Our time in the desert ended with a 5am wake up call. For Jason's birthday I was giving him a hot air balloon ride over the desert and that meant an early start. The sky when we woke up was amazing. The nearest lights were hundreds of kilometres away, the moon had set and there was not a hint of dawn. The night sky was filled with stars and the Milky Way shone above us. Unfortunately when we got to the balloon the pilot decided it was too windy to fly.
After some consideration we decided to stay at the horrendously overpriced hotel, Bait Ali Lodge, from where the balloon trip left and try again the next day. Unfortunately the next day the weather was even worse so we won't be doing the hot air balloon ride, and I have to find another present for Jason.
During our day at Bait Ali we met a lovely family from Copenhagen who were also planning on doing the balloon trip and then heading to Aqaba. The father, Peter, was great fun and generously offered us a lift for Aqaba. In truth I think he wanted the company as his two teenage children stuck ear phones on as soon as they got in the car and refused to talk to him. He was very well travelled and we had great discussions about various places in the world. When discussing Tasmania he mentioned he had a friend, Mary, from there who was always saying great things about it. Later in the conversation it turned out that this friend was actually the princess!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Wadi Rum
The most common way to explore the desert is with a jeep tour followed by a night in a Beduoin camp. Camel rides are also popular. We, on the other hand, had signed up for a 2 day trek with some scrambling involved. Now we didn't actually have much idea what 'scrambling' was in the Jordanian sense, but we were soon to find out.
Our first walk was through a canyon, or at least that's what we were told. I have this strange idea that canyons have two steep sides and a flattish area at the bottom that you can walk along, or a river may flow. This wasn't that sort of canyon. When our charming guide, Abdullah, stopped the car we appeared to be staring at the side of a mountain. There were a number of cracks and fissures, but certainly no obvious entrance. Undeterred Abdullah pointed straight up one area and told us that's where we were going.
Within 15 minutes of climbing, scrambling and trekking up the slope our thighs were burning, we were out of breath and not quite sure why we hadn't stuck with the jeep tour. Scrambling apparently involved climbing walls that made us long for rock climbing shoes, and at times a rope would have been nice too. Abdullah liked to joke and tease us that we were about to head up particularly impossible looking rock faces, telling us we would have to climb like Spider-Man. It was for this reason that when we reached a point that the track most definitely ended, with a sheer drop of around 3m, and he made the same comment I chuckled quietly. Then he put his hands on the rocks on either side, of what now seemed a gaping chasm, and with arms and legs outstretched made his way to the other side. After swallowing the lump in my throat I decided to trust my body and follow suit. We quickly came to look forward to the Spider-Man cry as it undoubtedly led to something fun, and something we would never attempt without the guide.
Our next surprise was later that day on our way to lunch. He asked us if we would like to walk before lunch. After we agreed he pointed to a far off mountain, told us there was a canyon and that he would be in there. We were left somewhat dumbstruck alone in the middle of a desert with a vague idea of where to go.
This became the theme for the next two days, with either scrambles that he would lead us on or walks that we could do alone. The hike I had most been looking forward was up to a rock bridge. Given the difficulty of the previous days walks we were slightly apprehensive when he packed a rope that morning. Nevertheless we followed him up the mountain, quickly catching up to a Polish couple who were doing the same trek. It was just before the rock bridge that the rope was considered necessary as we had to ascend about 5m straight up.
When it was time to head back down we managed to convince Abdullah to take us the way that was "a little bit harder". Saying good bye to the Polish couple who were a little less comfortable with climbing and heights than us we ventured onto our new route. It was, indeed, a little bit harder. Then we came to a fabulous viewpoint. The mountain dropped away beneath us and the scenery was breath taking. At this point Abdullah pointed to a crack in the rockface below us and told us that was where we were going. Compared to the short climb we had used the rope for earlier this was mammoth! He pointed out where the anchor points were for using a rope, and then proceeded to make his way down the crack. For about 40m we carefully made our way down the cliff, moving one limb at a time and holding on for dear life!
Our first walk was through a canyon, or at least that's what we were told. I have this strange idea that canyons have two steep sides and a flattish area at the bottom that you can walk along, or a river may flow. This wasn't that sort of canyon. When our charming guide, Abdullah, stopped the car we appeared to be staring at the side of a mountain. There were a number of cracks and fissures, but certainly no obvious entrance. Undeterred Abdullah pointed straight up one area and told us that's where we were going.
