Tata Turns Profit

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091127/bs_afp/indiabritaincompanyautotatajaguarearnings

Amman’s packed streets provide even the most cynical amongst us with an unforgettable shopping experience. Take the florists for instance whom have clearly been plagued with problems arising from stocking perishable items. Many have chosen to remove the element of risk in its entirety and now choose to sell plastic flowers, plants and trees – ingenious.

However, one stall left me a little unnerved. The enterprising individual in question proudly displayed a pair of muddied army boots, a balaclava and an urn. I can only presume all the above items were purchased at the house clearance of an unlucky rebel who gave his life whilst fighting a lost cause.

After spending three consecutive days at the garage we were unsurprisingly adopted by the vast variety of workshops that surrounded our immobile car. If you too have an unfortunate incident involving a head gasket and you chose to head to Amman to complete the repair job, you will no doubt be greeted with countless photographs of ourselves – a pretty picture I can assure you.

For all you sadomasochists out there please find the costings detailed below:

Recovery bill – £160
Head gasket – £35
Cylinder head skim – £15
Repair of old radiator – £15
New radiator – £100
Oil change – £35
Labour – £75

If anyone chooses to add the above figures together please be sure not to bother informing us.

The recovery driver was a little unfortunate in his choice of face. Initially we were rather charmed by his gormless blank outlook on life however we soon realised this was a particularly dangerous combination in his chosen profession.

Our view from the Land Rover, which was now perched perilously on the rear of the truck was somewhat limited and left us a little nervous with regard to the events which were now beginning to unfold in the cab. After just two hours we became distinctly aware that we had begun to veer wildly across the road onto the hard shoulder. However, thankfully the truck soon came to a shuddering halt in a small village, where we shakily dismounted from our perch to enquire about our rather erratic drive.

Clearly desperate for the cash the driver had forgotten to mention that he had yet to go to sleep and with another 4 hours ahead of him he was becoming more than a little sleepy. Our resourcefulness has yet to fail us and within minutes a solution was born which would enable the driver to get some much needed rest whilst still retaining some essence of forward motion.

In this instance the two willing participants were Ollie whom nervously gripped the huge steering and Tom whom attempted to take charge of the gears. As the two novices fished for lost gears and lurched around slow moving vehicles the driver silently slept; confident in his passengers’ ability.

Remarkably we survived the six-hour, 300km journey.

We set off to the Wadi Rum National Park in high spirits and joyfully spent the following hour listening to Motown and playing hangman.

Our serenity and good mood was soon shattered with a yelp from Neil. He reluctantly informed us that the temperature gauge was leaning firmly to the right indicating the water temperature was deep in the red. Silence descended upon the car as we nervously watched the temperature gauge twitch uncontrollably – unfortunately it was all a little too late as the damage had already been done.

The outside of the Land Rover was streaked with trails of burning coolant and we were soon engulfed by an ever-increasing cloud of steam. Even the most positive amongst us were resigned to a rather expensive search for a new head gasket.

The night was in full swing as we departed the ferry into Jordan. Having consulted our small and rather dismal map of Aqaba we set off along the south coast in search of a quiet area to camp.

After driving for 7km we pulled off into the King Abdullah Gardens where the shop lights still blazed brightly. Sofia – the shop attendant – soon woke as we plodded toward his slumbering body.

His initial offer of free camping soured somewhat when he informed me that I would first have to complete a favour. Normally I am more than happy to complete a task based request in return for financial gain, however, this favour made me feel rather uncomfortable and deeply aware of my apparent lack of finesse when communicating with the opposite sex.

I’m not entirely sure how true Sofia’s claims were of his status as an English doctor’s plaything however in order to guarantee a free nights sleep I’ll believe anything! It was soon explained that I would act as a translator for this love lorn gentleman and where possible provide a little input as ‘I knew what an English woman would like’ – I found the latter statement reassuring and so ploughed headlong into the task in hand.

