Travel mojo!

Travel mojo!

It's a thing! I started this trip nervous and hesitant. It made arriving in Thailand after 28 hours hard to get excited about. It's amazing how quickly two smooth days can calm the nerves.

After arriving in Krabi, Thailand yesterday I was exhausted but determined to make the most of my southern beach Thailand experience. So I headed out on a 7 island boating and snorkelling tour. Let's just say that as someone who likes to keep moving enjoying the sun, water, beaches, and boat came effortlessly too me.

It's exactly how the picture show it and the ocean and beaches have to be my favourite that I have ever been too. So refreshing and so warm! Ahh heaven!

Day 2: rock climbing and beaches!

Railey beach is known for its climbing and it did not disappoint. My forearms were pumped up and the views of the surrounding ocean and beaches were spectacular! See if you can spot my blob in the photos! 

I'll be sad to leave the south and head north tomorrow. I sure have enjoyed laying on the beach and enjoying the sun!

Its that time again!

It's that time again! Two weeks of vacation and I am off on an adventure. I am exhausted so I'll just say I have arrived in Thailand safely and eagerly await my brothers arrival to continue my adventure with him. In the mean time some photos of day one in the sun an island hoping boating day! 

Lancaster to Carlisle and Carlisle to Bowness

Yesterday was another lovely day crossing the rolling hills of northern England.  I wish I had some sort if brilliant update from the day but it was a quiet, thoughtful, uneventful, relaxing day. We were able to dodge some rowdy cows (who were blocking our path) and had fun counting sheep (literally, I love how they have #'s spray painted on them).  In total, we covered 14 miles and everything went smoothly.

Today was the last day of our walk and we officially walked across England.  Woo! Go us! Our day started in the rain but after an hour we were dry and walking in tee shirts. It took a bit of time to get out of the city but eventually got along the coast. I think we both had more bounce in our step and enjoyed our last leg of the journey.

I think I'll miss walking beside cows and sheep as we head for Edinburgh tomorrow.

Housesteads to lancaster

Today was a long walking day. We walked for 9.5 hours! Here are some photos from our day.

Wall to housesteads

Why walk to your  hotel... when you could walk past it ?!?!?!

I wish I could say we planned to lengthen our walk today but it wasn't until we hit a museum, and had been walking for what seemed like longer than planned, that we asked to make sure we were going the right direction. Turns out we had walked an hour past our hotel. Oops. I didn't mind but my companion who had hopped out of bed excited for our 12 mile hike this morning was slightly irritated we had now likely done more like 16. I tried to remind him that we got to spend all this precious time together and got to see even more scenary. I'm not sure he was all that thrilled with my enthusiasm and positive thinking.

Today was one of the most beautiful walks as  the book had promised. We started with a slight  detour to a Roman fort outside of collerford and explored a  museum of Roman ruins. It was impressive to see what they were capable of at that time. Then most of our walk was along the wall or past turrets ( remnants of look out points). The wall gradually climbed and gave us a spectacular view. It was breath taking.

Sadly my phone spent most of the day unwilling to turn on so most of the photos are only on my camera. But I will share a few from today.

Tonight we took a little extra time finding our next hotel on our map and we are hopefully ready to find our way tomorrow.

Wylam to wall

So readers, all maybe 6 of you, I have been informed that what happens  on  Hadrian's wall stays on Hadrian's wall.

So today we walked, walked, and even walked some more for a total of 18 miles. Boy, were we both glad we made it. I have to admit I'm quite proud of my dad for pushing himself on this trip. I think he may have realized that his trips around  central park aren't quite the same as 18 miles.

We have had a great time enjoying the scenary and laughing. We had our first glimpses at the wall along with miles of rolling farm land. As well, we said hello to cows, sheep, and unfortunately some stinging nettle (again don't ask... what happens on the wall stays on the wall!).

No new blisters to report.

The you're right tally:

Marley: 5
Greg: 2.

Wallsend to wylam

It is with tired legs and heavy eyes that I write this evening. Today we marched along from wallsend  to wylam, a 15 mile journey, that passed through  Newcastle  before entering the country side.

