazon it is wider than I recall the Mississippi to be near New Orleans. We are shortly speeding along not too far from the north bank and one of the Aussies is drenched by a rouge wave. Apparently they have forgotten to pull in a bollard and it caught a wave. We slow and the assistant hauls it in. We pass a large bridge structure that juts like a bridge into the river. I ask if that is a petrol terminal and he says that it is the water pumping station for the City of Manaus. The driving rain continues and we can see that the river banks are flooded with the tree tops jutting above the water. Due to the weather there will be no chance to see the meeting of the waters today as scheduled - Angelo indicates that we will see upon our return (weather permitting I say to myself). The 'meeting of the waters' is one of the main attractions here in Manaus. This is at the confluence of two rivers, one running clear (Rio Negro) and the other muddy (Rio ?). There are whitecaps on the river and we are in for a bumpy ride.<br />
1030: we turn in to a tributary and stop to change a gas tank and then drop off the assistant, who as it turns out is another boat captain. He is dropped at a dock along the tributary where we can tell that the water is quite high and approaching the houses.<br />
1045: we're now on a smooth tributary and the rain appears to be slowing down. We are now motoring among the tree tops. Angelo indicates that the water is 13 meters above the low season level when there is a small channel only 20 centimeters deep. We have been able to take this large boat all the way instead of having to transfer to one of the shallow draft skiffs with the long tail motor and propeller.<br />
1100: arrival at the Amazon Village. We are given instructions about when we are required to wear shoes and trousers (just during our jungle tour). The keys are passed out, and we are in a 'duplex' cabin next to the Aussie guys. As we are settling in, we hear some excited tones coming from the other side of the wall. The guys, upon inspection, have found a tarantula spider high above in the roof thatch. <PHOTO><br />
1200: We get into our swim trunks and head back to the dock for a swim. AJ and I jump in and swim out to the submerged trees and I climb up into the branches to perch just above the water line. There is only a slight drizzle, and it is warmer in the water than outside of it.<br />
1230: lunch buffet includes beef, fish, spaghetti, the cooks here are amazing. Always enjoyable conversations with our tour mates.<br />
1500: swamp tour via the long tail skiff. The larger skiff have Yamaha 300cc, these can carry about 10-12 people. The locals travel via smaller skiffs which can carry two or three and are powered by Honda 160cc motors. The motors are connected to a four foot 'long tail' shaft with a propeller at the end. These are the only way to travel in the shallow channels in the dry season. We are now in the high water season with the water 12-13 meters above the low water line, when the there is a narrow channel only 20 cm deep. Many of the narrow channels that we are traveling now, are walking paths in the low season.<br />
During our swamp tour we see many birds including buzzards, red hawk (w/ grey white head), fork tailed fly catcher, and egret among various other unidentified aviary. We enter a very narrow tributary where the boat driver shuts down the motor and begins to paddle. We are instructed to be quiet so that we may hear the many noises from the rainforest. The driver then indicates something high in the tree, and we can barely make out the shape of the extremely slow moving three toed slot. The sloth is climbing to the top of the canopy to eat the fresh leaves.<br />
1600: we begin our return to the lodge there is no rain and the sun has begun to poke thru the clouds. We return via the main tributary an there are fish surfacing to feed upon the insects. There are even a few flying fish. We hear a loud racket from a small flock of birds and our guide instructs us that this is a group of Maracana (parrots) and is the namesake of the famous stadium in Rio.<br />
1650: visit a traditional Amazon house where they are selling some handmade wares in addition to some items that have obviously been purchased in Manaus. I purchase two bracelets for R$5 each and AJ and I have an ice cold Kaiser beer R$5.<br />
1715: depart the traditional riverside village for the 5' ride back to the Amazon Village Lodge. As we approach the compound, Angelo indicates that we are riding 10 meters above the soccer field and we can make out the rectangular shape of the treeline at the perimeter. Upon our return there is a great commotion as a tarantula spider hanging at the edge of the eave next to the dining room where it is catching the flying termites. It makes quick motion to snatch the insects from the air with it's hairy front legs and draws them into the mouth.<br />
1800: dusk descends and the flying termites are crazy bad, so we must be sure to close the door to our cabana which has insect screens on the windows to keep the bugs at bay.<br />
1900: dinner at the lodge is again a wonderful spread, and there are four other groups in addition to our own. One of the groups includes a couple of women from Seattle and one of their sons. Another group includes an elderly couple from England and three folks from Vancouver. Dinner includes: salads of shredded cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and some beet like vegetable. Main courses are: vegetable soup, spaghetti, rice, potatoes, carrots, lasagna, beef (flank steak and tongue) and fish.<br />
2200: bedtime, and I have put in my earplugs and begun to sleep when I hear Andy freaking out and letting out a curse. He has been laying in bed not yet asleep when a tarantula spider drops and lands on his neck. He brushes it off, feeling the hairy legs\ and can hear the patter of the eight feet across his pillow. I am just barely able to get back to sleep with one eye open with little fear that the spider will return.</div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-29365874732115115542014-06-28T07:45:00.002-07:002014-06-28T07:45:44.374-07:00Wednesday, June 18 (Ponta Negra to Manaus)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wednesday, June 18 (Ponta Negra to Manaus)<br />
<br />
0700: rooster phone alarm sounds, one snooze then I'm up and beginning to boil some water for coffee. Pack up our stuff and we're on the road to the airport.<br />
0900: we're back on the streets of Natal - this time in the light of day which is much more enjoyable than upon our arrival a couple of days ago. Street signs are clearly visible as we navigate the mid morning traffic. Only one missed turn this time, thanks to the Nokia navigation that AJ was able to download to his phone. We now have full mapping and GPS navigation for the entire country which will make our travel much easier.<br />
1015: arrive at NAT where we park the car at the luggage claim, lower level. We are able to park right there and Avis send a guy out to check the car over as the rental transaction is completed.<br />
1100: we have wrangled our carry on and the two large gear bags full of scarves to the departure level and checked in and got the luggage on its way. They provided large plastic bags to cover the packs - I guess we are expecting thunderstorms upon our arrival in the Amazon.<br />
1140: as we taxi out, I spot a strange looking airplane. It is a Boeing 767 that is painted all white with simple small lettering, Dynamic Airways, and USA tail number N767DA. This must be the charter plane for The American Outlaws. We are wheels up and on our way to Manaus in a TAM airlines Airbus A319. I have seat 1A and feel like a rock star. It is not first class seating, but it is the closest to the front of an aircraft that I have ever been seated. AJ is in seat 1E, the other window seat in the first row. <br />
By the time we get to our seats the overhead bins are full, so we anticipate having the carry ons stowed below. I l . As we taxi out, we note that the minimally marked Dynamic Airways Boeing 737 with tail number,N767DA, is still parked on the tarmac. I was surprised to see that the aircraft was left idle for these several days before shuttling The American Outlaws to Manaus.<br />
1430: arrive in Manaus, Amazon. Despite the cloudy skies, we can make out the massive river system. This is the high water season as the snow is melting high up in the Andes Mountains. We can clearly see that the city is carved from the Amazon jungle/rainforest. A clear edge defines the city and there are only a few arterial roads leading to the north, while to the south, there are roads only accessed by a single bridge on the west (upriver) and ferry at the east. There is slight rain as we arrive.<br />
We seek out the storage lockers, so we may drop our luggage full of scarves. At the desk they indicate R$30/day (US$14) for a large bag and R$15/day (US$7) for a small bag. They indicate that we will need to pay for a large and a small. I begin to negotiate, believing that they have some sort of secure storeroom, but they insist we must pay for a large and a small and there is no negotiation with the woman behind the counter. I continue to insist on two small, so one of the gals leads us outside where we find the lockers. We are able to cram the large hockey gear bag into the small locker and save about $21 for our three days of storage while we go on our tour of the Amazon jungle.<br />
After we finish this task, we arrange for our taxi to the hostel for a set rate of R$65. (US$31). Hostel for us 2 is a pretty nice setup in a massive colonial building near the city center in the south, just two blocks north of the grand auditorium and Governor's house. We are set up in a common room that has five bunks three beds high. There are only nine bunks made up at this time. AJ notices that the top of a storage cabinet has AXE body spray among the clutter of junk and he swears - remembering the hostel in Cape Town, South Africa, where we were in a room with a bunch of drunk English guys who doused themselves before going out. AJ has bad reaction to perfumes, and assumes that the room will be full of Croatian guys returning late tonight after their game at the Manaus stadium.<br />
We get ourselves settled in and retire to the community room on the main floor/entry and have a couple of Skol beers R$6 (US$2.80) for two cans. We both are working diligently to get our phone Brasilian phone service. I had added US$50. to my T-mobile account in Natal in order to make connection with Bill. I now try to change my plan to an International roaming, but decide that I will have to forfeit my current balance and trust that we will be able to get AJ's device(s) to work. The original SIM card purchased in Pipa has not yet worked properly in any of the phones that we have tried. They may be locked to US service provider. AJ used my scissors yesterday to trim down the phone SIM card to fit into one of his Nokia devices, however, we have yet to be able to activate and are in search of a Claro storefront (Brasilian wireless phone provider). After an hour of frustration we decide to bag it and hit the street to find something to eat and return to watch our Minnesota United FC (NASL) play Sporting Kansas City (MLS) in the Fourth Round of the US Open Cup (USOC).<br />
We head down the street toward the Auditorium in hopes of finding a restaurant for some fresh fish. It becomes clear that we may not find what we are looking for, and due to short time we duck into a Japanese restaurant. We realize that only the kitchen and backside are on the first floor and we have to climb the stairs to the second floor (a good sign in my experience). We review the menu and decide on two meals to go. We each get the grilled regional fish with vegetables, french fries and rice for R$45 (US$21) we both have a nice cold beer while we wait R$10 (US$4.70 each).<br />
We return to watch the USOC match via the internet, which is very exciting for us for we had been to the Third Round match in Des Moines the week before our departure. All of the Loon fans are excited for a long run in the tournament. The web stream is quite dodgy with long periods of buffering, but what the hell, we're watching our team in the USOC from the Amazon, eating fresh local fish and drinking cold beer. How great is that!<br />
I set AJ off when I begin to complain about the referee letting the game begin with the teams jersey colors - not enough contrast. KC is playing in their grey half hoop jersey, and our Loons are in their (home) grey. Maybe in the stadium you can tell the difference between the teams, but on the video almost impossible, especially after the players begin to sweat and the lighter grey becomes almost identical. AJ says the referee will sort it out at halftime ... and he did. Sporting KC must have raided their merchandise shop, for they appear in a light blue training jersey of some sort in the second half. The jerseys do not have any numbers. This is just plain incompetence by USSF and the teams for not coordinating well in advance what the protocol for contrasting uniforms. The ultimate blame resides with the Referee for allowing the game to begin with such a situation.<br />
The Loons central defender, Cristiano Diaz is sent off for a straight red card in the 50' and the team face an up hill battle on the road and down a man for 40'. Our keeper Mitch Hildebradt makes some great saves and the team is defending very well, but KC are able to score in the 76'. The Loons come close to scoring the equalizer on a Thiago header from a corner kick in the 86'. KC score again in the 87' to seal the victory.<br />
2200: it's time for a shower and early to bed for we're anticipating the bunk room to become quite raucous. Our tour will be picking us up tomorrow morning to take us on a motorized boat into the Amazon river and to our lodge. The shower is refreshing and really helps cool me down. The heat and humidity here is incredible. They have had a lot of rain and the hostel operator has indicated that the Amazon is at a 75 year record level. I wonder how the river level will affect our tour.<br />
0000: finally ready for bed and have taken the malaria pill and set up my bed netting by tying off the center and wedging the corners of the netting between the mattress and the wood slats of the bunk above. No signs yet of returning fans, so maybe a peaceful night sleep.</div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-76933986343314044332014-06-27T10:47:00.000-07:002014-06-27T10:47:41.512-07:00Tuesday, June 17 (Pipa to Ponta Negra)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tuesday, June 17 (Pipa to Ponta Negra)<br />
<br />
0700 and my rooster phone alarm is blaring and calling for me to awake and make some coffee, one of our simple pleasures. AJ has brought his folding silicon coffee filter holder. I have a pair of stacking Stanley lexan cups and an immersion water heater. This little kit is going to give us a simple bit of pleasure every morning. We're going thru this first bag of Starbucks Sumatran coffee at a good clip, and I look forward to purchase of some Brasilian coffee in the near future. Bill and Charlie are on their way just after 1000 and AJ and I head out to purchase a SIM card for phone(s). Telephone and wireless service has been terrible, and contributed to a very frustrating couple of days trying to make contact and connections. For example, we must make contact with the caretaker to pass on the keys and transmitter for the automatic door opener to the compound, but we do not have any way to telephone him yet. We are able to purchase a Claro SIM card for R$10. (US$4.70), but are unable to get it to work in the first couple of phones we try. I am not a technology expert by any means, but Andy is and he is becoming increasingly frustrated with the situation. At this point, only Bill and I have been able to communicate via our US phone services but at an extraordinary cost (US$3.65/minute). I have already had to load US$50. to my account in order to make a couple of urgent calls to logisticate the ticket transfer and arrange to meet our crew in Pipa.<br />
1200: we've called the caretaker after paying to use a local land line at a wireless cafe R$2. (US$1) to arrange to meet him at the compound. We trek back up the hill (5 minute walk) but he does not show up. I decide that we will put the key and transmitter into a plastic bag and leave near the automatic gate. We then depart to make another call to the caretaker and the owner to inform of the situation with the keys. Not great, but what else can we do. We need to move on and have now wasted an hour and a half.<br />
1330: we're on our way back to Natal, the road is now quite familiar and we too with our tiny Fiat UNO.</div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-86914497875760312602014-06-22T08:01:00.001-07:002014-06-22T08:01:46.303-07:00Pipa beach swim with dolphins; and game day, Ghana vs USA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Monday, June 16 (Game Day: Ghana vs USA)<br />
<br />
0930: I'm up and boiling some water to make some coffee which we hope will be a part of our morning routine and a very enjoyable way to start the day. Itinerary today is to get out to the beach during low tide (the only way out to this special beach). The special think about this beach in Pipa is that the dolphins swim into this bay and the access is blocked from our walking there by high tide. After some time on the beach we will drive the hour plus back to Natal for the first USA game versus Ghana.<br />
1030: we're finishing up our morning logistics, applying sunscreen and are out the door and heading for the beach. A ten minute walk takes us down the beach and across a scramble of rocks to the 'dolphin bay'. It's a beautiful day with sunshine and some high clouds.<br />
The beach here in Pipa is fantastic. A very long shallow slope with fine sand. There are some decent swells coming in and I'm surely going to do some body surfing. Hopefully the dolphins will make their appearance as anticipated and advertised. The crescent shaped bay here is lined with dozens of umbrellas, and there are a couple vendors walking the beach selling frozen treats, drinks and such.<br />
