Iceland 2012

Iceland was on my to-go list way before my first trip in 2010. The high cost always stopped me. It did not help when the kroner crashed in 2008 as the prices are always quoted in either US dollar or the Euro. The cost finally came down in 2010 when the Icelandic kroner, the Euro, and the US dollar all dropped against the Canadian dollar.

I will admit that I fell in love with Iceland once I was there. There is something very special about the windswept barren hills, glaciers, waterfalls, and volcanos. I came back the second time

because of the interior. I saw a very small portion of it during the hiking trip 2 years ago. I wanted to see more. I used the same outfitter as I got such good service last time. So, I joined the Icelandic Mountain Guides on their super-jeep trip. Boy, did I every get my money’s worth. It was an activity packed 13 day trip. There was lots of hikes and lots of driving; we crossed the island, circled around a third of it, and went back into the interior again, before came out and went back again. That does sound rather confusing, doesn’t it? It is suffice to say that Iceland is not very big and we also covered a lot of ground.

I am going to do this travelogue as my top 10 amazing things in reverse order.

Number 10 - The FoodI don’t think that anyone, including myself, goes to Iceland to eat. However, the food on this trip was a pleasant surprise. In general, food is expensive in Iceland as lots of it needs to be imported. However, there are exceptions. Smoked salmon is cheaper than lunch meat. Local lamb, free range, is delicious and not that expensive when compared to other meat. Half of my traveling companions were vegetarians. So, we had plenty of fresh fish: salmon, mackerel, haddock, and arctic charr. Their cooking is close to northern Europe; plain and not a lot of herbs and spice. Now, if they could just ...

Number 9 - The AccommodationHotels in Iceland can be expensive. However, even the most humble (the kind I tend to use) is clean, safe and everything works. The only accommodation in the interior is either mountain huts or camping. The latter is too windy, cold, and wet for my liking (I am getting old). The former is usually shared with a hutful of strangers. Cooking and

eating in shift is the norm. The huts will supply all cooking utensils, plates, cutlery etc. It is always a guessing game as to what belongs to our vehicle. I believe that we ended up with more than we started.

The mountain huts are not cheap. However, it is quit a logistical feat to get all the building material and supplies into remote interior with bad roads and no bridges. Beside, a snug and dry place is priceless in the land of rain and wind. There was even wi-fi in one of the huts. It was very slow but ... wi-fi in the middle of nowhere.

Number 8 - The long days in the summerI guess that I should not be surprised; after all, Iceland is just south of the Arctic Circle. However, to have a beautiful sunset just after I landed after midnight was a special treat. I don’t think that it ever got completely dark when I was there in July. The length of day light is certainly well used by my guide. We will normally be on the road by 9 AM. It is not unusual for us to arrive at our accommodation for the day at 9 PM and it is still bright day light. It allowed for lots of activities.

Number 7 - Lack of rules in the back countryI am sure that you are all used to have many “can’t” and “don’t” when you travel in the wilderness of North America and Europe. Now, I am sure that many would just ignore these rules and go ahead and do whatever. This,of course, is all due to insurance and legal liability. There is no “no’s” in the Icelandic back country. You can go anywhere you like. Anan, my guide, mentioned that there was once a natural bridge across the waterfall

above. I innocently asked if one is allowed to walk across on the bridge. His puzzled look said it all. I know that no tourist is allowed to walk across any of the

natural bridges in US.

Number 6 - The Mountain RoadsThe roads in Iceland are divided into two types. The ring road which circles around the island, is paved and have bridges. The roads in the interior, or the

mountain roads, are not paved and have no bridges. The interior roads are divided further; the more or less civilized and the wishful thinking. The former are good dirt roads that see graters once in a while. They may even have bridges across the big rivers. The“wishful thinking” means that it can be done if you know what you are doing and where you are going. The drivers pick their way from stake to stake across lava field and open delta.

River crossing is a real art. The trick is to read the river/stream and pick the shallowest part. The other really important point is not to stop during the crossing; certainly never shut off the engine if you are stuck. Most of the back country vehicles are equipped to have the exhaust keeping the engine dry. Turning off the engine means that the engine will be flooded. The vehicle in the photo actually drove away; yes everything

inside was wet.

Number 4 - Kerlingafjoll geothermal areaThere is more than one amazing geothermal areas in Iceland. Kerlingajoll is one of them. It was a formal ski resort; yes they used to get enough snow for summer skiing. Now, people come to hike and admire the awe-inspiring colours of the area. The

colours and the shapes of the land are formed by volcanic activities. The soil

is heavy clay and lots of it ended up on the bottom of the boots and many other surfaces. There a numerous steam vents, cold and hot springs, and burping mud holes. All these produces a variety of sound; from whistles, burps, to howling like a jet engine.

Just in case you are wondering, Iceland had a cold spring and a late summer this year. There was more snow than usual for July.

Number 3 - LangmannalaugarLangmannalalugar, a national park, was the starting point of my hiking two years ago. It is one of the very few places in the world that did not disappoint on the second visit. It, like Kerlingafjoll above, is also formed by volcanic activity. This time, it is the lava;

the greens, the greys, the reds, the yellows etc. There is no bush or tree around to hide the land, but there are flowers and what looks like arctic cotton. We spend an entire day here, from early afternoon to lunch the next day. That is still not enough time. A week would be good.

Number 2 - The result of 2010 volcanic eruptionThe 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajokul was pretty small by all accounts. It just happened that there was lots of ash and the wind was blowing in the right (or wrong) direction. Many were caught in the European airport closures. I was in the area 3 months after

that eruption and actually saw the plum of smoke from the volcano, the lava, and the thick layer of ash covering everything. Two year later, the vegetations have grown back but the damages are still visible.

The scale of destruction is amazing. Eyjafjallajokul is a volcano beneath the glacier by the same name. When the volcano erupted, it melted a good chunk of the glacier.

The resultant flood breeched the bank of a glacial lagoon and flooded a huge area. It was a good thing that all this happened in April as this is a summer recreational area; no one was killed. It

also left chunks of ice covered by ash in the bottom of the former lagoon. Over time, the ice melted and created big holes in the bottom. One of the photo here is of climbers scaling a much smaller glacial tongue.

Number 1 - Arnar and his carThis trip is not possible without a very specialized car and a very skillful driver.

Arnar, our driver, is an Icelander. Like many in a small country, he is multi-lingual; Icelandic, English, French,and German. He was our guide, driver, mechanic, cook, and do whatever needed to be done. He has a cell phone glued to his ear, even in the middle of nowhere, making arrangement. Oh yes, cell phone coverage is

excellent in Iceland. He also owned the car that we travelled in.

The vehicle that took me all over Iceland is a Range Rover. Many modifications are required for traveling in Icelandic back country: •First, the heating in the car was beefed up as it was not enough for Iceland. This would also include front

and rear defroster. • The axels were changed to

accommodate larger tires to increase ground clearance.

• The exhaust was modified to re-direct it to flood the engine and keep it dry for river crossing.

• Another fuel tank was added as distances could be very long between gas stations.

• The power can be shifted from front to back to both.

• An air compressor run off the engine as tire pressure needs to be changed with road surface.

• The vehicle is also full of electronic gadgets; GPS, short wave radio, charger for all kinds of electronic toys.

Did I enjoy the trip all the time? The answer is “no” as some days are very long and I am not used to be in such proximity to others all the time. But what good trip is without adversity. Would I go back again to Iceland? Yes, there is at least another trip there ... a winter trip into the interior where navigation is by GPS only (they don’t bother plowing the roads at all) ... the silence and the winter sky ... yes ...