Rich poor or poor rich?

31 July

I have almost no new experience in the last days so I enjoy the simple life on the boat. The only thing that there is here in adundance is Philosophy because captain Stefanos has a lot to discuss about. He is a pure Idealist, fan of Platon and against Aristoteles. Starting from the belief that the "Idea", ie. all the meanings, exists independent from their natural carrier, the Human, he accepts that in the world there is no stress, the good mixes up with the bad and both are disappeared, a harmony reigns in the universe and the utmost achievement is "the freedom of the freedom". That's at least what I catch from all his bla,bla...)

I am at the opposite: a Realist. Everything has to be recieved and is depended by us, there is nothing beyond human and science is the source of all knowledge. Any question that cannot be answered by the current knowledge simply is not stated, so there are no unanswered ones and so we don't need any superpower, "God" or "Idea" to solve them for us.

Anyway we speak about philosphy because, as ancient greeks had done, we have already fulfilled our needs on the boat while in the "normal" life hardly any need is really satisfied...

Pretty little things

29-30 July

Believe it or not, yesterday (29 July) was the hottest day here in Vancouver since 1853. 34 Celsius. Although such one is quite acceptable (Athens hits 40 C easily this period), it was inconvenient. For the locals it was not a big surprise either. In the last 100 years a slow and constant increase in temperature is observed in the area. Combined with the abrupt changes of the weather make the environmental damage obvious. This is even more clear in the northern parts of Canada where the people see the ice melting more and more with the years. From one side they like it (who likes cold weather?) but from the other a deadly phenomenon takes place.

Back to our boat. I would like to speak about the most heavy and difficult task: Safety. There are numerous levels of emergency, as well as thousand preventive measures for safety. The tools take about 60% of the boat's volume. For every little machinery the captain keeps a spare part to fix it if it is broken. There are additional water and gas tanks everywhere, except the huge barrels underneath. Three additional small boats equipped with food and water are ready to host us in case of emergency. Two electronic communication devices are ready to send our position over satellite to neaby stations. And lastly the are numerous tips and tricks to prevent any type of danger before it becomes... danger.

My company through all this trip is my Laptop. A Dell D410, bought second-hand for only 200 Euros, has proved a tough and reliable tool everywhere: from the convenient home of my relatives till the roof of the boat.

Keep going ...

27-28 July

During the last couple of days we were saying goodbye to friends all over the city. We drove to the "skyscrapered" down-town, the below-the-sea-level south, the rich north and the sea-side west. Every restaurant is of foreign origin. Almost all good ones are either chinese or japanese, so the most important thing to do before coming here is to know how to eat with chopsticks, either you will stay hungry...

Almost all "external" tasks are done so we have to deal with some preparing inside the boat. I have mentioned it is a home but is a car too, so it has a whole engine to move and to care about. Do not forget that is has to become a hospital too, so we took some emergency drugs. The first impression of mine is that doctors here dont know their job very well. Except that there is a dangerous lack of them so if you colleagues cant find a job in Greece, come to Canada.

It is useless to write down all the experiences I gain and the trip has not just yet began! I will just say that:

The best things are those that you dont care when they will be repeated again.

The importance of simplicity

25-26 July

The last few days have passed between the boat and the beautiful city of Vancouver. The city obeys the rule of every modern big metropole: 2 million people, down-town skyscrapers and sweet homes in the periphery. Its special charactaristic is that it lies in the borders of east and west. If Japan is the country of the rising sun, surely Vancouver is the city of the setting sun. Many nationalities live here, mainly asians, except the native canadians. Spread over a vast area, having canals, rivers, sea and mountains it is called "North Hollywood" as it is the largest movie production site after LA and NY.

The boat is being perfectly prepared. Every means of safety tools as well as plans, adequate quantities of water, food and gas twice as much as it would be needed and charts, maps and navigation devices leave us a little space to move. The boat is our world: the cabin is our home and the deck is our nature. As fewer words are used to describe the feeling the better you will understand how it is. If I would try to give a taste: Simplicity is our way of living.

Here, far beyond the hurdles of the conventional life the real truth is to be found. Even I have the bare minimum of goods I feel I have great energy. It is not a feeling, it is a fact. I can judge the everyday life objectively, I can look directly into the meaning of the words and generaly I feel free.

