The city tourism board of Bratislava, Slovakia now offers the “Bratislava Card” covering many attractions and city and regional transportation. It’s offered in 24, 48, and 72-hour versions. Is the Bratislava Card worth it?
Answer: If you’re in Bratislava for 1-day, it may be worth it if you plan on visiting many museums and you’d like to do a short walking tour. If you’re in Bratislava for 2 or 3 days, it is absolutely worth it, especially if you want to visit one or two castles outside of the city. Read below for tips on getting the best use from the card.
Bratislava Card Cost
As of 2018, the price for the new Bratislava Card is 17 Euro for one day, 19 for two, and 20 for three. For one day, it is not worth it unless you are visiting all the included museums. For two or three days, it’s absolutely worth it given the small additional charge for day 2 and day 3.
How much value I got out of the 72 hour Bratislava Card:
Entry to City Hall museum = 5 Euro
Free one-hour guided tour = 5 Euro (the tourist center puts the value of this at 14 Euro, but there are some alternative “free” tours for tip only, with the recommended tip in the 5-10 Euro range, so I put the value of this at 5 Euro
Entry to Pharmacy museum and Museum of Arms with viewpoint from eastern gate = 5 Euro
Transportation to and from Devin Castle = 1.80 Euro
Entry to Devin Castle = 5 Euro
Transportation to bus station (x2) = 1.80 Euro
Transportation to and from Cerveny Kamen Castle = 4.60 Euro
Cerveny Kamen Castle guided tour = 8 Euro
TOTAL VALIE = 36.20 Euro – so close to half price from buying the 20 Euro 3-Day Bratislava Card.
Bratislava Card Discounts
The card provides some discounts, but I didn’t get a chance to use these. I wanted to go on the “round trip” boat ride on the Danube River, but during my visit in mid-September, the boat only runs on weekends. There are also some restaurant discounts but I didn’t try those either.
Bratislava Card 3-Day Itinerary
This is my recommended itinerary for using the 72-hour Bratislava Card:
Day One –
Go over to the main visitor center in the center of town and purchase your card and make a reservation for your free included walking tour. Pick up the handy booklet and a city map.
Hike up to the Bratislava Castle for nice views of the city. The castle museum is not included with the card, but there is a 20% discount. I chose not to visit this museum, as several other museums were included with the card. Spend the rest of the morning walking the city streets and visiting some of the smaller museums included with the Bratislava Card.
After lunch, take your free walking tour. After the tour, head over to the best museum included with the card, the Museum of the City History. Make sure you go up the bell tower for a nice view, and also don’t miss the “dungeon” at the very end of the museum tour that is a collection of medieval torture devices.
Day Trip Two – Devin Castle
Make this easy part day trip to Devin Castlee in Devin. After busing back to the city, take a walk along the Danube and visit any of the museums you missed yesterday.
For dinner, go to a Slovakian restaurant and have the most famous Slovakian dish – gnocchi with melted sheep’s cheese and bacon. Very rich. I call it Slovakian mac & cheese!
Day Trip Three – Cervery Kamen Castle
Follow this itinerary to visit another well preserved castle out of town. Spend the afternoon souvenir shopping in the old town.
This
post contains affiliate links. This
website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with
no additional cost to you.
Bratislava – Where to Stay
My recommended hostel is the Hostel Folks, just outside the city walls in the city center and one of the cleanest, roomiest hostels I’ve ever stayed. No breakfast but they did provide coffee, tea, apples and biscuits during my stay. Check Rates and Availability.
Note: I did NOT receive any compensation to write this post. I paid 20 Euro for the 3-day card like most tourists.
Cerveny Kamen Castle, or Hrad Cerveny Kamen, is a wonderfully preserved and displayed castle that’s one of the easiest and best day trips from Bratislava.
Cerveny Kamen Tour
See antique furniture in Cerveny Kamen Castle
You must take a tour to enter the castle. The standard tour is 60 minutes. Only a couple sections of the castle and the gardens may be visited without the tour. There are two tours offered in English – 11:30 am and 3:30 pm. There are also tours offered in Slovakian every hour. If you’re not lucky to catch the English tour and you’re taking the Slovakian tour, make sure you get the free pamphlet from the ticket office that has
an explanation of each room in English.