We settle down in the middle of the beach and there are a couple of dozen people spread out over the quarter to half mile. There were several motorboats soliciting tourists as we left the main Pipa beach, and several of them have come into the small bay and departed without seeing any of the dolphins. There are three bouys in the bay to keep the boats a good distance out and away from the swimmers and paddle boarders. After a few minutes of grilling in the sun, a couple of us go in to test the waters - it's nice. Maybe three to four foot swells make for some difficult body surfing, and the shallow beach lands one right on the bottom after a good ride. We take a couple of turns in the water with one playing sentry over our belongings, and eventually we do see a couple of dolphins near the edge of where some are swimming. AJ, Charlie and Bill are in the water not too far away, they say they got a pretty good look at 'em. Just after noon, we decide we must depart for the next phase of our game day - which is to grab a bite to eat and drive to Natal for the match.<br />
1215: we've gone back to the cabin and done most of our preparation for game day, and head out to one of the restaurants on the main street that are showing the Germany vs Portugal game. We are excited to see how our Group of Death opponents will fare, and I am looking forward to one of my first adventures with the local cuisine. I select shrimp curry with rice and salad. R$22. (US$10.34). The meal is fantastic, as is the game. Germany win, which is a good result for USA. Portugal have a player red carded (will miss USA game) and another injured, which will certainly help our chances next game.<br />
1500: we're on our way to Natal, driving back thru the roads that we only saw in the darkness last night. There are fields of sugar cane and cattle. Several small villages are active, and we pass by a few jackasses - which we find quite appropriate and amusing. In our soccer circle a jackass is an affectionate term - not at all like an asshole. Halfway to Natal we stop at a Petrobras and fill the tank R$82. (US$39.). The gas here is about R$3. per liter (US5.35/gallon). There are several service attendants who jump into action to grab the key to locking gas cap, fill the tank and wash the windscreen. We don't know custom, but we give the guy a small tip. We also purchase a twelve pack of Kaiser beer and a bag of ice R$28. (US$13.). We put the beer in plastic bags and cover with ice, and continue on our way. All of the cars are very small and most of them are the most basic models. Our Fiat UNO for example has manual transmission, steering and window regulators, and of course, the car has no air conditioning. The radio is blocked, so we must resort to entertaining ourselves. We're heading back north on the BR101 at about 700 km/hr (45 mph) when all of a sudden we hit a sleeping policeman (speed bump). What a startling surprise, luckily the car survived at the guys in the back seat were strapped in or they would have hit the roof.<br />
1630: we've arrived at a special parking lot near UFRN, which is a university campus. We find the lot busy with luxury motorcoaches filled with Ghana fans, and a few USA tour groups. They have said that the flight over to Natal was only four hours. They are in great numbers and high spirits determined to make the 'hat trick' or 3-nil, which represents both the most recent results versus USA and the scoring prowess of their main striker in one of their last qualifiers. We've taken out a dozen or so scarves and try to sell to the trickle of USA fans who pass thru the lot. Eventually we are mobbed with Ghana fans wanting to take pictures with us. Pre-game with opposing supporters is really a party atmosphere, and everyone is in high spirits on the outside, but very anxious for the match.<br />
1700: t-minus two hours to kickoff, and we are a short walking distance from the stadium. We decide to each grab several scarves and Charlie puts a bag of five in his cinch sack, and we head out for the game. The short walk takes us along the frontage road of BR101, and the roadside is lined with locals and several small shops selling drinks and snacks. The Ghana fans are singing and dancing. We are held at the bottom of a pedestrian overpass by security forces as a VIP convoy passes thru. We are released to cross the major road with the stadium just a few hundred yards away now.<br />
The anticipation is building as the sun has set. We begin hawking our scarves, and it's a tough sell, but we are able to move them all. We are approached by some older English guy who inquires about buy a large quantity from us. AJ passes along his contact info and we hope we can dump the entire load, so we don't have to carry across the remaining 9,000 miles of our journey. We're in the stadium an hour before kickoff, and we find our seats high in the second deck behind where the US are warming up. Andy and my seats are just six rows apart, so I join him and keep an eye out for Pam, so we might be able to switch and the two of us watch the game together.<br />
With thirty minutes to kickoff, we decide to venture down to the concourse and get something to eat and a beer. We find cheeseburgers R$13. (US$6.) and a Brahma beer R$10.(US$4.75) and return to our seats as the teams are preparing to enter the field. Charlie and Bill are just one section to our right, and there are plenty of extra seats in our row, so I stay there for the game. Next to me is a Brasilian family, mother, daughter and a little boy. Mother tells me that her son is learning English, but he is a little shy. I am writing in my little black book during the game, and they are curious as to what I am taking notes about. I tell them, that as a former referee, I like to take notes on the game which helps me to focus on the game and look back at things like injuries and substitutions.<br />
By now you will know the result and there will be far better sources for game analysis. My only comments on the match would be: our play was not that good in the middle of the match; where did the referee get five minutes of stoppage time in second half (I had two in my book). Despite this, the celebrations in the USA supporters section upon scoring the winning goal was fantastic, and such joy after the previous gutting defeats experienced at the feet of the Ghanain team.<br />
2100: there is a great party atmosphere among the US supporters as we begin our walk back thru the security perimeter which is many blocks around the stadium in all directions. We reach the pedestrian crossing and note that the main route BR101 has been closed in the southbound direction. I know that this can mean only one thing ... Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade will soon be screaming thru and on it's way to the toward the old airport and Air Force base where I had seen the distinctive tail of a US Air Force C-17 transport airplane. The fleet of US Diplomatic Service vehicles will be flown on to their next point of call.<br />
2200: we are back in the parking lot and ready to hit the road, when Charlie dashes from the car toward a Ghana motor coach. I'm thinking, sorry Charlie, we'll never see you again as he disappears around the front of the bus and into the crowd. He returns momentarily, gleefully displaying the fruits of his trade - a Ghana scarf, in exchange for one of his. I am a bit jealous, for I had tried to obtain one in Germany, South Africa and again today to no avail. Good on ya, Charlie.<br />
2330: and we're back in Pipa after relatively easy navigation off the BR101 and thru the small town to find the road to Pipa. The downtown intersection is jumping, so we park the car and head into the mix for a nice cold celebratory beer. We grab a cold beer R$5 (US$2.35) from a guy on the corner with a Styrofoam\ cooler. We wander a little down the road to check out the scene and pass an old man grilling beef kabobs from a little cart. The party is limited to a single street corner of this sleepy tourist town, so we turn aroun\\d toward the action. I decide that I am hungry, and want to try one of the kabobs, so I approach the old ma\n who is seated in his chair next to his portable grill stand kiosk. He is asleep, so I get a little closer and mumble something to awaken him and indicate that I would like to buy kabob R$3 (US$1.40). Andy and Charlie do so as well. There are no kabobs on the small charcoal grill, so I want to be sure they are cooked well. He opens up a drawer of some sort and pulls out three pre-cooked kabobs and places them on the g\rill to reheat and spread some type of marinade upon them. They get up to a pretty good temperature, so I am hopefully that I did not make a bad decision. Much of the meat is really pretty good, but as usual there are a few grisly bits. We carry on down the street with beer and kabob in hand.<br />
The music from the corner music club is blasting, and there must be a hundred people dancing in the adjacent streets. Our legs are a little tired after standing and cheering for 90 minutes at the game, so we go up into an adjacent bar / cafe for another nightcap. I decide that now is the time for me to experience my first Caipirinha. I order the special Brasilian cocktail, which is made from a rum like liquor with lime and sugar . I decide upon the premium version for R$7 (US$3.29).<br />
Lo and behold on the street below, we see our long time friend in futbol, Tanya Keith and her husband, Doug Jotske. They come and join us. We had recently seen them when our Minnesota United FC traveled to Des Moines to play their Menace (USL-PDL) in the US Open Cup. Tanya has just published her book: Passionate Soccer Love; a chronicle of her (and Doug's) journey thru twenty years of marriage and travel to World Cup Qualifiers and Finals. Now they are here celebrating their marriage, and the book with their two kids Aviva and Raphael. We enjoy some great conversations and are joined a short time later by any old friend of Charlie and Andy, Monty Rodriguez. They know him from the late 1990's and the heyday of Sam's Army (the first organized supporters group). I understand that there may be some news regarding a reorganization of this group version 2.0 in the weeks to follow the Finals here in Brasil. I hope so, and look forward to this development for the good of the game in the United States. We retire after another round of cocktails. Tomorrow, Charlie and Bill depart Pipa by local bus transport to Natal and then on to the airport for their flight to Rio where they will spend a couple of days. Andy and I will stay a little longer thru mid-day, check out of our wonderful Airbnb place, and make our way on to the Amazon where a jungle tour and match versus Portugal await. We are finally settling in to bed at 0215.<br />
CHECK BACK LATER FOR SOME IMAGES</div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-4262283133799866132014-06-18T14:49:00.001-07:002014-06-18T14:49:49.790-07:00World Cup Brasil 2014: Day One the trip begins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
World Cup Brasil 2014<br />
<br />
<br />
Saturday, June 14 (Minneapolis > Sao Paulo)<br />
Departure day, the anticipation several years in the making has now finally arrived.<br />
<br />
Packing for this trip has been so easy, compared to my most recent bandy trip in the dead of winter. Aside from not needing to pack all of my referee uniform, skates, helmet, etc.; this trip will require minimal amount of clothing.<br />
<br />
1300: depart home and stop for lunch at the Andale Taquiera Mercado - a growing tradition before any trip. A plate of Ahlambres carnitas and a couple of Tacos Al Pastor are shared between me and my mom. The taquiera is packed with local Latinos enjoying a Saturday afternoon with their friends and families.<br />
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1410: arrive at MSP to find an extraordinarily long line at the check in. No sign yet of Andy, so I get in the queue. A short time later, he arrives, and we sneak him thru to join me so we can check in together.<br />
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1530: cleared security after the body scan and full pat down. Something in/on my carry on bag set off the sensors. After an extensive search with the wipes and additional pat down I am thru and off to the gate lounge anticipating on time departure for Newark. Our United Embraer 175 is a small jet, with little overhead bin capacity. Therefore, AJ and I drop our carry on backpacks at the jetway, making the cabin a little more comfortable for us all.<br />
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2020: arrive at EWR where we have a short layover before the overnight flight to Sao Paulo. I am still trying to get myself organized with my travel documents and such with the new travel pants for this trip. Unfortunately, this second pair is slightly different with fewer zippered pockets and I am struggling to maintain my traditional organizational routine. I become nervous when I am unable to find my passport and boarding pass and begin to rifle thru my carry on. Increasingly agitated and much to AJ's chagrin, I finally realize that I have put the documents back in my money belt. Doh! I am notified by my travel partner that I have been docked one demerit. Damn! I have been trying so hard to regain my former status (scoutmaster - a moniker coined by Jim Crist a fellow traveler to the World Cup in South Africa). I lost my status after a previous debacle on route to World Cup Qualifier in Kansas City when I forgot the group tickets at home. Luckily, we were only thirty minutes down the freeway. This delay seriously cut into our chance for BBQ at Oklahoma Joe's and will follow me for years to come. All of my travel companions are now tasked with observing me as I work to regain my previous stature.<br />
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2200: we are on board and ready for departure. Dinner will be provided on board the United Boeing 767, then we'll take a sleep aid in order to arrive tomorrow morning in Brazil.<br />
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Sunday, June 15 (Sao Paulo > Natal > Pipa)<br />
0820: we arrive at GRU a few minutes early after an uneventful flight (the best kind). We must collect our bags before we clear customs and check thru to Natal. There is zero inspection of our luggage by security/immigration. We are happy not to have to explain our two large hockey gear bags stuffed with about 250 custom scarves that we hope to sell to the traveling USA supporters. This is an ambitious task set before us, but we must maintain our motivation to reduce the load that we have to transport across Brasil over the next couple of weeks.<br />
<br />
We've checked in for our Azul Airlines flight to Natal and now are in search of the FIFA ticket collection center in the main terminal. The small office is easy to find, and there is a small line of traveling supporters from all around the world anxious for the tournament ahead. FIFA ticket kiosks similar (or maybe the same) as provided in South Africa work exceedingly simple. Insert the credit card that was used to purchase the tickets several months ago, and the kiosk prints each of the tickets on the spot. I am able to quickly navigate the touch screen and soon have tickets in hand. Andy, on the other hand, had his credit card compromised in the previous couple of months and was unable to navigate the kiosk. He then had to go into another small office where they quickly remedied the situation and we were both on our way from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 to catch our next flight to the northeastern city of Natal where USA will play Ghana tomorrow night.<br />
<br />
1200: we're in the small departure lounge for domestic flights. The aircraft arrive out on the tarmac where the passengers must walk out and up the stairs into the planes. Our Azul Airlines Airbus A319 arrives and we'll soon be on our way. AJ and I decline to get up and stand in line for boarding and just wait to be near the last aboard. This is OK, however, the overhead bins are full, so I have to fit my carry on under the seat in front of me. AJ squeezes his into the last remaining space overhead. This makes for a very slightly uncomfortable three plus hour flight, but it is "fique tranquilo" - brazilian vernacular roughly translated as - it's OK, no problem. We have emblazoned this slogan upon the reverse side of our USA supporters scarves. Fique tranquilo is the mindset of USA fans upon being drawn into the Group of Death with Germany, Portugal and Ghana. I hope these scarves catch on and we are able to sell them like hot cakes both here in Brasil, at the several watch party venues in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul and via the internet store. The goal is for any profit from the sale of these scarves will be donated to the Sanneh Foundation. Tony Sanneh was the star of the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan where he was magnificent in the USA victory over Portugal and Luis Figo.<br />
<br />
1600: arrive at NAT after about a three and a half hour flight. At the luggage carousel Budweiser have a small kiosk and are offering up free cans to the arriving passengers. Of course there are a couple of strikingly beautiful girls to distribute the iconic American beer. Most of the passengers are taking advantage of the free beer - shocking, I know. AJ and I both decline, as we know that we still have a long day in front of us; which includes driving our rental car to rendevoux with Pam to deliver the tickets that she purchased from us, and then continue our drive an hour down the coast to our tropical beach town of Pipa.<br />
With our luggage collected, we head for the Avis/Budget rental car desk, where AJ has reserved our compact manual transmission vehicle (Fiat UNO). Adjacent is the currency exchange, so I wait in that line to exchange our greenbacks (US$) for the Brazial Reais (R$). The exchange rate is 2.12 to buy and 2.34 to sell. Therefore when we convert the cost in Brasilian Reais to the dollar it is just about half (0.47).<br />
It is winter time now in Brasil, and the sun has set about 1700, so we are off in our little car to try to exchange tickets at the US Soccer Fan Party in Natal. We begin navigating into the city, but encounter an unexpected roundabout just a kilometer outside the airport and no indication of the highway we are looking for. As it turns out, this new airport opened only 15 days ago, and my Google Map has incorrectly published directions. We return to the airport to get a map from the rental agency and continue on our way in search of the night before party in the city of Natal. We have no idea what is in store for us as we begin to navigate the dark streets of this major urban city.<br />
