Weird and wonderful India

I visited shortly in Chennai India.
In the city and its suburbs are living approximately 8.9 million people, making it the fourth most populous metropolitan area in India and 31st largest urban area in the world!!
Chennai's economy is industrial based in the automobile, computer, technology, hardware manufacturing and healthcare sectors. E.g. Nokia has production in Chennai and Nokia is still the most popular brand in India (in cell phones). Apples they are eating...
I couldn't find any place where is possible to ride, so I was resting.))

I was staying nice 5 star hotel Hyatt, I definitely can recommend it!

Chennai is having big construction works of transport facilities, they are building everywhere sky-train lanes. It's really needed, traffic jams are massive.

They are using common transport units, it's should avoid traffic jams. All vehicles are fully loaded. Here is normal family vehicle. Kids on the front were even sleeping!!))

Of course when we are in India there are also holy cows!!!

Chennai has one of longest urban beaches in the world. I visited there and it's huge, but not so beautiful. It's in the Bay of Bengal, little bit (500km) north from Sri Lanka. Waves were quite big and I was thinking possibilities to surf. Spot where I visited; there were mostly fisherman boats, local booths etc... Big beach was almost desolated.

Guys asked me to ride, but it's riding what I can't do so well!

Really nice carousel on the beach!)))

Sometimes quite nice long waves, but I didn't see any surfers.

Fishermen were waiting high tide...

Of course because I'm western, driver brought me to check some Catholic hill (almost boring).
I would be more interested to see some Hindu temple or some Hindu erotic arts. ))DD
Hinduism the sex is one way of praying and way to connect humanity to the divinity. Interesting!!
This open eroticism was maybe one reason for Catholic Crusades and  Muslims Jihads to India to clean this kind of promiscuous temples and arts. Well today's results: Hindu 81,4%, Muslims 14% and Christians 2,5%.

Catholic praying park, maybe Hinduism praying park would be more interesting)))

Indian people want to get photographed and straight asking it, when they see camera.
Here some people from Catholic Hill:

From the hill was possible to watch whole Chennai, weather was little bit cloudy, but hot like always in India... or maybe it wasn't so cloudy... maybe it was smog!

Like my topic India is really wonderful and weird place and I would like to go there again!

How St. Petersburg public transport welcomes tourists? История о том, как в культурной столице провожают туристов.

Happened 02.07.2013 at 11:00 in Akademicheskaya metro station in St. Petersburg Russia:

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I’m traveling a lot and I have always my board-bag with me. I was going to the airport by metro and as almost always I was late and hurrying.

много путешествую, и снаряжение всегда беру с собой, в случае если где-то удастся покататься. В этот раз я собирался лететь из Питера в Нижнекамск. Я опаздывал в аэропорт и решил поехать на метро, чтобы не застрять в пробке.

When I arrived to metro station, I saw there was big queue to ticket windows. I choose little bit shorter queue to the ticket machine, where you can buy 3 tokens by 100 rubles.  When it was almost my turn, tokens were finished and ticket machine stopped to work and I had to go to other long queue, which was until to entrance doors. I was whole queue until ticket window and I had just 28 rubles in coins in my pocket and I bought one token. Then I went to the gate, where are the doors especially for bigger bags, I put token in, but doors didn't open...

В метро оказалась большая очередь за жетонами, и когда подошла моя, жетоны в автомате закончились, пришлось отстоять очередь в кассу. Когда я проходил через турникет, толстозадотолстощёкий дядя-служащий в метро начал кричать на меня. Сначала я не понял в чем дело, но оказалось за мой борд-бэг тоже нужно купить жетон, а я как назло купил только один. Я начал извиняться, но он ничего не слушал, и я прислонив борд-бэг к стене вернулся купить еще жетон. А этот служитель взял мою нелегкую сумку и кинул со всего размаху об стену…….

 P.S. Я успел на самолёт

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...Then some metro officer; fat, red-faced, shiny with sweat in uniform came out from his cabin and didn't say anything, he was only screaming: “You must pay double because of your bag!”

I said: Sorry I didn't know, because I have traveled many times by metro with my bag and never asked double price. Also that I’m hurrying to airport, I bought only one token and there is so long queue to the ticket windows. I couldn't finish when he was screaming still louder: “You must pay double because of your bag!”

I understand that he is drunk, having hangover or just crazy. I said okay, I go to buy second token and I left my board-bag near of the gate against the wall. It was difficult to move with bag in crowded metro entrance hall.

When I was going back to the queue this officer brought down my bag, took it and threw it with really big force against the wall to the other side of the corridor. I went back and said hey what your problem is! I’m sorry, if I must to use your metro and that I have big bag and didn't know about extra payments for bags.

Then I went back to the queue, bought second token and went finally through of the gate. This fat and red faced officer was standing there arms folded and grin on the face.

Okay I was after all nervous too and said when the doors were finally opened that: Fuck off Nazi!

Yes but this is customer service for tourists in public transporting of St. Petersburg!

In escalator older Russian man apologized, that they have this kind of workers in Russia.))