Cerveny Kamen Entrance Fee
Inside the grotto room at Cerveny Kamen castle
The tours cost from 6 – 8 Euros depending on what language the tour is presented and if you purchase the “long” version which also includes an extra 15-minute tour to the cellars. I recommend paying the extra Euro to see the cellar. It includes the deepest well in Slovakia. If you have the Bratislava Card, which I highly recommend if you are in Bratislava for 2 or more days, the entrance to the castle is included.
Cervany Kamen Restaurant
Inner courtyard in Cerveny Kamen
If you find yourself having to wait for a tour, there’s a snack bar in the center of the castle that serves hot dogs, ice cream bars, coffee, beer, and Kofola (the Slovakian cola from communist times, very spicy!)
Getting From Bratislava to Cerveny Kamen
Going to Cerverny Kamen by car is best as it’s the quickest way. But if you don’t have a car, it’s easy to catch a single bus there. The bus leaves from the main Bratislava bus station. There didn’t seem to be a bus number, but the ultimate destination is Trnava. At the time I visited, this left from bus bay #20 at 9:56 am. There are other buses, but they only leave every 1, 2, or 3 hours for this particular destination. Catching the 9:56 should get you to the castle at exactly 11:30 for the 11:30 tour in English. Then you can catch the 1:45 bus back to Bratislava. The next bus back isn’t until 3:45. The cost for the bus is 2.30 Euro each way, or included free if you have the Bratislava card. You buy your ticket from the bus driver.
Insider tip: Don’t make the same mistake I did, and get off the bus too far from the castle. I saw a brown sign that pointed to the castle and could see the castle on the hill and I got off the bus. Well… I was then a 4 km uphill hike from the castle, as the only road to the castle went thru a village and around the backside to the castle. The upside is that the village is super cute and there was a nice view of the Cerveny Kamen castle from the village. After I got off the bus, the bus then turned and went the same direction I was going and I discovered the bus had a stop just outside the castle! So don’t get off the bus until you’ve climbed the hill and are directly in front of the castle.
This
post contains affiliate links. This
website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with
no additional cost to you.
Cerveny Kamen Castle – Where to Stay
Hrad Cerveny Kamen is an easy day trip from Bratislava, you should just spend the night in Bratislava. My recommended hostel is the Hostel Folks, just outside the city walls in the city center and one of the cleanest, roomiest hostels I’ve ever stayed. Only caveat is that the trams run outside the hostel, so I recommend earplugs which they provide if needed. Check Rates and Availability.
If you enjoy castles, you will also want to check out the Devin Castle which is also an easy half day trip from Bratislava and accessible by public transportation from the city. You can visit both castles under the awesome Bratislava Card.
One of the best day trips out of Bratislava, Slovakia is the Do-it-yourself half day Devin Castle Bratislava Tour. In local language, Hrad Devin, or Devin Hrad. I saw an offered tour to this castle and currant wine tasting for 60 Euros per person, but you can easily do this trip for less than 10 Euros. Here’s how:
Getting to Devin Castle from Bratislava
There is bus #29 that runs every 20-30 minutes from the Most SNP bus station in Bratislava (on the Bratislava side of the bridge that leads to the iconic UFO building, this bus station is an easy walk from most accommodation in the city center). You get off the bus 20-30 minutes later in the charming town of Devin at the Devin Castle stop.
From this stop, you walk a block north then take a left and follow the signs to the castle.
Cost for the bus ticket is 0.90 Euros each way, but make sure you buy two one-way tickets, as the bus stop in Devin village does not have a vending point. Total cost = 1.80 euro, or free if you have the Bratislava Card.
Insider tip: the bus bay #6 for the 29 bus at the Most SNP bus stop is actually along the main road instead of in the bus station area.
Devin Castle Entry Fee
The entrance fee to Devin Castle is 5 Euro, but included/free if you have the Bratislava Card.
The Bratislava Card
I highly recommend purchasing this card if you will be in Bratislava for 2-3 days. The incremental day costs are 2 Euros, and 1 Euro for the 2nd and 3rd days, so if you’re going to Devin, this is a great deal.
What to See at Devin Castle
Devin Castle is a ruined castle on the confluence of the Morava and Danube Rivers. There’s a great view from the top of the tallest mountain in Slovakia as well as Austria. Make sure you check out the historical artifacts in the small museum in the bowels of the castle.
