I'd never heard of Interlaken until I started researching my trip. In my guide book, it was listed as one of the top places to go for outdoor adventure sports in Europe. Many backpackers I spoke to on travel web sites also raved about it. Now, I'm not exactly the extreme sports thrill seeker type guy, but hiking, mountains, and adventure are right up my alley. And who knows, I might take the plunge and do something wild. |
"A BREATH OF FRESH AIR"
After my struggle with staying hydrated in Amsterdam, I felt like kicking
myself when I found cheap cartons of fruit juice sold at the train station.
The train ride south took me through Germany. I'm sure it was a scenic,
but I was dead asleep the whole time. I finally woke up in Switzerland to
soaring mountains and glistening lakes. Originally, the plan was to take
the night train to Zurich so I could open a Swiss bank account (for no
reason really. Just thought it would be funny to have one), but I had to
go directly to Interlaken instead.
I love mountains, and being in the Swiss Alps and breathing
the fresh mountain air was like being in heaven.
Interlaken is a small town caters toward outdoor sports
folks. It's so small that there were signs to every hotel
and hostel. It was nice being able to put away my map
and just follow the path.
Whoa... people were just dropping down from the sky. I'd never
seen anything quite like it.
I made my way to one of the main streets that my hostel was on.
There were many to choose from in this town, but I chose to stay
at Balmer's, which has a reputation for being full of American and
Canadian partygoers, to balance out my stay at the lame Christian one
in Amsterdam. I know I know... it's ironic. And yes, that's a Ferrari
in the corner. Swiss people are bankers and stuff. They're rich.
It's like a faucet tapping into water straight from the
Swiss Alps. Delicious. And the best part... free. I was
chugging this stuff down.
Some friends I made at the hostel: Lionel from France, and Steve and
Mike from Canada. The most happening place in town was at the hostel's
underground club. Me and the guys from my room made plans to go
down there to catch the happy hour 2 for 1 specials. We got down there
10 minutes before it ended thinking there was plenty of time, only to find
a huge crowd and a long line. Right when we were next to be served
(and I mean the very exact moment), they rang the bell that ended happy
hour. It was disappointing because like everything else in Switzerland,
drinks were painfully expensive.
Steve had been working in Dublin for half a year before going on a
backpacking trip through Europe. It made me really consider that as
something I'd like to do.
It's like a puzzle. Luckily, RadioShack prepared me.
Lionel was funny... when he introduced himself the night before, I asked
if he was from France. He appeared shocked that I was able to guess,
despite his obvious heavy French accent. But then it made me wonder,
do I have an accent to other people?
Morning in Interlaken; Paragliders already going at it. The clouds looked heavy
with rain, but we had no choice to leave the hostel. They have a lock-out policy
between 10:30 and 4 in the afternoon for "maintenance". But the real reason is
probably to have people participate in adventure sports that they can
conveniently book right at the hostel.
Steve and I set out for a hike and soon the rain came pouring down.
With no destination in mind, we wandered up various
paths following signs I couldn't understand. In the middle
of the
forest were random log shelters. There were no
"Keep Out" signs.
Before long, the rain started to ease up and the sun peeked through
the clouds.
Majestic
Steve was rockin' a fully manual 35mm camera. He even had to
manually advance the film. I was totally impressed that he was
traveling with that.
As the hours passed and we got higher and higher, the view was getting more and more
beautiful. It's like the clouds were making love to the mountains in the distance.
That's Interlaken in the distance. Smell that? It's called fresh air.
Which way? Whatever... forward.
Charming wooden Swiss lodges. As we hiked higher up the mountain, we felt like we
were trespassing on private property, so we started making our way back down.
Slightly thuggish looking sheep. There was something intimidating about the
loud baaing
and clink of bells around their neck as they approached.
A mountain stream.
"Not Drink water". I bet it's still better than any water
at home.
A random castle looking building in the hills.
Is there some Swiss law stating that all window sills must have red flowers?
