May 23, 2004

• Hauntingly reminiscent of Elena's motorcycle ride through Chernobyl.
• Where were they mining the coal if the island was a reef? Was it under water?
• More detailed info on Hashima (the actual island's name). For the link: The clue to the island's mystery lies in coal mining. Reached by long descending tunnels, coal beds below the bottom of the ocean near Hashima disgorged huge quantities of high-grade coal for almost a century. But in 1974 the inhabitants abandoned the island to the wind and salt spray, leaving behind only unneeded belongings and a few stray cats that could not be captured. I think it's one of the coolest places I've ever seen. And the gallery is top notch. I hope one day to visit it and at least take a photo of one stray cat or two.
• rolypolyman, have you heard Elena's story is now rumoured to be faked? I can't decide if it's worth a post or not.
• I tried to get that "fake Elena" thread from Mefi, but the search page linked me to something called "liveforever.metafilter.com"
• Elena related
• Sorry, pyrrthon1, didn't mean to hijack your thread. Back to your regularly-scheduled pyrrthonness.
• I agree, Zemat. What a find. I can't imagine having the island to yourself to explore. A strange sight to see such tall structures on this tiny island. Living in a place like that would have made me severly claustrophobic.
• @tracicle: I was going to mention it myself, but I couldn't find a link.
• severely dammit.
• Thanks for the link, pyrrthon1. This is a wonderful find! Bunches of bananas for you!
• Wow. Surreal. Quite a lot of the pictures look like a scene from some computer game.