One of the coolest things at the castle is the incredibly deep well. There’s a drinking fountain and bucket provided – fill the bucket and dump into the well and wait to hear how long it takes to hear the splash. A great place to perform a physics experiment someday.
Currant Wine Tasting
During high season, there is a booth outside Devin Castle with Currant Wine samples which is native to this area. If you visit off season like I did in mid-week September, it’s still possible to try this wine (see “Lunch Break” below for details).
Take a River Walk
Danube River view from Devin Castle, the river walk is on the banks of the river.
From the souvenir shops, you can take a left and take a leisurely walk along the Danube River and wetlands. Watch the barges and riverboats go by.
Lunch Break
There are a few places to eat along the Danube, but I recommend the U Srncika Penzion – Restaurant. The name of this restaurant means little deer. They have a 2-course lunch special for 4.90 Euro, but have lots of choice on their ala carte menu if you’d like something nicer. Also, you’ll find they offer Currant Wine for 1 Euro for a 0.1 liter glass (get two if you’d like a wine glass full)!
From Devin back to Bratislava
From the restaurant, it’s only a block walk back to the main road through Devin village. If you bought your return ticket (or have the Bratislava card), boarding the bus back is a breeze. In about half an hour, you will be dropped just past the bridge along the Danube back in Bratislava.
Total Cost for Devin Castle Bratislava Day Trip
Bus = 1.80
Castle = 5.00
Wine = 2.00 for 0.2 liters
Total = 8.80 plus whatever you order for lunch, so way cheaper than the 60 Euro 3-hour tour from Bratislava!
This
post contains affiliate links. This
website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with
no additional cost to you.
Devin Castle – Where to Stay
Devin Castle is such an easy day trip from Bratislava, you should just spend the night in Bratislava. My recommended hostel is the Hostel Folks, just outside the city center and one of the cleanest, roomiest hostels I’ve ever stayed. Check Rates and Availability.
Do you like this post? Click on the picture below to save to pinterest.
The Budapest Card is currently priced around 22 Euros for one day, 33 for two days, and 44 for three days. So basically, each incremental day costs an additional 11 Euro, which we will use as a measurement of the card’s worth. Is the Budapest Card worth it? In my opinion, it’s a big NO! Many bloggers advertise the use of this card, but many of them got the card for free in exchange for their articles. To make the card worth it, you would need to visit many museums and ride the metro multiple times per day in a very walkable city.
Advertising for this card is fierce, I was offered the card when I booked my shuttle, and I saw multiple sales points online, at the airport, and around the city.
Note: At the time of my visit, there were 325 Hungarian Forints per Euro.
Let’s breakdown the inclusions of the pass and why the Budapest Card is not worth it…
Free Transportation Pass
Single metro tickets cost only 350 Forints, or just over a Euro each. On two of my three days in Budapest, I didn’t even ride the metro, and the third day, I only rode it three times, so the free transportation pass would be of very little value. Or if you know you will be riding the metro multiple times in a day but not riding on other days, you can buy an unlimited single day pass for the metro.
In my opinion, if you stay in the center of the city, and there are many hostels and hotels in central Pest, you can walk nearly everywhere, thus saving money from not buying the Budapest Card.
Insider tip: if using the single metro tickets, make sure you properly validate your ticket before getting on the metro by stamping the ticket in the metal yellow box validation machine, and don’t lose it! I did get my ticket checked once and there are fines assessed on the spot if you don’t have a valid ticket. I met one traveler who had been charged a huge penalty for not properly validating her ticket.
Free Entries
The card includes free entry into a number of museums. If you are really into museums, the card might be worth it. The most prominent museums included are the Hungarian National Gallery and National Museum. One advantage is with the card you can skip the cues, and on a Sunday afternoon visit, the line at the National Gallery was quite long. I find it much more interesting to walk around town and visit churches (mostly free, or by donation) and viewpoints rather than museums.
View from the dome of the cathedral
Baths
Széchenyi Bath
There is only free entry to one of the lesser known baths with the Budapest Card. But most tourists want to visit one of the two most popular baths – either Széchenyi or Gellert Bath. Entry to these thermal baths is certainly not cheap. Entry to Széchenyi Bath was 5600 (17.23 Euro), the Budapest Card pass only gives you a 20% discount, or 3.45 Euro discount. The Bath is a little far out of town so it’s worth taking the metro both ways (super easy by the way… the metro stop is just outside the bath entrance). So, if your plan is to go to this bath for most of the day and take the metro both ways, the Budapest Card will only save you around 6 Euros (not worth the 11 Euro incremental cost of an extra day with this card).
