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:Andrij the Orphaned Ukrainian Rescue Dog” : Chapter 23; Bob and Andrij Travelled to the World Beyond but Are Told to Return

They told me both Bob and I died on the table at 12:04 a.m. What happened was I suppose our trip to the world beyond. Reggie has told me about this world that he has visited it when he died. There was a blazing light ahead of me beckoning me and Bob appeared picking me up and holding me in his arms as we walked toward the light. He told me not to be afraid that this was our final journey to peace.

We followed the light and I felt no fear. My body was healed and there was no pain. We walked until we reached the light and what I saw was absolutely magnificent. In front of me there was my late master Anatoli, my mistress Boyka and their son and daughter Danilo and Daryna. Behind them were hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers in dress uniforms chanting, “Welcome Brave Andrij”. Bob recognized Anwar with some dog Bob said had died and was a friend of Reggie. I wanted to jump into Anatoli’s arms and kiss him all over his face but he shouted “STAY”. He warned me to not touch anyone or I would be stuck here forever which to me was not a bad idea. But it was Anatoli and a Ukrainian army general that said that I must go back with Bob away from the light because it was not my time nor Ukraine’s time. They told me I was as strong a force as many battalions and I must return to save thousands of lives. I did not understand this but Bob grabbed me and we went back from whence we came. I remember hearing the Ukrainian anthem being sung.

The doctors had noted the time of my death and that of Bob’s at 12:04. At 12:05 both of us woke up with a start and hopped off our beds completely healed. Bob said later it was the miracle of millions of Buddhists sending us a kindness and compassionate meditation.

Well it is good to be back. There is business to do.

“Travels to a Different Time” : 15August1974: Dusseldorf, Germany: Misery at The Youth Hostel

I did not sleep that well due to creaky bed. Every time I tossed and turned there was a loud creak caused by the faulty bed. On top of that I was beginning to feel sick. The way I have been zipping around perhaps it is exhaustion setting in. Breakfast was included with the room and it was poor quality. Not even a piece of cheese. A Swedish guy I met and I walked into Dusseldorf and aside from the old town there is little of beauty in this industrial town. The old town is quiet and peaceful. About 4 hours of walking around I began to feel worse. I walked back to the youth hostel wanting to crawl into bed but again in true youth hostel fashion the cleaning ladies prohibited me. Don’t expect sympathy at a youth hostel as it seems to be a big cold bureaucracy. I sat in the lobby and read the Herald Tribune and waited for an opportunity to dodge the cleaning ladies. I had a rest then a beautiful hot shower. No cold water showers in Germany and Austria! Feeling a bit better and took a long walk in the neighbourhood. I took the bus back to the hostel. The bus is 5 times more expensive than in Yugoslavia. The Swedish guy and I went to buy some ground beef at a nearby supermarket and we took my little propane burner and had a hamburger feast. They were cooked in garlic butter and we watched the Rhine flow by which in comparison to the rivers in Slovenia was filthy but we saw people swimming in it. I wonder if they are alive now! We returned for dessert splitting a kilo of grapes. He asked if I wanted to go check out the nightlife but I was feeling too crappy so I popped three Aspirin and crashed out continually interrupted by people coming and going. They had oversold the room so at lights out there were 5 in a room for 4. A youth hostel warden came and wanted to check my papers to see if I had paid for the night. I am a quiet person and peaceful but feeling so ill I could have slugged him. As there are no private rooms in homes in industrialized Europe the youth hostel is a cheap alternative.

“Andrij The Orphaned Ukrainian Rescue Dog” : Chapter 23: Bob and Andrij the Orphaned Ukrainian Rescue Dog Have Succumbed to Their Injuries

Hello. It is the Dylan the Westie speaking. At 12:04 a.m. this morning we received word from medical authorities that our beloved Bob and Andrij passed on. We thank you for your support. Funeral details will be announced as soon as possible.

“Andrij the Orphaned Ukrainian Rescue Dog” :Chapter 22: Royal Canadian Mounted Police Update

Good evening, I am Inspector Blanque from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with an update on the murder of two RCMP officers and the wounding of Andrij the Orphaned Ukrainian Rescue Dog and his master Bob.