AJ is behind the wheel of our Fiat, the hatch back trunk is full with one gear bag of scarves, the rear seats are both full with my Kosa bandy gear bag plus our two carry on packs. There is no way that the four of us would be able to travel in this car with all of our luggage. As I said, the streets are dark and traffic is heavy as we begin our trip into Natal from the new airport. Signage is exceedingly difficult to read and street signs are almost non-existent.<br />
We are able to make our way into the middle of the town, but get turned around several times as we try to find streets to correspond with our tourist street map. After at least an hour, we are ready to give up on finding the party spot (and also understand from a mis-informed US fan at the airport that the party has been cancelled due to flooding). I break out my US phone, and make what will surely be an expensive phone call to let Pam know that we are giving up on trying to meet up for delivery of tickets tonight. After leaving a message on her phone, I receive a text indicating that the party is ON.<br />
<br />
Andy and I are now quite hungry not having eaten anything except a small granola bar since breakfast. We pass a very brighly lit restaurant, Habib's, and I decide that we need to stop here, relax, eat and re-adjust our mindset before continuing on. I leave AJ with the car, for one of the doors will not lock and go inside and get some dinner for us. Two burger meals with fries and small Coca-Cola cost R$28 (US$13). We sit in the car and decompress a bit.<br />
<br />
We decide to give it one more go after further study of the dodgy roadmap and I am confident that we can find our way to the US Soccer fan party. We set out again, and are able to find the major road that we need. Since it is pitch black outside, it is hard to orient to major landmarks, buildings or direction. Eventually, we find Avenue Ayrton Senna (named for famous Formula 1 racing driver), and from here I have confidence that I can navigate us to the venue. We make one wrong turn, but again, I have confidence that we will recover and soon be on the highway BR101 and locate the party. Sure enough we pass a street near the destination, and there is a long line of taxi cabs dropping off/picking up US supporters. With Pam's tickets in hand, I leave AJ in the car and head into the temporary nightclub set up by US Soccer. I fear what I know to be the situation at these events - a mass of drunk guys and blaring music. I have told Pam that I will chirp out my bird whistle to help her find me - and I am afraid this will be to no avail in the rising din blaring from the PA system. I do not know Pam, but she sent me a photo of her and her friend Sarah. I study the photo for a moment after passing security and presenting my RSVP and steady myself for what I told AJ was going to be a very brief attempt at the exchange. To my surprise, there is a gal with glasses similar to Pam standing near the entrance, and I approach her. She, too, has been given photo of me and we make eye contact and I ask if her name is Pam. She brightens her smile and gives me a hug. I deliver to her the tickets that she and her friends bought from our crew in the nice FIFA package and am back out of the venue to the waiting car. JOY! We were ready to give up on being able to make contact and were dreading having to wait and waste part of the next game day trying to pass off the tickets.<br />
<br />
2200: back on the road after barging thru the long line of taxicabs, we make our 'retourno' (U-turn) on the BR101 highway and begin heading south to Pipa where we still have to meet up with Charlie and Bill. Several hours ago, we were able to make another very expensive phone call to Bill who said that he and Charlie were in downtown Pipa watching the game and would be awaiting our arrival. With at least an hour drive ahead of us (navigation willing) I was beginning to think that we would never be able to find our little BnB in the tourist paradise of Pipa.<br />
<br />
2300: we are approaching Pipa and the signage is dodgy. We have some written instructions indicating to follow the route toward Ares, which entails another retourno on BR101 (main highway). As we are approaching the exit a police vehicle is coming up from behind with it's flashing lights on, so I pull to the left (wrong) side of the road and slow down to let pass. The cop car slows and rolls down the window as the four officers inside give us 'gringos' a good look over. They proceed and exit just ahead - the same one that we are too take. As we are preparing to take the roundabout back toward the Pipa exit, we see an arrow toward Ares, so we continue around the circle. As it happens there are five or six police/military vehicles with their lights flashing, the road blocked with cones, automatic weapons and a group of locals cordoned off on the side of the road next to a sugar cane field. I pull up with a smile - how bad can this turn out, I think.<br />
<br />
Of course, there is nobody who speaks a word of english, we neither do we their Portugese. I point to my map and indicate we are traveling to Pipa. They see the map and think we are going back to Natal. A short exchange later after having pulled one of the local perps aside to attempt at translation, they understand that we are headed for Pipa and that we should follow one of them who will guide us. So here we are, heading back south on BR101 toward Pipa in the middle of the night and following a police car with it's lights flashing. A precious moment indeed that AJ captures with a video snippet and humorous commentary.<br />
<INSERT VIDEO HERE><br />
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After about five minutes we exit the highway, take a frontage road for about a mile before making the 'retuouro' at an underpass and head back into this small town. We follow the flashing lights thru the narrow streets surprisingly congested with pedestrians at almost midnight on a Sunday. Eventually we are thru this small town and out on a rural road with our police escort. Another five or so minutes down the road the police car pulls to the side of the road and beckons us to approach - they have guided us far enough along the way, and we can take it from here ... we think and hope so. The signs to the tourist beach town of Pipa are relatively well marked and we continue along passing many small villages where there are people out and about now well after midnight which we find quite strange.<br />
We continue winding our way thru this narrow two lane road with no shoulder and speed bumps at every village until we end up passing a resort with a entry all light up. I decide to go in and ask for directions. There is a flight crew just preparing to depart for their next trip which is an indication that it is indeed well into the middle of the night. We are told to continue along the road which will lead directly in to Pipa.<br />
<br />
Eventually, we arrive in Pipa and it is a ghost town or so it appears, and we assume that Bill and Charlie will have left the bar where they were watching the game, and I thought we'd be sleeping on the beach until morning. But to my surprise, we come down the main street which is completely closed for the night to find a massive street party where I have to slow to a crawl and eventually stop or risk running over one of the drunk soccer fans staggering/dancing to the blaring music. All of a sudden, we hear someone yell, ANDY! It's Charlie and Bill sitting up in a bar looking out over the spectacle. Charlie comes running down, gives Andy a hug thru the window and then does his best Starsky and Hutch slide/roll across the hood of the car and tumbles across and onto the cobblestones. He bounces right up and comes over to me, boy am I glad to see him!<br />
<br />
1230: I work my way thru the crowd of people who are cheek to jowl in the street around the corner and up the steep hill around the corner to park. The guys pay their bill, and we somehow cram us all into the tiny Fiat and head for our little cabin. Quickly we unload, and AJ and I are in desperate need of a cold beer to take the edge off of what has been a very long day and a half of travel. We enjoy a couple of local Skol beers R$5 (US$2.35). As we are sitting and enjoying the street party below full of US and Argentine fans, there approaches a small troupe of musical performers wearing matching red sequined clad track suits with "Home Team" printed on the shoulders. They are a bunch of US fans strumming a pair of ukuleles, beating out rhythms on washboard and singing a wonderful little ditty that goes like this: "Estados Unidos, Beat Ghana"<br />
<INSERT BILL'S VIDEO HERE><br />
<br />
Our traveling squad of 1st Minnesota Volunteers are now all together and we are beginning to relax. We have another round of beers before walking back to our place and settling in for bed at about 0230.</div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-82788821736799842672014-06-17T07:28:00.001-07:002014-06-17T07:30:53.031-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Day four of our World Cup Brasil 2014, and we have finally obtained web access at an internet cafe. Technology has not been easy at all during our trip so far, so I am currently unable to transfer any of my running text to the blog.<br />
Flights have all gone exceedingly well so far, and we have been in the beautiful town of Pipa an hour south of Natal.<br />
<br />
Last night was Ghana vs USA and on the third try the Yanks finally won. It was not a pretty game, but it sets up the team in a good position in Group D<br />
<br />
Today, Charlie and Bill have departed for Rio; Andy and I will check out of the BnB and drive up to Ponta Negra in Natal for the night, then fly to Manaus (Amazon) tomorrow. <br />
<br />
More later.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-872552906045079312013-01-20T15:00:00.001-08:002013-01-20T15:00:35.167-08:00Bandy Championships: Day One travel to Vetlanda, Sweden <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
Vetlanda, Sweden<br />
<br />
Development World Championships<br />
<br />
Saturday, January 19, 2013<br />
0800 - Awoke and into the kitchen to make some coffee, before tackling the final packing of my luggage. I have layed out all of my gear, uniform, and clothing on the ping-pong table - and my cat, Greta, has realized that I am soon to be departing. This trip, I have tried to pare down my gear to only that which is absolutely necessary. Much of this tournament week will be filled with activities where our referee dress will consist of either our FIB issued warm-ups with polo shirt, or we will be in our referee uniforms for when we are on the ice working our games. There is one special item that I have included this year, and it is my coffee filter kit. There have been just too many bandy trips where the only coffee available is instant, either in packets of a small jar in our referee locker room. I have expanded my coffee kit this year to include an immersion water heater, and a nested set of cups that should enable me to make a nice batch of hot coffee. I've also brought along my most trusted (and dented) Stanley thermos.<br />
<br />
0945 - All packed up and I am out the door, headed to the public parking deck at the 28th Avenue Light Rail Train station. I have found that parking here is most convenient for transport to and from the airport. The temperature is a quite nice 31 F(-1 C) this morning, however, we are leaving just in time as a deep freeze is expected envelop the state for the next several days. The high temperatures are not expected to rise above 0 F (-18 C). We are expecting the temperatures in Vetlanda to be in the mid 20's F (-4 C) this week. We will have a couple of outdoor tune-up games before the tournament begins on Wednesday. All of the tournament games will be held indoors at the new Sapa Arena. As climate change has increased winter temperatures, all of the elite Swedish bandy teams are required to play indoors - eliminating problems associated with rain or fog preventing matches from being played.<br />
<br />
1006 - The LRT has arrived, and I am on the short ten minute ride to Terminal 1 at MSP for the reasonable fare of $1.75. Upon arrival at the station, it is a short ride up two elevators to the cable tram that takes me into the main Lindberg Terminal 1, where I arrive right on time for our groups check in at United Airlines for the first leg of our journey. A couple of the other players have arrived, but I am the first of our referee crew. I weighed my bag on a scale at home, and found it to be about 46 pounds, just under the limit. I stop at a luggage scale just to double check my bag and it shows the weight to be 50.0 pounds. Upon final check-in the weight shows 48.5 pounds, so no problem or chance of incurring extraoridary fee for overweight luggage. After check-in, we proceed thru security and on to the gate lounge.<br />
<br />
As we wait at the gate, there is an increasing presence of security, with several security personnel wearing the 2-way radio ear pieces and speaking into their sleeves. I put it off to the fact that we're heading to Washington, D.C. (IAD) on inguguration weekend. Soon there are several delegations of what appear to be African diplomats who proceed onto the plane before the formal boarding process. As it turns out, the extra security is for the President of Somalia who was visiting Minneapolis. The government of Somalia was just the other day granted recognition by the United States, and their President visited to speak to the large community of Somalians in the area.<br />
<br />
1230 - we're all on board and the plane, and Embraer 170, has pushed back from the gate. The estimated flight time is just under two hours. <br />
<br />
1530 - arrival at IAD. We must take a crazy tall transport/lounge from our arrival terminal across the tarmac to another terminal where we take a train to our International departure gate. I am able to catch a glimpse of the famous original terminal building built by Sarrinen (spelling). The terminal has a graceful shape built of reinforced concrete.<br />
<br />
1700 - boarding is complete for our second leg of the journey on the Airbus A340. I believe that my attaire has helped my seating assignment, for the woman at the check-in indicated that she had changed my seat assignment to an aisle. As it turns out there is an empty seat between myself and goal keeper, Derek. Nice. Dinner on the flight is pot roast with carrots and mashed potatoes. I try to get some sleep, but it is not easy, and soon the lights in the cabin are turned on and we expect breakfast service shortly.<br />
The morning meal consists of some yogurt, granola, ham/cheese sandwich and orange juice.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sunday, January 20, 2013<br />
0630 - We arrive in Copenhagen, and are through passport control by 0715.<br />
<br />
0730 - the terminal in Copenhagen is centered around some incredible shopping (not that I am interested). The stores are almost all high end retail, which should be expected. I am ahead of the group and arrive at our gate to find the aircraft has been here overnight and waiting for us. I have pushed on ahead of the group, and I find myself with some peace and quiet. I think some may have stopped for coffee and danish.<br />
<br />
0900 - We have boarded the SAS MD-80 airplane, and are ready for our final leg of the journey to Gothenberg, (GOT). After push back onto the tarmac, we wait a few minutes before the Captain announces that the left engine will not start. We must return to the gate, and they will have another aircraft ready for us in ten minutes. We all disembark the plane and walk a few gates down the concourse. Several of the guys head for the korva (hot dog) stand.<br />
<br />
1000 - We're all aboard another MD-82 aircraft that also has been sitting outside all night and is quite cold. One of the older airplanes that I've been on in a while, for each arm rest has an ash tray. Fifteen minutes later, we are pushed back and headed for the de-icing station before departure.<br />
<br />
1025 - wheels up and we're on our way to GOT. We have not even reached cruising altitude, and I can smell the fresh coffee - and it is good.<br />
<br />
1053 - wheels down at GOT and we are greeted with a beautiful landscape of frosted trees. We all quickly retrieve our luggage, and find our luxury motorcoach waiting. Outside temperature is -2 C (28 F)<br />
<br />
1115 - we're on our way to Vetlanda, and expect about a three hour drive. Most of the guys will have crashed hard on the drive and hope to get some good rest, for the USA team play the Vetlanda U-20 team tonight at 8 PM in the bandy arena. Petrol stations are advertising E85 gasoline for 10.58 SEK/liter ($6.19/gal); 95 Octane ($8.45/gal); Diesel ($6.20 /gal)<br />
<br />
1400 - all checked into the hotel. Apparently there has been a small mixup at the hotel, and most of the room assignments have had to go to three to a room. We find our referee crew together with two twin beds and a fold out queen. There is so little room, so we will have to ensure that we can keep our gear at the arena. Immediately, I put in the ear plugs and try to get a couple hours sleep. Later the team will go for dinner at 1700, then off to the arena at 1800.<br />
<br />
I am able to get a good couple hours sleep before we head out to get something to eat. My team mates awake me, and we wander down the street to a pizza joint. I expected to find some of the other players there, but there were none ... not necessarily a good sign. We are short of time, so we decide to go for it. Probably just as well, for we'll get quick service. We opt for the family size kebab pizza for 180 SEK ($28).<br />
<br />
1800 - back to the hotel to catch rides to the arena for the first tune up game. The motorcoach has been released from duty, so there are half a dozen volunteers who are shuttling the players to the arena.<br />
<br />
2000 - the game begins between Team USA and the local bandy club's Under 20 team. This is great chance for us to work out the kinks from the long day of travel. The game goes well for us, and the US team as they defeat the local club by a score of 14-2.<br />
