Prior to leaving on our one year trip I called my current Canadian cellular provider to explore options for cheap data roaming acces while traveling. Essentially there was nothing to match my needs and since I am on a contract I still needed to maintain my contract. The staff person helped me bring my plan down to the lowest level possible, essentially keeping my cell number, but no services, which got my charges to about $15.00/month.
It has been my experience that it is easier to get "pay as you go" contract-less iPhone plans everywhere else in the world, than it is in North America. I also find we have some of the worst rates as well! Knowing these issues, we invested in an unlocked iPhone 4s. "The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a contract commitment. You can activate and use it on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice. The unlocked iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S will not work with CDMA-based carriers. If you don’t want a multiyear service contract or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It arrives without a micro-SIM card, so you’ll need an active micro-SIM card from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the micro-SIM card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone." (source; http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone/iphone4s). The iPhone 4s also has an amazing camera, which has been my only camera on the entire trip.
Prior to leaving on your trip make sure you also have you iPhone sim removal tool (the little metal stick), as it is remarkably difficult to remove the sim with out it (I can vouch from experience that a paper clip or a pin did not work). Once you are in your destination you need to find a distributor with iPhone micro-sims and "pay as you go plans". We didn't bother seeking out a micro-sim card in Japan as we were not there long. As well in Bali we didn't bother either as we were in one spot with free wifi. (You can always turn your data roaming off, or switch to airplane mode and turn on wifi, and just use wifi when traveling. However there is more flexibility with having cellular access).
Once we arrived in Nepal we sought out a micro-sim and plan as we knew we would be there for a while and the wifi at our accommodations was often unreliable. We purchased a Ncell sim card, and cut it down to make it a micro-sim, as iPhones are rather uncommon there. In Nepal you must provide a passport size photo, government identification, finger prints, and fill out a form to purchase a sim card. (In fact nearly every country we travelled to required identification but no where else require fingerprints). We then just purchased top up cards when needed and were able to use cellular data.
I generally just get data plans, with basic calling, when traveling. My main uses for the phone when travelling are; GPS maps, Internet, Happycow vegetarian food finder app, language translation and currency exchange. Of course you can get plans with different talk and text packages. In France we used Orange Mobile, in Italy; Vodafone, Spain; Orange Mobile, and in Denmark; Lebara. All worked well and made traveling much easier and were quite affordable (I estimate under $10/week). Having a cell phone was very helpful in Venice when we needed to call our B and B operator to be let in the door!
But what about keeping touch with people back at home? I found the easiest and most cost effective answer was Skype. With a $3.00/month Skype subscription, I can call any cell or land line in Canada and USA, even while I was overseas . Generally most of our accommodations had free wifi, but it is also possible to use the Skype service over a cellular data plan if the signal is strong. The first step is to download the free Skype iPhone app, and set up a free Skype account. You can also use Skype for free to make calls from your computer, lap top or iPhone to a other similar device, but the plan I purchased allowed me to call regular phones. This is very handy when trying to keep in touch with folks like grandma, who do not have a computer or folks who mostly use a cell phone (no more waiting by your computer for a Skype call!)
Just before arriving back in Canada, at the end of July, I called my Canadian cellular provider and had my old plan reinstated, so when we landed I had full cell/data access. Now what about the USA? When we first arrived in the USA last month there was no "pay as you go" contract-less micro-sims and plans for unlocked iPhones. (Some telecom providers had options but only if you had one of their phones). So for the first month I got an expensive 30 day data roaming plan from my Canadian provider, for $100.00 that provided 500gigs of data. After a few weeks Straighttalk, came out with "pay as you go" plans and micro-sims. They are available exclusively via Walmart. However, no Walmart we visited had the micro-sims! So we ordered one online and it arrived in few days. I opted for the $60.00, thirty day Unlimited International Plan, which provides unlimited long distance, unlimited text, unlimited local calls, unlimited web/data. I was also able to choose which city my cell number would be from, so I picked NYC as we will be there the longest. The quirky thing about buying it online is I could not figure out how to use a Canadian credit card, so I used PayPal instead. The other issue was I was ubale to manually change my APN settings, which is needed for straight talk (I never needed to do this for all the other micro-sims I used ). I researched it online and found others had used this free app; Unlockit, so I followed the instructions and used it too! I just need to purchase a new plan every 30 days. So far the plan has worked well. I will hang on to the micro-sim and use it on future trips to the USA!
