A Cold Winter Sun

So first off, I'd like to apologize for not posting last week.  Between my lack of tech awareness ending in shutting myself out of my router and some extraordinary timing of events, I couldn't post on Friday.  I was thinking about writing my entry on Saturday, but I'd rather remain consistent and post every Friday; if by chance I miss one, then on to the next week.  Ok, time to move this along.

So this week I wanted to write about a place that many of my friends are surprised that I haven't gotten around to yet: New Orleans.  Buuuuuuuuttttttt with Snowmageddon 2014 in Atlanta, I decided to go with a colder and more random place: Attu.  Not Apu, or Tatu, but Attu.  Where is this random place?  Well if your curiosity is tweaked, it is the furthest most western point of the whole American continent; it is so far west, that it's actually considered to be in the eastern hemisphere.


Now let me tell you about this little gem of a land.  It is the largest island in the cluster of the Near Islands, that make up part of the Aleutian Islands near Alaska.  Confused yet?  Here's the kicker!!  This place has a wide variety of tourist attractions and lodging for people to enjoy.  Hotels: zero.  Hostels: zero.  Inhabitants: zero.  Military explosives: many.  Explosives?  Say what?!?  This island is as isolated as you can get, yet at the same time, it's almost impossible to get to.  In other words, it's an adventurers wet dream!

A very brief history of this landmass is as follows: it was discovered in 1742 by Russian explorers who counted only 175 Aluets at the time.  As time's past by, it's believed that 2,000-5,000 Aluets roamed the island before any European intervention; then World War II happened and the Japanese of all places decided to invade Attu.  In the end the US, after evacuating nearly 900 Aluets and shipping them to civilian camps, defeated the Japanese and that battlefield now is considered a National Historic Landmark.  There is actually a monument that the Japanese erected, with the permission of the US, that stands on Engineer Hill, the site where the Japanese were finally defeated.  Since the war, it's been divvied up between different US entities.  As of 2010, the few inhabitants (around 20) that lived, worked and played at the LORAN station left once said building was decommissioned.

So why in the world would I ever want to visit such an isolated place?  First off, it is ultimately the last place that you can wave good bye to the sun.  That's right!  In St. John's you can be the first person to see the sun rise, and in Attu be the last person to see it set; so just to complete that whole solar cycle it'd make sense for me to do this.  Now... transportation.  That my friends can be tricky and EXTREMELY expensive.  The first thing you need to do is get permission by the US government to even step foot on the land; and I mean to literally take one step on it.  Did I mention there's no airports?  Oh yea, the only way to get there is to take a boat from Alaska or its other surrounding islands that can equal out to be as far as 1,100 miles in distance.

So once you get your permission, assuming that you DO get it, next would be to check out your health insurance plans.  You may think I'm joking, but no sirree.  Make sure you've got some top notch insurance, because again, there's NOTHING on this island.  This place is the ultimate survivor scenario.  Oh before I forget, make sure your insurance covers emergency evacuations and such.  Just a heads up.  Once all that red tape is settled, we can talk about money and supplies.  Again, there's nothing out there, so pack everything you can think of that you'll need to literally survive. 

Even though this desolate rock seems to hold many hidden adventures, the only thing that can really be done there is bird watch (atleast legally).  Ah yes!  That's your ticket in to this natural paradise!  You must camouflage yourself as an avian aficionado, unless you really like birds, then you'd fit right in.  This is where the money comes into play; depending on what package deal you choose, a trip out to Attu under the guise of bird gazing can run you between $2,500 - $7,000!!!  But don't worry, they will feed you apparently, so that's one less thing you have to worry about.  Check it out for yourself: www.zbirdtours.com

When I came across this place, it seemed like a pipe dream to me.  I would love to go here, but the red tape, mad money I'd have to spend and ohhhhh the random WWII explosives I may come across might be some obstacles....  But they're only that: obstacles.  When the time comes to scratch this location off my bucket list, I definitely plan to do my best to somehow get in on this little slice of life.  For such a small and isolated territory, at some point it played a rather crucial military role sprinkled in with an intriguing historical back story; that alone is reason enough for me to visit it.  On top of it all, I can finally say that on this continent at some point, not only have I greeted the sun, but also have waved it goodnight as it goes to rest for a few lunar hours.  