<br />
2200 - after the game, we hang our gear to dry and head back to the hotel. It's Sunday night in this small town and everything is closed, so we have a left over slice of pizza and watch some NHL hockey on the local channel.<br />
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2345 - time for bed, its been a very long day.<br />
<br />
</div>
Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-82813089929196203472012-02-21T12:45:00.000-08:002012-02-21T12:45:03.790-08:00Women's Bandy World Championships: Travel day(s) MSP > JFK > Moscow > Irkutsk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div>VM Irkutsk 2012</div><div><br />
</div><div>Monday, February 20, 2012</div><div>Awake at 06:15, make coffee, finish packing, breakfast, and out the door to the LRT station at 07:30. Just missed the 07:42 train, and the schedules are a bit delayed due to construction on the Lake St bridge. Arrive at MSP a few minutes late, and take my place at the end of the line for group check-in. The women's team appear to be a little more organized (or at least on time).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsOGM7dS7noSJVhs6yKksVhZ_CO5ue3djelcj1cUtHEM5hymoF5EkZAlaJ-r-bqApG2CjOayqgmtPN3hIjXaaoCHYWVHzLtCO1KIrmc7wyQqP9Dga5uh8QV7n9BNBjIEPO6cAyAgDNuk/s1600/RedBull+Arena.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsOGM7dS7noSJVhs6yKksVhZ_CO5ue3djelcj1cUtHEM5hymoF5EkZAlaJ-r-bqApG2CjOayqgmtPN3hIjXaaoCHYWVHzLtCO1KIrmc7wyQqP9Dga5uh8QV7n9BNBjIEPO6cAyAgDNuk/s320/RedBull+Arena.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Red Bull Arena from the air</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div>Departed MSP at 10:30 headed for JFK (New York City). </div><div>We arrive right on time as my count down timer begins to chime. We have a three hour layover before the flight to Moscow on a Delta Boeing 767-300ER. Eric and I have both upgraded our seats to Economy Comfort, which gets us an additional 4" pitch (leg room) and 50% more recline in the seat back. I think the additional $60. each way from JFK to Moscow and back will be well worth the cost. </div><div>I settle into my seat, which feels uncomfortable for some reason. I am situated right behind the bulkhead, so there is an extraordinary amount of room, but lacks the underseat storage for my backpack, and the close proximity of the seatback table tray. But something else seems strange about the seat. Eric is seated right behind me for the flight, and he, too, thinks the seat cushion cusion is shorter. Strange. Flight is uneventful (thank goodness) and we arrive in Moscow at 10:30. Thanks to a little blue sleeping pill, I am able to get about five hours sleep.</div><div>We get thru passport control in no time, and find our Russian attache waiting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeciAT_9FWrlyFEBbwJOKsOZgICEXf2sCAVCSKe-zZG0TqIHNTEF3t-_y8bEOs12sN0eunv1ZGik_DiiY-8VWlcssM75hjGd6Gpl-5ns4QbGOhFIYXpKjz7KDpVdwtq_FZpCPw3EGumOQ/s1600/DSC02502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeciAT_9FWrlyFEBbwJOKsOZgICEXf2sCAVCSKe-zZG0TqIHNTEF3t-_y8bEOs12sN0eunv1ZGik_DiiY-8VWlcssM75hjGd6Gpl-5ns4QbGOhFIYXpKjz7KDpVdwtq_FZpCPw3EGumOQ/s320/DSC02502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Russians have an election for President Putin on March 4th</i></div><div>We've got a motorcoach scheduled to take us on a tour of Moscow. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOIl0vAKmc4XqGtesnzv9cCxVwkx60iLxFyRGn9jyXX8Ou542J-_rlqFDpPGNTWRvvnpXGnGBaSwypk95HA_PK7UJ3rgJJVPz6fRhB0fcEN5qt1EtnpBApdCZQ9xFBYA-WjKGBPkPZ5k/s1600/DSC02503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOIl0vAKmc4XqGtesnzv9cCxVwkx60iLxFyRGn9jyXX8Ou542J-_rlqFDpPGNTWRvvnpXGnGBaSwypk95HA_PK7UJ3rgJJVPz6fRhB0fcEN5qt1EtnpBApdCZQ9xFBYA-WjKGBPkPZ5k/s320/DSC02503.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>We begin our tour from SVO at 11:50 and head in to the notorious traffic. We pick up our tour guide, Daria at the Beloruskaya Metro Station. Daria talks a mean streak, non-stop from block to block in a never ending stream of historical facts and figures. We finally arrive at Red square just about 13:00, where we disembark and walk up to get team photos in from of the Church of St. Basil (the ornate onion domed church that is an icon of Red Square). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifflqks19gPKRBs1PKkrjjual1IqpGd592Um9TA60toQKOts1JG177aajsXNGwm-BQdTeg9CjEmUwRydZV0uLrNCbxOxv1zTjEDRYdQG_IGVcyUme9nlZW1h6KLt-1HJHRWjVsBDTV31E/s1600/DSC02505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifflqks19gPKRBs1PKkrjjual1IqpGd592Um9TA60toQKOts1JG177aajsXNGwm-BQdTeg9CjEmUwRydZV0uLrNCbxOxv1zTjEDRYdQG_IGVcyUme9nlZW1h6KLt-1HJHRWjVsBDTV31E/s320/DSC02505.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div>We then get a fifteen minute walk about the GUM department store. Kevin, Eric and I have all been here at least three times, so we know exactly where to find the restrooms on the third floor. An amazing shopping center with glass and steel barrel vault over the three story elite shopping experience. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtdod9V6WoDoNdf6Mmo-srSH8lMDAUHzAgwCqcBY3qLhqezxySglDcmagXrZoZUurVL7Fr2HyFIbt2meAvOD55JJ-LhuF9JnWwNwbwATPDumoN1s4pyuY-I_mPcAJK21mND_01tAbjcA/s1600/DSC02509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtdod9V6WoDoNdf6Mmo-srSH8lMDAUHzAgwCqcBY3qLhqezxySglDcmagXrZoZUurVL7Fr2HyFIbt2meAvOD55JJ-LhuF9JnWwNwbwATPDumoN1s4pyuY-I_mPcAJK21mND_01tAbjcA/s320/DSC02509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>We visit our favored grocery store, and contemplate some small bread and cheese. But we are going to certainly be stopping later for eats, so we just browse, despite Eric experiencing serious food envy. Some of the sturgeon was US$700. for a small tin (maybe two ounces). </div><div>We board the bus again for the pedestrian mall (Arbat street) where we can find some food. Many of the group stop at Mi-Mi (Moo-Moo, signified by large cow statue in front) where a buffet lunch can be had for about US$7. As the large group goes in, several others of us decide to explore elsewhere. Daria has described that this week is the beginning of the end of the winter season and is celebrated with pancakes, so ... that is our quest. We find a nice cafe, where I enjoy a cafe americano for 159 rubles (US$5.30) and some salmon caviar pancakes 269r ($8.97). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaN42mGEJC5xWVnNevcufO9V1-pUyOwLUzqKdxQcNimKdMGqEB799K1ZHx8S1QGoHOepTi-rvwYrqZvj6MSF-UokJt1U_n7RUQU-snChCLNZqxFGZK4m-ijOeykdYWelm4nUvyiE0HNNQ/s1600/DSC02513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaN42mGEJC5xWVnNevcufO9V1-pUyOwLUzqKdxQcNimKdMGqEB799K1ZHx8S1QGoHOepTi-rvwYrqZvj6MSF-UokJt1U_n7RUQU-snChCLNZqxFGZK4m-ijOeykdYWelm4nUvyiE0HNNQ/s320/DSC02513.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Wow! Moscow is an expensive city.</div><div>We meet back at the bus at 16:00 and head for the Cathedral on the Moscow River; built in 2000, it is new, but built on old sketches and drawings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPR2DTt-2YBRA5QCdEKYRvjoZBbo1ccrlccCwEQktaPK8RimlyNCu5tsOxqbt6DFQxPsW8-k-cRLDVY8w2djPTbZtlJedKZ4MnmJhpahAFc8xti3UoidlxQjtXZNEwomPoR_OCAWADwM/s1600/DSC02517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPR2DTt-2YBRA5QCdEKYRvjoZBbo1ccrlccCwEQktaPK8RimlyNCu5tsOxqbt6DFQxPsW8-k-cRLDVY8w2djPTbZtlJedKZ4MnmJhpahAFc8xti3UoidlxQjtXZNEwomPoR_OCAWADwM/s320/DSC02517.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>The interior is very ornate, and is based upon the Orthodox Christian designs. We arrive at 16:30 and enjoy only half an hour inside. Eric has explored the basement and indicates that there is yet more below, which is hard to believe given the vast spaces in the main space.</div><div>At 17:00 we're all back on the bus and ready to head into the propka (russian for cork - traffic jamb). We go about two blocks to cross the Moscow River bridge, and it takes us a full thirty minutes to reach the near side entrance. Another fifteen minutes, and we are on the river road, just the other side of the Cathedral. Yes, that was almost an hour to get from one side of the Cathedral to the other. It's almost like NASCAR, but only right hand turns have taken us basically around the block - but twice across the Moscow River in the middle of their rush hour. Now traveling along the river road in very little traffic, we are able to see one of the Russian Space Shuttles, Buran - the name that I chose for the bandy team (also means blizzard in Tatar).</div><div>Our tour concludes on Sparrow Mountain, the overlook in the Lushniki Sports District. There is a big game today at the stadium: CSKA Moscow host Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. It is now 18:00 and we are at the overlook with vast views up and down the river and includes one of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers in the city. This one is the Moscow State University. Among the many vendors, there are several selling scarves and hats. Some of which represent the friendship scarves with half CSKA Moscow and the other half Real Madrid. I begin to bargin with one vendor, using my calculator method. I find his price to be 10 euro (US$13.), a little too high in my book, so I walk on. I find another stall with a really cool Locomotive scarf depicting all of their Russian League championships over the years as cars on a train. This may be for my friend, Brucio (www.dunordfutbol.com), but who knows, there may be even better scarves found this week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaVJ4DgCeS2ibRffKre26I7Yu5NPBVpRptYovalPBX1BGq_YyWgh4W7fbqY2XFc5DpeduzP8EBUHelcA_sCLG7VM7ElaySc64-YfR5NiC-4moFLbLTlLgg0lo7VMApFtRRKI6whwwtWc/s1600/DSC02534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaVJ4DgCeS2ibRffKre26I7Yu5NPBVpRptYovalPBX1BGq_YyWgh4W7fbqY2XFc5DpeduzP8EBUHelcA_sCLG7VM7ElaySc64-YfR5NiC-4moFLbLTlLgg0lo7VMApFtRRKI6whwwtWc/s320/DSC02534.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div>We have only ten minutes to overlook, then it's back into the propka and on our way toward the center city to drop Daria off at a Metro, and continue on to SVO. It is 19:00, and we can expect an hour and a half to get to the airport in this traffic. Luckily, it only takes us another thirty minutes and by 19:45 we are in line at the check-in right behind Team Norway. Our flight boards at 00:55 for a 01:30 departure. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGIN25QZzC4oBLNs0SuSC6I0rMkrMt-6mfID-TFCGlTLVXnr1NkLszYa_wGfmuOAtOlrmfFFJJAX77RENqVjRKDHx49qlxn0yTEQaHEjlb1163xKKA0RXRGalCdwNyLBhUYULbHNIM6U/s1600/DSC02551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGIN25QZzC4oBLNs0SuSC6I0rMkrMt-6mfID-TFCGlTLVXnr1NkLszYa_wGfmuOAtOlrmfFFJJAX77RENqVjRKDHx49qlxn0yTEQaHEjlb1163xKKA0RXRGalCdwNyLBhUYULbHNIM6U/s320/DSC02551.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>We look forward to another six hours in SVO, then a five hour flight across five time zones to our final destination of Irkutsk. We land just after noon on Wednesday local time.</div></div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-52605336455313917682012-02-21T11:11:00.000-08:002012-02-21T12:20:27.174-08:00Men's Championship: parting shots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As I begin my travels two weeks since the men's tournament was completed, I found some images and realized that I neglected to update the final days travel event.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_umRNy7sW7d4ow77JDpAkJN3D69dcGo70aomXM-7VaYljYzveP04y9TfZCUMhpuu0Jr39WvvVYehb7ese0RKvSI2JFyAuy3Hz8YBLKAR88XJK8KqcR-PkNjWDG0Vf0TNocY7XW2kJTzA/s1600/DSC02474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_umRNy7sW7d4ow77JDpAkJN3D69dcGo70aomXM-7VaYljYzveP04y9TfZCUMhpuu0Jr39WvvVYehb7ese0RKvSI2JFyAuy3Hz8YBLKAR88XJK8KqcR-PkNjWDG0Vf0TNocY7XW2kJTzA/s320/DSC02474.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Sunrise over Frankfurt</i></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2RsKhzl2wNQrSuQz00w473IImZk1OLS4Hh4u2ijFo4aTUW4xSb646VB459xqDlHgaM1Hh5wlpTZi20gG6ptx9qKe-bfBGfxw-ClDuXuhyphenhyphen463K_yh2NYRULUJxcbZVm1EzI_xi3EUNXA/s1600/DSC02478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2RsKhzl2wNQrSuQz00w473IImZk1OLS4Hh4u2ijFo4aTUW4xSb646VB459xqDlHgaM1Hh5wlpTZi20gG6ptx9qKe-bfBGfxw-ClDuXuhyphenhyphen463K_yh2NYRULUJxcbZVm1EzI_xi3EUNXA/s320/DSC02478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>Big Mac, Mr. President?</i></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>Bandy World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan was a great experience. Not only was the country and city an incredible experience, but the bandy, referee duty and camaraderie among the bandy family was fantastic.</div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-71898053857911184362012-02-11T07:13:00.000-08:002012-02-11T07:21:44.996-08:00Qualification/Relegation Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Saturday, February 4th - Qualification/Relegation Day<br />
Awake at 06:30 before my alarm has a chance to wake me. It has been a very short 5 hours of sleep, but the excitement for the days duty makes the early rise very easy. I turn on my netbook, and begin streaming the Current as I prepare my game day gear bag and await time for breakfast with Kevin before our 08:00 transport up to the Medeu, high in the Tien Shan range.<br />
The morning is beautiful for their is a nice snow falling and whitening up the gray and dreary cityscape.<br />
The scene turns even more beautiful, as we wind our way up the valley following our police escort with large snow flakes falling.<br />
Our escort comes up behind a convoy of military vehicles with their own escort with flashing lights - it is a big day for Kazakhstan, for their team will be playing in the Semi-Final and their President will be in attendance.<br />
We arrive at the Medeu about 45 minutes after departing the hotel, and we have one hour and fifteen minutes to game time. There are still many items to cover before we take to the ice. With this important game for both the Japanese and Kirkystan teams, we want to be sure that we, the officials, are well prepared.<br />
One of the pre-game activities that Kevin would like to do is for our crew to visit each of the teams locker rooms and give them some timeline information. Kevin has delegated the task to me, and I look forward to it. Our Russian team mate, Alexi, will join us, and provide translation for the Kirgese team. The first item to discuss with the teams is the pre-game protocol, where the teams will be summoned to each of their team benches five minutes before the scheduled start of the game. We do this, so that we may process onto the field prior to the national anthems. This formal proceedure will help set the tone for the decorum on the team benches during the match, and also make for a nice presentation for the Japanese Saturday afternoon television audience. The second item to inform the teams is to inform them, that we, the referees will be setting a low threshold for fouls and penalties. We want to be sure that the game is presented to the audience as the game that we love, and not to be played in an brutal manner that many of the players with their background in ice hockey may revert. The heavy snow conditions can also make for a difficult game to control.<br />
The local organization has had a difficult time keeping up with snow removal, but the rink is ready for the players to begin their warm ups. By the time that the game starts, there is almost 2cm (about an inch) of snow on the rink. As the game progresses, the snow continues to fall at a heavy rate with large snow flakes. By the end of the first half there are some piles of snow in some areas on the rink as deep as 6 cm. As we enter the last minute of play in the first half, the referee supervisor, indicates to me that the teams will stay at their benches and the half time interval will be only five minutes, and they will not be clearing the snow. This comes as a great surprise to me, for the conditions are terrible, and do not portray our game in a favorable manner to the television audience; and the deep snow makes playing the game most difficult. At times, the players are standing around trying to find the ball which often becomes obscured under piles of snow. Apparently rink staff are concerned about being able to clear the snow before the first semi-final. This is most unfortunate.<br />
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I will stay at the stadium all day in order to watch both of the semi-finals. Some small bread and meat (sausage) sandwiches are provided along with apples and mini-mandarine oranges. I take my lunch up onto a ledge next to a window overlooking the rink and take a rest.<br />
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While there one of the most interesting snow removal machine is making its way down the sideline. The machine has two shovelarms that scoop the snow in alternating sweeps up and onto a conveyor belt that dumps into a large truck. The machine has to wait several times as the dump trucks are filled quite rapidly.<br />
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Security is, and will become quite tight in and around the stadium. Later in the day one of the USA players forgot his credentials, and had an incredibly difficult time getting thru the security cordon, and was told that he had to stay in the USA locker room until he had new credentials prepared. He said that when he was coming up the valley, that he saw soldiers tromping thru the woods to secure the perimeter. Inside the stadium when I wandered to the other side of the stadium there were several plain clothesed agents with the survielance ear pieces watching the crowd,<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">Due to the massive snow falling, the Russia vs Finland game is split into three halves of thirty minutes each. This allows the snow plows to clear the ice followed by the zamboni (Olympia, actually) to resurface the rink. I find a vendor selling souvineers under the scoreboard at the end of the stadium. I do not have any Kazakh Tenge remaining, and am a little disappointed and think that I'll purchase some hat/scarf combinations during the final tomorrow. After I get back to the referee lounge room, I realize that I do have a US fifty dollar bill in my wallet. So I figure out what the exchange rate would be, and begin to figure out what I can bargin them down in price, and what the change should be. The scarf/hat combo is T3000 (US$20.), so I figure that I will offer them two for T5000 (US$34.). They accept and with the help of a voulunteer, I complete the deal. The vendor throws in an added bonus of two Kazakhstan pins, a refrigerator magnet, and two small Kazakhstan flags.</span></div><br />