However, my rather gung-ho approach and rash proclamations of love and marriage were not appreciated. After numerous attempts, many suggestions and some rather bizarre input from Sofia the following message was both constructed and lovingly sent:

‘My dear Lauren. I want you to tell me your date of birth so I can make you feel special. I wish I could kiss you all over my bum. My wife I send a million x.’

Something tells me Sofia won’t be hearing from his English Rose.

GREAT video created by the Born Free Foundation in partnership with Land Rover about the Illegal Bushmeat trade In Kenya . It gives a great insight into some of the challenges faced by those in Kenya trying to bring a stop to the trade. This video recently won the British APA International Customer Publishing Award

With a little help from the Egyptian Lonely Planet we arrived outside the Soft Beach resort eager to see the much promised beachfront villas. Disappointment greeted us like an old friend as we surveyed the tightly packed garden sheds clad in the dried leaves of local palm trees.

However, it looked like our evening would be saved from the clutches of collapse in the form of a little evening entertainment. We and the other sporadically spaced guests were about to receive a master class in the art of belly dancing.

Our performer bore a striking resemblance to a slightly over-weight Mutya from the Sugarbabes – a definite plus point if your name’s Mike Robinson. Her keyboard wielding sidekick on the other hand was clearly unsatisfied with the amount of grease he was able to apply to his receding hairline and in response appeared to have smeared the remaining contents of the jar over his chest and face.

Cue a backing track, the chord function and an ungainly wobble.

With the sun firmly tucked up in bed we left the road mid way between Alex and the Sinai peninsular. Tricked by their penchant for bright lights we pulled into a small village that appeared to have been engulfed in recent floodwaters. After wading through the water we were ushered into a nearby house and presented with a silver platter of culinary delights.

As we diligently munched through the ever-increasing mountain of food the room began to fill with interested onlookers.  Within minutes the crowds of eager locals had not only filled every available window but had now spilled out on to the neighbouring street.

Their fervent interest was soon explained. It so happened we had stumbled across a village where many of the inhabitants had yet to see a westerner. I can only apologise to the generation of Egyptians who will now associate the English with an inability to gut and bone small fish.

I thought of giving you one type of size pixel cars and this time it is Kuru Kuru or KK as people know them as.

Remember if you like any of these ask base maker for permission.

Land Rover Vogue By -Nismo-

Toyota Corolla E11 By Artrax666

Opel Calibra By szymi5

1976 Dodge Vans By Kalu

In order to drive across the desert to the remarkable oasis town of Siwa we would – at the request of the government – have to travel in convoy with a departing tour group. Surprisingly our convoy was led by a familiar face, proving once again just how small the world is.

I’m sure many of you have marvelled at the years of speculation and numerous unconfirmed sightings of Freddie Mercury, but like myself have probably dismissed them out of hand. However, I can confidently confirm that the great man did in fact manage to escape his demons and is now living in exile in the Egyptian desert.

With Pendulum blaring out of the speakers our grey hairs grew in direct correlation with the increased number of tank slappers as we tore through the desert at 120kmph in the apparently reliable wake of Freddie. The irony of being lead through the desert by the dead didn’t go unnoticed – lets just hope Siwa is to die for!

Our initial choice of eatery in the lawless state that was Bawiti was aptly named ‘Popular Restaurant’. Confident of the chef’s ability and almost certain that the restaurant’s name was well earned we rested our weary legs and perused the menu. Upon recoiling at the initial price of 30 per head we left with our offer of 10 ringing in the owner’s ears. This offer clearly narked him as we spent the majority of our time in the town being heckled.

Tragico incidente stradale questa notte sulla Strada Provinciale 430 nei pressi di Agropoli poco prima di mezzanotte. Due auto, per cause ancora in corso di accertamento si sono scontrate frontalmente.

L’impatto è stato violentissimo. A perdere la vita un 51enne di Baronissi a bordo di una Toyota Yaris deceduto sul colpo. Ferita lievemente una 40enne di Salerno a bordo di una Land Rover. Sul posto per i rilievi del caso i Carabinieri ed i Vigili del Fuoco.