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Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Building a little friend for Myrtle
I first became aware of the Valmobile Folding Scooter when I saw it listed in a Travco Brochure of Optional Equipment. If you'd like to learn more about them, I previously wrote a longer blog entry about these little gems.
Since I am not likely to find a Valmobile any time soon I have decided to build a bicycle in homage to the Valmobile, for Myrtle. I plan to use design elements from both vehicles as inspiration for my bicycle design. This week I started the bike frame building course via Bohemian Bicycles, along with my husband. Dave Bohm, the artisan and mastermind behind Bohemian Bicycles builds amazing custom bicycle frames as well as providing courses on his craft. My husband was the one initially drawn to the course as he has a keen interest in bicycles (and rebuilding motor homes) as well as heaps of mechanical and design skills. Since I am also smitten with bicycles, and willing to learn some new skills, I decided to take the course with him!
I am looking forward to learning the engineering behind bicycle mechanics, choosing component parts, and of course welding and fabrication! Truth be told I've had a not so secret interest in welding ever since watching one of my favorite eighties movies Flashdance. (I own the movie on DVD, and the soundtrack on cd, cassette tape and vinyl.) It's my Flashdance moment with hopefully more welding and less dancing in a leotard. Check back for future updates on my progress and for now check out a Flashdance trailer;
The Valmobile photo was used with permission and was photographed by Chuck Schutz as found posted on his Flickr stream.
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Sedona
We've spent a lovely week in Sedona, Arizona. My favorite activity was spending the day at Slide Rock State Park. The park has a terrific swimming hole with a natural water slide. The water is a bit cold but once you are in you quickly acclimatize. The rocky creek floor is very slippery so I highly recommend good water shoes such as Keen Hydroguide sandals. J has these shoes and I promptly commandeered them for the river adventure. I have the amazing Keen Waimea H2 flip flop sandals, that have been all over the world with me, but in the moving water I was afraid they'd slip off. Check out the Video of J sliding down the rapids.
We also spent some time walking around Bell Rock, site of one of the four Vortexes, in the Sedona area. "A vortex is the funnel shape created by a whirling fluid or by the motion of spiraling energy. Familiar examples of vortex shapes are whirlwinds, tornadoes, and water going down a drain. A vortex can be made up of anything that flows, such as wind, water, or electricity. The vortexes in Sedona are swirling centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth. The vortex energy is not exactly electricity or magnetism, although it does leave a slight measurable residual magnetism in the places where it is strongest." Source; http://www.lovesedona.com/01.htm I didn't feel any particular difference in the area but the scenery was very majestic. I felt a much deeper spiritual connection when I hiked the 10kms around Uluru, in Australia.
We also spent a day swimming at Grasshopper Point. Unfortunately the signage is not that clear from the parking area, so I spent a good thirty minutes hiking around in just my swimsuit and sandals. I would recommend putting your shorts over your suit before venturing down, you look less conspicuous when you pass hikers. Once we located the area the water was quite cold but after the unintentional hike it was refreshing. J, of course, decided to jump several times from the surrounding cliffs and I of course did not. (And unlike the Iceland Incident, I remembered to turn on the go pro video camera when J jumped). Check out the video here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/7934297038/in/photostream
During our week we managed to find some decent eating options as well. We started most days with breakfast at Heart of Sedona Coffee, which has at least one vegan bakery item daily, generous smoothies and great coffee. We enjoyed vegan hotdogs from Simon's Hot Dogs, and vegan pizza from Picazzo's. We also picked up vegan snacks, smoothies, baked goods and salads from New Frontiers Market.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We also spent some time walking around Bell Rock, site of one of the four Vortexes, in the Sedona area. "A vortex is the funnel shape created by a whirling fluid or by the motion of spiraling energy. Familiar examples of vortex shapes are whirlwinds, tornadoes, and water going down a drain. A vortex can be made up of anything that flows, such as wind, water, or electricity. The vortexes in Sedona are swirling centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth. The vortex energy is not exactly electricity or magnetism, although it does leave a slight measurable residual magnetism in the places where it is strongest." Source; http://www.lovesedona.com/01.htm I didn't feel any particular difference in the area but the scenery was very majestic. I felt a much deeper spiritual connection when I hiked the 10kms around Uluru, in Australia.
