The Blue Lagoon, Iceland

A friend recently encouraged me to post more of my travel photos, so every now and then I will post some photos from countries I've visited - even though I'm in Argentina at the moment.

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As a result of being one of countries closest to the earth's core Iceland is saturated with volcanic activity. Consequently, 50% of its energy is from geothermal sources - using it for heating and electricity. The energy is so inexpensive that it's even used to heat some side-walks in Reykjavik during wintertime.

The Blue Lagoon is a man-made attraction, fed with water output from the nearby geothermal plant. Rich in minerals like sulfur and silica, it is reputed to have healing qualities.

Iceland used to have one of the best economies in the world but following a currency crisis and the collapse of it's banking system in 2008, trading in Iceland's banks was suspended as the government made efforts to save the economy. Hence there has been a 51% drop in the value of currency since last year, making it a good place to go on holiday.

Here are the 5 best places to travel during the recession, and the percentage devaluation of currency (courtesy of TIME magazine):

Iceland 51%
South Korea 30%
Australia 28%
Great Britain 23%
Canada 21%