An Iceland Kuku Adventure!

 

AN ICELANDIC ROAD TRIP

You may remember these ukuleles having stopped off to announce the great freezing #GoingNorth trip in Reykjavik, Iceland. Well, after the harsh winds and kind hearts of Canada, Ukulele Road Trips is back where it all started!

Back by the shore in the Icelandic capital

Going North some more, this time, not in the land of maple syrup and traditional tap-dancing, but in the land of volcanoes, ice, and ruthless Norse Gods.

The idea is a crazy, non-thought-through one: to go all around the mystical island in the Winter months and, with a bit of luck, survive. And with even more luck, let the road and frozen mountains inspire songs and poems fitting of their drama. If I can catch a bit of the fleeting sunlight during these short winter days, you might even get to see some of it!!

THE 'KUKU' IN 'KUKU CAMPERS'

If you don't have brains, to survive, you at least need a great ride. That ride can become your house, shelter, and your all round Awesome Road Trip Survival Machine. That's where Kuku Campers come in:

Kuku (short for 'kuku-town banana pants') means mad. And the Kuku Team of the Kuku Campers company, it seems, are Kuku enough to not mind seeing me drive one of their vans!

At the kuku counter with friendly Hölly, just outside Reykjavik

As I was first communicating with the Kukus, it was pretty clear to them I didn't have a clue about what I was throwing myself into. So their helpful verdict was quite clear: you won't get a better deal to see the island close up than with one of their ride. Plus, you know, freedom !!

And blessedly, because I'm travelling with 'kukuleles', they are giving me a discount which makes it possible for me to rent a spacious (and heated!) van. Because, who knew backpacking and writing original melodies didn't make you a gazillionaire ? Weird, right? Also, they did mention keeping warm in Iceland, in Winter, was important.

A tour of the homey living room/bed/kitchen of the van with Hölly striking a cool pose

So with a drivable and robust palace, two ukuleles on the passenger's front seat, everything is in place for some serious Musical-Road-Trip-ing !

The modified Kuku Renault Master, on the parking lot, eager to get going ! "Dont Worry, be Sexy!!" is it's motto, there on the left. The Other side says "Don't Stink and Drive!"

ODSSON HOTEL, KEEPING ME WARM

Another stroke of luck/Icelandic kindness was from the staff over at my only port of call in Reykjavik: the ODSSON Hostel.

Here pictured, the kind Scotsman from the front desk, whose lunch I'm interrupting so I can ask questions about weather, roads, and survival on an icelandic road trip.

They are located on top and underneath of the 'Myndlistaskólinn' , the school of arts which I visited just before landing in Canada. That the ODDSSON shares a building with that school is just another reason for the Backpacker to stop there, as it's also friendly, warm (important!), and they do a good price, relative to Iceland obviously.

My level of preparation for the Nordic Winter was this one: a very light summer sleeping bag tucked at the bottom of my backpack. Having had the most comfy blankets and pillows in the whole world at the ODDSSON (not an exaggeration) I have pleaded to borrow some of theirs while on my adventure. The fact they've agreed makes me so very grateful, and indebted to them for my comfy rests in a dream of softness.

Inside the van, in the soft clouds of ODDSSON blankets, already writing down a few lyrics.

So it's with the help and services of both ODDSSON and Kuku Campers that my survival seems like a possible achievment. The Northern Road beckons.

The Adventure #GoingNorth in Iceland is made possible with the contribution of CloudMusic Ukuleles, and also, as you've just read, with the kool kuku help of Kuku Campers !

Feel free to sponsor warm beverages here on the website, or over on the Patreon of Ukulele Road Trips.

Subscribe to all things subscribable to follow the Icelandic #GoingNorth !

The Toronto Podcast and nearby Niagara Falls

 

THE TORONTO PODCAST

In the most polite of countries, and in one of its most buzzing of countries, the Ukulele Road Trips Podcast has joined up with a few hearty locals that embody the soul of Toronto, in one friendly couch conversation.

Click here to listen to/download the Toronto Podcast

From left to right, Adi, Augustin and Canadian Ben ! The smiling guests of the Toronto Podcast

One of the topics discussed in the Toronto Podcast, is that Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, with around half of its inhabitant being foreign-born.

Adi, on the left of the couch is from India and has been living in Canada for a few years already. Augustin, from Mexico, seated in the middle, having studied in Canada is waiting for a permit of permanent residence (or something like that, he explains it better than I do), and Candian Ben, on the right, as his name suggests, is Canadian, 'born and raised' in Ottawa, the capital.

A view on the Canadian Natinal (C.N.) Tower, also a topic in the pod

So it's with the perfect panel that all Toronto-nian things are discussed, with songs and hard hitting questions such as "who is your favourite Justin?" and "Why are you so nice?".