Benar memang kalau ada yang mengatakan proyek restorasi sebuah Land Rover sejatinya tak akan pernah selesai. Kelar satu proyek, pasti akan ada proyek berikutnya. Kata PUAS adalah barang yang sangat mahal di sini, jauh lebih mahal dari rupiah yang Anda habiskan untuk membangun Land Rover itu sendiri!

Tak percaya? Buktikan sendiri!

Aku sudah mengalaminya. Dalam arti pribadi, diriku sendiri, tentu saja dengan si Landong, Land Rover Series II tahun 61 milikku, dan melihat perlakukan semua teman-temanku pada Land Rover mereka masing-masing. Baik teman-teman di Medan, ataupun teman-teman di milis the_series@yahoogroups.com.

Hampir setiap hari selalu ada postingan yang menceritakan proyek restorasi Landy-nya masing-masing. Setiap hari pula ada yang melego spareparts atau aksesoris untuk Land Rover, terutama tipe Series. Dan hampir setiap hari pula ada yang mengirimkan foto-foto progress restorasi Land Rover miliknya.

Begitu di milis. Begitu pula di antara teman-teman setongkrongan di Medan. Saban kali ketemu di bengkel, topik bahasan pasti tak pernah jauh-jauh dari Land Rover. “Duh, bagaimana kalau aku pakai kap mesin militer ya?” atau “Kayaknya kalau dipasangi snorkel pasti tampilannya akan lebih jantan” kira-kira seperti itulah diskusi yang selalu terjadi saban kali ketemu, sesama maniak Land Rover tentunya.

Lebih ngeri lagi, sekarang, di Medan, sepertinya  teman-teman sedang “berlomba-lomba” untuk memiliki Landy kedua. Sudah punya satu, pengen punya yang kedua. Kalau yang pertama untuk dipakai main lumpur, yang kedua maunya untuk dipakai di dalam kota saja. Warna cat kinclong, mesin sehat, dan kabin dingin karena pakai AC. Atau sebaliknya.

Yah begitulah.

Tapi jangan pernah mengira, kalau sudah pengen Landy kedua, Landy yang pertama lantas “selesai” begitu saja. Oh, maaf… Tidak akan pernah seperti itu sebenarnya. Aku berani menggaransinya.Ingat, satu Landy berarti satu kutukan, dua Landy berarti… Gak percaya?

Karena itu tadi: Restorasi (sebuah atau lebih Land Rover) sejatinya tak akan pernah selesai. Sampai kapanpun! Titik!

Iya, memang seperti itu. Aku tidak usah menceritakan kisah teman lain bersama Land Rovernya. Aku mencoba menceritakan tentang Land Roverku sendiri yang kunamai Si Landong.

Landong kupinang sekitar setahun silam. Saat itu aku tak sengaja berjodoh dengannya. Pertemuan singkat dengan pemilik sebelumnya di sebuah bengkel di Medan, mengantarkanku untuk berkenalan dengan Landong. Sejujurnya, kalau melihat tampang pertamanya, siapapun pasti tak akan pernah meliriknya. Landong itu tak sekadar jelek. Ia malah jauh lebih jelek dari buruk! Silahkan bayangkan sendiri.

Hampir tak ada yang “beres” yang ada di tubuh Landong. Body bulukan. Cat ngelotok, pintu-pintu tak ada yang bener, atap belakang (hard top) tak orisinil, bemper depan-belakang yang ditambahin “gizi” jadi mirip bemper truk-truk di Jalur Pantura, over fender Defender wannabe… Ah, tak mungkin kusebut satu persatu. Tak ada yang betul, itu intinya.

Tapi entah kenapa, aku ketika itu betul-betul jatuh hati. Mungkin karena sebelumnya aku sudah kepengin betul untuk memiliki sebuah Land Rover, sampai akhirnya aku gelap mata dan mencuekkan semua kekurangan Landong itu. Yakinku, tak ada yang tak bisa dibenahi.

Landong pun ditebus dengan harga yang tak murah untuk kondisi seperti itu.

