#with the Toilet Surprise on the Lake Shore Limited

[wayneooverton]

Everything you need to know about road-tripping in the Lofoten Islands

Written by Lisa Michele Burns of The Wandering Lens

Norway’s majestic Lofoten Islands are one natural wonder you need to have on your bucket list. Rising up from the sea, the islands are like a coastal mountain range with peaks towering over 1000m high offering spectacular views for those willing to climb to the top.

One of the best ways to explore the Lofoten Islands is on a road trip, meaning you can stop the car whenever you see somewhere scenic which is more than likely around every corner. If Google maps is telling you it will take 30minutes to get from A to B, trust me, it will take more like 3 hours once you factor in photo stops!

Falling in love with Northern Norway

Having visited in March during some very heavy winter snow storms, I created a guide to The Best Photography Locations in the Lofoten Islands. Below I’m going to share some tips on when to visit, how to hire a car and what are some must see locations to visit on your road trip.

When to visit the Lofoten Islands?

With dramatic scenery and landscapes, the islands are beautiful year-round however different seasons offer varied colours, challenges and risks.

Winter brings with it the magic of the northern lights and snow-covered mountains which is what a lot of people travel to see. Once the skies are dark enough at night you’ll have a chance of witnessing aurora dancing above the beaches and fjords in an incredible display of natural beauty. Visitors can expect to encounter the northern lights when the skies are clear anytime from September through until March.

The downside of winter is the wild weather and when I say wild, I mean wild, can’t go outside kind of weather. With winds roaring in from the Arctic Sea and snow storms rolling through regularly throughout the winter months, it can be a tricky thing to time your visit just right for a gap in the weather. That said, those storms bring with them crazy scenes that in my opinion add to the rugged attraction of the Lofoten Islands.

Summer on the other hand is known for it’s calm, clear days where popular activities include kayaking, surfing and hiking. The midnight sun means you’re treated to 24hours of daylight throughout June and July, giving you plenty of time to get outdoors and explore the many hiking trails on offer.

The off seasons of Autumn and Spring offer a little bit of everything. You can expect some snow sprinkled on the mountain peaks, storms sweeping through the fjords and clear sunny days. It’s more of a mixed bag from March to May and September to November but can also result in cheaper accommodation and flights.  

I’ll be hosting a photography and travel blogging tour in the month of October this year so will be hoping for some sprinkles of snow, dancing aurora and sunshine for reflection photos!

What to See

Almost all of the must-see locations in the Lofoten Islands are natural ones. There’s so many beaches, coves, fjords and mountains to explore that I highly suggest you simply drive and see what you find along the way.

To get you started though, here are some of my tips for the places you can’t miss on your trip.

Hamnoy

I’ll start with the most iconic scene in the islands, that of the red rorbuers (fishing huts) visible from the Hamnoy Bridge. As soon as you start driving over the bridge you’ll see the scene appear before your eyes, it’s really hard to miss!

Be sure to spend some time here at different times of the day, in particular sunrise or sunset when the cabins are lit beautifully by the warm light and you’ll hopefully have some colours in the sky above Festhelltinden Mountain.

Nusfjord

This little fishing village is a total delight and somewhere you need to visit. It’s located in a narrow fjord with brightly coloured red and yellow buildings making up what’s a very photogenic village.

The drive to Nusfjord is worth the journey in itself with the road weaving beneath huge rocky mountains past lakes and there’s plenty of spots to stop along the way.

During winter the small road out can be a little tricky if there’s snow and ice covering the road so be sure to check the road conditions and drive slowly!

Rambergstranda Beach

If you’re heading to Lofoten for the coastal scenery, Rambergstranda Beach is perfection. Looking out over the bay of Jusnesvika, the beach offers a beautiful location to have a picnic and stare at the impressive coastline on display.

In winter it can be completely iced over so what looks like sand, may in fact be sand beneath a sheet of slippery ice. I tested it out, slipped and fell on it for you. You’re welcome!