Click here to listen to/download the Toronto Podcast

Post-podcast self-congratulory selfies all around !!

A WALK AND AN ARREST BY NIAGARA FALLS

The Niagara falls being not too far from Toronto, I seized what feels like a chance in a lifetime to see the glorious water falls. A short drive away from the busy city, and through the suburbs along Lake Ontario, and you're there !

Almost there !

Small confession, I had had a poster of the falls in my room as a child, and I imagined them surrounded by wild nature, green trees, lions and funny looking birds (yes, I also thought they were somewhere in Africa...). It's not exaclty how you'll discover the falls though. They're actually rather surrounded by buildings and skyscrapers. If you're into beautiful water falls, casinos and 3D cinemas, you're in for a treat !

the view to the left of the falls. The other side is the US !

I didn't really have the time for 3D cinema, so I decided to get closer to the thundering waters. What music! The bare roaring power of nature. But the sound of cameras and a pigeon getting in the way made me decide to get closer.

Who? Me?

Getting closer, meaning in this case, to jump over the railing and sit down on the grass right next to nature's temple..

Behind the signs saying "do not go beyond this sign", the falls look more or less like this:

From there, you can almost imagine the amazement and awe of the first native tribes discovering these Niagara Falls. Though you may have to face some consequences of your trespassing.

Alex Taccinelli and Ben from Ukulele Road Trips - a souvenir picture

Meet Alex. Alex is a policeman by the Niagara Falls. And protecting everybody's safety, in this case meant Alex had to arrest me.

However, luckily for me, Alex was very friendly, courteous, and more concerned about my safety than wanting to issue a punishment of any kind. So friendly in fact, that he agreed to answer a few questions, and to talk a little bit about what it's like like being in the force, and living next to the glorious natural landmarks, an interview which features in the pod!

Stay safe, and there are some less dangerous ways of getting close up to the falls you know.

4D, I'm guessing, is 3D, with actual water.

ONWARD

And it's with the final note of this friendly podcast that Ukulele Road Trips heads off to new Northern horizons. The flight is booked and everything ! But not before a bit of editing on the Canadian content, from a Starbucks downtown (coffee ordered in an actual mug!).

click click tap tap tap tap, piano piano, and boum, an edited ukulele road trips video !

This happy bunch of Backpack, Ukulele player, and ukuleles are helped on their way by CloudMusic Ukuleles, whose ukes you can check out on here !

If you wish to sustain the traveller, with coffee and trailer mix nuts, you can donate top right of this page, or hop over to the Patreon of Ukulele Road Trips ! Yay !

By the Banks of Lake Ontario - Toronto, Canada

 

KPI: Key Performance Indicator - A measurement which evaluates a task's success and tracks progress towards a specific marketing goal.

CRM: Customer Relationship Management - A set of programs which enable companies to organise and personalise customer services and support.

CAC: Customer Acquisition Cost - The calculated overall price of sales and marketing expenses of a set time frame, divided by the number of new customers in that time period.

To Skip Stones: To throw flat(-ish) stones in a spinning manner that will bring them to ricochet along the surface of the water, which inexplicably brings about a sense of pensiveness.

Toronto is a busy city. And the Toronto life is a fast paced one.

John, Tim and Steve live such lives, sleep in the suburbs, and work Down Town, "where the iron reaches for the sky". "Tim has his coffee to go and he rushes to work on his morning commute." and "Steve doesn't go out too much, C++ is a quite consuming affair"

As the iron reaches for the sky, thousands of careers reach for new heights

All in all, "KPI CRM and CAC, these things do matter a great deal you see".

And what else but these things, and "API" (Application Programming Interface) should be their focus, if they want to finally get that condo (appartment) that's so much closer to "the company tower" ?

But in the middle of all this commotion, in the midst of worthwhile gusty winds of professional ambition, some sit down by the banks of Toronto's big Lake Ontario, and ponder.

Like Geoff for example. He "comes alone to think and make a few stones skip" under the late-autumn sun, or once in a while. "He thinks"

A view onto Lake ontario and the Toronto skyline

"He thinks, there must something more to all this, all the days that fly by in a mist, they just skip off, from the shore of, his life, skip like the stones skip."

Geoff, by Lake Ontario in Oakville

And on the beaches of the city, or by the quieter banks of Lake Ontario in restful suburbs, stones skip, and thoughts are pondered by those who dare sit down, and question the pace of city lives.

Thanks a bunch scrolling/listening/looking - and if you wanna support this Ukulele Road Trips adventure feel free to donate here or hop over to Patreon.com/ukuleleroadtrips

This #GoingNorth adventure made possible thanks to the generosity and help of many local Torontonians - and Mississaugans - and also thanks to CloudMusic Ukuleles, the ukes I'm carrying/playing/using as note stands on this crazy advenutre

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