We also spent a day swimming at Grasshopper Point. Unfortunately the signage is not that clear from the parking area, so I spent a good thirty minutes hiking around in just my swimsuit and sandals. I would recommend putting your shorts over your suit before venturing down, you look less conspicuous when you pass hikers. Once we located the area the water was quite cold but after the unintentional hike it was refreshing. J, of course, decided to jump several times from the surrounding cliffs and I of course did not. (And unlike the Iceland Incident, I remembered to turn on the go pro video camera when J jumped). Check out the video here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/7934297038/in/photostream
During our week we managed to find some decent eating options as well. We started most days with breakfast at Heart of Sedona Coffee, which has at least one vegan bakery item daily, generous smoothies and great coffee. We enjoyed vegan hotdogs from Simon's Hot Dogs, and vegan pizza from Picazzo's. We also picked up vegan snacks, smoothies, baked goods and salads from New Frontiers Market.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, August 30, 2012
USA Road Trip
We started our USA road trip on August 15, 2012 with our first overnight at a campground near Great Falls. We spent the next two nights camping near Bozeman. From there we travelled to Yellowstone National Park, and camped for three nights. We saw Old Faithful Geyser but I was actually much more impressed with the other less famous geothermal sites. In particular I liked Midway Geyser Basin, with its' rich colors and steaming pools. The geothermal areas also contained bubbling mud in varieties of colors called mud pots. We did some walks throughout Yellowstone enjoying the scenery and wildlife. We saw bison, elk, bald eagles, herons and assorted small rodents and birds.
We traded in camping for three nights at the lovely Little America Hotel, a slightly retro hotel in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah. The hotel was a green oasis, with a lovely pool. We enjoyed the fun antique browsing and awesome vegan food in Salt Lake. My favorite restaurant was City Cakes & Cafe, a place with amazing vegan baked goods and coffee, plus light meals.
After Salt Lake we camped at Mather Campground at the Grand Canyon National Park. The campground was well priced at $18.00/night and located very close to the Grand Canyon rim. We were also very pleasantly surprised at how well stocked the nearby general store was with vegan products. The Grand Canyon Was an amazing sight! We went on a few walks along the rim and watched the sunset. We also loved the nearby viewpoint of the Little Colorado River Gorge, located on the Navajo Nation.
We have travelled over 3000 kms and are now in Sedona, Arizona for a week. Check out my latest photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We traded in camping for three nights at the lovely Little America Hotel, a slightly retro hotel in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah. The hotel was a green oasis, with a lovely pool. We enjoyed the fun antique browsing and awesome vegan food in Salt Lake. My favorite restaurant was City Cakes & Cafe, a place with amazing vegan baked goods and coffee, plus light meals.
After Salt Lake we camped at Mather Campground at the Grand Canyon National Park. The campground was well priced at $18.00/night and located very close to the Grand Canyon rim. We were also very pleasantly surprised at how well stocked the nearby general store was with vegan products. The Grand Canyon Was an amazing sight! We went on a few walks along the rim and watched the sunset. We also loved the nearby viewpoint of the Little Colorado River Gorge, located on the Navajo Nation.
We have travelled over 3000 kms and are now in Sedona, Arizona for a week. Check out my latest photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, August 13, 2012
Tesla Roadtrip
During our brief time back in Alberta we drove Joanie, our 2.5 Tesla Roadster, to Edmonton and back. We stopped halfway in Red Deer to visit friends and family. We had intended to charge off of a friend's 220 volt/30 amp compressor plug, however it had a twist lock receptacle and that is the one adapter we don't have! (We ordered the complete adapter kit from Tesla.) However, we plugged in to a standard 110 volt/15 amp plug-in for about 6 hours. We made it to Edmonton with 90kms of range to spare. We would have made it to Edmonton with out the midway charge but since we were already stopping to visit, we wanted to be on the safe side!
Once in Edmonton we had a great visit with more family, browsed the massive Old Strathcona Antique Mall, and drove around. We also had great vegan meals from; Padmanadi, Noorish, & Sweet Mango. We were able to charge via my sister's 220 volt/30 amp dryer plug, by running the cord through the basement window. Once it was fully charged on range mode we maintained the charge using 110 volt/15 amp overnight for the three nights we were there.
On the way back we stopped overnight to visit in Red Deer and charged on 110 volt/15 amp. We easily made it back to Calgary. The total trip was 714 kms, used 115 kilowatt hours, and cost $7.00.