Keep an eye out for a ruby red fishing hut that sits on the shores of the beach, it makes for a great photo opportunity.

Torsfjorden

You’ll no doubt pass Torsfjorden when driving around the islands and it’s well worth spending a bit of time to see it from all angles.

Torsfjorden is quite a large body of water that is almost completely surrounded by land, good news is that you can drive nearly all of the way around it. When on the E10 (the main route around the islands) near Ramberg, you’ll see a series of bridges that cross a wide fjord. Here you’ll find mountains reflecting in the calm, shallow fjord and boats passing beneath the bridges.

Those up for a hike to one of the most scenic points, Ryten Peak or Kvalvika Beach, will have to pass over the bridges and past Torsfjorden!

Sakrisoy

After seeing a number of villages with red rorbuers on the shoreline, it will come as a welcome surprise to see the yellow huts of Sakrisoy.

Bright and bold, they are a beautiful contrast to the surrounding sea and there’s also plenty of fish drying racks for those keen to take a closer look at this Norwegian tradition.

Car hire in the Lofoten Islands

Every good road trip needs to get off on the right foot with a good plan of action to hire a car.

When travelling to the Lofoten Islands you have two main choices for arriving. Plane or ferry, and your decision will result in which location you end up starting your road trip.Arriving by plane means you’ll land in Leknes or Svolvær, both toward the north of most popular locations. Leknes is located on Vestvågøy Island and is the closer of the two for accessing iconic locations such as Hamnoy and Reine.

Upon arrival you can opt to hire a car at either airport with big name rental companies like Avis, Hertz and Europcar available to use. Be sure to check the contracts for the inclusion of unlimited miles, that way you can explore every inch of the islands without worrying about going over the limit.

Arriving by ferry will provide two advantages, cheaper car rental and a great place to begin your trip. You can hire a car in Bodo then jump on a ferry with your car and arrive in Sørvågen. Located only 10 minutes from the most photographed location in the Lofoten Islands, Sørvågen is the perfect place to start your road trip and if the ferry arrival times are a little odd (sometimes they depart at 4am, or arrive at midnight) it means you’ll be super close to accommodation when you arrive or depart.

One of the major benefits of arriving by ferry is that you’ll get to witness the view of seeing the Lofoten Islands from the sea, a truly incredible sight! It can have one pretty major disadvantage though, if you’re prone to seasickness (like me, yuck!), the sea can get pretty rough and feel a little like you’re in a tumble dryer floating in the middle of nowhere. Sorry for the reality check, I had to say it, if anything don’t forget your seasick tablets!

Visit Torghatten website for ferry timetables and route information.

Where to stay

Having a base during your road trip is a great way to ensure you’ve got somewhere to chill if the weather isn’t playing in your favour. Surprisingly, a lot of the beautiful locations are within a 60minute drive of one another making it really easy to plan day excursions then return to the same home base.

If you’re someone who likes to see the same place change in varied light and weather conditions, basing yourself at Eliassen Rorbuer in Hamnoy could be a winning move. Here you’re in the most photogenic part of the Lofoten Islands and don’t even have to leave your cabin because the views are right out your window!

Otherwise, if surfing and hikes are more your thing, you can base yourself at Unstad Arctic Surf, known for wetsuit wearing adrenaline junkies who hit the swells whether it’s 20 or -2 degrees. There’s a great feeling of community in Unstad with the local café and hostel offering such a cool vibe, even the toilet is gnarly and decorated with surfing posters as music blares through speakers.

For a third option, you can check out Hattvika Lodge in Ballstad. This place is the definition of affordable luxury and is a series of renovated fishing huts located right on the waterfront. From the apartments you can watch fishing trawlers come and go from the sea, set out for a kayak adventure or the owner Kristian will even take you on a hike for incredible views overlooking the islands.

Have you been to the Lofoten Islands and have some tips to add? Share in the comments below!

For photography location guides to beautiful destinations around the world, check out The Wandering Lens where Lisa shares her professional photo tips too.

