GoMad Nomad Travel Mag

Photo of the Week: Preikestolen Norway

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:01:59 +0000

Preikestolen: Preacher’s Pulpit, Norway

Everybody is scared and everybody tries to have a look down at least once. Preikestolen or Prekestolen is a massive cliff 1982 feet (604 meters) located in southern part of Norway. Hiking to Preikestolen is not one of the easiest things to do, however if you like walking through virgin forests with crystal clear streams, you will enjoy it. From the top you can see the most famous Norwegian attractions – fiords. This view of huge ancient rocks falling into quiet water, where there are no signs of civilization is breathtaking. It was really frightening to look down to the alluring deep dark blue water but after I got used to such heights, I was sitting on the edge of the cliff and enjoying the most gorgeous view.

Text and photos by Nell Rakhimova

Ask GoMad Nomad: U.S. Road Tripping on the Cheap

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:21:51 +0000

Dear GoMad Nomad,

I have a lot of time but not very much money. I’ve got a reliable car and want to take a road trip in the U.S. Do you have any suggestions to keep my costs low and extend my travel as long as possible?

-Ready to Hit the Road

Dear Ready to Hit the Road,

This question couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I am in my second month of a U.S. road trip on an extremely thin budget. So I’ll take you through my budget-saving tips.

Your Wheels

Traveling by car on a small budget in the U.S. means a few things. You’ll need an economical car. Gasoline in the U.S. is at an all-time high, so to keep costs low, you’ll want to pack light and try to bring along as many friends as possible in order to split gas expenses. But before you or I start complaining about gas prices, it’s still way cheaper than in many other parts of the world, especially Europe. (But remember cheap gas comes at a price.)

If none of your friends are into road tripping on the extreme cheap, find like-minded individuals on Couch Surfing’s Ride Share USA (or find a ride if you don’t have a car).

Your Bed

Another thing you’ll be doing is camping. But if paying the $12-$30 per night to camp at your average campground is too much, you’ll have to know these three magic words: Bureau of Land Management. The National Forests are managed by the BLM, and wherever you see their lovely brown signs, it means you have the forest to yourself for free. Yes, that’s right, “dispersed” camping is free in the National Forest as long as you pitch your tent 100 feet or so from the road and promise to Smokey that you will put your fires out completely. Alternatively, you can pay about $12-18 at the official National Forest campgrounds which provide a pit toilet, (usually no water), a fire ring, and a flat spot to put you tent fairly close to your neighbors.

This free camping on BLM land gets tricky when you’re back east, because federal lands are fewer and farther between. But hey, there’s always the Walmart parking lot where you can crack the windows and recline your seat for the long evening.

Your Bread

You will also be cooking yourself. I got this cheap, simple-to-use Coleman PefectFlow 1-Burner StoveColeman propane stove to boil rice, cook pasta, and make tea. Perfect for preparing dinner in the cozy pine forests and for cooking oats in the morning. Don’t forget the cooler to keep your cheese, milk, and beer cool.

Your Entertainment

If your road trip takes you through the western U.S., and chances are it will, you will want to buy the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands annual Pass. It costs $80 and gets you and all those in your car into the National Parks (or the lifetime pass is only $10 if you are over 62!). The western United States is saturated with outstanding natural beauty and historical interests. From Death Valley and Joshua Tree in California to Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, the national parks system is your best value. Sticking to the park system will help you avoid tourist traps (like paying $25 to drive through a Redwood tree) and keep your costs in check.

So those are my ideas for keeping your budget to minimum while road tripping. Use the comments below to share your own ideas and suggestions.