Tours
The Budapest Card includes several free tours, but if you’ve traveled eastern Europe lately, you will know that most cities have excellent free walking tours available (guides work by tips only).
Sunset behind Buda
Other Budapest Activities that are worth it
I spent very little on activities in Budapest, my itinerary was:
Day 1 – Walk all around the Pest side of the river, visited the synagogue, churches, ruin bars, and did one of the free walking tours. Then we walked to the Parliament building and saw the Shoes on the Danube sculptures. You can search for the Budapest Ronald Reagan statue nearby. At night we had a Hungarian dinner on the main pedestrian street and visited a couple ruin bars.
Day 2 – Walk all around the Buda side of the river. We started at the cave church and hiked up to the Citadel for nice views. We crossed the park to visit the Buda Palace complex and then the Fisherman’s Bastion. There were great views from all of these spots. At sunset, we returned to the Pest side of the river to see the sunset behind the Buda skyline. Then we did my favorite activity – a nighttime boat ride on the Danube. At pier 10 is the discount trip – only 2500 Forints, about $7 Euro for an hour boat ride to see all the buildings and bridges lighted. The line seemed long, but they used two boats for the 8pm departure so everyone in line got a seat. Cheap beers are available on board.
Budapest by boat by night
Day 3 – First we visited the Central Market for breakfast. I found the prepared Hungarian food was quite expensive here – for tourists only. But the fruits, meats, etc on the first floor are quite reasonable. Next headed to the Cathedral and paid to visit the tower. Went to the Széchenyi bath for most of the day, and then caught a bus to Bratislava.
Total spent for all of this was a fraction of the cost of a 3-Day Budapest Card.
This post contains affiliate links. This website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with no additional cost to you.
Check this other post for more things to do in Budapest. Or, see if you’d like to take a tour in Budapest.
Are you also heading to Bratislava? Unlike the Budabest Travel Card, the Bratislava Card is worth it. Did you purchase the Budapest Card? Did you think it was worth it? Please leave your Budapest Card Reviews below…
Click on the picture below if you want to save it to pinterest:
The Northern Sate Mental Hospital was a working asylum in Washington State from 1911 until 1973. Some of the main buildings have been repurposed, but the outbuildings, farm, and areas surrounding have been converted into a lovely park. It’s possible to explore some of the abandoned buildings at Northern State Recreation Area.
Photo credits: Shauna
The Buildings
You can’t visit the actual hospital – some of it is in use today, and others is still deserted. However, you can visit several out buildings, in various states of decay. The most interesting part is the main farm area. Here you can visit several barns, milking room, other buildings with various rusting equipment, and the silo.
There are some other out buildings located along the trail. Some of them are in such disrepair you cannot go inside.
All the buildings have prominent signs that you should not enter, yet the interiors of many of them are clear with no physical barrier to entry. So, a sign for anti-litigation protection, I guess.
The Trail
There are a couple miles of trails at the Northern State Recreation Area. It’s an easy walk – virtually no elevation gain or loss. It would be appropriate for any age. The Frisbee golf course follows the trail.
Other Facilities
There are picnic facilities – both at the main parking lot and in the middle of the park. There’s also a frisbee golf. I didn’t see any toilet facilities except a handicap accessible port-a-potty in the parking lot.
Is it Haunted?
It was common for lobotomies and other bad stuff happened at Northern State Mental Hospital. It’s supposedly one of the most haunted places in the state, but I didn’t experience any paranormal activities.
Northern State Recreation Area Location
This hidden gem is not well signposted. Take highway 20 to the east end of Sedro Woolley. Take a left (northbound) on Helmick Road, and take the first left into the parking lot with a picnic pavilion. There are no signs other than the explanatory sign and map on the edge of the parking lot. There was plenty of parking, even when I visited on Independence Day, 2018.
Best Time to Visit Northern State Recreation Area
The Northern State Mental Hospital could be visited any time of year. It would be a great fall, winter, or spring hike since it’s at a low elevation. It would be especially atmospheric on a foggy, rainy day. Or maybe halloween – watch out for the ghosts of former patients! This hike isn’t far from Skagit Valley. If you’re visiting the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, I highly recommend you pop up here for exploration rather than get stuck in traffic going back to Seattle in the afternoon. Have a nice dinner in Sedro Woolley or Burlington, and then have a relaxing drive home in the evening.