Although we walked along "the wall", we have yet to see any ruins from it. We should begin to see remnants tomorrow.

Hadrians  wall is one of the oldest pieces of history in England built by the Romans to protect against varies tribes but the Picts  in particular. Today our guide book says we should be able to walk  safely along the wall as the picts are no longer a threat however it did warn us that sometimes the youth of Newcastle are known to tease the walkers. Sadly/ fortunately we made it through without any teasing.

Of note, I have discovered a new medical diagnosis. The "anticipatory  blister". Somehow my dad had a blister before we even started. We wrapped it up for our journey  and it didn't prove a problem. However he has managed to start a large one on the base of his foot. This could be a long journey for the both of us.

Tomorrow we walk 18 miles! Let's hope we don't sprout any more blisters.

I'm right tally:
Marley:4
Greg:2

You're right!

It doesn't matter who you are but when you hear the words "you're right", you can't  help but wanr to gloat just a bit.

Yes, today I heard those fine words, three times. The most satisfying of the three was about finding our hotel "the metropolitan". After getting off the train in Whitley Bay we headed off in search of our hotel. We walked ~ 5 minutes until I spotted a hotel with the name " the metropolitan". But of course, it couldn't possibly be the correct hotel since it was no where near where our instructions had suggested we would find our beds. So to appease my father we walked another 20 minutes before he allowed us to ask for directions. Long story short, I got to hear the sweet sweet sound of "you're right" ad we entered the hotel I had spotted initially.

The tally for  the trip so far in case you want to count along with us is:
Marley: 3
Greg:1

*Greg was right about a dog breed, although the owner didn't seem that confident!

We had a grand time today riding the trains and exploring Whitley Bay. It's nice to see how happy my dad is with having no place to be at any particular time. Why yes we can have a tea, play cribbage, or have a nap. Although somehow, having this time means that he  has three naps not just one.

How does anyone have that many naps in a day ?! Or snore as much as he can ?!

I guess that happens  if your sleep deprived from working so hard. I let him sleep and resisted the urge to smother his snores with a pillow.

Tomorrow we start our walk across England! Wish our legs luck!

Farwell Iceland

The last few days in Iceland were spectacular like the rest of the trip. Who doesn't love glacier walks, ice climbing, and of course the magestic Icelandic  waterfalls.

The travel group was great as well. It's strange to think I got to spend six  days of my life with them before goodbyes are in order and everyone goes back to their daily routine.

Iceland was everything I could have hoped for and more. The 6 day trek pushed me out of my comfort zone and took me further into icelands iconic wilderness. I am proud of myself for pushing myself out of my comfort zone and would not hesitate to travel alone again.

Today I sadly said farewell to Iceland but hello to London. Oh what a change!

Plus, guess who I found at the airport. See if you can spot waldo in the photos below.

I was sure happy to see my dad and with our arms filled with luggage we braved the tube to get to our hotel.  Boy was it busy with people moving in every direction. We must have looked like old pro's, since a mere two hours after dropping our bags and starting to explore the city, we were being asked for directions. Initially dad would respond with we have no idea we are tourists. But after the second and third time we were able to point people in the right direction.... we think. I hope they found the Victoria tube station at least.

London is so rich with history our meanderings left us skimming the surface and a strong desire to return. I think dad may have caught the travel bug? We shall see! But, London we will be back you have impressed us for sure.

Tomorrow we head to Whitley bay up in northern England where we will begin our journey.

Can you find waldo ?

The boring slope

Havannadalshnukur is icelands highest peak and it was our challenge for day three of the trek. It is ~2100 feet and is supposed to take 14-16 hours to climb.

We rose early at 3 am to get onto the trail/ glacier earlier. The hopes were that the top snow layer would be firmer. I knew those early morning rounds for my HPB elective were training me for something since I think I was the only person alive that early in the morning.

The trail starts quite steeply and the first half the snow had melted and left us tra elling across lava field which continued until we hit glacier. Due to the steepness and large crevasses that composed the second half of the hike to the summit we rope up and wore harnesses and proceeded single file in two teams up the glacier. A Brit and I were chosen to go last so that we could lead our teams in reverse down the glacier. This was not something I was thrilled about but having gotten to know some of travel mates I suspected I was a good choice plus they needed strong men behind the guides in case they fell into a crevasses and needed assistance with a self rescue.

