Pre-Trip – Page 10 – Lives of Wander

March 23, 2008January 24, 2011

Vad handde i Lappland (Part 2)

The trip began with a short flight from Stockholm to Kiruna. We landed in what I consider heavy snow, which had me a bit concerned. I guess they thought nothing of it, because everything went off without a hitch. After the taxi ride into town, I arrived at the hospital … yes, the hospital. After much consternation about where to stay because the hostels were fully booked, I found out that the hospital has a “Lilla Hotelet,” which I’m pretty sure I don’t need to translate for you. Better yet, it was far cheaper, and I soon found out, far better equipped than a hostel. So I walked into the ER at midnight and said (in my best broken Swedish) I needed to pick up my key for my room. I got a room to myself, with a TV and own bathroom.

After a restful evening, I made my way down toward the train station through central Kiruna, walking beside 10 foot snow drifts and through the 8 inches that had fallen overnight. Here’s some context.

There was a whole park full of snow sculptures, most of them odder than this, and those kids are standing on top of a mountain of snow. It was definitely a different world. And it was still snowing.

After warming up at the train station, I was ready to head to Abisko Mountain Station, the self proclaimed best place in the world to see Aurora Borealis. This claim (I think) is made based on their geographical location in a rain shadow beneath a canyon. As such, they get more clear nights than nearly any other populized area in the Arctic Circle. At least this is what they tell me. I certainly wasn’t being convinced by the weather as I got there.

Yup, that’s the sun trying to poke through. And the snow was still coming. And even though it wasn’t looking too promising, I decided to chance it and buy a ticket up to the Abisko Sky Station that night, since it was the last night they were planning on opening. And in retrospect, I don’t know why they even opened it, because when I went up there in the evening here’s what I saw.

Yep, not much. The lights are where I was staying, but even they were a rare appearance from the sky station on this night. So needless to say, there was no chance of looking up and seeing anything. So I spent my time taking some pictures of the cafe/sky station. It’s not very big, but its quaint. Let me also say there is something very unnerving about a complete white out. Riding up on the chair, the clouds were so thick, I couldn’t even see the chair in front of me, and the ground below me was completely white. It was like a sensory deprivation tank, only not black. Very peculiar feeling.

The next morning I hopped on the train to BjÃ¶rkliden, a ski area 5 miles away. I had thought about trying telemark skiing or alpine touring, but in the end couldn’t resist good ole downhill. Like a typical spoiled American skier, I was annoyed at the T-bar pulling lifts (seriously, up here Gondola’s should be a must!), and no goggles + light snow = difficulty seeing, but other than that the skiing was great. I quickly found my favorite runs and spent all day on them (with copious stops into the SnÃ¶bar for hot chocolate and to warm up). On one such stop, I noticed a sign for trying a dogsled. How could I resist! I signed up and walked over and met Andreas and his many dogs. He quickly showed me how to hit the brakes, and then he got to harnessing BjÃ¶rk, Lare, Wilmer and Kim. They are sweet looking dogs, mainly Alaskan husky (to handle the cold) and pointer (to run forever) mixes for those of you who know your dog breeds. For sledding dogs, they had a really hard time grasping the concept at first. But in no time I looked like a pro.

Now, looking like a pro doesn’t mean I drove like a pro, I did skid out and tip over on one turn. Driving those things is not as easy as it seems. And I don’t know what Survivorman was talking about on his show where he was in the Arctic dogsledding, as soon as I was off the sled the dogs stopped. I got back on and all was well (the whole time Andreas was ahead of us in his snowmobile, so it’s not as if I was going to get lost or anything). It was great fun though, I think I may try to run the Iditarod one of these days =).

That evening, my last at Abisko, I headed out with my camera after dark determined to see some northern lights. At least this night was somewhat clear, though clouds and occasional snow still passed through. I strained my eyes looking in all directions, lasting about two hours outside in the cold, through the peak auroral zone time of 10:30 I had heard about the night before. I even arose and headed back out when I saw it was clear at 1:30 AM. Never did I see anything, which was highly disappointing. It would all come down to the last night back in Kiruna. In all my time spent looking though, I did manage some pretty neat pictures of the night sky.