The post Everything you need to know about road-tripping in the Lofoten Islands appeared first on Young Adventuress.

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[threadsofperu-blog]

Isla Taquile

Coming off a few days from our rural homestay on Taquile Island, I’m still unsure of how to sum up an experience that is so unlike anything I have experienced before.  I have come to understand that ^. My experience was an outlier in my life that I could never replicate.

After two short weeks studying Quechua in school, we set out to spend three days with a Quechua-speaking family on an island in the middle of the highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca.  The boat ride through the lake was surreal.  We were surrounded by the peaks of mountains, yet there was water around us for as far as the eye could see.  It felt like an ocean with blues folding all around us.

Our first stop on the three hour boat ride from Puno (the major port city of Lake Titicaca) to Taquile were the islands of Uros.  These islands are man-made and constructed by tying together reeds to create a floating island.  The men and women who live on these islands repair the reeds on a weekly basis and the island is anchored down to the sea floor so that it won’t float away.  There’s a political system for the islands, where the president rotates from household to household.  The women produce beautiful embroidery while the men create mobiles that signify marriage.  

We continued onto Taquile unsure of what the next three days would bring.  We didn’t receive much information from our program on how we’d keep ourselves busy for those days.  We had one meet-up on the second day planned, but other than that we were very much on our own.  Thankfully, I had a great homestay sister, Ellie whose from Iowa along with me for the ride.  Over those three days we grew to know each other very well... As you can imagine when you’re in a home with no power, on an island with no power for a few days. 

Once we arrived to shore, our host-dad Paulito greeted us.  Paulito was dressed with a traditional hat and belt that signified his marital status.  Dress is very significant on Taquile.  Symbols conveyed in textiles can indicate political position within the community, marital status, family, and the community they are a part of.  For instance, a hat with mostly white indicates the man is single, while a hat with red indicates the man is married.  One of my friends pointed out that it’s like Facebook relationship statuses.  On an island with just 1,700 people everyone knows everyone and it seemed that they know a great deal about each other as well. 

As we walked up from shore to the city center I felt the altitude quick.  It had never hit me that hard... Not when climbing Machu Picchu and not when I later climbed the Rainbow Mountain (which is a good 16,500 feet high).  The residents of Taquile regularly make these climbs in constant transit from high to low.  We took many breaks on our hike up and watched men exchange coca leaves as they passed each other.  Coca is a natural remedy to altitude sickness, but also a symbol of greeting.  It is almost a replacement for a handshake on Taquile.

Once, we reached their home we met Paulito’s wife.  She spoke very little Spanish and we exchanged greetings in Quechua.  Our basic Quechua classes had taught us how to be kind and friendly, but past small-talk we were ill-equipped.  I have come to appreciate the significance of language in many ways from my experience on Taquile.  Knowing even the minimal Quechua I did, I showed Paulito’s wife that I cared.  Saying a simple hello shows, ‘I recognize your culture and I value its significance.’  

Later, when she demonstrated her weaving she pointed out the different shades of grey.  Each grey has its own name in Quechua.  Imagine, if the vocabulary for these colors did not exist.  Language shapes our way to see the world.  If Quechua were to disappear, so too would this way of seeing.  It’s more than just language, it’s culture, it’s life.

A little on our way of living for those short three days... Ellie and I were given our own bedroom with two very comfortable beds each with 4 alpaca blankets. Even when it became dark and temperatures dropped, we were warm under those blankets that I could barely lift up in the morning.  Paulito gave us a lightbulb our first night, but the dining room had no lighting.  Instead, we ate in the kitchen with the family where there was light.  It was interesting following our natural body’s clock for a few days... waking up when the sun rises and going to sleep when it sets.  It was grounding to not fight against those forces for a few days. 