This
post contains affiliate links. This
website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with
no additional cost to you.
Northern State Mental Hospital – Where to Stay
If you’re not from the area and just visiting, there are plenty of places to stay around Sedro Woolley, including Burlington, Mount Vernon, and the scenic coastal town of Anacortes (Check Rates and Availability)
Northern State Recreation Area Photography
I stupidly forgot my camera on this expedition. Luckily, my friend Shauna took photos and lent me her great mirrorless camera for some of my own shots. The photos in this article are from Shauna. Follow her on Instagram, especially if you like mountain climbing.
Grand Teton National park is a spiritual place – the grandeur of the mountains is some of God’s greatest works. But it’s also home to two man-made spiritual places… the Chapel of the Transfiguration and the Chapel of the Sacred Heart – the two churches located inside the National Park.
Chapel of the Transfiguration
Chapel of the Transfiguration is a log cabin chapel built in 1925. It has one of the best views of the Grand Tetons in the picture window behind the altar. Check out the two stained glass windows that depict summer and winter. This Episcopal church holds Sunday services in the Summer and it’s possible to get married there.
Chapel of the Sacred Heart
Chapel of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic chapel located in the center of the park on the banks of Jackson Lake. Although it doesn’t have the incredible views of the Chapel of the Transfiguration, it’s a quiet place to reflect. The Chapel of the Sacred Heart also has mass services in the summer.
When to visit the Chapels in Grand Teton National Park
Any time you’re in the park is a good time to visit the Chapels, but they are only reliably open from June-September each year. However, I found both open when I visited the week before Labor Day, 2018. While other parts of the park are busy, you can usually find solace in these little churches. I found myself alone in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, under the light of a stained glass window. And I started paging through the hymnal, and started belting out “Seek Ye First, the Kingdom of God…” I got in a few songs before anyone else joined me in the church.
Where are the Chapels Located?
Both are located on the main roads in the park.
Source: Google maps
Grand Teton National Park – What else not to Miss
Besides the churches, make sure you get out on some hikes. Consider a boat ride or hike around Jenny Lake. If staying nearby, see if you can see a sunrise. The sunrise on the bridge on the south end of Jackson lake, or at Elbow Bend have great views of Mt. Moran at sunrise. It’s all about the views in Grand Teton.
This
post contains affiliate links. This
website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with
no additional cost to you.
Grand Teton National Park – Where to Stay
Normally I recommend camping but I wasn’t fond of the concessionaire run campgrounds in Grand Teton, very expensive. There are a couple cheaper campgrounds in the national forest outside the east entrance of the park.
Most of the hotels near the park are in Jackson, Wyoming, but this town is pricey… for everything (gas, food, etc). And traffic is a nightmare. But, it’s the best place if you need to stock up on goods or need a nice hotel to stay. Check Rates and Availability.
Have you been to either Grand Teton Church? Leave you thoughts below.
Do you like this post? Click on the picture below to save to pinterest.
I have been overweight pretty much my entire adult life. I’m forever on a diet and every once in a while, can squeeze into my skinny clothes for a few days before I start gaining weight again. It’s a constant battle…. I’m sure I’ve gained and lost 1000s of pounds in my life. But it really sucks when you travel. Sure, there are good times and amazing people but sometimes it just plain sucks. I didn’t even think I was that fat when I went to Indonesia but boy, was I wrong. Here’s why you shouldn’t travel to Indonesia if you’re fat:
Too Fat to Hike a Hill
Padar Island – I didn’t make it to the top 🙁
It is hot in Indonesia, as it’s in the tropics. I had seen pictures of Padar Island and took a special trip to visit but the hike was hard and hot, and I found I couldn’t finish the hike to the viewpoint in the very short time we were given to finish the hike. I was disappointed, but still had a nice view.
