We ended Day 1 well not just because Gullfoss was amazing, but because our hotel - Hotel Vatnsholt - was amazing! It's pronounced va-sholt by the way, with a silent "tn".
I think we paid about $120/night for this place...WHICH WAS AMAZING. It was really hotel standard - spacious, clean and had amazing toilets. They also have a huge dining area with free flow drinks, hot water, hot chocolate and different kinds of coffee powder, creamer and all. All in for the price of $120/night for the 3 of us in a big room!
The only downside is its accessibility...It is quite far from the nearest town which explains its lower rates..but this also means a better chance to catch the northern lights because you're away from the city lights! So it really is a win-win situation for us :D But, we didn't see any northern lights in the end...so...yeah...Haha
Day 2 was another pathetic cloudy sky, rainy and windy day :( I was starting to get angry with Iceland already...LOL
Well, we already forked out thousands of dollars to be here...so no rain, no wind or cloudy sky ain't gonna stop us from rollin' yo
Our first stop for Day 2? A really splashy waterfall that totally drenched me - Seljalandsfoss. It's pronounced Sel-yeah-lands-foss by the way...their "J"s are pronounced as "Y"...so yeap, I pronounced it all wrong in my Vlogs. Forgive me Icelanders, I will change my ways...
If you're tired of seeing my face in my Vlogs, here's a few photos to aid your repulsion. LOL. But nothing beats the video of the falls...I could watch it all day...HAHA
Here's a close up, side view of Seljalandsfoss :D
Seljalandsfoss with a dreamy filter...LOL. My GoPro was just wet with rain water and created this effect
No photo is complete without me in it...HAHAHA
I am actually wrapped in THREE layers in the photo above...Not because it was that cold but because it was that WET. It was drizzling throughout...drizzling those kinda super fine rain? Like vapour condensing on you kinda rain? Like those spray bottle which you use to water small plants or which hairdressers use to wet your hair before cutting it? Yeah, those kinda rain...insignificant but oh it will soak your clothing.
We were actually contemplating if we should go to the waterfall...because we could see it from the dry comfort in our car at the parking and witness the rain mercilessly soak everything that dared to walk beneath its descent.
And we saw several ang mohs walking back to their cars at the parking lot after surveying this wonder with their JEANS COMPLETELY SOAKED. Like DRIPPING WET. You could see water dripping off their hair, jackets and you could see their jeans all wrinkled with water.
Well, we're already here right? We gotta experience it! LOL. But not with so little preparation like those ang mohs that came back drenched in Icelandic rain water. I went to don my 3rd layer - a waterproof layer - the North Face jacket and pants (which is featured in my videos below) lent to me by Wei Kit who came back from exchange.
Wei Kit bought the waterproof set for several hundred bucks in Iceland I think...and he was telling me how important it was because without it, the erratic Icelandic weather will own you. Haha! So thanks Wei Kit for sponsoring me your precious North Face waterproofing jacket! :D
Joel Toh, also lent me his thermals and gloves and all the winter-what-nots...He also bought his gloves from Iceland...badly damaging his wallet. LOL. Thanks Joel Toh for sponsoring me your winter gear too! Love ya :D HAHA!
Ok enough of the thanking of sponsors...LOL...You wouldn't think you'd be able to walk behind a waterfall right? I didn't think so...because from far, this waterfall looks like it's sliding down a precipice...but it's not! You could actually walk behind it!
The path to the back of the waterfall is actually CLOSED. Because it's too dayum dangerous to walk behind it when the floor is all half frozen in winter...Nevertheless, we simply skipped over the no entry metal chain and got on with our adventure...witness it below :D
By then, we were all soaking wet...this time not just because of the rain but because of the vapour from the falling motion of the waterfall. Here's some amazing photos we took behind this pretty falls.
Group photo!
Behind the scenes at Seljalandsfoss :D Yes, this is what it looks like behind the waterfall
Once again, this place is only complete with my face in it...LOLOL!
Yup, that is Seljalandsfoss for you in winter...you should totally view it in the summer...the colours of summer just magnifies the beauty of this place. Here's a google image pull-out:
Seljalandsfoss - Summer view!!! DAYUM SO PRETTYYY!