Within 15 minutes of climbing, scrambling and trekking up the slope our thighs were burning, we were out of breath and not quite sure why we hadn't stuck with the jeep tour. Scrambling apparently involved climbing walls that made us long for rock climbing shoes, and at times a rope would have been nice too. Abdullah liked to joke and tease us that we were about to head up particularly impossible looking rock faces, telling us we would have to climb like Spider-Man. It was for this reason that when we reached a point that the track most definitely ended, with a sheer drop of around 3m, and he made the same comment I chuckled quietly. Then he put his hands on the rocks on either side, of what now seemed a gaping chasm, and with arms and legs outstretched made his way to the other side. After swallowing the lump in my throat I decided to trust my body and follow suit. We quickly came to look forward to the Spider-Man cry as it undoubtedly led to something fun, and something we would never attempt without the guide.
Our next surprise was later that day on our way to lunch. He asked us if we would like to walk before lunch. After we agreed he pointed to a far off mountain, told us there was a canyon and that he would be in there. We were left somewhat dumbstruck alone in the middle of a desert with a vague idea of where to go.
This became the theme for the next two days, with either scrambles that he would lead us on or walks that we could do alone. The hike I had most been looking forward was up to a rock bridge. Given the difficulty of the previous days walks we were slightly apprehensive when he packed a rope that morning. Nevertheless we followed him up the mountain, quickly catching up to a Polish couple who were doing the same trek. It was just before the rock bridge that the rope was considered necessary as we had to ascend about 5m straight up.
When it was time to head back down we managed to convince Abdullah to take us the way that was "a little bit harder". Saying good bye to the Polish couple who were a little less comfortable with climbing and heights than us we ventured onto our new route. It was, indeed, a little bit harder. Then we came to a fabulous viewpoint. The mountain dropped away beneath us and the scenery was breath taking. At this point Abdullah pointed to a crack in the rockface below us and told us that was where we were going. Compared to the short climb we had used the rope for earlier this was mammoth! He pointed out where the anchor points were for using a rope, and then proceeded to make his way down the crack. For about 40m we carefully made our way down the cliff, moving one limb at a time and holding on for dear life!
Petra day 3 - 20km
Aware that we had a two day trek in the desert coming up, we decided to take it a bit easy today. In hindsight having the trek just after Petra was not such a bright idea, but we hadn't realised just how much walking would be involved. It was around 9km round trip just to the start of the city, plus whatever walking we did from there. So, on the last day we climbed to the high place of sacrifice, without getting lost for a change. We did indulge our rock climbing fix once at the top, finding some nice bouldering routes.
Petra day 2 - 30km
Just as I was about to start this post I was loudly reminded of the fact that we are eating a lot of chickpeas which affect jason in a similar way to baked beans! Sorry, but it had to be said.
On our second day in Petra we got lost, again. After the early start the day before we enjoyed a proper sleep-in, getting to the entrance around 11am. Today's plan was to see the Royal Tombs and to get to see the Treasury from up above. The first tomb we came to was the Urn Tomb, from there the path we planned to take went left. But we saw steps going up to the right. Before we knew it we were again following the next set of steps carved into the rock 2000 years ago and the next and the next. At times the steps would disappear, but we would find a part of the cliff that looked possible to climb and head that way. Or we would become stuck unsure how to climb down an area, only to go the long way so we could climb up it and then climb down! We spent hours exploring the canyons and cliffs, always heading further up. Once we reached the top, we hoped that we were somewhere in the vicinity of the Treasury so we could get to see it from above. In an attempt to get our bearings we climbed to the highest point we could, and then scrambled along the ridges to try and find the viewpoint. After many meandering, scrambles, and occasional periods of vertigo we finally had a great view of the Treasury far below us and the viewpoint we were aiming for about half way between us and the Treasury!
On our second day in Petra we got lost, again. After the early start the day before we enjoyed a proper sleep-in, getting to the entrance around 11am. Today's plan was to see the Royal Tombs and to get to see the Treasury from up above. The first tomb we came to was the Urn Tomb, from there the path we planned to take went left. But we saw steps going up to the right. Before we knew it we were again following the next set of steps carved into the rock 2000 years ago and the next and the next. At times the steps would disappear, but we would find a part of the cliff that looked possible to climb and head that way. Or we would become stuck unsure how to climb down an area, only to go the long way so we could climb up it and then climb down! We spent hours exploring the canyons and cliffs, always heading further up. Once we reached the top, we hoped that we were somewhere in the vicinity of the Treasury so we could get to see it from above. In an attempt to get our bearings we climbed to the highest point we could, and then scrambled along the ridges to try and find the viewpoint. After many meandering, scrambles, and occasional periods of vertigo we finally had a great view of the Treasury far below us and the viewpoint we were aiming for about half way between us and the Treasury!
Petra Day 1 - 30km
Despite most definitely not being morning people we made the decision to get to Petra around opening time (6am) to have the Siq and Treasury mainly to ourselves, and that beautiful sunrise light. The gate opened at 6am as expected. The ticket office, on the other hand, opens when the first ticket seller gets there. It was suggested to us that this may be between 6:30 and 7, but there was no way for us to get in until then. After 45 minutes of waiting and watching the night give way to dawn the ticket office opened at 7am. During this time a herd of American uni students had turned up and they were not a happy group. We heard all kinds of grievances, fights and squabbles in the 20 minutes we all waited together. We therefore grabbed out tickets as quickly as possible and tried to get as much distance between us and them before entering the Siq.
