Reykjavik, Iceland: Driving the Golden Circle

The Golden Circle tour is one of the most popular routes out of Reykjavik, Iceland. It can cost you up to 12,000kr, which is approximately $95USD. You can save some cash by driving there yourself.

Car Rental:

We rented a car with Thrifty for about 9,000kr a day for an automatic transmission vehicle with GPS. When renting a vehicle, make sure you have a credit card available. Debit cards and cash will not be accepted. It is very important to get insurance due to the change in weather and the gravel roads that is all over Iceland. (Post to come: driving rules in Iceland). You can find the route to the Golden Circle here.

Our little mini red car.

Preparation:

Make sure you pack accordingly. Stop by a local grocery store to stock up on water, sandwiches, and toilet paper. There will be little civilization once you leave Reykjavik which means no food or washroom. There are information desk along the route if you wish to hold off til than.

Route:

Stop #1: Þingvellir National Park (also spelled Thingvellir because the Þ is pronounce as a TH)

Þingvellir National Park is a UNESCO site where you can see evidence of this tectonic activity in canyons, rift valleys and a rift lake. The National Park is only a 45 minutes drive out of Reykjavik. If driving from Reykjavík, take route 1 via Mosfellsbaer. From there take route 36 which runs through Þingvellir. There are limited signs but Þingvellir has its own street sign. Entrance to the National Park is free.

Couldn’t find a map that tells us where we are at.

Trying to see what’s below when I’m afraid of heights.

My friend Mike walking through the ridge

View from the top of the ridge.

Stop #2: Geysir

Þingvellir to the Geysir is about another 45 minute drive. There are several Geysir in this location however, only 1 Geysir, the Strokkur, is active and sprouts ever 8-10 minutes. The other geysir only erupts during circumstances such as an earthquake. We watched the Strokkur shoot up about 15-20 meters above us. After a few eruption, my partner in crime and I walked up the red mountain to see the view from above. It was a neat experience.

The symbol on the top left indicates point of interest. Stop over when you see them.

Explains Geysirs

Geysirs can heat up to as high as 100C.

You can see the Litli Geysir bubbling but no eruptions.

Strokkur eruption from a far.

Stop #3: Gullfoss (Golden Falls)

After the Geysir, we took a 15 minute drive to Gullfoss, our last main stop of the day. Gullfoss, which translate to the Golden Falls, is listed as a natural wonder of the world and it’s the largest waterfall I’ve ever witnessed. The fall is very aggressive. Geologists believe that the fall was formed from a flood from a glacier outburst during the end of the Ice Age. Before stopping at the main Gullfoss, make a pit stop at the outlook and you can see incredible views without the crowds.

Our pit stop before the main Gullfoss.

The fall had a mint color tint.

Beautiful fall.

Small portion of the fall.

The complete tour took us a full day. We left Reykjavik around 11:30am and arrived back into the city around 8pm. We made several pit stops to admire all the free roaming animals (sheep, goats, horses), and to admire all the beautiful scenic views. The drive back to Reykjavik was quite scary. The roads were dark, wet, and we had to drive between two cones. Visibility was limited and found ourselves driving extremely slow. Be careful and keep your eyes on the road. Other than that, have fun! Iceland is full of places to see and explore!

Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany: Prepping & What To Expect

It takes some planning and preparation for the ultimate Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Last year, I didn’t anticipate the large expenses that I would endure during my short stay there but with some preplanning, you can save a dollars.

Accommodations:

Book your stay as early as possible. Hotels can range from $200 to $700 a night! Do your research. My friends and I booked an apartment on AirBnB for $100 a night. People do become quite “shady” though. As soon as our host discovered that we were visiting during Oktoberfest, she increased it to $150 a night plus $50 a night for a 3rd person. We didn’t book a room right in the epicenter but a room right off a train station. The train ride into the city was only 15 minutes and we didn’t have any issues getting in or out of Oktoberfest.

 

What to Wear:

Most if not all are dressed wearing dirndls or lederhosen. Get the authentic stuff. If you’re an America, please don’t wear a halloween costume. It makes you look sleazy and it could be a little offensive to some. I purchased my dirndl at a German District in my hometown for about $125 but you can also order them online. If you are strep on time, you can always purchase one while you are there!

Reservations:

Entrance to Oktoberfest is completely free, however it’s recommended to make reservations in the Hofbrauhaus (beer tents) if you’re planning on enjoying a few liters. Our group did not make reservations last year. We had to make quick friends with strangers to get a seat or camped out early. One day, we arrived at the beer tents at 10am only to be moved several times to accommodate those who had made reservations. By the late evening, the tents were packed. If you’re planning on stepping out for some fresh air, your only way to re-enter is a reservation slip. Luckily, we found a group of English men who were willing to adopt us into their group.