We will depart sometime in the next week and I will stop updating this blog until I find an internet connection in Mexico. We even will not have electric power to keep this electronic diary. But I will keep a hand-writen one and I will publish it afterwards. From now on: every update will not be shown in schedules times.

Boat sweet boat!

23 and 24 July

There were extremely many new things happened in the last 24 hours. A whole new life has emerged here. Firstly I have a very unstable internet connection that I have "hacked" sitting with the laptop on the deck of the boat, so the posts might not be as frequent as in the future. Of course during the sailing there will be no communication, except the special long-range sailing radio organs etc. So...

I can barely describe my new experience and I will not get into it. I just write some facts: the sailing boat is our home, our job, our world. It is a masterpiece, hand-made with steel and wood, having 6 tons of lead underneath for stability and safety. I get instantly used to its spaces. After 24 hours onboard it is like being here for a month! The captain has spend thousands of dollars for its safety which is always the first on the list. There are at least 5 levels of plan in case of an emergency (Plan B is just not enough).

A fast schedule of ours: we are preparing the boat in our base here in Vancouver for about a week. Afterwards, in the beginning of August we will start making some tests for another week going to the beautiful Vancouver Island. If all goes well, in the middle of August we will be heading southwest into the Pacific Ocean, all the way down to Mexico. You will be the first to know this... after me...

America is North America

22 July

So my story goes on: today I arrived well at Toronto. The first impression was perfect:
1) absolutely no delays at the Customs, no "immigration card", no "bla, bla", free to stay there as long as I like
2) Toronto Airport is essentialy a copy of Athen's, Eleftherios Venizelos, one! Well, may be the reverse, because the later is newer. The departures are in the ground floor, the arrivals underneath, a long line of check-in points, everything was alike. Even the motorbike parking where I used to park mine. For a moment it was like I went back home!

3) the thought of the thousands of immigrant greeks that flooded the city in the past century reminded me the feeling when 10 years before I have been a "modern" immigrant in Germany. But lately we greeks are visiting these countries as equals. Games of history...

Canada is still "America". Same networks, same temperament, same history... Dont forget: Canada is the tall sister of the fat US!

My father and brother had a delay so they will miss their correspondent flight in Paris. As the fault is of Delta Airlines, they will probably cover the expenses. By the way, Delta was a very good airline. Although it is not fancy and modern the guys were always willing to help and I mean essential help, not just words. A great Bravo! AAA+++.
UPDATE: Delta Airlines was once more perfect: she booked my family a new ticket and now they are lying to their homes in FloriNa, Greece...

Goodbye America!

20 and 21 July

Everyone that came here for the wedding last week has left. All friends and almost all relatives has gone back to Los Angeles, us being the last left. Time for me to leave, tomorrow I am flying to Vancouver BC over Toronto.

I want to make a last note. History is clear about the future of this country. The following procedures that have started since decades will keep going:
1) the rich will become richer and the poor poorer
2) the US will specialize in the production of specific products (notably media and entertainment) and reduce its strength in others (like automotive industry)
3) military superiority, short-term oriented credit system and multiculturalism will remain as they are

The question is: How effectively will the Media manage to persuade the People to continue to accept this situation? How much will the People trust the Status Quo in their country? The answer, in my opionion, is: very effectively. Still no important strike and riot occurs, no alternative political and social party exist and people's belief in the President is still deep and stable. It is unlikely that the basis of the social structure becomes unstable. But the possibility exists. In the case that the blacks demand equality, the hispanics fill the cities and the poor miss the "American Dream" then the military superpower will become uncontrolled: a Dictatoship is possible which will have consequences well known from similar histories of other countries.

Goooodbye Land of "E Pluribus Unum"!!!

Miami Mice!

19 July

It was a very short taste of the most southwestern part of the US: Miami City and Everglades National Park. We saw, touched and held (!) in our hands an aligator (I have a photo). They are so lovely but I can understand, they are not pets.

There is a old joke: "Why in Cuba nobody knows how to swim? Because everyone that could, swam over to Miami." The city of Miami does not worth the rumors. Almost all people in the streets are "Hispanics", characterized by the latin hot bodies and the ugly faces, in relation to the US people that have the opposite.) In a very little space, the homes of multi-millionaires (Trump, Schaq and others) lie near the 80-floor buildings of the poor and the dirty port. The well known South Beach, as expected, was nothing special related to the greek beaches. The size of 2km may be large but in a small greek island we have in the whole tens of South Beaches. Please bear in mind, these are my opinions and you have to come here to obtain yours.