We were mostly successful and got to enjoy having the Treasury to ourselves for a few precious minutes. The walk down the canyon and the first view of the Treasury were spectacular and exactly what you see in photos. The rest of Petra was totally unknown and unexpected.
Petra is absolutely huge. It's nearly 3km from the entrance to the Treasury and that is really just the start. Once you emerge from the canyon system it becomes obvious that there are hundreds, most likely thousands, of tombs and cave houses. Unsurprisingly we were soon lost.
Having passed through the main city centre we planned to go to the Monastery, which is the Treasury only much bigger and more impressive. It's only less famous due to the fact it's another 6km walk to get there, a large part of that directly up many hundreds of steps. As we got close to where the trail to the Monastery starts we noticed some steps, so we started climbing. We soon found ourselves in a very little trodden area with spectacular colours and shapes carved into the rock. We were continually drawn to the next tomb, the next shape of rock. The rock is amazing, with stripes of pink, white, yellow, black creating beautiful patterns. After an hour or more, we headed back down to the bottom of the mountain we were on to start the journey up the next mountain to the Monastery. This being the more frequented part of Petra we were soon bombarded with offers of donkey rides up to the top. The best of these was the offer of "taxi with free air conditioning!"
After 7 hours of walking we returned to our hotel (another 1.5km up the hill from Petra) to eat and rest for a bit. Just before 8pm we were again walking down the road to Petra for our opportunity to see it by moon and candlelight. Over 1500 candles were placed along the 3km trail from the entrance to the Treasury and 2 by 2 we walked along seeing the stone in a whole new light. Once we arrived into the main chamber with hundreds of candles providing a beautiful soft glow, we were seated, given tea and treated to traditional Bedioun music. Magic!
We were mostly successful and got to enjoy having the Treasury to ourselves for a few precious minutes. The walk down the canyon and the first view of the Treasury were spectacular and exactly what you see in photos. The rest of Petra was totally unknown and unexpected.
Petra is absolutely huge. It's nearly 3km from the entrance to the Treasury and that is really just the start. Once you emerge from the canyon system it becomes obvious that there are hundreds, most likely thousands, of tombs and cave houses. Unsurprisingly we were soon lost.
Having passed through the main city centre we planned to go to the Monastery, which is the Treasury only much bigger and more impressive. It's only less famous due to the fact it's another 6km walk to get there, a large part of that directly up many hundreds of steps. As we got close to where the trail to the Monastery starts we noticed some steps, so we started climbing. We soon found ourselves in a very little trodden area with spectacular colours and shapes carved into the rock. We were continually drawn to the next tomb, the next shape of rock. The rock is amazing, with stripes of pink, white, yellow, black creating beautiful patterns. After an hour or more, we headed back down to the bottom of the mountain we were on to start the journey up the next mountain to the Monastery. This being the more frequented part of Petra we were soon bombarded with offers of donkey rides up to the top. The best of these was the offer of "taxi with free air conditioning!"
After 7 hours of walking we returned to our hotel (another 1.5km up the hill from Petra) to eat and rest for a bit. Just before 8pm we were again walking down the road to Petra for our opportunity to see it by moon and candlelight. Over 1500 candles were placed along the 3km trail from the entrance to the Treasury and 2 by 2 we walked along seeing the stone in a whole new light. Once we arrived into the main chamber with hundreds of candles providing a beautiful soft glow, we were seated, given tea and treated to traditional Bedioun music. Magic!
Wild Endurance
Just under a year ago 6 friends, us included, attempted to walk 100km in 36 hours. Although we had trained for the event, it was obviously not enough as none of us were successful. The idea of doing it again this year with a much harder training regime was raised, however given that the event is around the time we get back home we thought there was no way we would be able to train for it. We hadn't factored in Jordan. 150km in 5 days, approximately.
Oh, and we haven't had Internet in for quite some time, have done a lot and typed up a lot of blogs on the ipad. I have 15 minutes to see how many I can upload. You are warned!
Oh, and we haven't had Internet in for quite some time, have done a lot and typed up a lot of blogs on the ipad. I have 15 minutes to see how many I can upload. You are warned!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Northern Jordan
When we announced that we were going to Jordan a number of people raised some concerns about safety, prompted no doubt by the wars in every neighbouring country. Unperturbed we showed them the smarttraveller website which indicates that Jordan is generally safe. The only area that is listed under the "DO NOT TRAVEL" banner is the far north at the Syrian border. It specifically mentions not to go to Umm Qais. So naturally on our first day in Jordan we found ourselves at Umm Qais.
