Stavanger Norway

I fly from Budapest (Hungary) to Oslo (Norway) and then Oslo to Stavanger. During my layover I eye some sushi rolls. They are pre-made but taste good all the same. The fish just tastes fresher here.

I also stock up on some snacks at the airport store since I didn’t have any during my last flight. I seem to always forget to bring snacks.

After my short flight there is no wait at all to catch the bus into Stavanger city. I can easily pay on the bus by credit card. The flat I have rented is about a 7 minute walk from where the bus drops me. I am staying in the historic part of town distinct because of its rows of old white wooden houses. As I walk to the flat a group of seagulls scream by me, drop a piece of bread near me and they scream to pick it up again. It scares the crap out of me. They fly away but I should have taken that as an omen. More about that later.

It is 4:30 PM and it seems like all the attractions close for the day at 4:00PM if they are open at all; in fact some attractions only open days cruises are at port. The only thing to do at this point is go out to find something to eat. As I walk by the water a notice a very large cruise ship in port. I stop for a few minutes to see it leave the harbor.

Choices in food seem to be limited due to it being Sunday, in fact the grocery store that is supposed to be open at this time is even closed. I walk by the colorful district of Fargegaten. It is a lively area (relatively since Norway seems to be subdued) but it is filled with mostly coffee shops or bars so not a great choice for dinner. I’ll have to return for a drink another time.

I settle on a pizza place across the street from a very lively Irish pub. A group of football supports are having pre-drinks and chanting supporter songs loudly while they wait for their upcoming local match to start. I order a “pepperoni” pizza and salad and settle on a space outside to enjoy the cool but very sunny weather (Note: pepperoni sausage in the USA is rarely the same thing as you get in other countries. It is sausage but is a different flavor). My pizza and salad eventually come out and I watch a seagull occasionally stop at the the abandoned table next to be and loudly bang his beak on the plate. I am about one piece into my pizza and the bird is back. I fumble with my phone to get a video and within seconds the bird flys over and picks up my entire pizza and drops it to the ground while I scream “NO!”. The people next to me look at me with concern, the guys across the street are laughing and concerned as well. It is comical. I feel kind of stupid for leaving my pizza unprotected. The server at the restaurant is very kind. They make me a new pizza and I decide to move inside for part two. Before I move a guy from across the street approaches me to comment on the bird. We chat for a few minutes on how he regularly works at a bar down the street. He was intrigued on why there are so many more Americans visiting now when it was not common in the past. I didn’t have an answer for him. Maybe Americans in general are just traveling more.

Pizza, thrown on the ground unceremoniously

It’s hard to go to bed at a decent time since the constant sunlight is messing with my circadian rhythm. My flat is cute but black out curtains in the bedroom don’t really black out when it is still light out until 3:00 AM and for some reason the front windows have no curtains. Also I had lots of naps on the airplane on the way here.

You have to pay for public restrooms, by credit. This one cost less than $1 USD. They are always clean.

There are a handful of museums to see in the town but many of them seem to be closed on Mondays so Monday is the day I pick to hike Pulpit Rock(Preikestolen) where I am supposed to get some spectacular views of the fjords. I book a bus to take me to the trailhead which is little over an hour bus ride. I could do a cruise plus hike option but I already have some cruises booked later in my travels plus I really don’t want to rush my hike since I am a slow hiker. The bus ride is scenic with a drive through a long tunnel that has a beautiful blue lighted area about halfway through it.

The trail to the main attraction is about 5 miles roundtrip. It is certainly doable from my fitness level but I am coming into this knowing there will be a good amount of up and down that will make this trail more challenging than I am used to in my flatland. Just as I suspect there are many ups and downs (but most of the downs are on the return trip which may be considered worse depending on your perspective). The trail goes from steep switchback incline, to well formed stone steps, to randomly scattered stone steps which I have to almost do some scrambling to get over due to my short legs. In between there are some beautiful spots of large stone fins and wooden bridges in open areas. It is truly a beautiful hike. It is chilly at about 55 degrees Fahrenheit but between the intense sun and the physical effort in climbing, most are comfortable wearing short sleeved shirts during the trail effort, I know I am.

