Posts from — February 2009

You’ve got to check out the photos in this 50 Strange Buildings post at villageofjoy.com. It just proves that architectural imagination (and clever engineering) is not dead.

Today is “Bolludagur” or Bun Day in Iceland. We missed it on our Iceland trip, but I have it from a reliable source (Bjork Ivarsdattor, the 16 year old daughter of our Iceland home exchangers) that the tradition is that kids wake earlier than their parents and “spank” them awake–earning a chocolate éclair-like bun for every landed swat.  “Oh, I don’t know how to explain it!” Bjork says. “But it is really fun. You get to smack someone in the butt and then he or she has to give you a Bollu–it’s a bread with cream and chocolate in the middle.”

Rigged full

I stumbled across  a great article on what to do in 48 hours in San Juan. It’s a nice itinerary. One of  the author’s suggestions, El Yunque rainforest, is just 45 minutes out of San Juan. It is one of those macro view spots. When I first arrived I was a little appalled. Many of the scenic locations are only a few feet off the road, and because of the thick jungle there are only a handful of trails to get off the thoroughfare. The La Mina trail was listed as difficult and it is fairly steep, but it’s mostly paved. I saw people navigating it with strollers without much difficulty. It ends in a lovely, but very crowded, waterfall. After awhile, though, you start to appreciate El Yunque’s charms, it’s lushness and fertility,.

The Forgotten download

The 48 Hours in San Juan article  (perhaps feeling that 48 hours in San Juan is not quite enough) skimmed over the bioluminescent bays, which are one of most unique things to do near San Juan.

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Quite possibly the two best words to string together in a single sentence are hidden and beaches.  This post at Bootsn’all lists seven of them…Cousine Island, Seychelles; Caprera Island, Sardinia, Italy; Whale Island, Vietnam;  Luskentyre Beach, Harris, Scotland; New Chums Beach, New Zealand; Playón de Mismaloya Beach, Mexico;  and Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.

Varsity Blues movies

Lonely Planet has come up with a new Top Ten Destinations, rather unscientifically comprised of the top ten destinations in terms of hits on their website. But the changes—and similarities from year to year—are interesting.

Thailand, Italy, Costa Rica, and India are still at the top, year after year. Mexico, Argentina, Vietnam, and Australia also made the list. But two new destinations scored this year: Peru and Denmark.  I’ve been to both , and can vouch for them, but Denmark is a surprise—not because it isn’t lovely—but because when I was there, people were always surprised to hear I was from the US and visiting Denmark. Almost invariably, they asked if I was researching my family’s genealogy, as though that would be the only explanation for staying in Denmark. [Read more →]

The World Ice Sculpting Championships are held in March in Fairbanks every year. Sculptors from around the world gather to create massive, intricate ice sculptures. The professional entries start with 10 blocks of ice-52,000 pounds worth. Using only snow, water, and their allotted ice, the sculptors create ethereal masterpieces that will melt by June, but in March you can view them in all their glory lit at night with colored lights. [Read more →]

How to mark a Friday the Thirteenth? So many choices…the Vancouver Sun (reporting on Lonely Planet’s Best in 2009) wrote this article on the best top ten final resting places (cemeteries, tombs, and crypts). I’m guessing that Lonely Planet’s list was intended to mean the best resting places to visit, rather than the best places to end your journey.

Then, there is this article on classic horror movie locations —the Friday the Thirteenth campsite (Bergen Council Boy Scouts Camp in Nobebosco, NJ); the Disturbia House in Whittier, CA; the Amityville Horror House in Toms Rock, NJ; the Poltergeist House in Simi Valley, CA (an average looking suburban tract home, now occupied by people who may be frightened of macabre tourists lurking around their home); the Halloween House in Hollywood, CA; the 1408 Beach (the pier in Manhattan Beach, CA);  the Nightmare on Elm Street house in Hollywood;  and the Scream 3 Apartment in West Hollywood, CA. Clearly, the scariest places in the US are California and New Jersey. 

Or, if you want a corndog with your Friday the Thirteenth celebration, try this [Read more →]

Everyone wants to rank eco-resorts (the buzzword of the decade).  But no one listed my most recent favorite–Bosque del Cabo in the Osa Penninsula.  I was sorely tempted to try Corcovado Tent Camp (listed in 1000 Places…) but there were 5 of us, and they would only allow 4 in a tent, even after I promised that we could carry our own air mattress). I just couldn’t justify spending the money to sleep 8 when I only needed 5. Instead, Bosque del Cabo rented us Casa Miramar, an open air house with amazing views and fridge-raiding coatis.

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Fairbanks’ cluttered G.I. Joe Surplus store has one of the last remaining stockpiles of genuine “bunny boots”. These white vapor-barrier boots (which make the wearer’s feet look like gigantic arctic hare feet) were originally made for the U.S. military and are rated for up to -60 degrees Fahrenheit. Fashionable they’re not, but they saved many an enlisted man’s feet from frostbite-or worse. In 1994 the army went to a different supplier, and the army-issue winter boots became more rigid, cheaper, and not nearly as well regarded. The pre-1994 Bata manufactured boots are preferred by Alaskans who have been known to spell out in their will exactly who will receive their bunny boots.

I was going ice-fishing. In Fairbanks. In early March. I wanted those boots. And I wanted them bad. [Read more →]

It’s in our blood. American love road trips. Our restlessness may have something to do with our ancestors getting booted out of their home countries, but whatever the reason, the road trip is iconic. American culture is full of road trips, from Jack Kerouac’s On the Road to Easy Rider to Thelma and Louise to Robin William’s RV.

Rand McNally’s Road Trip Guide describes 40 road trips in delicious detail, though in a kind of clunky PDF format. It doesn’t rehash just the iconic (Hwy 1 up the California Coast or Route 66 through the southwest, for example) and though it’s weighted towards the west, it covers road trips nationwide. My score 11 of 40.

 For something scenic, check out this photo collection of the world’s most spectacular roads.

Here are a few tips for the quintessential road trip: [Read more →]