Now we had no actual intention of going there, we really wanted to go to Jerash. On arrival at our hotel we were asked whether we wanted to join a tour going either to the Dead Sea, or one to Jerash. As the latter had been the plan all along, we said yes. We had, rather naively, assumed that the tour would no longer head all the way up to the Syrian border. We were wrong. Tour is also probably the wrong word as it was us, Terry from France with a driver to take us to the sights.
After exploring the fairly impressive ruins of Jerash, and the charming castle at Aljun we were off to Umm Qais. As we were approaching the town our driver asked us, in his rather stilted English, whether we wanted lunch. Sandwich? Falafel? We nodded yes. He stopped the car and gestured for us to stay, or come, we weren't entirely sure. He returned a few minutes later with falafel wraps, for which he declined payment and we were off to the next set of ruins. Umm Qais was certainly not the most impressive ruin, but the views were absolutely sublime. Standing at the lookout we could see Israel to our left and Syria stretched out to our right. Spectacular and, as it turns out, perfectly safe to travel to, at least it was yesterday.
Now we had no actual intention of going there, we really wanted to go to Jerash. On arrival at our hotel we were asked whether we wanted to join a tour going either to the Dead Sea, or one to Jerash. As the latter had been the plan all along, we said yes. We had, rather naively, assumed that the tour would no longer head all the way up to the Syrian border. We were wrong. Tour is also probably the wrong word as it was us, Terry from France with a driver to take us to the sights.
After exploring the fairly impressive ruins of Jerash, and the charming castle at Aljun we were off to Umm Qais. As we were approaching the town our driver asked us, in his rather stilted English, whether we wanted lunch. Sandwich? Falafel? We nodded yes. He stopped the car and gestured for us to stay, or come, we weren't entirely sure. He returned a few minutes later with falafel wraps, for which he declined payment and we were off to the next set of ruins. Umm Qais was certainly not the most impressive ruin, but the views were absolutely sublime. Standing at the lookout we could see Israel to our left and Syria stretched out to our right. Spectacular and, as it turns out, perfectly safe to travel to, at least it was yesterday.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Culture Shock
After the ease of travelling in Sweden, Jordan came as a shock. We very nearly didn't actually make it into the country. Sweden is heading towards becoming a cashless society, so even $3 train tickets were bought by card through a machine. Jordan is not quite there yet. On arrival we went to pay for our visas with MasterCard. "No, visa only." Ok, no problem and we hand over the Visa card. Declined. Try the other visa. Declined. "Machine broken, get change."
So, we became one of an ever increasing number of tourists who didn't have any Jordanian Dinar. There was an ATM, but we couldn't get that to give up any money. We did have our emergency $50 (US), but that wasn't quite enough for the two visas. After some rummaging in our bags and negotiation with the money changer we got the necessary funds with the US$50 and $10 Australian. One other guy was not so lucky at finding funds and was simply told to ask the other passengers for money.
Once out of the airport it became obvious that lane markings are considered decoration, rather than suggesting where cars should drive. Some drivers (ours included) seemed to think the road wide enough for four lanes, however other drivers thought three was more appropriate. This led to an interesting traffic pattern, which I'm sure was less efficient than actually obeying road rules.
Our hotel is in the middle of downtown, where it is noisy, chaotic, and slightly overwhelming at first. Our driver couldn't find a place to park, so he called two guys from the hotel to come and collect us from where he had simply stopped. We felt a little silly waiting to be helped across a road, but not so silly as to try it by ourselves.
We have just come back from dinner and this feels like travel! Following a recommendation from our hotel we found this place where you get ushered to a table, asked what you want, have that ignored and food starts appearing. Dinner consisted of the best falafel I have ever tasted, with hummus, some bean dish, bread and weirdly hot chips. Before eating I had asked how much and was told "5 or 6 dinar". However at the end of the meal our money was taken by someone else and it cost 3.500 instead.
The extra 1.500 didn't go to waste. Walking back to the hotel we were on the look out for a sweet shop mentioned in the lonely planet. At about the expected location we saw a long line of locals lining up outside what turned out to be said sweet shop. There was a cashier out the front and signs in Arabic suggested you could pay for items ranging between 0.550 and 4 dinar. This meant there was no option for pointing. After some dithering we joined the queue and once we reached the front proffered 2 dinar and shrugged when he asked what we wanted. He told us we would have two halves, gave us change and we then had to battle to get into the actual shop and give our bit of paper to someone. Jason managed to use his height to procure our food fairly quickly. It turned out to be soft white cheese on the bottom, with sticky sweet stuff on the top. I have no idea what it was, but it was completely delicious!
Ok, I now know it's called Konafa in case you're interested.
