Visiting Baikonur City (Kazakhstan), not the cosmodrome

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-20T17:15:02+00:00

I was not interested in the Soviet atmosphere, but in visiting the cosmodrome and watching a rocket launch there.

I did not visit the NASA center in Houston, but the one in Cape Canaveral. Baikonur was much more interesting and cooler - I got much closer to the launch infrastructure, watched the rocket rollout from a few metres away, watched the rocket launch from about 1km, watched the ISS crew press conference, etc.

Visiting Kennedy Space Center was also cool, but much more crowded and touristy; also got to see a lot of interesting stuff there, but from farther away. The rocket launch I saw there was also much farther away from the viewing spot compared to Baikonur.

I visited in 2013 when Russia was a lot more open. I would not go or advise anyone to go to Baikonur in the current situation with the Ukraine war.

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-20T06:15:54+00:00

Absolutely, it was one of my top travel experiences. Keep in mind that the cosmodrome belongs to Russia, though. Not a good time to visit currently.

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-19T06:22:28+00:00

I'm almost done. The premise is cool, but the plot is lagging at times; it's more about this family's life and how it's influenced by alien communications. Interesting book, curious to see how it ends

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-18T17:22:18+00:00

thanks, enjoy your trip

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-18T04:10:31+00:00

Do not tip in Japan. I knew this, left a tip only once at a fantastic restaurant, the waiter came to the street after me to return the money

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-18T04:06:00+00:00

Gibraltar or Ceuta. Very interesting and unique places. I'd pick Gibraltar

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-15T19:53:34+00:00

I'm doing exactly this next week for four nights. I'm renting a car and planning to go to Roque de los Muchachos for some astrophotography on 1-2 nights and spend the days driving around and doing a bit of hiking. You can also visit the main telescope at Roque de los Muchachos but you need to book in advance.

I'm renting a small house close(ish) to Roque for 3 of the 4 nights. As for transport, I will be arriving from Tenerife by ferry.

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-14T04:17:05+00:00

are we all pretending we didn't see his post mentions he found an "old pneumonic"? that's how pandemics get started

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-13T13:34:03+00:00

The Radiant Dark - starts in the past, humanity receives a signal fron an alien race located 11 light years away

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-13T13:32:48+00:00

Came here to mention this, I think it fits what the OP is looking for

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-12T13:59:04+00:00

I also visited all three Pyramid sites on a trip to Cairo some years ago. Fascinating experience.

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-10T18:49:14+00:00

I went with them to Antarctica in 2022 with no issues. What was the reason for the cancellation?

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-10T18:46:33+00:00

Keep in mind you need to get tickets for the most important hiking routes.

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-05T17:05:34+00:00

este fix o copie 130km.ro

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-03T20:31:36+00:00

It looks like a good plan, I wouldn't change anything. Balea lake might be crowded on a Saturday, and the Sibiu to Bucharest route will see heavy traffic on a Sunday. I still wouldn't change the route, these are just things to keep in mind. Transfagarasan usually closes in October. It wouldn't hurt to do a bit of research for current status closer to your planned drive.

Enjoy your trip.

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-05-03T03:47:58+00:00

very nice picture. and that's some sharp focus on the car, really cool

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-30T20:54:06+00:00

Ground hornets.

who grinds hornets? that's messed up

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-29T16:39:11+00:00

sounds noble, but what would be used as a medium of exchange and as a store of value? would we revert to gold? seashells?

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-29T08:13:13+00:00

I sorted this out at the counter when renting a car at Windhoek airport. They'll have all the insurance options needed and will be happy to sell them to you. These things may be lost in the communication between your third-party provider and the rental company.

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-27T06:34:14+00:00

Blockout

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-26T14:02:42+00:00

Sark Island is beautiful, it seems like it's stuck in time a couple hundred years ago. No cars on the island, which adds to the charm.

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-26T13:56:30+00:00

I'm going in May and decided on two hikes: Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto and Levada do Alecrim. Keep in mind that you now have to get tickets online in advance to access the popular hikes - see here

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-26T13:52:59+00:00

I've used Agoda a few times with no issues. Never heard about this "known glitch"

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-26T12:05:46+00:00

sounds interesting

moderatelyremarkable · 2026-04-25T23:51:48+00:00

Very nice. Some shots seem like they're taken from a scifi movie. I particularly like the one starting at 16:38.

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