Summer views will always beat the winter views people...so if you're there for the colours and pretty sights, go in summer...But if you're like me and my friends, there for the Northern lights, then March is the best month to visit...just enough daylight hours to travel and just enough moonlight hours to catch them auroras :D
Yup, Seljalandsfoss is undoubtedly one of my favourite waterfalls simply because it lets you get up close and personal with it...You could walk to the side of it, walk behind it and hear its heartbeat.
However, my favourite falls is the next one...
Skógafoss!
I can't really quantify why I love Skógafoss best...but I guess it's because of the way it sorts of wraps its sturdy "arms" around you...an encapsulating, protective kinda feel. See the waterfall in the middle? That's the body. See the way the two cliffs go out and around the waterfall? Those are the "arms" of the waterfall. Maybe a different angle of Skógafoss will help:
Skógafoss in a different angle
It's like you're getting hugged by it right? LOL. Ok, if you don't get that feel, then...it's ok...But I feel like the waterfall is hugging you protectively. I feel safe just standing at the foot of the falls. Haha.
Here's my last attempt at trying to get you to feel the feeling I felt when I was there...A vlog! HAHA!
Once again, completing the scene with ma beautiful face :D HAHA
Wefie! :D
You could actually hike up to the top of the falls...It's a really short hike but because it was so cold and rainy...and my boots and socks were entirely soaked -_-" So...we decided not to...the weather's a big impediment to our urge to explore more :(
Yup, that was Skógafoss, my favourite-st waterfall in Iceland :)
Our next stop is another amazing, out-of-this-world destination...the Sólheimasandur DC plane wreck!
Sólheimasandur plane wreck!
Here's a few more up-close and personal shots of the DC plane wreck on the black sand beach.
Rubble
So this is what abandonment feels like
It's ok planey, I'm here for ya :D
Looking abandonment straight in the face...
You could actually climb into the plane and onto it...many of my friends climbed up and took an epic photo with the plane wreck. I wanted to do the same...BUT THE RAIN AND WIND conditions weren't anywhere conducive to do such stunts...so...I refrained and merely went into the plane wreck to explore...Here's my vlog of the place. You can hear the wind howling really loudly in the video...
Completing the photo again with my awesome self in it...LOL
Climbing onto the cockpit wasn't that easy ok? So you should be impressed with the shot above...LOL!
Ok, I know what you're thinking...You're thinking "This is nothing compared to Justin Bieber's music video of him skateboarding on top of the plane..." Look pal, he probably went there when the weather condition's more friendly. LOLOL.
Talking about Justin Bieber's music video "I'll Show You", he shot his MV at 4 places in Iceland. I covered 3 out of 4 of them in day 2 already...Haha...They were Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss and the Sólheimasandur DC airplane wreck. I covered the 4th location - Jökulsárlón - on my 4th day. So, since we're already talking about his MV, here's the goods - his Iceland MV.
Yup, that was the 40 year old abandoned DC plane wreck at Sólheimasandur on the black beach near Vik town.
If you've grown tired of reading my day 2 already, high 5, I've also grown tired of penning this post...but apparently, when we're there, we haven't got tired of traveling...Our last stop for day 2 is at Dyrhólaey!
Here's a lil' Vlog of us on top of the cliff:
We were running around at the top of the cliff on some kinda hay or grass that could withstand such chilling temperatures. This hay/grass is really thick and soft, cushioning our every step. Here's some photos from this vantage point:
I just had to spoil the scenery with ma sexy back :D
My friend posing for his photographer from his modeling agency...HAHAHA
Some stump in the middle of nowhere
After running around this side of the cliff, we then ran back to our car and drove to another vantage point, which I think had a more mysterious, other-worldly view.
Overlooking the Dyrhólaey black sand beach with ma wannabe assassin pose...LOL
The precarious climb for this shot was worth it :D
I think the mysterious, other-worldly feel of these photos is due to its monochromatic colour palette - black sand, black basalt columns and cliffs, foamy-white waves, grayish-white fog and of course completed by my all-black down jacket and cover-alls.