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Thursday, August 2, 2012
Canadian re-entry
We arrived in toronto on July 30, 2012 for a four night stop over on route to Calgary. We fit a lot in during our few days! The first stop was to stock up on a few our favorite magazines; Vegnews, Bust, Wired, Intersection, & Atomic Ranch. I really missed magazines!
We checked out the Picasso special exhibit at the fabulous Art Gallery of Ontario. It was great to check out the exhibit as it has 147 pieces from the National Picasso Museum in Paris, which was closed for renovations while we were in Paris. I find as I age I appreciate Picasso more. He has a much wider repertoire than I first thought, including a variety of painting styles, sculpture, block printing, drawings etc. My favorite piece was the emotionally charged painting; Massacre in Korea. "Massacre in Korea is a 1951 expressionistic painting by Pablo Picasso which is seen as a criticism of American intervention in the Korean War.[1][2][3] It depicts the 1950 Sinchon Massacre, an act of mass killing carried out by North Koreans, South Koreans, or American forces in the town of Sinchon located in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Although the actual cause of the murders in Sinchon is in question, Massacre in Korea appears to depict them as civilians being killed by anti-Communist forces." source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_in_Korea
In addition to Picasso, the AGO has several other permanent and special exhibits including a fabulous collection of works from the Group of Seven, which I adore! "The Group of Seven — sometimes known as the Algonquin school — were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920 to 1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael (1890–1945), Lawren Harris (1885–1970), A. Y. Jackson (1882–1972), Frank Johnston (1888–1949), Arthur Lismer (1885–1969), J. E. H. MacDonald (1873–1932), and Frederick Varley (1881–1969). Two artists commonly associated with the group are Tom Thomson (1877–1917) and Emily Carr (1871–1945). Although he died before its official formation, Thomson had a significant influence on the group. In his essay "The Story of the Group of Seven", Lawren Harris wrote that Thomson was "a part of the movement before we pinned a label on it"; Thomson's paintings "The West Wind" and "The Jack Pine" are two of the group's most iconic pieces.[1] Emily Carr was also closely associated with the Group of Seven, though was never an official member. Believing that a distinct Canadian art could be developed through direct contact with nature,[2] The Group of Seven is most famous for its paintings inspired by the Canadian landscape, and initiated the first major Canadian national art movement.[3]" source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_of_Seven_(artists) It was a wonderful way to re-enter Canada by enjoying iconic paintings of breathtaking Canadian landscapes.
We also enjoyed a few meals from the terrific vegetarian restaurant Fresh. Fresh is my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Toronto and they also have some good cookbooks. We had a fun meal at the Hogtown Vegan as well. In between eating, we spent a lot of time walking, 7 to 10 kms a day. We checked out some amazing antique shops on Queen Street West, full of midcentury modern items, industrial design and some fun vintage science items. If the colorful, vintage tapeworm scientific poster had been cheaper it would totally be hanging in our our spare room. We did pick up an exquisite art deco glass vase at a bargain price, but I am not looking forward to lugging it home in carry on!
Check out my photos at; http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We checked out the Picasso special exhibit at the fabulous Art Gallery of Ontario. It was great to check out the exhibit as it has 147 pieces from the National Picasso Museum in Paris, which was closed for renovations while we were in Paris. I find as I age I appreciate Picasso more. He has a much wider repertoire than I first thought, including a variety of painting styles, sculpture, block printing, drawings etc. My favorite piece was the emotionally charged painting; Massacre in Korea. "Massacre in Korea is a 1951 expressionistic painting by Pablo Picasso which is seen as a criticism of American intervention in the Korean War.[1][2][3] It depicts the 1950 Sinchon Massacre, an act of mass killing carried out by North Koreans, South Koreans, or American forces in the town of Sinchon located in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Although the actual cause of the murders in Sinchon is in question, Massacre in Korea appears to depict them as civilians being killed by anti-Communist forces." source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_in_Korea
In addition to Picasso, the AGO has several other permanent and special exhibits including a fabulous collection of works from the Group of Seven, which I adore! "The Group of Seven — sometimes known as the Algonquin school — were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920 to 1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael (1890–1945), Lawren Harris (1885–1970), A. Y. Jackson (1882–1972), Frank Johnston (1888–1949), Arthur Lismer (1885–1969), J. E. H. MacDonald (1873–1932), and Frederick Varley (1881–1969). Two artists commonly associated with the group are Tom Thomson (1877–1917) and Emily Carr (1871–1945). Although he died before its official formation, Thomson had a significant influence on the group. In his essay "The Story of the Group of Seven", Lawren Harris wrote that Thomson was "a part of the movement before we pinned a label on it"; Thomson's paintings "The West Wind" and "The Jack Pine" are two of the group's most iconic pieces.[1] Emily Carr was also closely associated with the Group of Seven, though was never an official member. Believing that a distinct Canadian art could be developed through direct contact with nature,[2] The Group of Seven is most famous for its paintings inspired by the Canadian landscape, and initiated the first major Canadian national art movement.[3]" source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_of_Seven_(artists) It was a wonderful way to re-enter Canada by enjoying iconic paintings of breathtaking Canadian landscapes.
