I.E. Castellano's Blog

 

A look up the beachApproaching Hispaniola, the second largest island of the Greater Antilles shared by the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, by air, we get our first glance at the lush green mountains that give way to lush flatlands.  Farmland backs into cities.  We lose sight of the ocean as the plane descends.

The Punta Cana International Airport promises us a magical tropical stay.  As we walk under its palm frond roof to stand in line at customs, air conditioning is relatively non-existent.  The baggage carousel is mostly open-air as the walls don’t reach the roof.  I, however, am more concerned with my bag not taking the ride yet.  Once it finally showed, we rolled our bags to the shuttle that would take us to our resort.

From the airport to the resort, our shuttle drove past beautiful new construction and crumbling shacks.  Tropical trees turned into shopping centers.  Gates to private communities and sprawling resorts sat next to abject poverty on garbage lined streets.

As the shuttle drove through the gates of our resort, everything outside of it melted away.  The resort offered us a week of tropical fantasy.  Their industry is manufactured beauty.  And they excel at it.  Marble fountains, metal chandeliers, and wood beamed roof trusses greeted us.

While we waited for our room to be ready, we changed into shorts and explored the resort.  The grand staircase brought us to more fountains and stone amongst tropical flora.  Some of those palm trees looked like there were there before the resort was built.  Stone paths meandered to the beach.
Crystal blue-green water rhythmically pounded the pink speckled sand.  A few minutes of lounging on one of the beige beach chairs erased all my stress.  Once we got our room and changed into our bathing suits, we found ourselves back on the beach, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  By dinner, I had reached full relaxation.  This entire year of pain and doctors and tests and work-related stress evaporated.

For the rest of the week, we spent the majority of the day by the ocean.  The waves deposited driftwood on to the shore, only to reclaim it later that same day.  A line of seaweed would come and go with the tides.  Swimmers navigated the breaking waves.  Some would jump them while others allowed the water to collide into them.  Others turned their backs while some dove into the curling ocean.  Eventually, all made it past the breaking point where they floated with the ebb and flow of the sea.

The soft sand and intense sun entice many.  Over the sound of the waves, different languages carry.  My ears detected Spanish—the native language—French, different Germanic tongues, and a few Asian and Indian languages.  Although seemingly in the minority, I also heard different accents speaking English, such as Canadian, multiple UK accents, Irish, Australian, and a small tour of the US.

I got to practice some of my school days Spanish—at least what I could remember.  Fortunately, “no” is universally understood.  Especially when the locals came to hawk their wares.  Multiple times a day, people walked up and down the beach selling something.  We were offered jewelry, cigars, massages, wooden trinkets, beachwear, excursions, and pictures with parrots and iguanas.  Not everything being sold is a scam, however buyer beware.  They usually passed us if they thought we were sleeping.

Sometimes, we did fall asleep on the beach.  Like a sunflower, my boyfriend liked to sit facing the sun.  I spent at least half the time under the shade of the palm frond-covered structure.  The other half seemed to be spent in the ocean.  The salt water washed away my pain.  Swimming with the waves eased any pain, keeping it at bay for the rest of the day.  However, when a rainstorm blew through, the pain returned.

As the week passed, we encountered different people, ate different food, watched different entertainment.  The only constant is the crashing of the water on the sand.  Its rhythm calls.  The water whispers, “Listen to me; sit within reach of me; come to me.”  If you ask nicely, it will release you, knowing you will return.
The Ocean Awaits

Pain has been my constant companion for almost a year.

Like a character in an adventure novel, life keeps throwing obstacles at me.  Since the release of Hope (The World In-between 5), both my parents passed away and I got divorced.  As I have been healing emotionally, my body has been going the opposite direction.  Specifically, my back.

I am under doctors’ care, and I have seen a reduction in pain.  However, my journey is far from over.  Perhaps it would be best to explain how I got here.

Back pain seems to have been a steady thing for me for years.  I always thought it was my stress residing in my back muscles.  My back was so bad last year that my boyfriend got me a massage for my birthday.  It was glorious.  Then, a month or so later, the pain started to return.  Not just in my shoulders, but in my lower back as well.  After a couple more massages, I decided that I needed to do more for my back.  I started yoga.

I love yoga.  Not power yoga.  Not hot yoga.  Taking the time to get into the pose, then holding that pose all while breathing properly is beautiful.  Yoga gave me a way to relieve stress.  My posture improved.  My balance improved.  Muscles began to tone.  However, the one pose I could not do without pain was savasana, where you lie on your back with arms and legs extended on the mat.  My lower back would hurt every time.  I would either have to use a bolster under my thighs or bend my knees to relieve the pressure on the back.

The back pain persisted.  I would take a heating pad to work to help with the lower back pain.  I told myself that I needed to strengthen my core to alleviate it.  Some nights, sleeping hurt.  A shower and movement seemed to make it temporarily better.  Then, every morning hurt.  Every day hurt.

One morning, I needed help getting out of bed.  I had trouble bending to put my clothes on.  The pain did not allow me to focus on work.  I called my doctor to make an appointment.  Since I hadn’t been there in a few years (one of them being during the pandemic when you couldn’t make appointments), I would have to be treated like a new patient.  First available appointment was two months away.  I called another doctor’s office.  Got an appointment in two weeks.  In the meantime, I went to urgent care.

Urgent care took x-rays of my spine and said there was nothing wrong.  They sent me home with a steroid taper pack and muscle relaxers, knowing I had a doc appointment soon.  The medicine worked.  For about a week.

