Lisbon and back, three times
Less of a post, more of an update. I have lots of posts lined up in my head, from the exotic and wow to the mundane, things from Armenia still to show and tell (I also have work still to do from there - oops!), all ready to write but not the time. But I have a ton of work to finish and I'm off to the UK on Friday to catch up with my brother for the first time in a year. I wasn't sure what I'd do in Salisbury while he's singing but conveniently the Historic Inn walking tour is on Sunday (it'd better be a drinking tour too). I am a little scared of Salisbury Live though.
This photo explains why I had/am having the biggest hayfever attack I've had in years (another excuse not to blog, even when I've had half a chance the motivation isn't there to type through streaming eyes). It doesn't show the farcical consequence of all the sneezing - re-injuring my back (assisted by a half-stack on the stairs :( Don't tell anyone, that's embarrassing. Alcohol wasn't even involved, damn these multi-storey houses!). So a couple of days of back stretching doped up on anti-histamines before off to Lisbon to meet our directors. 
As alluded to elsewhere these visits are full of good food and booze. What I haven't mentioned is that you pay for the good life, not $$$ but constant questioning and scrutiny of everything related to the project. This isn't just meetings, it continues throughout the drive(s) to site and back, lunch, dinner, beers afterwards, not constrained to one lease or commodity but any type of deposit we can target anywhere else in the world. It's not a bad thing - it's part of the job after all - but I haven't had that sort of scientific challenge since uni, and it's added on top of the normal pressure from your project being reviewed. I freely admit most of the pressure comes from my own expectations.
It can then be hard to relax after hours when you're with the same people you were arguing with an hour ago, unlike in bigger companies/minesites where you can go and have a beer with different people. I took my boss into Bairro Alto bar-hopping and ran into one of our geos, who was a little scarred by having to deal with both of her bosses drunk. It is also interesting going sightseeing with the guys, we went back to Sintra for more fish on the beach but toured the palace this time (resisting temptation to post pics - I'm really going to have set my Flickr up soon). As a result of the guys visiting I've now been to a bullfight which is another post.
Torre de Belem - the Old Customs House. 
Built in the middle of the Tejo, subsequent land reclamation means it is now on the shoreline
Another consequence was the media flurry following my director presenting to government/industry and the government milking publicity to prove they encourage investment. First I knew was a radio journalist at the front door of the office, followed by a TV crew. While we were having lunch in the cafe a different TV channel had the story (although they interviewed a farmer and the old guys in the village square). Last week another newspaper interview during which they took 40 photos of me in the office (great example of a geo). Self obsession- spending 3euros on the paper to see the article. Irony- a photo of an abandoned mine being used for the article. The result of all this attention is a heap of calls "Can you tell me the email of the director of Human Resources?" "I am a supplier of survey instruments...". Today I had a geo knock on the door and ask if there's any vacancies.
The reason is that we are one of only a few exploration/mining companies in Portugal. The two big mines (Neves Corvo Cu-Zn and Panasqueria tungsten) are re-starting near-mine exploration now because of the boom. Of the other 3 companies we are the most active (and high-profile!) and also the ones closest to mining. A new mine is unusual, even though there were 80 mines active in Portugal 25 years ago. Geologists here work in engineering geology, quarrying (for construction or ornamental rocks e.g. marble - its deposit characteristics/genesis is a big part of geological courses here) or stay at university doing research so we are a unique and reasonably attractive employer. It means a short-term operation is a novel concept too - I was asked in last weeks interview "So what will happen after those 5-10 years of mining?" where that question wouldn't be relevant in Australia. 5 years is a reasonable life for a gold mine, especially with underground potential, and a company wouldn't be expected to detail further plans until the inital mining phase is running.
Bill's Safety Observation 01/2006 - Alfama, Lisbon
An aside about health and safety - great news about the Beaconsfield guys getting out but I don't understand the calls for the mine to be shut. It needs an inquiry/investigation but I suspect there will be little wrong with the operating procedures they were following or present in the mine. While mines are operating they are under strict guidelines both legislative and professional and unfortunately rockfalls/seismicity can still result from the ground they are working under - more rock-bolting or longer exclusion periods following blasting are not really controls. Where they should look is the approvals prior to new mines starting, especially in the current resources boom, as this is where the problems usually stem from. There's no way to re-build a mine based on incomplete geotechnical data or using the wrong mining method used, you can't put all the dirt back in the hole and start again. When you compare Australia's record against China (contrasting news stories in the same week) or other countries the laws, procedures and guidelines in place did their job - they enabled two guys to have a chance at life where in 90% of countries they would've had no chance (its also a reflection on the value of a life - similar efforts might not have been made). Interesting to hear the guys talking about how much their training helped them to deal with the situation - I remember course after course with drillers sitting around complaining that they had to be there. I wonder if those guys listened to that and understood why it is so important.
