All, Inspire
London -> St Petersburg
The first stage of our Epic London to Sydney overland journey is behind us. Belgium, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have all rushed past our frosted train or bus windows.
While you could count the miles, the journey – as they say – is best measured in friends, although we’ve been lucky enough to measure a huge number of both. Some are old mates from way back, some previous film collaborators, and others brand new to the Rat & Dragon experience. All of them are damn gorgeous, passionate about their cities, and all of them have carved their wonderful signatures onto our projects, our journey and our memories each in their own ways. Here’s a quick rundown:
London to Brussels. Train. 373 km (232 miles)
Michael
A seasoned traveller and long-time friend to Rat & Dragon going back to the early East-Coast-Australia backpacking days when he offered a lift in exchange for a place to stay – and ended up in a tent in the back garden for a month. A walk around the old town, Belgian Beers at his favourite local bars and dinner at the restaurant to meet the waitress he fancies made the perfect first stop of our Epic Journey to Sydney.
Brussels to Berlin. Train. 765 km (475 miles)
Coffus and Bjorn
Reaching into our filmmaker network for The Berlin Project, we meet Coffus, a talented film Director and our host to some of his Berlin favourites. Then Serendipity and Social Networks led us to Bjorn, The Social Traveller himself. Find their pick of Berlin’s highlights here.
Berlin to Vilnius (Via Warsaw). Train and bus. 1028 km (638 miles)
Vaiva, Ange and Gerda
Once again plugging into our film contacts, we meet up with Vaiva, photographer to the stars and a celebrity of sorts in her own right. A crazy dinner with Ange (Art Director of Cosmopolitan Magazine) and Gerda (Blonde Bombshell with eccentric German mates) then a bar tour of the old town, Vaiva introduced us to pop stars, bar owners and friends, leaving a frothing wake of admirers behind her.
Vilnius to Tallinn (via Riga). Bus. 601 km (373 miles)
Rob
We’d worked with Rob before. A passionate sound recordist, audio engineer and Tallinn native, between gigs he found time to show us a side to this gorgeous city we would never have found on our own. As well as the sumptuous and snowy old town, Rob hosted an impromptu photoshoot on an abandoned pier in the angry Baltic Sea, and an after-hours tour of deserted Festival of Song stadium, a monumental stage structure we had to ourselves.
St Petersburg. Bus. 368 km (228 miles)
Dasha
Completing the first leg of the journey we arrive in Russia and into the hands of our contact Dasha – talented filmmaker, artist and designer whom we’ve collaborated with before. Straight off the train and into a home cooked family dinner, Dasha and her family treated us to traditional specialities Borsch (meat and vegetable soup), Butterbrot (rye bread topped with cured pork fat), delectable homemade pickles and by the end of the 2nd bottle of vodka, a Russian dynamite fishing demo and a catwalk strut in a genuine military uniform. Welcome to Mother Russia.
The tightest friendships, whether forged in travel or tempered on filmsets – on a personal level – really make this Epic Journey what it is. And as locals in their own environments who understand the rigours and requirements of filmmaking, have been invaluable in our quest for travel content to knock your socks off.
All, Destinations
Rat & Dragon jumped on a skateboard, a tandem bike and a snow tube to explore, thanks to a bunch of lively locals keen to show us a wintery Berlin you wont find in guidebooks.
Meet Coffus, Film Director.
“Have you always lived in Berlin?” we asked?
“No. I moved here with my parents when I was three months old.” came the precisely German reply. We loved him straight away.
Meet Bjorn, The Social Traveller.
“I have a tandem bike I can use to show you around. It’s safe, I rode it from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong for a dare.”
Would Rat & Dragon be able to keep up?
Meet Tatjana, Berlin City Guru.
Behind the scenes, Tatjana gave us some supercool insights into what it means to be a Berliner, from her favourite hide out (Café Bilderbuch) to the magical fairytale fountain at the Volkspark Friedrichshain, where statues all depict scenes from the Brother’s Grimm’s well known and loved fables.
The three-tier suggestions lead to a mad 14 hour scramble through Berlin by foot, bus, metro, tandem bike, skateboard and snow tube. We also ended up with new friendships with our insiders and their mates, who’s combined enthusiasm for the city they live in spilled over into our hearts, and thankfully, onto camera.