I finally get to Pulpit Rock and it is busy but the crowds don’t seem to annoy me as they normally do. Maybe all the fresh air and exercise has filled my body with extra serotonin. People are picnicking around. I take out the carton of coffee I purchased this morning and enjoy it along with the view. And speaking of the views, they are very nice. It is worth the effort to see the beauty. I take some pictures, relax and then head back. So far the trail as taken the amount of time it was estimated to take (it is estimated 2 hours each way and it took me just slightly over 2 which is notable in itself since I am generally much slower than the estimates say). I want to make sure I have plenty of time to get back to be bus at 4:00 PM since sometimes going down the rocks is much harder than going up – which I can say this is the case today. I feel the pressure on my joints, my knees and lower back. I will be hurting later. Many have walking sticks and while I usually have them when I travel for hiking trips in the USA, I never take them on international adventures. A guy on the trail tells me I should have rented some at the trailhead ….. I had no idea I could do that.

Because my circadian rhythm has been off I am determined to not sleep on the bus ride back but nature takes over with the soothing of a bus putting me to sleep multiple times. I do wake to admire the long tunnel again.

Thoroughly exhausted I get a quick fast food dinner, get some groceries for the morning and then go back to shower and rest for the night. I lather up with bio-freeze and topical pain cream to prevent whatever might ail me in the night from this day’s hike. Luckily museums open later tomorrow so I can let myself slowly awake into the day.

Norwegian Petroleum Museum (Norsk Oljemuseum)

One of the big museums in town is the Norwegian Petroleum museum. The museum visit starts with a movie called Oil Child. Oil Child is an artsy movie about living in the region with the development of oil rigs shown through the perspective of the son of an oil worker.

The rest of the museum is the history of petroleum in Norway and especially this region. Oil has brought lots of money to this country and the decision of the government to nationalize part of its profits has provided many things to the citizens of its country: infrastructure development, medical care, and pensions. Still the museum is honest about the dangers of the industry and promotes alternative forms of energy that you can learn about through interactive exhibits. A visit to this museum gave me a different perspective of an industry I am indifferent to (at best) or suspicious of (at worst). I also learned that oil is not from the remains of dinosaurs (laughing) but it is from millions of years of time and some algae.

Norwegian Canning Museum plus graphic museum (IDDIS Norsk grafisk museum og Norsk hermetikkmuseum) starts with a printing museum visit that to be honest I didn’t find that interesting until it got to the section of can printing and the special artwork that was made for the canned fish such as sardines. We are told how the fish are caught, smoked and canned (by hand!). We also learn about how child labor was very prominent in the industry during earlier times. Then we learn about the collapse of the industry and then consolidation. I really enjoyed looking at the artwork on all the cans.

I think about visiting the history museum but it closes today at 3 as do all the other museums. To really appreciate this city you need a multiple day visit because the museums have such limited hours.

It is almost time for my dinner reservation anyway at a fish restaurant where i am determined to order some crabs. King crabs is what they have available today and they are served cold with pickled onions and this very delicious creamy chili crab dipping sauce. The sauce reminds me of the chili crab I had in Singapore.

You would never know by the level of sunlight but it is getting late and I have a very early flight tomorrow so early that I’ll have to call a cab instead of taking the affordable bus. Tomorrow I start the road trip part of my Norway adventure.

Howth

I have one more free breakfast at my hotel since I am still enjoying the rate my friend booked. My friend is out the door when I am still half sleeping and I am sad to see her go. I have one more day in Dublin and today I am taking a day trip to the peninsula of Howth. It is supposed to be pretty out there and worthy of a day trip.

I leave at 8:30 and walk 30 minutes to the Dart station (Dublin Pearce). On the way I walk through a park I have yet to walk through. I definitely need to spend more time in Dublin. I will return.

When I get off the train I consult the trail map and admire all the boats in the water.

I pick a trail that walks the coast and go on my way. The trails are color coded and most follow the same path for a long while but mine suddenly disappears. I follow one of the other ones for a while until I get near the lighthouse and then there is a visible exit to a parking lot. I decide to head back that way. I follow the roads back into town. I want to head in to catch some fresh crab and lobster for lunch.

I am disappointed to find that I can find no fresh crab or lobster anywhere today. I am assuming they are not in season. I decide to get lunch at King Sitric Seafood Bar, the place I had picked out for today anyway. I enjoyed a snack of oysters and a cheese crab dish thing (not fresh crab apparently).

