Interlarken, Switzerland... Some Photos instead of Review

Interlarken is located near the Swiss Alps. Its name, literally means between 2 lakes is a good description as it is between 2 lakes. It is a famous tourist destination, but when you get there, there is nothing special. 

The road to Interlarken is spectacular! Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald is just around the corner. I'd suggest driving by Interlarken and walking around, but don't spend too much time there. Its nice, but expensive.

Here are some photos. 

Klosters, Switzerland... Some Photos instead of Review

Klosters, Switzerland... even the ride there from Zurich is stunning. This is a small village near Davos and Landquart. Before even considering what to do there, just take a look at these summer photos.

-- Robin Low

Fribourg, Switzerland - Some Photos instead of review

Fribourg is the capital of the region of the same name in western Switzerland. In the medieval old city above the Sarine River, the Gothic Fribourg Cathedral has art nouveau stained glass and views from its bell tower. The Cathedral has a parton saint to bikers...

Cathedral of St. Nicholas

Where bikers are blessed annually....

I would like to share more, but here are just some photos.. so enjoy.

-- Robin Low

Pokemon Go - Gym Updates

Pokemon Go has recently released a new update for the Gym System and with the new Raids in place, many players have returned to play the game.

There are a lot more gyms, and you can now spin the gyms for drops. You get a Raid pass every day (you can only have one) and buy premium raid passes for 100 coins to join in the raids.

In the US, Europe, Japan and Singapore, I've seen players gather in masses for rare raid like Tyrranitar and Snorlax.

The raids seemed to require coordination and teamwork. The rare raids have big pokemons which require many trainers to take down. In Boston, players coordinate and have groups on Discord to form local teams to take down raids and take over gyms.

The new gym system favors coordination. As the gyms are still very unstable. A group of 4 - 6 people from a team can take down a gym in minutes, and when they coordinate to put in their pokemons together, all 6 pokemons can go in at once, making it easy to defend.

In Boston, I joined the local team in Allston / Brighton / Brookline and in 2 hours, we can take over all the Gyms locally.

I would say the new gym system is a big improvement, but the way the coins are rewarded is still far from desirable.

You cannot change your teams once you pick it, and being in a team locally with poor coordination, you can NEVER earn any coins. I'm back in Singapore, and when I talk to several adult Team Valor players, they don't seem to understand coordination and attack on their own. Sadly, with the slightly broken system, when these people from the same team attack at their own pace, they may come to a point where they get to put their pokemons in, and when an opposing team is attacking, no one else can put theirs in, and the result is that, the only pokemon in the gym gets taken out really quickly.

The problem of spoofing is still around in Singapore, and many people simply want to fight in the gym and "win" rather than form groups and play the game as it should -- socially.

In Europe, I've met people and went to bars after a raid. In Boston, I've joined Gym raiding groups to take over gyms, and we take breaks and have meals together. The game does have potential, but the bugs are still present. Hope it more of the bugs get fixed in the next few days.

-- Robin Low

94th Laconia Bike Week review

The 94th Laconia Bike week is here. from 10-18 June, a lot of bikers from New England converge to this historical event.

So what is the charm of this event?

1) Location.

Weirs Beach is beautiful in the summer.

Lake Winnipesaukee is beautiful and Weirs Beach is simply one of the best fresh water beach in New England.

The water is clear and warm, and the sun is bright. The location feels cool with a nice breeze in the summer.


2) Stuff to buy, see and do.

There are a lot of live music, great food and motorcycle swag. T-shirts, leathers, accessories. The whole event area at Weirs beach is very big, and it will take hours to browse through each store.

3) Bikes

Lots of bikes on display. There is the Indian Motorcycle Booth and Harley Booth that offers test rides. The motorcycles that are in the parking lot are also beautiful and unique. There are some vintage bikes -- 1929 Harleys, and some custom bikes.

If you are a bike lover, you will love these bikes.

4) People

Bikers are a special kind of people -- pretty crazy in their own way, however, there is one thing in common with everyone here. Everyone enjoys riding -- Japanese bikes, Italian bikes or domestic bikes.

Although everyone there may be different and have different beliefs, it is easy to strike up a conversation with anyone regarding bikes and riding.

In this environment, there is something magical -- there is no discrimination and no one talks about politics, sexual orientation or genders. You can see a guy wearing a "President Trump" badge having beer at the same table with a guy with a "Bernie or Bust" shirt.

You get to see guys having ice cream and the guys in the line are chatting -- one who gave out bibles and the other person looking like a cross dresser in leathers.

5) The journey.

The journey to Laconia is also a very enjoyable ride. Laconia is located away from busy cities, and there is not much traffic.

Whether you go up alone or with a group of friends, riding on the smooth roads with the wind in your hair (because you don't need to wear a helmet in New Hampshire) is am amazing experience. When you ride long distances, all your worries are gone. It is man vs the road, you get to see long roads, corners and beautiful skies and mountains.

The area is beautiful and the ride is memorable.

There are also other events during the bike week. From stunt riding to museums to rallys. A lot of interesting things to do, nice bikes to see and great food to eat.

This is an event to at least try out once in your lifetime.

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Tips:
1) Drink lots of water. The weather may be nice, but it is easy to dehydrate when you ride long distances. And dehydration when riding is especially bad and may cause accidents.
2) When you have a chance to go to a toilet (at a gas station, hotel, restaurant) -- go... Don't try to find one when you REALLY NEED IT.
3) Be prepared for any weather. This is New England, It can be 90 degrees out there but goes below 50 degrees at night. What may be sunny may turn into a thunderstorm that lasts 5 minutes.
4) Ride on Roller Coaster Road. I would suggest going to Laconia through Route 106 and enter through Roller Coaster Road from the back. You save time on traffic especially on the weekends.


-- Robin Low