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"My world travels are never focused on seeing the sights. My interest lies in getting to know the people of a country and learning about their lives and culture."  Photo by Jonny Auh Vikings and their explorations have always intrigued me so when Icelandair advertised a round trip ticket from Orlando, Florida to Reykjavik, Iceland for just $250.USD I knew it was time for me to go. My flight was booked as soon as I could get a ticket. Barely able to control my excitement I found myself flying solo to Iceland. Allegedly the original settlers of Iceland were afraid that their enemies would pursue them so they sent back a message to Norway that their island was an ice-land always covered with ice, but a larger island a little further west was a green-land. Truth be told it was the reverse. Subsequently the green island became known as Iceland and the icy island became Greenland. Still concerned it would be freezing cold when I arrived in February, I brought two winter coats with me only to be pleasantly surprised that the weather was not 40F below when I arrived but just above freezing most of the time I was there. The cheapest place I could find to stay was the Salvation Army Guest house. Slightly deterred by the name, I hopped onto a local bus from the airport and headed to downtown Reykjavik. Fortunately, it was not a place for the homeless down-and-outs but a clean centrally located international hostel and perfect for my budget. I shared a room with bunk beds and four other female travelers who told me this is the most charming and best priced guesthouse in Reykjavik! My first morning in the hostel kitchen while eating a breakfast of delicious Icelandic yogurt I met another guest. When he learned I was eager to visit museums and learn all I could about Iceland and its history he kindly offered to take me to The Icelandic Phallological Museum. When we arrived I discovered it was the world's only genuine penis museum! The sole mammal missing was a Homo sapien, however apparently an old Icelandic man has already made arrangements to complete the collection when he dies. As titillating as visiting a penis museum sounds on a first date the hundreds of organs floating in jars of preservative fluid did nothing salacious for me and my new friend was rather intimidated by the huge Sperm Whale penis that was taller than him. Deciding to continue my exploration of Reykjavik on my own, I walked over to the more traditional National Museum of Iceland where I might learn about Iceland’s fascinating Vikings history. Norse sagas or legends were passed on verbally from one generation to the next until they were written down sometime around the 12th century. I was especially intrigued by the tales about Iceland’s mystical elves and trolls. Impressed that the vast majority of Iceland's almost 100 percent literate population still firmly believes in the elves known as “Hidden People”, I was curious to discover more. My world travels are never focused on seeing the sights. My interest lies in getting to know the people of a country and learning about their lives and culture. I tracked down Heida, a friend of my brother's, in Reykjavik. She invited me to dinner at her home to meet her family. When I told Heida of my fascination with elves and trolls she arranged for me to take a walking tour with Sippa in the nearby town of Hafnarfjördur, which reputedly lies at the crossroads of several powerful energy lines. The first thing I learned from Sippa was the difference between trolls and elves. She explained “ Trolls are huge, live in the mountains and only come down to forage for food when it is dark. They are greedy and like to eat human flesh, especially the flesh of disobedient children. They can cast spells but are not particularly bright. If trolls don't make it home before the sun comes up they immediately turn to stone. Those that turn to stone can be seen as giant rocks with troll features in many parts of Iceland.” Note to self, don’t wander through the mountains alone at night. Sippa continued "The “Huldufolk” Hidden People also called elves are quite different. They look like us and for the most part are good-natured. Elves can also put a spell on you when they choose to do so.” She led me to a huge rock on a hill in the middle town and told me about a man who wanted to build a house on this very spot. He asked the builders to get rid of the big rock. They tried to break down the rock, but couldn't move it. An elderly man who lived nearby told the builders you have a problem because the elf who lives here does not want to move. The owner thought about it and decided to build his house somewhere else. I smiled as I began to comprehend the strength of Icelanders' belief in the Hidden People. Sippa finished her illuminating tour with a final declaration, “Everyone can see the “Huldufolk'' if you are open to them but it is the Hidden People themselves who decide who gets to enjoy their company.” Left to my own devices I decided to hike out of town up to some caves where Hidden People were purported to live. Peering into the mouth of a dark cave I was surprised to hear someone behind me. “Are you looking for elves?” I turned around to see who had spoken. A handsome short man with dark curly hair and striking green eyes stared directly at me. With a warm smile he added, “ I have seen the Hidden People.” At first I wasn’t