Railway followup

I forgot to include a few important details regarding the 15 days worth of Trans-Siberian train travel mentioned yesterday...some that could impact your desire to partake in the trip.

First, you can't just go to Russia and get on the train - you have to get 'invited' to get a visa.  Needs to be done ahead of time.

Second, you may need a second one if you plan to do the Beijing or Mongolia option.

Third, it's 15 days on a train.  With no showers.  Granted you're not doing too much exertion or physical activity, but still...plan accordingly.

Fourth, no internet.  It's outer Siberia, after all.  Better bring a book or two.  Or four.

I still want to do this trip, that is for sure.  It just means whenever I do end up going, some planning will need to be involved. 

The Trans-Siberian Express

For whatever reason, today so far has been a very blah day for me.  I'm not sure why, since its supposed to be another day of sun and 82 degrees outside.  Maybe it's because I'm cooped up here in my non-windowed office.  Maybe it's the three homework projects that need to be done in the next three weeks and are weighing a bit.  Or maybe its something else entirely.  On to today's highlight:

The Trans-Siberian Express

It's the world's longest continuous rail line, almost 6000 miles long and crossing 8 time zones.  It can be done in about two weeks, and has possible stopovers in Beijing and Mongolia. Last check on a price via tour... $4200 for up to 15 days (although single prices tend to be higher).  Well worth it in my book.

Easter on an Island

Can you guess where today's Place of the Day is located?  I think my title gave it away, but the reason I chose this place is because it is a highlighted place to visit when you have tons of frequent flyer miles in the OneWorld Alliance to burn and don't know where to go (at least, that's what I've read ever since British Airways miles have now switched to Avios points...good grief).  So here it is...Easter Island (no rabbits included):

Billed as one of the most isolated places on earth, it's home to the the giant stone monoliths that seem to crop up in many movies.  Much research has been done to try and unravel how the statues were constructed, and there is still a mystery behind how they got placed on the coastline.  Well worth any adventure to visit and see!

White Rice vs Brown Rice

This particular question has been on my mind for some time, as one of my favorite eateries offers both white and brown rice options for their food offerings (ala Chipotle), and I love rice.  I must admit that I've probably eaten much more white rice than brown since that's all that was offered up until recently, but having now sampled the brown rice option I must also admit that the taste was relatively similar.

So...what does it matter?  Which is better? Here's what I've found so far:

From Care2.com: 
Brown Rice is the whole grain with just the first outer layer (husk or hull) removed through milling. It still retains its fiber and the germ which contains many of the most vital nutrients.
White rice is brown rice that has first been milled to take away the bran and much of the germ. This reduces the fiber and many nutrients. It is further polished to take away the remaining layer of germ (called the aleurone layer) which contains its essential oils. It is these oils which oxidize and go rancid.

Nutrient-wise, brown rice has:

• twice the manganese and phosphorus of white.
• 2.5 times the iron.
• 3 times the vitamin B3.
• 4 times the vitamin B1.
• 10 times the vitamin B6.

And according to the research it is a great source of manganese, essential for energy production, antioxidant activity, and sex hormone production.  It also tends to lower cholesterol and reduces the risk for diabetes.  

White rice though is generally easier to digest, and remains one of the largest products consumed.  It offers slightly less calories consumed, but seems to give less vitamins and nutrients.

Guess I'll be making the switch over to brown rice...bring it on!

Sad Mac face?

Thanksgiving week meant my posts ended up being cut back a bit - sorry about that.  Hope everyone had a lot to eat, and rooted on the Packers winning. 

Can't help but highlight this story about the lady who created many of the cool Mac icons...hopefully noone reading this has ever gotten the 'sad mac face' on their screen.

http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/24/the-woman-behind-apples-whimsical-icons/

I guess I won't hold it against her that she also designed icons for Windows.