We leave Berlin three friends, one film and a hundred experiences the richer.
The Berlin Project – coming soon…
All, Destinations
33,520 km to discover what sex, fairytales, eating and travel all have in common.
We all know the end result is great. Everyone loves a happy ending (so to speak) and we all love feeling full after a good meal, but who wants to get to that without all the fun stuff leading up to it? Imagine feeling full without the experience of munching on your favourite meal beforehand. And what the hell is “happily every after” without all the characters, adventures and drama leading up to it? (You get the picture. And if you don’t get the sex bit…. well then frankly, you might be doing it wrong).
Translate this to travel, and Rat & Dragon find ourselves asking: “What fun would life be if we simply arrived?” After all, it’s not just about the destination. So we needed a journey. A big one. Luckily, the world is massive. It’s also bloody beautiful, and packed with juicy, jaw-dropping, sexy, sad and sublime moments across its gorgeous length and bountiful breadth.
Rat & Dragon was formed for one purpose: to catch real travel moments, the extreme, the awesome, the happily ridiculous. We want the best of them on film, in photographs, in words and in their boldest and most beautiful light. Travel content to knock your socks off.
Only a few journeys on this good green Earth would be fit for the purpose. We’ve chosen Hyde Park London to Hyde Park Sydney – a 33,520km route through sumptuous Europe, desolate Siberia, manic Far East and South East Asia, and finally through sunburned Australia.
In keeping with the idea that it’s all about the journey, we’re going to experience every kilometre of it at ground level. No flights. At all.
How? First, there are the exceptional train networks of Europe. Link these with the infamous steel workhorses of the trans-Siberian and we’re already half way around the globe. Next could be the ferries linking the stunning islands of Japan with mainland Asia. China and South East Asia run on busses, tuk-tuks and trains again, all the way to Singapore. From there its ferries and buses again… to a point. And this is the tricky bit.
To make the leap to Australia from Indonesia, there are no public ferries or other vessels. Instead, we’re gambling on talking our way onto a private yacht as crew. This can be done, but rarely. We’ll have to spin some Rat & Dragon magic to make it.
It’s an epic trip full of big risks, but that’s never stopped us before. Years of producing indie films rewards you with a pretty solid skill set when it comes to overcoming the impossible. Besides, therein lies the guts of this whole venture. If it was all about the destination, we’d just book a flight and there’d be no foreplay, no characters, adventures or dramas, no delicious entrée, main and dessert. Just the arrival.
And where’s the fun in that..?
All, Learn
Setting off onto our latest epic project, the Rat & Dragon team has over the last few weeks become something of an expert on cold weather kit. There is a wide array of options available from high street fashion stores to outdoors activities outfitters. If you’re bogged down with everyone telling you their coat is the warmest, here are some things to bear in mind:
1. Lightweight Down vs full waterproofed Parkas
You’d be tempted to think that heavier = warmer, but whilst Parkas have a waterproof top layer (essential for UK use), the down they contain may not be as good quality and thickness as the high tech down-only coats, that are also usually wind proof.
Depending on whether you’re going to be jetting around lots of different climates or just going to be hanging out in a very cold place (if you’re lucky enough to be heading somewhere REALLY cold, it will be too cold to rain anyway, so water resistant down is perfectly fine), you may also want to watch the weight of your luggage, in which case Lightweight Down wins hands down (duh!).
Whether you go for a Parka or Lightweight, the content will determine how toasty you’ll be. The more air the down traps, the warmer it will be, so make sure that you don’t squish it! Here are other things to think about:
2. Goose, Duck, Feathers?
Down’s warm factor comes from the volume of air it traps, so the bigger the ‘fluff ball’ each piece of down is, the more air it traps, the warmer it will be. Bigger bird means a bigger fluff ball, so goose is generally warmer than duck.
If you want to go crème de la crème, get your mitts on Hungarian Goose or Eider Duck down (its breast feathers are fantastically warm). Make sure there is no or very little feather content, as (in comparison to pillows that need lift) they’ll only add weight and bulk.
