The Rationalist Manifesto » Travel http://www.rationalistic.com Memes and other creatures Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:46:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Back in Melbourne http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/10/03/personal/back-in-melbourne/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/10/03/personal/back-in-melbourne/#comments Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:10:33 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/10/03/personal/back-in-melbourne/ Home sweet home! ;-)

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/10/03/personal/back-in-melbourne/feed/ 4 I might be arriving tonight! http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/09/03/personal/i-might-be-arriving-tonight/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/09/03/personal/i-might-be-arriving-tonight/#comments Mon, 03 Sep 2007 03:38:08 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/09/03/personal/i-might-be-arriving-tonight/ Just spoke to El-Al’s Bangkok office and they said that there is a good chance that I’ll be able to board the flight, so I’m going to grab brunch and head off to the airport. I’ll be in stand-by, but hopefully I’ll get on the flight.

Hope to see some of you tonight ;p

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/09/03/personal/i-might-be-arriving-tonight/feed/ 1 Administrative stuff http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/31/administrative/administrative-stuff/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/31/administrative/administrative-stuff/#comments Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:42:41 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/31/administrative/administrative-stuff/ Firstly, please don’t SMS me here unless it is important. It costs me almost $2 per SMS sent and received.

Secondly, to clarify any emails I may have sent — I’m arriving either on the 3rd, or the 6th of September, with El-Al flight LY84,  which lands at 23:20 at Terminal 3. I’ll let you all know here if I arrive on the earlier flight.

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/31/administrative/administrative-stuff/feed/ 1 Bangkok, take III http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/31/travel/bangkok-take-iii/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/31/travel/bangkok-take-iii/#comments Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:34:14 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/31/travel/bangkok-take-iii/ Arrived late last night into the hot, humid and polluted swamp that is Bangkok. I don’t dislike this city, but I very much hope I can get on the earlier flight to Israel (3rd of September) because I seriously don’t know how I’ll spend the time here until the 6th. Its too little time to go to the farther islands by plane and it is not quite the season either. Someone recommended Koh Samet to me but even that relatively close island is a almost day of traveling each way.

I have found a nice day tour to a tiger park where I hopefully will get to play with cub tigers ;p… I’ll book it today probably. If I become their lunch then they’ll get a heart attack.

Tonight I’ll go check out the Bangkok weekend nightlife, should be a riot. Hope I’ll find fellow travelers to hang out with.

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/31/travel/bangkok-take-iii/feed/ 0 Already? http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/30/travel/already/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/30/travel/already/#comments Thu, 30 Aug 2007 05:50:59 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/30/travel/already/ I’m not even within a week’s radius of landing in Israel and already I’m pissed at Israelis again.

Why? Because while sitting at the airport waiting for my flight I hear that every time they page for late passengers there are always Israeli names included, always. Do you realize how small the percentage of passengers are Israeli? Yet they are the star of the show when it comes to rampant disregard to anyone aside of themselves.

Passengers Vardi, Shavit, Egoz, Ronen and co., please get your lazy asses out of the duty free store and onto the bloody plane on time!

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/30/travel/already/feed/ 0 Waiting for my flight… http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/30/travel/waiting-for-my-flight/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/30/travel/waiting-for-my-flight/#comments Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:40:41 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/30/travel/waiting-for-my-flight/ Sitting here in Sydney’s airport, waiting for my flight to board in about an hour and a half.  These days with Gabe were great, and I should definitely arrange to visit more.

Bangkok, here I come!

To be continued…

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/30/travel/waiting-for-my-flight/feed/ 0 A chip and a chair http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/29/personal/a-chip-and-a-chair/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/29/personal/a-chip-and-a-chair/#comments Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:18:00 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/29/uncategorized/a-chip-and-a-chair/ Just came back from a lovely night with Meg and Gabe, which started with an amazing meal at a restaurant called the Red Lantern and ended with me tying a game at the PokerDome, winning $85 having re-built my stack from 125 in chips to most of the chips on the table.

Truth be told I’ve had an amazing run of luck, but it was enjoyable. I was chip leader but agreed to split the total prize with the other person left on the table as it was getting late and I just wanted the game to end.

The funniest part is that with 125 chips when the blinds were at 600/300 I was ready to call it quits, but got convinced to stay by Gabe and two others which later in the game I took out (Gabe was out at that point). As Gabe said to me- as long as you’ve got a chip and a chair… :-)

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/29/personal/a-chip-and-a-chair/feed/ 1 All packed and ready to go http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/27/personal/all-packed-and-ready-to-go/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/27/personal/all-packed-and-ready-to-go/#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:12:32 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/27/personal/all-packed-and-ready-to-go/ Flying out in 14 hours… Can’t wait!

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/08/27/personal/all-packed-and-ready-to-go/feed/ 3 Itinerary update http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/07/04/personal/itinerary-update/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/07/04/personal/itinerary-update/#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:34:01 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/07/04/personal/itinerary-update/ I finally have a partially confirmed itinerary!

Flight out of Sydney to Bangkok on the 30th of August, confirmed (finally) with British Airways. Flying out from Bangkok to Tel-Aviv on the 3rd of September (still on the waiting list) with El-Al flight LY084, due to arrive at 23:20 Israel time. I’m also on the waiting list for the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th just in case.

Returning by flight from Tel Aviv to Hong Kong on the 29th of September (wait-listed) and leaving Hong-Kong on the 1st of October (confirmed), arriving in the early morning of the 2nd of October back home in Melbourne…

Anyone know anyone at El-Al that can move things along on my 3rd of September waiting list? ;-)

]]> http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/07/04/personal/itinerary-update/feed/ 3 Melbourne again http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/02/28/travel/melbourne-again/ http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/02/28/travel/melbourne-again/#comments Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:31:52 +0000 Tal Rotbart http://www.rationalistic.com/2007/02/28/travel/melbourne-again/ Melbourne is a beautiful city, well laid out and relaxed.

To me, Sydney was much like Los Angeles — seedy and unkempt, with some exceptions such as the Circular Quay, The Rocks area, Annandale, Sydney University and King St. in Newtown. One could enjoy touring the urban decay, but I would not like to live in it. Much in the same way as I can enjoy Bangkok as a tourist but would never consider living there.

Melbourne on the other hand reminds me of Chicago in its architecture but San Francisco’s downtown in its feeling. Even the less appealing suburbs such as North Fitzroy are nicer than your average suburb of Sydney. There’s room on the sidewalk to enjoy the city while walking, not just walk from origin to destination as in Sydney. People here are less about ‘getting there’ and more about enjoying the journey. There are trees everywhere and the air is clearer and less polluted. Less cars on the city roads and almost no busses as the trams serve the same function without the noxious exhaust.

My kind of city.

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