Iceland Diaries - Hot springs and Volcanoes

Iceland - the name was quite apt when I visited this place. It was Christmas and literally the entire land was covered in a thick blanket of snow. There was not even a single area where vegetation could be seen. It is very hard to imagine how the cattle can live in such a kind of an environment. 

And yet, this is name is still ironic. Although from the surface, it was very harsh and cold, below the surface is a huge reservoir of boiling water. Yes! Iceland is full of geothermal energy and it is the water from the earth which is used for heating the buildings and the pavements in the city of Reykjavik. Iceland is self sufficient in terms of electricity and the major cost is only in the initial investment in the infrastructure such as the geothermal plants. 

Smoke coming out of hot springs filling the air with sulphur 

The hot water erupts on the surface at some places and forms giant pools like this one. Some of them even contain boiling water. 

The tour operators often said that you can take a very long warm/hot shower as long as you want as all the hot water is natural. Although one does get the sulphur smell in the beginning while opening the taps, it is not dangerous at all. That was something to look forward to when we came back from our day tours. 

The Great Geysir from which the term "Geyser" seems to have originated and the first known Geyser to the Europeans.

Naturally there are a lot of hot springs and volcanoes in Iceland. There are quite a few places near Reykjavik where this boiling water surfaces out and forms a pool of hot water. Often this is released in the form of a "Geyser" - a term which is actually originated from one of the hot springs in Iceland. Many people might still remember the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010 due to which most of the flights in Europe and North America were grounded. Volcanoes keep erupting in this part of the world. But most of them do not cause such inconveniences.

This was a part of the Golden Circle tour which takes us through some amazing viewpoints near Reykjavik. The rest of the spots will be a part of another post. Stay tuned!!!

Hiking in Bavaria: Week 2

We had a long weekend this time. I took the liberty to relax for two days when it was supposed to rain a lot (and it did rain a lot). The third day I went for an easy hike through the Bavarian alps to the Tirol mountains in Austria. We went to Erzherzog-Johann-Klause which is very near to the German-Austrian border.

We started from Munich around 8 in the morning and got down at Fischbachau-Neuhaus which is again one of the trains which go to Bayerischell. Then you have to change two buses to reach the start of our hike, Valepp. 

During the entire duration of our hike, we were in a valley almost following the river Vallep. Since we never really reached a peak, the altitude difference was about 300 m. As I said, this was a relatively very easy hike and the landscape was really amazing. It is perfect for those people who are in the initial stages of hiking experience. Though there are quite a few places where one has to be careful with the paths as they are too narrow edging over the valley. There were a few occasions when the trail ran next to the river and it was great to hang out there for a while. 

Erzherzog-Johann-Klause is a nice Bed & Breakfast hut located in the midst of the Tirol alps. We had a nice lunch and loads of time to relax before we headed back to the train station the same way. I think the pictures will tell the rest of the story ;)

Chile Diaries: Journey to Peulla

Before coming to Chile, I had never really heard about the gems hidden in this beautiful country. This country is home to Andes mountains and the Patagonia which bears a number of species unique only to this region. After watching the penguins, I took one day's break and roamed around Puerto Varas, which will be a topic of a different post. The next day, I made a journey through probably the best place on Earth according to me - Puella. 

Puella is a village near Puerto Varas with a population of about 100 people. Given its remote location, the main source of income for this region comes from tourism. And there is no doubt that thousands of people from around the world visit this tiny little corner of the world. 

As usual I started the journey from Puerto Varas to reach lake Todos los santos which is almost at the foothill of volcano Osorno and in the boundary of Vicente Perez Rosales national park. After a sightseeing through a waterfall, we got into a ferry which would take us to Puella. 

More than Puella, it is this journey through the lake which makes the tour special. The water is bluish as it is believed to have originated from a glacier. With blue skies and bluish water, lush green trees on the surrounding mountains and snow capped peaks in the distance, this is probably one of the best views a photographer can get. Of course, none of the photos can actually capture nature's beauty but a picture in any direction will dazzle you with its beauty. 

Lake Todos los Santos

Now I would not say much about the journey because it is hard to explain it in words. It is a perfect place to relax and meditate. The ferry takes about 1.5-2 hours to reach Puella. There are a lot of things to do in Puella and the tour operators provide vast options including experiencing country life, canyoning etc.. I did not take any of those tours because I was happy with the natural beauty of this place. 

Margherita Island overlooking volcano Osorno

On our way back, the weather changed. There were dark clouds partly obscuring the beautiful views we had in the morning. But it gave a very spooky and interesting view of the mountains. The next instant, for the first time in my life, I actually saw the formation of a rainbow. It was drizzling on one side of the lake while there was a sunset on the other side. The combination gave the best ending to what was probably the best day in my trip. I think the pictures can say the rest of the story ;)

Dark clouds during the journey back

Formation of a rainbow

Hiking in Bavaria: Week 1

Spring has already made its way into Bavaria now that we are half way through May. And this means, various hiking trails in the European alps have opened up.

