Nurburgring Ring Taxi Quest, Day 1

Well, I need to start doing something about my travel goals. Sitting at home, watching the Travel Channel, does not count. I came up with a travel wish list last summer and have sort of accomplished one of the goals.

I'm going to work on my lap around the Nordscheilfe of the famed Nurburgring in Germany in a BMW M5 Ring Taxi. The sub-10 minute experience will require 195 euros, a bottle of Dramamine, and an airsickness bag. The Taxi runs every Sunday from the spring to the fall. Each lap carries three passengers.

Today is Day 1 of my quest. All of the 2009 spots have been taken. I suspect most, if not all of 2010, is gone too. In any event, I put myself on the "waiting list" today. I'll report back when I get to the top of queue.

CKY

Captain Cook Tour: Hawaii Edition

During a conversation with a historian friend, the subject of Captain Cook and Hawaii came up. Here are the must see places in Hawaii:

1. Cook landing site (Kauai): This is where Cook first landed on the Hawaiian (nee Sandwich) Islands in January 1778. It's at the present site of the town of Waimea. The spot is on the west side of the Waimea River at Lucy Wright Park.

The river in the foreground is the Waimea. The island in the background is Niihau. This picture was taken from Russian Fort Elizabeth.

2. Cook statue (Kauai): While you're in Waimea, stop by the Captain Cook statue. It's along the main street of town (Kaumuali'i Highway) on the mauka (inland) side.

3. Cook's Last Stand (Big Island): This is where Captain Cook was killed in February 1779. There are a number of ways to get to the site on the South Kona Coast, where an obelisk sits on a small plot of land that is technically British territory. You can hike down from Highway 11 along the rough Captain Cook Monument Trail, you can drive to Manini Beach and kayak over, or you can take a snorkeling tour that stops at Kealakekua Bay.

Picture taken from Manini Beach. White obelisk is in the middle of the photograph, in the distance.

4. The town of Captain Cook (Big Island): After your tour, stop off at Captain Cook, a town of about 3,200 people. It is one of the few places in the state with an Anglo name. The Manago Restaurant inside Hotel Manago serves great pork chops.


CKY

El Serpis Anchovy Stuffed Olives

I just had some anchovy-stuffed olives for the first time. The concept sounds weird and a bit disgusting, but the flavor is both familiar and unique. Salty and sweet are too broad terms for these snacks but that's just how they are. I highly recommend them.

CKY

Best Hot / Satay Sauce

VH Noodle House at the 99 Ranch Market complex in Richmond sells the best all purpose hot sauce anywhere. I use it on fried rice, burritos, poached eggs, even French fries. I go through a 6 ounce bottle every two to three weeks. It is that good. The ingredients--chili peppers, cottonseed oil, garlic, sea salt, MSG, "spice"-- are pretty vague. I guess it's all top secret.

CKY

Gung Ho Assan Fiats

I just watched the 1986 Michael Keaton classic Gung Ho. It is especially apropos, given the current U.S. auto industry meltdown. It is especially coincidentally as Chrysler declared bankruptcy today and will be taken over by Fiat. So these faux Japanese cars on Gung Ho. What were they?

The three door hatchbacks are South American-built Fiat Spazios.

The four door sedans are South American-built Fiat Regatas.

CKY

Swine Flu Theory

Disclaimer: I am not a scientist; I do not have a science background; and I base my theory purely on speculation.

One of the biggest mysteries confounding scientists is why the swine flu has been fatal in Mexico, but nowhere else (the one U.S. fatality was of a child from Mexico who came to Texas to seek health care). My hypothesis is that just as Native Americans at the time of Cortez died in the millions because they had no immunity against European diseases such as smallpox, something in the genetic make-up of certain people in Mexico today makes them particularly vulnerable to this new strain of swine flu. Perhaps an epidemiological study will shed light on this theory.

CKY

Pluto Humor

I just finished The Pluto Files. It is a light-hearted and serious account of how astrophysicist Tyson of the Hayden Planetarium single-handedly demoted Pluto's status as a planet.

Here is an excerpt from the book, which quotes a humorous 2/16/01 NYT op-ed piece by Eric Metaxas on the mistreatment of Pluto with the following mock headlines:

"TROPICS OF CAPRICORN AND CANCER TO BE ABOLISHED

TOMATO UNEQUIVOCALLY DECLARED A VEGETABLE

GREAT LAKES TO BECOME FIRST FRESHWATER OCEAN

BEIGE TAUPE AND MAUVE LOSE COLOR STATUS

60S STARTED IN 1963

TEXAS DECLARES ITSELF A SUBCONTINENT

EUROPEAN MAPS TO DROP LICHTENSTEIN

METER AND YARD SHAKE HANDS

ASTERISK REMOVED FROM GERALD FORD'S PRESIDENCY

TAB AND ZIMA LOSE BEVERAGE STATUS"

CKY

Moment of Zen: Citroen Edition

WTF photos courtesy Etc Creative.

CKY

Chevy Lumina / Holden Commodore / Pontiac G8

South African ad (new price is about $44,500 USD)

With the demise of Pontiac, the G8 will be no more. It may become a Chevy soon. So the question is, should I convert it into a Holden Commodore, or a South African Chevy Lumina?

CKY

Porsche Sedans: Old Vs. New

Old Troutman-Barnes

New Panamera

CKY