Travel Film: Kintaro Walks Japan

TWiBT Presents

Travel Film Review

Kintaro Walks Japan

I had originally seen the film 'Kintaro Walks Japan' on a long flight somewhere.  It is a documentary telling the story of Tyler MacNiven.  A recent college grad who decides to spend some time taking a bit of an unusual gap year.  He spends roughly half a year walking the length of Japan, over 2000 miles!

The film is charming and addictive.  It gives you a personal look into Japan and you can't help but feel as if you are part of the journey!  I love films like these.  They're real, raw, and inspiring.  Makes me want to do this also.  If you are needing some inspiration as well, I recommend you watch this film.  Personally, I'd ride a bike instead of walk.  The film does a good job of showing you how to really visit a country.  As Tyler states in the film, "I didn't want to just experience Japan, I wanted to be part of Japan."

By traveling in this slow manner, you experience the country on such a more deep and personal level.  You feel the air, see the plants & animals, interact with people, and become part of it all, rather than simply whizzing through it on a bus or car.

The best part is, you can watch this absolutely free on Google Video:



Enjoy the film!

-Jason of TWiBT

Travel to Iceland (and how NOT to die there!)

Travel to Iceland (and how NOT to die there!)

Up until recently, Iceland has been off the map for many tourists. Even still today to some degree, it is pushed into the shadows of tourism by many Americans in favor of nearby Europe. You may not realize how relatively close it is, just over 5 hours flight time from New York.  You can fly IcelandAir, but Delta also now has nonstop flights from New York.  While not exactly a weekend trip, it does provide an international experience if you are somewhat limited on travel time. Iceland has a natural beauty like few other places in the world. It kind of looks like a ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie in some places. While that movie was not filmed in Iceland, you’ll get that impression from Iceland’s beautiful landscapes.

Costs in Reykjavik
The capital city of Reykjavik is where you will most likely fly into. It is a modern European city, while somewhat expensive you can certainly do it smart. There are plenty of hotels, hostels, B&Bs, and CouchSurfing members in and around the city so finding accommodation in your price range should not be too much of a challenge. Peak season is summer, so try to avoid that if you want the best price. As with most place in Europe, try to cook your own food as restaurants are not cheap! If you are on a budget and must eat out, go ethnic. If you are a drinker, BYOB! Not exactly sure why, but alcohol is super expensive in Reykjavik.  Mostly this applies to bars, so if you must get drunk, down a couple 40s with some friends in your hostel before going out.  Otherwise you’ll seriously eat into your budget. Also, avoid taxis as they are extremely expensive. When you fly into Reykjavik, expect a taxi to your city hotel to be over $100. Just take the bus.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="412" caption="Traditional Icelandic Refrigerator"][/caption]

What to do
Iceland is not a huge country, roughly the size of Ohio and much of it is desolate. It is not unrealistic to stay in Reykjavik the entire time and take day tours to the surrounding area. While you won’t need a tour to see Reykjavik, it is most economical to get on a day tour to the surrounding areas instead of renting a car. Here are some popular destinations that you may want to consider.

1.) Hallgrímskirkja Church

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="455" caption="Kinda looks like a spaceship."][/caption]

Largest church in Iceland, restored in 2009. Located within Reykjavik, so its easy to get to no matter where in the city you are staying.

2.) Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="428" caption="Either kids have a separate pool, or that's a lot of chlorine."][/caption]

Natural pool of geothermal mineral-rich water. Perfect to relax in and take care of your skin, ya know, spa stuff? Located just outside Reykjavik, but you can take a bus there from downtown Reykjavik. You might also get a better value if you ride netbus http://www.bustravel.is/en/bus-tours which will also include your entrance fee to the Blue Lagoon.

3.) South Shore Tours

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Nature showing off."][/caption]

Outside of the capital city of Reykjavik, Iceland’s charm is in her natural beauty. Any tour along this route should include some amazing waterfalls, small villages, black sand beaches, and possibly some glaciers. Be sure your tour stops at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

4.) Golden Circle Tour

If you didn’t get enough mystical nature pictures on the South Shore tour (or you’re trying to make a Lord of the Rings fan film), check out a Golden Circle tour. This takes you into central Iceland where you’ll get to see the Gullfoss waterfall, Strokkur geyser, volcano craters, as well as some small villages.  Be careful to not get too close to the geysers or you'll end up like this guy who got sucked into a blowhole in Hawaii.  TWiBT readers, respect the geysers.


