Eastern European rave Kazantip cancelled (organizers confirm)

What is the world coming to when you can't trust mafia-affiliated Russian drug-and-sex-fueled rave organizers to properly update you the status of an event? No, I'm not speaking of the Sea Dance Festival in Croatia. This is the summer Crimean rave KaZantip.

If you're a westerner and have heard of Kazantip, it's likely from the following Vice video:

This is actually the second, and edited, version but the gist is unchanged. (The original Vice video contained some brief references to things that could get them in legal trouble.)

Women, boats, beach, electronica music and alcohol. What's not to love? To make it even better there really is a partially-constructed nuclear power station where it's traditionally held. The plant was being built when the Chernobyl meltdown occurred and became abandoned after.

From Dubrovnik: a guest writer on wealth, women and wine...

From Dubrovnik: A guest writer on wealth, women and wine... also the Sea Dance Festival...

Borders are interesting.

They say the world’s most unequal border is between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. I should know, I live in the former and have visited the latter. Today it’s a harsh militarized border, but back in the 1970’s it wasn't unheard of to see people playing volleyball using the fence as a net. (Or at least I saw that photo once somewhere. To be fair, it was probably never very common…)

Another fun border is Little Diomede Island to Big Diomede Island, where less than 2 miles separate the United States from Russia. It’s even possible to load a jet-ski with some extra fuel and cut across the strong, freezing Bering Strait currents until you reach Russian soil. On arrival, you’ll promptly be arrested, because there’s a Russian military base right there. Your jet-ski will be impounded and taken to the chop shop. The rims will be taken off, the stereo jacked (Taylor Swift CD and all), and you’ll have to sit in a holding cell for 48 hours before being sent back to Alaska to sit and think about what you did. When you return you’ll have an awesome story. And no jet-ski.

Back to the topic at hand, though. Recently I returned from a caper through the Balkans...