The Road to Bersagel

After dinner we stopped by the Mix, a convenience store like an SA with better groceries and no gas- although it is the last place you want to shop for food. They have a pizza kitchen as well, but I think there are far better offerings in the neighborhood. Many Norwegian places sell a "pizza" on a pre-fabricated crust, which should be criminal considering how easy it is to make from scratch. Anyway, the Banjo Bros "care package" arrived, and I picked it up.

We then drove to a furnishings store to contemplate ideas for our house- even though it is still two months off. Afterward, we went for a drive, and I noticed a group of four or five road bikers. Apparently they do exist here. We were going to head over to Dale to see how far it was, but Lise had a better idea, and we ended up on some very windy, hilly road on the way to Bersagel. We saw a few deer on the way. I will definitely make a bike trip out of this. It is on the inland side of a fjord, and it seems like it is in the middle of nowhere. It reminded me of a logging road in Canada. Snow covered mountains provided the perfect back drop. When we reached the end of the road, and it literall is the end, I reset the odometer. There was no traffic on this road. It seemed as remote as any spot on the planet, although people lived there and there were many summer cabins. By the time we made it home, I noted it was only 32 kilometers away. I could do an out an back of about 40 miles total and pass through a completely different world. In the city, 20 miles would put me square in the middle of the suburbs. I am beginning to see some benefits to living here. I am guessing with the hills it would be a little more work than a Minnesota 40 mile ride, but still, it can be easily done. I should wait, however, until they remove the heavy winter sand from the road. What amazes me most is that it is all a part of Sandnes (no pun).

When I returned home, I opened the package to reveal a very generous gift from Eric of Banjo Brothers, who only knows me through this blog. Thank you again! He included a set of waterproof panniers, a mini saddle bag (the perfect size), and a stashable mini-messenger bag. I will post photos and a full review as I use them, but my initial impression is how well designed and well made these items are. The panniers have a waterproof insert that looks like a dry bag for kayaking- from all appearances, truly waterproof. My old panniers are built like a nylon backpack with a nylon "waterproof" cover. The problem with this design is that the cover ended up collecting water, which couldn't escape, but could enter the bottom of the bag (since it was basically submerged at that point). There is no way this problem could happen with this design. The flat kit bag is the perfect size- I don't like anything bulky under the seat. The velcro is facing the "correct" direction so it won't shred clothing (unlike some bags I had the misfortune of owning). Everything is well stitched and top notch quality- I look forward to using them, although I could do without more rain. Actually, we could use a hard rain to wash everything away, but as they say around here, it rains horizontally.

Finally, a note of craziness regarding the Indian embassy in Oslo. If I went through the embassy in New York, I could receive a 10 year business visa for $150US. Even though I am a US citizen, I can only receive a 1 year visa for 1875nok. Inexplicably, despite the information on their website, I cannot receive the same visa from Oslo as in the US. Even though work is paying for it, it is the principle that gets me. I can't say that I am thrilled about mailing in my passport, either. To complicate things further, despite traveling from a Schengen nation, I will need my passport in the Netherlands over Easter, so I will be cutting it rather close if I want to leave before May. Like our cats, at least I am all caught up on my shots. I have anti-malaria tablets waiting for me at the pharmacy, and some magical anti-TD (traveler's diarrhea) concoction for all you breakfast readers out there. At least they don't have dengue or yellow fever in India. (Have I mentioned that I am prone to mild hypochondria?)

While I was waiting for my shots, I read a brochure about STDs for Norwegian travelers that was truly hilarious. I really should have swiped a copy for translation. Essential it read that many Norwegian men are perceived as being more attractive abroad than at home in Norway. Of course this can lead to all sorts of potential problems. I guess I am lucky that I am not Norwegian? It also stated the dangers of having unsafe sex abroad, unless you brought the woman with you from home. Actually, it was refreshing reading health information that was not affected by some strange government agenda. The tone of the pamphlet was completely different than anything I had seen in the US.

Anyway, time to wrap this up. Somehow it is raining again. We are truly blessed with rain here. Or cursed? I can't decide.