So, we became one of an ever increasing number of tourists who didn't have any Jordanian Dinar. There was an ATM, but we couldn't get that to give up any money. We did have our emergency $50 (US), but that wasn't quite enough for the two visas. After some rummaging in our bags and negotiation with the money changer we got the necessary funds with the US$50 and $10 Australian. One other guy was not so lucky at finding funds and was simply told to ask the other passengers for money.
Once out of the airport it became obvious that lane markings are considered decoration, rather than suggesting where cars should drive. Some drivers (ours included) seemed to think the road wide enough for four lanes, however other drivers thought three was more appropriate. This led to an interesting traffic pattern, which I'm sure was less efficient than actually obeying road rules.
Our hotel is in the middle of downtown, where it is noisy, chaotic, and slightly overwhelming at first. Our driver couldn't find a place to park, so he called two guys from the hotel to come and collect us from where he had simply stopped. We felt a little silly waiting to be helped across a road, but not so silly as to try it by ourselves.
We have just come back from dinner and this feels like travel! Following a recommendation from our hotel we found this place where you get ushered to a table, asked what you want, have that ignored and food starts appearing. Dinner consisted of the best falafel I have ever tasted, with hummus, some bean dish, bread and weirdly hot chips. Before eating I had asked how much and was told "5 or 6 dinar". However at the end of the meal our money was taken by someone else and it cost 3.500 instead.
The extra 1.500 didn't go to waste. Walking back to the hotel we were on the look out for a sweet shop mentioned in the lonely planet. At about the expected location we saw a long line of locals lining up outside what turned out to be said sweet shop. There was a cashier out the front and signs in Arabic suggested you could pay for items ranging between 0.550 and 4 dinar. This meant there was no option for pointing. After some dithering we joined the queue and once we reached the front proffered 2 dinar and shrugged when he asked what we wanted. He told us we would have two halves, gave us change and we then had to battle to get into the actual shop and give our bit of paper to someone. Jason managed to use his height to procure our food fairly quickly. It turned out to be soft white cheese on the bottom, with sticky sweet stuff on the top. I have no idea what it was, but it was completely delicious!
Ok, I now know it's called Konafa in case you're interested.
Farewell Sweden
Our last couple of days in Stockholm were nice and relaxing. After flying down from Kiruna we had the best meal we had eaten for a long time. It included salad, fresh vegetables and a noticeable absence of fried food, butter and bacon. Marcus was very fond of saying that bacon and butter had all the vitamins you need and his cooking reflected this philosophy.
The next day we met up with Sapna and walked around together until she had to go to the airport. In the afternoon we went to Skansen, which is marketed as Sweden in miniature. It consists of all these cottages and buildings built up to 400 years ago and transported to one location. In each building it is set up as it would have been in that era and there is a costumed actor to explain what the building was used for or how people lived in that time period.
The next day we spent time with Christiane. We had planned on going to the Royal Palace, but on discussion with some of the local press who were hanging around, we found out that it was closed for the funeral of Princess Lillian who had died the previous week. Having seen most of the places we wanted to, and feeling like we had done little physical activity we decided to go rock climbing! We did feel rather silly, but the centre was amazing and we felt so much better for it.
The next day we met up with Sapna and walked around together until she had to go to the airport. In the afternoon we went to Skansen, which is marketed as Sweden in miniature. It consists of all these cottages and buildings built up to 400 years ago and transported to one location. In each building it is set up as it would have been in that era and there is a costumed actor to explain what the building was used for or how people lived in that time period.
The next day we spent time with Christiane. We had planned on going to the Royal Palace, but on discussion with some of the local press who were hanging around, we found out that it was closed for the funeral of Princess Lillian who had died the previous week. Having seen most of the places we wanted to, and feeling like we had done little physical activity we decided to go rock climbing! We did feel rather silly, but the centre was amazing and we felt so much better for it.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Northern Lights
One of our hopes on this trip was to see the northern lights, however when we were looking at the weather forecast with Stephen it did not look good with clouds forecast every night. The first night we saw them I wasn't sure if that was what I was seeing at all. There was a glow on the horizon, a bit like a city in the distance, except there were no cities in that direction. After a lot of watching and discussion with Christiane, it was decided that it was the northern lights, but that they were a long way away and the only clouds around were between us and them. The next night we again saw a faint glow above us, but it was even less than the previous night. On night three the clouds had rolled in and obliterated our view of the sky, so we had decided there was no point even checking for the lights that night.
On my way back from the toilet before bed I noticed that the stars were again visible so I turned off my torch and turned my gaze skyward to see a greenish glow in the sky. It was still mild, but never the less I woke Jason up and went back outside to watch. We must have stayed outside for an hour or so, as the lights waxed and waned, changed shape, colour and intensity. Although we had technically seen the northern lights previously, this night I actually felt we saw them. Just brilliant!
