Obscure World: Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Iceland is not really on my lets-travel-there-immediately wishlist. I am, though, very likely to change my mind after seeing these pictures.

 Blue Lagoon.  It's Iceland's most unique and popular attraction.  Where else can you bathe, float, relax and soak in a vast pool of 102 degree geothermal seawater made warm from underneath the earth's surface.  Crazy right?  Obviously, this is why over 400,000 people visit Blue Lagoon annually and it's been voted the best medical spa worldwide, 5 years in a row.

In addition to soaking your cares away, enjoying the breathtaking scenery, breathing in the clean, fresh air, you can also enjoy special water treatments like massages, scrubs, silica, salt glows, algae, pregnancy massages and, my personal favorite, psoriasis treatments.  Who knew there was a whole spa while floating in a giant pool of blue seawater!

Aside from the flights from Vancouver to Iceland, the hotel, food and car service, Blue Lagoon will actually be the least expensive portion of your Icelandic adventure.  Ringing in at a whopping EUR 35 (includes entrance to the geothermal spa and a towel), you can easily slip into relaxation, forgetting about the thousands you spent to get here.

Allan, I'm thinking we really need to fly here.....soon!

All photos courtesy of www.bluelagoon.com

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Guest Post: The Wonders of New Zealand

When Christina asked me to write a guest post about some of my travel experiences, I decided to write about a place that I know she and Allan want to visit, New Zealand.

Photo courtesy of http://www.newzealand.com/ca/auckland/

 I visited and stayed in New Zealand for a few months several years ago.  It’s a country that is rich in culture, with tons of things to do and see and I loved every minute of it.

I stayed solely on the North Island, mostly in Auckland, but I know the South island is also amazing.  NZ’s landscape is so beautiful and it reminded me a lot of BC and a bit of the UK.  There’s a huge UK influence, I found, particularly in the food and products.

 

One of my favorite aspects of NZ was the culture.  The native people of Aotearoa (NZ in Maori) are the Maori, but there a major influences from other Polynesian islands; like Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.  Like most of the Polynesian cultures, dance and music play an important part in the Maori culture.  You may have seen a Maori Haka, a warrior dance that the NZ All Blacks perform before every game.  The Maori warriors stick out their tongues and the women open their eyes, kind of bulging them out, to strike fear in their enemies.

Tattoos and art are also important to the culture.  Facial tattoos are very detailed and filled with meaning in every line and both men and women get them.  Carvings fill the Maraes that can be visited, although they are sacred meeting places for the Maori’s. 

Marae in Rotura - Photo courtesy of http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/

Spending some time with Polynesian people, you will be impressed with their pride for their cultures and you’ll be fed until you’re stuffed, as food is another major part of the traditions.  It’s the way they celebrate all events and family gatherings.  Some of the foods you might expect are; roasted pig, taro, fish, and a lot of different fruits.

U2 celebrated the life of one of their crew members, who was a New Zealander, by writing the song, One Tree Hill, which is actually a volcanic peak in a suburb of Auckland.  It’s an important memorial for New Zealanders and Maori’s.  Although the One Tree was destroyed by vandals, the memorial obelisk still stands.

One Tree when it was standing - Photo courtesy of http://forestpolicyresearch.com

If you ever end up visiting NZ, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  There are so many things I didn’t
mention that are so worth visiting.  Remember Lord of the Rings was filmed there so there are plenty of
tours that run for that too.

 PS - Thank you so much, Bronwen, for sharing your experiences.  You can see Bronwen's blog at www.rubyna.com

Bali: Our Itinerary

Photo courtesy of http://wikitravel.org/en/Bali

We're going to Bali - aka Island of Gods.

It was a quick, completely painless decision on mine and Allan's part, something we're both very proud of. Why Bali you ask?  Hmmmm, I think we're asking ourselves the same thing.  We wanted adventure, a new culture, a different way of life and, above all, relaxation.  I know that Bali will provide all of those PLUS a great intro to traveling abroad.  We're hoping to come home relaxed, rejuvenated and, above all, more content with our current way of life.

Ubud - Photo courtesy of http://wikitravel.org/en/Ubud

I've been researching this trip for almost as long as I've been planning our wedding.  We've written out our itinerary, checked out must-see sights, googled the best restaurants and even found a place for afternoon.  All of this plus biking the rice fields, surfing, hiking volcanoes, snorkeling, eating Babi Guling (Bali's infamous pork dish) and even experiencing a Balinese cooking class.  I'd say our three weeks are booked solid.

Babi Guling - Photo courtesy of www.travelfish.org

Our itinerary as planned though fully prepared for things to change:

Bangkok Airport - Photo courtesy of http://bangkokscoop.com

Day 1 - 3: Flying:  We pretty much have the worst flights scheduled in the history of flying.  (I'm sure we do anyway.)  Fly from Vancouver, BC to Seoul, South Korea at 11:45 am (the 17th of Sept) and land at 3:00 pm (the 18th of Sept) with a 6 hour layover in Seoul.  Fly out of Seoul to Bangkok, Thailand at 9:25 pm (the 18th of Sept) and land at 1:20 am (the 19th of Sept) with a 7 hour layover in Bangkok.  Fly out of Bangkok to Denpasar, Bali at 8:50 am and land in Denpasar at 2:15 pm.  Woohoo, we will have finally made it.

Naughty Nuri's Warung - Photo courtesy of www.travelfish.org

Day 4 - 13 Ubud, Bali:  The place I'm most excited for.  Culture, dance, art and Naughty Nuri's Warung.  Yes, it's all about the ribs.  Here we have planned spa days, yoga, a cooking class, the elephant park, Sanur (coastal city), monkey forest walk, rice paddy adventures, outdoor markets, and sightseeing temples galore.  Ubud is the reason I wanted to visit Bali to begin with.

Biku Tea House - Photo courtesy of www.timeoutkl.com

Day 14 - 22 Seminyak, Bali:  The place Allan is most excited for.  Surfing, beaches, gorgeous restaurants, active nightlife and afternoon tea.  Here, we're doing a biking trek (separately, Allan is mountain biking one of the large volcanoes while I do afternoon tea), surfing, eating, Canggu (small coastal area with the best seafood), Jimbaran (the best beach area of Bali) and more spa days.

Jimbaran Beach - Photo courtesy of www.worldislandparadise.com

For those that have been to Bali before, I would LOVE to hear about things we should see, places to eat at, things to do and ways to avoid getting sick.  (Yes, more my fear but more on this later.)  Any advice is greatly appreciated.

With all the planning we've done, it's getting extremely difficult having to wait the 3 months, 2 weeks and 1 day for our adventure.  Oh did I mention, that our wedding is also two days before our big trip.  Man, so much to do!