Dua pekan disimpan di rumah nenek – tentu saja plus cibiran dari sana-sini – Landong lalu kuboyong ke bengkel. Singkat cerita, delapan bulan lebih Landong diopname di bengkel itu. Ia lalu keluar dengan biaya “perobatan” yang tak sedikit. Tagihan yang muncul di kuitansi nyaris tiga kali harga beli awal. Tapi kok rasanya anteng aja ya? Ah, kalau sudah maniak Land Rover, Anda pasti tidak akan menyanggah apa yang aku bilang tadi. Aku pun bingung kenapa bisa begitu. Hehehe…

Delapan bulan setelah keluar dari bengkel, judul tulisan ini memang terbukti. Proyek restorasi Land Rover ini memang tak pernah selesai. Kelar proyek besar, muncul masalah lain. Kelar yang satu, jangan langsung senyum! Kalau tidak karena ada komponen yang rusak, pasti Anda sendiri yang “kegatalan” ingin mendandani Land Rover Anda menjadi seperti apa yang diidamkan.

Pengen bikin roof racklah, tukar bemperlah, beli winchlah, ganti ban yang lebih gedelah, cari pelek Kingkonglah… kalau diteruskan, bisa-bisa tak selesai-selesai tulisan ini. Begitulah “kutukan” yang aku maksudkan tadi.

Lihat saja si Landong. Kelar urusan body, sudah menunggu urusan interior dan mesin. Interiornya sudah dicicil sebagian. Doortrimnya sudah dibikinkan. Cuma belum dilapis dengan pelapis. Begitu juga dengan joknya. Masih jok busuk, dengan pelapis kain dari bahan beledu yang sangat ampuh menyerap debu.

Begitu juga dengan mesinnya. Ada yang bilang, ring sehernya sudah minta diganti. Asapnya sudah putih. Olinya selalu berkurang. Bla… bla… bla… Belum lagi dengan sistem pengereman. Mengembalikan fungsi four wheel drive, dan… ah… pusinglah… Hahahaha… Entah berapa lagi biaya yang dibutuhkannya. Sudah kayak pesugihan saja jadinya…

Kalau mau dituruti, memang… restorasi Land Rover tak bakalan pernah selesai. Dan, sekali Anda memutuskan untuk memiliki sebuah Land Rover, siapkan juga diri Anda untuk menerima “takdir dan kutukannya.”

Hahahaha… berpikirlah ratusan kali sebelum memutuskan untuk memiliki sebuah Land Rover Series. Nasehat ini mesti Anda dengarkan dan pikirkan baik-baik. Ini bukan kesimpulan pribadi semata, tapi kesimpulan kolektif para pengguna panci aluminium bermesin ini. Tapi kalau sudah kadung, ya welcome to the club aja deh.

Satu lagi jangan lupa, Anda juga harus mencatat efek psikologis yang akan diakibatkannya. Karena keasyikan ngoprek Landy, kadang teman, keluarga, pacar, atau istri merasa terlupakan. Kalau sudah begini, ampun dah!  Lebih baik dikirim pergi liputan ke Afghanistan aja deh daripada dapat persoalan seperti ini. Hahahaha…

Following the recent announcement of part funding by the Government-backed Technology Strategy Board, the partners in the KinerStor project have today announced further details of their collaborative programme to demonstrate the viability of low-cost flywheel hybrid systems.

The KinerStor project will be led by Ricardo and will comprise a consortium of industrial partners including CTG, JCB, Land Rover, SKF, Torotrak and Williams Hybrid Power. The project aims to demonstrate the potential of flywheel-based hybrid systems with the potential for 30 per cent fuel savings (and equivalent reductions in CO2 emissions) at an on-cost of less than £1000, thus enabling the mass-market uptake of hybrid vehicles in price sensitive vehicle applications.

The project will research and de-risk the principle critical flywheel sub-systems individually, then bring them together for system optimisation in two forms of proprietary device; a mechanical/magnetic coupled flywheel system developed by Ricardo (known by the trade name Kinergy), and an electrically coupled unit developed by Williams Hybrid Power. The flywheel systems being developed by the KinerStor consortium partners are ideally suited for potential applications in passenger cars ranging from small, price-sensitive mass-market models through to large luxury SUVs, as well as in low-cost compact energy storage systems for application in industrial and construction equipment.

