Category: travel

People laugh… and pay…

On By estrangedztIn life, LOL, Portugal, travelLeave a comment

FUNNY DIALOGUE (?) BETWEEN STATE AND TAXPAYER

“Taxpayer – I would like to buy a car.
State – Very well. Please choose.
Taxpayer – I’ve already chosen. Do I have to pay something?
State – Yes. Automobile Tax (ISV) and Value Added Tax (VAT)
Taxpayer – Oh… That’s all.
State – … and a “little thing” to put it around. Stamp.
Taxpayer – Oh!…
State – … and one more thing in the gasoline necessary for the car to effectively circulate. The ISP.
Taxpayer – But… without gasoline I don’t circulate.
State – I know.
Taxpayer – … But I already pay to circulate…
State – Of course!…
Taxpayer – So… are you going to charge me for the value of the gasoline?
State – Also. But that’s VAT. The ISP is something different.
Taxpayer – Different?!
State – A lot. The ISP its because gasoline exists.
Taxpayer – … Why does it exist?!
State – Many millions of years ago, dinosaurs and coal made oil. And you pay.
Taxpayer – … That’s all?
State – Only. But don’t think you can leave the car as you wish.
Taxpayer – What do you mean?!
State – You have to pay to park it.
Taxpayer – … To park it?
State – Exactly.
Taxpayer – So, I pay to walk and I pay to be stationary?
State – No. If you really want to drive the car, you need to pay insurance.
Taxpayer – So I pay to circulate, I pay to be able to circulate and I pay for being stopped.
State – Yes. We are not here to deceive anyone. Is the car new?
Taxpayer – New?
State – It’s just that if it’s not new you have to pay inorder for us to see if its able to walk around.
Taxpayer – Pay for you to see if you can charge me?
State – Of course. Do you think this is for free? There’s just one more thing…
Taxpayer – …One more thing?
State – To drive on highways
Taxpayer – But… but I already pay road tax.
State – Yes. But this is a different road.
Taxpayer – … Different?
State – Yes. Very different. It’s just for anyone who wants to.
Taxpayer – Is that all?
State – Yes. That’s all.
Taxpayer – And is it over?
Estado – Yes. After paying the 25 euros, it’s over.
Taxpayer – What 25 euros?!
State – The 25 euros it costs to walk on the highways.
Taxpayer – But didn’t you say that the highways were only for those who wanted to?
Estado – Yes. But everyone pays the 25 euros.
Taxpayer – Which 25 euros?
Estado – The 25 euros is how much the chip costs.
Taxpayer – … How much for what?
Status – Pay the chip. To be able to pay.
Taxpayer – Don’t loo…
State – Yes. Paying costs 25 euros.
Taxpayer – Does it cost 25 euros to pay?
State – Yes. Pay 25 euros to pay.
Taxpayer – But I will not drive on the highways.
Estado – Imagine that one day you want to… you have to pay.
Taxpayer – Do I have to pay to pay because one day I might want to?
State – Exactly. You pay to pay what you might want one day.
Taxpayer – What if I don’t want to?
State – Pay a forfeit.”

The famous “Prego no Pão” dates back to the late 19th century

On By estrangedztIn documentary, history, Portugal, travelLeave a comment

Why the hell do they call a loaf of meat NAIL (PREGO)?? A little popular culture to explain this to us.

The “Prego no Pão” or, in a literal translation, “Nail in the Bread”!

Who would have thought that the nail, or steak on bread, appears in Portugal at Praia das Maçãs?

“The real story is related to the name Manuel Dias Prego, one of the first inhabitants of Praia das Maçãs in the late 19th century, where he owned a tavern, Taberna do Prego. In this tavern Manuel Prego served fried veal slices or baked in tasty bread and accompanied by wine from the region.
The meat on bread quickly became a success in Praia das Maçãs and surroundings. It is said that it was in this place that José Malhoa painted his famous painting “Praia das Maçãs”. Who knows if savoring such a delicacy while painting!
Over the years, the name of the sandwich came to be commonly known as Prego, in honor of its creator, and in the beginning of the 20th century the recipe had already been copied to other places, and Prego started to be part of the menus of taverns across the country and not just in Sintra.”

TIBETE – train travel

On By estrangedztIn travelLeave a comment

From what I saw, this documentary was made in 2011.
TIBETE – train ride …. with the best technology in the world

As I do love to travel and Tibete it’s one the spots I really want to go, when I saw this PowerPoint I had to share it! The Author is Eddy Cheong. Thank you!

From Beijing to Lhasa

Tribute to railway builders

CHALLENGES

Since the founding of the Republic of China by Dr. Sun Yat-sol in 1911, it has been a dream of that country to have a national railway system connecting all its provinces.
Tibet became the last province to be linked, as there were major obstacles.