We marched slowly up the glacier as our guide tested the path looking for weak spots. We were spaced ~ 10 m apart and I was at the very end. It was quite and became almost meditative as I chanted "please don't let me die by crevass" quietly under my breath.

Due to the recent warm temperatures (for Iceland),  much of the snow had melted that normally created snow bridges over the crevasses. This became increasingly obvious as we approached the summit with deep crystal blue unpassable crevasses between us and the summit. It  was at ~ 1700 m that it was decided attempting the summit would not be safe. They estimated it would take another 2 hours to reach the summit under normal conditions just trying to get around the expected narrow crevasses.  So instead we celebrated our summit with breath taking views of the glacier below us, mountains in both directions,  and the distance coast line of southern Iceland.

It was a spectacular adventure and one that tested my thrill seeking limits. I have to admit traversing the glacier without the ability to assess our safety myself left me feeling nervous. Plus, the idea of plunging to my death into a crevass did not seem too enticing. I still have so much too do!

I was the only one on our team with a small scare which occurred on the decent. It was evident the snow was melting in the afternoon and as I took one step with my left foot I could feel my leg fall through the ice. Luckily it was just my left leg and I only ended up thigh deep in a crevass. I can only imagine what would have happened if it had all given out. It was quite unexpected and unusual that this would happen too me as I was the last person and lightest of our ten man party to cross that area, and I was following the foot steps with a careful eye.

All in all, another grand beautiful adventure that took my breath awake.

As for the boring slope, that's the English translation of the long, difficult to pronounce summit, as the summit is rarely in view for the hike. Needless to say, it was anything but boring!

Snaefellsjokull glacier hike

Pure happiness! That's  how I would describe day one of this 6 day trek. I am sure that will be a repeating theme as well.

First we picked  up our group. We are a group of 8 from all around the world with a couple of Americans,  a German , and some English folks.  So far the group is great.  We have one guide who hails from Iceland and another who has guided mountains around the world. They seem to be well prepared. So far this is not at all like the budget  trek I took in Peru.  While there is no food tent we do have a table with some chairs! Wahoo stepping up in this world.

We headed off to our hike up snaefellsjokull. A glacier a couple ours out of Reykjavik. We had some difficult pulling our trailer up the mountain to get there and had to take a detour to another route hoping that the road would be in better condition. This meant we didn't start until 3 in the afternoon. Normally I'd be freaking out starting a 5-7 hour hike so late but luckily  the sun  never sets and so we had plenty of sunshine.

The hike started across lava fields but before long we were walking ankle deep in snow. Plowing our way up the mountain using crampons. The pace was slightly slower than I am used too but that was OK.  The only part that wasn't ideal were the breaks. As soon as you paused on the side of the glacier, since you were exposed to the wind, I'd cool down quite quickly. Luckily I had plenty of layers.

It took us ~4 hours to reach the top and the view from the top was breath taking. It doesn't take long to realize that a camera can't capture these moments.

But since a picture is worth a thousand words I'll attach a few to try and share the breathtaking views with you. But remember, it was at least 10x more beautiful in person.

The hike down was fun and much quicker. The snow softened the blow for our knees and allowed us to "float/glide" down the glacier. It would have been a little wet but picture perfect skiing.

Oh, speaking of wetness.  It turns out my water proof boots who have made it through  streams without leaking can't quite handle 5 hours of wet snow which made for some very cold toes. Thank goodness for wool socks! I made an executive decision for myself at the gas station this morning and bought another 2 pairs of wool socks since the other peaks are supposed to be similar and that pair isn't anywhere close to being dry. You can always use more socks right ?

The trek!

The 6 day trek/hiking/ camping adventure begins today! I cannot wait!

Ice climbing!

I felt like I should have bought a lotto ticket yesterday. My group ice climbing tour turned into a two man journey! What a fabulous opportunity to do a variety of climbs and enjoy the glacier!

