fivemack contradicts himself

[fivemack]

On one side of the screen, I am writing comments in a LJ discussion of climate change and what is to be done about it.

On the other side I am trying to find the cheapest way of getting to Almaty this Easter, returning from Bishkek. Looks like Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, two four-hour legs in a 737-800 with a five-hour wait at Ataturk airport in the middle, both ways. I think the steppe, Issyk-Kul and the Tienshan mountains are worth two and a half books of mild inconvenience.

I suppose four hundred pounds would buy me an awful lot of travel books about Central Asia which I can read while sitting in Cambridge, I could cycle over to Willingham if I wanted to see hunting with raptors, and Scotland has no great shortage of snow-caps, but I can't convince myself that the fens are a substitute for the steppe.

Comments

[pavanne.livejournal.com]

Meanwhile, I'm considering that if there are protests against another runway at Heathrow, it will be terribly convenient for me to drop in on for a day on the way to various business destinations.

*sigh*

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Fundamentally, you're incredibly lucky to be rich enough to have this dilemma.

I'd love to do a cycle trek around the world, as some people of done.

[(Anonymous)]

Have you looked into train travel?

Seriously ...

http://www.seat61.com

(seriously good website).

[naath.livejournal.com]

http://www.seat61.com/SilkRoute.htm (NB: Moscow to Almaty takes 5 days; London to Moscow 2) :-)

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

I don't find there is any substitute for being there, as places are more important to me than books. But are you sure that either 1) it won't get more economic/green to go there at some point in the future, or 2) VR technology won't advance far enough to give a convincing simulacrum eventually?

(Personally I think travel won't get better, and VR shows no sign of advancing over the last 10 years, but I've considered it before setting off on trips)