The Bizarre Guide to Russia
When most people think of Russia just a few images come to mind: vodka, mafia and children getting caught in the crossfire between nutjob terrorists and government security agents
The Joy of the Wasteland
Hello. My name’s Daniel Kalder. I am the author of LOST COSMONAUT, a blackly humorous ‘anti-travel’ book about my wanderings in four surreal (but real) wastelands. It also co
The True Centre of the Universe
Frank Zappa once said that the most common element on the planet is stupidity. I suspect it’s boredom. I got bored today myself. Maybe you did too. If so, we’re not alone: last
The Bat Hotel
Last week I was in Deerborn, Michigan to attend the wedding of one of my best friends. I was glad to be present, but still, I was a bit disappointed that the ceremony was not being
A Brief Note on Cross- Cultural Communication
Yesterday I mentioned that I was at a wedding in Michigan recently. While I was there, I met a lot of new people and found myself telling many of the old stories again. That can ge
Tall Tales
I’m reading a biography of Jerzy Kosinski at the moment: he was a holocaust survivor who wrote The Painted Bird- a best- selling autobiographical novel about his horrifying exper
Glaubensstreit auf heiligen Hainen
Drei finno-ugrische Völker leben heute in ihren eigenen Staaten: Finnland, Ungarn und Estland. In den Weiten Russlands finden sich verwandte Völker, die aber völlig unbekannt si
Journey to the Centre of the Turkmen Universe
Two years ago I met a man from Ashgabat in a McDonald’s in downtown Moscow. We chatted for a while and once he was relaxed enough, I decided to ask about some of the bizarre stor
From THE SHYMKENT DECLARATIONS
(Excerpts from the resolutions passed at the first international congress of Anti-Tourists at the Shymkent Hotel, Shymkent, Kazakhstan, October 1999) As the world has become smalle
Lost Cosmonaut (Sample) – Tartarstan
1. It was my friend Joe who suggested going to Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. He had a thing for the Golden Horde, for Grand Tartary and all that stuff. I didn’t. I had onc