Here’s some more pictures from Abisko that don’t fit into the narrative for you to enjoy.

Part 3 comes tomorrow, the dramatic conclusion to my trip. I visit the Ice Hotel, and get a little crazy in my quest to see the northern lights. Stay tuned!

March 20, 2008January 24, 2011

Vad handde i Lappland (Part 1)

You may have noticed Theresa has been keeping the blog alive for the past week or so. And if you haven’t gotten around to commenting about where you want to go most because you’ve been thinking long and hard about it, head down below this and inspire us. While you may attribute my absence to general laziness, you would in fact be wrong. In fact, it was the exact opposite, as I was braving arctic blasts and gigantic snow drifts to venture into the far north, to Swedish Lappland. I spent three days and four nights over 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle, almost farther north than the entire state of Alaska. I visited Kiruna, Jukkasjarvi, and Abisko to try to accomplish four things:

1) Witness the Northern Lights

2) Venture inside the world famous Ice Hotel

3) Drive a dogsled

4) See a moose (and reindeer)

I’ll go ahead and spoil the last one right now, I did not see a moose, nor reindeer, though I can’t say I went out of my way to try. I did run across some tracks that I thought might come from a moose, though.

Anyone knows if those are moose tracks or something else? Chime in with your idle speculation and wild guesses. I really have no idea. But the picture also gives you an idea of the raw beauty that was everywhere.

But to find out if I was successful in accomplishing my other goals, you’ll have to stay tuned to Lives of Wander. This is the first of a three part series. I’m just too exhausted tonight to write more, and when you get to part three, you’ll understand why.

March 18, 2008January 24, 2011

Your Turn. Where Do You Want to Travel?

For the past few months, Jeff and I have been sharing with you our thoughts about our upcoming trip, frequently focusing on all the places we want to go and the sites we want to see. Now it’s your turn. If you’re reading this, please leave a comment listing the top three places you would like to travel in your lifetime. It can be a faraway exotic land difficult to reach. It can be an awesome national park not far from your home. It doesn’t matter to us, so long as it’s where you’d like to go. You can supply reasons if you like, but feel free to just list them if you’d prefer. Maybe you’ll inspire us or a fellow reader. It is a big world out there after all.

Then after you post your three places, take a minute to consider why you’re not making plans to take one of these trips (unless, of course, you already are). As far as I’m aware, this is the only life we get and there are no guarantees. Carpe Diem!

(Seriously, post your three places. Don’t just read and move on to another site. Read, click the comment button, and share your list. We want to know where you, our readers, dream of going. Please? And thank you.)

March 16, 2008January 24, 2011

Markets: The Soul of a Place

Yesterday, on the final full day of my brother Matthew’s visit, I took him to one of my favorite DC spots—Eastern Market. Though a fire destroyed the historic hall that housed the heart of the market about a year ago, the market is still going strong. Every day of the week, you’ll find in the inside section (now housed in a temporary building), butchers, fishmongers, pasta makers, and bakers, serving up incredibly fresh products. It’s a treat just to walk through and see food without all the plastic wrap and labeling introduced by the grocery stores. On weekends, in the outdoor sections, you’ll find farm stands, artisans, and flea market booths. I love to meander through, sampling the produce, marveling at some of the flea market oddities, and wishing I had more money than I do so I could buy the jewelry, photographs, and other artworks on sale. In honor of my birthday, I went ahead and splurged yesterday and bought a necklace from one of my favorite vendors, Andrea Haffner. She casts dried flowers in resin to create gorgeous pendants. I’d bought them as gifts before, but never one for myself, and this time I just couldn’t resist.