Our first day we pushed our bodies hard.  We went to the family’s chakra or farm where we farmed potatoes from the ground.  We ate those same potatoes in soup that afternoon and night.  We then carried weeds on our backs from one side of the island to another, in a trip that took an hour, to feed the family’s sheep.  It was beautiful to carry those flowers on our backs, which our host sister tied firmly to us and be on the silent side of the island, where only the animals lived.  We then hiked up to the highest point to see pre-Incan ruins that were sacred and secure spaces. 

The second day, I got very sick.  Every trip we’ve been on I’ve been sick at some point so I can’t say I was surprised.  I woke up in the middle of the night, strapped on my headlamp and found my way to the outhouse that was a descent 4 minute walk from my bedroom.  The wooden porch creaked, I threw a bucket of water into the toilet to flush it, and I made the walk back upstairs.  I threw up twice that night with nowhere to go, but the porch.  When I woke up in the morning I told Ellie what had happened and I stayed in bed for that whole day.  My host mom continuously brought me maté (muña and coca tea) in a hot thermos.  Although, I was as sick as a dog I felt cared for and could see their genuine concern.  I came around by 4 PM that day and ventured out of the house to reunite with our group, as we watched a soccer game (one of the few activities on the island). 

The last morning, I walked with Paulito to the Knitting Center.  In the central plaza, there was a warehouse for textiles and knitting.  On the island, women weaved while men knitted.  Paulito had been knitting a hat since the moment we met him and he carried it everywhere he went.  Our host sister had been spinning wool constantly, even when we carried the flowers on our backs.  The division of labor between men and women is fascinating, as men weave the coarser yarns and women weave the finer threads.  Both our host mom and father took great pride in their work. 

We said our final goodbyes that morning.  Even after just three days, I felt connected to this family as they cared for me when I was sick and let me into their world for a bit.  Our host sister, whose 21 and named Julieta, had treated us like a friend.  She told us how she had met a man in Puno a year ago and planned to marry him and move off of Taquile.  I considered her future, where she sees the opportunity of choice.  It’s hard... individual vs. community choices... preserving a traditional way of life (complete with gender roles and limited development) or forging ahead on a life of your own. 

I don’t know what the answer is, but I have appreciated the vast differences of family to family and family member to family member.  We cannot generalize the culture of Taquile, just like we can’t make general sweeping statements about American culture, or New York culture, or Long island culture.  I didn’t have a revelation, but I do walk away with a new piece of understanding... new stories... and I think it’ll take a little more than a few days until my purpose for being there becomes clear. 

[sherristockman]

