At one point this past weekend we had a heated debate as to whether the water drains in different directions depending on which hemisphere you are in.
The Coriolis Effect was sighted at one point as the contributing factor. After doing a little research online (as I was the only one who knew that this was bogus, but was unable to convince everyone at the time) I found that this is actually the case.... for perfectly circular, symmetric containers water will drain in different directions according to the hemisphere. However no-one's bath/sink/toilet has these characteristics. In everyday life the direction that a container will drain is dictated by other factors such as inherent spin in the water or simply design of the container itself.
The whole tourist attraction (in Kenya I think) where they take you to the southern hemisphere and the water spins one way and in the northern it spins the opposite way is nothing more than a cleverly designed scam - the initial spin is induced in different ways according to which "hemisphere" you are in.
I've included links to sites explaining this in much more detail:
Scientific American,Interesting Thing of the Day and Bad Coriolis
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Banff, Skiing & Fun!
Before I start explaining the happenings of the weekend - I have only included a few photos here, I have put a few more up here.
On the Thursday night Casey flew into Winnipeg from London. I had organised to go and watch a Manitoba Moose (Ice hockey) game that night, but I felt really bad cause she was suffering with the time difference, we ended up getting to sleep at like 5am London time!! We both enjoyed it none-the-less though! It was quite funny, coz no sooner had I finished explaining to her that they sometimes get into fist fights in ice hockey did one start up on the ice!
Casey at the ice hockey game
The next day we flew into Calgary from Winnipeg and then took a shuttle out to Banff. By the time we actually got into Banff we ended up just organising skiing for the next day and just having a look around the town. Its a very pretty town, obviously very tourist orientated, but the views in that part of the world are just plain mind-blowing!
View from one of the streets in Banff
On the Saturday we went skiing at Sunshine Mountain (one of the ski mountains in the Banff area). Neither of us had ever been skiing before so we decided to just book lessons and learn it properly! We had a full day's tuition inside the training area, with a magic carpet (a conveyor system to take you to the top of the training hill) and all. Our instructor, Kenji, was very good and decided we were all at the right stage to go down a "green" hill by the end of the day. That was awesome, the feeling is inexplicable until you actually do it! The entire day was completely surreal, fullfilling and tiring! We were both stiff and sore for the next couple of days, but it was completely worth it, and I think we'll both do it again!
Casey and I after skiing (it's bright and we are tired that is why we are squinting)
Jenny, Adam and Henry drove out on the Sunday to spend the day with us. We decided to go and see the sights in the area. The one place we were told we HAD to go and see was Lake Louise, so we went on a road trip out there. The weather got progressively worse as we drove out there, and by the time we got there it was pretty much just a white-out! What we could see what NOTHING like the postcards! It was rather sad as Jen had packed a picnic for us to have out there, but it was not pleasant at all outside, so we ended up just driving back to Banff and having lunch at a restaurant! One of the other things to see in Banff is the Banff Springs Hotel, which looks like a castle and is an impressive sight to see, worth the visit. We spent some time wondering through hotel as there is so much to see!
Me, Henry, Casey, Jen and Adam at Banff Springs Hotel
Those three then went back to Calgary and Casey and I went up to the hot springs on Sulpher Mountain. The hot springs are pretty much standard "Warm Baths"-type, but not as well done. Still very relaxing and theraputic, as we were both still suffering a bit from the skiing on Saturday!
Casey and I headed back into Calgary on Monday, where we spent the afternoon downtown looking around and shopping. Casey bought a few nice things, I am not a big shopper so was quite content to just follow the ladies around! We also went up the Calgary tower to check out the views.
The Calgary Tower
The views from the tower were amazing, you could see the Rockies quite clearly. There is a section of glass floor, just like in the CN Tower. Definitely not where you stand if you are afraid of heights!
Casey and I on the glass floor up the Calgary Tower
The whole crew from Sunday met up again on Monday night for a great dinner at a little restaurant in downtown Calgary. We were by far the loudest table there and were also the last table to leave - we were having a great time!!
Henry, Jen, Adam, Casey and I after dinner on the last night
Casey and I both flew out of Calgary at the same time. Casey was flying back to London through Montreal. It was very tough saying goodbye, as we had the most amazing weekend. We will defintely be meeting up again, however next time will probably be on the other side of the "pond".
On the Thursday night Casey flew into Winnipeg from London. I had organised to go and watch a Manitoba Moose (Ice hockey) game that night, but I felt really bad cause she was suffering with the time difference, we ended up getting to sleep at like 5am London time!! We both enjoyed it none-the-less though! It was quite funny, coz no sooner had I finished explaining to her that they sometimes get into fist fights in ice hockey did one start up on the ice!
Casey at the ice hockey gameThe next day we flew into Calgary from Winnipeg and then took a shuttle out to Banff. By the time we actually got into Banff we ended up just organising skiing for the next day and just having a look around the town. Its a very pretty town, obviously very tourist orientated, but the views in that part of the world are just plain mind-blowing!
View from one of the streets in BanffOn the Saturday we went skiing at Sunshine Mountain (one of the ski mountains in the Banff area). Neither of us had ever been skiing before so we decided to just book lessons and learn it properly! We had a full day's tuition inside the training area, with a magic carpet (a conveyor system to take you to the top of the training hill) and all. Our instructor, Kenji, was very good and decided we were all at the right stage to go down a "green" hill by the end of the day. That was awesome, the feeling is inexplicable until you actually do it! The entire day was completely surreal, fullfilling and tiring! We were both stiff and sore for the next couple of days, but it was completely worth it, and I think we'll both do it again!
Casey and I after skiing (it's bright and we are tired that is why we are squinting)Jenny, Adam and Henry drove out on the Sunday to spend the day with us. We decided to go and see the sights in the area. The one place we were told we HAD to go and see was Lake Louise, so we went on a road trip out there. The weather got progressively worse as we drove out there, and by the time we got there it was pretty much just a white-out! What we could see what NOTHING like the postcards! It was rather sad as Jen had packed a picnic for us to have out there, but it was not pleasant at all outside, so we ended up just driving back to Banff and having lunch at a restaurant! One of the other things to see in Banff is the Banff Springs Hotel, which looks like a castle and is an impressive sight to see, worth the visit. We spent some time wondering through hotel as there is so much to see!
Me, Henry, Casey, Jen and Adam at Banff Springs HotelThose three then went back to Calgary and Casey and I went up to the hot springs on Sulpher Mountain. The hot springs are pretty much standard "Warm Baths"-type, but not as well done. Still very relaxing and theraputic, as we were both still suffering a bit from the skiing on Saturday!
Casey and I headed back into Calgary on Monday, where we spent the afternoon downtown looking around and shopping. Casey bought a few nice things, I am not a big shopper so was quite content to just follow the ladies around! We also went up the Calgary tower to check out the views.
The Calgary TowerThe views from the tower were amazing, you could see the Rockies quite clearly. There is a section of glass floor, just like in the CN Tower. Definitely not where you stand if you are afraid of heights!
Casey and I on the glass floor up the Calgary TowerThe whole crew from Sunday met up again on Monday night for a great dinner at a little restaurant in downtown Calgary. We were by far the loudest table there and were also the last table to leave - we were having a great time!!
Henry, Jen, Adam, Casey and I after dinner on the last nightCasey and I both flew out of Calgary at the same time. Casey was flying back to London through Montreal. It was very tough saying goodbye, as we had the most amazing weekend. We will defintely be meeting up again, however next time will probably be on the other side of the "pond".
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