Avatar Friends Meet Up At Last!

[Alan]

Kaltxi,

It would have been hard for me to image 10 months ago that, after watching a film called Avatar, I would find myself sat here writing about meeting up with someone whom I did not even know four months ago. Yet here I am!

Having completed the Avatar Communities' film project I always wondered if I would ever meet any of the film crew. Well this weekend that dream came true. Unil Makto, the guy behind the 'Our Only Home' App, had been over in the UK on business and so we just could not let the opportunity past to meet up. So this weekend just gone we met up in a rainy Birmingham to take the opportunity to watch Avatar SE together.

Following exchanges of 'I see you' we made our way to the hotel to book in before I 'frog marched' poor old Unil round a rather wet Birmingham to sample the 'delights' of the wet and windy city. We then found a rather good Itallian restaurant where we chatted Avatar, what it meant to us, the film project and the next cunning plan! Having satisified our appetites we made our way over to the IMAX.

I was determined not to let the occasion pass without a photo of us. There was a rather large picture of Neytiri below which a couch. Unfortunately a couple were already sitting there, so I took the opportunity to ask one of them to take a picture of Unil and I. They willingly abliged, even when I asked for a few retakes! (It's the film maker in me!) There result is the picture below:



I knew Unil Makto hadn't seen Avatar SE so I said nothing. 2 hrs 50 mins later, having regained our composure we walked back to the hotel and chatted until stupid o'clock. The following day we had a choice of either going to the science museum or the Sealife Centre. We ended up going to the latter - research for Avatar II you understand!

However, in order to get there we had to go passed a shed load of police who had surrounded a conference centre where one of the political parties were having their annual conference. We ended up asking four police men directions to the Sealife Centre - if in doubt always ask a poilce man!

I managed to get a picture of Unil looking at one of the stingrays that seemed to be making a bid for freedom! Perhaps one of the other fish had done something unsavery in the pool...



With our research complete we made our way back to the hotel to check out before making our way back to the bus station, where we said our 'kiyevames'.

For me it was a weekend to remember for a very long time. My only wish left being that all the film crew could all meet up some day...

Until that day, Eywa ngahu,

Alan