The attackers were two Russian citizens Igor Rasputin and Dimitri Caviarskin. Both were pronounced dead at the scene which is currently under investigation by forensic experts. Both of the deceased had Russian Army dog tags on their person. Both had a large Z tattooed on their chest. The pistols used in the attack were standard Russian army issue. The umbrellas used were coated with deadly poison. Pending notification of family, the names of the deceased RCMP officers will be released. The RCMP is working with CSIS and the FBI on this case.

Bob is currently post surgery with life threatening wounds. Andrij is in extreme critical condition this evening.

We Canadians are shocked at this brazen attack on our soil.

We have been asked by the Canadian government to make a preliminary determination whether this attack was ordered or sanctioned by the government of Russia in which case it may constitute an attack on a NATO country.

We would like to assure Canadian’s security has been increased at all border points of entry into Canada and there is no immediate threat of Russian attacks

RKS Wine: Fancy Name but Fancy Quality?

Puente Austral Reserva Privada Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Private Reserve must mean it is very special! I love those monikers! Don’t you? With that designation it must be extra special!

On the nose a nice measure of blueberry a standard of many Cabernet Sauvignons. There is also some Santa Rosa Plum and black cherry. On the palate there are some tannins to deal with but nothing excessive. There is no doubt this is a full-bodied wine. There is a wallop of blueberry pie with some black cherry and pomegranate. The finish is in the medium range. The acids are acceptable but higher than I would expect and accordingly I‘d restrict consumption with food particularly with a tomato based pasta where the wine might be a good companion with the tomatoes particularly if they are fresh field tomatoes as opposed to canned. Acids can be volatile beasts and if they are noticeable in a red wine it is a risk to cellar for too long. All said and done for this wine forget the Private and Reserve as we commoners are best suited for it.

(Puente Austral Reserva Privada 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle de Colchagua, Chile, Puente Austral, San Fernando, Chile, $15.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 21960, 750 mL, 13.5%, RKS Wine 86/100).

RKS Film: “The Last Tourist”: I’ve Seen the Damage the Cruise Ship Has Done

“The Last Tourist” can be seen as the exposure of a dirty industry called mass tourism that destroys what the tourist goes to see or perhaps goes to take a wonderful Instagram photo for those with a three second attention span. Yes according to a recent survey 29.5% of Millennials travel for the sole purpose of being able to take a photo for Instagram. No joke as I have seen countless Millennials throughout Europe with lots of make-up, sponsored merchandise and the hope of going viral through Instagram failing which I suppose they’ll have to buy likes and followers!

There are some 1.3 billion international trips made a year. It was the 1960’s that saw airlines using larger and larger jets flooding tourist destinations. To borrow Neil Young’s lyrics “Needle and the Damage Done” I have seen cruise ships and the damage that they have done. Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Venice, Porto, Lisbon, Positano, Ha Long Bay and Greece transformed. When I was in Barcelona in the 70’s The Ramblas was a quaint street full of artisans selling their wares. Now at 8:30 a.m. look out as the cruise ships belch out their gaudily dressed passengers that swell up the Ramblas. The artisans have gone replaced by gaudy souvenir shops. An even worse experience in Dubrovnik. I was there three times in 71,72 and 73 and it was quaint small town with tourists but fast forward 40 years it was choked with cruise ship passengers led by tour guides with flags and microphones. Writing about travel I headed off to a museum of art off the beaten path and interviewed some locals who detested the tourism choking their town and bringing little revenue into the local economy.

The documentary provides an explanation of the rise of global tourism and discusses its impact on local economies and societies. It also suggests certain alternatives to stop the damage mass tourism has done. Perhaps a few points are in order.

Cruise ships are a growing evil. They dump masses of people at tourist destinations who spend little as why they should when a cruise ship has become not only a floating hotel but a shopping centre. Cruise lines have preferred relationships with local merchants and take a commission on all sales. They take a cut on excursion revenue. The goal is to maximize cruise line revenue not benefit the local economy.
All inclusive resorts operate the same way making money by keeping guests on site and importing all sorts of supplies and food through their existing suppliers. Why venture into the local town to eat when you are paying to eat at the resort.
Few meaningful decent paying jobs are created. Housekeeping, maintenance, and restaurant jobs are low paying. The tourist focuses on going to the destination rather than exploring stops on the way. Prostitution and pedophilia flourish.
Destinations with animal sites are particularly vile and savage to animals beating them into submission particularly elephants. Some 500,000 animals are used in the tourism industry many suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and horrific conditions.
The fastest growing segment of the tourism industry is volunteer tourism where for example orphanages with unqualified volunteers paying to work at orphanages and giving generous donations. The orphans are not orphans at all but children “rented” by destitute parents to satisfy the ego of Millennials who are too dense or uneducated to realize they are in a petting zoo of children.