sure if I should trust him. We were alone surrounded by looming black rocks, but when I saw the warm sparkle in his eyes I knew he was telling the truth. I felt an immediate rapport. “Follow me” he directed. It was as if he magically controlled my movements. I could not refuse. A ghostly mist fell upon us as we slowly worked our way to the top of an enormous hill where a colossal waterfall could be seen in the distance. Mesmerized by its breathtaking beauty I blindly took a step toward the cascade. Without warning, I felt my feet slip and start to slide dangerously down into the craggy valley toward imminent death. Before I plunged any further my new friend grabbed my arm and pulled me back with surprising strength. “You saved my life! I don't even know your name.” “I am Thorsteinn. Be more careful around my big rocks, girl.” “Yes, I shall. Thank you Thorstein!” After regaining my footing and composure I asked, “Do you live around here?” He nodded and indicated with his hand to follow him to what appeared initially to be nothing more than another huge pile of rocks, however as we got closer I could see a wooden door and several windows with lace curtains. “This is my home. My family has lived here for over a 1000 years”. He went on to tell me his family were nature lovers who cared deeply about their environment. They would do whatever it took to protect the wild parts of Iceland. “We know the land is alive and so we encourage people to think twice before tearing up our landscape. We do everything in our power to stop them.” He opened the door to his house and went in. I wondered if I should follow but as he closed it behind him, the door disappeared as did all of the windows in his house, except for one. Thorsteinn unexpectedly appeared in this last window winking at me with eyes that sparkled like green northern lights, then he and the window vanished. Icy rain began to fall. I was left alone, facing a giant solid rock. Seeking solace I cast my gaze upward to see an emerald aurora borealis warming the dusky sky, reassuring my suspicion that Iceland's Hidden People are alive and well. Have you met any Hidden People? Let me know in the comments.  Photo by Benjamin Suter  Alycin Hayes at the Perlan Museum in Reykjavik, Iceland, 2004 If you enjoy my blog you may also want to read my adventure travel memoir Amazon Hitchhiker: A Woman’s Adventures from Canada to Brazil and my award-winning children's book Milo and the Mustang.
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 Downtown Breckenridge, Texas 1920's  My mother, JoAnn Elliott grew up in an oil town 100 miles west of Dallas/Ft Worth. In 1920 Breckenridge's population was 1,500. By the next year due to the oil boom this little Texas town’s population grew to 30,000 people! Overnight Breckenridge changed from a sleepy agricultural town to what was called the fastest growing, busiest oil city in the country producing millions of barrels of oil. When JoAnn was born a few years later in 1926 there were estimated to be 175 oil wells pumping day and night within the town’s city limits. With this sudden influx of oil money new buildings popped up along the red brick downtown streets including The Palace Movie Theater. Nobody had televisions back then so Saturday matinees became JoAnn and her five siblings window to the outside world. At the Picture Show she could escape the constant, rhythmic groans of smelly pumping oil rigs and enter a magical place where everything was possible. When she was nine years old the film version of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” starring James Cagney, Mickey Rooney and Olivia de Havilland was showing. It was the child actor, Mickey Rooney, playing Puck, JoAnn was eager to see. He was close to her age, and she was a huge fan. After lunch she and her sisters Betty and Alice Kate made their way past the oil derricks that dotted every block of town. They were close to being late for the movie. Running trying to keep up with her older sisters, JoAnn tripped and fell onto the hard brick street. “Hurry up!” Betty shouted, then turning back saw her baby sister whimpering on the ground. “She is hurt,” Alice Kate exclaimed. They both stopped. JoAnn fought back her tears. “I am fine. Let’s go.” The three sisters continued on to the movie as JoAnn valiantly hid the pain of her now throbbing finger. Barely able to open her little hand to give her nine cents to the ticket taker she forced a grin as they sat down to enter the world of Shakespeare for the first time. JoAnn was enchanted by the film's fantastic forest fairies and sprites. She completely forgot about her bent and swelling finger as Mickey Rooney’s impish Puck charmed her in the film that led him to become a major star of the big screen. Shakespeare purists may not approve of this version of “A Midsummer Nights Dream” but after seeing it, little JoAnn was enamored not just with Mickey Rooney but also the Bard. By the time this stoic little girl's mother was able to get her to a doctor JoAnn’s broken baby finger was slightly, yet permanently kinked. I have fond memories of sitting on my grandmother’s white hand-crocheted bedspread in my parents bedroom, as Mom told me why one of her little fingers was not straight. This crooked pinky forever remained a reminder of that eventful afternoon when the mischievous Puck lifted her up from a Texas oil town to become a lifelong lover of Shakespeare and the theatre.