-Stephen

Photo of the Week: Joshua Tree National Park

admin — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:39:26 +0000

It’s hard to believe this park is only 2 ½ hours from 12 million people and there were so few visitors. Joshua Tree National Park is nearly 800,000 protected acres in Southern California where the Mojave and Colorado deserts converge. We entered the park from the south where the Colorado Desert lies at an elevation of 3,000 feet and climbed northwest into the Mojave at elevations of four and five thousand feet where huge granite boulders rise up among the pinyon pines, junipers, Mojave yuccas, prickly pears in addition to the park’s namesake: the Joshua Trees. Although they can grow up to 40 feet tall (at a rate of an inch per year) the Joshua Tree isn’t a tree at all, but species of yucca.

Text and photo by Stephen Bugno

Photo of the Week: Natural Bridges National Monument

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 01:14:48 +0000

After battling mobs of American and European families on holiday in Colorado’s crowded Mesa Verde National Park, we headed west into Utah to find a much less visited park. National Bridges National Monument is a great example of extraordinary display of beauty that is southern Utah. There are three natural bridges in the park, Kachina, Sipapu, and Owachomo, each a natural bridge of a slightly different age. We took a steep and twisting trail down to the river that flows underneath this bridge, Sipapu.

Text and photo by Stephen Bugno

Colorado: In a State of Beer

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:46:14 +0000

By Stephen Bugno

At the Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons

I had initially set off to Colorado for my brother’s downtown Denver wedding and thought I’d extend the trip to include summiting a few ‘fourteeners’ and visit Mesa Verde and Great Sand Dunes National Parks, but the week following the reception quickly turned into how many outstanding Colorado Breweries I could visit.

For anyone who has been hiding under a rock for the past 15 years, we are living in the golden age of beer. And Colorado is arguably at the epicenter of this very fine micro-brewery explosion.

Oskar Blues, Lyons

Famous for being the first microbrew sold in cans rather than bottles, Dale’s Pale Ale is a cult classic. But let’s focus more on how good Oskar Blues beer taste rather than its packaging. Although the majority of the brewing process takes place at a larger facility in Longmont, you can still visit the original brewery in Lyons, on the edge of Rocky Mountains. Oskar Blues is a friendly and passionate family and they keep it real by keeping it local, selling their used grain to area pig farmers and having a pig roast at the brew pub. And if you were wondering, Oscar and Blues were the name of Dale’s dogs.

The sampler at Left Hand in Longmont

Left Hand, Longmont

The modesty of the folks up at Left Hand Brewery in Longmont amazed me. How could they brew such tasty beer and remain so modest? Their beer speaks for itself and production is small enough to remain trendy, but big enough to distribute to 28 states. Hope you live in one of them.

Longmont also keeps it local, hosting a farmers market in their parking lot once a week. Left Hand was named in honor of Chief Niwot, whose tribe wintered in the local area. (The name is derived from the southern Arapahoe word Niwot meaning left hand.) Go ahead and stop by the brewery and taste the milk stout that has made them famous.

Avery, Boulder

It’s hard not to love these guys. Their beer is phenomenal and they make so many varieties. Thanks to their dollar four-ounce tasters at the brewery taproom, you can taste a decent selection and remain on your feet while saving enough money to visit the other fantastic breweries in Boulder (but why would you want to leave Avery?). The server carefully carried nine different brews to our table outside, which somehow is quite enjoyable despite the industrial park-like setting. Don’t leave without trying the Maharaja, their Imperial IPA.

New Belgium, Fort Collins

This one I hit a few years back. They’ve expanded quite a bit since I visited, and now lucky folks as far away as North Carolina can imbibe. Their brewery in Fort Collins is environmentally sustainable, running completely on wind power and the company is employee owned. They’re famous for that old school mountain bike on the label of their flagship Fat Tire brew, but crank out some nice seasonal brews as well.

Stephen Bugno tasted his way through Colorado breweries in the summer of 2010, as part of a two-month cross-country road trip. For more than a decade he has worked, volunteered, and traveled his way around the world. He blogs at BohemianTraveler.com.

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Photo of the Week: Matera, Italy

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:51:10 +0000

This week’s Photo of the Week comes from Suzy Guese of SuzyGuese.com.

