The first days outdoors!

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Day 9, 03.04.19. Wednesday.

Left home after trying to wash it properly, headed for my friend which I hadn't seen for at least a couple years, talked for about 2 hours and then took the bus to one of the closest citys(Larvik) from where I was living. Camped on a hilltop overlooking a large beach and spent the night there the first day. The night was awful. Drafty and cold, didn't even finish my beer that I opened and took a few sips from. But when the sun came up, it was all worth it. Got my warmth back and after a quick breakfast I was ready to get going.

Big mistake, filled my backpack with about 15 kg of food, note for myself for later; bring only enough for a couple days, carrying a 40-45 kg backpack for a long time could injure me enough to end the trip before it starts fully.

Took the bus the next day to a remote smalltown(Svarstad) and asked around for anyone with a map over the three closest counties. Ended up at a tourist place(Brufoss) where I put up my tent for the first time next to a large river. Still am here as the area I want to go to is still covered in snow and I don't have the necessary equipment to endure below zero for prolonged span of time. Estimates that I have to be here at least two weeks. But I have time, among the only things I have is time.

The day after it was nice and warm, I decided to go look for gold in the river. Most people I talked with didn't think there was any in it, but the first pan I washed, I found it, just a speck, just large enough that I spotted it among the black sand. The 20 pans after didn't produce anything but black sand. Most likely not much gold here, but I'm also going to try all the rivers and streams close by, to see if it comes from one or more of them, or maybe it's just beginners luck? Been talking to some locals, and they confirmed that I have to wait for at least two maybe three weeks for the snow to melt away in the area that I'm hoping to visit. But it doesn't matter where I am as long as I do what I want to do, nature is good here, the threes have blue-green bacteria growing on it, like a moss only it looks like fur. A good sign that the forest is healthy.

Got bitten by a tic, and not just anywhere, it found a nice cosy spot where the sun doesn't shine! Same day I got a fewer and got nauseous, so till this day I haven't eaten much or had any strength to do anything but to chill out. Hope it's not Lyme disease again. Had it like 3 times earlier and got well relatively quick every time exept for a couple years ago, I was sick for a year...not fun!

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Photos

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Second day, morning, notice that I gather my used sigarettes to throw them in a trashbin. A cup of coffee and a bit of "quicklunch"(a chocholate biscuit bar) is a nice start in the morning.

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Taken from the hilltop where I spent the night, the beach is called Langestrand.

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My backpack, didn't weigh it before I started, but for sure it was over 40 kg, maybe even 50.

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Beautiful grafitti in centrum of Larvik.

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First campsite. First time I even tried the tent, good thing everything was in order :P

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Another angle.

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The river Numedalslågen or just Lågen for short.

Comments

[Travelphilosophy]

Scandinavia
Hello Wanderer! How are you??!! I took a look at your blogs, I love the nature. I have been to Finland and Denmark in Scandinavia. I heard Norway is also very beautiful and I would like to ask you how you plan your travels? Take care Marco

[Gaia80]

How I plan my travels
Hi there Marco, to be honest, I don't make much plans when I travel. I talk to people and I listen to what they have to say, and if they suggest an area for me, I check it out on google earth or maps and decide whether I'm going or not. I locate myself close to a national park or a forest and make small week to week plans. In the 9 months I've been traveling I've spent 4 of them in nature 3 of them in Norway, breaking all my previous records. The reason I went to Slovakia was because I have friends there, but once I was there I tried to find some cool places where I could document nature, got a tip about an old forest so I went there and spent two weeks in the most beautiful and wild habitat I have ever experienced and identified about 100 species, most of them I've never seen before and some of them quite rare. The forest belt between Norway and Sweden called finnskogen(finn-forest) is where I spent the last month in Norway before I went abroad, I consider it one of the most beautiful natural habitats in Scandinavia and if you're lucky you can spot wolves and even bears. I was lucky enough to encounter a bear the last week I was staying there, but the go-pro was damp so it didn't show anything but a blurry forest-line. I love nature too, it's one of my deepest passions and hopefully I can do this for many years before I settle down somewhere :) Thanks for reading my blog-entries and just ask if you wonder about something else Marco.

[Travelphilosophy]

Scandinavia
Sounds great!! I have a profound respect for those nature lover!! by the way are you from Scandinavia? I was thinking to have a look around there during summer. Thanks Take care Marco

[Gaia80]

Travel to scandinavia
Hey. Yes I'm from the viking capital of Norway, a city called Tønsberg. Even though Norway has a lot of nature and mountain areas to offer, it's very expensive. So you should save up a decent buffer before you consider going there. I can recommend Hardangervidda during the summer, and there is also the islands of Vestfold south of Tønsberg, it's a national park and some islands are closed for the public due to them having very rare species of insects and flowers. Also the islands that the birds use to copulate is closed for public, you can check information about that if you search for Faerder National Park online. There is several ferrys you can take to some larger islands called Bolerne, and some ferrys can take you all the way up to Oslo while you experience the Oslo-fjord. It's quite an experience. If you want to experience the mountains, Jotunheimen is the spot to go to climb Galdhøpiggen at about 2500 meters or Glittertind that is a little bit lower, though Glittertind should be climbed carefully as it got a hat of ice that breaks off during the summer. Tønsberg also got the viking festival during the summer though I don't remember at what point the city arranges it. I hope this was helpful, ask if you want more info Marco :)

[Travelphilosophy]

Scandinavia
Thanks a lot for the info Gaia. Well my idea wss actually that one to go somewhere and stop there for a while and hopefully get some job and then leave again to some other destinations, but I still have time to plan mu trip. I will see. Thanks again very kind Take care

[Gaia80]

Work in Norway
In general you need to be able to speak norwegian to be able to work at most professions, but there are some exeptions. People are usually fluent in english so you won't have any trouble communication, unless it's very old people or uneducated ones. You could check a website called nav dot no, they deal with work in norway and are a government owned company, they also have some pages in english, but I haven't figuered out if they have it all translated. You could also visit some farms on the country-sides and as if they want some help for a few buck, but expect that you showel animal dung for a month at the time, and the smell will stick to your skin and clothes ;) I've done it myself for a few years, quite fun if it's just for experience :D But they also have some other type of work that might be more rewarding at times :)

[Travelphilosophy]

Scandinavia
Thanks Gaia for your help!!! Take care bye