Yes, I was decked in 3 layers:
Thermal wear
Long-sleeved t-shirt & jeans
Waterproof coat (top & bottom)
I was totally soaked top-down...because it was raining all the way...Those kinda very fine rain that you can't actually see...Kinda like a condensation cloud smacking you all day...giving all my photos a gloomy, foggy effect...which is really cool too :D HAHA! #TheIrony
If you thought we were done for the day...NO...we got back into our cars and continued driving until we reached the Dyrhólaey lighthouse :D
Here's a Vlog of the place:
Yep, that was us at the isolated, creepy and forlorn Dyrhólaey lighthouse. An absolutely brilliant spot to take a zombie clip...with the bleak, gray-washed foggy skies where the lighthouse's beam was the only ray of hope that's situated on a tall, secluded cliff overlooking the freezing ocean...Here's one last look at it:
Eerie lighthouse atop Dyrhólaey's cliffs
Yep, after this stop, nightfall was already capturing this lil' island...so, we pulled-up somewhere (can't remember where) and just slept in our car :D #savemoney #budget
Stay tuned for my day 3 post...sorry this is taking so long guys...Got a lot of photo and video assortment and editing to do...and ma job isn't helping :( LOL
After one and a half days of flying...ohh...I meant, 2 and a half days of flying actually...because we missed our flight from Dubai to Oslo -.- Will talk about that in my post on "My Dubai Experience"...we FINALLY ARRIVED in Keflavík International Airport (KEF), Iceland :D
Velkomið! or Velkominn! they would say. That means "welcome!" which is somewhat similar to the Norwegian's "Velkommen"
Touched down to a not so fancy airport as compared to our own Changi Airport...HAHA. Ok, not comparing airports here anyway...
Thankfully, my travel buddy booked a shuttle bus transfer from the airport to our hostel...because I thought we'd be landing in Reykjavík airport, which is right smack in Reykjavík...however, that is a private airport...and you'd probably enter Iceland via KEF unless you got your own private jet.
The thing about Keflavík International Airport is...it's about 50km away from Reykjavik!! That's a good 30 to 45minute drive away from where we landed! If we had cabbed...I think it'd have cost us a hundred sing dollars! So, here's a shout out to Ryan "THANKS BUDDY! :D" LOL. Missed that one. Haha.
The awesome thing about the shuttle service is...they take you to any address in Reykjavik! Which means they stopped right our hostel's door step! Of course, they'd group all the passengers by location already...So, they're pretty good at this.
The first thing that amazed me about their locals when we landed in Iceland is...they speak perfectly fluent English! Some of my friends told me that you wouldn't be able to understand their English...I think those friends either traveled to Iceland like 50 years ago or they're just bullshittin' me. So yeah, they're all pretty friendly and speak really good English! And most of the guys also groom a really macho, dense moustache and beard...HAHA! I'd like to call it, their face-warmers. HEE HEE!
Yup, we dropped off at Reykjavik City Hostel, washed up and went grocery shopping :D The hostel has fantastic cooking and bathing facilities I must say. Very clean and cosy lil' hostel. And yes, groceries are a MUST! Good luck to your wallet if you choose to eat out. No kiddin'.
Our room was a 6-man room which was kinda squeezy...but thankfully, there were only 5 of us in the room...My 2 travel buddies, myself and this young German couple that were on their grad trip. I must say that they had an amazing command of English...they didn't speak like Hitler or those Nazis that we always watched in movies. LOL!
Once we grabbed our car (a jeep Cherokee) the first thing we had to do was to get used to the left-hand drive...Haha...Well, we got used to it in good time...so off we were to Þingvellir or the English equivalent Thingvellir National Park.
The weather was HORRENDOUS. The wind was SUPER STRONG - you have to walk with your head tilted against it if not it will push you backward - and the wind was SUPER COLD...The wind made the 0°C climate feel like a good -5°C...No kidding. The skies were entirely clouded and it was perpetually drizzling :(
It was so cold that as we were walking to our first attraction, we didn't realize that we were actually walking on the edge of a frozen lake! Here's the lil' video I shot upon realization that I was literally walking on thin ice:
There are many attractions in Þingvellir National Park but one of the main ones was Öxarárfoss - a mini waterfall which looked pretty in the Google images...but upon arrival then we realized that...70% of those super pretty shots were taken during summer and the remaining 30% that were taken in winter were heavily edited by the photographers that took it... -_-" Here's the expectation VS reality summary:
Öxarárfoss expectation:
What is was supposed to look like
Öxarárfoss reality:
What it actually looked like
80% OF THE WHOLE DAYUM WATERFALL WAS FROZEN!! How do I deal with such heavy disappointments? I make funny faces and take pictures of myself with the failed expectation...LOL!