I found this documentary both horrifically sad and capable of putting one into a rage. This may be because of the extensive travelling I have done to destinations in Europe where I was a guest living amidst the locals, shopping at their stores, travelling on their buses, living in their homes and eating in their restaurants. And some of my travel has been to destinations 40 years ago where I have returned and seen the damage tourism has done.

So what can we do to make tourism more sustainable;

Avoid cruise ships.
Avoid all inclusives.
Research your destination and consider if you are contributing to the local economy in a meaningful way.
Instead of going to a popular tourist destination and immediately returning stay at or near the destination. I did this recently in Sintra in Portugal where tourists choked the town from 9-4 and took the train back to Estoril. We stayed in someone’s home for 4 days and discovered a rich treasure trove of parks and old mansions the day trippers had no time to see as they flocked to the royal’s summer palace waiting in line to enter for ages!
Avoid animal shows and rides and visit conservation and rescue parks that save these animals from ruthless exploitation.
Put local people first.
Travel in small groups.
Promote activities that are helpful and not destructive.
Be willing to listen to those who explain how tourists can help the local economy and society.

While many may find this documentary painful to watch it is a must if you care about the people in the destination you are visiting. Of course, that Instagram photo and the likes it generates may be more important. If I see another “camera on a stick” I am going to scream.

A brilliant, insightful, visually striking and tragic documentary that will put you in a rage yet offers a glimmer of hope. You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHxQhKSl_xw&t=1s

This Tyson Sandler film is Canadian. It is showing at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival on April 2. It will be released in Canada at select theatres on April 1^st and digitally April 5^th. Showing at Toronto Hot Docs April 1 and 3 https://hotdocs.ca/whats-on/hot-docs-festival

RKS Film Rating 93/100.

“Travels to a Different Time” : 14August1974: Dusseldorf West Germany: All the Way to Dusseldorf with a Sore Ass: A Ride with the Most Beautiful Woman in Europe: Who are the Most Beautiful Women in Europe?

Up at 08:00 to complete the morning ablutions. Paid my 32 schillings ($2.10) for the night. I headed out to a grocery store and bought my breakfast including a litre of milk. My first good milk in two months! I had my breakfast sitting on a park bench. The autobahn was about a kilometre walk and I got a lift ASAP from the most beautiful woman in Europe a lovely Austrian around 25. She took me to the German border and using her great beauty actually arranged a ride with two German guys in a BMV travelling all the way to Dusseldorf. I understand enough German to understand how much they were dazzled by this fair maiden! Zipping along the Autobahn we passed Stuttgart, Bonn and reached Dusseldorf. My ass was sore! I found a bus near the train station that took me to the youth hostel. I know enough German to ask how to get around as I studied it for a year. The youth hostel room was tiny and stuffy. Dinner was some leftover buns and cheese that didn’t travel that well. I used my last Deutschmark for a lemonade. In Germanic authoritarian tradition all the lights were turned off at 23:30.

Speaking of the most beautiful women in Europe I get asked this question by my Canadian friends. North American girls in Europe are immediately recognizable. But my answer is no European country can boast of the most beautiful women. Norwegian ladies are perhaps the most friendly and welcoming. I say to my friends beauty is not everything. It may help in setting off a spark but intelligence warmth and sincerity are what is going to capture your heart and you never know what women can pop up in your travels that can melt your heart. If you are a serious traveler, you may be going in one direction and the apple of your eye the other. Being in transit sometimes is not the best for a romantic relationship.

