Netherlands Safari

It was a brisk but sunny winter's day. I was bicycling just North of the city of Amsterdam on my way to an Ajax football game, that's Dutch for quality soccer. Cars were zipping along the highway safely to my right separated from the smoothly paved bicycle and moped path by a few meters of grass and a railing. Sheep grazed in the grassland to my left. Unexpectedly, a shimmering red dot appeared on the horizon in line with the bicycle path. My eyes were adjusting to the distance as the dot approached at an impressive pace. I couldn't believe my luck. It was a real live Sunrider in its natural habitat eating up kilometers with the utmost efficiency. The Sunrider is a highly evolved species of pedal powered transporters indigenous to the Netherlands. It combines battery electric assist with human muscle to achieve speeds of up to 50 kph for at least 50 km. At 15 Wh/km when cruising the Sunrider sips energy at the rate of over 1000 miles per gallon. Later in the day, after my friend and I snuck into the game at halftime and enjoyed some invite only hors d'oeuvres in the business lounge, I spotted another Dutch native, a wind turbine swinging its arms in the sunset winds. The Wind Turbine is not as rare as the Sunrider but enjoys a symbiotic partnership with its more exotic friend by harvesting electrical energy from the wind for the Sunrider's batteries. In return, the Sunrider's passengers keep the Wind Turbine well oiled and plant new ones. It was really nice to get the chance to witness two beautiful native species coexisting happily in the Dutch ecosystem.

The next day I visited the small warehouse in the nearby industrial center where the Sunriders are assembled. This vehicle has been in development for a good ten years now and is easily the most efficient commercially available enclosed electric vehicle, a true work of art. It boasts a carbon monocoque frame with simple steering and suspension systems mostly engineered from scratch. The electric drive is from the same Chinese company I used for my trike project, Crystalite, and peaks at 1.2 kW. I got to drive/ride one myself and found it to be a bit touchy in the steering control but otherwise awesome and sexy. It was a bit like flying a small plane but on the ground. For comparisons sake, the PET feels more powerful but it also uses more energy. They cost about 5k euro fully equipped and there is a waiting list as production is slow. Apparently it is difficult to find investors to sponsor medium scale production facilities for this cool lookin' animal, even in Holland.

Presentation

I got to give a presentation of myself to some faculty at Group T. How cool is that? I guess the students I was working with had some trouble explaining who I was and what I was doing there. I love talking about myself so it was easy. Here I am describing my biggest passion in life. Bass fishing. Look at the size of those mothers. Actually this was the opening slide, just trying to break the ice.

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.

Amsterdam and Brussels

I had a good time hanging out with Jason and his friends in Amsterdam. I also got to wander around Brussels a bit where I saw the weird human body exhibition in a centuries old brick arches basement that used to be a butchery.

I have navigated myself nicely into Belgium and was received well in the city of Leuven , a small but important city in the Dutch region, buy an ambitious group of engineering students. Thank you Group T VDS team for being so helpful and inviting. Hundreds of years and plenty of half decent planning have turned this place into a problem free family town full of history and culture. Bricks, cobble stones, and gothic architecture texturize everything.

Leuven has about the same population as Davis and only takes 20 minutes to walk across but feels like San Francisco with 150 bars and three story buildings lining every street. The massive and dramatic architecture of the Catholic churches and town hall add to the effect. On the weekends markets pop up selling piles of cheeses and other such goodies. Bakeries of the spungiest bread hang out on most street corners. Leuven is nice, a little too nice. There is no crime here, not that anyone can remember. It is the sort of place you would love to raise a family in but would be itching to leave if you grew up in. Most of the students, and they are about half the town's population, go home on the weeked leaving the city relaxed and uncroweded for the locals to enjoy. Bicycles rule the streets but follow the system or you will be fined on the spot by the police.

Belgium is really about one thing, beer. Quite a long time ago, Trapist monks from France settled here in monestaries called Abbeys and perfected the art of brewing, austensibly to preserve grain. So a Trappist or Abbey beer is usually bery nice. Their beers can be quite hearty indeed. Drinking an Abbey or Trapist beer here in Belgium is unlike any experience I have ever had. I never knew I liked beer so much. It is one of the most magnificent beer cultures in the world where local beers are celebrated and consumed dutifully by the locals. The famous beer, Stella Artois actually has its brewery here in Leuven. I am planning a visit soon. A 250 ml pour of Stella a the bars costs $2, no tip please.