Why Pharma Should Pay for Your Water Treatment Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola The availability of clean, pure water is vital to your health. An adult body is between 55 percent and 65 percent water.1 Water functions to regulate internal body temperature, metabolize carbohydrates and proteins, flush waste through your kidneys and help lubricate joints. Water is foundational to your overall health and wellness. In 1972 the Clean Water Act2 was approved to regulate the discharge of pollutants into U.S. water systems and to set quality standards for surface water. The goal was to ensure a clean water supply. However, after more than four decades of regulation, U.S. waterways are in serious jeopardy. Toxic runoffs from industry, agriculture and suburban areas threaten the health of plant and fish life in fresh and salt water areas. The growing number of toxins and pharmaceutical products discovered in surface water is an ultimate prediction of the health of those required to drink the water and eat the animals who live in it. Most tap water is also far from pure, containing fluoride, radiation, heavy metal, pharmaceutical drugs and industrial chemicals. Each of which have negative health effects on the animals and humans who consume them. Too often the wild animals who absorb the chemicals are later eaten by humans. Pharmaceutical Pollution Affecting Keystone Species Pharmaceutical drugs make their way into waterways when treatment plants can't filter out medications improperly disposed of, or flushed down the toilet and into the septic tank as they are eliminated from your body. Researchers evaluating the water from Puget Sound in Washington State found 81 different drugs and chemicals which were not removed by wastewater treatment.3 These drugs that are seeping into ground and surface water have a domino effect on the plant and animal life depending on that water to sustain life. Paul Moore, Ph.D., ecologist at Bowling Green State University Laboratory for Sensory Ecology, published research demonstrating that even at low levels, pharmaceutical medications have a significant impact on wildlife.4 The study was prompted when fisherman reported fewer crayfish in Michigan. During the study, crayfish were exposed to naproxen, a common over-the-counter pain reliever. Crayfish were chosen as they are a keystone species, one that other animal species depend upon for food. If crayfish die off, so will the trout and bass that depend upon them, leading to an overgrowth of algae and subsequent death of invertebrates as the algae uses all the oxygen in the water. The result of exposure to naproxen led the crayfish to act less aggressively, likely triggered by a reduction in sense of smell.5 Crayfish depend upon their sense of smell for cues that are critical to their survival. Moore commented on this apparent lack of aggression in crayfish exposed to naproxen:6 "When they start to fight, they release chemical signals back and forth, and inside these signals are anything from the sex of the animal to the reproductive state, even a type of identity so they know if they fought this guy yesterday or the day before. So if you block that ability . . . they fight more intensely or less intensely based on the amount of exposure they have." According to Moore, non-prescription based medications are the fastest growing source of pharmaceutical waste. The Great Lakes supplies nearly 40 million people with water. Lyman Welch, legal director for the Alliance for the Great Lakes, compared crayfish to the canary in a mine, saying: "The effects on fish and aquatic life can be a real indicator of concern for humans. The fact that pharmaceuticals harm fish can act as a canary in a coal mine and give us a warning that we need to pay more attention. There is no known [human] health risk at the low levels of the chemicals that are being found right now, but our detection levels have improved, and we are starting to see these chemicals. And there is a need to do additional research to better understand the impacts of these chemicals." Community Disposal The Alliance for the Great Lakes supports making pharmaceutical companies shoulder some of the cost for disposal of medications. Cook County, Illinois, located on the shores of Lake Michigan and home to over 5 million people, passed an ordinance mandating pharmaceutical companies help pay for the cost of disposing of medications. Some counties have banded together to provide citizens with drop-off points for medications and personal care products to reduce exposure in the waterways. One program developed a coordinated effort between pharmacies, hospitals and law enforcement in Upper Michigan, collecting 12 tons of prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and personal care products in the past nine years.7 Prevention is the primary key to reducing pharmaceutical pollution, as there are no current viable solutions for removing pharmaceutical waste once it has reached surface and groundwater supplies. Improving filter systems in septic and wastewater treatment plants is also essential to reducing toxic pollution. Some experts report that up to 93 percent of drug compounds leave the wastewater treatment plants, and according to the U.S. Geological Survey, 80 percent of U.S. waterways contain pharmaceutical pollution.8 There are many sources of water pollution, not the least of which are pharmaceutical drugs that make their way through wastewater treatment plants. The need for preventive action was recognized by ecology groups for decades, and more recently by medical groups.9 The need for proper disposal of pharmaceutical products, including personal care lotions, creams and perfumes, is paramount to the reduction of water pollution. By limiting your bulk purchases, using drug take-back programs and not flushing any medication down the toilet you may help to reduce your personal pharmaceutical footprint.10 The effect of the drugs found in surface and groundwater work their way up the food chain, as fish and plants are exposed to the toxins. In one collection of