When I finally got to the new doctor, he ordered a bunch of tests to determine the cause of my pain.  He also sent me to physical therapy for my sciatica.  That pain was traveling from my toes to my shoulder.

The CT and ultrasound did not have answers to my back pain.  Physical therapy took care of the sciatica pain in two or three weeks.  However, they could not reduce my back pain.  The physical therapist said that I really needed an MRI to get a better look.  My doctor had ordered an MRI.  I had one scheduled for the next month—a few weeks from then.

The insurance denied the MRI, stating that it wasn’t medically necessary.

My doctor messaged me, saying that in order for the insurance to approve the MRI, I needed to have six weeks of physical therapy without significant improvement.  Needless to say, I continued to go to physical therapy.  I made a meager four percent improvement in six weeks.  After the sixth week session, I was able to make a new MRI appointment.  Which wouldn’t be for another two months.

Although I no longer suffered from sciatica, the back pain crippled me.  I couldn’t go to yoga.  I could barely walk.  Sleep was a distant memory.  I didn’t know how to not be in pain.  Bending was the most difficult.  Everyday tasks became a chore.  I couldn’t do simple things like brush my teeth without leaning on something.  I got dressed in slow motion.

To get me through, my doctor prescribed a stronger muscle relaxer than what urgent care gave me.  It knocked me out.  The first time I took it, I passed out where I sat for a little over an hour.  The medicine took care of some of the pain.

Work allowed me to take my laptop home.  I eventually got set up on a folding table with a keyboard, mouse, and extra monitors.  At first, working from home was weird.  But, it helped me.  I could not move or sit in a real chair.  Pain became my new normal.  And, I bided my time until the MRI.

The MRI itself was ….  The tech had to help me off the table after the 40 minutes of weird noises.  Then I walked hunched back to the waiting room where my boyfriend and clothing waited.  Good thing he drove.

My doctor messaged me immediately after the results showed on the patient portal.  He referred me to an orthopedic doctor.  I made an appointment.  First available was in two weeks.  Later that week, I had the follow up appointment with my regular doctor.  He sits down to tell me that my back is worse than he first thought.  The diagnosis has multiple layers.

The cause of my immense pain was a herniated disc in my lower back with torn cartilage.  Oh, and I have degenerative disc disease.  While everyone has some degeneration, mine is more advanced than what people my age should have.  Apparently, a normal person’s spine begins to degenerate in their 40s whereas my 40 some year old spine is equivalent to someone’s in their 70s.

He sent me home with a script for oxycodone.

For those who don’t know, oxycodone is an opiate narcotic.  It blocks the receptors in the brain so you do not feel the pain.  It does nothing to the mitigate the cause of the pain.  Opiates are band aids not solutions.  When I normally have pain, I take chewable baby aspirin.  This was a pain on a level I never knew existed.  My entire lower back radiated heat.  I took the pill.

Vertigo.  I cut the pill in half after that.  Half a pill still made me dizzy.  However, it brought the pain down to a more tolerable level.  Thank goodness I was working from home already, because I would not have been able to drive.

When I went to see the orthopedic surgeon, he told me I was too young for this.  He also said that operating on my spine should only be a last resort.  Operating would cause an increase in the rate of degradation of the surrounding discs.  He referred me to the pain management clinic.

The first available appointment for the pain management clinic was six weeks away.  My base level pain was an eight.  No one could do anything for me.  All I had was the pill I hated taking.  Six weeks is a long time especially when you’re in pain.  I had to try to help myself.

Searching the internet can be both a gift and a curse, especially for medical information.  I learned more about the condition I will have for the rest of my life.  Unfortunately, many dismiss as a geriatric disease.  I also learned that there are things I can do for my spine.  Supplements, diet, and exercise.

While waiting for my appointment date, I began taking turmeric.  Game changer.  It helps with the inflammation, so it lessened the pain.  I also started taking collagen peptides for the cartilage.  I read studies on both turmeric and collagen for the back.  Diet wise, I added more protein and gelatin.  To help my back, I started walking more often and returned to very gentle yoga.

Simply because a study or a random person says this worked, it doesn’t mean it will work for everybody.  Before trying anything, always do your own research.  Then, still proceed with caution.

The pain management doctors were great.  I’ve seen them twice now.  They know the constraints of the insurance companies and work with you.  They also are aware that getting an appointment with them is difficult.  During my first appointment, I waited while they contacted my insurance for approval of a same day steroid epidural.  

That shot hurt.  For days afterwards.

It took a week for the muscles in my back to relax.  That was a different type of pain.  Then it took another week for it all to settle.  Six weeks after the first injection, I received a second.  Felt completely different.  They told me this one will last longer than the first.

It’s been a little over a week since the second epidural.  I still have some pain.  However, I don’t think it’s from the herniated disc.  I think it’s some painful osteoarthritis in my hip.  They said that they will tackle the arthritis next.  Insurance only allows one ailment at a time, regardless of falling apart all at once.

The future holds more doctor visits.  More exercise.  More blog posts.  And hopefully, less pain.

If there’s something in this post that you would like to know more about, let me know in the comments or reach out on X.