The KinerStor project team aims to design, build and test a number of prototype units such that on completion, the developed technologies are ready for vehicle-based installation, testing and demonstration.

The KinerStor consortium brings together a critical mass of relevant skills and expertise in specialist areas, including: advanced flywheel systems, focusing on new material technologies including low-cost composite fibres and specialist steels; continuously variable transmissions; bearing and coupling design; drivetrain integration; and volume vehicle manufacturing. The project’s structure will allow for the development of common coretechnology solutions which can be tailored to the individual needs of vehicle manufacturers, maximising potential fuel saving and CO2 emission reduction benefits.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Ricardo group technology director Neville Jackson said: “The development of highly optimised flywheel based technology offers the prospect of the effective and low-cost hybridisation of price-sensitive vehicle applications with consequent benefits to fuel economy and CO2 emissions reduction. Ricardo is pleased to be able to lead the KinerStor consortium which brings together a crucial mass of skills and expertise in this important area of future automotive technology.”

The KinerStor project is supported by an investment from the Government-backed Technology Strategy Board with balancing resources provided by the project partners.

Have your say and share your views in the comments  – get writing now…
Source: Williams Hybrid Power & .f1technical.net

Upon arriving in the oasis town of Bawiti we headed deep into the lush palm groves in order to find a suitable campsite. Thankfully a large hand painted sign soon loomed out of the darkness proclaiming that the Desert Rose Eco Lodges were located just 100 metres from the sand covered road. With our interest pricked we pulled up outside the bland gatehouse and rang the dusty bell.

We were soon greeted by two bumbling idiots who proceeded to lurch awkwardly from one light switch to another, before failing miserably in their attempt to unlock the doors to the surrounding lodges. In this frantic hive of inactivity we were afforded a little time to take in our surroundings – a dangerous pastime.

Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a luxury courtyard of self-contained lodges each boasting a four-poster bed, an ensuite, a sofa bed and an ornate writing desk.  Clearly this was going to be out of our price range however the lodges were deserted which would hopefully act in our favour.

Mansourd, the suave manager, arrived straddling a carpeted motorcycle piloted by his able assistant and one time Nobel Peace Prize winning chef. I’m sure you’ll agree that this is a rather bizarre claim but one which we chose not to question in order to protect the fine balance between the key holder and we the weary desperados.

The manager’s opening gambit saw him slap a fairly reasonable offer on the table which primarily consisted of the following numbers; 2-3-0. However, after a heated discussion we found ourselves just 150 Egyptian pounds lighter and looking forward to spending an enjoyable night cloaked in luxury.

Needless to say Mansourd’s handshake was distinctly limper than his initial fevered greeting.

Your car, your ride, your sled, your pimpmobile, is a direct relation of YOU.  It’s really kind of crazy when one starts connecting the dots with the standard deviation of the square root of (Car/Personality).  I’ll name it not racial, but Automobile Profiling.

“BUT I’D DRIVE A NEW BENTLY IF I COULD AFFORD IT” Well no shit Sherlock, that’s not what we asked.  Your personality would control if you hide your Bent in the garage or drive it open windowed in the Christmas Parade.  You could afford it, if you had the personality to make the money to afford it. 

Actually, this topic could (and will) be a book.  I can only hit the highlights, but sit down and take a drive with me for a minute.  Question: Does a big truck compensate for a small penis?  Answer:  No  Q: How do you know John?  A:  I drive a big truck

We don’t have time for the full species alignment, so let’s identify a few subjects.  The Frat Boy,Frat Daddy,  Jet Ski Guy, Soccer Mom (A, B C, D below), Going Postal, Sorority Girl (A,B, C, D), preacher, black preacher, stripper,  Volvo man, billionaire, millionair, $30k millionair, cougar, blogger, tree hugger, democrat, Texan Repulican, broke pot head, pot head with money, coke monkey, lawyer boy (A, B, C, D),  NWA, vato loco, Roper, Redneck, Cutter, Tokyo drifter, and the list goes on and on.  

