Monthly Archives: November 2019

Exterminating the Ice Goddess

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Author’s Note: This is one of the stories that I have proposed to turn into a book. Leave your comments and let me know if you would be interested in more of the story.

The cave mouth opened up in front of us like a lesser dragon’s maw searching for its prey. It was foreboding, but several members of the township below had disappeared into it. The council hired us to find out what was happening and to take care of the problem. I held the torch up to the mouth of the cave. It was tall enough for me to be able to extend my arm without the flame reaching the roof. My partner leaped up and turned in midair to land upside down. Her leather-clad, three-toed feet grasped the rock of the cave above.

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New Zealand: Going Full-on Kiwi for Our First Real Meal in New Zealand

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For our first real meal in New Zealand, and by “real,” I mean the first meal where we weren’t so tired, we couldn’t think straight, we went with an all New Zealand theme at our hotel restaurant. We’re staying at the Kiwi International Hotel in Auckland, and its restaurant blows the reputation of hotel eateries out of the water. As long as you’re willing to sit and eat a leisurely meal, there have been few hotels that I’ve stayed at that have had food this good.

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Leaving Khabarovsk for New Zealand

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D16W_Cya4cM

We got up for our flight from Khabarovsk early. From the window, it looked like the skies were clear. We showered and made sure everything was packed. Our first taxi couldn’t make it t the hotel, but a second taxi was quickly dispatched and arrived. The roads were slick and ice covered. There were the fewest number of cars on them that I had ever seen in Khabarovsk. It was 6:30 am on a Tuesday; surely there should be more traffic.

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A Day in Khabarovsk before Heading to New Zealand

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Getting off the train in Khabarovsk, it was cold. A bitter wind blew; tears streamed down our face. When we finally found our taxi, we both were hesitant to be outside. Even with our heavy gear on, it just wasn’t pleasant. Still, we would need to find food. However, after our arrival at the Intourist Hotel, it started to snow, and then it started to blizzard. The view went from pleasant to almost being a whiteout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D16W_Cya4cM
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From Blagoveshchensk to Khabarovsk by Train

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Every international trip from Blagoveshchensk starts with a train ride to Khabarovsk. This isn’t because Blago doesn’t have an airport. It isn’t because there aren’t any international flights out of Blago. Rather, it’s because the flights that go out of Blago go to other destinations or must pass through Moscow, and flights from Blago to Khabarovsk are prohibitively expensive, especially when you consider the cost of the train.

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The Journey to Better Marketing: Advertising Copy and Structure

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Your ad will likely be constituted of a headline, the body, the offer, a call to action (CTA), a hook, and graphics. Following the AIDA model, you need to grab the person’s Attention, spark their Interest, increase their Desire and move them to Action. You need to do all of this in a simple and clean format. Advertising is an art.

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Black Star Burger in Blagoveshchensk before We Head to New Zealand

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I thought we should start our vacation a little early this evening by going out to Black Star Burger in Blagoveshchensk. Black Star Burger has some of the least expensive food in town, but it doesn’t sacrifice any of the flavor. Burgers used to run about 75 cents each for the most basic; a recent price increase has seen them become about $1. They high-end burger runs about $12.

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Stories from an Alaskan Cabin: Chapter Eleven

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This is the story John told:

I have a friend who works with Fire and Rescue in Anchorage. Every year, he has to go down to the mud flats to rescue tourists who think it’s fun to hike on them. They don’t realize that Turnagain’s bore tide comes in so quickly, and sometimes, they get stuck in the mud. More than one pair of shoes has been left on the flats as people fled the coming tide. Still, in spite of numerous warning signs, it seems that many tourists are oblivious to the danger. Some are more oblivious than others.

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