I walk around the rest of town. Noticing no crabs available anywhere. I am still a little hungry and intrigued about the half and half fish and chips (half traditional fish and half smoked fish). I wouldn’t say it tastes bad because under normal circumstances I would like it but I am absolutely sick of greasy fish and chips. I have a very hard time eating it. Unfortunately I end up tossing most of it.

After already getting the most out of the town for the day I head back by train to Dublin.

At the start of the day I had planned to come back from Howth and see the Epic museum and go see an evening Celtic show. None of that is happening. The most I can do is walk back through town, get ice cream and get another look at St Patrick cathedral.

The next morning I find my flight already delayed so I switch my itinerary to fly into a different airport in the USA.

I have one more whisky at the airport. I realize I have already gone through customs here in Dublin so I don’t need to do so in the USA. I could have carried on some bottles from duty free all the way back home if I really wanted too. I am not sure why I didn’t pick up some bottles of local whisky.

I going home for a month or so. I have a music festival, a friend coming into town, a grand birthday to celebrate in New Orleans at the French Quarter Fest, and hope to catch up with some friends and family back home before I go out to travel again.

After two months what have I learned?

I am heading home after two months of traveling.

What have I learned from this go around of traveling, because really for me traveling is about learning and growing and not necessarily relaxation.

I can no longer stay in moist climates or moldy/moist lodging for too long or I will have sinus issues.
Some people’s idea of paradise can be hell for others – Bali. There are plenty of good things about Bali but for me the bad outweighed the good.
Even with my broken body and advanced age I can still do many things with time and patience (surfing). Imagine what I could have accomplished if I didn’t get sick during my surf week!
I value my alone time but I also don’t mind much having travel companions. In fact it is quite nice.
I am amazed of how friendly and accepting people can be outside of the USA. At home I feel invisible most of the time outside of my friend group or network. While traveling people see me and are generally interested in me. It is a good feeling and makes me try to come out of my shell to reciprocate.
Many of my “issues” are due to the standard American lifestyle and diet. Over the weeks of traveling I noticed my need for over the counter anti-acid medicine and topical pain cream lessened and almost disappeared. I hope I don’t go home a return to like it was before.

Catch up with you soon when I am back on the road.

Bali really does hate me

Starting to slowly get my stamina back so I enjoy some things around town.

I book a lovely massage at the spa across the street (and a hair treatment a couple days prior).

There is a consistent flood on my street

Found a pretty great local ice cream chain.

One of the things I failed to do my last visit due to being sick is the Campuhan Ridge Walk (Bukit Campuhan). It is a short path so I figure it would be something nice to do this morning prior to breakfast. After the short trail you end up in a quiet town. I walk by the spa someone recommend earlier in my travels. I want to visit but I probably won’t because it will be a little farther from my hotel than I desire. It is still early so not much in the town is open. I turn around and head back toward my hotel.

I try the pancakes for breakfast today.

I relax and later head back out for a burger since its what I am craving. I am enjoying being able to eat foods again.

My time of normalcy is short lived….

I am sick again. I thought because I was so ill a week prior and almost fully recovered that I had built some sort of immunity to Bali. I was wrong. Luckily it is not as bad as before but I am drained of energy and have little motivation and big fear of being too far from my hotel. This is supposed to be a relaxing place that everyone loves. Why am I always so miserable here?

Georgia Road Trip: Part 1

I’ve been back in the USA over 7 months and COVID has hit the world. I’ve spent many months quarantined in my room or doing an occasional outdoor activity. I haven’t actually caught covid so far but I am still scared to travel (I had one pretty nasty illness in May that my doctor insisted was not COVID). I really need to get out of the house for a week or so. I finally get the courage to book a solo road trip to the nearby state of Georgia. I’ve noticed a couple of friends taking trips up there to do day hikes and it looks like a safe and interesting thing to do.

My first stop is southwestern Georgia at Providence Canyon State Park, a place many refer to as a mini grand canyon. It is a canyon caused by erosion from poor farming practices. Fortunately/unfortunately the end result is a neat little place to visit for the day to view and take a hike.