The Union of Fire and Ice

So alot of places I want to go to seem to be considered a bit off the wall; this icy location is no different.  With temperatures that range between the twenties and up to high sixties on a warm day, Reykjavik, Iceland is a must see on my list.  What's there not to love about this city?  There's beauty, history and even elves if you believe in them. 

For those who may not know it, Reykjavik is the capital of Iceland whose name means "Cove of Smoke" due to the geothermal steam that rises from the Earth there.  There's always been a story about how Iceland came to have the name it has today, but it's never been verified.  Rumor has it that Erik the Great stumbled upon Iceland and Greenland, but to keep others mostly Europeans away from such a tiny paradise, he gave each country their respective names in hopes of luring people to Greenland instead where inhabitable land was scarce.  I've tried to find some kind of proof of this legend, but still no success; I guess that in the end, it'll always be one of those stories told by  high school teachers to curious students. 

Reykjavik is considered to be one of the safest cities in the world, but if you do the math, with around 120,000 inhabitants it can't be that dangerous right?  Yet I did find something very curious; Iceland as a country has no rail system due to the sparse population of the towns, but the number of vehicles per capita ranks among the highest in the world at 522 vehicles per 1,000 residents.  So all is not lost for those of us who come from more car-friendly realms!!!  Even though I love backpacking through towns and countries, I guess with visiting Iceland, a four wheeled adventure would replace my usual rails or shoes.  Needless to say I've discovered some beautiful treasures that this city and country have to offer.

To enjoy this little chilly island paradise though can get a bit pricey; even up from a year in advance, a round trip airline ticket can run between $1,000-$2,000!!  Now if one wants to be more adventurous, there is a cruise ferry that departs from Denmark once a week to Iceland, if you go to their website http://www.smyrilline.com, you can see all the different packages they offer.  Just remember one thing, getting to Denmark will be pricey as well.  BUT I've done crazier things and if I truly wanted to make this a real adventure, I would probably fly somewhere into you Europe if Denmark was out of financial reach, make it some way to the Danish state and ferry it over to Iceland.  As much as I would like to do that though, my pockets would have to run really deep seeing that renting a car once I get to Reykjavik would be a must. 

However you decide to get to this curious little town, there are some things that would have to be a must!  As a good starting list for the capital, I'd like to offer you two places: the Imagine Peace Tower and the Icelandic Elf School.  The Imagine Peace Tower, for all the hippies out there, is a giant beacon of light located on Vioey Island created by Yoko Ono and dedicated to John Lennon in hopes of spreading the message of world peace.  The beacon is so bright that it can actually be seen from the capital itself!  I know it's not technically within the bounds of Reykjavik, but I thought that this was definitely curious enough to merit a mention.  

The Icelandic Elf school is also a very curious thing to mention.  Although to some of us it may sound crazy, but elvish folklore runs deep in Icelandic culture.  This school actually teaches about the 13 different types of elves that inhabit the island along with "hidden people".  Now to avoid any confusion, the "hidden people" look just like us except they're invisible, while the elves come more from the humanoid species and start at a miniature 8 centimeters.  If this wasn't curious enough, it's also believed that there are gay and lesbian elves; so the rainbow even stretches out into the magical realm.  Just for my own curiosities I'd definitely want to check out this school; for those of you who were wondering, yes they do offer a curriculum about these magical characters.  I intend on getting my certificate when I go to visit, that can be earned within half a day.  Multiple surveys have been done over the years to gauge the Icelanders' belief in elves, and as recently as 2006, 26% of Icelanders believe in them while 80% take notice of such possible beliefs.  80 and 26?  Math is a bit quirky, but perhaps magic defies traditional percentages.

I only named these two things because I thought that they seemed to ring out as unusual sites to see, but Reykjavik does also offer quite the healthy nightlife with surprisingly an ample gay population.  Alcohol tends to be a bit expensive it's been said, so most people pre-game before leaving their homes.  If clubs and bars are not your flavor and architecture and museums don't rank high on your list,
then one thing that will blow your mind will be the sheer natural beauty of the island.  Something that perhaps isn't well known about this little rock is that it is a volcanic island, so the vast earth made beauty of the land is a MUST!!!  You can see the various fjords, icefalls and volcanoes among others on your trip.  I discovered that there are even bike tours that one can take to see the various landscapes the country has to offer.  Just remember, if you've got no bike, a car will have to be in your budget; the country is gorgeous but in between point A and B there's a whole lot of space that although beautiful, still needs to be crossed.  Vroom vroom!