The reasons I love Eastern Market are myriad, but what it really boils down to is its authenticity. It’s not packaged or produced, not really all that predictable. There’s never a guarantee that a certain vendor will be there, but there’s always a guarantee that I’ll find something interesting. In the permanent hall, the vendors are third and fourth generation. The people selling you slabs of beef, your Thanksgiving turkey, or a slice of cake know the history of this city and this market better than anyone. There are stories here. And though the stories at Eastern Market are the stories of DC, there are thousands of markets around the world with millions of stories to be told.

Just tonight, I put on an old episode of No Reservations. By random chance, I chose the Jamaica episode, and though I faded in and out of paying attention to the show, I was listening when Bourdain visited a market and noted that he thinks it is one of the first things you should do when you visit a city to really get a feel for the place. I wholeheartedly agree. In my travels, I love to seek out markets.

In Freiburg, Germany, a daily market took place right outside the cathedral. It was there that I first encountered white spargel, and I made many a lunch out of the wursts being cooked up on the spot. The aroma was impossible to resist. At Barcelona’s Mercat de la Boqueria, I had my first blood orange, beginning an addiction that I just can’t kick. And every Friday in Athens, I made my way to my neighborhood laiki (farmer’s market), a street full of tents where I bought the spinach I would use to make my first spanakopita and where my “tomato man” (see second picture below) helped me pick out the perfect cucumbers for tzatziki. I never felt more integrated into Greek society than when I was at the laiki. After just a few weeks, the vendors would recognize me, welcome me, and always, always, always sneak a little extra something into my bag after I’d already picked out and paid for what I wanted. It’s too bad my grocery store here doesn’t do that.

But it’s not only when I’m abroad that I seek out markets. In Philadelphia, we spent way more time than we had planned wandering around the Reading Terminal Market, and I always try to make it to the Bainbridge Island Farmer’s Market when we visit Jeff’s parents. If we have time, we also take a trip to Pike’s Place Market and maybe even the Ballard and Fremont neighborhood markets. Really, I never get tired of them.

And though I must admit that food markets are my favorite, I’m a sucker for any type of market. In Cairo, I loved getting lost in the alleys of Khan el-Khalili, bargaining for mother-of-pearl chess sets and inlaid plates. And I don’t think I ever went downtown in Athens, without visiting Monastiraki, where you never knew what you might find. Once, spread out on a blanket with dishes and toys was a dildo. Odd indeed. Another time, in a bowl of old coins was a brand new American quarter. Out of curiosity we asked the seller how much he wanted for it, and after studying it for a moment (obviously having no idea what it was), he asked us for 2 euro. We passed. Even in the days of decent exchange rates, an American quarter wasn’t worth that.

Once we set out on our big adventure, I’ll be on the lookout for great markets, and you can count on me narrating many a visit along with my first tastes of new fruits and vegetables or my super bargain purchases. So that I don’t miss any must-see markets, I’ve been doing a little research, and I came across this list from Food & Wine magazine, detailing 25 top food markets, including five that we may make it to: Singapore’s Kreta Ayer Wet Market; Old Delhi, India’s Chandni Chowk; Picsac, Peru’s Sunday Market; Santiago, Chile’s Mercado Central; and Manaus, Brazil’s Mercado Municipal. But I know there are more great markets out there.

So tell me, what’s your favorite market? Even if it’s not in a location we plan to visit on this trip, go ahead and let me know about it. I’ll start taking notes for our next go-round.

March 13, 2008January 11, 2011

Things I Miss About Home

I wrote earlier about the tug of war between the comforts of home and the adventure of travel. Well, here are some of things I’ve been missing about the comforts of our home since I’ve been over here. And, really, this is a pretty simple list, as I don’t have many language problems and the culture is pretty similar. Just some minor quirks and things I think we do better back home. I’m sure we’ll revisit this list while we on our big journey and surely have many more things to add. But without further ado:

– a comfortable couch

– spicy food (when claim it is its only worse)

– “home cooking”, I know I was pleased with myself but its still not the same

– beers that don’t cost $10

– indoor temperatures above 65 (I don’t know this for a fact but it sure always feels cold … besides, they use these C things that I can’t translate =) )

– TVs with more than four channels (and that are always in English)

– a quilt and sheets

– March Madness and spring training

– non-rainy/snowy days (with the exception of last Saturday)

– non-motion sensing lights in my bathroom (you might think this is clever, until you have it go off every three minutes while hidden behind the shower curtain)

– Coke being the same price as Pepsi, and thus making my decision easy

– doors that open without pushing a button on the wall

– my nightly routine of the Daily Show and Colbert Report

– my better half

That’s my list so far. For those who haven’t traveled, what do you all think you would be the hardest thing to give up? For those of you who have traveled, what was the thing you missed most?