Photo description:
A) you want me to go where?!
B) I guess I'll go down
C) now I have to climb out?
D) I'm doing it!

Whales, dolphins, puffins oh my!

Whale watching= YOU SHOULD DO IT!!!!

The whales of Iceland were kind to me yesterday and came out to show off.

I was hesitant initially to pay for whale watching since another girl was telling me she only saw 5 seconds of whale on her trip. But, the sun was shining, the clouds had lifted and I thought even if I don't see any whales I would get to see part of Iceland coast from the water on a beautiful day.

I saw three different types of whales. White tailed dolphins (part of the toothed family of whales). They were the friendliest and came right up to our little boat. Then I saw the "stinky" minke, known for its fishy smell it belongs to the toothless baleen whales (looks sort of similar to a hump back but smaller).  Then finally porpoises! They look similar to dolphins  but have numerous  differences. I had a great time on the boat seeing whales, puffins, and numerous other Icelandic  birds.

To finish the day off, my new dutch friend (not Norwegian),  and I climbed a local mountain. No big deal! Breath taking views of the city and proof that I didn't drive him crazy on  our 12 hour adventure. He even asked if he could join me  for the day! Ha!

A vikings tale!

Once upon a time, there was a young (yes, young!), happy, friendly, but shy adventuring viking (might as well play the role while in Iceland right ?!) who sought to explore and this is a tale of Icelandic adventure and social bravery.

And so the tale begins early yesterday morning. It had been a long night sharing a dorm with 9 other adventuring souls, whose arrivals come  with a crash at all times of the night and many who snore loudly once they are in  slumber, that the young viking set out with swollen, tired eyes in the morning mist to find food.

Food, a heaping bowl of cheerios with a fresh banana filled her stomach but what she really found that morning was an adventure. A Dutch travellor, offered a 12 hour road trip through some of Icelands  finest country side only asking for entertaining company in return.

As most know, from many tales, we are constantly reminded not to talk to strangers let alone to accept rides in rental cars. But it turns out, when solo travelling, if these things are  done with cautious thought and eyeing up of the offerer (I could maybe take him in an arm wrestle? Maybe) sometimes these can make for great days.

So we headed off, to explore the snaefellness peninsula a jaw dropping 400 km loop filled with ocean views, icy  water, thundering waterfalls, and the almost yeti like puffin!

As you may or may not know, this vikings stomach would normally churn at the idea of a 12 hour car ride with a complete  stranger, especially without any opportunity to prepare a long long list of possible conversation topics. But, to her surprise it was a glorious day of exploring and riviting (OK, maybe just interesting) conversation. Yes, I survived a 12 hour car ride with a complete stranger and had a great time! Who knew that talking about travelling could provide several hours of conversation topic and just my luck when I had throughly  exausted travelling stories it turned out that I had  accepted an invitation for adventure from a Dutch physician working on his PhD. Eureka! Another several hour conversation topic... who knew I could talk about the kidney for so long. 

But don't worry, I didn't make him talk about medicine the entire time so here are some possible conversation topics should you also ever find yourself in a car with a complete stranger for 12 hours and don't happen to have career similarities or have exausted the travel questions:
1)  what do you do for fun?

2)what is your  life story ( great opener once you know some basics) and provides numerous follow up questions for any vague areas...I learned so much about Japanese martial arts)

3) what are the traditional foods in (insert country here) helpful if you say the correct country... turns out you can get harassed for the rest of the trip of you ask about Norway by accident instead of the Netherlands)
*** highly recommend looking at a map for 30 seconds before you leave if possible so that you don't make embarrassing geography questions***

4) later on you may ask about politics/racism/ health care in Netherlands ( again not Norway! )

5) Or perhaps if you want to go  deep ask about beliefs for life after death. ( this may only be appropriate if you  have swapped intense medical stories already)

Those are just a few ideas to buy you time and open several cans of worms that should keep people talking for at least a few minutes.