If you enjoy my blog you may also want to read my adventure travel memoir Amazon Hitchhiker: A Woman’s Adventures from Canada to Brazil and my award-winning children's book Milo and the Mustang.
Check out my independent publishers online Bookstore.  For many years I planned to write about my world travels. Just prior to the beginning of 2022 I accomplished my dream with the publication of my adventure travel memoir, Amazon Hitchhiker: A Woman's Adventures from Canada to Brazil. Lured by unrealistic fantasies of the Amazon River I followed my dream hitchhiking south from Canada overland through Mexico and Central America to South America. What began as the adventure of a lifetime soon became a struggle for survival as I paddled a dugout canoe without a map or a guide deep into the unknown Amazon rainforest. “Amazon Hitchhiker" is the true tale of this journey. To my amazement within a few days of being available for sale Amazon Hitchhiker became a new release best seller on Amazon. Positive Five Star reviews came flooding in from readers in Canada, United States, Ecuador, Europe, the UK, Australia, Tanzania and South Africa. Throughout 2022, Amazon Hitchhiker continued to sell internationally appealing to young adventure travelers as well as older readers who wanted to relive the wild days of their youth from a comfortable reading chair. As 2022 ends and 2023 begins I am filled with gratitude and the excitement a New Year brings. Dream big! Follow your dreams! Make your dreams come true! Happy New Year! If you need help reaching your dreams I recommend you read Julia Goodfellow-Smith's book "Live Your Bucket List: Simple Steps to Ignite Your Dreams, Face Your Fears and Lead an Extraordinary Life, Starting Today" Not sure how to begin ? Alastair Humphreys' book Micro Adventures will help to get you started. Readers in the USA please check out Echo Hill Productions New Independent Online Bookstore!   One of the best things about writing my adventure travel memoir “Amazon Hitchhiker” is the remarkable adventure travel writers that I have connected with all over the world since it was published. Each and every one of the 13 adventurers listed below has encouraged and inspired me to keep adventuring and writing. If you enjoyed my book you will enjoy their writing too. (There are a few affiliate links in this blog. I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase - at no extra cost to you.) Jane Harries, an adventurer herself is the editor of a great online magazine in the UK “Adventure She”. Each issue has articles on women who are undertaking remarkably challenging empowering adventures. We have Zoomed a few times to discuss writing techniques and an article I wrote that was published in “Adventure She” magazine. Alastair Humphreys is an adventurer who has bicycled around the world and paddled across the Atlantic Ocean! A prolific writer he has published numerous books about his adventures including adventure books for children and books on how to become an adventurer. Alastair's newest children’s book which I loved is The Girl Who Rowed the Ocean. He also writes regular newsletters to inspire new adventurers and kindly mentioned my book Amazon Hitchhiker in one. Amit Vaidya recently published Backpacker to Nomad: A humorous travel memoir of adventure, discovery, despair - Oh, and the Monkeys! about his world travels and his goal to forever remain a Nomad. I look forward to reading it. Amit just set off on a new adventure in Asia which will no doubt inspire another book. Bea Meitiner aka “Bea Adventurous” publishes a regular travel blog about her world travels, most recently an African safari and a marathon she ran in Sierra Leone. When she visited North America we had a delightful dinner together where we shared our travel stories and world views. World travelers tend to be open minded. Brian R Mommsen author of Blue Zen Memories: Adventures of a Tropics Trader recounts incredible stories of his wild and crazy adventures traveling with his family in Mexico and Central America in the 1960’s. His next book will be about his adventures in South America. Darcy Gaechter, author of the Amazon Woman: Facing Fears, Chasing Dreams, and a Quest to Kayak the World's Largest River from Source to Sea is the first woman to ever accomplish the incredible task of kayaking the entire length of the Amazon from the headwaters in Peru to the mouth in Brazil where the river enters the Atlantic Ocean. She continues to kayak some of the most challenging rivers of the world. Harpreet Kaur Chandi is currently