Berty and friends continue to adventure in the world in-between the portals.  I can feel myself reaching the climax of the sixth book in the World In-between series.  Exhilaration rushes through my veins while dread weighs my hand.  It’s a weird feeling knowing that your time with your friends is coming to an end.  Perhaps that is why so many authors write series.
In my head, I know what should happen.  I have planned the moment.  With every word, every sentence, every paragraph, it advances.  My heart races as my pen scribbles on the page.  Rawness flows through a rough draft that will never be felt again.  In the rawness, the best of plans change.
After a good number of books with the same characters, I wonder how much new can be left.  What else can these characters face or experience?  As an author, the terror of having nothing else to write creeps into your mind at times.  Those fears have to be combatted or the ink will cease to flow.

No matter how much I plan, my characters rule the page.  They tell me where they will go, what they will do.  Now, I know they are simply figments of my imagination.  But I trust them.  As long as I stay true to their character, they will lead me through the climax.  What I intend to happen, may not happen.  And, I cannot force it to happen.
Many authors talk about how their characters run the show.  It’s as if the characters have sentience.  What occurs in the mind is logic and rationalization.  The author knows the characters so well that the author cannot go against what a character would do in that situation.  If we want our stories to flow so that the reader feels satisfied at the end, we do not allow our characters to do anything out of character.
For example, I recently watched a movie where I said to my boyfriend afterwards, “That character wouldn’t do to that.”  A war hardened person would know better than to stand out in the open to easily get shot.  The character could have died, could have gotten shot in the same place in the story, but it could have been done in character.  What the writers made happen completely removed the suspension of disbelief.  During the climax of the movie, ruining the rest of the movie for me.  I left the theater with a sense of meh.
To eliminate the sense of meh or any feeling that isn’t satisfaction in the reader, character integrity needs to stay consistent until the final word.  The tension that has been building on each page culminates at the apex and may break the character(s) in order to be resolved.  If staying true to character, those breaks feel real.
The goal of an author is not merely tell a story.  The goal is to make the audience feel the story.  The audience lives in the story alongside the main characters.  They experience the ups and downs from plot point to plot point, the twists and turns that carry them to that climax.  In that moment, the rushing adrenaline finally releases them.  The rewarding resolution carries them to the end.
Berty will do what he needs to do for his home.  I trust that he will guide me to what feels right for this book.  Beside him, his friends will be true to themselves.  Some will grow.  Some may lose.  Some will never change.  Some may never be the same.  However, they will all live on, one way or another, in the World In-between.

 

Title: Koru: The Trainer I Used to Know
By: Katelynn Balcom

 

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy-Romance

 

Review Rating: 3 ½ Stars out of 5

 

 

When I first started reading, I thought the bookreminded me a little of The PrincessBride.  The similarities are in the bookstructure and roughly in the beginning plot. Koru: The Trainer I Used to Knowis structured as a story within a story—the main character is telling the storyto an in-story audience.

 

The plot is a universal one of boy meets girl, boydoes something stupid, and then boy spends the rest of the story trying to winback the heart of the girl.  Overall, itis well executed.  I feel that it couldhave had more depth in spots.  Also, thesubplots could have used a bit more meat as well.

 

The characters shine in the story.  Gabriel, our POV character, narrates thestory well.  We understand his motivation—asa whole.  This happens to be a placewhere I believe the story needs a bit more. I would have liked to have seen more scenes of him actually falling inlove with Koru.  That mostly happened offthe page.  More sweet scenes between themwould have made me feel his heartbreak when she rejected him in the beginning.

 

Koru, the love interest, has her own agency.  We understand her initial rejection.  She only falters at the end—another placethat needs fleshing.  Koru forgives Gabrielfor all his misguided attempts too easily. Especially after what happened with her own father, her quick forgivingof Gabriel feels out of character.

 

The potential war subplot gets resolved swiftly.  There was a lot of good build-up to it.  Then, it just disappears after one battle.  There should have been another couple ofchapters where the war subplot, the Captain Koru subplot, and the main plotcould have merged.  That would have givensatisfying resolutions to all.

 

I liked the stable setting with the Griffins.  The story felt fresh and yet lived-in.  The caring for these fantasy creatures addeddepth to the characters—main and side.

 

While I found Korua fun read, I also found a smattering of grammatical and punctuation errors.  I have notified the author via email aboutthem.  Since the book is not yet released,she may have time to make corrections.  Thosecombined with the above forced me to take off stars from the rating.  All in all, it is fun fantasy that I wouldrecommend reading.
Pre-order or buy after April 25th: https://www.amazon.com/Koru-Trainer-I-Used-Know-ebook/dp/B0C159D96D/
Find on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128200209-koru