March 11, 2008January 11, 2011

Packing 101

Since our trial run with our bags, we’ve been asked a number of times, exactly what we are planning to put in said bags. Packing for a year is certainly a daunting task, especially when you need to carry everything that you need on your back. We’ve made a conscious decision to try to “follow the sun,” or travel in a direction in which we maximize good weather. Yet without ever venturing into winter, we’ll stay face a wide range of weather. Summer in Patagonia isn’t exactly warm, and it’s always cool at high elevations. The jungle, however, is going to be plenty warm, even if we were to be there in winter. We’ll also be doing an array of activities, from adventure trekking to museum and church visiting. Did I mention that packing isn’t easy? But we think we’ve come up with a pretty good packing list, and thus we’ve decided to share it here on our site. If you look at the menu bar at the top of the page, you’ll see a new addition called “Details”. Click on it and you’ll find a link to our packing list. (Although at this point it’s missing Jeff’s clothing list. He’ll be adding that himself soon. I have to at least pretend that he gets to decide what he’s taking 🙂 ) As our planning progresses, we’ll be adding more information to this page, so check back regularly.

Now go ahead and critique our list. Leave a comment telling me what I forgot to include or what I ought to leave behind.

March 9, 2008January 24, 2011

Stockholm Through a Lens

Before you get into this eye candy, if you haven’t voted on how we should see the Amazon, head to Theresa’s post just below this and give us your thoughts.

Since I don’t have my own separate blog, and since this is vaguely travel related, I thought I would share it here. This weekend we had a rare nice day in Stockholm, and so I took the opportunity to wander about the city with a camera. Here are some of the images I was happy with.

There’s plenty of color splashed onto apartment buildings.

It’s coming up on Easter, which in Sweden means you tie feathers to bare tree branches. Mom, you want to explain that one? It does look nice in big bunches though.

A row of Swedish fruit drinks outside a store. I like that you can see the buildings across the street.

An empty pier. It is winter after all.

An interesting building with Stadshuset (City Hall) and it’s Tre Kronor (three crowns, the national symbol) in the background. Here’s another of one corner of Stadshuset. It kinda looks like it needs to be in a Cingular commercial.

And I just thought these last two looked kinda cool. Feel free to disagree.

March 6, 2008January 11, 2011

Face Off #2: The Amazon

All election, all the time. Does it seem that way to ya’ll too or is it because we live in the nation’s capital that we feel this way? It’s all about the vote. Who’s voting, how they’re voting, and why they’re voting that way. I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of tired of hearing about it. Obama or Clinton? Clinton or Obama?

So how about having a say on something else, something much more interesting, I dare say, than who will be the next leader of the free world? For instance, where we should go for our Amazon experience. Yes, yes, I think that’s it.

In the second face-off to appear on Lives of Wander, we ask you to cast your vote for the place/manner in which we experience the Amazon, one of South America’s most dominating landscapes. Yes, folks, this is a two-part vote, reminiscent of the days when the president and vice-president ran separately rather than on one ticket. Crazy, I know, but I trust that you bright folks can handle it. So review the options, vote in the poll below, and then leave a comment explaning why you voted the way you did.
(In the first face-off, 67% of you voted for Indonesia over the Philippines, and we’re heeding your advice. No Supreme Court overthrows here…at least not yet!)