Expectation management measures...LOL
So you see the lil' segment above my head? That's the part of the waterfall that's not frozen...A small part of it is still flowing like how a waterfall would...LOL
Group photo! :D
Apart from just taking photos with ma funny face...I also did a lot of Vlogs to self-entertain and to educate you people watching it...yes, you're welcome...LOL. Here's the Oxararfoss Vlog:
But don't strike it off your itinerary that readily...I do believe if you go when the weather's good, you'll see a really pretty Öxarárfoss.
The walk from the carpark to the waterfall wasn't that near...so here's a few pictures of the signboards to look out for when making your way there:
First sign to tell you where Öxarárfoss is
2nd sign to look out for
Missing the signboard could mean missing the turn...and you'd be walking endlessly in another direction, discovering the undiscovered parts of Þingvellir...LOL...My friends actually missed the turn...I had to go back and find them -_-" And yes, I was jogging to the destination in order to keep warm...I don't know why my friends like to chillax and walk like a sloth in such frigid weather conditions -.-" #slothtravellers
If you actually saw my itinerary, you'd realize we only covered one out of the 5 planned stops in Þingvellir...that's because:
The weather was too FREAKIN' RELENTLESSLY COLD
The other 4 were secondary attractions aka, don't go also can
We missed our flight and are 1 day off our itinerary...LOL
Yup, Þingvellir was a major disappointment for us because...the weather just sucked. It's not a *boomz* attraction anyway...the main thing about Þingvellir is Silfra...where you can dive between the two tectonic plates...WHICH IS WHAT WE DID! :D That's on the last day of our Iceland journey :D :D
Our next stop was the more famous Geysir. If you've been to Iceland but have not seen the Geysir erupt...buy a ticket, fly your ass back there and wait for that Geysir to erupt. LOL. The Geysir is an integral part of Iceland. All my friends that been there have seen it.
Nothing spectacular or out-of-this-world-amazing about it...just a a lil' hot pool in a frozen country that explodes every 3 to 5 minutes. A sight to behold nonetheless.
The first sight that greets you when you enter the Geysir land - smoke billowing out of the ground
Group photo at the Geysir's entrance :D
This is little (litli) Geysir...so cute right? :D
This is the main dude where it erupts every 3 to 5 minutes or more...
If pictures are not your thing, don't worry...videos are ma thang too...LOL. Here's my vlog of the place :D
Here's the Geysir site map for reference...in case you OCD, detailed people wanna know the whole floor plan of the place...HAHA
Geysir site map
The irony of it all is that this perpetually frozen country actually has a lot of hot water and hot gases! A lot of geothermal activity in Iceland and FYI, that's really where they get their hot water from! That is why when you actually drink the hot water from the tap in Iceland, it reeks of sulphur because it's natural! The hot water is heated by the earth's geothermal energy!
Anyway, before we left the Geysir for our next destination, the most amazing thing happened - THE SKIES BEGAN TO CLEAR!! We could finally see some blue skies!! We had to take a photo of this memorable, God-made moment:
First sight of BLUE SKIES in our Iceland trip!! Praise the Lord!! :D :D :D
From the Geysir, we then headed to Kerið crater lake. It was another moment of failed expectation :( We had to face the cold reality of the site upon arrival...#punintended LOL
Here's the expectation VS reality chart again:
Expectation of Kerið crater lake
Kerið crater lake's cold reality
I could only console myself with a Vlog there:
Once again, my friends who went there had great views because they went in summer...all I got was a frozen version of the otherwise colourful and flamboyant Kerið crater lake.
With a heavy and disappointed heart we carried on to our next destination, which DIDN'T disappoint - Iceland's most famous waterfall - Gullfoss :D
There are a few vantage points for Gullfoss. Where I was standing was the middle. You can go lower...there's a staircase down or something...which we didn't go...but we saw people below...Haha...and there's a higher vantage point which we went...but left after taking a few photos because our hands were freezing off. LOL.
Gullfoss really means "Golden Falls" and is considered one of the biggest and most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland...It's not my favourite falls though...My favourite falls will be the one covered tomorrow :D Nevertheless, Gullfoss was still an amazing sight to behold :D
Getting to Gullfoss is easy...if you can't find it, just go somewhere nearby and follow the crowd...LOL. Once again, here's the few signboards along the way to Gullfoss that will light your path.