Because they all did.
German kids are kinder.
A funny cartoon car.
There are a bunch of trains in Switzerland which are, unfortunately,
not covered by the Eurail pass. There's one that goes to the highest
train station in Europe in the Jungfrau mountains, but it costs a
whopping €140 to ride. No thank you.
Riiicola...
I'm sure this is to please the tourists... because ohh
did it please me to see a cows and traditionally dressed
Swiss people parading down the streets.
Switzerland is painfully expensive. I know I mentioned it before, but
it's worth repeating. Usually anywhere, McDonalds would be an option
for a cheap meal that reminds me of home. It's still the cheapest thing
in Interlaken, but look at the prices. The exchange rate is 1.20 CHF, or
Swiss Francs, for 1 USD. Yeah... that small "value" meal is $9.25... ouch.
Upgrade to medium fries and drink for a dollar more.
I have a Swiss Army watch. Didn't pay nearly as much though.
God bless American entrepreneurship.
Another child crossing sign.
Mike, Steve, and Alex from California.
Back at the hostel, I made up my mind that I was going to take part in one of the adventure sports the next day. Like everything else in town, it's ridiculously expensive, but how often am I in gorgeous Switzerland? There were many to choose from: white-water rafting, sky diving, paragliding, ice climbing, and canyoning among others. I'd done rafting already, skydiving was a prohibitive 400 CHF, paragliding sounded fun, but the thrill is too short. I'd never heard about this "canyoning" before, but the people in the brochure looked like they were having fun. There's water involved, which I'm not too fond of, but the description didn't mention that swimming ability was required, only that it's "physically demanding". A bunch of people at the hostel also talked about how incredible it was, so I signed up along with Steve. But... (there's always a but)... later that night, Alex talked about his experience earlier that day, filling my mind with doubt. When we asked him how it was, the response was, "yeah it was fun... but...uh.. I wouldn't do it again". "Why?", we'd ask. He went on about how it was really dangerous, and if you don't follow exactly as the guides say, you can get seriously hurt. A guy earlier that day even dislocated his shoulder. But what really made me nervous was the way he described being in the water. He talked about creeping along slippery rocks chest high through rushing water. Sometimes you lose your footing and suddenly submerge underwater. People who know me know I can't swim and HATE being submersed in water. "Don't you wear a life jacket?", I asked. "Yeah... but you still have to be able to swim to get from place to place. And when you jump off the rocks, you plunge deep into the water, and it's really disorienting and difficult finding your way to the surface. Also the water is really cold, and the wetsuit doesn't help much." I know there's inherent danger involved in adventure sports (which is why they're so appealing), but as Alex continued talking pessimistically about his ordeal, and I began feeling nauseous. What really really made me feel sick was when he told us about a group of canyoners who were caught in a flash flood a few years ago. All twenty-one of them, including the guides, died. |
Trying to get the negative thoughts out of my head, I played some
ping-pong against some Mexican dudes.
The Metro was the hostel's club/bar. The hostel had a lot of social areas,
TV room, foosball, pool, ping-ping, kitchen, even a piano lounge. But
at a
certain time of night, they closed all those areas off and kicked
everybody
out. So your only choice was to either party and get wasted at the club,
or go right to bed. Strange contrast. Obviously I chose to go to bed...
I'll need all my strength and alertness the next day.
"TAKING THE PLUNGE"
Self portrait. I was really anxious that morning, not knowing how
things were gonna turn out.
Steve looks like he's copping a supply of fresh water.
We got up at 7 in the morning and gathered in front of the hostel. As the
time approached for the bus to come pick us up, we were informed that
there was going to be a delay because of dangerously high water levels.
Great... dangerous water levels. I went back to sleep and returned a
few
hours later. This time, the news was that the canyoning we signed up
for was cancelled because of unsafe conditions... however, we had the
option of canyoning at another location if we wanted to switch.