We also enjoyed a few meals from the terrific vegetarian restaurant Fresh. Fresh is my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Toronto and they also have some good cookbooks. We had a fun meal at the Hogtown Vegan as well. In between eating, we spent a lot of time walking, 7 to 10 kms a day. We checked out some amazing antique shops on Queen Street West, full of midcentury modern items, industrial design and some fun vintage science items. If the colorful, vintage tapeworm scientific poster had been cheaper it would totally be hanging in our our spare room. We did pick up an exquisite art deco glass vase at a bargain price, but I am not looking forward to lugging it home in carry on!
Check out my photos at; http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Icelandic Whirlwind
We have become so used to taking our time traveling that it seemed like quite a jam packed week in Iceland! We started the week by checking out the local free English paper (as we often do while traveling) to get the inside scoop. The paper is the Reykjavik Grapevine and covers news, social commentary, events, politics, music etc. (It is quite similar to Calgary's free paper: FFWD Weekly.) I enjoyed learning about the fun stuff happening in Reykjavik! We found out about this cool little park which was an unused building lot, taken over by community and transformed. The park is dubbed The Heart Garden. We hung out there and listened to a great DJ, watched the skateboarders, graffiti artists, kids playing and folks generally having a good time. The vibe was terrific and the park has made a lively public space. The park is aloud to exist with both the blessing of the city and the owner of the currently unused lot. (Sadly the much lower key Potatoes for the People project on a vacant lot in Calgary was quickly shut down).
We rented a car and spent the first three nights in Reykjavik, which is a super fun, vibrant city. We did well finding vegan food and we especially enjoyed our lunch and vegan carrot cake from a place called C is For Cookie. There are a few vegetarian restaurants and many regular places have vegan options. Sadly I also saw whales on the menu in a few places, but on the flip side I also saw whaling protest ads in the local paper. We spent our time in Reykjavik walking the streets, checking out the buildings, window shopping, hanging out in Heart Garden, and day trips. I also picked up some beads made from the local lava rock to make a necklace.
One day trip was to check out the impressive Strokkur Geysir, which erupted every few minutes. Along the way we stopped for a walk through a Lava field, to view one of the many pretty water falls. We took another day trip to go snorkeling in the very cold waters of Silfra lake, between two continental plates. Because of the extreme temperatures it requires the donning of rather cumbersome dry suits, complete with warm liner, mitts and hood, and then your own long undwear. (This was the second time we had to buy long under wear on our global adventure, the other being for our Himalayan hike in Nepal). The waters are pristine with visibility of 100 meters or more. There wasn't any visible animal life but there was unique geological formations and long, colorful, spaghetti like algae. I found the experience a little nerve-wracking as the suit limits your ability to move about freely. You need to practice a bit to roll around accurately. I am glad we did it but it's likely a one time deal; I prefer the ease of warm water snorkeling. Check out a tour company video of the adventure below:
We spent the next two nights in a rural hostel about 300 kms from Reykjavik. We spent time watching iceberg bits floating out to sea, viewing puffins, and other birds, checking out more water falls, going on some nice walks and a tour of the The Geothermal Energy Exhibition at Hellisheiði Power Plant. On the way to the puffins we encountered a little lamb who had got himself on the outside of a Texas Gate, (after wriggling through a space in the fence) while mommy was on the inside. Now I have learned that there seems to be just as many sheep in Iceland outside of fences as within them, but this little guy wanted to be back with mom. So I grabbed the little fella and carefully negotiated the Texas gate to reunite him with mom. Who knows how long he will stay put. I spent the rest of the day covered in sheep fuzz.
