I promise you won’t find gag gifts, or single-use items, or “fad” items. Instead you’ll find products I truly love (and have bought with my own money), causes I support, and gifts that do good. Conspicuous waste should never be celebrated.
From camera protection, to portable door alarm, these are must-have travel items under $25 for practical, non-sense travelers.
It’s my theory that there are 2 types of places to travel: a place to see things and a place to just be. Pamukkale and Cappadocia were places to see things. A lot of small cities fit in the latter category. Guidebooks often refer to these places are ‘atmospheric’ or ‘charming’.
Safranbolu is definitely a town of the latter category.
Stepping foot inside Rustom Pasha mosque, a small mosque in a busy market near Eminonou, felt like stepping into an aquarium. The tile works was incredible.
There are 2 advices from my parents that I grew up with: “You can be whatever you want to be as long as it’s not a politician,” and “Don’t get in a car with people you don’t know.” The first one is easy to follow. The latter… well, let’s just say that however wise the advice is, it’s been proven to be really hard to follow in my life.
On my first attempt hiking in Cappadocia I teamed up with an unlikely ally who fortunately had a map of the area. Unfortunately the map was of such low resolution it might as well be a world atlas.
Going on a hot air balloon is one of the most popular activities in Cappadocia. Is it worth it?
One of the reasons I came to Turkey was to see the travertine pools of Pamukkale. It was worth the sleepless, 12 hour bus ride from Istanbul.
Sometime last year we became obsessed with the idea of climbing the West Ridge of Pigeon Spire. This summer, we made it happen. We got ourselves a couple of housesitters (fellow travel bloggers, @nevendingvoyage), kissed the cats goodbye, and stuffed the content of our closet into 4 backpacks, and took off to Montana.
If you’re looking for one moderate hike to do in Glacier NP, I don’t think you can go wrong with Grinnell Glacier Overlook from the Highline Trail.
While driving the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier NP, a couple of questions came to mind.
The hike up Parker Ridge in the Canadian Rockies is one of our favorite day hikes in the area. A favorite because it offers so much for so little time.
Sutton, Quebec
When I first heard about Velo Volant, a newly built attraction located in Quebec Eastern Township, admittedly I was skeptical. The premise sounds intriguing from the start:
“Be one of the first to soar through the treetops on a suspended recumbent bicycle…”
This canopy cycle was such a new concept (there are only 3 in the world so far) there was little information I could find online. I didn’t quite know what to expect.
During my Quebec roadtrip, I stopped by Au Diable Vert, a camping resort near Sutton to check out this flying-bike thing.
True enough to its tagline, I learned that VeloVolant allows you to pedal a bike-like contraption through the forest canopy… while being suspended up to 100 ft high above the ground.
I eyed the cable suspiciously. Would it be strong enough to hold my weight? I was assured it’s strong enough to hold 5 cars.
From an engineering point of view, the installation of Velo Volant trail system was interesting in itself. Guy-wires attached to trees are used to suspend the cable in place as the it winds through the forest canopy. In places where the trail turns a corner, bent steel plates guide the wire, and in return the bike.
The trail was relatively flat and pedaling was easy.
So easy that many times I found myself racing through the trees, banking corners, and trying to pedal as fast as I could. Branches flew by me in a blur on my left and right. The ground is so far below I stopped worrying about it soon enough. I could hear Jeremy, the owner/guide, shouting at me from behind to slow down, ‘It’s not a race! You’re supposed to relax and enjoy.’
Looking down to the forest floor from such a height was a thrilling experience. Once I get used to the sensation of pedaling through the air (and learned to slow down), I found it completely relaxing.
When I closed my eyes, I could hear the rustling of the leaves, the birds, as I swayed along with the breeze. It felt like being on a hammock. So relaxing the only worry about falling asleep is to fall out of the bike (don’t worry, it has a seatbelt).
I had never experienced anything quite like this and was admittedly smitten by its novelty. I couldn’t help but thinking that somebody needs to build the skyscraper version where you can bike among tall buildings. It would be really cool.
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VeloVolant
Cost:$50
Length: 1km, or 30 min ride
Address: 169 Staines, Glen Sutton, QC
Not recommended for: those who are afraid of height (d’oh)
Note: I was a guest of Au Diable Vert
Unsavory characters and ‘bad men’ with guns called this place ‘home’ during California’s Gold Rush. Jack and I visited Bodie, a ghost town tucked in California’s mountainous eastern side.
