Tag Archives: odd

Icelanders are the Honey Badgers of Europe

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As I’ve already noted, Iceland is a conundrum.

It’s probably the only country on earth where people think it’s totally cool to leave their babies in their strollers outside of a cafe while they eat and drink inside, child-free.

It is called ICEland, but it is way more green than icy.

Every two feet is a different landscape … Iceland physically doesn’t make sense.

And, as I’ve reported before, people believe in elves. And trolls. And “hidden people.”

Related: Iceland, The Most Magical Layover Ever.

Icelanders: We’re Weird, We're Wacky and We’re Related to Thor

This Viking sees elves. And we love him for it. (Photo: Ricky Montalvo) 

As locals will tell you, there’s a lot more awesome weirdness that goes on.

And as we at Yahoo Travel always say: Know (the local customs) before you go. You will have a better time and make more friends — which, in a country like Iceland, is easy to do. Trust.

Watch this video, learn the country’s customs and revel in their oddness. They’re fascinating!

For more Iceland Awesomeness, check out Meet the Elf Whisperer of Iceland. Yes, She Sees Elves. Yes, She’s For Real:


The Night of The Tortured Turtles (Or: How To Make Organic Viagra)

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The final concoction: Blood (red) and Bile (green) mixed with 120 proof liquor.

The final concoction: Blood (red) and Bile (green) mixed with 120 proof liquor.

During my trip to Hanoi, I got along so well with my guide Lan and my driver Thang that they invited me to Thang’s anniversary – and I (obviously) said HELL YES! I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Okay, these are the guys who took me to a brothel and introduced me to the hangover cure, so maybe I had a small clue, but damn, was I not ready for this mixology lesson.

The party was at a multi-floor restaurant 20 minutes away from my Hotel. It was the same crowd as the day before – except this time everyone brought their wives and children. The main entertainment was the torture of the turtles.  Two restaurant employees brought out a bucket of the doomed reptiles. While one held the wriggling body, the other employee took out a sharp menacing knife, grabbed the turtles’ heads and slit their necks – collecting the blood in a large glass while the dying turtle gave me the hairy eye ball [ed note: can’t say I blame him, but what was I gonna do?]. Minutes later a waitress took a hypodermic needle and extracted all the green bile-y goodness from the dying reptiles’ gall bladders. It was like watching the Coconut Tree Prison display come to life, with reptile stand ins for the mannequins.

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