The countdown to leave the US has started: only two days are left...

Kennedy Space Center: a live history

17 and 18 July

Yesterday we went to Disney's Blizzard Beach. Wonderful Park with an artificial beach and some water-rides: "serious job" for the children, game for adults. But the news came today: Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Yes, you read it correctly!

The legends of the middle of the past century still live there. The Apollo-Project (17 missions to Moon in which 9 people walked on it) as well as the modern Space Stations (the Hubble and the International one) were lauched from there. Fantastic place, unique in the world with a unthinkable glory. But that is a big discussion. What is the role of NASA today, in relation to 50 years before? Officialy it is to launch devices in space, where experiments can be done in weight-less environment and extraterrestrial signals can be better "heard". Unofficialy it is to keep the american space-military superiority. For the latter, as well as for the need to maintain the general military superiority, I still cannot find a reason but that is another discussion.

The clue is that NASA's space program has to "dig" deeply in the modern needs of the US if it is to be continued. Either case, it will not get from the Congress the huge amount of money that is needed. Searching for alive neighbors in other planets is romantic but not sufficient, because lately we have serious problems with our neighbor in earth... (see the crisis here)

Their a serious, acute and heavy problem here with the FOOD. Everywhere fat, sugar, junk- and fast-food, fried "things" and beverages reign. NO MORE FAT, PLEASE! In every american table there must something fried, even vegetables are. In every corner candy, coke and other sweetings are cheaply sold while the healthy food is expensive, if found. All healthy gain that the people have through not smoking is lost because of the huge weight they have. I want to state it as such:

"A thin american is either influenced by a foreign culture or is sick."

Tomorrow: MIAMI!

Family Life for singles

15 and 16 July

Well, I dont have a lot of new activities to mention but I have a bunch of thoughts. The same schedule follows us the last few days: visit to Disney's Parks, which are not just amusement parks, not just a way to pass a few hours eating and walking. They are a new Way of Life. You cannot imagine how fast a day can pass. Size, harmony, entertainment and many people are some words that describe the Disney-phenomenon.

A new view of American people became obvious here. Of the places I have been and the people I have contacted only the Brasilians are more peaceful and friendly than the US-people. Neither french, nor english, nor german, not to mention the greeks are so welcoming, lovely and "cool". No aggressivity, no "bad signs", nothing. Despite the nation's aggressive foreign policy, the violent american movies that are produced everyday and the "violent fame" the country has abroad, I would say here I felt safer than at home.

So how is this "oxymoron" explained? How can so friendly people have a so aggressive nation? The answer lies to the people that make the policy, the politicians. I dont want to "dig" deeply into the "policy-puppets" of the US because there are such at every country. I would only like to stress the fact that the PUBLIC opinion of the people is very different from the PRIVATE one. This has many reasons, most important of them being the Big Media, but that is another discussion.

Tomorrow its swimming-time!

The Relax has escalated...

13 and 14 July

Now the things are taking their normal rythm. Wake up every morning, prepare ourselves and go out to the Parks. Meet relatives and friends and hug them. Maaaany many hugs! From now on, I am not so able to transfer the spirit of the region. Disney World is not just a Resort, it is a whole World, a WAY OF LIFE. Tenths of thousands of people surging through every hole into Disney's Parks, walking, eating, laughing and ... screeming (I screemed so much at the Mount Everest Fast Ride, shame on me...).

As now it is very late at night, I will stop this post here. If you would like to know more you have to just visit

"The World where Dreams come true"

as Uncle Walt used to say.

EPCOT, what A philosohy

12 July

First day as normal tourists was on Sunday when we visited EPCOT, the futuristic Park of Disney World. Entrance fee is very sofisticated: the one-day pass costs 100$, 3-day 270. More-than-3-days pass costs almost the same as 3-days one, eg the 10-day pass costs 280$. If you come here, stay many days! The EPCOT park has dozens of buildings with various rides and shows, stores etc and thousands of visitors. Everything is huge.