I offer to review books.  Usually, I will post my review here and on Goodreads as well as post links to buy the book that I got to read.  However, every once and a while, I read a book that won’t get a good review.  This is that book.
This book is the author’s first book, so I will not mention the title nor the author’s name.  I have emailed the author about my poor review before posting, and actually have agreed to review the sequel.  With that said, let’s talk about the book and its issues.
The premise of the book is that the main character, whose name I can’t remember (problem), becomes a masked hero to save her city from a destructive alien.  The concept is great.  The execution has major issues.  I am going to put my editor’s hat on to critique the issues in this book.
The first issue is the prologue.  It could have been a chapter on its own.  I personally feel that the book should have opened on its main character.  The opening would have introduced us, the reader, to the character, who she is, and what she’s about.
This takes us to issue two, which, in my view, is the biggest issue.  The main character has no character arc.  She has no backstory.  No background.  We know nothing about her.  We don’t know what motivates her to take this journey into hero-hood.  Her personality is not shown.  And later, when a big “thing” is revealed, it has no impact on the reader, because no set-up has been built.  
You, as an author, need to build a foundation for your character on which to grow or off which to fall.  This rings true for every main character—hero or villain or supporting.  A character needs interpersonal relationships throughout the story to show personality, depth of personhood, and growth.  Even as a pantser, an author can write character backgrounds to keep in their notes for their main group of characters in their books.  Having copious notes are a good thing while writing.
Notes bring us to the next issue—intra-book timeline inconsistencies.  As I read, the timeline of events changed from one paragraph to the next.  A simple timeline outline would help prevent this.  Notes are something that can be written as you write the story.  You can keep a folder, whether physical or virtual, for all the notes—either pre-writing or during-writing.  Good organization while writing helps to keep some major issues at bay.
Another issue I found was tense changes, sometimes within the same sentence.  Changing tense is easy to do while writing in first person.  Hyper vigilance or a very good editor will help combat this.
Along the same vein are point of view changes within the same chapter.  Some of these POV changes had a scene separator.  However, I think some of them didn’t.  As I read, I got confused about through whom we were viewing the story.  If all of them did have scene separators, I missed them.  The best way to circumvent this issue is to place POV changes in a new chapter.
Then, there are the confusing word choices.  Some sentences do not make sense even after reading it again a few times.  Some words don’t mean what the sentence alludes that it is should mean.  And some sentences feel as though things were cut then the sentence wasn’t smoothed afterwards.  Again, more rigorous editing is needed.
Other underwhelming choices in the book were the overt foreshadowing.  Overt foreshadowing is when a character mentions that something didn’t go the way they wanted it to before they get into the situation.  Once or twice in a book, it can work.  Every time, it weakens the structure of the plot.  Sometimes, the reader wants to uncover the bad or surprising things as the story unfolds.
While the book progresses through the plot, I found myself not being able to suspend my disbelief.  Many of the things the main character did had no support from training or background.  Physics in many places in the book would have been an issue for her without the proper training.  At one point, the main character admitted that she was small.  According to the story, she has a desk job with no mention of outside work activities.  There would be no way for her to have been able to take down these thugs in the story Black Widow style without the proper background.  
I found myself saying aloud, “Seriously?  Where did this come from?” as I was reading the last chapters.  By that time, my suspension of disbelief had broken.  Every little impossibility shone like glittering jewels among the letters on the page.  I finished the book thinking that with some good editing, it could be such a fun story.
The author told me that the next book has a new editor.  I am curious to see how the second book fares.  That review will be posted as well.
Ideally, before publishing, have your book critiqued and edited.  I can help.

 