If you’re planning on visiting on a weekend, come early. The tents get pack. If one is filled, keep going down the line until you’re able to be accommodated. There are 15+ tents!!!

Security:

Before entering the tents, your bags do get checked. Don’t bring things like hairspray. My girlfriend decided to carry her entire bag without unpacking anything and she had to hide some goodies away.

Bring Some Spare Change
Oktoberfest is not just about drinking, it’s a huge fair where families can bring their kids. I went on a few rides and found some yummy finger foods.

Eat Eat Eat:
I only recall splitting 2 meals with 2 of my girlfriends during my entire 4 day stay in Munich. By day 3, we felt miserable and missed our flight home to the States. The only foods that we could find in the tents were pretzels and doughnuts. They serve meals in the early mornings and when you reserve a table. If you didn’t make reservations, don’t sweat. A wonderful beer girl walks around with a basket filled with small delights. Flag her down and get some yummies in that tummy.

Have fun and Mingle:

We met a lot of people from all over Germany and the world. We drank together, toasted and learned a few Traditional German songs. It was one of my favorite travel experience and I wish to return again real soon.

Now there you have it. Things to prepare you for Oktoberfest in Munich.

Feile Phadraig in Dublin, Ireland

I spent St. Patrick’s Day in the best way possible. In Dublin, Ireland. From the 14th to the 17th, Dublin turns it’s city to the spectacular St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I arrived in Dublin on the 15th after a 3 hour delay leaving Los Angeles. From the 15th, we kicked the celebration in style. Here was my itinerary:

Sunday, March 15th:

Outside the famous Temple Bar

We arrived in Dublin around 9AM and headed to our AirBNB apartment. Emily, our host greeted us at the apartment and told us a little bit about the city and some fun activities to do while we were here.

After checking in, we went to a cute cafe called Slice which evidently became my favorite place to eat on this trip. I had the full Irish breakfast which wasn’t my typical Irish meal. It was a soup based meal with chorizo, pouched eggs, butternut squash, green peppers, chickpeas, with a side of bread. Yum!

After a short nap, we roamed around The Temple Bar area. The city was filled with live music in the bars and on the streets. We threw back a few pints of Guinness before calling an early night.

Monday, March 16:

We spent a good chunk of time exploring Phoenix Park, the largest park in all of European cities. The park is a must! You have the US Embassy, Ireland’s President’s house, Ashtown castle, and my favorite part, free roaming deer. You can also explore the park by hiring a bike for only 5 euros for a few hours.

After the park, we walked towards St. Stephens Green Street for a free outdoor Irish Dancing festival. On stage were dancers, a live band, and a host interacting with the crowd. Prizes were given out to the crowd for showcasing their moves onstage. We learned how to Irish dance and went wacky with the crowd. After the show was over, a french opera group, Les Poupées Géantes surprised us with a performance. The opera singers were on dress-like platforms… (I know that doesn’t make sense so check out the photos above!) They even moved through the crowd. It was neat-o!

As much as I wanted to party hard into the night, my best friend got food poisoned right when we arrived at the dance. We went to Queen of Tarts, a very popular restaurant located in the city center. Everything was practically sold out at the restaurant leaving us with a few options. My friend ordered the Gruyère cheese and thyme tart. It was probably sitting out for a while which stir a bad reaction in my friends tummy. Instead of bar hopping, my friend and I returned home to watch some Comedy Central, drinking cider (me), and force eating Chinese food (the only thing open).

Tuesday, March 17:

Drinking with the roomies

My friend was still recovering from food poisoning so I skipped into town to watch the hour and a half parade alone….well I wasn’t technically alone, 25,000 people were there. The St. Patrick’s festival theme this year was: Celebrate Now. There were some psychedelic floats that reminded me of Ghostbusters, Alice in Wonderland, and Back to the Future. There were also several marching bands. Believe it or not, majority of the bands were from the States.

I met up with my friend near our apt for a quick bite before heading down to the city center.

The city center was madness!!! After the parade ended, it appeared that the entire town escaped to the bars. In the mist of all the madness, we ran into our AirBNB roommates. We joined them and 2 of their friends in their bar hopping bananza.

Our first stop: The Market Bar. We all ordered a round of drinks than some food to absorb our drinks. I had the pulled pork and cheese empanadas. They were yummy!!!

After lunch, we parted ways from their friends (they had a flight) and went to several bars which I lost track of their names. After drinking, we decided to do some shopping at Grafton Street.