Gullfoss signboard 1
Gullfoss signboard 2
Yup, this is a MUST-GO WATERFALL! If you miss this, you miss Iceland! LOL! And I'd recommend you go during summer...Gullfoss looks so much more attractive in the summer! But of course, the wintry Gullfoss has its mysterious allure too :D
That was my day 1 in Iceland! Had two major disappointments and the weather really played punk with us but thank God, it got better with each day :D
So stay tuned for the rest of "My Iceland Experience" series :D
It's been a month since I'm back from Iceland. If you didn't know, my heart missed its flight back to Singapore. He's currently still wandering around that northern frosty utopia. I guess he'll find his way back eventually...The frigid waves may take him back in a floating ice-cube...or maybe, a puffin might deliver him home...
I spent 8 days in Iceland. From 11th March 2016 to 19th March 2016. I covered most of the main attractions that Iceland has to offer. But I still feel a trip to Iceland will only be truly meaningful if you:
1) Travel without an itinerary
Ok, you need to know where the good stuff is...what I mean is, you're not there to clock as many attractions as possible. You just travel freely, not time-bound. Take a few days to leisurely debauch yourself in each mountain, each waterfall, each nightscape, etc.
2) Don't spend the night under a roof
And by that I mean camping out under the northern stars. Practically, camping out in freezing temperatures will glaciate (literally) almost all heat-accustomed Singaporeans like myself. Ideally, armed with the proper -10°C sleeping bag and heat packs, it'll allow you to revel in the pristine beauty of the northern night sky.
Anyway, as I was still road-trippin' around Iceland and Norway, and ever since I've returned, many friends of mine have been asking me for my Iceland itinerary.
So to my lazy-to-plan-your-own-trip friends, here's my ten-year series answer to scoring an "A" for Iceland. LOL.
If you've been following my blog posts, you'd have known that this trip to Iceland was inspired by all the "Northern Lights are dimming for the next 11 years!" posts. I'd talked about them in my previous post here: http://historymakers-jonnyboy.blogspot.sg/2016/01/7th-jan-2016-water-marbled-mugs.html
And guess what, I got what I set out to find! THE ELUSIVE NORTHERN LIGHTS. Also known as the Aurora Borealis or 北极光. HAHA! I'm so fascinated with the Chinese interpretation of it because I totally didn't know what Northern lights was called in Mandarin. When my colleagues said "北极光" it took me a minute to decipher it word by word....北 north, 极 region, 光lights...And I did it in front of them which resulted in a huge amount of laughter. LOL.
Anyway, here are a few snapshots of it, with the enchanting starry night sky in the background:
The strongest part of the aurora dance we saw at Djúpivogur, South-East of Iceland :D
Not forgetting our amazing Jeep Cherokee who brought us here :D
My first instagram post on the northern lights! :D
Yes, I captured all these Northern Lights footage with my GoPro Hero 4 Silver! Grab a tripod, set it to night lapse mode, increase the shutter speed to 30s exposure, leave it there for about 15 - 30mins and woah-lah! You get what I get above :D
The other main take away for us is our dive in Silfra! We only got our open water dive certs like...last year..and we only have like...6 dives under our belt...and here we are, #YOLO-ing in freezing waters in a foreign thing called "dry suit" which we've never worn before, in a foreign land called "Iceland" which we've never set foot on before.
First EVER drysuit dive! #YOLO
I have yet to edit the entire dive footage...I got a 30minute long GoPro footage which is gonna take some time for me to edit...Meanwhile, this raw 15s cut-out footage which I posted on my instagram should suffice:
Lastly, what amazed us all was the beauty of the Icelandic landscape. From the black and frozen beaches, to their lovely, breathtaking mountainous ranges.
Ok, the 11 photos above should be enough to whet your appetite. Haha. I'll be printing them as postcards and giving 'em to my good friends as well :D So, to my #bffs, besties and buddies, I've spoilt the surprise for you :( Boo hoo :( LOL
Yep, these 3 things really were the main take-aways for me - The Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis, the dive in the Silfra fissure and the on-the-go mountainscapes.