GlacierEverything I brought with me to Iceland for a late December trip fit in my carry-on backpack and its clip-on daypack.  I did a ton of research about what to bring.  Some tips worked surprisingly well.  Since, I wrote about clothing in this post, I’m going to discuss what else I brought.
Yak Trax gives you traction on ice.  They are metal coils wrapped around silicone that stretch around the soles of your shoes.  I had no problem getting through airport security with them in my pack.  They nest in each other and fold in half to take up less space.  I placed them in a nylon drawstring bag to protect the other items in my pack.  These saved my bum from many bruises.
When it’s cold outside, my nose runs.  On this trip, pretty much everyone’s nose ran.  I brought slim packs of facial tissue that fit in my pocket perfectly.  Each pack held ten tissues.  And I had six packs.  I should have brought more.  Hotel rooms also have tissues—rough, nose scratching ones.  I could not find tissues in the grocery store.  Maybe I wasn’t looking in the right place.  I did buy a box at a 24 hour convenience store in Reykjavik when I ran out.  The packs were easy to refill, but no longer slim.
A reusable beverage container saves from buying bottled water.  It must be empty when you go through security.  However, most airports have a place to fill it afterwards.  I used a slim metal Yeti that slipped perfectly in my pack’s water bottle holder.  I had planned on using it for hot water as well as cold water, but I didn’t have the need for hot water in it.  Hot water can be obtained from coffee shops in the airport, some hotel lobbies, and from the electric tea kettle in the hotel room.  Iceland has delicious cold water straight from the tap.  Do not drink the hot water from the tap.  I kept my bottle filled and drank from it on the plane, on the bus, and in the hotel.
I am a writer after all, so of course I brought a journal, pens, and a mechanical pencil.  The journal has a leather binding and refillable paper books.  Using the pencil, I wrote my thoughts about my trip.  Sometimes, I wrote on the bus.  Other times, I wrote in the hotel room.  I even scribbled a book idea in the journal.  The mechanical pencil has a retractable tip, saving the lead from breaking while in my bag.  I find my handwriting better using a pencil.  Its lead drags across the page, slowing down my hand, allowing me to be able to read what I wrote later.  The pen I used to fill out my tax forms so that I could get my VAT back from my souvenirs.  Ask the shop at checkout for the tax form.  Pre-fill the form in pen before you get to the airport.
The only electronic device I brought was my phone.  Not having a laptop or tablet made going through airport security easy.  I slipped my phone into my coat pocket and placed it in the bin with my shoes.
To keep my phone screen clean, I brought some lens wipes.  They barely take up any room in the bag and can be used for sunglasses and reading glasses as well.
Picture taking has never been my thing.  Other people on my tour brought cameras with tripods, special video cameras, and one had a drone.  For pictures, I had my phone.  My phone took relatively poor photos of the northern lights.  All other photos it took well.  I took on average over 100 pictures a day.  I got to see some of the drone footage.  It was beautiful.  Most places, however, banned the use of drones.
For my phone, I brought a six foot charging cord, a base, and a simple European outlet adapter.  The cord is a heavy duty braided USB-C to USB-C that fits into my super-fast charging base.  The super-fast charging worked extremely well in Iceland with the outlet adapter.  I expected charging to take longer for some reason.  The super-fast charging, which only works with Samsung models, lessened any anxiety over charging the phone in time for getting on the plane or the tour bus.  I also expected my phone’s battery to drain more than it did.  My power bank, which also supports the super-fast charging, never got used.
Airports have outlets and USB ports in or near most seats for charging.  Hotel rooms can have outlets anywhere.  I had to unplug a lamp in one room to plug in my phone.  Some outlets also have USB ports.  I didn’t use the ports anywhere although I brought a USB-C to USB-A adapter.  The USB adapters were also for my USB-C wired earbuds in case I wanted to plug them into the in-flight entertainment.  I didn’t use the entertainment.  My connecting flight was too short and, especially for the first one, I was too excited.  I slept on my overseas flights.
Wifi in Iceland, while plentiful, stunk more often than not.  I had trouble uploading pictures to Google Drive in the hotels.  Cell service worked pretty well most of the time.  There were times when we were driving through mountainous regions that it didn’t work, but that happens here as well.  I added international roaming to my plan before I left and the transition to their network was seamless.
Icelandic horses
You can bring small amounts of snack food into Iceland as long as it’s not meat.  I brought granola bars, fruit strips, ginger candies, and tea bags—green and lemon ginger.  After a long, cold day, having a cup of tea in the hotel room relaxes.  Every room had an electric tea kettle, instant coffee, creamer, sugar, and tea bags.  The type of tea differed from hotel to hotel.  Sometimes, I used their tea; sometimes, my own.  With your after dinner tea, it is nice to have something sweet.  That little sweetness came in the form of the ginger candies or a fruit strip.  When there was not enough time for lunch between activities, a granola bar and my water tied me over until dinner.  With all I ate—they had excellent breakfast buffets—I did not suffer from traveler’s tummy.  I thank the ginger.
Even though I didn’t bring complicated food, I considered bringing travel utensils.  After not finding a set I liked, I convinced myself I didn’t need them.  I was going to be eating out all of the time.  Then, I found a set in a store.  Since I had a coupon that made the set extremely cheap, I bought it.  I got a sturdy plastic set consisting of a fork, spoon, and chopsticks inside a case.  Bringing a knife, plastic or otherwise, may or may not get through security.  I found that while I did use the utensils, I did not need a knife.  The shallow bowled spoon from the set would have spread something like peanut butter.  The chopsticks, especially, came in handy for eating food from the grocery store when we had no restaurant.  Plus, the entire set cleaned easily at the bathroom sinks.
Somewhere I read about bringing binder clips.  I brought a handful of small ones.  Never in a million years did I think I’d use them.  But, I did.  One kept the bag of crisp bread closed.  One secured a net bag for individually wrapped cheese.  Then, one room’s drapes didn’t meet in the middle, and I was directly across from other hotel rooms.  Three binder clips brought the drapes together.  For the tiny amount of space they took in the bag with the lens wipes, they were worth taking.
Taking up more room in my backpack were toiletries.  Non-liquids stuffed my toiletry bag.  Small items like my toothbrush moved aside for larger items like deodorant and bar soap.  Since I have sensitive skin, I had to take the larger versions.  Next time I travel, I am going to try to pare down or at least find a less bulky way to bring them.  
Don’t forget to separate your liquids into that clear bag.  Toothpaste and mascara are liquids.  I was only asked at security while leaving Iceland to remove them from my bags.  Although I brought my own shampoo, I used it once since all the hotels had liquid shampoo/body wash.  All the liquid soap, hand and shampoo, smells like balsam in every hotel all around the country.  Most of the hotels had nothing else in their bathrooms.  Some had makeup wipes.  Only one had conditioner or lotion.  Good luck finding cotton swabs or bar soap.
Two of the rooms that I stayed in provided washcloths.  I brought a set of two quick drying washcloths.  Mine had a large loop on the corner for easy hanging.  I would wash it after use, writing it out, and hang it to dry.  If I needed the washcloth to dry more quickly, I wrung it in a hand towel or used the hairdryer.  Then, I placed it in a special wet/dry compartment in my toiletry bag.
Hotel bathrooms have hairdryers and little counterspace.  Most don’t even have a hook for extra items.  Some have heated towel racks.  Some don’t have any heat.  The hot water is heated naturally and can be scalding.  I didn’t notice much sulfur smell from the hot water.  Out of the seven different rooms in which I stayed, only one had a tub.  In most hotels, the entire bathroom gets wet during the shower.  
Just in case, bring first aid and medicines.  You may need a band aid or have a headache.  These items are found in pharmacies, however there might not be one when you need something.  Buy a small kit and bring it.  You can always augment.  I added Dramamine because we were going to taking a boat whale watching.  I also brought chewable aspirin that I ended up taking for a headache.  What I had wished I brought were non-drowsy antihistamines and decongestants.  Someone’s lotion on the bus affected my allergies and all I had was Benadryl.
Jokulsarlon Lagoon
Some items I brought but didn’t use on this trip.  Of course, it doesn’t I mean I won’t use them on a future trip.  The extras were carabiners, a headlamp, a collapsible cup, extra AA batteries (for the headlamp I didn’t use), a camp pillow (for the plane, but Icelandair has nice pillows and adjustable headrests), general wipes, sunglasses, and antibacterial wipes.
The items I didn’t bring at all are jewelry and perfume.  I wear both every day at home.  Jewelry can easily be misplaced.  A man on the tour bus lost his wedding ring.  Luckily, it was under his bag that he placed on the top shelf.  Perfumes and other strong scents should not be worn on airplanes or buses.  You never know if someone, like me, can be sensitive to these scents.  And the confined space can magnify the fragrance.  One hotel patron bathed in a perfume that lingered in the halls and stairway.  Luckily, the smell disappeared as soon as I left the hotel.  
Next time I travel, it will be carry-on only again.  Most of these items can be brought on any trip anywhere.  I used compression packing cubes—one small and two medium—for all my clothing.  A small, nylon doppel bag sufficed for my toiletries and a clear zippered bag for my liquids.  I forgot a bag for my mules, so I snatched the plastic laundry bag from the first hotel.  I am going to invest in an actual shoe bag.  A nylon laundry bag fit perfectly in the mesh zippered compartment in the opening panel of my backpack.  The compression straps held it all in place.  A TSA compliant luggage lock kept the zippers closed.
Before my trip, I printed any prepaid ticket.  I wrote all my reservations, dates, and other important information on a small piece of paper.  These were kept in a business sized envelope that easily slid into my daypack.  All receipts also went into that envelope.  During and after my trip, I used all that information.  When plans changed, I adapted because I had everything I needed with me.