Well I have a lot of work to do with the electric car project. Does anyone have a 10 kWh battery pack they can lend? And I have lots to see here in Europe before Christmas. I would like to get a good taste of Belgium and Holland. Any suggestions?

Leaving Africa

It is my last day in Africa for at least a couple of years, until the World Cup maybe, and I am more proud than a soccer mom to report that other than a couple mild head colds and occasions of soft stool I have remained illness free for my three months here. I want to give a big thanks to my stomach who endured so much but kept its cool all the while.

So of course there is much to be taken from my visit. But, all I am prepared to say at the moment is I have had some deliciously memorable encounters, none to them too painful. People, in general, are perspiring with beauty, almost against their wills, and in the last three months I have been privy to a lot of that beauty, unpracticed as it may be.

My final days here in Kampala have been relaxed and enjoyable, spending some time with the friends I made and hanging out at bars. I finally came around to this city a little bit. There is a lot here to be discovered and if you are into Mad Max it makes it quite a bit easier to settle down. On an unfortunate note I never made it to the expat bars.

With regards to my the international car of the future efforts the student I was working with gave me one of the most detailed and thorough reports ever that applies directly to the work I will be doing in Belgium helping a student team at the University of Leuven build an electric car. Unfortunately I was not able to assist the team here much.

Big day for us all anyways. Election time. I will be in a plane or at an airport when the world learns if America (dont they mean the USA?) will elect a liberal black man to redeem itself for the recent years of being a global does whatever it wants. Thats a pulpy breakdown at least. My views on the subject are too wierd to put into writing so Ill leave it to your imagination. I wish I were here in East Africa when Obama wins (it looks like he is going to win doesnt it). I can imagine the party lasting for weeks. Of course, if Obama doesnt win it might be a good thing for me to be gone.

I wont be voting. It was just too complicated for me to anticipate. As a Californian, it doesnt mean much for the presidency anyways, but I will be sorely missing the opportunity to vote on referendums and measures to give free hybrid SUVs to all the yuppies in silicon valley and employ me when I return, to specifically define marriage as ungay, and for some animal rights.

When I pop my head up next Ill be enjoying the culture shock of paved roads, and the imaculate combination of chewey bread, creamy stinky cheese, and good wine or maybe beer. Western world here I come.

Lake Bunyoni

After leaving Zanzibar on the night ferry, thank you mom for the extra thick sleeping pad, I made my way across Tanzania from Dar Es Salam to Kabale in South Western Uganda via a 40 hour bus extravaganza, thank you mom one more time for the extra thick sleeping pad. These photos are in revers order starting with the bus ride. Does anyone know how to format in Blogger? It just gets messy when I try. Anyways, whats an Arch Bishop doing leering at me through the wind shield? The pin striping on the front of our bus is to reinforce cracks in the glass rather than add flair although I am sure the flair is welcome. A peace corps grandam on the same bus put me up in her apartment in Kabale. The hot shower, big bed, and grilled cheese sandwiches were much appreciated. Kabale is cooler than most of Uganda at 1000 meters or so which means cheese will keep unrefrigerated. Taking advantage of this and the abundant local free range organic grass and trash fed cow milk a Belgian has settled in Kabale and makes loaves of fabulous cheese for the area. The next morning I headed to lake Bunyoni.

Bunyoni is a magical place with cool swimable water (no germs), scattered islands and winding shorelines that give the moderately sized lake a lot of depth. Terracing covers every bit of available land giving the space a fun geometrical aspect. The folks who call Bunyoni home manage well scratching the dirt to cultivate their crops. It is quite rural but by no means empty. Where ever I went I would find people.

I stayed at a backpacker's resort on one of the islands, Byoona Amagara, which means All of Life, at the recommendation of Shannon who patroned the place a year earlier. I though the name a little pretentious but still cute and nice. They have a fun symbol adapted from the popular yin yang with land, water, people and the sun and a flag of the Earth. I felt my Pagan tendencies vibing well with the place. Here I finished reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, over a thousand pages of philosophical econ-adventure love making. I was very proud of myself for reading such a mammoth and slightly disturbed buy its contents. If you ever feel the urge to take on a solid hyper conservative challenge, read Ayn Rand. I heard she slept with Alan Greenspan when he was in college.