Rickety Boats
Like many travelers to Komodo National Park, I found myself on a rickety wooden boat for a long day trip to see the Komodos and do some snorkeling. It wasn’t the most comfortable boat, but it was cheap. Until we got to Pink Beach. I was excited to jump in the water and snorkel on the amazing coral but as I was waiting to get off the boat, one of the most humiliating things happened. My foot fell through the week floorboard and I scratched my leg badly. The guys on the boat were really concerned, and I felt bad for them too. I didn’t want to sit on the boat, so I swam over to the beach but couldn’t hold back the tears. It didn’t help that I had to look at an old tire covering the hole in the floor for the rest of the trip. I still have physical and emotional scars from this event.
Getting in and out of Boats is not my Forte
As if the floorboard incident wasn’t enough, when I got back to the boat, the seas were rocking. The angle of the ladder to get back on the boat was steeper than 90s, and I was struggling to get up the ladder as the boat rocked. Then my underwater camera which was on a strap on my arm got caught between the ladder and the boat and it snapped off, losing the camera to the sea. A couple days later I joined another trip that involved getting from a larger boat into a dingy. It was a challenge every time, but somehow I managed to not fall in the ocean. It wasn’t pretty.
People Are Mean
Let me start off by saying more than 99% of people are good, or at least smart enough not to ridicule others. But that less than 1% can really hurt your heart. From little kids pointing and laughing to adults catcalling and making comments. Here are some of my not-so-favorite rude comments:
Very, very big
Why don’t you exercise?
Why are you so fat?
You no eat
Animals Don’t Like Me Either
Irate Monkey
OK, I’m partially joking about this one, but it seems more common for dogs and monkeys to approach me. Maybe they think I’m carrying extra food.
Plastic Chairs = Trouble
The sight of these chairs puts the fear in mePlastic chairs are a mainstay of poorer nations. They’re cheap and easy to transport and sell. But some of them are very weak. I have had a recurring nightmare about breaking a chair and having dozens of people laughing at me. So, every time I enter a restaurant, or home, or venue with plastic chairs I need to scan the room for the strongest looking chair. Often the ones with the arm rests are most sturdy. On occasion, someone will look at me and then stack two chairs for me to sit. It’s absolutely embarrassing. I will not sit in a chair that has small cracks – that’s just asking for trouble.
So Fat a Moto-bike Guide Wouldn’t Take Me
The hottest spot off Bali is the Gili Islands, but Nusa Penida is gaining popularity. Nusa has some of the most beautiful vistas in all of Indonesia, so I was excited to visit this up and coming destination for a few days. Getting around the island is not so easy as a solo traveler, getting a car is quite expensive and I’m not comfortable driving myself on a motorbike, so the hostel suggested a motorbike taxi. My driver arrived, and he disappeared to talk to the hostel manager. I could tell something was wrong. The manager came out to break the news… the driver said I was too fat and he wouldn’t drive me. Luckily, I found a couple sweet French girls who had a car and driver for the next two days and they let me join their trip. We had a very lovely time and I got to see all the beautiful sights around Nusa Penida.
Traveling to Indonesia When You’re Fat
These bad experiences only made a small portion of my trip. 95% of the time was good. I did amazing things like visited the Komodo Dragons, chewed betel nut with the King of a Timorese village, and enjoyed some of the best snorkeling in the world. I would still recommend traveling to Indonesia, and I think I will go back someday as there are many more places to explore in this big country with many islands.
P.S. Why Am I Sharing TMI?
It took a night of sleep and 24 hours to know what to write in this post script. What exactly is my reason for sharing all these painful memories?
Reason #1
My FB feed keeps on showing a sponsored post by a prominent adventure travel company that’s all about how great it is to travel to southeast Asia when you’re overweight. How friendly the people are, etc, etc, etc. That’s only true to the 99% (see above). Traveling isn’t always like a perfect instagram post.
Reason #2
While I’d love for everyone to be happy at any size with “body positivity”, I am learning at middle age that being overweight absolutely sucks, not only for traveling reasons. Despite my ever shrinking and growing size, I maintained healthy blood pressure, cholesterol, and never got diabetes. I went 5 years without talking a sick day at work. But now my joints are starting to feel it. I had some bad hip and knee pain in the last year, losing over 10% of my weight has improved that 90%. I know now that if I don’t keep this up, it’s early hip and knee replacement surgery on the horizon. I want to share this with others who think it’s OK because they are “healthy”.
Reason #3
If anyone reading this is one who thinks it’s funny to discourage others – whether it’s calling them fat to their face or rolling their eyes or gets impatient when someone takes a little longer to get in or out of a boat or bus, please just STOP. Your split second of thinking you’re better than someone else can lead to hours or years of collective emotional pain for the other person.