Cold and windy that day
Iceland in late December gets cold and windy.  Expect to experience below freezing temperatures and even colder wind chills.  Be prepared for it to snow and for the wind to blow the snow into your face.  The sidewalks and streets and tourist areas, especially around water, can be slick.  And, you can wait for the bus for your tour or to the airport for quite some time in the cold.
Unless you live in a city with a non-stop flight, expect at least a two hour delay in an airport and perhaps a good deal of walking between gates.  The airports are hot.  The planes themselves can be chilly unless the flight is packed.  And, no matter where in Iceland you go, the cold outside counters the hot inside.
The key to regulating your temperature throughout it all is layers and your ability to zip or unzip or remove and store easily.  This is what I brought with me that kept me warm and it all fit in a carry-on backpack and personal item.
Let’s start at the bottom.  Feet.  You will be walking on a lot of packed snow and ice.  My toes stayed toasty wearing good socks inside my boots.  I wore insulated, waterproof, ankle high hiking boots for the entire time.  Yes, I wore them through security and onto the plane.  I was able to untie them in line at security easily and tie them again on the benches after.  On my five hour flight across the Atlantic, I removed the boots, only slipping them on, tucking the laces inside, to use the bathroom.  I did buy these boots specially for this trip.  However, I live in western Pennsylvania and will be able to use these all winter.  They worked great with the crampons for walking on glaciers as well as with my Yak Trax that I used while walking on slippery surfaces.  No snow or water entered.  I trudged through deep snow and stepped in a puddle.  My feet stayed dry.
My feet also did not sweat in my insulated boots because I only wore merino wool socks.  I had thick hiking socks that I wore most of the time as well as a thin wool liner with a medium wool hiking sock.  All my socks were crew length.  Because of merino wool, I was able to wear a pair more than once.  They did not smell nor were they drenched when I took them off at night.
For around the hotel, I brought a quilted slip on shoe that also kept my feet warm when I ran outside looking for northern lights.  The backs were able to push down to wear like a slide or slipper.  They were great with socks or without.
On my legs, I wore two layers every day.  Against my skin, I wore a mid-weight 100% merino wool base layer.  The socks went over the base layer.  On top of that, I had a flannel lined, softshell pant.  The softshell means wind and water resistant.  Water rolled off the pants, and my legs stayed dry walking through deep snow.  These pants are much thinner than traditional snow pants that you would wear for skiing.  The stretch made them comfortable to wear.  Plus, they took much less room in my luggage.  The straight legs had an elastic in the hem with a toggle that would keep it tight against the boot.  Wearing these pants with crampons was no problem.  The guide said that pants with wide ankles could get caught in the spikes.  On travel day, I wore no base layer under my pants.
For my core, I always had on my base layer top and a fleece.  The base is mid-weight 100% merino wool.  I bought the top and bottom as a set.  For my weeklong trip, I had two sets that I rotated.  I wore the base layer shirt tucked into my outer pants.  The fleece is a full zip with a high neck and zippered pockets.  I also brought two fleeces that I rotated with the base layers.  During my initial travel day, I wore a lighter weight merino wool blend base with a three-quarter fleece.  The three-quarter fleece did not work well as I could not open it fully to regulate my temperature.  I got extremely hot in the airport and had to take it off.  The full zip regulates my temperature much better as I can unzip as far as I need.  I would do this on the tour bus as well as inside buildings such as shops and restaurants.
Reykjavik
Over it all, I had a three in one windproof and waterproof coat with a hood that came to my upper thigh.  The coat zipped up to my chin.  Its hood pulled tight around my face with an elastic string and toggles.  The wrists had Velcro closures that can be used to secure gloves or mittens.  After trying it on, I bought a size larger than I normally would to accommodate layers.  It has two zippered pockets and two Velcro pockets on the outer shell, two zippered pockets on the inner layer, and pit zips for venting.  I can wear this coat as my big winter coat, for any snow activities like sledding or skiing, or I can break it down for fall and spring wear.
I accessorized with a merino wool neck gaiter, merino wool beanie, liner gloves, and down mittens.  The neck gaiter I found to be much better than a scarf.  With its slim profile, it tucked in a pocket well.  The wool kept my neck warm, and I could pull it up over my nose easily.  While walking/hiking, I could adjust the neck gaiter for my comfort using my big mittens.  
The slim merino wool beanie fit close to my head.  Its fold up brim kept my ears and head warm.  When the winds blew, I could quickly pull my hood over the hat.  I brought a bulkier beanie that I discovered on the first day could not easily fit under the coat’s hood.  You never knew when you needed to pull that hood up to protect you from the wind.  Changing hats on the fly wasn’t an option and removing the hat to raise the hood wouldn’t protect you from the cold.
My liner gloves worked my phone well when I wanted to take pictures.  They also gave me slight protection from the wind and cold, but not much.  If I wore them alone too long, my fingers would feel the cold.  Under my mittens, they wicked away any moisture so that my hands didn’t sweat.  
The mittens had down insulation with a leather outside which kept my hands warm or warmed them quickly when I took too many pictures in the cold.  Although, I wear gloves on any given winter day, mittens keep my hands warmer than gloves.  I chose down because it is natural, compresses well for packing, and is one of, if not, the best insulators.  Yes, if down gets wet, it no longer insulates.  However, most down outerwear and accessories have at least a water-resistant outer layer, which works well in the snow.  The best feature of my mittens is the wrist straps.  I could slide off one mitten and it would hang on my wrist while I took pictures.  Super convenient.
Let’s not forget the unmentionables.  Do not wear cotton next to your skin.  It does not dry well which can make you cold.  This goes for any and all layers.  I wore microfiber and merino wool undies.  Microfiber is a lot less expensive if you go with brands like Fruit of a Loom over Exofficio.  As of this writing, both Exofficio and merino wool panties will run roughly $30 a pair.  You can get them on sale, which I recommend.  Merino wool panties are unbelievably comfy.  Ladies, wear your most comfortable bra that also gives you support.  You will be in this for over 12 hours a day.
I wore my synthetic base layers (Cuddle Duds) as jammies because of how slim they were for packing.  I found myself way too hot at night.  Next time, I might spend the money on silk.
Everything I brought can be used again.  In fact, I will be using most of it this winter.  I have already started wearing the socks all the time.  I love the merino wool socks and I buy them on sale in all thicknesses and styles for everyday.  The fleece and merino wool tops can be worn on their own.  The full zip fleece can be used as a jacket in spring or fall as well.  The merino wool bottoms can go under dress pants for added warmth.  I wear the quilted shoes around the house and to take the dog out.
Try things on.  Once you know your size, you can order online.  Don’t be afraid of clearance styles or colors.  I got plenty on clearance or from outlets.  Saved a lot of money buying clearance items.  Do not go for fashion over function.  Those people were profusely cold on my tour.  Don’t over bring.  If you choose quality, you can pack less.  I will be returning to Iceland.  Even if it’s during a different season, I will be bringing a lot of these items with me.
Brands that I wore and liked:     Boots: Keen
     Shoes: The North Face
     Socks: Smartwool, Farm to Feet, Icebreaker
     Base layers (top and bottom): Merino Tech
     Pants: Mountain Hardwear
     Fleece: REI
     Coat: The North Face
     Accessories: Smartwool, The North Face, Obermeyer
     Unmentionables: Fruit of a Loom, Exofficio, REI