I know this entry was supposed to focus on the Icelandic capital, but with so many little curiosities I came across and so many possible adventures, I couldn't help but mention other parts of the country.  As much as I'd like to do this trip soon, my spontaneous and fiscally irresponsible side would like to come up with a creative way of getting there via the ferry from Denmark; flying direct can be so boring.  On the other hand though, it seems like this little frozen yet plush treasure can offer more than enough adventure for two to three weeks.

 I'll have to consult the elves for some advice on this one. 

The Wicker Man Has Cometh

CLANK!  That's the sound of the first of many stones to come that will begin to fill this bucket.

I decided that there would be no better way to start my traveler's bucket list than to kick it off with Burning Man!!  No this isn't some kind of STD nor do you need any cream to take care of some rash.  Burning man is week long event that happens once a year out west.  From August 25th to Sept 1st, a town appears out of thin air in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada; it is the festival to end all festivals and definitely sits at a high rank on my list.

What is Burning Man you may ask?  Essentially it is a gathering of people that come once a year, construct a city out of thin air to celebrate the energy of art, love and altruism, only to leave as if no one had ever been there to begin with.  Some think of it as just a giant art Woodstock with drugs, sex and debauchery.  Others say it's just a community gathering of like minded people who wish to unite for one week under the theme of harmony.  Some even look at it as just a crazy waste of space.  Who's right?  Well I wouldn't even try to tell you.  What can't be denied is that at the end of day, Burning Man is the epitome of self expression and truly something different for every individual that attends.

I've always wanted to go for atleast four years, but I'll tell you one thing... it's not that easy or cheap to get there.  First off, the tickets are a couple hundred bucks; so if you can pony up the dough than you're one step closer.  Just don't forget about the other costs.  For those who like to travel in herds, well flying over and renting a car may not be that bad of a deal.  Yea the plane flight may be pricey, but atleast the car and provisions can be split up pretty well.  For those like moi, who like to road trip, well set aside some cash for the gas and time to get there.  Even though I love road tripping, unless I'm able to go with atleast another person, 2,500 miles is a bit of a drive, but hey I said that about St. John's NL too.

Once you figure out how you plan on getting there, be ready for one rustic adventure.  Burning Man isn't a place where you stay in hotels by pools while you commiserate with other folks; it's a rough and tumble week of tents, porta-potties, minimalism and so on.  After speaking to folks who have gone and survived, I've been told that it's far from a resort paradise.  Folks have told me how they've had to cover their cars to prevent damage from sandstorms, burning their feet on tent anchors, to bringing flashlights and gallons of water.  I've heard so many possible wacky scenarios come from this event that some friends find me crazy for wanting to attend.  So the next logical question then would be, WHY THE HELL WOULD I EVEN WANT TO GO???

Ok first off, why would anyone who actually knows me bother with that question?  Don't ask why I wouldn't want to go, but more so, why would I?  I mean this event strikes at the core of any bohemian.  It is the utopia of self expression!!  For one whole week you get the opportunity to strip yourself of so much BS and become in tune with not only nature, but a mass of people who seek that same ounce of temporary escapism from the monotony of our constantly connected life.  You get to see art exhibits from people who have worked all year to show them off for just one week; think of it as the artistic equivalent of Rio's festivals!  No one is there to impress others, hell you even end up bartering amongst other visitors to survive the week.  To top it off the whole thing ends with the burning of a giant wicker man all in the name of artistic liberation!

To some this may look like a week of hell, being away from our daily comfortable grinds surrounded by strange faces, but to others it may lead to the gates of a heavenly world full of love, art and simplicity.  You will never know until you try it, and this crazy man right here has this week in his cross hairs.  I want to experience this communion of art with life, and to truly live among those who seek to share their love, passions and thirst for freedom if even for just one week.  Do you?  Only one way to find out.

If this whole event strikes some kind of chord inside of you and you want to find out more information, please feel free to visit Burning Man's official website, www.burningman.com for all your curiosities and questions.   Also, the pictures in the gallery are completely worth your time to look at, the one's in this post come from there.