Gotta get back to work, I’ll start throwing some examples on here soon.  This book could be the best explanation of the classes since Preppy Handbook (1980)

Exerpt below from http://z71tahoe-suburban.com/iboard/index.php?showtopic=17912

Frathoe has nothing to do with a girl. That’s a sorostitute. (and of course that only applies to the hot sorority girls from the south)

Z71 Tahoes are without a doubt the frattiest SUV/Trucks ever made. That’s where Frathoe comes from. Kind of like Fratwater (beer) Although all the frat daddies out there who drive other vehicles like X5’s, H2’s, M Class, ect.. often refer to them as “their frathoes.” 

The reciprocal to the cool frat boy ride, is this

________________________________________

Just because you own a LandRover, doesnt mean the guys at the Rover dealership will treat you the same.  You be the Judge:

By the time we had reached the entrance to the tomb the ticket office had closed preventing us from entering possibly one of the greatest wonders of the world. However, as I’m sure many of you are aware that when travelling you become infinitely more cunning. So after a little money changed hands we were ushered down the steep and rather narrow entrance tunnel.

The deathly silence one associates with the resting place of the dearly departed was rudely shattered by a roaring air-conditioning system crudely tacked to the carefully crafted stone work of the towering pyramid. Descending the dusty, cramped tunnel we could only assume we were entering a coal seam manically mined by an army of midgets.

The end result was a simple rectangular room housing a small stone tomb. My advice would be to keep your loose change firmly in your pockets.

Wichita, Kansas to Amarillo, Texas -
October 3, 2009

The next morning, I punched in the destination on the Nuvi and grabbed a handful of throttle. Today would be a blur of interstate and rural routes to Amarillo. The total mileage today was around 400 miles. The weather was much improved and after a great night’s sleep I was ready to start riding longer distances. The bike was running perfectly. I was a bit worried about the back tire. I had Michelin Pilot Road 2ct’s on and they already had about 6000 miles. The rear had a big flat spot but the front looked perfect. I can’t say enough about how good these tires are for long distance riding. I’ve since switched to Pilot Power 2ct’s and after several thousand miles I think I prefer the Pilot Roads. I won’t go into a much detail here as I’m working on a complete review in the Gear Review section. The basic difference in the tires is the compound – the Pilot Roads are not as sticky as the Pilot Powers and the Powers have a more angular or pointed profile. This means that the more emphasis is placed on the tires sidewall. That translates into the bike falling into turns much more quickly. This can make the bike feel twitchy and nervous. BUT, when the road is warm and there are infinite curves, the Pilot Powers just walk away from the Pilot Roads. HUGE grip. More about that in another post relating to gear. Anyway I was worried about the wear on the back tire. I think if I had known at that point how much more life the tires had in them I would have not believed it.

The ride was mostly nondescript except for this absolute gem of a place.

For whatever reason on this day they were closed! Man can you imagine the goodies they serve in there? Jell-O, coconut cream pie, chipped beef on toast? What a cool looking place.

One thing you will see as I post more reports is that I have a thing for “The Middle of Nowhere”. I love those pictures of the road disappearing into the horizon and on this trip there would be plenty of that. This is somewhere in Kansas. Can’t say enough about the weather, it was just fantastic now. The last I heard from home (Stowe, Vermont) was that it rained for the entire month of July………………. Man, that, and six months of snow. Get me the hell out of there.

The ride to Amarillo was loooooooooooong. As far as I can remember I crossed into Oklahoma for a bit then into Texas. The last two hours were through featureless terrain in the gathering dusk. I had been picking up the pace as evening caught up with me. For most of the last few hours the pace was near 90+ mile an hour and mostly I was getting blown off the road by pickup trucks and dusty battered foreign cars that all seemed to be maroon with chrome accents. When the sun started to go down the temperature did as well. I was entertaining myself playing Nuvi roulette looking through various hotels in Amarillo. I have an excellent Lonely Planet USA guide book that I often use but not for hotels as I find the reviews to be usually more than I want to spend. I got to Amarillo about an hour or so after dark. I was cold and tired. I think these extended trips take a while for the rider to get into the groove. On my last trip I beat myself up riding 700 mile days. I covered a lot of ground but never really felt like I was experiencing the things I wanted to see and do. On this trip I mostly rode less miles in favor of more interesting routes and sights. In Amarillo, I found another sketchy LaQuinta (Spanish for “Welcome Home” according to their billboard) near the interstate and checked in. I unloaded the bike and changed out of my riding gear. Great, another yellow room with yellow furnishings. This LQ was even more unkempt. As I mentioned in an unfinished thought in an earlier post I ran a luxury hotel for a few years and laughingly employed the title “Hotelier”