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</div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-2651412431205049332012-02-07T06:12:00.000-08:002012-02-07T17:31:40.296-08:00Off day and excursion tour of Almaty (Alma Ata)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Friday, February 3rd - Off day and excursion tour<br />
Despite being our off day, we decide to get up early to explore the city, and then meet up with the referees for an excursion tour . We wander to the west from our hotel to find the Metro station. We walk right past, and end up circling around a couple of blocks. Finally, we ask directions, and find the station with the obvious 'M' symbol. The underground subway was under construction for over 25 years (Soviet Union), and was completed, finally, in 2011. We're in the station at 10:45, and pay the T80 (US$0.54). I buy th e yellow tokens (one for my friend, AJ). We take and incredibly long escalator deep below the city.<br />
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The station is virtually empty, however, we come upon the Japanese bandy team leaders with their volunteer. They get off after one stop, and we continue for one more to the station for Republic Square. <br />
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</div>The country of Kazakhstan became independent about 20 years abo, and there are monuments and a tall statue like at Trafalgar Square. We're working on a timeline in order to get back to hotel for excursion with a large majority of the referees. Eric has done a lot of research, and our plan is to comlete a portion of a walking tour (we had already done much of the last part of the tour). We trudge off to the east toward the Hotel Kazakhstan, and more of the cultural sights in Almaty including the Academy of Science and 28 Heroes Park (across from our hotel). As I had already been into the cathedral, I decided that I needed to visit the Monument to the 28 Heroes. This massive sculptural monument represents all of the Russian Republics, and the heroes who valiently defended Moscow from the Nazi. I took several moments of contemplation next to the eternal flame.<br />
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I tried to get some close up images of the faces that are a part of the monument.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29EyS3fLt6fZtTl7hksPg17GwOjONg3cQb8hFOjh2jG7oaf3CeDENigrKlFwXg_IOlbF0kXzZIojEtesmcqNFkkaXF0Hc819blszCZdJdEmSExplq6vQlUm8OfBUtfyKPsKncOJyl5NY/s1600/DSC02104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29EyS3fLt6fZtTl7hksPg17GwOjONg3cQb8hFOjh2jG7oaf3CeDENigrKlFwXg_IOlbF0kXzZIojEtesmcqNFkkaXF0Hc819blszCZdJdEmSExplq6vQlUm8OfBUtfyKPsKncOJyl5NY/s320/DSC02104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbxNC_w7Ewd3vTpVQUJic3Xp0T0jzbDrzdQSanVZRFlbyF3_hEZBbXHFRNzNHzKvMc18cd-otV0u3Q_FrxJLL9pAVmKOKPmKmmSQt6ih9_6k7NBn4-NFln6YUY_caTp4UORmCyJ1xgVs/s1600/DSC02109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbxNC_w7Ewd3vTpVQUJic3Xp0T0jzbDrzdQSanVZRFlbyF3_hEZBbXHFRNzNHzKvMc18cd-otV0u3Q_FrxJLL9pAVmKOKPmKmmSQt6ih9_6k7NBn4-NFln6YUY_caTp4UORmCyJ1xgVs/s320/DSC02109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>While visiting the monument, the Kirgiz team arrive, and we all enjoy taking some photos together.<br />
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As time is running short to get back to the hotel, wander back toward the Cathedral in the park, and encounter several grandmothers with their children playing amongst a flock of pigeons. I see a great opportunity for a video capture, so I take out my camera and hold it low and approach the hoard. The children have been given small bag of seed or maybe some sort of grain, and they are attracting the birds. Some of the birds are perched upon their shoulders and/or eating out of their hands. The youngest infants are truely gleeful with having all the birds flocking around them.<br />
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The referee teams gather at the hotel lobby, while the drivers of two mini-buses wash the windows so we have better view for the excursion about the city. We start out from the hotel, and the first stop is in the park of 28 Heroes where we get out of the busses and are shown one of the oldest wooded buildings in the city.<br />
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From there we walk a very short distance where our tour guides, two of the ever present volunteers, give us a short history about the Cathedral. During the Soviet times, the church was used as a radio station, the only one in Almaty (Alma Ata, by its other name). We then move to the Monument to the Heroes, where we are also given a short history. We then board the transport and head south where we are driven past the drama theater, the library and the Republic square. We then head to the Central stadium where we will pick up the referee crew who have just finished their game, so that they may join us for the rest of the tour.<br />
Next stop is the Park of the first President Nazzerbaev. This park is very new (as is this independent country), and it is obvious by the small size of the trees that are spread out from the monumental entrance and fountains. This must be just amazing in the lush summer season, however, in winter, it is stark and gray (aside from the gleaming gold ornament on the white hemi-spherical edifice).<br />
We then board the transport again, and head to the ski-jump, which is also very new and modern design right among the development at the edge of the city just blocks from the towering skyscraper that is the JW Marriot hotel. I believe the ski-jump was built for the 2011 Asian Winter Games and is a truely world-class facility.<br />
Our ultimate destination for the day is to take the gondola up and over the Medeu stadium and dam/reservoir to the ski area, Shimbulak (spelling?). The gondola ride cost T2000 (US$13.50), and will take us right above the stadium where the A-Pool games have been played, it is truely a spectacular view. The gondola continues to the top of the dam and over the reservoir. There is a pit in your stomach as the ground drops away to the valley floor far below.<br />
The dam has been built to prevent floods and their disasterous mudslides that had previously destroyed much of the city of Almaty some one hundred years ago. It is most interesting to see from this vantage as Kevin, Eric and I had climbed the stairs just a few long days ago.<br />
The aerial ride carries us further up into the Tien Shan mountain range toward the ski resort. Below there is an amazingly steep mountain road switching back and forth to climb up the wall of the valley. The steep mountain valley is strewn with downed trees, the result of a freak tornado that tore down the valley this spring. There are trees down all around, and some of the tops have been sheared clear off. Finally we cross a ridge line, and the base of the ski area comes into view. There is some development of private residences and lodging for the ski area below.<br />
Our group will go into the chalet and enjoy a nice meal and cameraderie with our bandy referee family. As it is mostly an off (rest) day for the tournament, there are other bandy teams who have taken the rest day to visit. We had seen the USA team in several gondola cars crossing on our way up the mountain, and the Norwegian team occupy several tables across the restaurant. The Finland referees are looking forward to ordering pizza. I, however, am more interested in the Shaslik, a local Kazakh traditional kabob T1590 (US$10.75). There are several options ranging from beef, chicken, and salmon, but I opt for the Kazakh traditional fare. It is called horse clippings, and amounts to four rather large medalions of marinated and charcoal grilled tenderloin, served with a flour tortilla and garnished with grilled onion and red peppers. It is absolutely fantastic, and I offer to share with my Norwegian table mates (and Eric, who anxiously, races from another table to try the fare). We began the meal with a 0.33 litre of Stella Artois for T1200 (US$8.10). The wonderful excursion is coming to an end, for we must board the gondola for the ride down the mountain before it is shut down for the evening. It was, indeed, a very nice day that we were able to enjoy with our bandy referee family.<br />
We end the day ends with our daily meeting at 20:00, where the previous days games are reviewed and the assignments for the upcoming most important Semi-Finals and Qualification games are revealed. There are only a few games remaining in the tournament, and I do not expect an assignment at this late stage of the tournament. I do, however, look forward to my duty as 4th Official tomorrow at the majestic Medeu stadium featuring Japan vs Kirgystan.<br />
Eric and I walk down the street about 500 meters to the grocery store (very German influenced) to stock up on some beer. With our internal clocks completely upside down (12 hour time difference from home) it is most helpful to have a few beers to make the sleep come easy. As usual, I also enjoy tasting the local brews, and we are excited to find a small vendor in the store who is selling 'live beer' that is filled individually from a keg into one liter or 1.5 l bottles. I choose one type, and Eric another among a plethora of other Kazakh varieties. We retire to my room as a crew to relax, chat, and enjoy a running commentary along with the local TV programming. Unfortunately, the selections of programming among the almost 100 chanels is not very entertaining. The actual selection of programs is about half, for most stations are duplicated in both Russian and Kazakh language. Tomorrow is a big day for all of us, for we have qualification games. Kevin and I will have transport at 08:00 to Medeu (JAP vs KAZ), while Eric will be working the Latvia vs Netherlands match which will relegate one team to the lower, C-Pool for next years tournament.<br />
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</div></div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-43273422149945382222012-02-02T11:27:00.000-08:002012-02-02T19:07:18.828-08:00Last day of group stage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Thursday Feb 2nd - Last day of group stage<br />
Stark awake at 05:45 after only four hours sleep, so today's exploits may be a bit shorter. Due not only to my current sleepy condition, but lack of notes from my black book, and a full day of bandy referee duty, and the massive game to end the group stage in the A-pool - Sweden vs Russia to determine the #1 seed for the Semi-Finals.<br />
I'm up working on compiling verbage to improve the english version of the bandy rule book - using soccer parlance from the laws of the game to clarify much of the sentence structure and intent to follow the spirit of the rules according to the Internatonal Bandy Federation. It is no small task, indeed.<br />
Kevin and Eric are working together this morning at Central stadium, and their police escorted transport van departed at 08:00, so I head to my room to prepare my gear bag for my 10:00 departure for the game that will determine the winner of the B-Pool, Canada vs Belarus. My duty for this game is to be the Fourth Official: positioned at midfield between the two team benches; monitor the substitutes and team leaders in the technical area; take full notes for the match including all penalties, goals, team warnings, and extra time added. I really enjoy this position, for it is a chance to interact with the players and coaches in a much less intense situation - where we can all let our personalities carry the day, while administering the rules to maintain control of the game. It is by no means an easy job, this. Speaking english can certainly help in this international competition where English is the main language for the tournament (Kazakh and Russian are also broadcast over the PA system).<br />
All I can say, is that our crew was put to the test both on and off the field, and we had a successful game at the end of the day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZix1V9_L1kNPp9yzUGWNMvczjTlnPVUVxgwsddaCTV8qF-7BqXghvZ89OCG99ml0cncDI9A0j_XmrY8X2n7EuKdl2DX2hhiKeXQ8Z_Pb6DoESW-0cK_jZziV7QkS3Pj8SLU-z5EY_K30/s1600/DSC01982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZix1V9_L1kNPp9yzUGWNMvczjTlnPVUVxgwsddaCTV8qF-7BqXghvZ89OCG99ml0cncDI9A0j_XmrY8X2n7EuKdl2DX2hhiKeXQ8Z_Pb6DoESW-0cK_jZziV7QkS3Pj8SLU-z5EY_K30/s320/DSC01982.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(l to r: myself, Fredrik (NOR), Grigory (RUS), Per-Erik (SWE) and Vilsson (SWE). Note my valenki, Russian felt boots.</i></div><br />
My plan had been to return to the hotel after this game for a quick bite to eat before returning for the afternoon fixture, skating as Assistant Referee #1 (again on the team bench side). However, the time began to run short, so I say at the stadium and watch some of the USA vs Norway game on TV from the Medeo stadium in the mountain valley high above the city. This game is to determine who will be relegated to the B-Pool, so it has great importance, and has been the focus for the American players for the last several months. I get to watch the last twenty minutes of the first half, then go out to the rink to watch Hungaria vs Netherlands.<br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"> I (finally) take one of the bags of loli-pops, to distribute to the ball kids - always a great hit, and something that I really enjoy doing to establish a rapport with them. The rest of my crew arrive, and we begin our pre-game activities with just about an hour before the start time for the second match of Group C between Japan and Kirgystan. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">After the game, we immediately change out of our game gear and into dry clothes for we will take transport up to Medeo. It is now 18:00, and I have only had a granola bar, a few small pieces of bread with slice of sausage, plus my energy bar before the game.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">We do not encounter any significant traffic (luckily) and we arrive to the Medeo, where the stadium lighting has lit up the entire valley floor and the walls enclosing the venue. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxkNvCbMBHSOWWUiLrAgSeOqBcUrQS_W2RdHDgkyjQL62PUbNoUKCeGrD1UYO8TSW66hNJlSYMekMn5aphRRA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The game (SWE vs RUS) is an amazing display of the sport, played by the absolute best professionals in the world. Truely, professional, for they are all paid handsomely for their service to their local clubs. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUDxd1aoxhKwhZA8UNe1DhI2SFSaUz3KewMLXtwp9vZsyGdKz0h2pFx5-_kFlX_OEU8bboldetgOU9Si80189AK5h5BKmEWXLtbkm7b1lf2UMwbq28nxyKGFL2VQgERBZH7xCpBnOXkY/s1600/DSC02019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUDxd1aoxhKwhZA8UNe1DhI2SFSaUz3KewMLXtwp9vZsyGdKz0h2pFx5-_kFlX_OEU8bboldetgOU9Si80189AK5h5BKmEWXLtbkm7b1lf2UMwbq28nxyKGFL2VQgERBZH7xCpBnOXkY/s320/DSC02019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Russian breaking out of end with Swede attempting to take the ball away</i></div><br />
For the second half, Kevin, Eric and I head to the opposite side where all the supporters are cheering their sides. It is an amazing experience, much like the World Cup of Soccer, but with everyone bundled up in full parkas, and with their scarves actually providing their function.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnvqhuKjIF4G_JvWs2tyd7RFXLD_25wP19omoHO4SD-6RmuxMtbXDkd3IEq6ea8huNvgKd26tkT1D8Ioiq2pEaefT3Zn9ZfzmJjJChcc-0vzHTKU_G26tZ1MqjcTP-BfD6of2ga_ZCp0/s1600/DSC02002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnvqhuKjIF4G_JvWs2tyd7RFXLD_25wP19omoHO4SD-6RmuxMtbXDkd3IEq6ea8huNvgKd26tkT1D8Ioiq2pEaefT3Zn9ZfzmJjJChcc-0vzHTKU_G26tZ1MqjcTP-BfD6of2ga_ZCp0/s320/DSC02002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Felt wool wrap to ward off the frigid temperatures - Kemorovo fans</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDMqvFO-KcjEBGEaX5w3nEpUp_LJnYNOVibbrc7kd1-9WdYyju4Lv4e-19SLQNJfNbunQortyLVoYyZZV3LZO03WUNw02lDXCh0XtSMZIVoz4AxXbDVESWKMi_L4Q5DjRmUdwLaBz_yU/s1600/DSC01999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDDMqvFO-KcjEBGEaX5w3nEpUp_LJnYNOVibbrc7kd1-9WdYyju4Lv4e-19SLQNJfNbunQortyLVoYyZZV3LZO03WUNw02lDXCh0XtSMZIVoz4AxXbDVESWKMi_L4Q5DjRmUdwLaBz_yU/s320/DSC01999.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</i></div>The temperature is -3C (27F) with a strong wind coming straight down the valley, funneled by the sheer walls thru the stadium from one goal to the other.<br />
The game is interesting, for neither team want to show their whole hand (strategy), but they both sincerely want to win. The result is 6-2, with incredible goals and skill sets on display for both sides.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKssg74Ov5Dt_Zo8o7jxlRMoto0R9fW4s2gZEudJO0kjzX_jH9DNMN6S2LIL2kZc-y5CMKdMCUidbgEc2djl52sX7hvbs2Q8e6Kd7c2FuhScSdYgkWYnzUey5Gp0Xb-bN6eE4JuPCuMc/s1600/DSC02021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnKssg74Ov5Dt_Zo8o7jxlRMoto0R9fW4s2gZEudJO0kjzX_jH9DNMN6S2LIL2kZc-y5CMKdMCUidbgEc2djl52sX7hvbs2Q8e6Kd7c2FuhScSdYgkWYnzUey5Gp0Xb-bN6eE4JuPCuMc/s320/DSC02021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Seconds remaining in the match</i></div><br />
After the game, it's back on a mini-bus for a crazy ride down the valley back to Almaty. I carry on a great conversation, which keeps us from paying too much attention to our drive, who is racing the Volkswagon ten-passenger TDI down the winding valley road. Almost all referees were at the game, so the banquet hall is full for dinner at 21:30 before our end of the day meeting to review and recieve assignments. I recieve very high marks for my work as 4th official in the first game, and no problems noted for my second as assistant. After all games are reviewed, we recieve our assignment. A much smaller number of games remain each day, so the anticipation is growing for the Sunday games. Kevin gets the Group C2 (Japan) vs C3 (Kirgystan), with me as the 4th, so I will have seen both teams twice in the last few days. An added bonus is that the game will be shown live on Japanese TV on Saturday (morning, Japan time). So, if anyone knows how to record a P2P video stream, please do so, for it would be a great keepsake from this tournament. I promise to wear my valenki, which will certainly get some face time from the Kazakh TV production.<br />