Manner of Experiencing the Amazon

Option 1: Rolling On the River
Named a 2008 Dream Trip by Budget Travel magazine, there’s something rather old world about traveling by riverboat. It’s a bit Mark Twainian bargaining a ride with a captain, stringing up a hammock, and watching the world pass by from the deck of your boat. It seems to be a good way to get a slightly firmer grasp on what the Amazon is since you’ll cover a decent amount of ground. And is there a river more exotic than the Amazon? The downside is that being out in the middle of the river, you don’t get to experience life on the ground in the jungle. And from what I hear, some stretches of the Amazon are so broad that you can hardly even see the bank! Imagine that. Other negatives include the fact that the budget boats can be overcrowded and there’s not a lot to do but relax and take in the views. With a little more money, however, you can get aboard a boat designed more for tourists and that includes stops for jungle activities. But does that ruin the authenticity?

Option 2: Jungle Lodge Expeditions
Offering short two day/one night stays to week-or-longer adventures, jungle lodges are scattered throughout the Amazon rain forest. Some are luxury, far beyond the reaches of our dollars. Others are budget-friendly, while a fair chunk fall right square in the middle. Some of the most appealing options I’ve seen are eco-friendly, working hard to protect the rain forest, realizing that the true salvation of the forests may come from tourists. There’s money in tourism, just as there is in logging. And if there’s enough money in tourism, than perhaps there will be less destruction of the forest. A number of the lodges also work with native tribes. One of the difficulties is in sorting out which exploit and which assist. In general, these lodges offer an opportunity to go on nature hikes and short boat rides with guides that can point out the native flora and fauna. It’s a bit of a “best of” experience. A little of this, a little of that. An introductory course, if you will. Our friend Joyce had the opportunity to make a short visit to one and highly recommended the experience. Other lodges that I’ve come across include Explorers Inn, Inotawa Expeditions, New Huao Lodge.

Option 3: Hoofing it in the Amazon
If we want to get very intimate with the Amazon, then I’m not sure there’s a better way to do it than by traversing the jungle on foot. This isn’t a nature walk; it’s a jungle adventure, with guide, cook, and porter. It is very likely to include bushwacking and machetes. A number of trip organizers offer the option of hiring locals with advanced knowledge of the rainforest to take you on a multi-day hike through the jungle. So long as you vet your guide, and find someone who can speak your language and who seems reliable, it’s an awesome up-close-and-personal experience. Take the wrong guide, and that’s a disaster waiting to happen. With all the hiking I’m going to be doing for the guidebook I’m writing, this option might be tailor-made for me. But then again, sleeping on the jungle floor with all the Amazon’s creepy-crawlies, I’m not so sure. I mean a tarantula isn’t your everyday house spider and an anaconda is no garter snake. It’s not a walk in park, but then again, you don’t think National Geographic gets their awesome footage by venturing a few feet into the forest now do you? No, they get it by venturing down the path that’s not beaten until you’ve stamped it down yourself.

Option 4: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Why take a big river boat when you can row, row, row your own dugout canoe? Okay, chances are you won’t be rowing; most of the dugout canoes have outboard motors, athough I hear they die frequently, so yeah, maybe we will row. Like the hiking option, this is a more intimate way to view the forest, but with the addition of time spent on the water. But let’s be clear here; you’re most likely not rowing on the Amazon river itself, but rather one of its tributaries. A tad bit safer that way, I guess. Again, you work with an outfitter to hire a guide and a cook and then you make your way into the jungle, by water rather than on trails. As with hiking, you spend your nights camped out in the jungle. Days are spent trolling down the river, stopping at villages, and going on hikes. It kind of sounds like the Grand Canyon trip Jeff and I went on, except without the white water and with a completely different type of scenery. But it’s the same kind of idea–travel by water, take a few hikes, camp on the shore.

The Places:
I guess saying you want to see the Amazon is a bit like saying you want to see the United States. Um, what part? It’s a big, big, big (maybe I should just say humongous) place. Almost every country in the northern half of South America gets a piece of it. Did you know that? Growing up I didn’t think “Amazon” without thinking “Brazil,” and I don’t think I’m alone in this. But as it turns out, many of the countries we’re planning to visit have gateways to the Amazon rainforest.