I'll be doing a series of posts on my Iceland trip, so, stay tuned :D
To my I-don't-want-to-do-my-own-itinerary-planning friends, finally, your long-awaited exam model answer is here...Behold...my Iceland itinerary...LOL. Enjoy!
Day 0 Iceland itinerary
Day 1 Iceland itinerary
Day 2 Iceland itinerary
Day 3 Iceland itinerary
Day 4 & 5 Iceland itinerary
Day 6 & 7 Iceland itinerary
Day 8 & 9 Iceland itinerary
If you noticed, I included the daylight hours in my itinerary...This is because, in winter, Iceland experiences very little daylight. In December, the sun could set by 4pm and if you planned your itinerary to last till 6pm, you're gonna be really disappointed.
So, DO TAKE NOTE OF THE DAYLIGHT HOURS PEOPLE! Just Google "Iceland daylight hours" and your answers are all there.
I also over-planned my itinerary...squeezing in more than what a day can actually take...unless you're in war mode - reaching the destination and planting a flag and moving on...without spamming photos and videos of the place...Haha
This over-planning is good because if there are any hiccups during the trip - for example: the road to an attraction is closed due to heavy snowing - we'd still have alternatives...Or say, if we take a much shorter time exploring a certain attraction and find ourselves 2 hours ahead of schedule, we could always an additional stop somewhere planned along the way. Or let's take the more common example...we take TOO LONG exploring a certain attraction and have insufficient time to complete the day's itinerary - we can just strike off the extras. Easy peasy let's go baby...LOL
It's kinda like having spare batteries. You never know which one will last longer and which one will die first...so you bring extra just in case...So yeah, here I have it, a couple of "spare batteries" or a couple of extra attractions that I could go to if I had extra time or if my plans go awry.
Also, in winter, roads maybe closed due to the roads being frozen or covered with snow. So, check the road conditions! They can be found at http://www.road.is/
Before I left for Iceland, a few dozen of my NTU friends just returned from Europe. Out of the 12, 10 got into road accidents. That's a 83.33% hit rate. Lemme share with you the most horrific one:
My friend who survived a car crash in October 2015 in Iceland, in their last leg in Iceland, near Blue lagoon
My friend who related the story to me told me that they were speeding before losing control, causing the car to flip thrice. He was telling me that it is really by God's grace that the car held together. Should the car's frame break, the result might have been fatal. If I recall correctly, out of the group of 8, I think about 2 to 3 of them sustained shoulder dislocation and had to be hospitalized.
My cousin had a somewhat similar experience...but his was less serious...here's the photo he snapchat-ed to me immediately after the crash:
Another Icelandic traffic accident
Well, his story wasn't as bad. But I'm not supposed to relay his story now because he's still settling the car insurance claims...I'll update this post once it's all said and done.
That's NOT ALL. The rest of my friends' vehicles either got:
Stuck in the snow or mud
Or they skidded and rammed into another vehicle or railing or fell into a ditch and got stuck in the snow - back to scenario 1
The most outlandish recollection was from my friend who rammed into a wild moose that suddenly charged onto the road in Finland...they jammed brake, swerved, rammed the moose's horn, got their side mirror broken off in the ramming process, before their car flew into a ditch. Sounded like a movie scene. But the post-accident bills that came in after will attest to its non-movie reality. Ok, I just realized this example is a bit off, but I shall leave it here anyway. HAHA!
You must be wondering, "Why y'all so stupiak go and drive into the snow leh?" Lemme tell you, in Iceland, many of the attractions are off-road. So, to get there, it involves a lot of off-road driving which includes driving on snow, gravel, mud, etc...
Anyway, my friends and I NEARLY got stuck in the snow as well! We were heading to this off-road attraction called Hraunfossar - a nice waterfall near the village of Reykholt, which is about a 100km away from Reykjavik.
I tell you, the snow is deceiving. It looks fine and solid and all ready to take your weight but the moment you set foot or set wheels on it...there you go...a few feet into the snow.
Our car was kinda stuck but not that stuck...after revving the reverse gear a little, it managed to get out of the rut. But maneuvering the vehicle back to the proper road took a bit of skill and patience.