X-Traction Wake Park Kiev

Lately it was possible to test Kiev Cable.
Big thanks to Alexey Pidmaljak for hospitality, because of you and nice people of 313 Wake School, I felt like to be at home in Kiev, .
About cable:
Like I wrote earlier it's not the highest one, but everything is possible there. I was in the beginning surprised how good pop there is in the corners and same time how little space there is to land before next corner. My first air-tricks went too far and I couldn't make the corner.))
So long cut is not style in Kiev.)) Locals told that it takes a while to get used to Kiev cable. Yeah second day was already much better.
All obstacles are really nice and they are sliding extremely well. Kickers have nice pop, but they are anyway peacefully.
Cable prices are... surprising...))) Especially weekends whole day costs 100€ and half day 60€!!
Well positive thing is, maybe because of pricing that there is not queue)))... money talks!!
Yeah I know should buy season card, but I don't know how much I have chance in future to ride in Kiev.
Weather was really good, during summer weather in Kiev is really nice +30C.
Anyway I was really happy that I had chance to ride in Kiev and I hope I can return back soon.
Some photos, thanks to Andrei Schavoronkoff for shooting!! Of course only evening photos, no time to make any photos when is good light.))

Some transfers on the fun box...

... to nose press.

Before riding in wake park we were wake-surfing. Andrey showed his skills. He just returned back from surf camp in Portugal.

Of course when there is a popular surfer, there are camera teams wanting interview.  Andrey was nice and gave small  demonstration of wake surfing.

2.0 Cable in Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia

I'm traveling a lot, but I always find a cable where to ride!
Some Russians are telling that I'm traveling and know more about strange places in Russia than they know, but I must to say that this is not strange place at all. Also here I met so hospitable and nice people!!
This time is the presentation of Doprij Veter ("Добрый ветер" = "Good wind") wake park. This wake park is in Naberezhnye Chelny, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. City is standing on the Kama river, population is about 600 000, city is also a major industrial center, having e.g. Kamaz the largest vehicle factory in the world!!
Weather is during summer always great something from +25 to +30C... well during winter easily -30C!
They have two cables, first for air-tricks and second cable has slider box and 1 (left) kicker. Cables are not very long, what is only good, those are tight and are not swinging after tricks.
Place is well built, good starting places and wide wharf to take sun etc... There is even BMX kicker (why not by skate too) to the water.

The control unit is nice. Nintendo-trained muscles of thumbs will help in this job!))

My S-bend to blind

Near of the wake park is nice beach and promenade, they were just making a new asphalt to promenade. Quality of asphalt was really good, I'm meaning for skateboarding, rollerskating etc...

Beach in the evening (view from beach bar/terrace)

New asphalt in the promenade invites to skate! Here is not any skateboarding forbidden signboards... skateboarding is recommended by signs!!!

Couple maps for better understanding where is Naberezhnyje Tšelny and where the park itself is.

In Russian social media: http://vk.com/nchwake

Ukraine, Kiev and X-Traction Wake Park

I was able to pop in Kiev Ukraine and plan was of course to ride a bit.
I have heard lot of good about Kiev cable, but this time I was unlucky.
For sure cable is cool, but they didn't even open yet. Normally cable is working some days already in April, but this year start-up is delayed.
They have had problems with water... I mean there was too much of it... Flood!
Opening will be probably only on Saturday 25.5.

Starting dock was still under of water((

Yeah wakeboarding is water sport, but too much is too much.

Obstacles were in water already (well that's easy, because there is water everywhere))) Overall quite nice amount obstacles!

Still Friday 17.5. was some difficulties to get to the park. Somehow this brings to my mind Thailand and Bangkok 2011.

Shops and restaurants were working already and have survived well from flood.

Wake park has 4 towers and it's not the highest one, it's quite narrow and because of it I believe that in gables there is nice pop for air tricks. Next time I will test it for sure!
Wake park is located in the middle of different kinds of extreme sport performance venues, it's really extreme park. There are BMX track with kickers, bouldering walls etc... Really nice cafe's and restaurants. I can imagine how great place to spend weekend. Weather during summer is really nice!!
It's easy to fly to Kiev from SPb, Moscow or Helsinki. There are direct flights at least by Ukraine International Airlines.
Wake park is about 45min from airport (depends on traffic), costs by taxi about 15-20€.

Here's map and info how to find there:

Girls and Hip-Notics

I spent more than 2 weeks in Hip-Notics and there was fun as always.
I don't know is there happening some changes in cable-wakeboarding or what is this phenomenon,
but there were much more girl-wakeboarders than guys.

Is it so only in Hip-Notics? Well now all single guys know where to go!))
I don't mind if there are more girls! I was shooting some photos of course, but there were so many girls that I couldn't shoot them all... SORRY!
Here are some:

Anna Moskal

Vera Efimova

Vera Efimova

Olga Foxik

Kristiina Nyman

What about job of James Young? Lie on the pillow in paradise and train them!!

This is Hip-Notics! Bon Voyage!