From the overlook at Thingvellir
Dates of trip: 21 Dec – 28 Dec 2022
Number of travelers: Just me
Type of travel: Six day tour around the country
Akureyri
The gods of old reside in Iceland.  Beyond the refined Nordic aesthetic, a wildness claims the land.  From the volcanic soil to the glaciers to the sharp peaks above the fjords, the wind carries a spirit that touches the soul.  
Gullfoss
The first thing I learned about Iceland was that the weather rules.  My arriving flight was delayed a day due to the weather and everything after followed suit.  The buffers I had built into my trip saved my tour around the country.  However, I did not get the time in Reykjavik that I had wanted.I traveled with only a carry-on and a personal item.  The backpack I used is described in this blog post. 

Where the ocean and mountains meet
While I was waiting in the airport for about 12 hours as my flight kept being pushed further and further back, I envied the rolling luggage.  Those moved with ease throughout the airport without any strain on the back.  My backpack and its daypack had to be lugged everywhere.  The bathroom proved exceptionally difficult as I hung the packs and my coat on the provided hooks so that nothing touched the floor.  On the planes, my backpack fit nicely in the overhead bins while the daypack stuffed itself with my coat on top under the seat.  When I got off the plane in Keflavik and headed out to the bus, I no longer envied that rolling luggage.  Travelers struggled as they wheeled their boxes through the slush and snow and over the ice.
Midday sun in Reykjavik
Iceland uses earthmovers to remove snow from the roads and walkways.  Volcanic dust/rock is thrown on top for traction the way we used to use cinders.  However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a layer of packed snow and perhaps ice on either the road or sidewalk.  This makes it extremely easy to fall while site seeing or shopping.
A blizzard on Christmas
To me, the country did not feel all that cold.  Expect temperatures below freezing at all times.  Depending on where we were and the time of day, temperatures ranged from about 30F for highs and in the teens for lows.  However, the wind bit hard.  Many of my tour mates, especially those from warmer places, did not prepare for the cold well.  I watched plenty of tourists from all over buy warmer hats, scarves, gloves, et cetera, in the shops for themselves. Being from western Pennsylvania helped me not feel the cold at times.  But even after a windy day, I did not return to the bus shivering like the others.  I wore proper layers consisting of wool, fleece, and windproof items.
Rugged white and black landscape
Every day had so much to see in the limited daylight.  The sun rose at 11:30 and set at 3:30.  With the sun never getting any higher in the sky than roughly 30 degrees from the horizon, daylight is more of a perpetual twilight.  The sky began to lighten somewhere around 10:00.  Darkness set in roughly at 4:30.  However, the snow helped brighten the landscape.  After a couple of days, I got used to the daylight to darkness ratio.
A view from inside an ice cave
I enjoyed everything we were able to do on our tour.  The waterfalls are spectacular.  Walking through the ice caves was incredible.  Driving through the fjords was breathtaking.  The weather canceled horseback riding and whale watching.  When the road to our next destination closed, we got stranded in a small finishing village in the fjords.  I ran around in the knee deep snow like a child, taking pictures.  The country is beautiful.  I fell in love with Iceland as it awakened my wild spirit.  I look forward to my return.