We were supposed to spend our sixth night in a small town on the way back to Reykjavik but the address was rather confusing so we ended up way past the town. At that point we thought we might as well continue to Reykjavik and stay an extra night there (we already had our seventh and final might booked there). We were not prepared for how booked up everything would be! After going to several hotels and guest houses, and contemplating spending the night in the car, the wonderful folks at the tourist office helped us out by phoning around and found us a spot. It was a lovely hotel, but a bit more money than we had intended. We call this the "idiot tax" which is when our screw up costs us some extra money. However, we were very grateful to not spend a chilly night in the hatch back!
The extra day in Reykjavik ensured we has lots of time to check out the Blue Lagoon hot springs. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulphur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis.[1] The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 37–39 °C (98–102 °F). The Blue Lagoon also operates a Research and Development facility to help find cures for other skin ailments using the mineral-rich water/ (source wikipedia). The water is a unique color, surrounded by lava rock, and unlike any hot spring I've seen at home. It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Tomorrow off to Toronto!
As always you can check out my photos here; http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We rented a car and spent the first three nights in Reykjavik, which is a super fun, vibrant city. We did well finding vegan food and we especially enjoyed our lunch and vegan carrot cake from a place called C is For Cookie. There are a few vegetarian restaurants and many regular places have vegan options. Sadly I also saw whales on the menu in a few places, but on the flip side I also saw whaling protest ads in the local paper. We spent our time in Reykjavik walking the streets, checking out the buildings, window shopping, hanging out in Heart Garden, and day trips. I also picked up some beads made from the local lava rock to make a necklace.
One day trip was to check out the impressive Strokkur Geysir, which erupted every few minutes. Along the way we stopped for a walk through a Lava field, to view one of the many pretty water falls. We took another day trip to go snorkeling in the very cold waters of Silfra lake, between two continental plates. Because of the extreme temperatures it requires the donning of rather cumbersome dry suits, complete with warm liner, mitts and hood, and then your own long undwear. (This was the second time we had to buy long under wear on our global adventure, the other being for our Himalayan hike in Nepal). The waters are pristine with visibility of 100 meters or more. There wasn't any visible animal life but there was unique geological formations and long, colorful, spaghetti like algae. I found the experience a little nerve-wracking as the suit limits your ability to move about freely. You need to practice a bit to roll around accurately. I am glad we did it but it's likely a one time deal; I prefer the ease of warm water snorkeling. Check out a tour company video of the adventure below:
We spent the next two nights in a rural hostel about 300 kms from Reykjavik. We spent time watching iceberg bits floating out to sea, viewing puffins, and other birds, checking out more water falls, going on some nice walks and a tour of the The Geothermal Energy Exhibition at Hellisheiði Power Plant. On the way to the puffins we encountered a little lamb who had got himself on the outside of a Texas Gate, (after wriggling through a space in the fence) while mommy was on the inside. Now I have learned that there seems to be just as many sheep in Iceland outside of fences as within them, but this little guy wanted to be back with mom. So I grabbed the little fella and carefully negotiated the Texas gate to reunite him with mom. Who knows how long he will stay put. I spent the rest of the day covered in sheep fuzz.
We were supposed to spend our sixth night in a small town on the way back to Reykjavik but the address was rather confusing so we ended up way past the town. At that point we thought we might as well continue to Reykjavik and stay an extra night there (we already had our seventh and final might booked there). We were not prepared for how booked up everything would be! After going to several hotels and guest houses, and contemplating spending the night in the car, the wonderful folks at the tourist office helped us out by phoning around and found us a spot. It was a lovely hotel, but a bit more money than we had intended. We call this the "idiot tax" which is when our screw up costs us some extra money. However, we were very grateful to not spend a chilly night in the hatch back!
The extra day in Reykjavik ensured we has lots of time to check out the Blue Lagoon hot springs. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulphur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis.[1] The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 37–39 °C (98–102 °F). The Blue Lagoon also operates a Research and Development facility to help find cures for other skin ailments using the mineral-rich water/ (source wikipedia). The water is a unique color, surrounded by lava rock, and unlike any hot spring I've seen at home. It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Tomorrow off to Toronto!
As always you can check out my photos here; http://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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