And for a start, I did my first hike, again to Wendelstein, but through a different trail this time. It is very convenient to reach this area to hike as there is a train at least once every hour from Munich to Bayerischzell. We got down at Fischbachau and took the trail towards Wendelstein which would take a little over 4 hours if we go at a steady moderate pace. It was drizzling when we started our hike. A few paths were completely muddy and it helped to have proper hiking shoes. 

At the top, there was literally no view whatsoever as we were inside a thick blanket of clouds. The visibility was rather less but not so much to make the hike difficult. Being inside the clouds also gave a very spooky touch to the environment. Nevertheless it was interesting to be inside the clouds. 

Cloud cover at the peak

The way down from Wendelstein to Bayerischzell took just 2 hours. There were still some slopes near the peak with snow but it was not a trouble for the hikers. The weather soon changed as we left the peak. We got regular intervals of sunshine and amazing views. There were water falls at a few places in the path where some people filled up their water bottles as this was fresh water from the alps. 

I hope to hike at other places in Bavaria during this season.

Chile Diaries: Penguins of Chiloe Island

I recently had the chance to visit the southernmost place on Earth I have ever been - Puerto Varas in the south of Chile. I was there as a part of a conference and stayed a few more days to explore the national forests and beautiful lakes around this area. It was a perfect break from the cold in the northern hemisphere and Puerto Varas did not disappoint us. Warm sunshine everyday with a beautiful lake overlooking the volcano Osorno was a treat for all  of us.

Lake Llanquihue in Puerto Varas overlooking volcano Osorno

One of the trips to look forward to was the one day tour to the penguin colonies in the Chiloe island which was like a 2.5 hour ride from Puerto Varas. There was a controlled bush fire near the highway which delayed our departure. But in-spite of that, we reached the island at an appropriate time. There is no bridge between mainland Chile and the Chiloe Island. Most of the vehicles including trucks and buses are transported in a ferry which takes about 20 minutes. It would become extremely convenient for tourists and the people in the island once a bridge is constructed between the two regions. 

Chiloe is quite big and it took us nearly an hour to reach the penguin colony. The journey took us through the city of Ancud. Rest of the landscape was spectacular with occasional views of the pacific and little islands between its huge waves. One can see local farm animals which consisted mainly of cows, horses, chicken and tiny little pigs. There were a lot of creatures which I did not recognize. Once our bus even stopped to let a cow pass by (glad to know this happens even outside India). 

The city of Ancud

The local villages in Chiloe

Once near the penguin colonies, we decided to take a lunch break near the sea shore of Punihuil. At this corner of the Earth, the food choice was highly limited. The only thing that was served here was beef and sea food. This was not surprising as one can see how remote this place is and it is practical to have such local food here. 

Punihuil

After a nice lunch beside the beach, we were off to the Penguin colonies in a small boat. The huge waves did give me jitters initially but it was the sight of the penguins that got my attention. At a distance, I could see a few penguins. Then a lot of them. Then we got a lot closer. I did not believe that I am actually seeing penguins in their natural habitat. It wasn't just me but everyone in the boat was excited and not even a Hollywood superstar would have got so many pictures clicked in this shirt amount of time. I took as many as I can and when I was tired, I just sat and watched them.

Magellan Penguins

Amazing creatures these penguins are. They were standing at one place drying their feathers, some of them walking up and down the hill. That was the fun part. The best entertainment a penguin can give is to walk. First of all, they do not have hands like humans to support themselves if they fall on the slope. After a couple of steps, the penguin would just slip but somehow balances itself. They are pretty careful while going into the water. While coming out, they just look like a baby trying to crawl its way up the rock. 

One Humboldt penguin which we spotted in one of the colonies

These islands are a home to Magellan and Humboldt penguins. While most of the Humboldt penguins were gone at this time of the year, we were mainly able to see the Magellan ones and just one Humboldt. Apart from penguins, there were many otters and another bird (the name of which I do not remember) which kind of looks like a penguin but then up close you realize that it is a disguise. We hoped to see a bear as well but it was inside a cave. There was a major earthquake in Chile in the 1960s and some of the effects of the earthquakes can still be seen today. One of the islands was split into two and the earth quake had triggered off a Tsunami, the effect of which was felt as far as the island of Hawaii in the north Pacific. 

Those 20 minutes in the pacific were completely worth the 5 hour journey we had to make. On our way back, we stopped at the city of Ancud at its local market. The fruits and vegetables were enormously large here. The size of a garlic clove was equivalent to the size of an entire garlic that you get in Germany. One section of the market sold fishes and other section sold souvenirs. There was a football match going on and I have never seen people so enthusiastic towards a game like this. 

Chiloe was indeed a treat. I hope to visit this place again to explore the southern part of this island.