5.) Reykjavik Nightlife
Reykjavik has a thriving nightlife scene. Whether you are there to go bar-hopping or to go dancing, there are many impressive options you’ll encounter along the way. Don’t expect the club scene to really take off until midnight, as Reykjavik nightclubs are real after hours kinda places. The most popular clubs in Reykjavik are probably NASA and Club Sólon (which is also a tapas bar). You'll also have plenty of options of amazing restaurants. Take it from Chef Siggi Hall in this video "Iceland has always produce a great good foods".  What more do you want!?


Be sure to consider Iceland for your next trip, you’ll find it is easier to explore than many countries in Europe and you can have a great trip even if you are limited on time.  Due to its small size, you don't need a ton of time to experience the country.  Whether you are there to admire the architecture, the geology, the nightlife, or just to escape the heat, it has something for everyone. Even Lord of the Rings fans.

-Jason of TWiBT

Mongol Rally – The Greatest Adventure in the World

Mongol Rally – The Greatest Adventure in the World

 



Although this type of journey would be off the radar all but the most extreme travelers, you cannot deny the true sense of adventure a journey like this holds.  We live in a time of GPS, cell phones, gas stations with fast food restaurants inside them, emergency phones every mile on highways, and unlimited access to a database of pretty much all human knowledge (aka the Internet).  While all those things make the world a lot safer than once was, they do take away a certain charm.  Think about how many movies you’ve seen in the past that would be totally debunked by our modern inventions.  True adventure is just hard to come by these days, or is it?

 

While you may not encounter adventure in your everyday life, especially if you’re stuck in an office somewhere, you can go out and find it.  I suggest checking out the Mongol Rally.  Basically it’s a rally (not race) where you drive from London, UK to Ulan Bator, Mongolia.  If you don’t know where Mongolia is, look at a map or just pretend that it’s China’s hat.  The start and end cities are about 4300 miles apart, as the crow flies.  Here’s the catch, you can’t take the crow.  You’ve gotta drive.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="486" caption="I'm riding shotgun!"][/caption]


More reasons why this is crazy (in a good way):


1.)    You have to take a car with an engine displacement no greater than 1.2 Liters.  Just finding a car that meets these criteria is a challenge in itself.  My fiancé’s little Toyota Yaris wouldn’t even qualify because it’s 1.5 Liter 4-cylinder powerhouse would give it too much of an advantage!  Luckily, there are plenty of these pocket-sized cars in Europe that you could use, but forget ANY notions of comfort or durability.  Cars that small are made to go to the market, not Mongolia.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Be sure to get the 4x4 package on this beast."][/caption]

2.)    There’s no route.  There’s no highway called the “London-Ulan Bator Expressway.”  You’ll be passing through some of the most desolate regions on Earth.  A major portion of your drive will be through massive areas without any actual roads.  Your GPS and Google Maps directions will be useless.  The different teams usually take similar routes through Europe, but after that it’s all up in the air.  Some teams go north through Siberia, others through Iran, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan (I’d recommend travel insurance, and a will).  Personally, I’d just follow the crow.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="625" caption="Cannot calculate directions, bring a crow."][/caption]

 

3.)    There is no support or 800-number to call.  This isn’t a pre-packaged tour that you can just call the company and yell at some human punching bag to make things right for you (or to get some courtesy frequent flyer miles credited to your account).  You are on your own out there.  If your car breaks down, you fix it.  If you get lost, use the sun and the stars to guide you.  If you need water, find a river.  If you run out of food, eat the crow.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="326" caption="The Mongol Rally Special"][/caption]

The good thing out of doing something so deliberately crazy is that there is an element of charity to it.  Part of the funds you pay to enter the rally are for charity.  The car itself is also given to a charity in Mongolia.  The rally usually starts in late July every year.  If you want to sign up, check out the Mongol Rally website.  If you are a liberated traveler, you know that getting to fly there for free is the easy part!  As you can imagine, this type of journey could be one of the biggest in your lives. If you can make it through this, you can make it through anything. If that is not enough motivation, you find something more to make it interesting. Like making Kazakhs and Russians sing a rap song:



 

-Jason of TWiBT