Numbers about yourself

[Usrin]

And I would not refuse a trip to Namibia, but that's rather because its perfect conditions for astronomical observations.

If you go to Namibia, be sure to contact JTK and KHR first. They grew up there (as you may already know).

THAT I did not know, or have completely forgotten!

Usrin, how could that happen?  KHR and me will be travelling to NAM this summer again. Finally after 5 years (stallin Corona!).

Good question.

I am planning a trip to the S hemisphere in May/June 2023, if the world is not going down the drain. (That is already dry season around latitude 20-30°, nights are long, and more interesting parts of the sky are visible than in July/August.) The destination will depend on my actual workload and budget. If I get enough money and at least 3 weeks free, I would travel to ARG and combine astronomy with hiking, sightseeing and maybe ghost hunting, erm, meeting local pipsqueaks. I think it is not worth travelling there for a shorter time... missed a lot in 2019, when I had only 6 days. So with less time and money, I would rather spend 1-2 weeks on an one of the 'astrofarms' in NAM, rent a telescope and focus entirely on observing the southern sky. (KHR & JTK: sorry, but it seems easier to skip other attractions in NAM than in South America!)

Anyway, I would definitely travel south in 2023. There are too many unknowns in my own life and in the situation of the world for keeping such dreams for the further future.

[alanrotoi]

Just think about a Stunts meeting Buenos Aires 2023: Usrin, Cas, Gutix, Chulk, Duplode, ZdnBurns, Leo, sebastianali302, Heretic, AMG and me. I added Brazilian guys because it is quiet cheap for them to come.

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

there are no travel restrictions in many target areas: Slovakia, Slovenia, Transylvania, Argentina.

Nice! You'll be welcome!

BTW if you give me an address I could send you a set of coins from here

Well, thanks.

IMO the value of my coins set depends on the number of countries they originate from. Since I have an Argentinian peso promised to me by Usrin, I don't think it would be necessary to pay a pile of money for the postal fee of sending some coins from Argentina to Hungary. My wife (Kahdra here) works for the Hungarian Post Service, and we know about cases when money doesn't manage to arrive at the addressee's...

Now as corona laws getting less strict, it is available for me to access most of the bordering countries. Austria would need a third vaccine. Ukraine is a no-go-zone during the war. Serbia: 2 Sputnik vaccines are enough. Croatia has lifted all border-related COVID measures recently.

To enter Argentina, I would need to travel by plane. I would also need flight transfer. I would have to meet the COVID rules of each country I enter. However, I have a dream, which is sometimes nearer, sometimes farther from me: to obtain my PhD degree. I decided - and promised to my wife - to travel to an exotic destination if i succeed. If everything goes well, I think about a.) South America (Tierra del Fuego, Pampas, Andes are preferred, Argentina and/or Chile, but any other place would make me happy) b.) New Zealand (/Australia). To see the Southern sky, the Southern Cross (Crux). To see the other half of the Earth. To meet different cultures. To see areas way too distant but similar (moderate climate, Spanish language spoken).

[Cas]

Hey, do count on me if we organise an international gathering somewhere in Argentina. Buenos Aires surely would be the easiest point to get everybody to join, although not at all good for astronomy... but that surely can be solved with ease. There must be some good dark place that's not too far. If you want really dry air for good quality astro-photography, the Patagonia is best. The problem there is it's expensive, but it's worth it.

I am starting to consider also a visit to Europe within the next two years, could be less. It all depends on how accessible or not are the different countries over there with the CoViD situation and how that evolves. I would be considered non-vaccinated, since I have two doses of the Russian vaccine, which is recognised in very few countries and now, even less. Better not mention it in Migration, ha, ha. But well, I could get a negative PCR and if there's a chance to get vaccinated with something recognised in Europe, I can see about how to do that, either here or abroad.

Regarding astronomy again, another thing to note, if you're willing to travel to watch the skies, is that in 2024, there will be a long total solar eclipse in a very conveniently dry region of México: the city of Torreón. I'm already planning for it.

[alanrotoi]

IMO the value of my coins set depends on the number of countries they originate from. Since I have an Argentinian peso promised to me by Usrin, I don't think it would be necessary to pay a pile of money for the postal fee of sending some coins from Argentina to Hungary. My wife (Kahdra here) works for the Hungarian Post Service, and we know about cases when money doesn't manage to arrive at the addressee's...

I work frecuently with the Postal Office and send letters mostly to Europe and never had a problem. I don't remember sending to Hungary but registered letters must arrive. To send a registered letter (with a tracking number) to Hungary costs $6,4 for 20g of weight and $10 for 150g max weight. It's up to you. Also I could give the coins to Usrin next year if he comes

[Usrin]

To enter Argentina, I would need to travel by plane. I would also need flight transfer. I would have to meet the COVID rules of each country I enter.

I would be considered non-vaccinated, since I have two doses of the Russian vaccine, which is recognised in very few countries and now, even less.

Many countries don't care about it anymore. Norway raised all COVID-related restrictions already in February, meaning that travellers can enter the country without any vaccine pass and face masks are forgotten. It is the same for the UK. Neither the Netherlands (where AMS is a typical transfer airport to the Americas) require vaccination for EU citizens, although wearing a face mask is still compulsory on flights to/from there.