#Reason #4
Even if you are not one to ridicule, be aware how difficult it is for some people to travel and feel great that they have the courage to get out there and see the world.
Any other lessons we can learn from this? I’d love to see your comments below. If you like this blog, please subscribe and check out my instagram!
Disclaimer:
Indonesia is really a lovely place, and this kind of pain and discrimination happens all over the world, not just in Indonesia.
Mining at Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine is a fun way to spend part of a day if you’re traveling through west-central Montana. You might not strike it rich, but everyone seemed like they were having a fun time, and everyone can find real Montana Sapphires.
Location
The Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine has an address of Philipsburg, MT but the mining area is way out of town. From Philipsburg, you go south on Montana Highway 1, then head west on Montana highway 38, aka Skalkaho Road. Follow the highway until just before the pavement turns to gravel and you will see the sign for Gem Mountain.
The actual mine where the ore is gathered is around 4 miles away from the public mining area.
Pay & Pick Your Bucket
Do you feel lucky?
You first step is to get ticket(s) for your bucket(s) and then pick a bucket of “ore” or “gravel”, i.e. small mixed stones. I decided to try a single bucket first, so I paid my $25 (credit cards are accepted) and then trot out to the yard to pick the bucket. Now the fun part – you HAVE to pick your own bucket so finding something good is up to your own luck and skill. You are given a place to set up and a square sifter.
Wash & Dump
The washing station
You shovel some of your ore into your sifter and then go rinse it in a muddy washing trough. The assistants will show you how to sift it to draw all of the sapphires to the bottom, so when you dump your sifter, the best sapphires will be on the top.
Do You have an Eye for Sapphire Mining?
Spot the Sapphires
Now it’s time to start searching for sapphires. You sort through your ore looking for the bits that look like glass – whether clear, blue, or pink. These are the sapphires. It’s easy to miss some. They predict that 20% of the sapphires are missed and just swept onto the ground. The staff does not search for these because the small sapphires have minimal value.
Practice you Tweezer Skills
Raw sapphire on top!
Once you find a sapphire, it’s time to put in your little test tube. Use a provided tweezer to pick up the tiny stones. Many are less than a carat – that’s really tiny!
What to do with your Montana Sapphires
After you finish your sapphire mining, you can pay $5 to have your sapphires inspected by the gem experts on site. They’ll tell you if any of your gems are worth getting treated and cut. My stones were all small. The largest sapphire was about 1 carat and I was told it would only be about ¼ carat once cut. Instead, I bought a glass locket for $25 to display my finds.
A $25 bucket worth of Sapphires
Gem Mountain Review
I had a fun time at Gem Mountain and enjoyed sorting a single bucket of ore. Sapphire mining can be addictive – you find sapphires in every batch and it’s a bit like the lottery – you pick out your own bucket and you might find a bunch of itty bitty sapphires or you might strike it rich. I saw one guy buy a “Mega Bucket” which has extra, higher quality sapphires included. This big plastic jar costs $199. This guy was looking for a stone to make an engagement ring for his girlfriend and he found some nice Montana Sapphires, including a few pink sapphires.
Get Some to Go
You can buy some Gem Mountain gravel to go. They’ll bag it up for you. There was one father daughter pair that were taking a couple dozen buckets to go. You can also order sapphire ore online and have it delivered.
What to Do After Your Mining Trip
Skalkaho Falls
The Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine is on Skalkaho highway. Just beyond the mine, the road becomes gravel and goes up over Skalkaho pass. This pass is only open a few months per year and it’s a great chance to visit the very unique Skalkaho waterfall that falls extremely close to the road. Park your car or stand next to the falls and get some great pictures. There was still snow in the pass when I visited so the falls were too powerful to get too close. This little used mountain road is also a great place to spot wildlife like deer and bears.
This
post contains affiliate links. This
website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with
no additional cost to you.
Sapphire Mining in Montana – Where to Stay
Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine Camping – If you’re set up for camping and self-sufficient, you can camp for free behind the parking lot of the “mining” area. The only facilities are porta-potties.
If you’re hoteling, you can stay in Anaconda. Not only is this a cool city name, there’s lots of choices and a hot spring too. (Check Rates and Availability).
