Hoping for Gezelleg

A whole month busting my butt in Belgium building (sort of) an electric vehicle to save the world is coming to a close, www.vehicledesignsummit.be/en. Actually I spent much of my applied time looking for fancy new lithium iron phosphate battery pack for the vehicle. It turns out the Chinese have the market cornered and sell packs at less than $500 per kWh. What on earth does that mean? Well, here in Belgium we want our vehicle, the Vision GT, to go at least 100 km or 60 miles per charge and we would have to spend $6,000 on a pack that would do this. Sure thats a lot of money but it is also the retail price. These batteries should be able to take the vehicle 200,000 miles before they need to be replaced but no one knows for sure. Im excited. The electric vehicle battery industry is zooming along at a whip crack pace. Interestingly, it parallels the solar electric boom. Wait a minute, we could all be driving solar powered electric cars ten years from now! Or at least a lot of us would be able to afford it. The future is going to be cool, and hot at the same time but hot in a temperature way and cool in a style way.

So how is the cruddy economy treating everyone. Im glad I planned to not work for this year. Otherwise I might be concerned. On second thought, I'll be looking for work when I get back and I dont think things will be much better by then. Oh well, Im sure Obama has a plan. He did promise to promote the development of electric motive power in vehicles to boost our economy, and save the environment. I heard him say it in a debate and I'm gonna hold him to it. Speaking of the economy, lately I have been wondering what money really is. I remember learning in school that it has a value equal to some comodity like labor or cows but sometimes it just looks like a pass card for the rich. Rich people show up to big buildings or nice golf courses, hand over some pass cards and walk right on in. Now I am far from poor but sometimes my pass cards aren't enough. I have to wonder what value these other people posess or created that earns them the right to be in such exclusive clubs. Its a tricky game for sure. The $700 bill bailout doesnt easy my doubts either. I actually heard an 'expert' on TV suggesting that it was the thought that counts, not the ammount, to give people confidence in the market. Anyways, buy some canned food maybe.

My next bit of adventure is stupidly into the freezing cold. Im gonna poke around Amsterdam for another weekend, catch an Ajax game (biggest football team in Holland), then head on over to the magical province of Gelderland from whence my ancestors came. Ill be staying in Arnhem, the capitol city and thanks to couchsurfing dot com I'll have some instant friends when I get there. Couchsurfing dot com is a bazzar and amazing facility. I haven't actually gone through the whole process yet but from what I understand it brings a world of free and friendly support to the lonely traveler. It is eerily close to online dating but sure beats hanging out at bars trying to meet locals. I actually thought of doing as a way to avoid hotel costs. Where else can a traveler meet locals? If all works out in Arnhem I'll be using couchsurfing dot com in India and China as well.

Oops, did I say India? Spiritual do do. If your are worried about my safety in India then good because so am I. I plan to grow my beard out and stay away from big cities. Thats all I got. Does anyone have a better strategy, other than not going, for avoiding roving gangs of organized ethnic clensers targeting whitie? Maybe I can get a fake Turkish passport or something.

After Gelderland I will join my good friend Jason for a romp up to Copenhagen where the people are happy but the beer is expensive. How that can be so I have no idea. I'm not exactly sure why we chose Copenhagen but here we go anyways.

Please send me lots of love this Christmas. Ill be on a plane or in an airport the 24th and 25th and 26th getting to Moscow then Jaipur. But when I finally arrive it will be curry and ghee bliss. I did have a nice thanksgiving though. Check out the pictures. I cooked all that by myself! Clocwise from the top we have a fresh salad with bell pepers and fennel, a miniture turkey, steamed greens sauteed in white wine with almond slices, my first attempt at stuffing, butterlicious candied yams, awesome gravy with truffle oil, and my favorite, cranberry rellish. The people sharing dinner are all the nice folks in Leuven who have hosted me in their apartments, my new family. I am very thankfull for them and I didn't even have to use coughsurfing dot com. The lighting is a little dramatic but you could say we had a modern Thanksgiving dinner.