Nota Bene

Of late – been really busy. No surprises there. But the best bit regarding recent weeks: what I’ve been up to has been very varied: just as I like it…

I had birthday celebrations in distant lands, I had a record-breaking air route (both in duration and distance), I finally got myself to Easter Island, and I revisited an old favorite – Iguazu Falls. But most of that needs some time to settle, sink in, marinate for a bit. So for now, I’m turning back to our trip to Kamchatka in the fall; specifically – the Uzon Caldera.

By my count, I’d been here a full five (5!) times before, but I never get tired of the place – and probably never will. This time though was a little different. Up until this trip I’d only ever visited at the height of summer – July or August. But I’d heard many times that the autumn colors here are something else: bright, magical, totally different. So this year (as already mentioned), we decided to visit in September – right at the tail end of the tourist season. And we were so right to do so. See for yourself:

Read on: Back to Uzon – for the first time in autumn.

After finally getting to Easter Island (in two senses of the word “finally”) – let’s get going around this fascinating island…

I left off last time with our arriving at Mataveri International Airport (IATA code: IPC). The airport itself is nothing remarkable, so I’ll skip ahead: what’s there to see, how many days you should spend here, and what you should pack and wear. And of course, the eternal questions: how did people even get here way back when – and why did they carve these famous stone statues? ->

Read on…

As mentioned, Easter Island – also known as Rapa Nui – had long been one of my dream destinations…

Read on …

Kamchatka truly abounds in natural beauty, and here’s another precious gem in its impressive crown: the Maly Semyachik volcano, whose main feature is its rather sizeable crater (~800x900m), which cradles a stunningly colorful lake:

From the side the volcano looks rather unremarkable; you’d never guess such a marvel is hiding inside ->

Read on…

// In case you’re wondering… I’ll be flip-flopping to-and-fro between Easter Island and Kamchatka-2025 posts in the coming weeks: just so things don’t get samey :-) //

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Kamchatka’s main city), my fellow travelers opined thus: “Where else can you walk out onto your balcony of a morning with a cup of coffee, and see three volcanoes right in front of you?” And I have to agree: three stratovolcanoes from one balcony of an apartment/hotel – probably only in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka. Two volcanoes: maybe on the outskirts of Seattle; but three at once? I’ve never seen that except here. But wait… on a clear day you might just manage to see four volcanoes (each one: massive)!

These three four volcanoes are:

1. The perfectly shaped cone of Koryaksky. Its height is so easy to remember: 3456 meters above sea-level. Yes – Mother Nature having a little fun there )
2. Avachinsky (aka Avacha – not to be confused with the river). Its height is ~2741 meters (the precise figure differs depending on the source)
3. Kozelsky, just over two kilometers tall. It makes up the view the people of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky get to enjoy daily
4. Aag Volcano, but it’s normally invisible (too far)

Well, well. After those rapturous words about these three or four volcanos, I’ve actually… zero photos taken from a balcony to back the rapture up with! Why? This year we didn’t spend even a single day in “the City” (how locals refer to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) – nor did we plan to. But we did still manage to check out these “home volcanoes” – only, like this ->

Read on…

Hi folks!

Phew! Another year – and another Security Analyst Summit wrapped. This time is was – ooh, let me see: yes, the 16^th edition of the event, and it was held in the Thai resort village of Khao Lak (here) – about a hundred kilometers north of Phuket.

In case you don’t know already, SAS is a one-of-a-kind security conference – very different from the usual, more buttoned-up, corporate events in the field. It actually started out as a gathering for our internal team – back when our own group of experts was growing and becoming more global. As it did, it made perfect sense to bring everyone together in person once a year: so the team members could get acquainted, interact face-to-face, and share their impressive research and investigations with each other. And it turned out to be a brilliant idea.

Eventually, someone (clearly thinking ahead) suggested we should invite outside cybersecurity experts, and so we began to welcome colleagues from other companies and organizations too. And slowly but surely, year after year, SAS grew into what it is now – a global conference for top analysts that still manages to maintain a bit of a party spirit. Here we allow ourselves to bend the rules a little, play, break from tradition, and do things our own way. But more than that, SAS has kept its club-like, invite-only character: a special expert committee decides who gets to attend. This has helped preserve its more open, candid atmosphere, where folks feel comfortable sharing more than they would at a typical IT security event.

Read on…

Back in school, I think my favorite books were those hefty tomes all about geography, travel, and the world’s remotest corners. That early fascination really took root in my mind and has stayed with me ever since – as you can see in this blog!

Over time, some of those geographical – on-paper – discoveries started turning into real discoveries: the Galapagos, Tibet, Mount Fuji, Drake Passage, Tasmania (the latter – great trip, but we nearly ended up being stranded there (or on mainland Australia) for… years due to our still being there in late March… 2020!).

However, some places I’d always dreamed of visiting stubbornly remained on my to-do list – seemingly just too far and inaccessible. But then, this year, I finally got to visit two of these out-of-the-way places. Back in winter it was the Nazca Lines; and this fall it was Rapa Nui – better known as Easter Island! Oh yes…

“Where’s that?” some might ask – especially if they didn’t pay much attention in geography class. Honestly though, even those who did would probably struggle to show you Rapa Nui on a world map on their first try. Don’t believe me? Go on then – give it a shot! (spoiler: answer in next pic; no peeking!)…

Read on…

Hi folks!

I’ve said it many times before, but it bears repeating: to me, Kamchatka is the most beautiful place on Earth!

It’s a truly magical world of volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, bears, and so much more. Aside from the region’s famously unpredictable (and rarely friendly) weather, every trip here is just awesome. Awesome – yes, but the elements can quickly turn your plans on their head: even I – normally the most upbeat of optimists – this year had my spirits (and clothes) dampened almost to the point of being completely… dissolved! But more on all that later…

…Not that the rain came later; it started right from the get-go: relentless rain, with Kamchatka’s masterpiece-views hidden behind the dense clouds whence the rain came. But as the days went on, the bad weather finally gave way and, in the end, we were rewarded with a few solidly sunny days and all in all the trip turned out just great! Not everything went to plan (does it ever in Kamchatka?), and we didn’t see everything we wanted to – but what we did was just wonderful. See for yourself in the following pics…

At the summit of Avachinsky, with the neighboring Koryaksky volcano behind it:

Read on…

And so, our Altai-Katun rafting adventure was coming to its inevitable end, and so is my Altai-Katun series of posts detailing it. All that’s left to do is share the most interesting photos that I don’t think I’ve shown here before. If I have – apologies for the repeats. So, in this final installment to the series, a brief review of our summer Altai rafting trip – guided by a perusal through said leftover pics.

Altai-2025: a five-day hike through the Altai mountains, then an incredible 500-kilometer rafting journey down the Katun (plus a short side-foray along the Chuya) ->

Read on…

Continuing the tales of our Altai summer adventure – next up, we’re edging down the Katun with the final stretch fast approaching…

Today’s rapids – the Teldekpen Rapids, aka “the Stumps” (here) – which, in high water, are probably the most difficult, unpredictable, and genuinely dangerous of the whole river. But let’s start from the beginning…

That morning, we saw that the water was still high (as I mentioned earlier, it had rained non-stop the previous day – raising the river by 130cm). On the flat sections, the current was racing along at around 13km/h (if I remember rightly), so there was absolutely no need to paddle ->

Read on…