Now that I adapt myself to the new environment I find more free time to write some thoughts I make during the trip. US is a complete new culture: it is not Europe, it is not Latin. It is something different, which is characterized by the following:
1) there is no history and social-state "burden" to the society. Societies like european ones have to endure the weight of the tradition which slows down everything: business, life, science etc. The Social State has to pay huge amounts of money for free education, health etc. Here no such thoughts: what you produce is yours, no care about the others, no need to care about state well-being, past tradition and the road of the neighbor. Posing it differently I would say:

"US is a very developed, developing country"

2) everything is huge and "clean": the advanced productive capability of the Americans combined with the abundance of natural resources has made it possible to produce low-cost "large things". Oil, gas, cars, homes, food, all are half the price as in Europe. Cars expecially are MUCH cheaper, a huge Chrysler would cost a lot in Europe, here is just a few thousand $s.
3) Nothing is without some cost. Here you can become a King and a Slave in the same life. You wake up poor and sleep a billionaire, you are rich and after a while you become a "bum". Ok, this is not an everyday happening and especially the last years its becoming rarer and rarer but the possibility is alive everywhere you look.

I have never lived/worked in the US so I cant exactly figure out and express these points but I hope you got the point and excuse the generalities. As a friend from the US had posed it and rendered me speechless till now is:

"But that IS America. If it would not be such, it would not be America!"

Wedding DAY!

11 July

The Ceremony was lovely with all relatives and friends there. All "formalities" took place:
1) hundreds of photos with everyone included, even us!
2) couples going up and down before and after the ceremony
3) the Priest, Father John that made lovely speeches. At 1 o' clock he said: "Now you must endure my speech. What time is the party, 6 o' clock?".
4) the beautiful couple, Steven and Emily
5) The 6 parents-law-in, two of Emily's and 4 of Stevens (poor Steven!)

The Party was fantastic. I cannot overemphasize how nice time we had eating and dancing. Same dances as in Greece but different songs, that is globalization. I had the chance to see the legendary scence where the bride throws the bunch of flowers to her friends. I took place at a similar one with males, I wish I cought it and it were my Destiny to marry in the US.

Tomorrow: one more day at the PARKS.

My SMALL THIN American Wedding

10 July 2009

If Greeks, and especially Cretans, are known to celebrate a wedding for three consecutive days, Americans celebrate the wedding BEFORE the ceremony. Did you know about "the Rehearsal"? It is the last probe, a training for the actual wedding, held one day before in the same Church with the same Priest. This is needed to be done because a whole show, with couples walking up and down the Church, will take place.

After the Rehearsal a nice dinner took place at EPCOT, the futuristic town in Disney World, as Walt Disney himself had imagined it. We did not eat any alien food but the buildings themselves looked bizzare. We spoke some greek with the Steven, the groom AND Emily, the bride. They are heading for a Greek Honeymoon on Sunday the 12th.

At this point I will present the genealogy of our relatives in the USA:

The Grandfather Vangelis, born in Florina, Greece moved to US long ago. He married Stella from Kastoria, Greece and had 3 children:

1) Son Peter (died) had one daughter, Tina, which has a young son: Alex.

2) Daughter Tasoula married to Barney Cabral, that have 3 children:
Liza married to Kevin and they have 2 daughters.
Son Sean married to Negar and
Son Steven who is marriyng tomorrow with Emily!

3) Daughter Mary married to Luis, that have 2 sons: Michael and Nikos

Tomorrow we will go to the wedding. We will have a looong day, eating, dancing and... taking photos...

Welcome to THE US!!!

09 July 2009

We departed on-time on 8 July at 11 o' clock from Athens Airport and arrived at 15.30 local time in JFK, New York. Our next flight was scheduled for Orlando at 16.25. On JFK's Customs we crushed at a 300 people queue and took us almost an hour till we passed the slow checks. Fingerprints, photographs and stamps to pass by. So, we arrived at gate 6, 2 minutes before scheduled time and would caught the flight if the gate would not have been changed to 29, which was on the other side of the huge airport. We lost our flight! We and 10 members of the greek national team of archery. No COMMENT!


Next step was to contact the DELTA Offices. Due to my talented description of our situation and our elderly father we managed to get the next filight which was at 20.30, A-class!! Bravo to Delta, Bravo to that fat, black girl that helped us! We arrived at 1 o' clock in Orlando, ie 8 o' clock greek time, ie almost 24 hours after we left our home in Athens.

Tasoula and unkle Barney waited us at the airport and brought us to their brand new home with a swimming pool! I am writing you now in front of the palm (and pint) trees of the lovely neighborhood. Now we are heading for the largest Amusement Park in the world: WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT!!!


Do I seem very american writing all this? If yes, wait to see what will happen in the Pacific Ocean...