Option 1: Brazil
60% of the Amazon rainforest is located within Brazil. Additionally, the majority of the Amazon river runs through Brazil, so if you actually want to travel on this Grand Dame of rivers rather than one of its tributaries, this is the place to do it. For tourists, Manaus, the capital of Brazil’s Amazon region, is a popular jumping off spot. Many, many boats stop here if you’re looking to catch a ride down the river, and there are also jungle lodges in the area. If you take a look at a map of Brazil, however, you’ll see that Manaus is pretty doggone far away from well most everything else. So while there are flights and such, getting there and back isn’t as easy as it is in other places. But this is iconic Amazon.

Option 2: Peru
Though perhaps better known for its Incan ruins, Peru also claims a section of the Amazonian Rainforest. Manu Biosphere Reserve might be the best known section of it. And it’s not lacking for acclaim, having been named a Living Eden by PBS. This area claims to contain more species of plants and animals than any other place on earth. Fortunately for the earth, but unfortunately for tourists, visits to the Reserve are strictly controlled and aren’t exactly inexpensive. But there are other similar areas in the Peruvian rainforest that are more accessible to the average tourist. Puerto Maldonado, on the Madre de Dios river, is one of the more popular areas in Peru for Amazon exploration. In a nearby lake, 9 of the last remaining 1000 giant otters live, and the area is heavily populated with macaws. Iquitos, believed to the largest city unreachable by road, is another, especially as it is actually on the Amazon River and it’s possible to catch a riverboat from here to Manaus, Brazil.

Option 3: Ecuador
Ecuador is already on our list because of the natural wonders of the Galapagos. I hadn’t given its jungle much thought, and that might be because only 2% of the Amazon is located within Ecuador. It’s not that large of a country after all, and it only gets the far reaches of the Amazon. The good news about that is that most of the access points are within easy reach of Quito. Yasuni National Park, Limoncocha Biological Reserve, and Cuyabeno Reserve are popular Amazonian regions of Ecuador, offering river and jungle experiences. In Ecuador, many indigenous tribes still live in the rainforest and some trips incorporate learning about their lives. Unfortunately, however, it seems that some of these so-called protected areas are being legally exploited for oil.

Option 4: Bolivia
Now Bolivia wasn’t even in my wide-angle lens when I got to thinking about the Amazon rainforest, but when I look at map, I can’t figure out why I ignored it. It does, after all border both Peru and Brazil. Thankfully, we live in a very connected world and when I started trolling message boards for information on the Amazon, I kept finding references to a town called Rurrenabaque, which like Puerto Maldonado doesn’t have a lot going on itself but is a starting point for adventure, particular in the Madidi National Forest. Many travelers noted that this was one of the least expensive places from which you could explore the Amazon, and it’s hard to quarrel with that. A bonus feature of this area is that it not only provides access to the jungle but also to the pampas. So you can venture into the jungle, where you’re more likely to see interesting flora than fauna, then travel into the pampas for wildlife encounters with the likes of caimans, monkeys, anacondas, capybara, and river dolphins. It’s like two destinations in one.

Here’s Where You Vote
So I know this is just a tiny bit of information for you to decide on, but come on, go ahead and admit it, it’s more information than you have about most of the candidates you vote for. Don’t even try to lie to me and tell me you know anything about the people you vote to be secretary of agriculture, county judge, or school board member. So study the synopses, do your research (hey, I provided links), and cast your vote. Or just go with your gut. We won’t know the difference.

[poll id=3]
[poll id=4]

March 4, 2008January 11, 2011

Chef Jeff

A few of you have probably heard that I’m back in Stockholm now for about a month to tie up some loose ends, finish up my classes, etc. The trip over was, as usual, uneventful, but I think I’ve finally given up on trying to sleep on flights over to Europe. It never seems to work. I’m better off just staying up the whole time, making sure I stay up the next day no matter how tired I am, and get to bed at a normal time and all is right with the world on day 2. So be it. It means I can watch more movies (I got to check out the Oscar contenders Michael Clayton and Atonement on the way over … they were both excellently done … planes may be the only way I see movies anymore).