smallmouth bass from the Northeastern U.S., 85 percent of the males had eggs growing in their testicles.11 A meta-analysis of the effect of pollution on amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders) demonstrated a decrease in survival rate and a 535 percent increase in abnormalities across all studies.12 Drugs Pass Municipal Water Filtering Researchers concluded the overall impact was moderately to largely negative and posed an important threat, likely playing a role in global population decline. Low concentrations of drugs have been found in surface and groundwater since the early 1990s.13 Now, as the water comes full circle, concentrations of commonly used medications are being found in tap water.14 Traditional water treatment plants are not equipped to filter small, soluble pharmaceutical drugs before discharging sewage water into the environment, or filtering water that flows from your tap.15 In a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), researchers looked at samples from 50 different large wastewater treatment plants nationwide for 56 drugs, including hydrocodone, over-the-counter pain medications and high blood pressure drugs. Mitchell Kostich, Ph.D., EPA research biologist and lead author, commented on the results, saying:16 "We were surprised to find that many drugs occurring across all the wastewater plants. We were also surprised to see so many drugs of a particular class — the high blood pressure medications — appear at those levels across the board." Researchers have also discovered that many antibiotics pass through your system unabsorbed, and nearly unchanged, as they are excreted.17 In agricultural areas these drugs enter the groundwater through discharges from animal feeding operations, or into your toilet when antibiotics are prescribed. This combination may contribute to an increasing challenge with antibiotic resistance. A U.S. Geological Survey study conducted in Iowa demonstrated effluent from a nearby treatment plant contained between 47 and 58 different pharmaceutical medications in the water and up to 17 medications were detected 65 feet (20 meters) from the stream bank.18 The drugs found 65 feet from the stream bank included antibiotics, muscle relaxants, antidepressants and drugs to treat cancer, diabetes and hypertension, in concentrations as high as 87 nanograms per liter (ng/L). Is There Greater Use or Less Removal? Researchers theorize the increased amount of drugs detected in surface water, groundwater and running from the tap, is a function of both improved detection methods and an increasing reliance on drugs. In a study released by Mayo Clinic, researchers found 70 percent of Americans took at least one prescription medication and 20 percent were on five or more medications each day.19 Health officials continue to reassure the public the compounds found in tap water and wastewater do not pose a threat to human health. However, they also acknowledge there's no good way to predict the effect this pharmaceutical cocktail will have on either human health or aquatic life.20 Jim Meadors, Ph.D., environmental toxicologist and lead author of the research done in Puget Sound, was surprised by the concentration of drugs found in the effluent and believes that "a substantial load of potentially harmful chemicals are introduced into streams and nearshore marine waters daily." 21 Researchers further believe if the two plants sampled represent the others in the area, nearly 300 pounds of contaminants may enter the Sound every day. In another study of effluent released into a river ecosystem, researchers determined the reduction of pharmaceutical concentration was effective for only five of 19 medications studied, and ibuprofen was filtered by only 50 percent.22 The research demonstrated the attenuation of drugs in this system could be mathematically predicted. Reduce Your Inadvertent Intake of Medications In this short video I discuss how you can reduce your exposure to toxins that are not filtered at your water treatment plant. It will require a change on a global scale to stop the water pollution that's already taking a health and environmental toll. But, you can make changes at home that will help protect you and your family. Considering the widespread contamination found, it's best to assume your tap water is less than pure. If you would like to have your water tested, the most comprehensive test kit I recommend is from National Testing Laboratories. To be certain you're getting the purest water you can, filter the water both at the point of entry and at the point of use. This means filtering all the water that comes into the house, and then filtering again at the kitchen sink and shower. Unfiltered water can also expose you to dangerous chlorine vapors and chloroform gas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other U.S. government agencies report most American homes have measurable levels of chloroform gas, courtesy of chlorinated tap water. If you can afford only one filter, buy a shower filter, as the chlorine aerosolized through your shower is inhaled and absorbed through your skin, surpassing the damage done by drinking water. Unless you have a whole house water filter, chlorine will vaporize from every toilet bowl in your home and every time you wash your clothes or dishes, or take a shower or bath. Chloroform gas, chlorine vapors and the associated dangerous disinfection byproducts (DBPs) may increase your risk of asthma, airway inflammation and respiratory allergies. Chloroform gas alone can cause dizziness, nausea and general fatigue. If you get your water from a municipal water supply and don't have a whole house filter, it really is important to open up windows on opposing sides of your home so you get cross ventilation. Keep the windows open for five to 10 minutes a day to remove these gases. One of the best types of filters for your home will use a three-stage filtration process — a micron sediment pre-filter, a KDF water filter and a high-grade carbon water filter. This combination filters chlorine, DBPs and other contaminants.