Entering Matera in the Basilicata region of Italy, in between Puglia and Calabria, was eerie to say the least. The town is said to be one of the world’s oldest, where settlements formed in caves, sassi, out of the natural grottos. In the 1950s, people started inhabiting the caves again due to extreme poverty, lending an infant mortality rate of 50%, a breeding ground for disease, and an Italian scandal of forcing residents into government housing schemes. To throw in a little more drama, Mel Gibson decided to film Passion of the Christ in Matera. I quickly found out why.

There was a chill to Matera, a quiet you couldn’t quite understand or think could possibly be in Italy, a country so rich in noise and chaos. As the sun beat down, the town glowed. A few Italian tourists here and there could be heard only by the snapping of their camera’s lens, opening and closing quickly. Then, the quiet ceased. A wedding procession began honking their horns, parading through town down to the church. Only for a moment did Matera seem like a normal Italian village, where a wedding can be seen in every quaint town on the weekend. Not a resident to be seen or real noise to be heard, Matera’s draws are not of beauty but a reminder of Italy’s impoverished and neglected South.

SuzyGuese.com showcases people and places from around the world not in the ordinary, travel guidebook sense. She is fascinated by the simple way a story can be told, usually with a little humor. Follow @suzyguese on Twitter and find her on Facebook.

The Rainforest of Tambopata National Reserve, Peru

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:51:17 +0000

By Danielle L. Krautmann
My senses are heightened in the rainforest.

in front of a Ficus

Despite being legally blind in my right eye, I can see more clearly than ever before….maybe there’s just more to see. Something as simple as sunlight illuminating a water droplet on a leaf is a vivid representation of the complexity of nature. I look up to the trees and can imagine which leaf the drop fell from and how many leaves it rolled off before it landed on this one. I look at the plant it sits on and hypothesize the path the drop will take to the ground and which of the surrounding plants, trees or vines will be nourished by it. This sense of sight can be heightened further with correct training.

Richard, a guide for Rainforest Expeditions (the company I’m working for), who specializes in birds told me how he became so expert at spotting them. “Practice, Practice, Practice,” he told me. He began by figuring out how far 20 meters was and practiced spotting birds and other animals. When he felt good about it, he moved up to 50 meters, then 100 meters. The other day I went for a nature walk with him and was amazed when he stopped walking, looked around, sniffed once or twice, then pointed directly at the bird or animal without
thinking twice. I want to be able to do that!

I hear birds calling back and forth. Some chirp timidly, others caw obnoxiously, while occasionally I’ll hear a terrifying screech, only to figure out that was also a bird. Tree branches fall, monkeys bicker, insects buzz all at the same time. It’s loud, but I’ll take it any day over the non-stop noise pollution of traffic, horns and construction which permeates Lima and makes me feel like I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

It’s really not that much quieter than Lima, especially in the morning, but its far more pleasant. Trying to distinguish who’s saying what is initially overwhelming, but when I listen closely, I realize how harmoniously they come together. It’s as if the all the plants species of the forest along with her animals are in collaboration, functioning exactly as they should be.

If I concentrate and sit quietly, I can listen in on a conversation between two birds. On a walk today, I heard a rain shower five minutes before it arrived. The sound of the raindrops hitting the leaves became louder as the downpour approached, giving me just enough time to find an umbrella tree to stand under while the worst of it passed.

I’ve always had a keen sense of smell, but try to suppress it in the city because the scents of food, diesel fuel, and urine do not appeal to me. I had almost forgotten that to truly experience an odor you must use more than your nose. It involves breathing through your mouth and using your sense of taste. You must then allow the odor to infiltrate your entire chest cavity and head until it brings back a memory or creates a new one. Guides here can smell Howler Monkeys from two miles away. I’m not that good yet, but can appreciate the fresh air, jungle fruits and nuts, flowers, leaves, even dirt.

Leaf Carrying Ants...these ants carry pieces of leaves, plant them to grow a fungus, and then eat the fungus.