One day, I set out on adventure to cross the lake and climb the tallest hill (reference the photo with the boat) . I packed some food, water, and my camera and set out in one of the dugout canoes made locally from eucalyptus. These canoes are an engineering marvel. Their natural state is to spin in circles, an effect called the mzungu corkscrew. I have never encountered a raft with such abominable dynamics and I immediate wanted to instruct the ship builders on the wonders of tapered tails. Paddling strait takes considerable effort and attention but it was a fun challenge and I was able to take my time. I moored at a trading post on the far side of the lake and explained my bizarre goal to climb the hill simply to look around. I was issued a guide and set off after a few brief formalities.

I was feeling good. Picking a hill top in the distance and setting out to scale it is something I fantasise about on a regular basis but rarely get to take on. I enjoy having a straightforward goal to reach and always take pleasure in observing a place up close and personal. It is the hikers high but with a complicating twist; there is no set trail to follow. My guide led me part way up the hill to a nice new medical clinic with solar panels and a metal roof. From here I was on my own. Along the way we encountered the most startling sight I have seen in a long time, a disheveled man lying on the ground and babbling to himself with shackles on his legs. I asked my guide what was up and she swirled her finger around her ear to indicate that he was crazy. Unfortunately, I was too shy to take a picture. I desperately wish I had because it would have been quite compelling.

I really wanted to take pictures of people because they are often more interesting than even the stunning landscape but many people are shy or feel imposed upon, understandably. I soon figured out a couple techniques for getting people pictures. You can always take a picture from a safe distance but for a close up I would offer a snack, I had a lot of fruits and small cornbread rolls with me. If I didn't want to give up my food I would offer to send them the picture when I got home and I would write down their mailing address in my note book. Once I took one picture and showed whoever was there the image on the screen suddenly everyone wanted a picture. Digital cameras are cool. At the medical clinic I was offered a lunch of beans and potatoes but I refused, weary of the time and not being able to escape my host if I consented. A single potato half was forced into my hands as I went on my way up the steep hill.

After some wandering I found a quaint new church near the top and poked my head in to have a look. The minister was there with some painters preparing for the church's blessing by the region's bishop or something. The minister was friendly and offered me some tea. After having climbed a thousand feet or so some sugary caffeine sounded quite nice. I forgot, however that 'tea' means 'stuff the guest full of carbs until they cant move' in Ugandan. I required a brief visit before I was on my way but to no avail as potatoes, an array of sweet potatoes, beans, and tea were brought out for my host and myself to enjoy. It was actually quite good and I enjoyed the break, greedily drinking several cups of tea. Afterwards the minister took me on a mini tour of the hill top. We stopped by the primary school which had some impressive rain water harvesting. Before rain water harvesting the people on the top of the hill had to haul water up in plastic cans, an ominous task usually given to barefoot children. There were now many rain water harvesting tanks on the top of the hill, all recent additions. At the very peak of the hill the minster pointed out Rwnada in the distance.

I bid the minister farewell and began the trek back down the hill on the other side, taking my time. The baby in the picture saw me coming towards it down the path and turned running to its mother screaming and crying. I felt like a monster but was able to make amends by offering a banana and performing a juggling act with some passion fruit. I made more friends and took more pictures on my way down and finally made it back to the trading post late in the afternoon. If I was to get back before dark I needed to head back right away. I was blessed with the local spirit made from bananas, waragi, by the local drunks and found my boat with the paddle missing. I had no money and wasn't getting any help so I grabbed another paddle thinking it would be replaced by the one I came with eventually. Awkwardly, I chanced to grabbed a legless man's paddle who was now screaming at me and rushing my boat. I hesitated to push off because this guy looked like he meant business and would probably be able to catch me on the water. Just then a bystander spotted some children coming back in a canoe with my paddle. I happily returned the legless man's property and he angrily threw it back into his boat with a loud thud. The children looked a little embarrassed but no worse for wear. I regained my oversized ladle and headed out.

I was eager to get back before dark as dinner often took three hours to be served after an order and I was disappointed to find the wind heading strait at me. I tried to be clever and hide from it as much as I could by hugging the shore but it was not much help if any at all. The return paddle was a long and difficult one fighting the wind, cramping arms, and the torments of children along the shore line asking me for money and my name. I began to speak nonsense to them just to keep myself in good spirits. Eventually, I made it back in one peace and surprisingly full of energy. Settling down to a couple beers and a fine meal I reveled in my adventure. It was a good day.