Ninh Binh
Ninh Binh is about 100 km south of Hanoi, it´s called Ha Long Bay on land, since it has the same karts landscape as Ha Long Bay! I left Cat Ba town by express bus at 10:30 and arrived in Ninh Binh at 15:00 in the afternoon. I had chosen to stay at Vancouver hotel in Ninh Binh, but the express bus went to Tam Coc first a tourist place about ten kilometers outside Ninh Binh. The bus driver drove into Ninh Binh with only one passenger it was me. One needs to consider where to stay in Ninh Binh town or at a home stay at Tam Coc River?
Waterton National park
Waterton National Park was my last visit in Canadian Rocky Mountains. This is the most southern national park bordering the Glacier National Park in Montana United States. My main goals were walking the Crypt Lake trail and see the famous Price of Wales hotel fantastic setting at Upper Waterton Lake.
Banff
View over Moraine Lake
My second day in Banff was spent walking around Lake Louise and up to Lake Agnes Tea house on the right hand side of the lake. The elevation gain is 385 meter; expected walking time is 2.5 to 3 hours for the 3.4 km to Lake Agnes Tea house. But first i few more view from Moraine Lake!
Isla Ometepe
I read in guidebooks that Isla Ometepe is a very nice island in Lake Cocibolca. However I was not too interested in visiting the island. A discussion with an American family in Granada changed my mind. The family came from Chicago in United States. Last year the wife and their children had visited Isla Ometepe. She thought that Isla Ompete was so beautiful so the whole family decided to go to Nicaragua for a second time. I decided I should visit Isla Ometepe as well at least for a couple of days.
Petra, Dana and Feynan
I used Madaba and Mariam hotel as a base for my travelling in Jordan. The best strategy for travelling long distances in Jordan is renting a car. A rental car work out far cheaper than Mariam hotels very cheap taxi deals on long distance travelling. You might think it´s difficult to drive in Jordan? I can say it´s surprisingly easy! It´s also very safe, Jordan has few accidents and many speed bumps. This brings the speed down in road crossings. As a matter of fact there are two speed bumps in every road crossing on the main roads. Jordan has millions of speed bumps.
Wadi Ibn Hammad
Wadi Ibn Hammad is one of Jordan’s most beautiful canyons. This canyon has everything steep canyon walls, colors, frogs, plants, waterfalls. Best of all, you can have it all for yourself; this canyon is almost completely unknown in the tourist industry.
Dead Sea and Wadi Mujib
Most people visiting the Dead Sea stay at expensive hotel resorts at the northern shore. In fact, there is an interesting budget alternative 30 km south in Wadi Mujib national park. Wadi Mujib is the Grand Canyon of Jordan, a fantastic area for walking, canyoning.
Landmannalaugar and Vik
Landmannalaugar
Landmannalaugar about 30 km east of Hekla in the inner of Iceland is probably one Europe’s most extraordinary places. One can reach this wilderness area with a bus from Reykjavík. The journey takes five and a half hour and the bus ride starts at 8:30 in the morning. Buy the South Circle pass at Trex in the bus station in Reykjavík and include Vik in your schedule. There is a possibility to extend the journey to Skaftafjell as well. If you go see to what you have best possible tent, sleeping bag, backpack and walking boots. You will need a tent that can withstand a storm in the open landscape without any wind protections. One can expect surprisingly cold weather even in the middle of summer with snow and temperatures below zero degrees celsius. Bring a warm sleeping bag with you! Stock up on food in Reykjavík harbor area, if you decide to break the journey into Landmannalaugar, Sellfors is another good are to stock up on food. If you are unsure about the standard of your equipment rent a hut but book as far in advance as possible. Landmannalaugar is a fantastic walking country with several possibilities for a day walk. If you are self-sufficient and can carry all your gears, there is the extraordinary fifty-five kilometer walk down to Pórsmörk.
Hornstrandir
The wilderness peninsula of Hornstrandir was my next goal after Látraberg. This is a real wilderness area only open in the summer months. If you really would like to fight with the elements go early in the season when it´s rains a lot. In the end of the season in the middle of August it can be sunny and nice weather if you are lucky. One more bonus going late in the season is all the blueberries one can eat everywhere on the green hills.
Equipment
Hilleberg Namattj 2 Tent
For several years I have used Hilleberg Namattj 2 during my travelling in Europe, Africa and South America. The main reason for choosing the tent was the low weight only 2.4 kg / 5 lbs 3 oz, I usually have problems with too much luggage weight when flying to other continents! The keron 1800 outer fabric is extremely strong an withstand very strong winds in high exposed areas. I have used it at high altitude at 5000 m in South America, in the jungle of Amazonas, in Kalahari in South Africa. It has been used in very cold weather -20 degree Celsius and very warm weather as well 38 degree Celsius without any problem.