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Photos tomorrow, I'm zonked.</div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-31164582052521546762012-02-01T10:48:00.000-08:002012-02-01T10:54:17.434-08:00Kyrgyzstan score first goal in their history<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Wednesday, February 1st - <em style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Kyrgyzstan</em><b> </b>score first goal in their history<br />
The day begins earlier than anticipated, for I have later afternoon game, but can not sleep past 07:00. It is just starting to brighten in the eastern ridge of the Tang Shan mountain range, and we are blessed with clear skys revealing the fresh snow capped peaks anchoring the south of the city.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpvBR_3UVwiyeIC2OV8ibVvVV3oiFrBgRyP6uwNfPnAdg9mNLZUN-5K0ZaQ8ijloFFchjUSzFp_B6yxUZzjA5h2z1OXhh_XLlJGsm-C9gX3e-mjameFCFteCJxJq7Nx80Vgxq-VnTgiA/s1600/DSC01867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpvBR_3UVwiyeIC2OV8ibVvVV3oiFrBgRyP6uwNfPnAdg9mNLZUN-5K0ZaQ8ijloFFchjUSzFp_B6yxUZzjA5h2z1OXhh_XLlJGsm-C9gX3e-mjameFCFteCJxJq7Nx80Vgxq-VnTgiA/s320/DSC01867.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Sunrise over Almaty</i></div>I spend some time with a video skype to my mother this morning, and it is really great to be able to see and speak over such great distance and time zones. I also see my friend, David is online in San Francisco, so I skype him as well. It is with great joy, that I find him with his wife, Florentina, and daughter, Davia sitting at their dinner table. It has been far too long since we have seen eachother. Davia, now sixteen, was just an infant the last time that I was in The City.<br />
As the morning progresses, the air begins to thicken, and the mountains become shrouded in the thick air of the city. It is no wonder that the airlines schedule their landings for the middle of the night to avoid the obscured visibility.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_a2YGqK3nIcrBUAZ2UNOdSXOsL-pA1leL2T6cSWL3foCF87p485gXHG8HLIERsmnUYtH6WNMmM5vDzRxecf7OxmBZPEj1MLzTqe7UrlNsiojKUUPsPNZsspQ-0UZU5kfRGTuAdeeNw0/s1600/DSC01875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_a2YGqK3nIcrBUAZ2UNOdSXOsL-pA1leL2T6cSWL3foCF87p485gXHG8HLIERsmnUYtH6WNMmM5vDzRxecf7OxmBZPEj1MLzTqe7UrlNsiojKUUPsPNZsspQ-0UZU5kfRGTuAdeeNw0/s320/DSC01875.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Gratuitous Vito photo for AJ</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZmYEBQFgPn-jNHuIHf812a1KBJrcg9jeOf91yZ3SdLOc5t3uPnCcWD6v8xGpCUzfNVxtGIiaTZ9HORIqTanUQIzOaC-hemTdO7Po-zOIfY1PcQnVPw1c1ReKwwxg6L4nHhJhlXdL8J8/s1600/DSC01927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ZmYEBQFgPn-jNHuIHf812a1KBJrcg9jeOf91yZ3SdLOc5t3uPnCcWD6v8xGpCUzfNVxtGIiaTZ9HORIqTanUQIzOaC-hemTdO7Po-zOIfY1PcQnVPw1c1ReKwwxg6L4nHhJhlXdL8J8/s320/DSC01927.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Kazakh Real World 4WD SUV-not for suburbia</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>With the late morning and early afternoon free, my Russian referee friend, Andrei, and I venture out for some shopping. He needs to purchase a camera for a friend of his birthday. So we head out into the city. We visit an electronics shop, but the selection is poor, and the shop keeper indicates that there is a ZUM department store on the Arbat (pedestrian mall) where we can find all that our hearts desire. It is true, for as we enter the door, we are confronted by electronics as far as the eye can see, with series of small counters with display cases chock full of every electronic device and accessory imaginable. This is not a place with selective competition, it is full on capitalist endeavor. Andrei, inquires at a few counters, and ends at one, where he begins his negotiations. He indicates that the prices are much better than in Moscow, and he is prepared to walk away from purchasing the Cannon A800 for T19,000 (US$127.), when reviews the Kazakhstan Tenge in hand that totals only T17,700 (US$118.) the shop keepers make the deal, rather than see the customer walk away. As a comparison, such a consumer item could be purchased at Best Buy for US$86 (w/ tax). It does go to show how expensive cities such as Moscow can be, when these prices here in Almaty, Kazakhstan are much lower than an expensive city such as Moscow.<br />
We continue to wander the ZUM department store for a little while, then we must return to the hotel, for Andrei has transport to the Medeo Stadium at 14:00 for the USA vs Sweden game, and my transport is schedule for 15:00 to Central for the <span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Kyrgyzstan</em><b> </b></span>vs Estonia match. I take the extra hour enjoy the sunshine and walk thru the Park to the 28 Heroes, and visit the Cathedral.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEc6W0IxrJQBK4ln6RRLWmYLkbFrlJ6okEQvP-NCT_9CzvW3i37ntKysgSEXBEyYaA_6aFXiDrr5EIdlOD99PoT9DmNPGTDnhZCyoUh3FaACcB2yTvPyUqrvYfpnaCwW9JKsEtxPABIE/s1600/DSC01893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEc6W0IxrJQBK4ln6RRLWmYLkbFrlJ6okEQvP-NCT_9CzvW3i37ntKysgSEXBEyYaA_6aFXiDrr5EIdlOD99PoT9DmNPGTDnhZCyoUh3FaACcB2yTvPyUqrvYfpnaCwW9JKsEtxPABIE/s320/DSC01893.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Cathedral interior</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDR6eHnyWi8QEBv8lgEDowLZ8Lpe-B3o6tTkY3KGI6vMKzMMh0n-qMbyNb_RPnlPZHn4gnY4ZKdhZ73-x0o54temdoh4m1b-lpeh9KckQNgmMrpJ-VSOdhObZM81IYHu7ChengtWChE_I/s1600/DSC01906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDR6eHnyWi8QEBv8lgEDowLZ8Lpe-B3o6tTkY3KGI6vMKzMMh0n-qMbyNb_RPnlPZHn4gnY4ZKdhZ73-x0o54temdoh4m1b-lpeh9KckQNgmMrpJ-VSOdhObZM81IYHu7ChengtWChE_I/s320/DSC01906.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Cathedral exterior with child on sled</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSkJeoOw8fTmUL05nNGz4UK7VeartZJ4Wr2fy8UTVyiJ_8-k4GgiZD26xjDyqkMaP6B0ZqPSEn4ovSnZo33k8Gdc2S0VSVIHKZWDdp7t4afHi1AGgQfTm5BJniGEEcEaIzqXFpYtqslc/s1600/DSC01922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSkJeoOw8fTmUL05nNGz4UK7VeartZJ4Wr2fy8UTVyiJ_8-k4GgiZD26xjDyqkMaP6B0ZqPSEn4ovSnZo33k8Gdc2S0VSVIHKZWDdp7t4afHi1AGgQfTm5BJniGEEcEaIzqXFpYtqslc/s320/DSC01922.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>28 Heroes </i><i>Monument </i></div><br />
At 14:58, our referee crew meet in the hotel lobby for the short drive to the stadium. I am looking forward to working with Finland head referee, and the rest of the Russian crew. Upon arrival at stadium, we sit down in the referee locker room, and the HR goes thru his pre-game. He outlines all the game situations, and how he expects our crew to work the game. Positions for restarts on free strokes; cautions for encroaching the distance for restarts; breaking up any fighting; end line whistling for corners; responsibilities for eachothers side of the penalty area to award a penalty shot; offside line; ball out of bounds at side line; and constant eye contact.<br />
We then walk out to the rink where the previous game is into the second half, to review the condition of the rink. We have been informed that there is a problem with the refrigeration, and the side boards have had to be moved in a few meters due to some holes in the ice. The rink started at 96 meters by 66 meters (315 feet x 217 feet), but has been reduced by 6 meters (20 feet). There have been two areas where the under ice coils have sprung leaks creating holes in the ice. It is approved for the competition today, and maybe will be fixed before tomorrows games.<br />
The game goes as expected and Estonia go out to an early lead, for <em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Kyrgyzstan</em><b> </b> are playing in their first tournament, and they have yet to score a goal.<br />
The game is going well, and the temperatures are quite warm, about -10C (14F) at the start of the game. The sun is beginning to set in the west, and is shining in my eyes both directly, and reflecting off of the ice. It really is no problem, for it is similar to the late fall/summer games on the soccer pitch. In the second half there is a stretch of five minutes, where I must call the Estonian players offside on four or five occasions; which includes waving off three goals. I remind the referee over our two-way radio system that we are in the final minute (only 60 minute games in Group C, rather than typical game of 90 minutes). In the next sequence, three <em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Kyrgyz</em> players break away toward the Estonian goal with the ball. They score their Federations first International goal in the dying seconds of the match, to great celebrations by all involved. This makes the second day in a row, where historic first goals have been scored in my matches. Truely enjoyable to be a part of the experienc and have a very brief post-game assessment of our match with Russian supervisor. Afterward, our three-man crew retire to the sauna for five or ten minutes, where my Finish colleague is able to give me some more information on my performance. It is from these post-match conversations that we learn, no matter the level of our experience. We then board the mini-bus back to the hotel, which takes us into rush-hour traffic jamb (it is 6:30 PM local time). What was a 15-20 minute drive to the Central stadium takes 45-50 minutes on return.<br />
A wonderful selection on the dinner buffet includes the beef stroganoff, and the manti (Kazakh meat dumpling). I meet up with USA referee team mates at dinner and we share some of our game day experiences at the rink.<br />
Now, I've been in my room writing todays entry, and it is 22:00. In thirty minutes all the referees and supervisors will meet downstairs in the conference room to review the days games briefly, and recieve the assignments for Friday. Typically the day off before the Semi-Finals and Qualification games - however, this year there are two B-Pool games on the schedule, so many of us will have the day free. Saturday will be the Semi-Finals for the A-Pool; the B-Pool games for 2nd and 3rd Place; and C-Pool game for 2nd place. This year there will be direct promotion / relegation between the three groups. I do not think this is such a good idea, for example, the game between A6 and B1 has generally been an intense game for inclusion in the next tournaments A-Pool. This game has historically been fiercely contested recently between Belarus and USA. This year, both teams have clearly been firmly in their groups position, and would set up a very good competition which all of the players desire. Instead both teams will be without any final fixture in the competition. In additon the fifth place team in the A-Pool go without a final game (only the game for 3rd place and the Final remain for Sunday).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08CrCQKGI_Nmmu3RKC4IYBSF7zReKFNBWkcjrZ1k_sNz88CHBH0zS_ylGWF0WJ2PzvxEwt-tndFmUND1aMDWkg_Ubrqvab_KAdWxXjTSi7IE_NvzoSy-DTiAHHxZrBAYJ4o_YTel0_Ec/s1600/DSC01933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08CrCQKGI_Nmmu3RKC4IYBSF7zReKFNBWkcjrZ1k_sNz88CHBH0zS_ylGWF0WJ2PzvxEwt-tndFmUND1aMDWkg_Ubrqvab_KAdWxXjTSi7IE_NvzoSy-DTiAHHxZrBAYJ4o_YTel0_Ec/s320/DSC01933.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;">Q: Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner?</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A: Dinner: beef stroganoff and manti (dumplings)</i></div><br />
Tomorrow may be a day for exploring this city, and shopping for souvineers and gifts, depending upon the upcoming assignments.<br />
Meeting concludes at 23:00, discussion in my room until 00:30. Kevin and Eric have transport at 08:00 to Central stadium, I follow at 10:00. Evening game is the last group stage featuring Sweden vs Russia, which is 'almost' always an epic battle to determine the #1 seed for the Semi-Finals. Eric will make his way up to the mountain stadium, while Kevin, our Russian crew and I will arrange direct transport to Medeo after our 16:30 C-Pool match (Japan vs <em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Kyrgyzstan</em>).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLZWxZJU6BUg9GlI7iUyWsWlDUjab4gM5-ltmfGVF0U-Hz1_yBp_uzTb0Ay0y_gdkdoDRhqzCDGQ1QYzS7w4kkyd87Odtpi_WA6_c8Jn9ZXzgiU89kC_XJ8eNjUED5l26i6dpOkJ5lhY/s1600/DSC01936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLZWxZJU6BUg9GlI7iUyWsWlDUjab4gM5-ltmfGVF0U-Hz1_yBp_uzTb0Ay0y_gdkdoDRhqzCDGQ1QYzS7w4kkyd87Odtpi_WA6_c8Jn9ZXzgiU89kC_XJ8eNjUED5l26i6dpOkJ5lhY/s320/DSC01936.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>What I'm drinking: 0.44L unfiltered wheat beer (nod to Soccer Boy)</i></div><br />
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</div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-34432180780383896842012-01-31T11:21:00.000-08:002012-01-31T11:21:39.537-08:00Historic Inaugural C-Pool Competition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div>Tuesday, January 31st - Historic Inaugural C-Pool Competition</div><div>This morning was the first C-Pool game in the World Bandy Championships, and included the first competiton for the Japanese Bandy Federation. Indeed a great day for the bandy family. The match was played under clearer air, but with some light snow falling at the Central Stadium. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_oqip0R_dNaMpa8Bex-8WW2BoHDXcnk0bptEB8sxzCOaAWy90IwCqY5tHddbgrS_pVemWgsJwT5ru3I_kDZB2clpJd2i9wNz3MPTJzButHyt5KK8lFvNe_KTJol1uv8zmcW0fhhsago/s1600/DSC01804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_oqip0R_dNaMpa8Bex-8WW2BoHDXcnk0bptEB8sxzCOaAWy90IwCqY5tHddbgrS_pVemWgsJwT5ru3I_kDZB2clpJd2i9wNz3MPTJzButHyt5KK8lFvNe_KTJol1uv8zmcW0fhhsago/s320/DSC01804.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>First Course: breakfast, lunch or dinner?</i></div><div><br />
</div><div>The 9:30 start time, meant an early rise for breakfast for our crew, which included my USA Assistant Referee team mate, Eric and Head Referee from Sweden, Hokan (sic). The temperature was quite nice just about freezing with very little wind or smog.</div><div>The game was going very well, although there were deep powdery snow drifts at both end lines. This left very little room for Eric and I to navigate for our duties, which often takes us into positions beyond the goal line. At one point, Eric was pressed deep beyond the end line by the run of play, and backed right into the snow bank, "ass over happy feet", displacing a large cloud of fluffy snow. At one point, all that could be seen was his black helmet sticking up from the drift. It was all we could do to keep from falling down in laughter. Eric the snowman.</div><div>Well, the game continued of course, and the first half was dominated by the Estonian team. The second half began and in the first minute, Japan was awarded a penalty shot, much to the enjoyment of the Japanese contingent. The shot was converted marking a historic moment for their Federation. The ball was collected by the team captain, and presented to the team leaders. The result was never going to be in doubt, however, Japan scored again later in the second half on a beautiful shot from a corner stroke into the upper corner. The celebrations began again in earnest, despite the inevitable result forthcoming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSH5W5lEiHC9o6wijNN7VcZfFSVFmYEGfrbQPOFxHOPJuXMXyevLt8hwOa8tiKx88OZy5BGjq9EhnVzQrrh_v_bYuT0SujBazDOrNkLubDDtDQFrwWdpVImJULjZRvmRUZKFkI5l5Ftg/s1600/DSC01812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSH5W5lEiHC9o6wijNN7VcZfFSVFmYEGfrbQPOFxHOPJuXMXyevLt8hwOa8tiKx88OZy5BGjq9EhnVzQrrh_v_bYuT0SujBazDOrNkLubDDtDQFrwWdpVImJULjZRvmRUZKFkI5l5Ftg/s320/DSC01812.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>At the end of the day; nothing can curb the Japanese enjoyment of the moment</i></div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVE8f-kFRB4GFMYPAXPiQK8EtbLWKOFxRotjMHwiIOdln3-fbe9zyamKjl9INTJil9kafsOL0cIHFkJ8dGon-S7C8Nu7OZERSYK1cO-I3NAh56fDIsAIGOlOKDctIxZdYB8G_arkSM-fA/s1600/Ref+team+Sjosten.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVE8f-kFRB4GFMYPAXPiQK8EtbLWKOFxRotjMHwiIOdln3-fbe9zyamKjl9INTJil9kafsOL0cIHFkJ8dGon-S7C8Nu7OZERSYK1cO-I3NAh56fDIsAIGOlOKDctIxZdYB8G_arkSM-fA/s320/Ref+team+Sjosten.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Referee Team Sjosten</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Return to hotel for a quick change of clothes in preparation for 4th official duty for the next game at Central Stadium, Netherlands vs Canada. I wear my new valenki traditional wool felt boots, and draw comments from volunteers to the security platoon. The game is never in doubt as the Canadians roll to 11-1 victory.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_utvTywCZ11Oz4bv-ENTrI95jmTNPBWJwGkZMtOiMW6pOmE3JWUFj-WNxBYoviTeT7PBKD0AXGf6ymmgC59RcqabMSFSRN_VUiwrMrgmB0aPVMzS_sNf1k2r8ZE02yaD6ZNm9nyiLS4/s1600/Office+foyer+at+National+Stadium.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_utvTywCZ11Oz4bv-ENTrI95jmTNPBWJwGkZMtOiMW6pOmE3JWUFj-WNxBYoviTeT7PBKD0AXGf6ymmgC59RcqabMSFSRN_VUiwrMrgmB0aPVMzS_sNf1k2r8ZE02yaD6ZNm9nyiLS4/s320/Office+foyer+at+National+Stadium.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Office foyer at the National Stadium (Central)</i></div><div><br />
</div><div>Back at the hotel after the match, the fog gives way to relatively clear view of the Tang Shan mountain range to the south of the city, and the late afternoon sun shining on the gold ornaments at the Church in the Park of 28 Heros across the street. I truely hope that we can get a clear view of the whole range towering over the city of Almaty to the south.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5mo8RxgIVbk-FEYImugcq_6EKmFzIIbI9surr353-qG0pownGK2nwm0gHySxvjre9w_zaJndFNFOLB5P4CbUY7RyvqqmH5Pgbn5b5F3a2g17cb4mOFtspUFkrsHs19shR3wqvzxo_qU/s1600/DSC01842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5mo8RxgIVbk-FEYImugcq_6EKmFzIIbI9surr353-qG0pownGK2nwm0gHySxvjre9w_zaJndFNFOLB5P4CbUY7RyvqqmH5Pgbn5b5F3a2g17cb4mOFtspUFkrsHs19shR3wqvzxo_qU/s320/DSC01842.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Golden sunset over mountain peaks and Cathedral in Park for 28 Heros</i></div><div><br />