I’ve had a number of careers virtually all in investment banking and alternative investment management – hedge funds, private equity and currency overlay. So of course I was naturally qualified to run a hotel in rural Vermont….. Man, Newhart the TV show was more documentary than comedy! I won’t go into it too much except to say that the four years I was an “Hotelier” I had some wonderful successes, enjoyed nature, met a ton of fantastic guests and locals and burned in the fires of hell almost daily. It’s a never, ever ending 30 hour a day job. I never realized how close my life was to that of Norman Paperman in Herman Wouk’s fantastic “Don’t’ Stop the Carnival” Anyway, the point I was eventually going to make was that my view of hotel rooms has forever changed. My hotel rooms were absolutely spotless in every way. You could do surgery in the bathroom – it was that clean. From understanding the nuts and bolts of cleaning rooms, I now also have the knowledge of where to look for the “nasties” and no I won’t tell you what those are because I don’t want to ruin your enjoyment of hotels or hotel rooms. This room was not particularly clean but not dangerous. Would it kill them to vacuum under the bed once in a while?

I went to the convenience store next door and got a tall Coors light in a can, a diet Coke, and cheese and crackers. On the way back I cut through the lobby and ran into this huge poster advertising THE BIG TEXAN. What the hell is that? I thought. I had a distant memory of Adam Richman from Man VS Food eating there. It was interesting and the kicker was the part that said “We will pick up in a limousine and bring you back for free” I ran to my room and called for pickup. Soon enough a Cadillac Limo pulled up with steer horns on the hood. Of course the toot of the horn toot was the Yellow Rose of Texas which the driver tooted at every opportunity. I climbed into the back and settled into the maroon interior. I wish I had a glass of Bourbon and a Cowboy hat so I could J.R. Ewing up the ride! We picked up a few truckers at a truck stop and continued toward the BIG TEXAN. Along the way the driver got to talking to the truckers and by happenstance they were from the same little town in Texas somewhere to the south. The trucker commented that when he was young they used to ride horses to Amarillo over what was mostly open range and they could get there in two days. Man, two days on the open range! Sign me up. That sounded really neat and sort of disturbing at the same time. You wonder what sort of life that was. One that involved a lot of backbreaking work, heartache, and little money I’m thinking.

We arrived at the BIG TEXAN and climbed out of the Caddy. I tipped the driver and walked in.

The main dining room at THE BIG TEXAN

The décor was of course western. Antlers, wood floors, tin ceiling and an assortment of other country decorations. What killed me the most was row after row of slot machines that took cash but did not return anything other than the opportunity to pull the lever and watch your money disappear. They were “for entertainment only” and gave nothing back – and people were playing these things! They also had one of those indoor shooting ranges where you put in a buck (or in this case five bucks) and shoot at the targets. I walked around a bit taking in the scene which was almost entirely composed of tourists and truckers. I grabbed a spot at the bar and ordered a BIG TEXAN beer and took a look at the menu.

The BIG TEXAN is famous for a food challenge of eating like 30 pounds of poorly cooked steak for free if you can choke it down in an hour so. It was $50.00 if you could not. That really did not interest me having to ride a motorcycle all day the next day. I ordered an assorted meat platter. It was indifferently cooked and soggy, mushy, and bland. But hey, I’m eating at THE BIG TEXAN! It’s the experience, it’s the atmosphere, ugg, it’s a fucking tourist trap. So, while the food was bad it was a good tourist experience and I got to ride in a steerhorn festooned caddy limo.