I got a St. Patrick’s Day shirt to remember my trip. My best friend decided that she wanted a shirt that she saw at The Temple Bar store. We tried so hard to avoid that area and here we are squeezing out bodies through a crowd of intoxicated 15-year-old adolescents wearing close to nothing. Thankfully, we made it out alive. She made the purchase and we dashed away from the crowd.

Wednesday, March 18:

After a great St. Patrick’s Day celebration, my best friend and I decided to part ways to enjoy a little bit of the Ireland. My best friend went to the countryside while I spent the day exploring the fisherman island, Howth. I will talk more about my experience on Howth on a separate blog. Please keep your eyes pealed for it.

If you plan on visiting Dublin during St. Patrick’s Day, be prepared for crowds, drunkies, and a lot of partying! There are a lot of things to see and do so make sure you do a little planning.

Where did you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

2015: 12 Months of Travel

I have quite an ambitious travel list for 2015. I should tell myself to set smaller goals… but lets face it, I’m not like that. I like to strive for the “impossible” and see where that takes me. Last year, I also set high standards and only crossed off 1.5 on my list. Here was my previous list:

• New Zealand
• Cambodia
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Brasil
• Bankok, Thailand
• Galapagos Islands
• Maldives
• Morocco
• Washington, DC
• Munich, Germany
• Barcelona, Spain
• Greece

I was able to visit Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest and had a short layover in Washington DC… that counts as half, right?

This year, I have bigger plans. Let’s see if I will follow through.

 

January: Edinburgh, Scotland √

I returned from Edinburgh earlier this month after celebrating their Hogmanay festival. I came home with a viral infection but it was worth it.

February: Costa Rica

My birthday is in February and I have an entire week off! My friends and I were planning on a trip to Miami, Florida, however, my friends were unable to get those days covered. Now, I’m onto plan B: Going to the beach somewhere, but where? My friends recommended Costa Rica and now I’m trekking the exotic ocean and jungle with 2 of my coworker a coworker.

March: Dublin, Ireland

I love Ireland. It’s my favorite place in the entire world. Hopefully, I’m able to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in my favorite country even though their celebration isn’t as outrageous as those in America.

April: Cambodia

A family friend is getting married in Cambodia. My mom is against traveling to Cambodia because she claims that it’s “unsafe”. Surprisingly, she gave me the okay to travel there as long as I’m in the presence of my bong (an acquaintance who is older than you). My mom wants me to represent her at the wedding… however I’m not very fond of that idea. This will be a great opportunity for my family friends to auction me off to the single men at the wedding… It happens all the time.. even in America. My plan is to say my hello and part ways to celebrate Cambodian New Years.

May: Turkey

Turkey has never been on my top list of places to visit until recently. I’ve seen beautiful photos of the Mediterranean Sea/ Black Sea and the hot air balloon drifting across the sky. Sounds like a fantasy to me!

June: Iceland

I tried to travel to Iceland last year in July but let’s say that I got stranded in New York. I’ve done my research and now I’m aware of my other options. I won’t be stranded this time around.

July: South Korea

There is a cosmetic company in South Korea that couldn’t afford to advertise their products so they created the Boryeong Mud Festival to allow people to test out their products. It became an instant success and now people from around the world travel just to experience this. I’m not about rolling around in mud but it would be interesting to see.

August: Italy

La Tomatina! That’s on my bucket list for who knows how long. It’s time to cross that off!

September: Norway

On my trip to Guatemala, I met a girl from Norway. We became instant friends. We are both adventurous and love to hike. She showed me beautiful sceneries from her hikes throughout Norway. I would love to see what Norway has to offer.

October: Albuquerque, New Mexico

I’ve been to Albuquerque numerous times for work. There isn’t much to see there but the people are friendly. I love that. What makes me want to visit Albuquerque in October is their International Balloon Fiesta!! I’ve seen photos and it looks breathtaking. Can I ride in one of those balloons too..probably not?

November: New Zealand

I really want to go here!!! I don’t think I’ll get here next year but it’s a dream.

December: Barcelona, Spain

I want to bring in the New Years with a glass of wine and some tapas with my best girl friends. Cheers!!!

What are some of your 2015 dream destinations?

My Top 5 Travel Moments of 2014

I’m finally coming around to listing my top 5 travel moments of 2014, which includes crossing a couple of items off my bucket list. Here is the list in no particular order:

1) Road Trip to Semuc Champey… but not getting there.

My friends and I rented a car to see Semuc Champey but instead our car gave out and we were stranded in the middle of nowhere in Guatemala…in the jungles. Despite of our misfortunes, we were fortunate enough to meet the sweetest and kindest people I’ve ever encountered. We were invited to go camping with a local fisherman and his family, lunch with another local family, volunteered for a NGO organization, and hiked up a volcano that later erupted the end of that week. Who would have thought that this would be my most talked about trip?