RKS Film: “Visionary Gardeners”: “Beauty and Delight”

The Canadian television series “Visionary Gardeners” is a five-part series premiering March 7, at 9 p.m. ET on Vision TV and it runs for 5 weeks in half hour segments. It features avid Canadian gardeners with their own vision of what a garden is. You may think the series is about them and their gardens and that is true and of course that is interesting particularly if you are gardener. But these episodes may spark a certain reaction on your part particularly about the artistic and intellectual thoughts behind the plants.

Episode 5 “Beauty and Delight” features the gardens of Brian Bixley from the Mulmur Hills about 90 minutes north of Toronto and Tom Hobbs of Langley, British Columbia. This will be the last episode of the series.

Of the 10 visionary gardeners featured in this series Bixley strikes me as the most intellectual considering himself an artist likening a garden to a novel as with gardens and novels they are subject to different interpretations. Bixley strives to “please the reader”. He makes a comparison of a garden to poetry.

Hobbs on the other hand is a businessman operating a nursery for decades with a reputation as a floral designer. He is truly an artist but never says as much.

Both Hobbs and Bixley developed a passion for gardens at a very young age and Bixley reminisces viewing a garden and walking a hedge maze as a child so for him a garden is a variable of memory.

You needn’t be a gardener to enjoy this episode or for that matter the entire series. If you have a passion you often have a vision whether it be gardening or cooking! There is a universal quality to vision and this series focuses on gardening. Certainly you must have a vision about your passions!

If you are not a gardener and have no visions in your life you’ll enjoy the crisp and beautiful cinematography and the musical score is so relaxing.

Episode # 5 airs on April 7^th at 9 p.m. on Vision TV but if you miss it don’t fret as it will run for two weeks for Canadians after the episode free at www.visiontv.ca. “Visionary Gardeners” is a series from filmmakers Ian Toews and Mark Bradley of Victoria, British Columbia based 291 Film Company.

RKS Wine: A Chilean Chardonnay and Viognier Blend Disappoints

It is the first time I have seen a Chardonnay Viognier blend. The less oak that touches the Viognier the better. In this case the blend is 85% Chardonnay and 15% Viognier. Part of the Chardonnay was fermented in oak and the rest in stainless steel while all the Viognier was fermented in stainless steel. The Viognier is intended to gently influence the Chardonnay. Does it work?

On the nose the apple, pear and guava of the Chardonnay is tempered ever so lightly by the peach, apricots and tangerine of the Viognier. The nose does not exactly lead to the conclusion of wine with strong identity but is there some magical transformation on the palate? Unfortunately the palate is flat and thin and it is as if the blend is irrelevant as neither of the grapes asserts any identity of the weak kneed finish. It is a disappointment to Chardonnay and Viognier aficionados.

(Vistamar Corte de Campo Coastal Blend 2018, D.O. Casablanca Costa Valley, Viña Vistimar, Pelequén, Chile, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 541003, 750 mL, 13%, RKS Wine Rating 82/100).

RKS Film: Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival: “Rules of War”: Kudos for Trying: Results Unknown

With the Russian attack on Ukraine we have been hearing some high-volume chatter about Russian war crimes. According to the Red Cross Rules of War prepared in 1863 and signed by 193 countries the most important principle is that no civilians should be coming to harm. We see what a farce that is in the Ukraine, Syria and in the Vietnam War. It is a shame such lofty principles may amount to no more than pissing against the wind.

In “Rules of War” this Dutch documentary follows Red Cross worker Albert Schoneveld, a former soldier, as he goes into South Sudan to discuss the Red Cross rules of war with “rebel” troops. Schoneveld is an ex-soldier so he strikes his listeners with a ring of credibility. The dialogue and the childlike “village enactment” is somewhat paternalistic from my point of view. The soldiers are candid, intelligent and in principle they more or less agree with the rules but his clarity dims when the discussion turns to armed civilians of which Schoneveld can’t convincingly deal with. He speaks with sincerity and conviction but the last few minutes of the film perhaps illustrate the Red Cross script is missing the point. We see the soldiers with their families eating a meal as the women sing and complete domestic tasks. Is director Guido Hendrikx intentionally communicating to us the answer to education might be for Red Cross representatives to say how would you like your family as civilians to be treated. Why are these last few minutes in the documentary? I think there is a message in there!

These showings are World Premiers. The documentary will be showing on March 24/29/31 and too bad there is no virtual option.

RKS Film Rating 84/100.