Then there’s another sense. I’m not talking about that creepy movie with that little kid who hangs out with dead people. It’s the same full body sensation you get when you first fall in love with someone. When I hike in the forest, no matter how hot it is, or whether it’s raining and I’m soaking wet, my energy increases and I could hike for hours. Worries cross through my mind for no more than a minute before I’m distracted by a jumble of vines, trees and plants competing with each other for sunlight. They wrap around each other, always moving upward in a beautiful chaos until they explode through the canopy spreading their branches in every direction to celebrate their triumph. My worries are forgotten and I realize I’ve been
studying the forest for what feels like hours, but maybe was only seconds. This sense is timeless and unquantifiable. It’s the same as falling in love, only this time I’ve fallen in love with a place.

Photo of the Week: Santorini, Greece

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:43:58 +0000

We needed to return our rented moto by 4pm, so we decided to visit Santorini’s white sand beach before leaving the island. However, there were some road signs that just didn’t make sense and we decided to follow any sign that said beach. To our delight, we found ourselves at the red sand beach. We had to park the moto and walk about 10 minutes (over red rocks and stones), but it was well worth it. The blue water and deep red sand was such an unexpected surprise! It was hard to leave the beautiful spot, but we did return the moto and caught our flight away from paradise and back to reality.

Text and photo by Cara Metell

Ask GoMad Nomad: Little money, still want to travel

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 09:01:26 +0000

Dear GoMad Nomad:

I’m low on cash but still want to travel, what should I do? Go into further debt and live life in the moment, or do the prudent thing and save up my money?

-Broke In Brooklyn

Dear Broke in Brooklyn:

My first advice is to get the heck out of Brooklyn! You’ll save up more money living in the sticks. But, yeah, yeah, I know you want to be at the epicenter of Hipsterdom.

Anyhow, to answer your question: Don’t go into debt! But…you can still travel on very limited funds. The options are limitless.

Since you don’t have money, I’m assuming you have time. You can spend that extra time that you normally spend nursing PBRs on Bedford Ave, researching and planning out your travel.

First thing you’ll have to understand about cheap/budget travel is that it happens very slowly. You’ll have to opt for the pueblo bus over the bullet train; and if you’re going to hitch, you’ll have a lot of time to perfect your hacky sack skills while waiting for your free rides. So I’d reserve anywhere from two months to a year for this expedition.

If you just happen to have graduated from college and don’t know what to do, check out this fantastic post over at Almost Fearless.

Since you have the time, I would highly recommend volunteering, “helping,” working, and temporarily residing in the places you plan on visiting. This will allow you to actually experience the place and get to know the people you have traveled so far to visit.

Volunteering

This one is tricky. You want to avoid paying a fee to volunteer. I don’t mind helping others, but I don’t like to have to pay for that privilege, and neither should you. Check out these awesome articles for low-cost or free volunteering opportunities in Nepal, the West Bank, and Spain. Transitions Abroad Magazine is also an incredible resource for volunteering abroad info.

Help Exchange

Before I started teaching English in Madrid, I almost took a gig helping an English couple in Brittany restore an old train station into a B & B. I would have helped them for four hours a day and they would have fed me and given me a room in their home. The rest of the day I could spend working on my writing projects with the help of their wireless internet. I used Help Exchange to connect with these people in need of a helper. But the dream was never realized.

Working

Get to the Caribbean or cross the Atlantic while working aboard a yacht. Skippers in ports far and wide are always looking for a crew that preferably speaks their language and may or may not have sailing experience. Good sites to connect skippers and crew: Crewfinders, Yacht Crew Register, or Dovaston Crew.

Temporarily Residing

A great option is house sitting. I kind of want to make a career out of this, except it doesn’t pay very well. Why not take care of the perritos and water Señora Torres’ garden for the month August while she’s vacationing at her other home on the Canaries? You’ll probably need a good reference before strangers will entrust you with their home and animals. Use Mind My House, House Careers, or House Sit World.