So, yes, yesterday was a day in social bravery that was so rewarding not only for the epic country side but also the conversation. Did I mention, we hiked a waterfall, ran barefoot in dark Sandy beach into the cold artic temperature sea, and saw the yeti of a puffin. My new friend had never heard of a puffin before but believed me that I had a blurry photo of one on camera after a Google search and then decided to meet me in my excitement for an enthusiastic high five! Then the night ended with a midnight  sun sunset... this my friends was breath taking and even after the sunsets the sky remains illuminated as if it was only 4pm! What a reward for staying up until 23:30!

Thingvellir national park

Apparently I'm old. Did you know that ? At the young age of 27 I've been told by my fellow travellers.  You may think I mean old in spirit as I did?  But nope they just mean old.

I met a young women and had a nice chat and enjoyed her company last night. She thoughtfully assumed  we were the same age... and said proudly I'm 24! I responded thinking ahh yes those are close... I'm 27! She then followed by saying... oh so we aren't close at all you are  much older.

3 years is apparently much older. Who knew ?!

Anyways, today I felt  young and fit! I took a mountain biking tour through thingvellir national park. It is thought to have hosted the oldest parliament in the world just a few years ago (likely more than 3).

The park is also the only place in the world you can swim  between tectonic plates. No way I was getting into that water but it man was it crystal clear (see photo below). Now, not only have I been to the base of the north American continent (at the grand canyon) but I can say I've seen the division of the north American tectonic plate (not bad for one summer!).

It was a beautiful  national park with excellent riding. I managed to escape the tour without  any falls and only a very sore bottom. (Yes, I know I'm not supposed to sit while going over bumps while mountain biking but how do you not sit at all for a very bumpy 27 km ride ?!).

After arriving back at the hostel, I took the evening to go sit in a thermal pool again. It's what they do here in Iceland, I might as well embrace the culture right ?!

Oh and check out the photos of these super cute Icelandic  horses!

Whale of a tale

Today was wet and windy so whale watching tours were cancelled but that didn't stop me from finding whales.

Well, I found plastic life size models at the whale museum! This was my all time favorite museum ever. Something about seeing their sizes in person made my jaw drop. I took my time reading through the information and listening to the audio tour. I had all the time in the world to sit and just soak it in! Did you know that some whales have a heart the size of a Volkswagen? With an aorta big enough for a human  to swim through? Or that they can live for up  to 200 years old (some species only make it to 27).

I have to say Reykjavik had some impressive museum technology. Interactive touch pads and more impressive virtual reality swimming with the whales!

My heart was filled today with whale facts.

I think the blurry whale photos make it look like I'm under the sea with them!

Tired legs :)

Day 2:

A quiet educational day, I spent the day visiting museums.  There really isn't any thrilling stories that transpired from  that. My brain was exploding by the end of the day and tired of reading.

Day 3 however, was a day filled with all of my favorite things. I had made up my mind I would try and go for a run. I would lock up half of my prized belongings and carry the rest. Oh, how much further you can get by running. I had a fantastic time running along the seawall this morning.

Then I headed out by ferry to a small uninhabited island just off the coast from Iceland.  It had the oldest building of Iceland on it but the rest was rugged wilderness. I got my fill of Icelandic  views walking along the  entire coastline. It was perfect. I wish I could find more of these nature walks accessible by public transit to explore.

My evening was quiet. Since I am finding Iceland quite expensive and have booked myself some adventure tours I tried to eat on a budget this evening. I filled my tummy  with carrots, cucumber, trail mix, and a travelling favorite... Ramen noodles. You can tell I am missing some key nutrients this evening.  Not going to lie... budget eating might not last that long as I lay here in bed I can hear my stomach growling angrily at me.

Insights from  my adventure  so far:
1) favorite thing about travelling alone is being on my own time schedule. Nobody cares what time I wake up, sleep, or eat. Plus there is no pressure of someone waiting for me if I want to take the extra few minutes to braid my hair in the morning. It's just me for 24 hours doing  what I want at my speed.

2) waiting for the bus/ ferry can  be quite relaxing if it doesn't matter what time I need to be some  place. I actually get to just sit, read, or people watch.

3) It's nice having this break from business to just be!

That's all for now! So far no craziness to report just a good ol vacation! Hope you all take a few minutes to relax today. I'm sure you all deserve  it.