</div><div>A leisurely afternoon in the hotel room is a nice break, and I look forward to watching Sweden vs Kazakhstan on the television tonight, then late dinner before our 22:30 nightly meeting to review the days games, and receive our next assignments. </div><div>At our meeting, we begin with a short video showing the historic start to the Group C play, followed by the video captured of team mate, Eric, falling backwards into the snow drift ... this is met with howls of laughter by all, and brought tears to my eyes. Eric took it in stride, and stood to recieve his applause.</div><div>Meeting ends at 23:40 bringing another long day to an end. Tomorrow brings another Group C game, featuring another first time country, Kirgistan. I get to work with one of the top Finish Head Referees as they face Estonia.</div><div><br />
</div></div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-69168413830406581602012-01-30T10:53:00.000-08:002012-01-30T10:53:00.465-08:00B-Pool play begins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Monday, January 30th - B-Pool play begins<br />
While up late, sleep was interrupted by some noisy upstairs neighbors, but still was sharp for the days morning match. Typical breakfast plus a bowl of porridge with some diced apples, raisins and walnuts.<br />
Met Russian referee team mates in lobby at 10:00 for the police escorted mini-bus ride to the Central Stadium and the start of Group B play. The bandy rink is set up on the practice field next to the soccer stadium. Four portable refrigeration units have been set up to feed the coils under the rink. The ice is quite fast, but there are a couple of lumpy bits, and one corner has a slight bump. All in all, the venue is a very nice urban setting with some relatively new residential high rises towering a few blocks away.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-G0W1uZfmvsBv2ioEb4Pm5fExfcLLxiNg3rNEwfKfdFWjQcg9W3r2-fIlQJNgPPrzKmn249ATDkwM_6a6MNtPI5DjjFqOz4tFRSzkXpljXtfuodiTtM2MMW8F3zV1QgAQEUYk5ZP6uI/s1600/DSC01783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-G0W1uZfmvsBv2ioEb4Pm5fExfcLLxiNg3rNEwfKfdFWjQcg9W3r2-fIlQJNgPPrzKmn249ATDkwM_6a6MNtPI5DjjFqOz4tFRSzkXpljXtfuodiTtM2MMW8F3zV1QgAQEUYk5ZP6uI/s320/DSC01783.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Security Cordon at the perimeter of the bandy rink</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4nEGiGagk0w8HTseCLCWKhIA0-UIfIwktwusGqcBhdNT9GokzHwts4VmeK7KlDE3_PkMiMWx9Ayft4QfNfE_zQKJgOgdpAHPcjKTAjuBf9mAzzLeH3kjkWDMGiCOKVJovoslBQ18jtE/s1600/DSC01791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4nEGiGagk0w8HTseCLCWKhIA0-UIfIwktwusGqcBhdNT9GokzHwts4VmeK7KlDE3_PkMiMWx9Ayft4QfNfE_zQKJgOgdpAHPcjKTAjuBf9mAzzLeH3kjkWDMGiCOKVJovoslBQ18jtE/s320/DSC01791.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Additional police presence and view of the massive cantilever support for the soccer stadium canopy</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf4-_N6mLYm12n1WQ3WjNU3xpdWfz4rdwohQrAIbcZgQckNcsSN3K_ZSvfkIDDcmZPrVxtdff_tGORmfaNHPVfjrjzrvg7o4QOq4SsxhCiTpL4at3NAaO97szEmA3N8K9QgdVQZxg8sw/s1600/DSC01792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsf4-_N6mLYm12n1WQ3WjNU3xpdWfz4rdwohQrAIbcZgQckNcsSN3K_ZSvfkIDDcmZPrVxtdff_tGORmfaNHPVfjrjzrvg7o4QOq4SsxhCiTpL4at3NAaO97szEmA3N8K9QgdVQZxg8sw/s320/DSC01792.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The long walk from locker room to the rink (with skate guards on)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> The smog is still thick enough to cut with a knife as the workday traffic contributes quite an inversion, similar to what Salt Lake City might experience - nestled right at the foot of the mountains. This morning, I could make out the television tower and the snow covered peaks thru the haze, but by the time we left for the match, they were completely obscured. I am glad the temperature is reasonable (just below freezing).<br />
The tournament is using mixed referee crews, and I am the only American among three other Russians, so communication by the two-way radios will be impossible for me to understand. No matter, for our game is controlled by a system for control, and by making constant eye contact with my head referee, we are able to do a good job of controlling the game. The game features the Netherlands versus Latvia with many of the players coming from hockey background. This resulted in seven penalties (70 minutes) in the first half. The referee made correct decisions in all situations, and the players responded. There were zero penalties in the second forty-five minutes. The run of play seemed much closer than the scoreline, as the Dutch won by quite a large margin. A very nice Russian referee tradition that I was exposed to was that just before going out to the rink, the whole crew take a seat and have a moment of silent contemplation. This is something that I believe is quite nice and beneficial for the crew as a whole. This is also done before going out for the second half.<br />
Post-game, we found the oppulent referee room quite crowded, as the crew for the next game had arrived and begun their preparation. Therefore, we did not go thru our assessment with the match delegate. We plan to review our match at the hotel after lunch (which has become an identical buffet - difficult to determine whether it is lunch or dinner time). Lunch is complete at 15:00 and I retire to my room (USA ref teammates have game at Central stadium). I draw myself a hot bath, and begin a soak and use the time to do some washing of the tech undershirts for use tomorrow. After the hot tub, I decide to put on the slippers (and underwear) and step out on the frigid balcony ... what a great way to finish off soak.<br />
Eric has heard of a grocery market a few blocks to the east, so we head out to find some more malty provisions. As these trips evolve, it seems that each day we find better and better grocery shopping. Today, we find a store with a distinct German flavor. It is complete with a small kiosk with a woman filling bottles with fresh tap beer (Fifth-Ocean.com). I decide on a one liter bottle for T560 (US$3.75) and a couple of local beers. We also get a box of muselix bars, for there will be some full bandy days with out access to our hotel lunch.<br />
With a long day of bandy tomorrow, I decide to stay in hotel room and watch USA vs Kazakhstan on the television. It is quite nice to watch our game on TV, a luxury that comes at times very few and far between. The weather has turned a bit, and there is a beautiful snowfall at the Medeu Stadium. After the match (21:00) I head for the banquet room for dinner, and begin to write todays blog entry. Soon, however, I am joined by the Finish referee crew, and we enjoy some cammeraderie and conversation.<br />
Dinner time flys by and soon we must break for the evenings meeting begins at 22:30. The days games are all reviewed in the conference room that is full with twenty two referees, and five supervisors. Each game is reviewed by the Supervisor with comments that the rest of us can take some education. Even as these refrees are the best in the world, we can all learn something after each and every game (and some of us, more so than others). The assignments for the day after next are indicated, whih takes us thru Thursday matches and the run up to the Semi-Finals and Qualification games between the groups.<br />
<div><br />
</div></div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-68821638922333251772012-01-30T09:55:00.000-08:002012-01-30T10:38:26.040-08:00Kazakh icon: hunting by eagle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroiks_lEB73_IGWKsh0G-zMpfrxWDFCZI9lSVKqEwxz1xbLVUHVDxPV5jwdbkeLnp62CJk3Ox6oaNwESCyQPuOW7LP3wtO6Pk2veuP9PykpSm_5M4uXpmjF8_pzdnhhIO9RUq3NF6Qv0/s1600/neal+with+eagle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroiks_lEB73_IGWKsh0G-zMpfrxWDFCZI9lSVKqEwxz1xbLVUHVDxPV5jwdbkeLnp62CJk3Ox6oaNwESCyQPuOW7LP3wtO6Pk2veuP9PykpSm_5M4uXpmjF8_pzdnhhIO9RUq3NF6Qv0/s320/neal+with+eagle.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Up close and personal with a huge eagle at the top of the Medeu dam and reservoir. Amazing bird of prey.</div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-33231983622282036472012-01-29T12:20:00.000-08:002012-01-29T12:20:20.725-08:00Match Day 1, A-Pool<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Sunday, January 29, 2012 - Match Day 1, A-Pool<br />
Up at 08:00, and shave for breakfast before referee meeting at 09:00. Regular fare at the banquet room, and I opt for immediate cup of instant coffee (yes, indeed). Quartered tomatoes, cucumbers and a slice of bread with meat and cheese are the starter plate. A second plate includes some sausage (more like soft hot dog, terrible), fried potatoes w/ onion, a fried egg, and a couple of pancakes - one with meat and the other with cheese. Of course, no meal in Almaty can not go with out a glass or two of apple juice. The name of this city means: full of apples. Not sure where they come from at this time of year.<br />
Quick meeting at 09:00 is led by FIB Director of the Rules and Referee Committee from Sweden, who, along with the other Swedish referees and Match Delegate have finally arrived after delay in Istanbul (also of note, USA Player from the elite Swedish division, traveling on same flights arrived w/o his skates - a big blog for the USA team). At the meeting we quickly review the points of emphasis for this tournament: mixing of referee teams from different countries; focus and directives; review of match protocol; and finally what we have all been waiting for - the first match days assignments. The A-Pool begins today with three games, and the B- and C-Pool play begins on Monday. Referees from USA are assigned games on Monday and Tuesday. My first assignment is at 11:30 working the assignment with Russian Head Referee (HR) as Assistant Referee 1 (AR1), and additonal Russian Assistant, Fourth Official (4th) and Match Delegate. My second day assignments include the 09:30 match as AR1 with Swedish HR and USA teammate as AR2. A second match for the day will follow with the third match of the day at the Central Stadium as 4th official.<br />
Assignments in hand, we retire to our rooms and prepare for our day on the town before heading to the Medeo Stadium high in the mountain for the Opening Ceremony and the three games to open the A-Pool. Our plan is to immediately hit the Green Market (baazar) to experience life in this city at first hand on the traditional shopping day. I am insearch of a replacement pair of valenki (the traditonal felt wool boot) and generally experiencing the full sights, sounds and smells. We are not disappointed, for after wandering thru the many aisles filled with small stalls selling everything that one could imaging, we enter the large open area where there are vendors butchering all kinds of meat, all types of vegetables, spices, and cheeses. Luckily, Kevin gets some photos before we are dramatically informed that photos/video are forbidden. As I did not bring my calculator, I find a vendor with some for sale, and purchase a small solar model for T300 ($2.) which is most helpful in bargining with the vendors, and numbers are the bottom line and need no language in translation. Eventually, we have explored the entire first floor of the market, and we decend a flight of stairs to the oen air area, where I finally find a pair of valenki with rubber sole (the only ones I had seen all morning). So I inquire as to the price T7500 about US$50. This particular pair is obviously much too big, so I punch into the calculator, my Euro size of shoe. The woman running the stall goes off and returns in a minute with my size (more or less). I am given a thick felt insole and try on for fit ... it's still too big, so she grabs a pair of thick wool socks (which I had also been cautiously eyeing). I ask how much for the socks, T800 (US$5.33) and proceed to try on the ensemble. They fit OK, but I don't appear too impressed, as the bargining dance begins. I offer T7000 for the whole set, nyet is the reply, so I give the calculator to the shop keeper and await the counter offer. We go back and forth with my final offer of T7200 (US$48.) accepted.<br />
We carry on and plan to depart back to hotel and continue our exploration of Almaty and the Park of the 28 Heros. We have plenty of time, and Eric suggests we begin part of the walking tour from his guide book which includes the high end stores, and Almaty's version of their Arbat (open boulevard) with street vendors. A real nice walk about, and we encounter Kevin's favorite the street artists paintings. We see many paintings of traditional Kazakh scenes including horses, camels, yurts, mountains and falconry. As we did in Moscow several years ago, we walk back and forth between several vendors inquiring about prices, and surveying our favorites. Eventually, we begin to negotiate with an old woman who obviously has paid a specific amount to the artist and will not budge below a certain point (she needs and deserves T500, US$3.33) for what ever we purchase. I decide that, I, too would like a painting, and we begin to renegotiate a two for one deal. We go back and forth a little, and what started at T4000, ends at two for T7250 (US$48.) We all walk away happy, and Kevin even gets a photo of the gold and gapped tooth old woman. Time is beginning to run short for us to work our way across town to catch city bus up the mountain valley to the Medeo (valley of honey) Stadium.<br />
We make another stop at the hotel to drop the paintings, and decide to get lunch at the banquet room and ride the transport with the referee crew to the stadium.<br />
Upon arrival, the ceremony is underway, and we opt to immediately walk up toward the gravity dam that rises 2000 meters above the stadium in the steep mountain valley. We have driven out of the smog bound city into the crisp clean air of the mountain, and the temperature is hovering right around freezing 0C (32F) in bright sunshine. Our trek begins, and we first unzip our quilted parkas and remove the gloves. Eventually the steep road reaches the base of the earthen dam, and massive flights of stairs reach into the sky. At each of the three terraced levels of the dam there are security officers standing at 10 meter intervals on an isulated pad.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnN_5635209ZptZ48b76jmJRyKsDb7812JD7jmxltdaw7U6eQC5zMslQKkDylkNm3bCNUUfkfrOLWjp0qcHvjBRKnf7lGq14hsAI86fw4gfCA2y3ZTP5R3FuR0Tz_4uAMQJTAkvK78Bs/s1600/DSC01740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnN_5635209ZptZ48b76jmJRyKsDb7812JD7jmxltdaw7U6eQC5zMslQKkDylkNm3bCNUUfkfrOLWjp0qcHvjBRKnf7lGq14hsAI86fw4gfCA2y3ZTP5R3FuR0Tz_4uAMQJTAkvK78Bs/s320/DSC01740.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><br />
They are obviously guarding the structure from sabotage. It takes us at least an hour to climb at least 800 steps to the top. We stop at several points to take photographs, panorama and video of the majestic scenes both below the dam, and toward the reservoir and the mountains high above. As we are enjoying the views a local approaches with a giant eagle on his arm. Eagle and Falconry are a historic activity for the Kazahks and others in these Asiatic lands. Immediately, I am astounded and intrigued as he offers to let me hold the eagle on my arm. I am give a thick leather glove, and the bird is transfered.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8EFKqnN7Dm0BgBPqEqtoLNctDHW7Jgb0N5fMsFdJk-v4AfMDkszGFYEE80GHMIqAhVHV_COZLsOKEZudg3QrOz_DNx_q1Vjti1GV_3n_4EFPU-tC9Q2ETx5_ccAQS6GcDFkGiUed8rU/s1600/eric+with+eagle+at+Medeo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8EFKqnN7Dm0BgBPqEqtoLNctDHW7Jgb0N5fMsFdJk-v4AfMDkszGFYEE80GHMIqAhVHV_COZLsOKEZudg3QrOz_DNx_q1Vjti1GV_3n_4EFPU-tC9Q2ETx5_ccAQS6GcDFkGiUed8rU/s320/eric+with+eagle+at+Medeo.JPG" width="180" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXIbNroEgAUxO2vkzcGwq-sDGJDsREaRr_-DWclItGEkGWdcygOYCy7oTmSn7T069jWl217F4t02Rowm6NwaD9Gb035AoO1aKgHJEXJmKjjWLHY5ISrxJngT_eR2_0GF8xKvy9rNPIMs/s1600/DSC01744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXIbNroEgAUxO2vkzcGwq-sDGJDsREaRr_-DWclItGEkGWdcygOYCy7oTmSn7T069jWl217F4t02Rowm6NwaD9Gb035AoO1aKgHJEXJmKjjWLHY5ISrxJngT_eR2_0GF8xKvy9rNPIMs/s320/DSC01744.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoG-BlB3XLKX-bnsI6HeZBNeURo_DjMuhPvFJQA7JUlJZIhvkm0SjdSVjmfruV-VX3TMbDkFuDKxS84rqEf-DiokqGIxU7JJ1FI_ote3_ozckIlshlCXyWliwiah_6Kafn3mGDciOvsw8/s1600/DSC01763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoG-BlB3XLKX-bnsI6HeZBNeURo_DjMuhPvFJQA7JUlJZIhvkm0SjdSVjmfruV-VX3TMbDkFuDKxS84rqEf-DiokqGIxU7JJ1FI_ote3_ozckIlshlCXyWliwiah_6Kafn3mGDciOvsw8/s320/DSC01763.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We decend and catch the end of the first game, Sweden vs Finland. Sweden win decisively. Team USA play Russia in the second match, and we look forward to showing our countrymen some support in their task at hand versus one of the two best teams in the world. Russia win handlily, however, Team USA score three VERY nice goals. The final game of the evening features the host country versus Norway, what has generally been a game between teams ranked four and five in the group. The host, bouyed by their home support win by a large margin. A group of ten referees depart the game part way thru the second half so we may return to hotel for dinner, before our 23:00 meeting to review the days matches.<br />
Obviously, I am still battling the time zones while writing this travelblog, and will retire in a few minutes before my first game, tomorrow morning.<br />
<div><br />
</div></div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-7553175010536918472012-01-28T11:15:00.000-08:002012-01-28T11:15:23.058-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Saturday, Januray 28th - Hotel Otar<br />
Awoke at 08:30 still waiting for the time change to catch up with me. Down to the lobby for breakfast, which is the first meal at hotel. Often the food is one of the most memorable parts of these trips. It looks like this food will be good, and not the focus of our attention. I start with plate of bread, meat and cheese, and some noodle salad. Then I go for some of the hot dishes, which includes an entree with some type of scrambled egg, cooked stiff and cut in rectangular shapes. There is also some oatmeal which looks like gruel (will have to try that tomorrow).<br />