On my way back from the toilet before bed I noticed that the stars were again visible so I turned off my torch and turned my gaze skyward to see a greenish glow in the sky. It was still mild, but never the less I woke Jason up and went back outside to watch. We must have stayed outside for an hour or so, as the lights waxed and waned, changed shape, colour and intensity. Although we had technically seen the northern lights previously, this night I actually felt we saw them. Just brilliant!
The simple life
There is a charm in returning to a world without electricity or running water. Sitting in a warm cabin, with a roaring fire and playing card games by candle light. The romance is lost somewhat when you need to go to the toilet. When we arrived at the first cabin it was -10, windy and snowing. The first thing we were shown was a tree with "Gentlemens" written on it, for midnight pee stops we were told. The actual drop toilet was 300m away and I assure you that in those conditions a toilet seat without heating is rather unpleasant, although it was made of polystyrene so heated up quickly.
Over the week our priorities became clear. As soon as we stopped for the day we had to get water and wood. Water had to be collected in 25 litre drums from a hole that had been made in the nearest lake or river. This was sometimes only a 5 minute walk, but at one cabin it was 700m away! Once at the hole we had to fill buckets with ice cold water and pour them into the larger container, inevitably getting our gloves wet in the process. Once full we had to drag it back to the cabin, knowing there would be another container that needed to be filled. Each day we went through about 150 litres. On our last water collecting trip Jason managed to make his own waterhole, going straight through the snow and ice, filling his boot with water. This was naturally at the waterhole 700m from the cabin meaning he had a very uncomfortable walk back, and the slight risk of frostbite each time he had to put his boots back on for toilet breaks that night.
Each cabin also had a wood shed where we would saw the logs down to size and split them with an axe. This was my preferred chore, although I am not a natural with an axe!
There were other occasions when the rustic nature of life was much less pleasant. B1 and B2 tended to engage in a bit of biffo whilst sledding along, and one day it became more serious. B1 had got her leg tangled in the rope and it took me a while to get her free, during which time there was a certain amount of growling and biting between the dogs. Later that day I noticed some blood on the snow and found a bite wound on B1's neck. Without proper medical supplies or vets handy this was fixed with the use of a staple gun.
Over the week our priorities became clear. As soon as we stopped for the day we had to get water and wood. Water had to be collected in 25 litre drums from a hole that had been made in the nearest lake or river. This was sometimes only a 5 minute walk, but at one cabin it was 700m away! Once at the hole we had to fill buckets with ice cold water and pour them into the larger container, inevitably getting our gloves wet in the process. Once full we had to drag it back to the cabin, knowing there would be another container that needed to be filled. Each day we went through about 150 litres. On our last water collecting trip Jason managed to make his own waterhole, going straight through the snow and ice, filling his boot with water. This was naturally at the waterhole 700m from the cabin meaning he had a very uncomfortable walk back, and the slight risk of frostbite each time he had to put his boots back on for toilet breaks that night.
Each cabin also had a wood shed where we would saw the logs down to size and split them with an axe. This was my preferred chore, although I am not a natural with an axe!
There were other occasions when the rustic nature of life was much less pleasant. B1 and B2 tended to engage in a bit of biffo whilst sledding along, and one day it became more serious. B1 had got her leg tangled in the rope and it took me a while to get her free, during which time there was a certain amount of growling and biting between the dogs. Later that day I noticed some blood on the snow and found a bite wound on B1's neck. Without proper medical supplies or vets handy this was fixed with the use of a staple gun.
Just don't think
Two readying breaths to fully absorb the warmth of the sauna. Then just run, door one to the washing room, door two to the change room, then through door three to the outside. Don't stop to think, just keep going.
"You're fucking crazy!"
I roll on to my back and look at the most amazing night sky. Just for a moment before running back to the sauna laughing harder than I have in years.
Christiane, who had introduced me to the idea of a snow break (stepping outside for a moment mid sauna to cool down), looked at me. "You're totally insane." Then more laughter. " I want to try it."
Sapna reluctantly agreed to join us. So once we are hot again all three of us run out to where it is -18 and jump in the snow wearing only our bikinis. Insanity is apparently catching.
"You're fucking crazy!"
I roll on to my back and look at the most amazing night sky. Just for a moment before running back to the sauna laughing harder than I have in years.
Christiane, who had introduced me to the idea of a snow break (stepping outside for a moment mid sauna to cool down), looked at me. "You're totally insane." Then more laughter. " I want to try it."
Sapna reluctantly agreed to join us. So once we are hot again all three of us run out to where it is -18 and jump in the snow wearing only our bikinis. Insanity is apparently catching.
Dog sledding
I had this vision of traversing white wilderness with the only sound being the swish of the sled on snow, but the reality was a mad cacophony of barking, whining and howling.