So then almost back to "normal" last week, couple of dinners out and nights in the pub, beach day on Saturday, some nice "shells"/clams, back to the gym yesterday. The project review also meant more planning so a better idea of what the next few months hold with August a little clearer and the end of the year planned too - Christmas in Africa it is. Still trying to sneak that Berlin trip in there. The only certainty is that I will be busy - the other good thing about this job is that you get a lot closer to the business end and get more opportunities there. I opened my mouth this trip and as a result I'm coordinating a pre-feas study, I know it won't all be my baby and also that it's a stretch (there's a lot of dumb questions being fired around my contacts list at the moment) but it lets me try different things and learn more, instead of just planning/running work programmes. Having said that I now have to go and plan more drilling.
The apostrophes in this post are brought to you by Stern Taskmistress Glitz
The evening mist meant we couldnt see the royal palace through the trees. Thanks to Bry for the sensational photo.
Next thing I learnt - "Want education? You pay"
The amount of water off the mountains means the valley is extremely fertile and covered with grass and fruit trees, absolutely beautiful if like me you’re lucky enough to visit in spring when they’re in blossom. The fruit juices and cordials around here are excellent (as are the fruit vodkas! fruit based = more alcohol though).
Meghri is also at the southern end of the country, this is the border with Iran. You’ll note theres a river and a decent sized mountain range – most borders in Armenia are easy to distinguish. You’re on this side of the mountain, you’re in Armenia. You’re on the other side, you’re in Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan. Explains why Armenia doesn’t share the best of relations with its neighbours – you wouldn’t come over those mountains without wanting to start something. According to all the info I got only the border with Georgia is open but in practise you can get into Iran and the Iranians can go to Meghri to drink and go to the strip bar (is there a religious law that if you don’t do it in your own country its not a sin?!). By the way the only pub in Meghri is a strip bar. Not that different to an Aussie mining town.
This is the photo taken on the church roof. The boss to my right, the translator to my left. Hell awaits us all.
The local winery. Aside from normal wines (which I think were fortified with vodka) they also make a pomegranate wine - all pretty rough. Conversely the pomegranate vodka was very smooth but +50% alc. Its all kept/matured in similar steel tanks inside the building. To add to the randomness the guy giving us the wines to taste was dressed in camouflage army gear. 
Meghri was my introduction to serious vodka drinking. Every 10-15 minutes during dinner, a toast, and another shot. Well you only actually have to scull the first, the rest you can sip. I learnt this rule late and chose to ignore it at times. The toasts are harder – you try finding something to drink to when you’ve drunk to each other’s country’s, families, your business together, to my visit, to them coming to visit my home. It goes umm, er, f*k I’m drunk. There is one rule: the third and the last toast are to your parents. This is not just respect but to piss off the Georgians as they drink the first toast to their parents. The Armenians say this is because they forget their parents after a few drinks. You get the impression the Armenians don’t really get on with any of their neighbours?! 
The mining is old school – wooden timbers used as roofs to stop cave-ins, narrow airlegs. This mine was opened, around 25kms of development done (ie they made the entire mine and got right to where the gold was) but never produced a substantial amount due to the Soviet co-operative way of working (ie we need x tonnes of gold this year from the country which means you will produce this many tonnes). An interesting story is that while resource estimates from the USSR are very reliably calculated the actual figures were often understated in case they were expected to increase the resource each year – hard to do with a finite resource, harder when you don’t actually have a budget to drill.
Mchro was one of the few locals – most of the rest were brought in when the Russians opened the mines in this region up and have stayed despite the collapse of the USSR. They’re all highly skilled and very used to the hard life, especially in recent times where the collapse of the USSR may have meant democracy but also meant the loss of a certain job, and if they had a job no guarantee that their employer could actually pay them at the end of the month. Im not sure where their families are, whether they go back on break or stay there permanently until they have enough to buy a house or whatever they need. They sleep in dormitory-style rooms 4 or 6 to a room, I heard a story that we were going to build single’s quarters where everyone would get there own room but were told that the guys prefer bunking in together. Means you can pass the vodka bottle at night I guess.
Yes that’s a road. Thank Christ we didn’t drive up it. Mchro told us that all the locals are just shaking their heads and waiting for the accident. By the way the road I was on had a different danger – you drive past a missile silo. The dogs seemed to have more interest in guarding the country than the kids on national service.
Im not the only one blogging "This time last year in Berlin" this week but .... I arrived in Berlin with no idea what I would find. Spending the first couple of hours circling Zoo Station trying to find my cousin didn't exactly clarify matters (we assumed we'd recognise each other after 17 years - after all we're related!). I found a great city, a lot of "wow" moments and a lot of fun. Somehow I connected to it in a way I shouldnt have. Nothing will quite match that first sunny spring evening wandering round Kreuzberg cafe- and bar-hopping, trying to work out what exactly all those shops sold, loving all the 4-storey apartment buildings, communicating despite not speaking German at all, writing drunken and excited postcards to Paraburdoo, talking a million miles an hour over sushi and beer.
Yes that red stuff is Sangria. I remember when I bagged anyone drinking wine cocktails/coolers. Now look at me. As for "What is lunch?" well this little piggy didn't come home from market....