Greeeat...
that made me feel so much more secure. But we were assured that it
was safe, so I signed the waiver form stating the company wasn't
responsible if I was injured or died, and hopped on the bus.
That's Luke, one of the Australian canyoning guides. Wherever there's
a thrill, there always seems to be an Aussie around. These guys were
really top notch though... it really seemed like safety was a top priority
and they were extremely thorough with explaining everything.
Woohoo... I'm going canyoning!
After a scenic hour long bus ride, we arrived at the site. With wetsuits damply
clinging to the body, the guides told us that we were going to start. "Start
where?",
we asked. Luke pointed down a cliff at rushing water while
preparing the ropes...
Haha ha...ha... Did I mention I'm afraid of heights too? Where can I find an elevator?
Me with my Korean friend. The story behind the hats is that the guides
don't want to hassle with learning everybody's name, so they just call
us by the names written on our helmets. I chose one that fit me.
WOOIEE!! I had never rappelled in my life, never mind down a terrifying 50 meter cliff.
I must say... a rope that can suspend a truck full of passengers sure feels like dental
floss when it's the only thing keeping you from certain death. What a thrill is was
skipping down a rockface! And when I hit bottom, I just wanted to do it again.
That's Tim, the other guide, showing Camel Toe where to jump. Usually
we had to aim at the white water of the rapids. Just a few feet off target
and it's solid rock. All the Mario Brothers training... finally put to use.
Obviously I didn't bring my camera. A professional photographer
came along and took photos we could purchase later (again, at an
exorbitant price). I don't know how she managed to get from
place
to place, carrying a big camera, without getting wet though.
Oh no Goofy, don't cry.
AGHHH!!!
AGGHHALAAaaaa...
Let's do it again!
Show-off.
The rock slides were the best. Like an amusement park ride,
only better.
Turns out, with the life vest, swimming's not too bad after all.
The last jump was definitely the coolest. I had to hold
onto a zip line
and travel over a waterfall and jagged
rocks and release over the deep water. Very ninja-like.
After a few exhilarating hours of dozens of jumps, drops, slides,
spills, and thrills, it was sadly over. Turns out all the fear I had
was unfounded. And I must say, I like the way the wetsuit shows
off my superhero legs.
Backpacker Rule #11: Leave your fears at home.
Group shot.
A simple sandwich with cheese freshly shaved from the block is very
satisfying after such a grueling activity. The local beer it came with
left much to be desired though.
Neil, me, Steve, Graham, and some other Scottish guy. Scottish accents
are awesome.
I wonder if anyone ever tried jumping off of that?
Probably some Australian.
Group shot... with my camera this time. I never count on anyone
else to take pictures. Not even professionals.
Tichen-Tachen?
Good-bye goofy.
Back at Outdoor Interlaken, we returned our gear and saw a slide show
of all the pictures taken during the day.
The pictures were a ridiculous 30 CHF, but the memories are priceless.
mmm... Swiss cheese.
Really blonde kids. They speak primary German in this part of Switzerland.
The German spoken here is much more harsh sounding than that spoken
in Germany. I always thought it would be the opposite.
A really big chess match.
By the end of my few days at Balmer's, I was starting to get my
ping-pong skills back.
Goodbye Balmer's. The next morning, Steve and I headed
to the train station. We were both traveling south to Italy.
This reminds me of that game, Myst. click.
It sucks being stuck on a train the whole day, but after the exhausting few
days I just had, it was also nice just sitting back and enjoying the scenery.
Also, with my railpass, going on long trips save me time and money in the
long run. If I bought that ticket individually, it would've cost a whopping
€196 for a second class seat.
Incredible... fuckin' incredible train ride through the Alps. The wildest
thing was going through a long underground tunnels... air pressure
straining the ears... and suddenly emerging in a burst of sunlight and
magnificent scenery.
It surprised me how traveling anywhere
in Western Europe
is so hassle free. A simple flash of my American passport
lets me go anywhere. Next stop... Rome... the Eternal City...