But anyway, thats not what I really wanted to discuss. I wanted to continue the trend of food related posting. It’s often a goal of the backpacking types (i.e. us) to cook meals while on the road to accomplish a couple of things: reduce costs, feel more like a local and at home, venture into some “less touristy” areas, etc. I think reduce costs might be the main one. Now I have always kind of gone along with this mantra, but really thought of it in the more idealized sense (kind of like many Americans treat cooking their own food … a rarity).

But I’m proud to say that with minimal ingredients and minimal effort (and minimal costs) I have managed to do my own cooking so far over here and been very pleased with the results. And we’re not talking ramen here. I’ve been having salami and brie sandwiches for lunch (one of my favorites ever). Last night I prepared some pasta with some homemade sauce combining crushed tomatoes, brie for creaminess, arugula for spice and meatballs for, well, meat. I had a delicious spinach and arugula salad two nights ago. Tonight I made tacos (though I was missing mexican cheese … ’twas a shame). And I’ve got some barbecue pork ribs and our chorizo soup in mind soon too. All easy to make and without needing many ingredients or time to prepare. And a lot cheaper than eating out in Stockholm, where meals start at $25 and McDonald’s is at least $10. I just thought I would share my success with all of you. I’d have taken pictures for some nice food porn for everyone, but I was too busy eating =).Â Point is, it’s a very doable thing, me being able to pull it off proves that beyond a doubt. We’ll see how well it carries on over the whole month though, my enthusiasm for cooking has been known to wane quickly.

The one issue I’ve noticed, though, is what to do with leftovers. Fortunately, there’s a fair bit of tupperware around here for me to put my things in, but that’s not likely the case at hostels/budget hotels. I guess you just have to eat it all in one sitting. Or carry around a big plastic case with you. Or give it to all the poor, dirty and hungry fellow travelers.

The other thing I’m enjoying about staying here right now is that any time of day or night I’m literally steps away from a machine who’s sole job it is to make me a cup of delicious hot chocolate (it makes coffee for the Swedes, but I don’t drink that stuff). So culinarily, I’m living pretty good right now.

March 2, 2008January 24, 2011

Not Quite All Our Worldly Belongings

When it comes time to take a trip, the most important packing decision isn’t what clothes to take or what shoes to leave behind; it’s what bag to put it all in. We’ve all been saddled with the wrong bag at some point or another: the duffel that feels like a concrete block when it’s packed, the rolling suitcase that repeatedly flips over as your run for your flight; the backpack that makes you feel as if you’re going to topple over backwards. On a round the world trip, the last thing you want is to be aggravated by your bag, since you’re going to be spending lots and lots of quality time with it. (Lisa Lubin, a fellow round the world traveler, referred to her bag as her boyfriend in a recent blog post.) Last weekend Jeff and I, having picked up the bags he ordered from the REI sale, set about to deciding what we were going to use to lug around all the worldly possessions we’ll need.

A backpack is pretty much the only way to go on a trip such as this. If you’re doing a grand tour of world capitals, then maybe you can consider a rolling bag, but even then, think of those cute cobblestone European streets and imagine your bag bumping along them. Not pretty, right? And since we’re sticking to third world countries and chicken buses, a backpack it is. But what type. As we see it, there are two main options. One option is a travel backpack. This option is noted for its large zippered opening, which allows you to lay the bag flat and pack it in a manner similar to a duffel bag. It often features a zip-off daypack, and a panel that zips up to cover the straps and thus make it more airplane-friendly. Eagle Creek is a well-known manufacturer of this style of backpack. The second option is a trekking backpack. This pack can be identified by its top-loading style and its more streamlined style. These are the type of backpacks that people use on long hikes/treks, and are thus designed with comfort while carrying as the primary concern.