Up to the room for a quick nap before meeting and classwork to begin. We begin meeting, and find that the Swedish referees and supervisors have been delayed in Istanbul by a massive snowstorm. This leaves the meeting with three Russian teams, the Fins, Norwegians and ourselves. We continue with the discussion of the new rules for this year, and points of emphasis for the tournament.<br />
The afternoon concludes with rules test, and then we're off to prepare for the skating test at the Medeo Stadium, the venue for the A-pool games is at an altitude of one mile, so we can expect difficult conditions. Temperature is -15 C (-1 F) with a stiff wind. Team USA are just beginning practice upon our arrival, so we have about an hour to prepare, and get warmed up. Once on the rink, we find the ice is cracking in places, and the grounds crew are making patches as the zamboni resurfaces the rink. Located in a steep valley, with a ski lift gondola rising high above makes this venue one of the most beautiful that I have seen. After a good warmup, the six head referees make their 3000 meter skate achieving their goal of 6 minutes. The remaining twelve assistant referees are next, and we encounter ice conditions that are quite dodgy, however we all to make our goal. Next skating test is the agility test set out skate forward then backward thru a course of cones set 40 meters apart. Again, all the referees meet the standards. The physical activity is quite demanding, and the lungs are burning due to the high altitude and thick air.<br />
We return to hotel about 21:30, and are ready for dinner. A plate of hot food is very nice and includes some baked fish, and noodles. I go back for a bowl of hot soup.<br />
After dinner, Kevin, Eric and I walk about in search of some beer. The hotel bar had some Heineken for 650T $4.40. We find a kiosk where we get four Baltica 7 for 740T ($4.95), we continue our walk back to hotel and find a bottle shop where we get four local beers for 560T ($4.40), and Kevin gets a liter of Coke for 400T ($2.70). We're finally back to hotel to settle in for some evening entertainment, which includes our own commentary of badly dubbed movies. And the refrigerator is well stocked for the weekend. Tomorrow we start with meeting at 09:00, we may be able to visit the bazaar on market day, which should be an interesting experience.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkFuyWqnd6Rkpd-VRPiP89WhVWxQW-jAcEsIggqiruFk5RFBkZhSKlxaGnROSKsoDMWdy_hB-iu7YVyrFCNvf505u1TWS96eog_v3s2YIqHsdivGD7Vk1QflfQUi9x4_wbRauDfW3esg/s1600/Kazakh+beer+on+balcony.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRkFuyWqnd6Rkpd-VRPiP89WhVWxQW-jAcEsIggqiruFk5RFBkZhSKlxaGnROSKsoDMWdy_hB-iu7YVyrFCNvf505u1TWS96eog_v3s2YIqHsdivGD7Vk1QflfQUi9x4_wbRauDfW3esg/s320/Kazakh+beer+on+balcony.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-33954966090544726622012-01-27T19:13:00.000-08:002012-01-27T19:13:16.048-08:00Day 2: arrival in Almaty, Kazakhsta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<br />
I am able to nod off for a little while, listening to LUthansa's in flight entertainment - a relaxation station. I awake, and get a dinner of mac and cheese (all that remained available). After eating, I try again to get some rest thru this six hour flight.<br />
An hour before landing, the cabin lights come on and a meat and cheese sandwich is served. It is just after midnight at our destination (noon in MSP). We land to silence ... rather strange, for the Russian trips were always finished with a raucous round of applause. We are greeted in the arrival lounge by tournament volunteers dressed in their red parkas and pants. The wrangle the luggage for us. Our referee team must now separate ourselves from the players for the week, and we are driven in a small mini-bus to our hotel. We finally arrive at our hotel at 02:15.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AsI50S12ldW3Fjb0SuT-QVF3U6DCuDT4ZlF-wyDRhv-MkRwcg3dpLSjo15VVrHylaY6zRoO0AzjkpXWNNdmc1m5g60xRWQ4jaC7R2dDNZbiKgamk6X78867au55__7dfpxb7VLD_bCE/s1600/view+from+hotel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AsI50S12ldW3Fjb0SuT-QVF3U6DCuDT4ZlF-wyDRhv-MkRwcg3dpLSjo15VVrHylaY6zRoO0AzjkpXWNNdmc1m5g60xRWQ4jaC7R2dDNZbiKgamk6X78867au55__7dfpxb7VLD_bCE/s320/view+from+hotel.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I unpack and organize my gear in the room until about 04:00 and finally hit the hay. Tomorrow we have classroom study, meetings and testing from 13:00 thru the day until we finally have our skating fitness testing at 21:30.<br />
<div><br />
</div></div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-32426336988371545292012-01-27T13:47:00.000-08:002012-01-27T13:47:25.453-08:00Day 1: Travel MSP>ORD>FRA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Bandy World Championships<br />
Almaty, Kazakhstan<br />
<br />
26 January, 2012<br />
11:45 depart to Subaru dealer to drop car for recall and windshield replacement while away; plenty of time to get to MSP by 13:00 for group check-in. Arrived at MSP at 12:20, only to find most of the players there ... apparently they had moved the check-in time, but neglected to inform the referee team.<br />
Flight delayed, but no worries aobut connection in Chicago O'Hare (ORD).<br />
Airbus 320 arrives from Denver and they herd us quickly onto the plane, and we're airborne at 16:00, and I'm back into the rules book.<br />
18:00 and we're boarding the plane at ORD, bound for FRA (Frankfurt) on a Boeing 777-200. Seated next to Nick, Brother-in-Law of Papa Joe Warren (soccer teams goalkeeper);we've got to get Joe into playing bandy. Full flight with a few middle seats remaining near the back of the plane. At 19:00 we're pushed back from the gate, and we taxi and wait until 19:35 for take-off. Flight time is indicated to be 7hrs 42min.<br />
I break out the rules book again, and study until the dinner service. After dinner, I begin the movie 'The Debt' and settle in to my middle seat. Finally, with five hours remaining, I decide to take the sleep aid and get four good hours of sleep. Awake over England to the sunrise on the eastern horizon which begins with a nice pink glow. Breakfast service has begun, and we enjoy a cup of bery yogurt and an apple (sort of) turnover, which is quite dry. Two cups of coffee and a glass of water finish off the meal, accompanied by the Botswana episode of Top Gear (can't get enough of those guys and their jackassery).<br />
As we've touched down and braking on the runway, the countdown timer signals the 7:42 flight time ... amazing how accurate the navigation is for such a long distance. Local time 10:15 Fri. Jan 27 (03:15 Central time).<br />
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Friday, January 27th: Frankfurt Airport<br />
The plane is wheels stop just short of the jetway at 10:35, and we deplane by the rear door down stairs to awaiting articulated busses. Construction abounds at FRA Terminal 1 with construction of additional jetways for the multi-level Airbus A380. As our bus takes us around the tarmak, there is an amazing structure housing a Lufthansa hanger. We arrive at another termial for transfer to Lufthansa from our United flight at 11:00 where we get our new boarding passes. This process takes thirty minutes, and we're then off to clear security at 11:35. There is no waiting, so this goes quite smoothly. Kevin, however, is taken into a security office to rifle thru his carry on bag.<br />
We get to our gate for 13:10 boarding but decide to carry on to another lounge that has clear view of the flight line. Unfortunately the Camel Smoking Zone does not have fully negative air pressure, and the smoke lingers in the air. It is amazing how sensitive we have all become, now that smoking is not allowed in public places.<br />
No free wireless, so I update this travelog, and return to study the rules book, and await boarding, just over an hour from now.<br />
</div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8320552362514101889.post-86378887581615908672012-01-24T22:26:00.000-08:002012-01-24T22:26:22.335-08:00Dark Clouds over Ft. Lauderdale: NASL Championship 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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NASL Championship Final, 2nd Leg (1-3, advantage Minnesota Stars over the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers<br />
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Awoke to radio clock at 07:02, lay in bed with anticipation and noting the condensation on the windows due to the atumnal frost … lulling back to sleep awaiting the claxon alarm number two due in another fifteen minutes.<br />
The national news gives way to Minnesota Public Radio's hourly news, and I am startled to hear the words NSC Minnesota Stars, and the NASL over the local media airwaves. Wait … what did I hear? Actual and correct facts about tonight's 2nd leg of the new NASL Championship Final to be played in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Wait …what? …. again, this is an interview with another friend, Brian (Inside MinnesotaSoccer). Short but sweet mention of the biggest game in our local professional soccer history since 1999 when the Minnesota Thunder defeated the Rochester Rhinos to win the A-League Championship (one level below Major League Soccer).<br />
Well, now, I'm fully awake and the adrenaline and corpuscles are chasing each other. Roll out of bed, and into the kitchen to start a couple cups of coffee, then into the shower and shave.<br />
Grab the horn case and backback, and I'm out the door to the LRT park and ride ramp by the Mall of America. <br />
The journey has begun. I love travel day, generally I am so wound up the days and hours before that I can not sleep. But this last week, with the team up by two goals going into the second leg of the championship, I have been very calm. Compared to last week, when I was 'mental' the whole week. It has been a strange calm, which I trust has encompassed not only me, but the rest of the Stars players, front office and fanatico.<br />
08:30 +/- and I'm at the station. Tee-minus one hour until departure.<br />
08:34 at the 24th Street station, wrangle my gear; pockets emptied, bags readied for the dash thru ticketing kisosk, and security. Preparation and experience of traveling makes the process a breeze – compared to so many others in today's traveling public.<br />
08:40 and the TSA agents getting on at the Humphrey Terminal 2 give me the once over, most likely due to to my jackass hat and scarf streaming from my backpack. Low threat, I am.<br />
08:44 and the LRT has arrived at the MSP Lindberg Terminal 1, up the stairs and escalator, the a short tram to the land side of the airport.<br />
09:02 and I have arrived at Gate 14 to the welcomes from my fellow traveling companions: AJ, KJ and Chris (plus Coach Lagos wife, Amy).<br />
Your local professional soccer team battled their way into the final playoff position after a brief poor run of form in the last quarter of the season. Sixth place earned an away game against third place FC Tampa Bay (Rowdies).<br />
1st leg was last Saturday night at the National Sports Center in Blaine, where the Stars won by a score of 3-1.<br />
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My friend Bruce (duNordFutbol) said many years ago that soccer in America is the game of the internet, so we fans have become accustomed to zero media marketing or mentioning from newspaper, radio or TV establishments. It is thru the internet that soccer fans of any stripe access news of the game that we love.<br />
AJ and I are lucky on the plane, for he grabbed a window seat online earlier, and I'm on the aisle with an empty middle seat. The plane is almost full with a sprinkling of open seats.<br />
Pushed back from the gate on time at 09:35, and waited for the de-icing rig before we can taxi from the gate and take-off. Just minutes before zero ten hundred, our Delta, Airbus A-320 SR is wheels up and we're on our way to Florida. Three and a half hours flight time<br />
35K feet at 10:30, and AJ's got his electronic gadgets at work all set up with the wifi network, and streaming live to his FB and twitter accounts. Other Dark Clouds will be picking up his chanel and sending it viral. <br />
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14:06 and we've touched down in Florida.<br />
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Shuttle bus to the car rental.<br />
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Anthony and Andy arrive via AirTran and Atlanta, and we're off in our rental mini-van.<br />
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16:00 and we're checked in to hotel, and ready to head to the stadium. I am hungry and thirsty for some Surly. Apparently there is good eats about 5-10 minutes walk to the fishing pier, but don't think we've the luxury of time.<br />
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16:30, and we've decided (or maybe I decided) to head down the road toward the Fishing pier.<br />
Aruba Cafe is the destination, and I have a Mahi Mahi Sandwich … mmm, just what I was looking for to kick off this epic road trip. It is always most difficult to make decisions when traveling as a group, and I always like to know the big picture as far as the logistication. There were several groups of our traveling supporters, and our flights were the latest in this afternoon, so we really needed to eat.<br />
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Finished dinner, and we now are all with full bellies, and on our way to the Lockhart Stadium, and it is raining (again). Nice short drive of maybe ten minutes, and we are parked near the pre-game tailgate party. The rain is coming down again, looks like we're in for a rain game – the best.<br />
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Upon arrival , we find that there are about a dozen food trucks set up in the parking lot. Could have saved us some time, but with the rain, the pre-game festivies have been dampened, with most people huddled under pop-up canopies.<br />
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Soon, we are heading into the stadium to set up our flags and banners in our assigned corner for the visiting fans. One new banner is especially brilliant: Occupy Ft. Lauderdale. The image is of the old man from 'Family Guy'. There were people stopping to take photos all game long.<br />
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A slight drizzle continues as we are all set up and the Stars come out to begin warm up. We, the supporters begin our pre-game warm up as well with some song and chants as well. One of the pleasures of traveling to games, is that generally, we plan to enter the stadium early.<br />
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First out for warm ups are the goalies and Coach Carl. Joe and Matt are each going thru their pre-game so that they are all ready when the rest of the field players.<br />
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The traveling supporters section includes sixteen plus several family members. Other families are 'sequestered' into the opposite corner of the field. The security is quite militant about moving between one part of the stadium and other sections. It seems as though they should have provided better VIP seating for the parents of the players, or other important club staff.<br />
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Awoke at 0800 this morning, just before the watch alarm went off. Quick shower and I'm ready to update this travelog. The throat is quite sore, and the voice is dodgy from the events of last night (ninety minutes of singing and cheering for your NSC MN Stars.<br />
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Sitting on the couch in the hotel room and a see an osprey soaring up the beach, just above our roof top, couldn't have been more that 100 feet away, very cool to watch it riding the steady wind coming in from the Atlantic.<br />
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Since I awoke before the alams went off, a quick shower and I'll be ready to make a walk down the beach. The wind is steady in from the Northeast, and there are good waves crashing on the sandy shore. Early Sunday morning, and there are very few people on the beach, a couple wandering and a few others running.<br />
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Teresa and I make a few quick calls/txt messages to the remaining traveling menagerie. Pity those who were booked for zero six hundred departures, for it was near 2 AM when we returned from the post-match celebrations. <br />
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With no contact made to our remianing comrades, I suggest that we walk the 10-15 minutes down the beach, and find a place to get a cup of joe. We are met at the beach by a young para-surfer who has his para-sail in the stiff breeze, and is walking his board toward the surf. Ingenuity and athletecism is amazing in what can be developed for recreation. The guy is speeding across the waves.<br />
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Return text messages begin flooding in, and AJ and Jeremy are going to be walking down the beach to meet us. We've got just under an hour before we must depart for the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami airports. Luckily we have several people with transport, so the logistics have worked out well.<br />
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Jeremy's Crown Vic was a great way to ge to the airport for the journey home. Teresa is dropped off for her AirTran departure, and AJ and I stayed in the back seat for the true limo drop off by Jeremy at the Delta terminal.<br />
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Cubano sandwich at the airport; AJ w/ wait for flight, no coffee, more water in gate lounge.<br />
Flight on Airbus A320 to CGB (Cincinati, Ohio) about 2 hours, uneventful, with tomato juice.<br />
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Layover at CGB, where it was nice and quiet; AJ cat napped for a short spell before we<br />
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My domesticated animal almost killed me upon my return, by leaving a sweatshirt half drug up the stairs<br />
</div>Lightning Strikerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066669582861820441noreply@blogger.com0