skiing solo across Antarctica pulling a sled with all of her supplies behind her. You can follow her incredible daily progress on her Polar Preet website. Julia Goodfellow-Smith, author of Live Your Bucket List: Simple Steps to Ignite Your Dream, FaceYour Fears and Lead an Extraordinary Life, Starting Today is currently working on another book about walking the Camino de Santiago trail. John McFadzean is on a lifetime quest to Stand Up Paddle SUP in every country of the world! This summer he added a few European Countries. John is one of the authors of The Bigger Book of Yes: 22 Adventure Stories. Jon Doolan wrote Self-Publishing for Adventure Authors: Turn Your First Draft into an Epic Book you can be Proud of (The Adventure Author Series) and many other books on his adventures. This summer he ran/walked the entire length of the United Kingdom wild camping with nothing but a change of clothes in his backpack as he collected jokes from people he met. Jon wore out at least one pair of shoes! This adventure will soon be a new book. Pamindiana Jones wrote When in Roam: A Comedy Travel Adventure Memoir about her spontaneous travels through South Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand and is working on a second book about more of her adventures. Sal Bolton's first book was about her travels with an Australian Circus. Today she is in the final editing stages of her next book Letters From the Amazon. Stanley Stewart, is an award-winning travel writer, who incidentally grew up in the same small Canadian town as I did. Stanley has written several hundred articles and three books about his adventures. My favorite book of his is In the Empire of Genghis Khan about riding his horse 1000 miles across Mongolia. Not only have these adventurers inspired me, they have also welcomed me into a unique tribe of humans who put adventure travel above everything else.  Alycin Hayes has spent much of her life adventuring all over the world. If you enjoy her blog you will also want to read her books: Amazon Hitchhiker: A Woman’s Adventures from Canada to Brazil and her award-winning children's book Milo and the Mustang.
Readers in the USA check out my independent publishers online Bookstore.  Writing a memoir involves reflecting on your personal travel experiences and how those experiences changed or shaped your life. It took many years for me to begin writing my adventure travel memoir, AMAZON HITCHHIKER: A Woman’s Adventures from Canada to Brazil. The COVID lockdown offered me the perfect opportunity. I was stuck at home alone, which left me free to write all day long. (There are affiliate links here. I get a small commission if you purchase through them at no extra cost to you)
1. How do you accurately remember the past? First, dig out your old journals. It is imperative to keep a journal when traveling. The tiny details that make an exciting read can be too easily forgotten if not recorded as they actually happen. In addition to your own journals, search for old letters you may have sent home. My thoughtful mother saved all of my letters. 2. Contact the people you met traveling. Ask them for their memories, too. Undoubtedly they will remember amusing moments that you may have forgotten. By connecting with your travel mates, you will also make them aware that you are writing a book. If they have any objections to being mentioned in your book, this is the time to find out. Get permissions in writing. 3. Focus your book's theme. Your point of view should be unique. Consider why you are writing this travel memoir. A travel memoir is not a guidebook. It reflects and recollects your past journeys and how they transformed you. Be truthful. Sharing your embarrassing globetrotting blunders will make your book authentic and much more interesting for the reader. 4. The best stories paint vivid pictures through well-chosen words. Colorful descriptions using metaphors or the occasional simile transform vague recollections into memorable engrossing moments. Using dialogue will help you to engage your reader. You want your reader to feel like they are experiencing what you lived so use your active voice. Adjectives can add color, but the overuse of adjectives, adverbs, or even similes tend to encumber a story. If you are unsure how to accomplish what you want in your writing, read and study some of the successful travel memoirs you admire and love. 5. Be brave. Be honest. Reveal a little piece of your soul. I started writing my travel memoir AMAZON HITCHHIKER for my son. To my surprise, it became a new-release Amazon