Even while we were ice-caving...you could be walking perfectly fine in the snow but your next step in that unexplored patch of snow could get you knee to waist deep into the snow. Yes, it is that scary. If you think those Sim Lim Square Jover Chews are deceiving, I tell you, the snow here in Iceland beats them hands down. LOL.
Another group of Singaporeans that we met in Myvatn hot springs (wefie below :D LOL) also got their vehicle stuck in snow. They had to call their Airbnb host to drive all the way to rescue them...The entire rescue operation took them 3 hours! Three cheers to their Icelandic Airbnb host!
The 3 other Singaporean dudes we met at Myvatn hot springs...they were telling us how they were "scammed" by the charlatan Icelandic snow as well
Since traffic accidents are so common in Iceland, the locals are always ready to help. Most of my friends who got stuck near attractions received help from either locals or other tourists. So, if you see some poor soul stuck in the snow or mud, please be the angel to rescue them. You could save a life. Literally.
Now that you've heard and seen all these horror stories, you would have most probably kia-see-ly concluded "WALAO EH. SO DANGEROUS. MAI DRIVE LIAO LA!"
But hey, lemme tell you, if you don't drive, you would NEVER properly explore Iceland.
The road trip is simply amazing. You get to see so many amazing sights, landscapes and nightscapes along the way as shown in the photos above.
Being in a tour bus will make you miss all those! Because, you can't just pull up to the side of the road and snap photos! Not to mention the bumpy ride - which means you can't snap GOOD, CLEAR pictures from the bus...
Apart from that, the tours in Iceland are SUPER-DUPER EXPENSIVE. Yes I know, driving isn't that cheap either - because of the petrol cost. But I'd daresay it's still at least 1.5 times cheaper. A one day tour in Iceland will probably cost you about SGD$500 to about SGD$1000 or more...a self-drive trip in Iceland would only cost you about SGD$100 if you pumped petrol.
So don't get all pussified and avoid driving altogether. If you do, really, you can never get the full Iceland experience...
So, please, I beg youuuu, DRIVE! The road trip scenery is out-of-this-world amazing! The views will change your atheistic ways to believe in a Creator God...Ok, lemme quote myself from my own instagram post. LOL. I remember being so blown away by all the road trip scenery that I captioned this:
Make sure your vehicle has proper studded wheels that are meant for winter and off-road driving
Try not to drive into untested grounds...If others have drove past it...then it's probably safe...but then again, they also could've weakened the snow already...so, think carefully before going ahead
DON'T SPEED. Yes the distances are great in Iceland. Yes, you sometimes gotta drive 100 to 200km non-stop for 4 to 6 hours before you reach your next stop. But, if you want to reach your next stop, drive safely
Okay, we violated point 4 above. There was this VERY STRAIGHT section of highway that disappeared into the horizon. So, we decided to drive as fast as possible. LOL. #YOLO.
I remember snapchat-ing that moment...The snapchat speedometer read "151km/h" and I happily sent it to all my friends. LOL! That was when some of them replied my snap telling me to be careful and warning me not to repeat their accidents. Haha. Such good friends I have :D HAHA!
Well, thankfully, my friends and I (3 of us) returned our Icelandic Jeep Cherokee with all four wheels, bumper, side-mirror and windscreen intact. LOL
I was really asking all my friends to pray for me and we actually started each day with a prayer for safety. Usually when you're overseas, all you got is excitement and would not really think of praying and all...but hey, after hearing all those horror stories above, even praying to a statue would ease your anxious heart. LOL.
So yep, check the road conditions and drive safely!
Another handy thing to do would be to download offline maps and apps to help you. I downloaded (but didn't really use) these few:
Iceland Travel & Tourism Guide
112 Iceland
Iceland Map offline
Iceland - FREE Travel Guide
Before the trip, I was just playin' around with those apps above. When I was there, I was only playin' around with my Camera, Snapchat, Instagram and GoPro app...HAHA!
Yes, a social media whore like me had to buy data right? I bought a data-only SIM card in Iceland. There are 2 main telcos in Iceland - Siminn and Vodafone.
When I first saw "Siminn" I was like "WHUUTTTT...THAT'S MY FRIEND'S NAME." LOLOL...Since when did Chinese names get into the Scandinavian naming convention? HAHA.
Can't remember how much I spent on the data SIM card though...to me, it was a necessary expense so I didn't really bother about the price.