Loads and loads of RTW travelers will tell you that you’re an idiot if you choose to carry anything other than a travel backpack. Yet, despite much searching, neither Jeff nor I have found a bag of this style that we like. The problem I’ve had with most is the way in which they distribute weight. I feel like I’m going to end up on my back, legs flailing in the air, like an overturned turtle. I’m also not pleased by the starting weight of these packs. Since 25 pounds is already 25% of my bodyweight (and the maximum weight I plan to carry), I don’t want to start out with a pack that weighs 5 pounds empty. That’s more than one pair of shoes…and yes, I do plan to take four, and no don’t try to convince me otherwise.

So I think we’ve decided to go with the trekking style pack, which in the end, makes the most sense for us, as it’s what we are most comfortable with. It will also be ideal since we plan on doing a number of treks (Patagonia, Inca Trail, Anapurna Circuit, etc.) during our trip. But unfortunately, making that decision didn’t really put us any closer to choosing our bags. As you can see, we have a lot of options. (And this isn’t even showing the bag Jeff picked up on REI clearance a few days later.)

We were able to weed out a few of these relatively quickly, however. Both the blue-checked Gregory pack and the yellow BCA pack were determined to be too small, and the Eagle Creek pack was determined to be too large. (It’s also a travel backpack, and was never seriously in contention, although Jeff makes good use of it on his travels back and forth from Sweden. He left yesterday with that bag in tow, carrying much more gear for his one month stay there than we plan to take for our entire year. Given it is winter, and he does plan to travel to the Arctic Circle [more on that in a future post].)

So, how to make the final decision? We could only think of one good way and that was to get together all the gear we planned to take, pack it up in each of the bags, and try each on. And that’s what we did—digging through our drawers, cabinets, closets, and storage area to gather up all we planned to take. Being the listmaker that I am, I already had a packing list saved on the computer. Here’s what the gear looks like laid out. (Sorry, our bedspread makes a poor background.)

And then, fully aware of the pain that digging through a backpack (especially a toploader) in search of one shirt, sock, or pair of underwear can be, we organized all of our gear using stuff sacks and packing cubes. Hopefully, we’ll stay in most places for a number of nights in a row, allowing us to unpack and spread things out, but for those one night stays, this system will help us stay organized. The picture below shows all of my clothes, except socks, bras, and underwear which were in another small bag that didn’t make it into the picture. Not bad, huh?

My two contending backpacks were a 45L ultralight REI pack and a 52L Osprey pack. The Osprey is a new purchase, the REI pack has been on a number of trips with me, including our adventure through the Grand Canyon.

Jeff’s contenders were both REI packs, one the 50L Gemini that he’s used on our previous trips and the other a new 65L Ridgeline.

We both definitely feel some affection for our old packs…they’re tried and true friends. I, however, must say that I’m a little concerned about the ultralight material holding up on mine, and we both have some issues with size. Though everything does fit into our old bags, they’re both pretty darn full. Not a lot of room for error. As for the new packs, I think we were both pleasantly surprised, considering the sheer number of other packs we’ve tried and rejected. The extra space is nice, although I fear that it might tempt us to pack more than we need, and both proved comfortable. I was very pleased when I jumped on the scale with my fully-loaded pack and found it to weigh only 17 pounds! Admittedly, my toiletries weren’t in the pack and probably a few other odds and ends, but still it should end up quite manageable. (And let me say here that I only plan to carry the backpack at full weight between transportation and accommodations. On our trekking trips, I’ll pack just what I need and leave the rest at our hostel/hotel to be picked up upon our return.)

Final decision, you ask? Well, despite the fact that we filled all the competing bags up, weighed them, walked around with them, did side-by-side comparisons, and discussed every pro/con/detail that we could come up with, neither of us made a final decision. We each still have two bags in the running. But I think we’re okay with that. We’ll make our final choice when we’re packing for real (eek…that will be a bit scary). I think for now we’re content knowing that we each have a pack (or two) that we’ll be happy to heave and ho around the world.

(With Jeff’s old bag, my new bag, and our camera bag, this is what it looks like when everything is packed away. It will be interesting to see if it looks pretty much the same come departure day.)