When we first arrived at the kennels we met our vaguely psychopathic guide Marcus. He proceeded to do the obligatory guide activity of regaling us with previous horror stories. Although as he had frostbite on his face from a snow storm he got caught in on the previous trip, these may not all have been exaggerated.
We were soon introduced to the rest of our group. Christiane, a purple haired geophysicist who had studied the northern lights in Alaska. Sapna, a sound technician who was on her first solo overseas adventure following a recent break-up. Frank, an anaesthetist from Belgium and Mario, the ubiquitous traveller who had done it all before. He really had, it was his eighth dog sledding tour. Together we were a fairly quiet group, comfortable with enjoying the surroundings in silence, the dogs not do much. The start of the dog sledding was deafening. There were 30 dogs, 7 sleds and 6 tourists wondering what we had got ourselves in for. How were we supposed to control 4 rambunctious huskies?
I had 2 black dogs in the lead, Nero and Hassle, with 2 white dogs behind who I'll call B1 and B2 as I had no hope of pronouncing their Swedish names, let alone spelling them. Hassle became a bit of a favourite as she was half the size of the other dogs, but seemed to have twice as much pulling power. Plus she was a total sook. I did get laughed at when I built up a wind break for her one night as she looked so cold.
The sled came with a variety of braking systems. A rope that could be attached to trees or posts when available. A snow hook that you had to stomp into the snow to secure the sled when stopped. A strong foot brake with massive spikes for slowing down the sled going downhill or stopping. A milder foot brake with two blades on the bottom to slow down if you were quicker than the person in front. The acceleration method involved lifting the brakes and letting the dogs go. My 4 had the ability to coordinate their leaps forward, so I would occasionally start moving despite applying all the brakes at my disposal.
Once the dogs were allowed to run the noise subsided and just as I'd hoped the only sound was the quiet swish of the sled on the snow. The scenery was spectacular. We started in birch forests, winding between trees, but soon we were high in the mountains travelling through valleys with mountains on all sides. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, mostly blue skies and little to no wind although it was a little chilly. The temperature was mostly around -15 during the day, dipping as low as -32 at night. The warmest day was also the day we weren't able to move due to the snow and high winds, it reached -9 that day!
The most magical moments were those times when I lost sight of everyone so it was really just me and my four dogs surrounded by a beautiful white wilderness.
When we first arrived at the kennels we met our vaguely psychopathic guide Marcus. He proceeded to do the obligatory guide activity of regaling us with previous horror stories. Although as he had frostbite on his face from a snow storm he got caught in on the previous trip, these may not all have been exaggerated.
We were soon introduced to the rest of our group. Christiane, a purple haired geophysicist who had studied the northern lights in Alaska. Sapna, a sound technician who was on her first solo overseas adventure following a recent break-up. Frank, an anaesthetist from Belgium and Mario, the ubiquitous traveller who had done it all before. He really had, it was his eighth dog sledding tour. Together we were a fairly quiet group, comfortable with enjoying the surroundings in silence, the dogs not do much. The start of the dog sledding was deafening. There were 30 dogs, 7 sleds and 6 tourists wondering what we had got ourselves in for. How were we supposed to control 4 rambunctious huskies?
I had 2 black dogs in the lead, Nero and Hassle, with 2 white dogs behind who I'll call B1 and B2 as I had no hope of pronouncing their Swedish names, let alone spelling them. Hassle became a bit of a favourite as she was half the size of the other dogs, but seemed to have twice as much pulling power. Plus she was a total sook. I did get laughed at when I built up a wind break for her one night as she looked so cold.
The sled came with a variety of braking systems. A rope that could be attached to trees or posts when available. A snow hook that you had to stomp into the snow to secure the sled when stopped. A strong foot brake with massive spikes for slowing down the sled going downhill or stopping. A milder foot brake with two blades on the bottom to slow down if you were quicker than the person in front. The acceleration method involved lifting the brakes and letting the dogs go. My 4 had the ability to coordinate their leaps forward, so I would occasionally start moving despite applying all the brakes at my disposal.
Once the dogs were allowed to run the noise subsided and just as I'd hoped the only sound was the quiet swish of the sled on the snow. The scenery was spectacular. We started in birch forests, winding between trees, but soon we were high in the mountains travelling through valleys with mountains on all sides. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, mostly blue skies and little to no wind although it was a little chilly. The temperature was mostly around -15 during the day, dipping as low as -32 at night. The warmest day was also the day we weren't able to move due to the snow and high winds, it reached -9 that day!
The most magical moments were those times when I lost sight of everyone so it was really just me and my four dogs surrounded by a beautiful white wilderness.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Stephen in Skelleftea
From Stockholm we headed north to spend a few days with Stephen. It was a gorgeous, if chilly, day in Skelleftea when we arrived and Stephen gave us a guided tour straight away to capatilise on the sun. As the subsequent days were rather snowy and temperatures around -15 it was nice to have had a look around whilst we could.