Overall Amarillo was one of more of the forgettable places I visited, tons of truck stops, crappy motels, and fast food places.

Tomorrow – Tomorrow Santa Fe, New Mexico

A Land Rover sofre de uma doença engraçada e rara. As vezes ela é tão inovadora que surpreende o mundo pela ousadia, caso do Freelander e do Discovey 3. Por outro lado, a mesma marca consegue ser tão antiquada que mantém na linha o Defender há 50 anos.

Pois então, parece que a marca quer unir os seus dois opostos com o Discovery 4. Enquanto do lado de fora parece que nada mudou, do lado de dentro é quase tudo diferente. Não falei que a doença era única? 

No Brasil, o jipão começam vai desembarcar nos próximos dias com duas novas opções de motorização. Uma 5.0l a gasolina de 375 cv e outra diesel 3.0l com 245 cv.

Do lado de fora, o jipão ganhou novos faróis, grade e para-choque frontal. Na traseira, apenas novas lanternas, que vem com LEDs.

Já o interior tem novo painel de instrumentos e muitos comandos digitais.Volante e alavanca de câmbio também são novos.

Na parte mecânica, o novo 5.0 V8 Supercharged desenvolve 375 cv e 51,8 kgfm de torque e substitui o antigo 4.4 V8. O famoso sistema de tração Terrain Response recebeu aprimoramentos.

Viu, a Land Rover tem ou não uma doença estranha? Resta saber se a Land Rover chega mais cara que a atual Discovery 3.

We five skin flints opted to save a little cash by travelling the streets of Cairo in a single cab. During our ‘staycation’ we attempted a variety of seating arrangements each as uncomfortable as the last. To save time I’ll give you a short run down of our attempts to enjoy the numerous and rather tortuous city journeys.

Seating arrangements:

Two in the front & four in the rear.
Three in the front & three in the rear.
Two in the front, three in the rear and one sat on the laps of the three in the rear.
Two in the front, three in the rear and one in the boot.
Two in the front, three in the rear and one sat on the open windowsill of the door.

Results:

Numerous dead legs.
Several electric shocks from dodgy wiring found beneath the dashboard.
One near miss with a passing cyclist.
One extremely hot boy in the boot.

Saturday, it was announced that Rolls Royce would be joining Volvo in making HD radio a standard component across all its lines for 2010!  This comes quick on the heels of an announcement from Mercedes-Benz that HD will be in all its 2010 models that have “premium feature packages.” Looks like HD has locked on with the luxury car aficionados!

That is one heck of a brand association. Rolls Royce has been known for refinement and luxury since before World War II. It is a name that has stood the test of time and retained its noble bearing throughout. The Phantom, for example,  is to cars as a tuxedo-clad James Bond is to espionage (the Sean Connery Bond). To have HD radio become a standard firmly affixes the growing medium in the luxury market and the luxury mindset.

Here is the statement from iBiquity via Radio Ink:

“We are proud to confirm the availability of HD Radio technology for yet another prestigious brand — Rolls-Royce,” iBiquity COO Jeff Jury said. “The Rolls-Royce brand is revered. This commitment to HD Radio technology as standard illustrates how digital radio’s dynamic function enhances the in-car ambiance. The addition of Rolls-Royce to the HD Radio roster truly solidifies the technology’s stature in the luxury automotive class.”

Rolls Royce  joins an array of other car makers in offering HD either as a standard or an option: BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar, Mercedes, Mini, Scion, Land Rover and Volvo. In addition, Audi, Ford, Kia, Lincoln and Mercury are soon to join their ranks and have committed to offering HD as well. Now that approximately 85% of the US is covered by HD signals, it looks like it could be a great time for a road trip!

It’s really fun watching a medium grow up. There are always growing pains, but the process always seems to yield fascinating results.  As each quarter slips by, we see more maturity in the HD radio platform. Not only are the high-end auto makers adding it in as a standard, but there is now a HD listening option for the iPhone. (See my earlier post.) The times are certainly changing, and as far as HD is concerned, changing for the better!