bestseller with many favorable reviews and a 5-star rating. It has quickly become a popular book that appeals to travelers of all ages; as well as those who simply dream of adventure from their cozy armchair. Interview by Katelyn Silva with Alycin Hayes for the "1 Minute Writing Tip Podcast" on how to write and "How Life Inspires Adventures". Here are the links to listen or watch this interview: YouTube: https://youtu.be/o2HoDSBFTTs Podcast Platforms: https://1minutewritingtip.buzzsprout.com/1914765/11521784 Alycin Hayes has spent much of her life adventuring all over the world. If you enjoy her blog you will also want to read her books: Amazon Hitchhiker: A Woman’s Adventures from Canada to Brazil and her award-winning children's book Milo and the Mustang  I Sat on Queen Elizabeth's Throne ! The Canadian Stratford Festival started in 1953 in a huge tent under the supervision of British director Sir William Tyrone Gutherie. The first two years of the theatre my father John Hayes was the stage manager while my mother JoAnn Elliott Hayes worked in wigs. In 1955 Dad moved onto the stage where he played Lepidus in Julius Cesar and the Tutor in The Merchant of Venice. Although not yet 3 years old I remember watching my first Shakespearean play with my Daddy acting in it. Shakespeare was my second language. I still recall being moved by Portia’s soliloquy “ The quality of mercy is not strained.” In 1957 the theatre moved from a tent to a permanent structure built around Tanaya Mosavich’s brilliantly designed thrust stage. By 1959 Dad was the Festival’s production manager and was involved in the theatre’s arrangements for the royal visit of Queen Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, during their 45 day tour of Canada. On July 2nd, they honored the playhouse by coming to see Shakespeare's “As You Like It” at the Stratford Festival Theatre. Royal protocol required numerous preparations to be made in advance of the Crown's arrival. All of Stratford’s city councillors who had daughters between the ages of 5 and 7 put their names into a hat. My friend Margie Polley was the lucky five-year-old girl picked to give the Queen flowers when she alighted from her train at the Stratford station. For days Margie rehearsed walking up to the Queen, performing a curtsy, giving her flowers and then walking away backwards because even little girls know, no one never ever turns their back on the Queen. I watched with envy at the train station when Margie gave Queen Elizabeth the bouquet. I so wanted to be the girl to give her the flowers until Margie told me that she nearly tripped while walking backwards. I had to ask “ What did the Queen say to you when you gave her the flowers? “ She innocently replied “ I don't know. I couldn't understand her accent. “ The required royal protocol that fascinated my six-year-old self the most was the new toilet seat that had to be installed in the theatre’s VIP bathroom prior to the Queen’s arrival. It couldn’t be just any new toilet seat. It had to be a pearl toilet seat. Finding a pearl toilet seat in a small Canadian town in the 1950’s was not an easy task for my father however after an extensive search one was acquired just in time to be ceremonially installed along with a new toilet. No one was permitted to use the infamous royal seat before Elizabeth arrived. It had to be kept completely sterile and sanctified in case she needed to use the powder room during the play's intermission. Whether she actually used it or not I don't recall but I do remember feeling exceedingly royal whenever my bodily functions required me to sit on what was forever after known to theatre insiders as the “Queen’s Pearl Throne”. Video link to Queen Elizabeth’s 1959 visit to Stratford: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA2O5E3OWPAME6XYUZ83MBZR0WV-CANADA-QUEEN-AND-DUKE-AT-STRATFORD-ONTARIO/query/ROYAL+VISITS?fbclid=IwAR19yjCJJ2rTu9arbBwF2A1-nHh7NZHVDUB--Ywwrt9inm3IDXCHpOH_9bw Alycin Hayes has spent much of her life adventuring all over the world. If you enjoy her blog you will also want to read her books: Amazon Hitchhiker: A Woman’s Adventures from Canada to Brazil and her award-winning children's book Milo and the Mustang. |
Alycin Hayes has spent much of her life adventuring all over the world. If you enjoy the stories and travel writing tips in this blog you will also love her books: Amazon Hitchhiker:A Woman’s Adventures from Canada to Brazil and her award-winning children's book Milo and the Mustang. Archives
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