This is the “Mother of thousands of Mountains”.
How to build a railway line in these mountains to reach China’s most remote province, Tibet? Like, if about 85% of the railroad will have to stay in the “forbidden zone”, also known as “Zona da Morte” (Death Zone) because of bad weather:
air, severe and unpredictable weather, ferocious storms and high UV radiation.
Average annual temperature is below zero degrees, reaching negative 45º C; average elevation of the railroad: 4,115 m above sea level; highest point: 5,100 meters.
When building the Mountain Tunnel Fenghuo – 4,800 m above sea level – workers had to be equipped with oxygen cylinders.
Seventeen oxygen-producing stations were built along the railway line to “feed” the tunnel.
5,180 meters of high mountains to climb, valleys 12 km wide, hundreds of kilometers of ice and mud that could never support trains!
How can a tunnel be opened through the rock, in a climate of minus 40 degrees and with serious oxygen difficulty?
550 km of ice along the rail route; non-compact ice and damp soil in the Summer – a nightmare for railway engineers.
As most cattle and wildlife graze freely, the line was raised in most places.
Four areas have been specifically reserved to protect wildlife species in the Tibetan plateau, including the Chiru population.
Environmental protection of ecosystems:
High investments were made in the project.
Routes were selected to prevent the railway from passing through major wildlife habitats.
Chiru, whose wool is known as ‘shahtoosh’, or ‘wool queen’, for sale for up to $10,000 each, despite legal protection, is threatened with extinction.
Wool is smuggled from Tibet, mainly to Kashmir, where shawls and scarves are made.
Although Chiru is protected in China, it is still legal to weave shahtoosh in India.
In all trains, toilets, waste water tanks and waste treatment facilities were installed to protect the environment along the route.
Beijing West, here begins our story
Beijing West Railway Station is the first stage of our train adventure to Lhasa.
Travel companion, Joey, points to the sign that says, “Beijing West to Lhasa “.
All trains entering Tibet from China are equipped with trash compactors and vacuum toilets. In this photo, you can see a worker collecting sanitary waste from a train on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, using vacuum technology installed at the Golmud station.
Protection of the environment was an important priority.
Joey appreciates the landscapes that take place throughout the trip.
Western cuisine available on the menu.
The service is excellent. Friendly, it serves fruit juices, snacks and drinks.
Passengers do not suffer from high altitude sickness, as the carriages are fully air-conditioned and pressurized, as in airplanes.
Oxygen masks are also available in your bedrooms, as well as along the corridors and in the trains’ bathrooms.
Beautiful setting and healthy hot meals.
Mountain tunnels.
The construction of a bridge over the icy soil.
This has the least impact on the area, but it is also the most expensive.
Qingshuihe Bridge is the longest bridge in the world built on icy ground.
Animals graze peacefully, oblivious to the passage of the train
Whenever possible, the railway line is elevated to allow the passage of migratory species and to minimize any adverse impact on the natural environment.
Timeless beauty of Lake Namtso.
Train rises to an altitude of more than 5,000 meters.
The length of the Qingzang railway is 1,956 km. The line includes the Tanggula Pass, at 5,072m above sea level, the highest in the world.
Stopping to take a picture with ice as a backdrop.
The train passes ice and snow-capped mountains on the way to Lhasa.
From the beginning, the design departments were concerned with the migration of antelopes.
Wildlife, bears and wild donkeys have already adapted to the presence of the railway line.
Yaks grazing peacefully, indifferent to the passing of the train.
The enchanting beauty of the blue lake of Yamdrok.
The train passes by the Patola Monastery, on the way to the Lhasa Railway Station.
With the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the new Nyingchi Airport, there was a flood of tourists in Tibet, reaching 4 million last year, up 60 percent.
Interior of Lhasa Railway Station.
Departure from Lhasa Station.
Exterior of Lhasa Railway Station.
The Lhasa Station it looks more like a first-class airport terminal.
Tibet’s economy has never been self-sufficient to give its people meaningful life. The Central Government of China has invested more than $4 billion to build this rail system – the most expensive in the world.
Since the time of Emperor Kublai Khan, Tibet has belonged to China and is its most remote province.
The new bridge over the Tsangpo River to the railway station.
Hotel reception area – Lhasa.
The Lhasa River bridge connects the center of Lhasa to the new train station.

Copyright reserved:

E. Cheong

New Huaren Federation

16 February 2011

Iguaçu River Mouth – Brasil (The limit of 3 coutries)

On By estrangedztIn Nature, travel1 Comment
The journey will begin
Admire this wonder of Nature.
3 countries separated only by water.
Is it not pretty?
Here progress.
Here Nature.
We feel so small.
Given such greatness.
Here the challenge.
The beauty.
The power .
A different world.

The Internet provides us with the expansion of our knowledge.
Look at these images …
Photos from a never seen angle …

Nature has ways to show us the greatness in its purity.

If you liked this post, go find the base PowerPoint at https://pt.slideshare.net/josemorales/iguazu-tres-fronteras?next_slideshow=1

Thank you to the author, for sharing this little piece of Eden!