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

@Alan Rotoi

As I mentioned, 1 coin from a country is well enough for me. At least it is much more valuable for me to get a coin from a new country than to get the coin set of a country from which I already have a coin (I consider Usrin's peso to be already mine). My goal is to increase the number of countries where I have at least one coin from.

The Most Wanted Coins for me are the ones which existed in the EU before they changed to Euro. Of course I have some of them, but I really miss for example the Finnish markka, the Portuguese escudo and the Slovenian tolar (other missing ones from this group: Latvian lat, Lithuanian litas, Estonian kroon, Maltese lira, Cypriot pound, Luxembourg franc, Irish pound). I don't have coins from Canada, but from there, my real dream would be this 5 dollar banknote: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/new-banknote-1.5795421 A 500 JPY coin would be also interesting since it is rare to see such a high value coin (I know, 5 CHF has a higher value).

@Usrin

Yes, I know. But two of my usual destination countries still insist on their rules. With two Sputnik V vaccines, I still can't enter Austria and Italy. I don't visit Germany too often, but I still can't go there either.

(Recently lifted all measures: Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia; 2 Sputnik V is eligible: Serbia - these make me a bit happier.)

[Cas]

Sounds like travelling is getting a lot more flexible than I expected

I also do collect coins, but my idea is to have a coin and/or note of each country where either I have been (in which case, I have to have received the coin or note through normal use of the currency) or I have made a friend from (in which case, the friend should personally give me the note or coin from his/her country, usually as an exchange from something from mine). I have coins and notes from many countries following this rule, including New Zealand, Chile, Perú, Venezuela, Colombia, Canada, México, India, Israel, UK, Korea and Japan... I think I'm forgetting some. I also do have one Euro that was given to my by a German friend. Of course, it's a German Euro. I have other Euro coins, but that one is the only one that follows that rule.

[alanrotoi]

Sounds like travelling is getting a lot more flexible than I expected

I also do collect coins, but my idea is to have a coin and/or note of each country where either I have been.

If I stick to that rule my collection would be kinda sad Only Uruguay, Spain and France. If we add country air space I could add Brazil, Morocco, Mauritania and Western Sahara... but that's cheating

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Sounds like travelling is getting a lot more flexible than I expected

I also do collect coins, but my idea is to have a coin and/or note of each country where either I have been.

If I stick to that rule my collection would be kinda sad Only Uruguay, Spain and France. If we add country air space I could add Brazil, Morocco, Mauritania and Western Sahara... but that's cheating

That is the disadvantage of living in such a huge country. I live just 20 km away from the Slovakian border. Hungary is bordered by 7 countries, landlocked, just 93.000 sq. km2s.

Somewhat the same regarding coin collection vs. the unity of the European Union. I do not make a difference between Euro coins originating from different countries. I do not collect Euro coins. I pay with them if I go/ride/drive/fly/travel abroad.
(However, I remember a cashier guy in Slovakia who stared at the Euro banknote he was given by me (originating from Cyprus/Portugal I guess... I guess it was somewhat suspicious to him, being unfamiliar...)

Btw, the country list of my coin collection is listed above, it hasn't changed recently. Argentinian peso, Omani rial change coins and Saudi Arabian riyal are partly mine: promised to me, though, never seen.

[Cas]

I haven't visited all the countries I mentioned. As I said, part of my rule is that friends from those countries exchange coins with me. I have only been to Perú, Chile (which I forgot to mention with the coins, but I do have), Venezuela and New Zealand. I also landed in Ecuador, but didn't leave the plane and I overflew Colombia.

Yes, the Euro has played against the numismatic world. That's the sad part. And I also feel like it's not as much as a collectible as other currencies, even though it's rarely seen here, because it's so traded. But that German Euro I have is a souvenir from a German friend. I don't mix it with other Euro coins.

Old Argentine coins were really good looking too. We have had several currencies. The first one I remember, known popularly as "peso ley", had good coins and the next one (the "peso argentino"), which I saw for most of my childhood, also did include very nice ones. After that, came the "austral", whose notes and coins were really cheap looking. It's the shortest lived currency we've had. Then arrived the first version of the currency we have today, that's just called "peso". Those coins were good quality and the note design was good as well. Now the coins are long gone because their denomination would be worth less than nothing. There are newer coins that look much cheaper (and ARE much cheaper). New notes were issued because of the loss of value and because of political issues, which turned our note set into a potpourri. We have three different variants of the 50 and 100 peso notes!

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Coin collection topic: I found a 1/2 Swiss franc coin today on the bus. I haven't had such a coin before.  Not a new country where I have a coin from, but an important coin in my collection.

[Overdrijf]

A number about me:

1

The number of CV's I had to send to find a new job this time around.

It's a refreshing change from most other times I looked for a job, let me leave it at that.

[alanrotoi]

Only 1? That's great haha. Congrats!

[Cas]

Yes!  Huge congratulations!  In my life, I have never been able to find a job sending CVs. I do have got jobs in the past for which I have been asked to send a CV when the application process was already underway, but from scratch, it has never worked to me. I've send hundreds and got nothing XD  The job I have now, I got it because I was referred by a friend of mine. So it's really great that you got it on the first shot!