 

Buckled together right out of the box
For my upcoming trip to Iceland, I have chosen to only take a carryon and a personal item.  I researched my choices using the dimensions the airlines have on their websites.  I also thought about future trips and overall practicality.  Therefore, I chose to go with a backpack over a rolling carryon.

 

Separated

The last backpack I had was the one I used from high school through college.  It was a standard LL Bean backpack that reliably carried all my books and other school stuff for years.  While that backpack was still in decent condition all these years later, I needed one geared towards travel.

 

Backs of both packs

After extensive review reading, I ended up buying a Thule Landmark 60L women’s backpack.  This is a two in one backpack, consisting of a 40L backpack and a 20L daypack.  The larger is the perfect size for the carryon. The smaller will be my personal item.  They snap together with buckles for different ways of wearing.

 

40 L

40L Backpack

It has padded shoulder straps and waist straps that all tuck into a pocket behind the back padding, which could be useful if you had to check it.  There are handles on the top and the side and it opens like a suitcase with compression straps inside.  The backpack has a hard top that protects items like sunglasses from being crushed.  It also has a whistle attached to the shoulder strap.

 

20 L

20L Backpack

This daypack opens from the top only.  The padded straps cannot be tucked anywhere.  Inside there is a padded laptop compartment and zippered mesh pocket.  On the outside, both sides has a deep bottle holder.  The whistle could be placed on this pack.

 

The whistle

I have used the daypack twice so far.  Wearing it in lieu of a purse was super comfortable.  I was able to fit my wallet, phone, glasses, sunglasses, water bottle, all my purchases from vendor stalls, and my fleece jacket when I got too hot.

I think it will work well for me.  I did buy packing cubes to use inside.  I’ll talk about those in another post when I post about packing the bag.

Previous Iceland trip posts:

Sometimes, You Need a Recharge

Preparing for a Trip of a Lifetime

When I tell people that I’m going to Iceland, they tell me that it’s a trip of a lifetime.  And it is.

I mentioned in the previous post that I needed a vacation.  I have been looking to go somewhere fantastic for a while.  These places that were making “the list” were great.  But, they missed that oomph.

I am doing a mid winter trip to Iceland.  Best time to perhaps catch the Northern Lights.

During my week long vacation, I’ll be a taking a tour around the country.  The tour includes the Golden Circle, ice caves, glaciers, whales, thermal pools, and horseback riding.  Of course, it’s all dependent on the weather.

Although the flight from the US to Iceland is only five hours, I’ll be spending a day travelling.  Mainly sitting in airports.  This holds true both going and coming home.

I have done extensive research into the weather, what to pack, what to expect.  My stomach is filling with butterflies as I type.  When I write, I tend to lean towards pantser, no clear outline and following where the characters want to go.  For this, I made lists.  One is a packing list.  One is a shopping list.  And I plan to make a list of what I still need.

However, it’s not just things that I need for my trip.  I need to prepare myself for this trip of a lifetime.  Physically, I have to be ready to go.

I started with coffee.  Every morning, I enjoy a cup of coffee.  Sometimes, two on the weekends.  I’ve become dependent on it.  If I don’t drink by a certain time, I will develop a headache that will follow me for the rest of the day regardless if I finally have coffee or not.  That won’t do.  Not that I don’t think Iceland has coffee.  I don’t want to risk a coffee headache while I’m on vacation.  I have weakened my morning coffee.  One of these weekends, I will attempt to go without coffee.  See how far I’ve gotten.

Next came exercise.  I can admit that I am not in the shape I want to be.  My muscles don’t like me very much at the moment.  Every day, I take the stairs instead the elevator to the office.  I walk two miles over hilly terrain.  When weather permits, I go cycling.

I downloaded apps to track my steps and my workouts.  Sometimes, it feels like I’m not making any progress.  I keep going.  Being outside is great.  Fresh air.  The views.  People say hi.  Random cats on the sidewalk try to befriend you.  I try not to get run over as I make like Frogger to cross the streets.

Other preparations include breaking in my winter hiking boots, practicing packing, and obtaining a credit card without foreign transaction fees and requesting a pin for it.  Iceland uses pin numbers for credit cards rather than a signature.  

Also for this tip of a lifetime, I’m trying to learn a few words in Icelandic or at the very least try to be able to pronounce place names.  Since I’m spending a day or two in Reykjavik, I should probably know how to say the street names.  The weird thing is that the ancient tongue in the World In-between books is based on ancient Norse.  Icelandic is closer to the old Norse than modern Scandinavian languages.  I feel like I should have a leg up.  I better keep practicing.