The cold I got shortly before leaving home is still hanging round and has developed into a rather unpleasant cough, so I decided that spending some time curled on the sofa, watching movies and generally trying to get better was a good use of my time. Jason's birthday was subsequently a very quiet affair although there was cake so all was not lost.
Tonight we are heading out to watch an ice hockey game, and tomorrow we are heading up beyond the Arctic circle. I think it could be cold(er)...
The cold I got shortly before leaving home is still hanging round and has developed into a rather unpleasant cough, so I decided that spending some time curled on the sofa, watching movies and generally trying to get better was a good use of my time. Jason's birthday was subsequently a very quiet affair although there was cake so all was not lost.
Tonight we are heading out to watch an ice hockey game, and tomorrow we are heading up beyond the Arctic circle. I think it could be cold(er)...
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Getting used to freezing
Our first night in Sweden was spent in a prison cell. At least it used to be a prison cell, although it has since been converted into a youth hostel. We arrived at our cell, having trekked along ice covered side walks through sleet, at 4pm. We wanted nothing more than to have a shower then curl up and go to sleep, so instead we dumped the bags and went straight back out in attempt to minimise our jet lag.
We chose to just walk around the area where we were staying, meandering along the water, crossing between islands, and finding the occasional oddity. Why has someone tied 20 miniature houses to a tree?! Despite our attempts to stay out as late as possible, we were still tucked up in bed by 6pm.
Day 2 needless to say started early. However opening hours do not take into account jet lag, so there was nothing to do until 11am. The two main activities that we did (in between eating various forms of chocolate) were going to the Noblemuseet and the Vasamuseet. We learnt about Alfred Noble and the origins of the Noble prize, and the dodgy wording that lets the economics prize be part of the Noble Prize ceremony despite it not actually being a noble prize. There had been a major emphasis on creativity when they were designing the museum, which led to some interesting movies. There was one about Cambridge University (as it has produced a large number of Noble laureates) which focused heavily on carrots, and proving you've cooked a swan by producing its head when required.
In the afternoon we headed across town to see a ship (the Vasa) which had sunk in 1633 on its maiden voyage. Due to fortuitous water conditions (such as too much pollution for creatures that normally eat wood to survive) it was in close to pristine condition when it was discovered in the 50s. The ship was quite spectacular and the work that went into raising it phenomenal.
We chose to just walk around the area where we were staying, meandering along the water, crossing between islands, and finding the occasional oddity. Why has someone tied 20 miniature houses to a tree?! Despite our attempts to stay out as late as possible, we were still tucked up in bed by 6pm.
Day 2 needless to say started early. However opening hours do not take into account jet lag, so there was nothing to do until 11am. The two main activities that we did (in between eating various forms of chocolate) were going to the Noblemuseet and the Vasamuseet. We learnt about Alfred Noble and the origins of the Noble prize, and the dodgy wording that lets the economics prize be part of the Noble Prize ceremony despite it not actually being a noble prize. There had been a major emphasis on creativity when they were designing the museum, which led to some interesting movies. There was one about Cambridge University (as it has produced a large number of Noble laureates) which focused heavily on carrots, and proving you've cooked a swan by producing its head when required.
In the afternoon we headed across town to see a ship (the Vasa) which had sunk in 1633 on its maiden voyage. Due to fortuitous water conditions (such as too much pollution for creatures that normally eat wood to survive) it was in close to pristine condition when it was discovered in the 50s. The ship was quite spectacular and the work that went into raising it phenomenal.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
The trip starts now
It was to be a protracted start to the trip. Our first flight was on the double decker A380. Although we had pre-selected upstairs seats these were changed to downstairs at check in. This ended up working well as the flight of stairs gets cordoned off at the top. So I spent a good 20 minutes going up and down stairs to stretch my legs, ignoring all the looks that suggested I was a crazy person. We had a fairly long wait in Singapore so made good use of the foot and calf massages that were on offer. The next leg was supposed to be the sleeping leg and drugged to the eyeballs we both dropped off quickly. Unfortunately we were awake 5 hours later, and that was the end of any decent sleep. Arriving in Munich at 5am we took the opportunity to at least go outside the airport, although as the temperature was literally freezing, we didn't last long before retreating to the temperature controlled airport world. From a grey, misty snow covered Munich we had a short hop to a stunningly blue and green Copenhagen. From the plane we could see the patchwork fields below some white with snow, others green, or red roofed houses. Lines of windmills paraded across the ocean. We only had time for a quick bite to eat before we headed back into the sky for the final leg towards Stockholm. So with 36 hours of travel and 5 hours of sleep under our belts the trip starts now.
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