3. Fill Power
Very simply put, in order to measure the volume of air down traps (it’s ‘fluffiness’ or technically speaking ‘fill power’), an ounce of down is put into a Plexiglas tube, compressed and then let to expand. The further the down expands, the more air it traps and the warmer the down will be.
Fill power ranges from around 400-900 in3/oz, with 600 being fine for normal winter and anything from 750 is going to be great for mountains in Russia (with crème de la crème Eider blowing it out of the water at 1200 in3/oz!).
4. Amount of down
Once you have determined comparable fill powers, the next obvious consideration is how much of your down is in the coat. If the fill power is the same, more of it will mean a warmer jacket. For a mind-bender, a lighter coat with less high-fill-power down may be a lot warmer than a heavier coat with more low fill power down.
5. US vs EU measurements
The US and EU have different measurements of fill power and loft: in3/oz vs. cm3/g. Make sure that you’re comparing the same measurements!
6. Stitching
If that wasn’t enough already, the way the coat is stitched up also makes a difference! Stitched keep the down in place, so it’s important to have a well constructed coat.
If a coat has stitches that go right through all layers, you may end up getting cold bits around the stitches (remember the “air volume = warmth, so don’t flatten” bit!). The fewer stitches, the smaller the chances of cold bits.
There are exceptions: high tech coats have different layers so the stitches don’t go all the way through to your body from the outside, and ultra-lightweight down coats meant as an under-layer with tightly spaced stitches allow for a lot more flexibility and good warmth then worn with a wind (and if you’re really into it waterproof) separate outer shell coat.
7. Sourcing
Finally, you can chose to buy responsibly sourced down, for example sourced as a by-product of the food industry, so you’ll know that no part of the animal was wasted!
Having bought our kit for Russia and Mongolia, we’ll be able to give you first hand account of how well it works, so stay tuned in! The pressure test is less than a month away!
All, Learn
“Everyday’s a school day” so they say. Well we’d really like a day off occasionally, but when you’re constantly tasked with such a diversity of projects in far-flung destinations, you just can’t help but learn a new thing or two. So when the Rat and Dragon film crew hit the streets to shoot Blue Ninja in Dallas, our schooling was about to begin…
1. The people of Dallas are awesome
We expected some funny looks, dressed as a blue ninja in the streets, but the reactions from passers-by were fantastic. People loved the film’s concept, often stopping by for a chat, and when we needed a helping hand with lighting, locations and extras, the local Texans were only too happy to get involved. Special thanks to Michelle (honorary Exec Producer), Jacob (voiceover star) Mike (soundtrack and darts champ), random guy in the blue morph suit and the great people of Dallas.
2. There are hidden flecks of gold just off the regular tourist trail
The iconic sights of Dallas like the JFK museum and Historic Fort Worth Stockyards are must-sees, that’s a given. But what about the authentic city that the locals love? The Truckyard is a dazzling outdoor venue with gourmet food trucks, a treehouse cocktail bar and seating areas made from old truck chassis. Deep Ellum is an eclectic neighbourhood slathered in street art that throbs with live rock from myriad venues. These and many more make amazing film sets, and the locals will be chuffed to show you around.
3. There’s a relentless schedule of festivals and events
In the 2 months Rat & Dragon were in Dallas, there was some kind of festivity every single weekend. The locals get right into the swing of things so don’t hold back. Texas State Fair, Gay Pride Parade, Food and Wine Festivals and ice hockey, American football and basketball are all fiercely supported. The Halloween block party sets the most important scene for our little blue Ninja…
4. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing
OK, so the saying ‘everything’s bigger in Texas’ probably comes from the food. Portion sizes are out of control. Couple that with the sensational taste of even the most basic Dallas fare and you have a recipe for belly overfill. One of our crew learned the hard way – in Dallas, sometimes you just shouldn’t try finishing everything on the plate.
5. Dallas will make you want to go back
Let yourself soak in the warmth of the people and the climate, the easy smiles and easy lifestyle. Get a taste for the hidden secrets and discover that the more you find, the more you want to explore.
Watch out for Blue Ninja in Dallas for a ninja’s-eye-view of Dallas and Fort Worth![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