I am driving in from central Florida and arrive in the evening. I book a hotel in a nearby town that is actually in Alabama. Eufaula, Alabama is a small town that is very low-key and seems safe enough to stay for an evening or two (it is a good thing I booked two evenings, more on that later).

Driving into Alabama from western Georgia

The drive north, mostly highway miles, is where I think I notice a strange noise from my car (my car is quite old but a very reliable model and current on maintenance). I essentially do the equivalent of putting my fingers in my ears and try to ignore it. If I pretend the noise doesn’t exist will it go away on its own? I eventually arrive at my hotel and my car still sounds strange as I pull in the parking lot. “Maybe it is just tired and if I let it rest for the night it will be fine”. I check into my hotel room and rest for the evening. The next morning I am heading to the Providence Canyon. I wake up and start the 30 minute drive to the canyon, still ignoring the noise (I know, totally irresponsible). I arrive as the canyon is opening (since I read warnings that there can be crowds and they limit visitors for the day). It is impossible to ignore the noise anymore. As I park I get weird looks from others in the parking lot. I do an inspection to see what the problem might be. Luckily another visitor in the parking lot is knowledgeable of my issue and points it out right away. I have eroded a break pad and that is what is causing the noise. I am confused because I didn’t think my break pads were that old. This seems like a problem I need to resolve right away. I find a repair place who will take me immediately and drive back 30 minutes to the town I am staying. I need new break pads and rotor. The cost is ridiculously expensive to fix but it isn’t like I can comparison shop at this point. I get the service done and pay the price. I could head back to the canyon but it is already late in the day. I decide to wander around Eufaula instead. Luckily I have one more night scheduled in my hotel here.

I end up on a little paved trail that is mostly empty. This town is on the water so I can see boats on the water from the trail.

After my walk I order a pizza to take back to the hotel and go to bed early to return to the canyon in the morning.

The next morning my brakes are working great again and come in handy when I need to stop to make sure I don’t runover a parade of hogs on the road.

I am back at the canyon, this time for good. I start along the loop trail which slowly descends into the canyon.

I have the choice to explore the inside of the canyons from below or head up the incline to do the 2.5 mile loop trail. Today I decide to do only the 2.5 mile trail because I am out of hiking shape and I have longer hikes ahead of me on this trip.

The area used to be a settlement that had to be abandoned due to the earth collapsing. Left behind are some old cars.

Most of the loop is shaded and like a forest hike but the last part is mostly open but offers great vistas of the canyon.

There is an old church and cemetery on the walk back to the parking lot. I can never resist a peek at an old cemetery.

Overall it is a great visit. My only wish is that I would have spent the time to hike some of the canyons. Perhaps if I didn’t have the car issues I could have split the hikes over two days to make it more manageable.

I drove up to north Georgia afterwards to be closer to Amicalola Falls, the place I will start my adventure for the next couple days.

The Limelight Inn in Dahlonega, Georgia is a beautiful place to spend the night.

I enjoy my lovely porch view of the fall for a little bit then head into the town of Dahlonega for dinner. I find a nice little outdoor restaurant to enjoy dinner in this cute college town.

After dinner I head back to my Inn and enjoy the sunset from my porch since it is COVID times and most places appear to close early. It seems like a cute town to do some shopping in, maybe during another visit.

Tomorrow I head out on a 5 mile hike to a lodge I will be staying for two nights. More on that later.

Salento: Valle de Cocora

One of the most popular things to do in Salento is hike in the nearby Cocora Valley (about a 30 minute jeep ride from town). Two options exist: a loop hike which is about 12km and a shorter up and back hike (about an hour or so). Both hikes will give you a view of Cocora Valley’s iconic palm trees. The long hike is rumored to be amazing so I am planning on doing the whole loop today.

I start off early today because I know I am a slow hiker. I inform my hotel I am missing breakfast again and they instead provide me a lovely fruit platter and orange juice to take on my journey. I also stop at the shop on the corner to order a coffee, empanada and some other breads to take with me (one being my new addiction of sausage stuffed rolls – these are amazing when they are fresh). I also carry lots of water.

To arrive at the start I hire a jeep from town square in the morning. They say they leave once an hour but they really leave once they fill up. Mine left 15 minutes early. Luckily I showed up early for the 7:30 am ride.