So if you combine a little traveling in between some of these ideas, you’ll have a well-rounded trip. Use couchsurfing for accommodation read up on hitchhiking before you leave.

-Stephen

The Jungle Gig

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:09:05 +0000

By Danielle L. Krautmann

To access the lodges, I must fly to Puerto Maldonardo, then take a boat up the Tambopata river. You cannot access the lodges by road.

About a month ago I was bored in my apartment for 10 minutes. Charlie was at the mine, it was eight o’clock at night and none of my movies looked enticing. I hate the mention of the words bored, boredom, boring and agree with Harvey Danger when he sings “if you’re bored than you’re boring.” That’s the last thing I want to be. So I baked a pie, cleaned the house and sat down at my computer. I tried to write, but nothing came so I began searching the internet for inspiration. In the process I found a very general classified add in the “journalism” section of an ex-pat site.

Looking for someone to travel to Puerto Maldonardo for 3 to 5 months for writing/social networking. Length of of time somewhat negotiable.

Knowing nothing of the position, or about social networking, or whether I could commit to three months in southern Peru, I replied via email with my resume and a link to my blog assuming that would be the end of it. I moved on to bigger and better things and by the time my pie had cooled and I had completed the first half of my instructional DVD on belly dancing, I had forgotten about my informal application. A few days later I received an email asking about my availability and possibly meeting. A week later, I found myself in Starbucks sitting across from Martin, my contact for what I’m calling (to myself) the “jungle gig.” Ironically, I had just finished a segment in Spanish class in which we practiced conducting jobs interviews (in Spanish). Fortunately this interview was in English.

A happy hiker in her element

Still knowing absolutely nothing about what this position would entail, Martin, the Limean, asked me what I was expecting from this job. I correctly took his question to mean what would I expect in terms of compensation. I decided that I would spar with him in this ambiguity game and replied that I expected that I need not to make money on the gig, but did not want to spend money either. After several more non-specific questions during which I struggled to get some idea of what we were talking about, I couldn’t stand it. I had to ask in the most polite professional way I could come up with, “um…now…I was just wondering…well…what exactly is your company and um….what kind of …er…position…are you looking to fill?” Martin’s reply was to hand me a CD with a cover that said “Rainforest Expeditions” and wait for my reply. From there I began to learn more, when I got home and saw the company webpage, I was sold.

Rainforest Expeditions is an ecotourism company that operates three sustainable lodges in southern Peru in the Tambopata National Reserve. My job is to “social network,” which means that I maintain the Facebook business page, Twitter account, and keep a blog, which essentially brings more attention to the company via the internet. While I believe in this position and have recently noticed how many large and small companies have Facebook and Twitter accounts, I initially knew very little about this new wave of social networking. I am currently in the learning phases using books, knowledgeable friends, and online sources to guide me. For me to do an effective job, I’m going to have to take at least two trips to the lodges to visit them, write about what’s going on there, and interact with other guests, networking the old fashioned way via conversation. During my interview, Martin mentioned that there would be a “social aspect” to this position and said he was looking for someone with an outgoing personality who would be able to talk to other guests. Does this sound like my type of job or what? My first trip is for three weeks and I will be departing Sunday morning.

To clarify, I will not be staying in a 5 star resort. But to me, this is far better. Ecotourism means “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” (TIES, 1990). I will be sleeping in shared staff quarters except for when Charlie comes for 4 days to visit, during which we will be put in tourist lodging. The lodges are built from local materials and to minimize impact have cold water only, electricity via generator only turned on once a day, lighting form kerosene lamps and candles, and open air sleeping with mosquito nets. I picture waking up in the morning to the sounds of birds rather than traffic on Javier Prado, breathing air free of diesel fuel, and seeing an area of Peru off the gringo trail where few tourists venture.

On Sunday I will leave the city with little hesitation other than the last few words spoken by my interviewer in our first conversation. “This place is addicting. People who leave always want to come back.” Bring it on, jungle. I’m ready.