Roasting marshmallow with PM.

Playing with the kids.

The view as we were trying to find the road to lead us to Semuc Champey.

Roasting coffee beans over a hot burning stove.

Our poor car broke down.

Drinking coffee that I had the pleasure of making.

My lunch provided by some great locals.

Frogs on EH’s hand.

View from As Green As It Gets’ office.

Me and the volcano

2) Swimming with Sharks and Stingrays in Caye Caulker, Belize

I went snorkeling for the second time in Belize. This time, I was able to swim with sharks and stingrays. It was a unique experience and one for the books.

About to take a dive.

Diving with sharks and sting rays.

Sharks coming up to our boat.

More sharks.

3) Witnessing the Aurora Borealis in Fairbanks, Alaska

Seeing the Aurora Borealis has always been a dream of mine. I never thought that I would see something so tremendous let alone seeing it with 8 of my colleagues. I can’t wait for my next encounter.

On our way to see the Northern Lights and we ran into a Japanese camera crew. We’re famous in Japan. 😛

Trying to stay warm as we enjoy the Northern Lights in the observatory.

4) Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

Oktoberfest in Munich was another bucket list item for me that I was able to achieve in 2014. Better yet, I was able to celebrate it with my best friend and my coworker. We were only there for 3 days but we made it count. This experience was so great that we cannot wait to return in 2015!

Walking through Oktoberfest.

First stein of the day.

The enthusiastic crowd singing along with the band.

Met some great Germans along the way.

Drinking early.

5) New Years in Edinburgh, Scotland

I have never been the type to go big on New Years Eve. In my early years, I fell asleep before the clock ticked midnight. When I was in college, New Years was trying to make it to midnight before passing out from the alcohol. As I got older, I dreamt of spending New Years overseas particularly, with my best friend. My best friend cancelled due to some unforeseen circumstances but I didn’t want to spend another year figuring out which bar I wanted to hit up. I did some research and came across Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival. Edinburgh holds a 3-day event to celebrate the end of the year leading up to the beginning of the year. This new years is definitely one that I will never forget.

The Christmas Markets are still up and running here.

I’m so ready for the Hogmanay Street Party.

Love the gothic architecture here in Edinburgh.

Happy New Year!

Torchlight possession in central Edinburgh.

My host and I marching during the torchlight possession.

2014 was filled with great memories and I am looking forward to 2015! Let’s see the world!

Bucket List: Things I Accomplished in 2013

I’m currently contemplating of all the places that I could go next week for my 1 week vacation. Last month, I wanted to go on a trip where I could relax and not do anything simply because the holiday season has been quite stressful for me. This month, I want to do something outrageous, maybe a bucket list worthy experience. I thought about white water rafting in Costa Rica, going zip lining through the jungles/rain forest, going on a safari in Africa, or even holding a koala in Austrailia (childhood dream). As, I sit here planning my trip, I can’t help but think of all the incredible things that I’ve done in the past year. Here are my 5 bucket list accomplishments in 2013.

1. Traveling alone

Paris, France | July 2013

I’ve always wanted to travel alone but I never muster up enough courage to do so. I booked a spontaneous flight to Paris, left the following day and forced myself to see Paris alone. Realized that I do prefer traveling alone but I wouldn’t do Paris again. My experience in Paris is unlike any other and maybe I’ll share with you the crazy events that happened during my week stay in Paris.

2. Ceilidh Dancing in Scotland

Edinburgh, Scotland | Oct 2013

I think ceilidh dancing is the most exciting form of dance that ever existed. I had a blast dancing even though I absolutely have no idea what I was doing. My partner was a better dancer than I was and I had a background in dance! Despite of my lack of coordination, I would do this again and again.

3. Sailing in Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA | November 2013

I went to Hawaii a few months ago to visit some friends. One of my good friends from high school took me sailing and it was very exhilarating. I love every minute of it.

4. Fly First Class

Dublin, Ireland | October 2013

I got upgraded to first class on my flight from Dublin to JFK! During the flight, we were offered a 5 course meal, a seat that rolls out into a bed, and of course unlimited drinks. I never slept so well on a flight in my entire life and I never want to travel coach ever again.. if only that was possible.

My setting area

Meal #2

Meal #3

Meal #5 or #6?

5. Hiking at the Yosemite

Yosemite Village, CA, USA | June 2013

The most intense hike I’ve ever done was at the Yosemite National Park in California… on my own. My friends ditched me to fend for myself. Thanks guys.. but I did it and I’m proud of myself. I would love to visit all the national parks here in the states. Yellowstone, you’re next!

 

I’m hoping that this year, I will be able to experience more bucket list moments. For now, back to the drawing board.

Where should I go and what activity should I experience next week?