The jeep drops us off on a dirt road I am assuming is nearby the trail entrance. There is really no instruction of where to start, I just know that I should start “off to the right” for which direction I plan to go. I should have followed the crowd as the jeep emptied but I decide to try to use the nearby restroom before I start my journey. By the time I got out of the restroom there is no one really to ask which way to go.

I wander around for a bit up and back on the dirt road. The entrance I am looking for should be to the right of the road.

Not where I am supposed to start – I think this is the end

I look down at maps.me on my phone and I think I discover the correct way to the start.

I chose doing the loop going counter-clockwise to avoid crowds. Also the journey across the waterway is beautiful early in the day and the inclines are more gradual in this direction.

I head down into the valley and I eventually reach the trail entrance where I pay an admission charge and receive a wrist band.

I pass a small bridge and stop to say hi to some cows.

I start my hike trough a narrow trail in the middle of a meadow. There are cow pastures on the sides of the path. Vibrant green grass blankets the meadow. The weather is slightly cool. It is a beautiful day.

At the edge of the meadow I stop and eat my fruit before I carry onto the next part of my journey.

I start the stream-jumping section of the path. The second part of the trail is basically a series of rocky paths that wind around a stream with frequent bridge crossings. The bridges get progressively more scary: meaning the further you go the less maintained the bridges seem to be (I read where one called them the Indian Jones bridges).

This is another amazingly beautiful part of the trail. I enjoy hearing the stream of water while I hike.

Leaving the waterway behind I start climbing uphill towards a hummingbird sanctuary, a pit stop on the trail. I intended to visit the sanctuary but the climb is making me tired. I recall the advice I was given from other travelers a couple days ago and decide to turn back and forgo the visit. I have much further to go and I want to make sure I have energy to complete the loop. I did read reviews later that were favorable but nonetheless I am glad I skipped it because the trail continues uphill in the intended direction and I need all the energy I can conserve.

While on the trail I encounter signs of the different wildlife I may see along the way.

I hope I don’t run into one of these guys

The terrain is changing again and I end up on a sandy path. It is challenging and uphill. I hear the sounds of doors creaking in the trees. I look up and see no birds so I can only assume what may be making those sounds.

I finally reach what I understand to be the highest point. I take the slow zig zags uphill. I stop on the bright green meadow “walls” to lay down and rest because it looks so comfortable.

At the top there seems to be a café but it looks like they are only serving a specific tour group. It may be private property but they don’t mind that others are hanging around and resting on the nearby benches. I find Finca La Montaña a place to catch my breath and snack on my breads before moving on. I learn later that it is a coffee farm.

I am past the halfway point now I think.

I watch a dog watching people walk downhill (doing the trail loop clockwise)

As I leave Finca La Montaña I walk by quite a few people going in the opposite direction. It appears the Finca La Montaña I have just arrived at is the final spot at top for those doing just the shorter hike. Unfortunately those walking toward the finca look tired since the journey is mostly uphill and it is now the hottest time of day. I chatted with a few hikers caught off guard with the uphill challenge. My hike is challenging as far as inclines go but at least the uphill parts are broken up by horizontal parts. I am excited to learn the rest of my hike will be mostly downhill.

I walk by some lovely tall pine trees.

only 4.2 km to go. mostly downhill from here.

I notice more beautiful views hiking down. Soon I reach another section where someone is collecting admission to the observation area where I can finally view the tall palms – El Bosque de Las Palmas. I receive another wrist band.

This map makes the path look very simple but it didn’t feel very simple while I was hiking.

Downhill path. It is now hot and sunny so I am thankful.

Finally I reach the upper level of the mirador or viewpoint of the lovely palm trees. It is incredibly windy today.

I walk out a down a series of sandy terraces, each giving a distinct viewpoint of the area.

Entrance if you are entering the trail from the opposite direction. Some people just visit this portion of the area and skip the long hike.

Tried to follow my location via maps.me. Not sure really how helpful it was.

I head back down what I believe is the street I arrived at this morning. I see a meadow where jeeps are parked. This must be where I catch my return trip to town. I wait for a jeep to become available and hop in the back. Luckily I am sitting inside (even though it is crowded) and not hanging off the back like other adventurous travelers.

The journey today was long and exhausting but it was highly rewarding. I am adding this hike to my list of memorable hikes.