To get a sense of the amount of the distance involved you would need to think in terms of a flight from London to Chelyabinsk. And indeed, LON - CEK tickets go for more than 500 dollars.

Of course. (To some extent, distance is also culturally defined. I think we're saying the same thing.)

Maybe, I'm not sure exactly what you meant. Where I'm from, a budget flight is either a flight on a budget airline or a flight that takes off at an undesirable time or on an unpopular date. I assume that's what it means where you are, too?

Anyway, budget airlines don't use budget jet fuel, so they can offer significant cost-saving on short flights but not so much on long flights. I can get budget flights to Miami, and you can't get anything particularly cheap to Chelyabinsk - if you're already familiar with the distances involved, then what's to be confused about?

I didn't say I was confused about anything! I was just explaining to Gary that his suggestion of the Channel Tunnel wasn't a stupid idea, and is significantly cheaper than $412 flights, but so are budget flights from the UK to Poland.

As far as alternative lodging goes, you're gonna want to try to stay in the dorms. The closest hotel to campus there is a really, really awful dive that you want to stay away from. It's littered with teenage prostitutes and smack addicts. The only other place you could stay is the 420 house on Garfield, but it's home to a drug-addicted schizophrenic, nymphomaniac, and whomever comes and goes.

Parkland itself has a little bit of a meth problem, but the local people are nice enough. If you see Lucky Mike, don't be put off by his schizophrenia, because it's completely under control; he's a very nice guy. However, there's this redhead amateur standup comedian running around there that you have to stay away from; he's a heroin dealer and a recovering junkie. Not a decent guy to be around.

I was in Parkland for the last Guild of American Luthiers convention and it's ... quite a time. The local coffee shop (Northern Pacific Coffee Company) is where all the real action in the town is. I'd say it's about a four minute walk from campus' main hall.

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Sincerely, Chad R. Sobodash

Wow, sounds great! Just booked my flight. Don't think I'll bother playing any go while I'm there..