Another question many of my friends were asking me about is the price of the food...The food prices there are EXORBITANT. How did I keep expenses low? Here's my solution:
Icelandic Maryland COOKIES! :D :D :D
Man I tell you...those cookies up there kept me alive in Iceland...LOL. Cheap, good and plenty.
Since it's cheap, means I can spam :D HAHA! So I bought like, over a dozen rolls of it and munched on it whenever my bottomless pit needed some entertainment.
Ok, so basically, what I'm trying to say is, GROCERIES are the way to go. Get them from cheap and affordable grocery stores like:
Bónus
Krónan
Nettó
Kjarval
We patronized only these 4 grocery stores within our short stint in Iceland. These stores are strewn all across the vast, wintry planes of Iceland. However, none of them are open 24hours. The latest to close was Krónan, at 10pm...if my limbic system is working properly.
Apart from cookies, we also bought bread, cheese and ham. It's a great on-the-go snack as well but it's more of a hassle as you need knives to spread the cheese and all unlike the tear-open-and-devour Maryland cookies :D
If you need hot food, you could also buy cup noodles...most of their petrol kiosks and stopovers provide hot water.
Or you could grab their hotdog buns. Their hotdog buns are AWESOME. Mainly because they add a copious amount of their signature CRISPY, FRIED ONION FLAKES together with their medley of sauces like ketchup, mustard and all...*SLURPS*
However, the price of one such hotdog bun usually costs about SGD$10 or about 900ISK?
Yep, I went at a time where SGD$1 is about 90ISK. Not the best exchange rate. If I'd went during mid-2015, the currency exchange rate was about SGD$1 to about a 100ISK.
Oh by the way, just in case you were wondering, ISK stands for Icelandic Króna. And if you're an anal linguist like me and thinking "Shouldn't it be ICK? Since Iceland is spelt ICeland and not ISeland?", chillax, it's just a currency code...like how Malaysian Ringgit is not MR but RM. LOL. #grammarnazi
Ok, we're severely off point...So yeash, if you're lucky, you could find a hotdog bun costing as little as SGD$5. FOR JUST ONE FREAKIN' BUN! I need like 5 of them to keep myself full! That would cost me a minimum of SGD$25 already...
SO...GROCERIES PEOPLE. IT'S THE WAY TO GO. Don't give in to temptation! Because the tempter will tear your wallets! Unless you're filthy rich that is...well, if you're filthy rich, you'll probably have your own personal assistant planning your trip and wouldn't be reading this noob-blogger's blog, so...moral of the story: GRAB THEM GROCERIES!
One more advice can be summarized in this souvenir mug that I found at some souvenir shop in Reykjavik:
#Truestory
The above is super true. It could be sunny and bright this minute and the next minute the fog, rain, wind and snow may just overtake you, destroying the beautiful blue sky in your photos' background, leaving you with a gray, gloomy backdrop for your photos :(
That was what happened to us for our first 4 days in Iceland...half of Iceland was covered with massive gloomy rain clouds leaving us with no chance to catch the auroras and no chance for picturesque photos :(
It's ok if the sky was simply cloudy...but it never was...It was raining non-stop for 3 days which soaked my boots and jeans to the skin. That's not all. The WINDS THERE I TELL YOU IS A KILLER. It's not only COLD, the winds are also VERY STRONG and COULD BLOW YOU AWAY...NO KIDDING. We had to walk with a 45 degree tilt against the wind in order to move forward...not forgetting the snow-covered grounds in Iceland...slipping and getting pushed over by the wind is very probable.
The thing about the wind is that it affects the temperature. The temperature as reported on your apps or the weather stations could be like 2°C. But with the wind...it could make the temperatures drop to -2°C or worse. So, pray for a clear sky and windless environment when you're there people.
Ok, back to the weather conditions...It's not all bad...It could also work vice-versa where the attraction you're at is getting bludgeoned by heavy winds and snow and 5 to 10 minutes later, it all clears up...and if you're lucky, the naughty bad weather goes away leaving you with a rainbow :D
Yup, I gotta go work tomorrow so that's all for my introductory post to Iceland.
I'll be posting in detail about the rest of the amazing attractions in Iceland. But really, the whole of Iceland is an attraction in itself. Haha. Yep, stay tuned! And share my post if you like it! :D More views is good news :D :D
